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Can you have addition polymerisation with monomers other than alkenes?
Every example of addition polymerisation I have seen so far has used alkenes as the monomers. I was wondering if it is possible to have some other molecule. I don't think the following molecule can exist due to stability reasons, but as an example could you not use something like
$$\ce{H-N=N-H}\,?$$
Surely all you need is the presence of a double bond?
$\ce{N2H2}$ is a very unstable molecule, prone to disproportionation into hydrazine and nitrogen. $\ce{N-N}$ bonds except one in $\ce{N2}$ molecule are unstable and generally unfavorable. So, no there are no polymers with nitrogen as a sole component of the main chain.
Several classes of compounds of 3-row elements demonstrate tendency for oligomerization, namely $\ce{(HP)\_{n}}$ derivatives usually exist as a ring. It is possible to obtain metastable at room temperature plastic sulfur, containing linear sulfur chains terminated by free radicals.
However, generally when in search of easily polymerizing molecule that produce main chain containing elements other than carbon, one usually have to look into compounds producing chains with two elements. The most common and known one is formaldehyde $\ce{CH2=O}$, producing $\ce{HO-(CH2-O)\_{n}-H}$ chains. A less known, but interesting example is [hexachlorotriphosphazene](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexachlorophosphazene), the source material for production of [Polyphosphazenes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphosphazene).
In general, metastable double bonds are rare for elements other than carbon (sometimes with nitrogen or oxygen partners), so usually reactions intended to produce such bonds, say, $\ce{Si=Si}$ usually end with olygomer instead, typically of ring structure. Moreover, single homoelemental bonds are usually much weaker for elements other than CHNOB, so typically when a chains containing other elements is occurred, it is usually hetero-atomic chain, produced by means other than olygomerization of double-bond containing monomer. For example, an extremely wide-used family of polymers (polysiloxanes, or [silicones](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicone)) is produce by hydrolisys of dialkyldicholorsilanes $\ce{R2SiCl2}$.
To my knowledge, diazene (diimine, $\ce{N2H2}$) does not polymerize but simply decomposes (to hydrazine and nitrogen). Even in the polymerization azobenzene-substituted vinylethers (consider azobenzene as diazene in with both hydrogen atoms are replaced by phenyl rings), the $\ce{N=N}$ double bond does not participate in the polymerization.
But you are right, a lot of **copolymers** consists of monomers in which the polymerization does not take place at $\ce{C=C}$ bonds.
Think in the reaction of $\ce{\alpha,\omega}$-diols
* with phosgene ($\ce{COCl2}$) to polycarbonates
* with diisocyanates to polyurethanes
or the reaction of dianhydrides with diamines to polyimides.
You're right, the monomer needn't be an alkene. Non-alkenes with double bonds can also form addition polymers. In fact, the monomer needn't always have a double bond either! Surprised? Take a look at this:
>
> [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ytVhg.png)
>
>
>
(Image source: [chemwiki.ucdavis.edu](http://chemwiki.ucdavis.edu/@api/deki/files/7295/Nylon_6_formation.png))
| stackexchange/chemistry |
severe nondiabetic ketoacidosis due to acute starvation is a rare event , even among pregnant women , and occurrence in patients with near - fatal asthma as a comorbidity is even rarer .
therefore , we report a unique case of ketoacidosis that was induced by short - term starvation and a near - fatal asthma attack in a nondiabetic pregnant woman during her third trimester of pregnancy .
only 10 similar cases have been reported , and the present case was the most challenging to treat due to life - threatening events ( acidosis and asthma ) that usually require potentially conflicting treatments . in this case , placenta - derived hormones , fuel homeostasis during starvation , stress during pregnancy , and pharmacological effects all likely contributed to this event . although the development of acidosis has adverse effects on the mother and infant , we achieved rapid acidosis reversal and a favorable outcome via timely caesarean delivery .
a 36-year - old woman presented to our emergency room at 34 weeks of gestation , due to worsening dyspnea and a 2-day history of severe vomiting with poor oral intake .
she had been diagnosed with bronchial asthma at the age of 15 years and had experienced 2 episodes of near - fatal asthma . due to a misperception regarding the effects of asthma medications during pregnancy , she had not taken her asthma medication since becoming pregnant . however , 1 week before this hospitalization , she experienced an increase in asthma attack frequency , resulting in frequent use of a rescue medication .
she denied having a history of smoking , alcohol consumption , or illicit drug usage , and her outpatient labor surveillance , which included glucose tolerance testing , did not reveal any abnormalities . at presentation , she was in clear consciousness but appeared agitated , with tachypnea , inspiratory and expiratory wheezing , and kussmaul breathing .
her pulse was 138 beats / min , her respiratory rate was 25 breaths / min , her blood pressure was 126/78 mm hg , and her temperature was 37c .
initial arterial blood gas analysis ( with an o2 mask ) revealed mixed respiratory alkalosis , metabolic acidosis , and no hypoxia ( table 1 ) .
based on our assumption of an asthma attack , we administered supplemental oxygen , a high - dose short - acting beta - agonist with ipratropium via a nebulizer , and intravenous steroids although her condition continued to deteriorate , and reassessment revealed a high respiratory rate and accessory muscle use .
thus , she was intubated 2 hours after admission to er to prevent further maternal fatigue or deterioration of oxygenation .
initial postintubation ventilator settings were pressure - control ventilation mode , a pressure level of 18 cm h2o , a respiratory rate of 15 breaths / min , peep at 5 cm h2o , fio2 at 80% , and ti ( inflation time ) of 1 s. she was hydrated with 0.9% saline at 100 ml / h due to a history of severe vomiting .
blood tests revealed slightly elevated c - reactive protein levels ( 2.61 mg / l ) and a leucocyte count of 15.85 10/l . her renal function , liver function , and creatinine kinase results were normal , and her random capillary blood glucose levels were 152 mg / dl , with normal glycosylated hemoglobin levels ( 4.8% ) .
laboratory parameters ( acid base results ) and clinical course . the patient was admitted to the intensive care unit ( icu ) 8 hours after intubation and initial management in the er . we further adjusted the ventilator settings to pressure - support ventilation , with a pressure level of 16 cm h2o , peep at 8 cm h2o , and fio2 at 50% , due to relatively acceptable oxygenation and clear consciousness .
we continued to administer an inhaled short - acting beta - agonist , an inhaled corticosteroid ( ics ; budesonide , 1 mg twice per day ) , and intravenous magnesium sulfate .
however , the patient reported feeling breathless and still presented with deep and labored breathing .
the ventilator flow waveform revealed dynamic hyperinflation with evidence of intrinsic end - expiratory pressure .
therefore , we tried to adjust ventilator settings to ameliorate dynamic hyperinflation by lowering tidal volumes ( tv : 68 ml / kg ) indexed to the patient 's ideal body weight ( ibw : 55.8 kg ) , per devine 's formulas and sedated the patient with propofol to prevent rapid respiratory rates .
intermittent high tv ( 8001000 ml ) and high minute ventilation ( 1012 l / min ) were detected .
however , we could only partially sedate the patient because she did not respond well to high - dose propofol , and the patient could not tolerate lower pressure support , as evidenced by labored breathing .
we did not attempt to increase the dosage further because we were not sure of the safety of continuous high - dose propofol administration in pregnant patients .
subsequent chest radiography revealed subcutaneous emphysema throughout the neck region and suspected pneumomediastum ( fig .
2 ) . follow - up arterial blood gas analysis revealed a rapid decrease in bicarbonate levels and an increased anion gap ( ag ) ( table 1 , fig .
1 ) . we assumed that respiratory compensation for the worsening metabolic acidosis may have exacerbated her labored and deep breathing , which made it more difficult to control her asthma .
we concluded that lactic acidosis was unlikely , due to her normal serum lactate levels , and a sepsis work - up revealed no evidence of infection .
her serum ketone levels ( 3--hydroxybutyrate ) , ph , and bicarbonate levels were 3.7 mmol / l , 7.216 , and 11.6 mmol / l , respectively at 29 hours ( table 1 ) .
therefore , after excluding other possible explanations for the high - ag metabolic acidosis , we diagnosed the patient with starvation ketoacidosis based on vomiting with concomitant periods of stress during her third trimester of pregnancy .
an emergency caesarean section kept the ketoacidosis ( high anion gap metabolic acidosis with declining bicarbonate ) from getting worse and made early extubation possible .
although we hydrated the patient with 5% dextrose in normal saline [ d5ns ] at 125 ml / h after she was admitted to the icu , it only partially resolved the starvation ketoacidosis .
in addition , although aggressive treatment is indicated for an asthma attack , we were concerned with the possible pharmacologic acceleration effects that the beta - agonist and corticosteroid might have on ketoacidosis and the adverse effects of long - term high - dose propofol usage in pregnancy . due to the potential harmful effects of ketoacidosis and uncontrolled asthma
, we performed an emergency caesarean section under general anesthesia after administering 2 doses of betamethasone ( 12 mg , 24 h apart ) to prevent fetal respiratory distress syndrome .
the umbilical cord arterial ph was 7.143 , and the 5-min apgar score was 9 although the child received intensive care for 2 days due to grade ii respiratory distress syndrome .
she was successfully extubated 20 hours post - delivery due to rapid resolution of the metabolic derangement ( table 1 , fig .
subsequent panendoscopy revealed superficial gastritis although both the mother and the baby were ultimately discharged safely .
plain chest radiography in the intensive care unit revealed subcutaneous emphysema over the neck region and suspected pneumomediastinum .
ethical approval was not necessary because the study was focused on the retrospective observation of a patient 's hospital course , which in no way affected her treatment .
ethical approval was not necessary because the study was focused on the retrospective observation of a patient 's hospital course , which in no way affected her treatment .
we describe a case of ketoacidosis that was induced by short - term starvation and a near - fatal asthma attack in a nondiabetic pregnant woman .
we believe that this case is theoretically and practically relevant , as the woman initially did not respond to standard medical treatment although the ketoacidosis and asthma promptly resolved after an emergency caesarean section delivery .
the patient 's initial presentation with uncontrolled asthma masked the severity of the development of high - ag metabolic derangement .
although we differentiated the possible causes of the high - ag metabolic acidosis based on the gold mark mnemonic ( glycols [ ethylene and propylene ] , 5-oxoproline [ pyroglutamic acid ] , l - lactate , d - lactate , methanol , aspirin , renal failure , rhabdomyolysis , and ketoacidosis ) .
the ultimate diagnosis of ketoacidosis was complicated by the patient being previously healthy , nonalcoholic , and nondiabetic , not having a history of precipitating factors ( e.g. , ketogenic diet or long - term fasting ) , not having previous ketoacidosis episodes prior to this pregnancy , and having normal levels of blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin during this episode .
furthermore , the initial arterial blood gas test ph appeared misleadingly normal , due to the concomitant metabolic alkalosis that results from pregnancy - related vomiting or respiratory alkalosis , which obscured the severity of the acidosis . in theory
, short - term fasting only results in mild ketosis among healthy individuals , which reaches its maximum severity at 2 weeks .
however , the effects of the ketosis can become more severe during pregnancy , due to pregnancy - related relative insulinopenia and insulin resistance , which we initially overlooked .
therefore , we did not assess the metabolic derangement in a timely manner by checking chloride data and ag when she was initially admitted , and we merely focused on the management of asthma exacerbation .
we knew that ketosis investigation is important in sick women with diabetes , including gestational diabetes , but we learned that it is also important in nondiabetic pregnant women who have ketonuria with concomitant periods of vomiting or stress , as in an asthma attack .
our patient had severe vomiting and an inability to tolerate an oral diet ; this resulted in a starvation state .
this state might indicate an adaptation to lipid metabolism because available glucose is directed toward the fetus .
this concept was initially described in 1970 by felig and lynch , and it was further clarified by metzger et al .
in addition , placenta - derived hormones augment ketoacidosis via the production of placental lactogen , cortisol , and glucagon , which increase gluconeogenesis , glycogenolysis , ketogenesis , and insulin resistance .
as in the present case , levels of these glucose counter - regulatory hormones are increased during periods of stress , which was likely the mechanism underlying this episode of ketoacidosis .
large systemic doses of -agonists may increase levels of glucose , lactate , and free fatty acids in plasma to precipitate ketoacidosis .
therefore , if tocolytics are necessary , -adrenergic agonists should be avoided , and clinicians should consider ketoacidosis diagnoses for pregnant women who are treated using high - dose glucocorticoids and -adrenergic agonists . among the 10 reported nondiabetic starvation ketoacidosis cases , only 3 patients experienced reversal of severe acidosis after being treated with a 5% or 10% dextrose infusion or a fixed - dose insulin regimen , and most patients required emergency delivery .
those 3 cases focused on the ability of endogenous / exogenous insulin to suppress ketoacidosis , although dextrose infusion - related neonatal hyperinsulinemia and subsequent hypoglycemia were concerns . furthermore , the 10 reported cases did not involve severe comorbidities , which may indicate that early administration of dextrose - containing fluids or caloric supplementation may be beneficial in some cases , especially in the absence of severe comorbidities
. however , we believe that most cases required emergency deliveries due to the counter - regulatory hormone effects dominating the effects of circulating insulin in these nondiabetic patients . furthermore , there is no standard treatment for these patients .
thus , the proposed management strategy is early recognition of ketoacidosis by ag evaluation and ketone testing via reassessment in the critical care unit , regular assessment of fetal wellbeing , administration of dextrose - containing fluids , insulin therapy ( if necessary ) , and delivery if the patient responds poorly or if fetal compromise is observed . in this context , removal of the fetus and placenta via
caesarean section eliminates the source of counter - regulatory hormones and blocks the vicious cycle of refractory ketoacidosis .
although a positive outcome was achieved in the present case , emergency delivery is associated with a high risk of adverse outcomes when the mother has severe ketoacidosis and the fetus is preterm .
therefore , prompt recognition of ketosis , followed by timely treatment ( e.g. , caloric supplementation ) , may help optimize the outcomes for both the mother and fetus .
in addition , underlying causes of gastrointestinal symptoms , such as pancreatitis , contribute to nondiabetic ketoacidosis in pregnancy and thus should be identified and treated if possible .
issues similar to nondiabetic ketoacidosis have also been noted for lactating women on ketogenic diets , which are low - carbohydrate and high - fat diets , or those who experience starvation .
near - fatal asthma attacks present another risk to the mother and fetus , due to both hypoxemia and pregnancy - related stress .
optimal outcomes will only be achieved via appropriate medication use and patient education regarding drug adherence , associated risk factors , and self - management skills .
ics treatment can prevent asthma exacerbation during pregnancy , although acute exacerbations should be aggressively managed using systemic corticosteroids to avoid fetal hypoxia .
furthermore , the discontinuation or reduction of asthma medications ( especially ics ) , due to misunderstanding the effects of asthma drug safety during pregnancy , is a major contributor to exacerbations during pregnancy . the global initiative for asthma highlights the fact that poorly controlled asthma poses a much greater risk to the fetus than current asthma treatments , and the potential risks associated with systemic glucocorticoid use are relatively small ( e.g. , cleft palate , preeclampsia , and low birth weight ) .
therefore , it is preferable to maintain adequate asthma control based on the current guidelines when treating pregnant patients . in summary ,
short - term starvation , if it occurs during periods of stress and medication ( e.g. , steroid use ) , can result in life - threatening ketoacidosis , even among nondiabetic women during the third trimester of pregnancy .
this finding is particularly relevant to clinicians who care for pregnant women , especially those with asthma or pregnancy - related stress .
furthermore , early recognition and differential diagnosis of high - ag metabolic acidosis , prompt intervention , and additional preventive control are essential steps for achieving favorable maternal and fetal outcomes . | pubmed |
Deanna Archuleta born 1964 is the former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water and Science in the Department of the Interior and former Senior Adviser to the Secretary of the Interior. From New Mexico, she was the Bernalillo County Commissioner, and a candidate for Mayor of Albuquerque in 2017.
Political career
In May 2009, Deanna Archuleta was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Water and Science in the Department of the Interior. As Deputy Assistant Secretary, Archuleta was the supervisor of the United States geological survey or USGS. Overseeing the USGS also included the $1.1 billion budget for 2010, 2011, and 2012. As well as managing the Earthquake Hazards Program.
From January 2008 to April 2009, Archuleta served as board chair of the Bernalillo County Water Utility, overseeing the completion of the San Juan Chama Drinking Water Project.
Archuleta also served two terms as a county commissioner in Bernalillo County from January 2005 until April 2009, and was elected to serve as the chair of the commission in 2009.
Before her appointment to the Department, Archuleta was the Southwest Regional Director for The Wilderness Society, which promoted land conservation and environmental protection throughout the region. She also served on President Elect Barack Obama's Transition Team in Washington, D.C.
Mayoral candidate
Deanna Archuleta was a candidate for Mayor of Albuquerque in the 2017 election. Archuleta was the first candidate to declare in May 2016. Archuleta was one of 9 candidates that have collected enough signatures to be placed on the ballot for mayor. Because of her father's failing health, Archuleta chose to drop out of the mayoral race on May 26, 2017.
References
Category:Living people
Category:New Mexico Democrats
Category:University of New Mexico alumni
Category:United States Department of the Interior officials
Category:Politicians from Albuquerque, New Mexico
Category:Politicians from Santa Fe, New Mexico
Category:1964 births | wikipedia |
the characterization of the wind speed above an astronomical site is extremely important for several different reasons .
firstly , because the wind speed is strictly correlated to the optical turbulence : strong wind speed and sharp wind speed gradients are indicators of a turbulent atmosphere , which in combination with a stable stratification of the atmosphere ( a positive gradient of the potential temperature ) creates optical turbulence that limits the resolution of the telescopes . secondly , because the stronger the wind speed , the higher is the speed at which the turbulence layers cross the pupil of the telescope and the higher is the frequency at which adaptive optics systems are forced to work to correct the turbulence perturbations above the wavefront .
thirdly , because a too strong wind speed near the ground can introduce vibrations of the telescope structures . at mid - latitudes ,
the wind speed varies with height showing a maximum at the jet stream level , usually 10 - 12 km ( or @xmath3200 hpa ) above sea level .
the strength of the wind speed at high altitudes varies according to season , with the strongest values during ( the local ) winter and early spring @xcite .
it has been observed that seasonal variations at the jet stream level are more pronounced at higher latitudes than at low latitudes in proximity of the equator @xcite because of the general circulation of the wind speed at synoptic scale . at extreme latitudes , i.e. in proximity of the poles ,
the wind speed is characterized by a completely different feature in the free atmosphere @xcite .
it is rather weak up to 10 km and then increases monotonically above this height with a rate that increases with the distance of the site from the centre of the polar vortex @xcite .
this assumption has been confirmed by @xcite .
apart from the fact that a windy atmosphere more easily triggers optical turbulence , the astroclimatic parameter that directly depends not only on the optical turbulence but also on the wind speed is the wavefront coherence time : @xmath4 also equivalent to : @xmath5 where @xmath6 is the fried s parameter and v@xmath7 is the equivalent velocity : @xmath8 @xmath9 depends , therefore , on the vertical distribution of the wind speed v(h ) and the optical turbulence @xmath10(h ) . to simplify the calculation of the wavefront coherence time sarazin & tokovinin ( 2002 ) proposed a method to calculate @xmath9 using only the wind speed estimated at 200 hpa instead of the whole profile using an empirical relationship between @xmath11 and @xmath2 : firstly they used @xmath12 and , in a second time , the expression has been modified in @xmath13 .
however , a few years ago @xcite , in a study done above san pedro mrtir , it has been observed that the value of the constant 0.4 was not universal .
the authors found the value 0.56 above san pedro mrtir .
however , they also proved that the relative error introduced in @xmath9 with the method of @xcite , that does not consider the vertical distribution of the wind speed but just the wind speed in two precise regions of the atmosphere ( near the ground and at 200 hpa ) , could be as great as 20@xmath14 - 50@xmath14 , even using the appropriated constant .
in other words , they proved that the proportionality between v@xmath7 and v@xmath15 is poorly reliable if one wishes precise estimates of @xmath9 ( even if we select an appropriated constant ) above the teide observatory and they found a third different value of the constant .
however , we think they misunderstood the @xcite thesis because they stated that the @xcite method needs to be calibrated to be used . ] .
@xcite concluded therefore that , for the calculation of the @xmath9 , the vertical distribution of the wind speed on the whole troposphere is fundamental and necessary and the method suggested by @xcite can provide only some qualitative ( but not accurate ) estimates because it presents some intrinsic weak points .
it appears therefore absolutely important in the field of the site characterization of an astronomical site , at least in cases such as the calculation of @xmath9 , to characterize the wind speed vertical distribution . how to do that ?
the estimate of the wind speed vertical distribution up to 20 km at an astronomical site ( usually placed on the top of mountains ) is not trivial .
the generalized scidar , an optical instrument based on a remote sensing principle , can measure the wind speed @xcite at all the heights in which turbulent layers are present i.e. it can reconstruct a sort of vertical profile .
some estimates have been done in the past above different sites @xcite .
however , this method requires the employment of an instrument that has to be placed at the focus of a telescope with a pupil size of at least 1.5 m and it can be performed for short periods ( typically some tens of nights ) related to dedicated experiments .
such an instrument is not suitable for routinely monitoring the wind speed or climatological studies .
alternatively wind speed profiles are routinely calculated by the general circulation models ( gcm ) ( mainly from the ecmwf and noaa / ncep ) and data - set can be retrieved in any site in the world with a horizontal resolution of 0.25 degrees ( operational analyses ) and 2.5 degrees ( re - analyses ) . both have been used for astronomical applications .
more precisely , the ecmwf analyses have been used at mid - latitude sites @xcite as well as at extreme latitudes @xcite .
noaa / ncep re - analyses ( vertical profiles ) have been used at mid - latitude sites @xcite and era - reanalyses of the ecmwf have been used at extreme latitudes @xcite .
model outputs showed good correlations with measurements in all cases in which this has been calculated .
the unique problem with analyses and re - analyses is that these estimates are representative of the wind speed above the astronomical site but not in the the surface and boundary layer where the local orographic effects have a major effect on the wind speed . above roughly 1 - 2 km from the ground ,
the wind speed is almost horizontally homogeneous and the vertical distribution is basically the same with respect to a horizontal extension of some tens of kilometers . below this height
the analyses from the gcms are less representative of the wind speed because their horizontal resolution is too low to give an accurate description of the interaction of the atmospheric flow with the topography near the surface .
however , in the surface ( lowest few tens of meters ) and boundary layers ( typically the first kilometer above the surface ) it has been proved @xcite that mesoscale models , with a horizontal resolution of 1 km , can provide much better estimates than what analyses from the gcms do above mid - latitude astronomical sites .
in that paper the author proved that mesoscale models can provide estimates better correlated to measurements than analyses from gcm .
it has also been proved that mesoscale models are able , contrary to the analyses from the gcms , to discriminate the wind speed near the ground between two astronomical sites ( paranal and maidanak ) characterized by a median wind speeds that differ for 4 - 5 ms@xmath16 .
this study lets us think that mesoscale models could be a useful tool to reconstruct the wind speed vertical profile all along the 20 km from the ground .
they are supposed to be comparable in performances to the ecmwf models above 1 - 2 km from the ground and they are supposed to provide better performances of the wind speed in the first 1 - 2 km from the ground . in this paper
we provide a climatological characterization of the wind speed above 1 km from the ground on the time scale of ten years using analyses from the ecmwf general circulation models and we investigate the possibility to use a mesoscale model to systematically reconstruct a complete wind speed vertical profile extended on the whole 20 km above mt.graham ( arizona , us ) the site of the large binocular telescope ( lbt ) .
in section 2 we use the operational ecmwf analyses over 10 years , 1998 - 2007 , to present a climatological estimate of the median monthly wind speed .
the operational data was chosen because of their higher resolution ( 0.25 degrees ) with respect to the re - analyses .
we will first prove the reliability of the ecmwf analyses in these regions of the world comparing analyses with radiosoundings launched in from tucson international airport ( @xmath3120 km from mt .
graham ) . in section 3
we investigate the reliability of the wind speed vertical profiles retrieved from simulations with a mesoscale model ( meso - nh ) in the high as well as in the low part of the atmosphere .
the mesoscale model is run in a grid - nesting configuration covering a total surface of 800 km x 800 km and three imbricated models with 10 , 2.5 and 0.5 km horizontal resolution ( table [ tab1 ] ) .
the innermost model covering a surface of 60 km x 60 km .
to estimate the model reliability we use measurements of the wind speed done by a generalized scidar run at the focus of the vatican advanced technology telescope ( vatt ) as well as by an anemometer located on the roof of the same telescope .
this section aims to evaluate the possibility to use a mesoscale model to characterize the vertical distribution of the wind speed extending from the ground up to 20 km above astronomical sites .
this should certainly represent an extremely valuable tool to provide an exhaustive monitoring of the wind speed above an astronomical site .
.meso - nh model configuration . in the second column
the horizontal resolution @xmath17x , in the third column the number of grid points and in the fourth column the horizontal surface covered by the model domain . [ cols="^,^,^,^",options="header " , ] 20 m ( dashed line and stars ) and the generalized scidar ( thin solid line and circles).,width=283 ] we have calculated the average wind speed vertical profile in the first kilometer for all 39 nights for which there are measurements of the wind speed from the generalized scidar ( fig . [ wind_gs ] - blue line ) and compare the resulting profile with the average wind speed simulated by the meso - nh for the same nights ( fig .
[ wind_gs ] - green line ) .
we remind that the gs is placed at the focus of the vatt therefore the first measurement ( on the vertical grid ) for the gs is at @xmath3 20 m from the ground .
looking at fig.[wind_gs ] we observe that , almost everywhere the two profiles are very well correlated , with the generalized scidar estimating wind speed that differs from the meso - nh model for not more than 1 ms@xmath16 all along the first kilometer from the ground . at 20 m
the gs wind is slightly stronger than the wind calculated by the model .
this is probably due to the fact that the gs measurements have a vertical error bar of the order of 25 - 30 m ( see masciadri et al .
2010 ) and the wind shear is particularly strong at this height
. therefore it might be that the higher wind speed detected by the gs at h = 20 m can be originated by thin layers flowing at slightly higher distance from the dome and not resolved by the instrument .
figure [ wind_surf ] shows the average wind speed near the ground for every night reported in table [ tab2 ] in chronological order as measured by the generalized scidar and reconstructed by meso - nh at around 20 m i.e. at the height of the dome of the telescope . in the same figure
is also reported the wind speed measured in the same nights by the anemometer mounted on the top of the vatt . from a qualitative point of view , in fig .
[ wind_surf ] we observe that the temporal evolution of the wind speed reconstructed by the model during the 39 nights is very well correlated to the anemometer trend .
the wind speed reconstructed by the model decreases and increases following the wind speed evolution measured by the anemometer in the same nights .
only a small off - set is present between the two estimates . from a quantitative point of view the mean wind speed from the gs at h
= 20 m is 7.37 ms@xmath16 , the mean wind speed reconstructed by the meso - nh model is 5.21 ms@xmath16 , the mean wind speed measured by the anemometer is 2.44 ms@xmath16 .
the wind speed reconstructed by the model is well included in the range of the wind speed measurements and this certainly proves the reliability of the calculated wind speed .
the weaker wind speed from the anemometer is probably due to the fact that the anemometer is an in situ measurement that is done well below the top of the trees .
it has been observed in the past that the friction of the atmospheric flow with the trees causes a sharp and drastic decreasing of the wind speed below this height ( something that is confirmed in the profile reconstructed by the model below 20 m ) .
we conclude therefore that the model provides reliable estimates all along the whole 20 km . in the future
it would be good to be able to equip the observatory with anemometers located at different heights below and above the top of the trees preferably in open space environment so that the wind speed is not affected by the presence of buildings .
this should permit us to better monitor the particular sharp change of wind speed in this region .
in this paper we aimed to give a complete characterization of the wind speed vertical distribution at mt .
graham ( arizona , us ) for astronomical applications .
the simplest way of retrieving a complete characterization of the wind speed profile ( with exception of the surface and boundary layer ) is using the data from general circulation models ( gcms ) . in this study
we use the operational analyses from the ecmwf extracted from the grid point closest to the peak of mt .
graham , with a 0.25 degrees resolution , to study the vertical wind speed distribution over 10 years ( 1998 - 2007 ) .
we have verified that the wind speed profile retrieved from the operational analyses of the ecmwf model is consistent with what is obtained by the radiosoundings from the nearby tucson international airport .
we also proved that the wind speed in this region is homogeneous with respect to horizontal spatial scales of the order of some tens of kilometers above @xmath34 km from the sea level . having proved that the ecmwf analyses are reliable
, we presented the monthly median wind speed extended on a 10 years time scale .
the wind speed profiles are rather typical of a mid - latitude site with a pronounced wind speed maximum at the jet stream level ( 10 - 12 km above sea level ) during most of the year . on the contrary , during the summer the maximum wind speed is located well into the stratosphere . the strongest variability ( from different years ) in the monthly median wind speed is found during spring and autumn .
for the same period we also provided the monthly mean wind speed values at 200 hpa , corresponding to the maximum wind speed values at the jet - stream height .
the month with the strongest wind speed at 200 hpa is february ( 37.21 ms@xmath16 ) , while the weakest wind speed is observed in july ( 11.17 ms@xmath16 ) .
results indicate that the wind speed at the jet - stream level is very similar to what has been observed above the observatory in san pedro mrtir ( baja california ) and it is consistent with the values observed above the best astronomical sites in the world .
besides , we proved the reliability of a mesoscale model ( meso - nh ) in reconstructing the wind speed on the whole 20 km just above the summit of mt .
graham included the boundary layer and the surface layer .
we proved that the wind speed reconstructed by the model is very well correlated to the ecmwf analyses and it is also able to provide realistic profiles in the first kilometer from the ground .
the wind speed estimates from the mesoscale model have been compared to measurements from a generalized scidar and an anemometer located at 20 m from the ground on a sample of 39 nights . above 50 m the wind speed profiles reconstructed by the model match in a very satisfactory way ( @xmath17v @xmath18 1 ms@xmath16 ) with respect to the measured wind speed profiles .
closer to the surface , just in proximity of the top of the trees , the wind speed estimated by the model is included in the range of values given by the anemometer and the generalized scidar and for this reason can be considered satisfactory
. however , the dispersion between the anemometer and the gs measurements seems a little too large .
this difference is highly probably due to the fact the anemometer measures a wind speed that is not completely in free air ( the anemometer is placed beside the dome of the vatt ) and below the top of the trees . on the other side , the gs is probably affected by the wind speed just above the top of the trees because of its finite vertical resolution .
the qualitative trend of the wind speed observed all along the sample of 39 nights is however very well reconstructed by the model and in agreement with measurements .
the model appears to reconstruct very well the wind speed behavior above and below 20 m. this paper therefore validates the meso - nh model as a tool to predict the wind speed vertical profile v(h ) from the ground up to 20 km above mt .
graham for each night and , at present time , it appears as the unique method to systematically estimate the whole wind speed vertical profile above an astronomical observatory .
we remind that it has been proved ( masciadri et al .
1999a , masciadri & jabouille , 2001 , masciadri et al .
2004 , lascaux et al . 2010 ) that meso - nh can provide reliable @xmath10 profiles above an astronomical site and it appears therefore as an extremely useful tool for @xmath9 estimates .
besides there are evidences that it would be very useful to supply the mt .
graham observatory with anemometers located at different heights below and above the top of the trees ( @xmath3 20 m ) because this should permit to provide a better constraints of the model for dedicated and more detailed applications .
ecmwf products are extracted from the catalogue mars , http://www.ecmwf.int , access to these data was authorized by the meteorologic service of the italian air force .
radiosoundings are obtained from the university of wyoming - site http://weather.uwyo.edu/upperair/sounding.html .
this study has been funded by the marie curie excellence grant ( forot ) - mext - ct-2005 - 023878 .
avila , r. , vernin , j. , sanchez , l. , 2001 , a&a , 369 , 364 avila , r. , carrasco , e. , ibaez , f. , vernin , j. , prieur , j - l , cruz , d. x. , 2006 , pasp , 118 , 503 bounhir , a. , benkhaldoun , z. , carrasco , e. , sarazin , m , 2009 , mnras , 398 , 862 carrasco , e. , avila , r. & carramiana , 2005 , pasp , 117 , 104 egner , s. , masciadri e. , mckenna d , 2007 , pasp , 119 , 669 garca - lorenzo , b. , fuensalida , j. j , 2006 , mnras , 372 , 1483 garca - lorenzo , b. , fuensalida , j. j. , muoz - tuon , c. , mendizalbal e. , 2005 , mnras , 356 , 849 garca - lorenzo , b. , eff - darwich , a. , fuensalida , j. j. , castro - almazn , j. , 2009 , mnras , 397 , 1633 geissler , k. , masciadri , e. , 2006 , pasp , 118 , 1048 hagelin s. , masciadri e. , lascaux , f. , stoesz , j. , 2008 , mnras , 387 , 1499 lafore , j .-
p . , stein , j. , asencio , n. , bougeault , p. , ducrocq , v. , duron , j. , fischer , c. , hereil , p. , mascart , p. , masson , v. , pinty , j .- p . ,
redelsperger , j .- l . , richard , e. , vil - guerau de arellano , j. , 1998 , annales geophysicae , 16 , 90 lascaux , f. , masciadri , e. , hagelin , s. , stoesz , j. , 2009 , in masciadri , e. & sarazin , m .. eds . , optical turbulence - astronomy meets meteorology , imperial college press , p. 366
lascaux , f. , masciadri , e. , hagelin , s. , 2010 , mnras , 403 , 1714 masciadri , e. , vernin , j. , bougeault , p. 1999a
a&ass , 137 , 185 masciadri , e. & jabouille , p. , 2001
, a&a , 376 , 727 masciadri , e. , avila , r. , sanchez , l.j . , 2004 ,
rmxaa , 40 , 3 masciadri , e. , 2003 , rmxaa , 36 , 249 masciadri , e. , egner , s. , 2006 , pasp , 118 , 1604 masciadri , e. , garfias t. , a&a , 2001 , 366 , 708 masciadri , e. , stoesz , j. , hagelin , s. , lascaux , f. , 2010 , mnras , 404 , 144 sadibekova , t. , fossat , e. , genthon , c. , krinner , g. , aristidi , e. , agabi , k. , azouit , m. , 2006 , antarct .
sci.,18 , 437 sarazin , m. , tokovinin , a. , 2002 , in vernet , e. , ragazzoni , r. , esposito , s. , hubin , n. , eds , proc .
58th eso conf .
workshop , beyond conventional adaptive optics , eso publications , garching , p. 321
the horizontal resolution of the operational analyses of the ecmwf has changed during the ten year - period studied in this paper .
this implies that the position of the closest grid points to mt .
graham changes .
the data in this study are downloaded from the 0.25@xmath19 resolution where the closest grid point to mt .
graham is located east northeast of the mountain peak ( fig .
[ map ] - point ( a ) ) at 32.75@xmath19n , 110.00@xmath19w . using the 0.5@xmath19 resolution the closest grid point
is located 32.50@xmath19n , 110.00@xmath19w , southwest of the mountain ( fig .
[ map ] - point ( b ) ) . to closer examine which impact the different resolutions have on the vertical wind speed profile we have downloaded the data from both of these grid points for the entire year 2002 .
the monthly median wind speed profile is presented in fig .
[ wind2002 ] , where the data from the grid point using the higher resolution ( 32.75@xmath19n , 110.00@xmath19w ) is plotted with a solid line and the data from the 0.5@xmath19 resolution ( 32.50@xmath19n , 110.00@xmath19w ) is plotted using a dashed line .
the difference between the two data - sets is very small . during
all months the lines overlap each other almost entirely .
some smaller offsets exist , but they are generally minor .
the largest difference found , near the jet stream - level in october , is 2.8 ms@xmath16 .
we conclude therefore that the change in horizontal resolution in ecmwf - analyses during the 10 years did not introduce any biases in our calculation . | arxiv |
(Nairobi) - The acquittal of a journalist on treason charges on May 13, 2011, is a positive development for Burundi, where politically motivated harassment of journalists has been on the rise, Human Rights Watch and the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. However, his conviction on a lesser charge shows the need for Burundi's government to amend its press law to decriminalize so-called press offenses, the organizations said.
The journalist, Jean Claude Kavumbagu, was arrested in July 2010 after publishing an article in his online news journal, NetPress, questioning the Burundian army's ability to respond to possible threats from the Somali militant group al-Shabaab. "Our defense and security forces shine in their capacity to pillage and kill their compatriots rather than defend our country," he wrote. The authorities charged him with treason, a crime that carries a life sentence. His trial was on April 13 in Bujumbura, the capital. The verdict, on May 13, found Kavumbagu not guilty of treason, but guilty under article 50 of the press law of publishing an article "likely to discredit the state or economy." He was given an eight-month sentence but was released on May 17, since he had spent 10 months in pretrial detention.
"Kavumbagu's release is good news, but he shouldn't have been detained at all," said Daniel Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "His conviction on another press crime is a reminder that journalists in Burundi still risk going to prison for criticizing the government or security forces."
The Burundian government has recently taken several positive steps showing greater respect for freedom of expression after a low point in 2010, when authorities threatened and arbitrarily detained a number of journalists and media workers. Most were released after a few days.
Faustin Ndikumana, the head driver for the radio station Radio Publique Africaine (RPA), who was arrested on September 15 on charges of "threatening state security," was detained for nearly seven months. He was accused of being at a meeting at which arms deliveries to rebels were allegedly discussed. The station contended that the arrest was a form of intimidation against the radio station, which is often critical of government policies. Ndikumana was acquitted on April 14 after the only witness against him failed to appear in court.
On May 3, World Press Freedom Day, journalists organized a protest march to call attention to the ongoing detention of Kavumbagu. Two weeks earlier, police had broken up a peaceful protest of civil society organizations calling for justice in the case of a slain activist and detained two of the protesters for several hours. However, police permitted the journalists' protest to go forward, a positive step in a country in which civil society protests are often banned.
Despite these developments, media freedom in Burundi remains constrained by criminal laws, Human Rights Watch and the Committee to Protect Journalists said. So-called press offenses impose criminal penalties on journalists and media workers for defamation, "discrediting" the state, insulting the head of state, and "threatening state security." While journalists are rarely charged with crimes as serious as treason, four journalists were held for periods of four to six months in 2006 and 2007 on press offenses and others have been called in for questioning on similar charges.
Under article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Burundi is a party, restrictions on the right to freedom of expression must be necessary and narrowly drawn. Criminal penalties are always disproportionate punishments for harming a person's reputation and should be abolished. Civil defamation and criminal incitement laws are sufficient for the purpose of protecting people's reputations and maintaining public order and can be written and implemented in ways that provide appropriate protections for freedom of expression.
"The fact that a prosecutor in Burundi can still request a life sentence for a journalist simply for criticizing the Burundian security forces demonstrates serious weaknesses in Burundi's approach to the press," said Tom Rhodes, East Africa consultant at the Committee to Protect Journalists. "Burundi should decriminalize press offenses and allow journalists to speak and write freely without fear of harassment or arrest." | slim_pajama |
hydrotropic solubilization , the technique whereby the addition of one solute significantly promotes the solubility of another , has been widely applied to this end [ 35 ] . yet , the nature and mechanisms of hydrotropic solubilization remain elusive and a topic of debate , especially with regard to the structural diversity of hydrotropic agents ( has ) and the apparent drug - hydrotrope selectivity [ 79 ] .
this situation , in combination with the compelling application needs , demands more structure - specific understanding of the hydrotropic effect .
in fact , dating back to almost the beginning of the discovery of hydrotropy , neuberg already noted that the hydrotropic agents consisted generally of an anionic ( hydrophilic ) group and a hydrophobic aromatic ring or ring system , where the type of anion or metal ion appeared to have a minor effect .
the aromatic ring , on the other hand , appeared to be critical to the hydrotropic effect .
molecular orbital calculation later suggested that the aromatic ring or ring system may facilitate a -donor -acceptor interaction [ 10 , 11 ] , a potential mechanism once widely believed to account for the hydrotropic effect of nicotinamide and other heteroaromatic hydrotropic agents .
. also showed that aromatic ring systems may promote the stacking of molecules and , as a result , enhanced drug aqueous solubility more effectively than the aliphatic amides ( e.g. , urea and its derivatives ) .
these evidences were in support of the classical molecular complexation mechanism , whereby the aromaticity of hydrotropic agents apparently played a critical role . nevertheless , experimental findings inconsistent with this potential mechanism were also reported .
for example , nicotinamide was shown to solubilize drugs in the absence of a -donor -acceptor interaction .
it was also found that the hydrophobicity , rather than the aromaticity , of hydrotropic agents is the determinant of their solubilization ability [ 7 , 14 , 15 ] .
clearly , these seemingly contradictory observations are essential in clarifying the mechanism of hydrotropy and therefore warrant further investigation . in the light of this situation
, we initiated a series of studies using molecular dynamics ( md ) simulation , a technique with an atomic - level resolution , to probe hydrotropic solubilization . in an earlier study
, we successfully modeled the solubilization of a poorly water - soluble anti - hiv compound , pg-300995 , by the hydrotropic agent nicotinamide .
the study clearly showed that the solubilization was driven by the restoration of normal water structure that was disrupted by the dispersion of solutes .
this process was accompanied by significant molecular aggregation of nicotinamide and the drug in an aqueous solution . the -donor -acceptor interaction and the so - induced molecular complexation
were not the determinant of the solubilization . in a second study on the solubilization of riboflavin in the presence of caffeine , the parallel stacking of the solutes
was found . despite that the solute clusters present different appearances for these two systems , the driving forces are the same : the restoration of normal water structure . with these interesting findings
, the current study attempted to further expand the md simulation to aliphatic amides , another group of hydrotropic agents .
the purposes of this study are to elucidate the hydrotropic solubilization mechanism of aliphatic amides and , in combination with our earlier reports , to provide a more comprehensive understanding to the mechanism of hydrotropy .
the study employed model systems consisting of nifedipine ( nf ) , a poorlysoluble antihypertension drug , solubilized by a series of urea analogues in an aqueous environment .
hydrotropic solubilization of nf was previously reported in the presence of urea ( ur ) , methylurea ( mu ) , ethylurea ( eu ) , and butylurea ( bu ) , respectively , with the solubilization effect ranked as bu > eu > mu > ur ( see figure 1 for chemical structures of nf and butylurea ) . a similar progressive solubilization effect correlated with increasing hydrophobicity
therefore , studying such model systems may also help elucidate the role of hydrophobicity in hydrotropic solubilization .
the solubility of nf ( mw 346.3 ) in water ( ph 7 ) is approximately 5 - 6 g / ml , or approximately 0.17 10 m. it was reported that the solubility of nf had approximately 3- , 15- , 65- , and 65-folds increase in the presence of ur ( 4 m ) , mu ( 4 m ) , eu ( 4 m ) , and bu ( 1.2 m ) , respectively ( estimated from figure 6 of ) .
these results translate to nf solubilities below 0.2 : 1000 ( nf : water , molar ratio ) in the presence of these has , whose concentrations are approximately 72 : 1000 ( ha : water ) for ur , mu , and eu ( 4 m ) , or 22 : 1000 for bu ( 1.2 m ) . given these experimental results and bearing in mind the limited computation resource ,
four primary models were constructed containing ( 1 ) one nf and 72 ur in 1000 water ( nf + ur + water system ) ( 2 ) one nf and 72 mu in 1000 water ( nf + mu + water system ) ( 3 ) one nf and 72 eu in 1000 water ( nf + eu + water system ) and ( 4 ) one nf and 37 bu in 1000 water ( nf + bu + water system ) . as such
, the concentrations for has were 4 m for ur , mu , and eu and 2 m for bu ( all in solution state based on experimental solubility data ) .
the bu concentration in the nf + bu + water system was adjusted to approximately 2 m from 1.2 m in the experimental system .
the nf was supersaturated in these models but was accepted as this study was designed to elucidate the qualitative mechanism rather than to quantify the solubility . to study behaviors of
has in aqueous solutions in the absence of nf , four additional models were built : ( 1 ) 72 ur in 1000 water ( ur + water system ) ( 2 ) 72 mu in 1000 water ( mu + water system ) ( 3 ) 72 eu in 1000 water ( eu + water system ) and ( 4 ) 37 bu in 1000 water ( bu + water system ) .
furthermore , several additional model systems were constructed in the same manner to assist the analysis of energetic and dynamic changes upon hydrotropic solubilization .
solutes were randomly dispersed in the solvent ( 1000 water molecules ) and all molecules were treated unionized in accordance to the experimental condition of ph 7 .
model systems were set up using the amorphous cell module of the material studio ( ms ) 4.3 software package .
cubic simulation boxes with periodic boundary conditions in all directions were constructed with a density of 1 g / cm , followed by the geometric optimization of molecular configurations utilizing compass force field .
compass is a class ii ab initio force field designed for use with organic molecules and optimized for the simulation of condensed phases ( see [ 1921 ] for the parameterization and validation of this force field ) .
the md simulations were then carried out under npt conditions in the forcite module of ms , with pressure and temperature held at 100 kpa and 298 k , respectively , by employing nose thermostat and berendsen barostat .
the compass force field was used to calculate both van der waals and electrostatic interactions .
charge groups were applied with cutoff distances of 14 for both interactions ( among the eight models given above , the smallest simulation box size after md runs is > 33 . a box containing 1000 water molecules
the time step was 1 fs , and the simulation time was at least 3 ns . for most models
, simulations were run up to 4 ns , and successful equilibration was confirmed . for further details of the simulation method ,
readers are referred to the work of sellner et al . and the references therein .
data analysis was performed using the forcite analysis function . for calculating radial distribution functions ( rdfs ) ,
the amide carbon atom was selected to represent ha molecules as the amide group is shared by all has .
the oxygen atom was chosen for water molecules as this is the only heavy atom in water . the calculation cutoff distance and step size
the rdfs at the starting time were calculated by averaging over the first 100 ps of the simulations and denoted as t = 0 ns in the text , while those of the ending time were averaged over the last 1 ns of the runs and denoted as t = 3 ns . for hydrogen bond calculations ,
a cutoff distance of 2.5 was applied . the total number and the average length of hbs in the systems
were averaged over the first five ( 5 ps ) and the last 20 ( 20 ps ) frames with a step size of 1 ps .
since the initial states of the systems equilibrated rapidly , the total number of hbs was constantly increasing , which led to large variations in the averaged values even in the first 20 ps .
thus , only the first 5 ps were used to calculate the initial states . in calculating mean square displacements ,
molecular centroids were defined , and the calculation was conducted with a step size of 1 ps and a calculation length of 500 ps over the last 1 ns period .
the representativeness of these snapshots was checked by examining the last 0.5 ns of each running trajectory .
both nf + ur + water and ur + water systems in figure 2 appeared to be homogeneous solutions after the 3 ns simulation , with little structural changes perceived visually .
clearly , these two systems were still one - phase systems after the npt runs .
the nf + mu + water and mu + water systems , on the other hand , demonstrated significant aggregation of solute molecules after 3 ns as shown in figures 3(a)-3(b ) and figure 3(e ) , respectively .
furthermore , in comparing frames captured at 3 ( figures 3(a ) , 3(b ) , and 3(e ) ) and 4 ns ( figures 3(c ) , 3(d ) , and 3(f ) ) from the same perspectives , drastic changes in the shape of aggregates were observed for both nf + mu + water and mu + water systems over the period of 1 ns , indicating that the aggregates were rather fluidic . while clearly in the aggregation mode , the translational movement of mu molecules swept across the whole simulation box in 1 ns , showing clearly a single - phase liquid system .
similar to the mu systems , significant aggregation of solutes was also observed in the nf + eu + water ( figures 4(a)-4(b ) ) and the nf + bu + water ( figures 4(c)-4(d ) ) .
the snapshots of the eu + water and bu + water systems were omitted due to their resemblance to figure 4 .
when comparing frames of the eu and bu systems at 3 ( figures 4(a ) and 4(c ) ) and 4 ns ( figures 4(b ) and 4(d ) ) , morphological changes of aggregates were also evident , albeit that solutes in these systems appeared to be in a more clearly defined aggregation mode constantly in 1 ns , in contrast to the ur and mu systems .
consequently , for the bu and eu systems , it is difficult to tell by visual inspection in 1 ns period whether the aggregates are still in a single phase with aqueous medium or phase - separated . finally , in all models simulated , the aggregation was found nonstoichiometric , and little parallel stacking was perceived among the solute molecules .
the observation above supplies an interesting insight to the potential of phase separation . in the case of mu systems in particular , snapshots at 3 or 4 ns alone all show clearly the aggregates .
it is difficult to tell just by the snapshots at a certain time point whether the systems are phase - separated . combining together the snapshots of multiple time points , that is , 3 and 4 ns ,
however , it is clear that the aggregates are quite volatile and are actively mixing with the solvent medium , indicating that these aggregates are still miscible with the solvent . in other words ,
the ha molecules appear as aggregates when the observation time is short , that is , in fs , while they are miscible solutions when observed over a much longer time frame .
this hints that , by a conventional experimental observation , whose time frame is typically 1100 s , these aggregates could be perceived visually as miscible with the solvent media ( as one - phase solutions ) . therefore , it seems that the potential phase separation issue may be attributed to the drastically different observation times between simulation studies and conventional experimental observations .
note that although the same conclusion is not as readily drawn for the eu and bu systems , the short simulation time ( between 3 and 4 ns ) relative to slower dynamics of eu and bu is likely to account for this vagueness .
we further examined structural evolutions of the simulated solutions by inspecting radial distribution functions ( rdfs ) within and between each type of molecules .
figure 5 depicts rdfs between nf and four hydrotropic agents as averaged over the periods of 0100 ps ( t = 0 ) and 2 - 3 ns ( t = 3 ns ) , respectively .
the nf - ur rdfs in figure 5(a ) show that the peak shifted to a shorter distance and was slightly strengthened after the simulation , indicating a weak but positive aggregation of the nf and ur molecules .
this effect was too minor to be visually perceived from the snapshots in figure 2 .
additionally , figures 5(b)5(d ) record clear and significant peak strengthening towards closer distances for the remaining three hydrotropic solutions after 3 ns . furthermore , the nf - water rdfs for the four hydrotropic solutions are given in figure 6 .
except for the nf + ur + water system ( figure 5(a ) ) , which exhibits a fairly minor change , the remaining three ( figures 5(b)5(d ) ) all show significant declines in water concentration in the neighborhood of the nf molecule after 3 ns , suggesting that the aggregation reduces the exposure of nf to the solvent .
this is consistent with the visual observations presented earlier and confirms that significant aggregations took place in these solutions .
the comparison between the structures of the hydrotropic solutions with and without nf was conducted via the ha - ha and ha - h2o rdfs as shown in figures 7 and 8 , respectively .
again , the ur - ur ( figure 7(a ) ) and ur - h2o ( figure 8(a ) ) rdfs in both nf + ur + water and ur + water systems exhibited little changes after the simulations , while substantial increases in ha concentrations and decreases in water concentration near the ha molecules were revealed for the remaining six systems ( figures 7(b)7(d ) and 8(b)8(d ) ) .
more importantly , the ha - ha and the ha - h2o rdfs of the four hydrotropic solutions ( with nf ) resemble closely their respective counterparts of the four ha solutions ( without nf ) , suggesting that structurally the systems in the presence of nf correlate closely with their counterparts in the absence of nf .
this advocates that the self - aggregation of has may be a prerequisite in enabling the incorporation of the drug into the ha aggregates .
interestingly , earlier reports [ 2325 ] indicated that hydrotropic agents often tend to self - aggregate in aqueous solutions , which is consistent with the results above .
figure 9 compares various rdfs across the four hydrotropic solutions ( with nf ) at t = 3 ns .
it can be seen from figures 9(a)9(c ) that the aggregation in these systems can be approximately ranked as bu > eu > mu > ur , indicating that the growing hydrophobicity of the has enhances their aggregation and reduces the water concentration in the neighborhood of the nf and ha molecule .
this result is expected and can be readily accounted for by our current understanding on hydrophobic interactions . from the methodology perspective , it supplies a solid evidence validating the simulation approach adopted .
it is worth further noting that the urea derivatives in the study vividly show a gradual transition from a true homogeneous solution to a state with solutes clustered together while it has yet been phase - separated .
typically , solutions at concentrations lower than the compound solubility are in homogeneous state , while those at concentrations higher than the solubility are often phase - separated , either in experimental or in simulated studies .
while their aggregation protects hydrophobic solutes from water , and therefore , the degree of aggregation correlates with the solubilization effect of these has ( i.e. , bu > eu > mu > ur ) , refraining from phase - separation is crucial to maintain a single - phase liquid state .
a second note is that the ha - h2o rdfs in figure 9(d ) show that the declines in water concentration near ha molecules are ranked as eu > bu > mu > ur , with the maximum decline claimed by eu instead of bu .
it was suspected that as the hydrophobic alkyl chains grow and the molecule elongates , the amide carbon atom sitting at the hydrophilic end of the molecule may become less representative for the whole ha in the rdf calculation .
this was proved by the eu - h2o and bu - h2o rdfs recalculated using alternative carbons c2 and c3 ( see figure 1 for the numbering of carbons of bu .
eu used the same numbering sequence ) of eu and bu , which are illustrated in figure 10 .
it is evident that water concentration near the alkyl chain ( represented by c2 and c3 ) of bu is lower than that of eu .
hence , the results in general are consistent with those above and support that the degree of aggregation correlates positively with the growing hydrophobicity of has .
the above finding hints that the distribution of water may be heterogeneous along the elongated ha molecules . to demonstrate this
, time evolutions of rdfs between water and various carbons along bu are compared in figure 11 .
it is clearly seen that while the water concentration around the amide carbon ( c1 ) still tops the rest after 3 ns , those of c5 and c2 switch their places upon simulations with c5 becoming the one with least surrounding water .
this evidence shows that during aggregation , bu molecules reorient themselves with their hydrophobic alkyl chains shying away from water , an effect similar to the micelle formation of amphiphilic agents in water .
the difference is , though , that no apparent self - assembling of bu molecules is observed as witnessed in figure 4 .
it , therefore , suggests that aside from micelle formation the solute aggregation may be another effect driven also by hydrophobic interactions and functioning similarly to micelles in promoting the solubility of hydrophobic compounds .
a similar comparison ( data not shown ) between the water concentrations surrounding c2 and c3 of eu indicates that the water concentration around c3 is still slightly higher than that of c2 .
this can be attributed to the insufficient length of the alkyl chain of eu , whose hydrophobicity is not strong enough to drive the alkyl chain away from water .
overall , hydrophobic interactions appear to account for the aggregation of urea derivatives . to confirm the role of hydrophobic interactions , we analyzed changes in hydrogen bonds ( hbs ) in these systems upon simulations .
a few observations are in order ( 1 ) all eight systems are dominated by h2o - h2o hbs ( approximately 8293% of the total hbs ) both before and after simulations , followed by ha - h2o ( approximately 417% of the total hbs ) and ha - ha hbs ( approximately 0.15% of the total hbs ) .
the hbs sponsored by nf , that is , nf - ha and nf - h2o hbs , are trivial ( < 0.3% of the total hbs ) ; ( 2 ) upon simulations , the numbers of h2o - h2o and ha - ha hbs increase in all systems , while those of ha - h2o hbs decrease except in the ur + water system ( see figure 12 ) .
again , changes in nf - ha and nf - h2o hbs are negligible , despite that nf - ha hbs consistently present slight increases as a result of the inclusion of nf in aggregations . the total numbers of hbs , however , exhibit appreciable increases in conjunction with the declines in hb bond length in all systems ( see table 1 ) , indicating that hb interactions in these systems are strengthened upon simulations .
overall , these changes , that is , gains in h2o - h2o and ha - ha hbs in exchange of losses in ha - h2o hbs , are in agreement with the aggregations observed , whereby the partitioning of solutes and water should promote hb interactions between water molecules as well as between solute molecules but demote hbs across water and solutes .
these exchanges result in significant net gains in the number and strength of hbs , which are obviously energetically favorable ; ( 3 ) from the water structure perspective , it is interesting to compare the hbs in pure water with those in the eight solution systems in study . to this end ,
a system containing 1000 water molecules only ( the water system ) was constructed and subjected to a 3 ns npt run in the same manner as described in section 2 .
table 1 lists the number of h2o - h2o hbs of the water system after simulation , which is appreciably higher than that of the eight solution systems in study . additionally , the average hb bond length in the water system is the shortest compared to that of the eight systems , indicating that h2o - h2o hbs are stronger than other types of hbs in these solutions .
the evidences demonstrate that homogeneous dispersion of urea derivatives in water disrupts the water structure and reduces substantially the h2o - h2o hbs , while aggregations of solutes promote the energetically more favorable h2o - h2o hbs in these systems via a partial restoration of the normal water structure .
on this basis , we may attribute the restoration of the water structure , and thereby the aggregation of solutes , to hydrophobic interactions ; ( 4 ) further analysis across various types of hbs shows ( see figure 12 ) that ha - h2o hbs score the largest changes ( declines ) upon simulations in all cases , while h2o - h2o hbs present slightly lower changes ( increases ) .
the changes in ha - h2o and h2o - h2o hbs are close in magnitude in some cases ( e.g. , the nf + mu + water and nf + eu + water systems ) , but opposite in direction .
the ha - ha hbs , on the other hand , show some smaller but solid gains except in the two ur - containing systems ( i.e. , the ur + water and nf + ur + water systems ) .
this result may suggest that self - interactions between urea derivatives may also play a role to the aggregation . especially in cases where the declines in ha - h2o hbs are in magnitude comparable to the increases of the h2o - h2o hbs
even if hydrophobic interactions alone may induce ha aggregations , which set the stage for ha self - interactions , they do not guarantee enhanced ha - ha hbs between ha molecules .
thus , the current results seem to suggest that the aggregations of urea derivatives can be accounted for by the coordinated effects of hydrophobic interactions and the self - interactions between hydrotropic agents . the mean square displacements ( msds ) of the ha molecules
were calculated for the eight systems in study in the last 1 ns of the runs and are plotted in figure 13 .
it is evident that the slopes of msd - time curves are ranked as ur > mu > eu > bu . no plateau is observed for any system . the diffusion coefficients ( d ) derived from slopes of the curves via d = slope/6 are given in table 2 , which indicates clearly that the dynamics of the aggregates slow progressively as the ha hydrophobicity grows .
the diffusion coefficients range from 0.31 to 2.1 ( 10 m / s ) , falling in the typical range of diffusion coefficients in liquids ( the bulk data of diffusion coefficients in liquids appear in the magnitude of 10 10 m / s ) [ 2628 ] .
this indicates that the aggregates in these systems are still in liquid state , a result consistent with the active dynamics discussed earlier . to differentiate these liquid states from pure amorphous phases of the has ,
diffusion coefficients of has in amorphous state were estimated under the same temperature and pressure .
to do so , four amorphous systems containing 300 ur , mu , eu , and bu molecules , respectively , were constructed and subsequently subjected to npt runs of 3 ns .
the smallest box size ( 300 urs ) of the four systems is 31 .
the diffusion coefficients were then calculated in the same manner as shown above and are listed in table 2 .
it is readily seen that the diffusion coefficients of has in amorphous state are about two orders of magnitude lower than the ones in aggregates , indicating that the aggregates are much more active dynamically than the amorphous phase of the respective has .
this evidence is in favor of the case that the aggregates are not amorphous / liquid phases of has separated from water medium .
more likely , as suggested earlier , the active dynamics of ha molecules may keep the aggregates from being phase - separated .
it should be noted that the presence of the nf molecule seems to reduce consistently slopes of msd - time curves for all four has ( see figure 13 and table 2 ) , signifying that the addition of nf hinders the mobility of has in the aggregates .
this is certainly different from the nicotinamide hydrotropic solution reported earlier , where virtually no impact on the mobility of the hydrotropic agent ( nicotinamide ) was found following the addition of the drug .
it is somewhat surprising that one nf molecule can effectively slow the mobility of much large numbers of ha molecules , which apparently can not be accounted for by just a handful of hydrogen bonds formed between the nf and ha molecules ( see table 1 ) .
we have not found an explanation for this observation . to verify our simulation results , diffusion coefficients of has in dilute aqueous solutions
were estimated by the wilke and chang method [ 26 , 27 ] , and the results are provided in table 2 .
the estimated diffusion coefficients are of the same order of magnitude but about 13-folds higher than the values obtained from the simulations .
since the wilke and chang method only applies to dilute solutions , where solute - solute interactions are negligible , it is understandable that diffusion coefficients estimated by this method are somewhat higher than those in concentrated solutions .
furthermore , a clear trend is observed in table 2 that the discrepancy between these two groups of diffusion coefficients grows larger as ur < mu < eu < bu , a trend correlating positively to the increasing degree of aggregation of the has .
thus , it seems reasonable to attribute the discrepancy in diffusion coefficient from these two sources to the impediment of molecular diffusion by the increasing degree of ha aggregation .
overall , the simulated diffusion coefficients in solutions appear reasonable relative to the empirically estimated values . to explore energy changes upon aggregation
, another system was built containing one nf in 1000 water ( pg + water system ) and was subjected to a 3 ns npt run under the same conditions as described above .
the average total energy of this system during the last 1 ns was normalized to per mole of water and is listed in table 3 , together with that of eight systems in study and of the water system ( 1000 water molecules ) . applying the formula proposed by sellner et al . , the energy gain of the hydrotropic solubilization , that is , of incorporating the nf into the ha aggregates , can be estimated as esolubilization = ( enf+ha+water eha+water)(enf+water ewater ) .
the two brackets on the right side of the equation represent sequentially energy changes upon the addition of nf to the ha + water and to the water systems .
the difference between these two energy changes , esolubilization , is negative when the solubility of nf in the ha + water systems is higher than that in the water system , provided the changes in entropy and volume upon adding one nf are comparable between the two systems .
table 3 shows that esolubilization for various has are all negative , that is , 0.500 ( ua ) , 0.517 ( mu ) , 0.596 ( eu ) , and 0.607 ( bu ) kj / mol water , indicating that hydrotropic solubilization is energetically favored in all four ha solutions .
the magnitudes of esolubilization are ranked as bu > eu > mu > ua , corresponding to the solubilization effects measured experimentally on these systems ( i.e. , approximately 3- , 15- , 65- , and 65-folds increase in nf solubility in ur [ 4 m ] , mu [ 4 m ] , eu [ 4 m ] , and bu [ 1.2 m ] solutions ) .
note that the bu concentration was raised to 2 m in our simulations , and thereby a higher degree of solubilization in the bu solution was expected , which seemed to be reflected in the highest esolubilization value of the bu system .
nevertheless , given the large standard deviations of these average total system energies as listed in table 3 , the differences in esolubilization between various ha systems are by no means statistically significant .
the large standard deviation is an inherent weakness of this calculation procedure , where relatively large values ( average total system energies ) are subtracted leaving the results ( differences ) submerged in the background noises ( standard deviations ) . to conduct an accurate calculation ,
significantly longer simulations are required to reduce noises ( e.g. , employed simulations of 30 ns ) .
we extended the simulations to 4 ns and found that the improvements were minimal .
restricted by computation resources and considering also that the goal of this study is more of mechanistic elucidation than of quantitative energy calculation , further extension of simulations was not pursued . setting aside the specific ranking , the negative esolubilization values indeed show that the hydrotropic solubilization of nf is energetically favored in all urea derivative solutions .
to summarize , the study finds nonstoichiometric molecular aggregation of urea derivatives in their aqueous solutions .
further analysis shows that partial restoration of normal water structure drives the nonstoichiometric molecular aggregation , despite that self - interactions between ha molecules have also contributed to this process .
furthermore , energetic data support that the hydrotropic solubilization of nf is favored in the presence of urea derivatives in aqueous solutions .
it is particularly interesting to note that urea derivatives demonstrate a gradual transition from a homogeneous solution to a highly aggregated state .
these transition states feature active solute dynamic movements , which give rise to a single - phase liquid state in spite of a varying degree of solute aggregation .
we speculate that this characteristic could be the key for certain agents to display hydrotropic solubilization effects in aqueous solutions . in the spirit of the discussion above
, we may reflect on the size of aggregates and the aggregation number . historically , the aggregation ( or complexation ) number , the number of molecules involved in one aggregate , was a critical parameter . based upon the molecular complexation hypothesis
[ 13 , 29 , 30 ] , or alternatively , upon the molecular aggregation hypothesis [ 6 , 31 ] , this number was often estimated by fitting the experimental solubility data to appropriate kinetic functions and was used in return to support the respective hypothesis . in either way , the value obtained was low , with the maximum reported value of 4.37 .
this is obviously inconsistent with our observations in simulation studies , which appeared far beyond a handful . yet , as shown in the case of mu , the aggregates are completely miscible with solvent media if given sufficient observation time .
that is , despite that the ha molecules are in aggregated mode within a short period of time , for example , 1 ps , the active translational movements render the aggregates very volatile and of very short shelf lives .
therefore , with one aggregate constantly re - dispersed / restructured in the solvent medium , the number of solute molecules incorporated in such an aggregate is not set , and thereby the aggregation number or the size of the aggregate under the classical view of an aggregate may not be relevant , unless the observation time is shorter than the life span of these dynamic aggregates .
this study finds a varying level of nonstoichiometric molecular aggregation of urea derivatives in their aqueous solutions .
structural and dynamic evidences show that the degree of aggregation correlates positively with the hydrophobicity of urea derivatives .
analysis of hb changes upon simulations provides insights that strengthening hb interactions as a result of the restoration of normal water structure facilitates the aggregation and solubilization of the model drug .
this study , in combination with our earlier reports [ 16 , 17 ] , demonstrates that the restoration of normal water structure is the ultimate driving force for hydrotropic solubilization , despite that solute clusters may take different formats .
this mechanism is in accordance with hydrophobic interactions , the underlying driving force for the micelle formation of amphiphilic solutes .
hence , maybe it is fair to say that solutes may cluster , as a result of hydrophobic interactions , into various states including aggregates , parallel stacks , and micelles .
all these clusters may have the potential to incorporate hydrophobic solutes and consequently increase their solubility in water . hence , despite that hydrotropic agents do not undergo self - assembly as surfactants in solutions , hydrophobicity still plays a fundamental role in inducing hydrophobic interactions and , therefore , is critical to the solubilization effects .
aromatic ring structures , on the other hand , induce the same effect of hydrophobic interactions , as shown in our earlier reports [ 16 , 17 ] , without involving the hydrophobic alkyl chains . in other words , the underlying driving forces for urea derivatives , nicotinamide , and caffeine are the same , despite their different structural characteristics . | pubmed |
Amplificata is the title of the second album by Broadside Electric. It was released on January 3, 1995, in the United States.
Track listing
When I Was a Fair Maid 6:35
Tam Lin 5:20
Hal-an-Tow 2:19
Robin Hood and the Tanner 5:40
Three Drunken Maidens 4:44
The Town of Ballybay 6:55
15 Bricks at the Bottom of the Pond 5:59
Ar Fa La La Lo 3:17
Rufford Park Poachers 5:54
The New St. George 1:42
Rocky Road to Dublin 3:23
L'Incoronazione di Poppea 3:37
New York Girls 6:34
Album Cover
The cover art is pieced together from several selections of the Bayeux Tapestry. The band's instruments, and revised Latin text, were added by Broadside Electric.
External links
Amplificata Liner Notes
Category:1995 albums
Category:Broadside Electric albums
Category:Clever Sheep Records albums | wikipedia |
Giebułtów is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Wielka Wieś, within Kraków County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately north-west of the regional capital Kraków. The village is located in the historical region Galicia.
References
Category:Villages in Kraków County | wikipedia |
Blooming with Knowledge: Master Gardener Volunteers share expertise and joy of gardening
By Jane de Broux, freelance writer
Three years ago I was at a complete loss when it came to the grounds surrounding my home. What was I going to do with a huge yard overrun with weeds and invasive species? There wasn't a single flowerbed, but there were two large crabapples with spotty leaves and burned-looking bark. Our fence line was populated with a tight row of buckthorn and invasive honeysuckle, and there was garlic mustard everywhere.
I learned this sad fact from an arborist we had hired to trim broken branches from the silver maple on our property. Determined to forge ahead and make something of the yard, I had him take out the diseased trees and the large buckthorn and honeysuckle bushes. After he finished, nothing remained but a few very old and overgrown lilacs, two peony plants, and a few bushes around the perimeter
of our lawn.
I was determined to turn my yard into something beautiful, but it was clear I needed help. Trial and error did little but show me how much I had to learn. As I began to investigate ways to acquire gardening expertise, people would mention advice from "master gardeners," a title that conjured images of retired ladies in wide-brimmed hats and gloves tending gardens with lots and lots of rose bushes. I also thought of master gardener training as a kind of finishing school for skilled gardeners rather than a program that welcomed beginners.
I was wrong on both counts, as I learned from Mike Maddox MS'00, a CALS horticulture alumnus who directs the statewide Master Gardener Volunteer Program—a service of UW-Extension—from an office in the Department of Horticulture in Moore Hall. Master gardeners are, in fact, Master Gardener Volunteers—or MGVs for short—with the emphasis on "volunteer," Maddox notes.
It's a role that has become more salient over the years. "The volunteer requirement became a way for MGVs to assist and offset the barrage of gardening questions coming to Extension offices," Maddox says. "We emphasize the volunteer aspect of 'Master Gardener' to distinguish it from a commercial endorsement, to differentiate it from a garden club—and to de-emphasize the expectation of the need to be an 'expert' on all subjects."
So much for what MGVs are not. But what are they? "MGVs are a group of very passionate people who want to learn something about plants and then make a difference in their communities," says Maddox. "The strength of our program is with our strong county presence throughout the state. The local, personal touch is what connects with our participants and communities."
Here are some examples of MGV activities around the state last year, often conducted in partnership with UW-Extension and other organizations:
• MGVs in Rock County helped create community gardens in Beloit as a part of a neighborhood revitalization project. They also worked with inmates in tending a community garden next to the Rock County Jail in Janesville.
• Waupaca County MGVs partnered with a local school district to create a three-acre community garden to grow vegetables for food pantries and for use as an outdoor classroom.
• MGVs in Racine and Kenosha counties participated in Green Works, a program developed by UW-Extension, MGVs and community partners to teach green industry vocational skills to adults with developmental disabilities.
• La Crosse County MGVs directed a monthly after-school garden club that maintains a certified Monarch Way Station/Butterfly Garden at Evergreen Elementary School in Holmen.
• MGVs in Fond du Lac County implemented a Junior MGV program to teach low income children how to plant, care for, harvest and cook fresh produce.
• Adams Co. MGVs awarded $3,000 in scholarships to students majoring in horticulture-related fields.
• MGVs in Washington County grew vegetables at the Germantown Community Garden and donated more than 300 pounds of fresh produce to the Germantown Senior Center.
MGV projects are great and small, and taken as a whole they pack a wallop. Each MGV has to complete at least 24 volunteer hours a year to remain certified—and altogether Wisconsin MGVs contributed 194,046 volunteer hours in 2013. The value of that service for one year alone is worth more than $4.3 million (based on an estimated dollar value of volunteer time of $22.14 per hour, as calculated by the nonprofit Independent Sector).
Small wonder that researchers at the cutting edge of horticulture see MGVs as valuable ambassadors for their discipline. "The MGV program is one of the best examples we have of engaging Wisconsin citizens and communities in the art and science of horticulture," says Irwin Goldman PhD'91, chair of the Department of Horticulture. "As a land grant institution, CALS has a particular focus on supporting and enhancing the agricultural enterprises of the state and a major role in public education. The MGV program fosters an incredibly positive learning environment in horticulture throughout Wisconsin, resulting not only in beautiful landscapes and improved local food production, but also in economic development and improved sustainability of our
communities."
The statewide Wisconsin Master Gardener Association (WIMGA) was formed in 1992. Currently there are 53 active local organizations across the state. Since 1999, more than 15,000 people have completed MGV training in Wisconsin.
"The program is nothing less than the Wisconsin Idea in action," notes Goldman. "In terms of our mission to serve the citizens of the state, the MGV program goes a long way in showing the value of a unique collaboration between UW-Extension, CALS and, specifically, the Department of Horticulture."
This story was originally published in the Summer 2014 issue of Grow magazine. Please visit the Grow website to read the full story.
How evolution gave some fish their electric powers
A visit to Spooner Ag Research Station | slim_pajama |
Can we make chemical bonds using light, instead of breaking them?
I am trying to bridge a conceptual understanding of how light affects both breaking and forming bonds. When bonds are broken, energy is absorbed (endothermic process). Conversely, when bonds are made, energy is released (exothermic process).
We can calculate the necessary wavelength that is required to break bonds using the equation $\lambda=\hbar c/E.$ For example, light with a wavelength of about $\pu{241 nm}$ is needed to break the bonds of a $\ce{O2}$ molecule (assuming you know the bond dissociation energy).
Is it possible to use a specific wavelength to get the atoms to bond again? If so, is there an equation to calculate this for the atoms involved? I’ve been reading that lasers are used to cool atoms which leads me to think that since atoms are absorbing and reemitting the energy from the lasers to lower its kinetic energy, bonds could be formed when the it's low enough.
All I have been finding is how to break bonds using light. Is there light of a specific frequency that could be used to form a bond between given atoms in proximity?
Surely, if light can break bonds, it can make bonds as well.
We find some simple examples in high school textbooks as well, such as the chlorination of olefin compounds under the presence of UV light. This is an example of a photo-initiation reaction, where the first step is dependent on light. You can find more about this in this article1. Here is a schematic from the same article:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/jIywg.png)
Do note that halogenation often occurs as a substitution reaction $\alpha$ to the double-bond. Under special circumstances (e.g., absence of $\alpha$-$\ce{H}$), halogenation can be made to occur as an addition reaction at the double-bond as well.
We can also consider some more interesting examples. Following reaction is from this study2
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/VEEjI.png)
Another schematic from the same article:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/QaWye.png)
This concept is called photo-dimerization3:
>
> The photodimerization is an example of a direct photoreaction where every step for polymer build-up is initiated by an absorbed photon, thus every single reaction step is dependent on the quantum yield of the photoreaction (generally very much smaller than one).
>
>
>
### References
1. Schönberg, A. (**1968**). Photohalogenation. In: Preparative Organic Photochemistry. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. DOI: [10.1007/978-3-642-87918-0\_37](https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-87918-0_37)
2. "Light- and heat-triggered reversible luminescent
materials based on polysiloxanes with anthracene groups" by Han et.al. RSC Adv., **2017,7**, 56489-56495, DOI: [10.1039/c7ra12201b](https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2017/ra/c7ra12201b)
3. *The Encyclopedia of Materials : Science and Technology.* by K.H.J Buschow, **2001**, Pages 6946-6951
>
> Is it possible to use a specific wavelength to get the atoms to bond again?
>
>
>
Not directly. The crucial step in photochemistry is the absorption of a photon. Usually, this results in a molecule in an excited electronic state. Depending on the molecule, this will make a bond weaker, or break a bond.
An example of a simple (the simplest) molecule is the hydrogen molecular ion, $\ce{H2+}$. It has a single electron, making things so simple you can actually calculate the electronic states from scratch. If you excite the electron, the molecule will fall apart. You can read more about it on [this page](http://www2.mpq.mpg.de/%7Ehaensch/h2+/introduction.htm).
>
> I am trying to bridge a conceptual understanding of how light affects both breaking and forming bonds. When bonds are broken, energy is absorbed (endothermic process). Conversely, when bonds are made, energy is released (exothermic process).
>
>
>
As Poutnik states in the comments to the question, making a bond is exothermic, so adding energy through photons is not productive for bond formation. However, for more complex photoreactions, absorbance of a photon is often the first step.
The most famous examples are cyclo-additions, or [electrocyclic reactions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrocyclic_reaction). Some work without light (often indicated by "$\Delta$" for just heating up) while others require photoactivation (often indicated by "ℎ$ \nu$" for light with appropriate wavelength).
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/FyGXw.png)
In the photochemical reaction sketched above, the absorbed photon results in a electronic excitation that does not break the molecule, but changes in electronic symmetry, allowing the reaction to happen. The product in the example above also is in an excited electronic state.
>
> Is there light of a specific frequency that could be used to form a bond between given atoms in proximity?
>
>
>
Yes, but not in a single-step reaction where the bond "is made by the light", like welding two metal pieces together. Instead, using the welding analogy, you partially melt one work piece, and then attach it to the second work piece in a separate step that would not happen without the first step. Like all analogies, this does not capture the whole story, of course.
>
> Is it possible to use a specific wavelength to get the atoms to bond again?
>
>
>
If the bond-breaking reaction is photochemical and there is an intermediate where the product is electronically excited before you get the ground state product, you can try to excite it to that state again to get the bond-forming reaction. This is non-equilibrium chemistry, so you can choose the wavelength (either exciting the reactant or the product) to manipulate the direction of the reaction away from the equilibrium concentrations, like the example in the answer by ananta.
Such a reaction would likely be indirect, with the bond formed by an intermediate that the electromagnetic radiation produces.
One of the simplest examples of such a reaction involves the noble gas helium. When helium gas is exposed to an electrical discharge, the electromagnetic radiation in this discharge ionizes some of the atoms, which then combine with still-neutral helium atoms to form the $\ce{He\_2^+}$ cation (see [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helium_dimer)). This is a true covalently bonded species, with bond order 1/2, because two of the valence electrons are in the bonding orbital and only one is in an antibonding orbital.
| stackexchange/chemistry |
SLiTHER
written by
James Gunn
September 10, 2004
FADE IN:
INT. HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOM -- DAY
CLOSEUP: A slender woman's hand writes on a chalkboard,
in teacherly cursive.
We PULL BACK to REVEAL STARLA GRANT, a stunningly beautiful
Southern woman in her twenties, as she finishes writing
out, "SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST"
Starla glances at the classroom of high school students.
She is a demure woman, somewhat awkward in her speaking,
but she has the rapt attention of all the boys in the
class.
STARLA
When Darwin said 'fittest,' he
didn't necessarily mean the
strongest or the most intelligent,
or any one trait -- he merely meant
those organisms most well--suited
to their environment.
The boys in the class look her up and down as she speaks.
KYLIE STRUTEMYER, a pretty student, notices a BOY beside
her drawing Starla, only without her clothes. She hits
him. He CHUCKLES.
STARLA
We humans think we're more fit,
more evolved, because we're smarter.
But we're neophytes. We've been
around two million years, give or
take. The cockroach has been here
for 350 million. You tell me who's
the more successful species.
A BOY raises his hand.
STARLA
Will.
WILL
How's all this go with how the
Bible says there ain't no dinosaurs?
Some of the kids LAUGH at the boy. Starla pauses, about
to answer, when the BELL RINGS.
STARLA
We'll tackle that tomorrow...
Everyone bring your boxing gloves.
The kids start to leave.
EXT. MAIN STREET -- DAY
Celebratory banners are strung over this street, including
one that reads: "DEER SEASON STARTS TODAY!" We're in the
center of Wheelsy, South Carolina, a moderately depressed
small town. Today's a big day, as HUNTERS from far and
near crowd the streets in their massive pickups.
MEN spill in and out of a gun store buying loads of
ammunition. OLD HUNTERS with faces like prunes stand
outside Angell's Tavern getting drunk. A MAN WITH FEW
TEETH has a dead deer strung out across the back of his
truck, skinning the carcass, its innards spilling loose.
JACK, an older, uptight man in fancy clothes, is driving
through town in his big old Cadillac. He comes upon a
hunter's truck, double--parked, jamming up traffic. Jack
jams on his HORN.
JACK
Get the fuck out of the way,
cocksucker!
Jack turns to see a MOTHER and her two CHILDREN on the
sidewalk, listening and staring in shock.
MOTHER
Mornin', Mayor.
Jack smiles, a bit embarrassed. Jack notices a group of
HUNTERS on the sidewalk, looking and pointing at something
up in the sky.
He looks up to see a small meteor plummeting toward earth.
EXT. HIGH SCHOOL -- DAY
Students file out of the open door for the day. Kylie,
Starla's pretty student, is among them. She and her FRIEND
are looking up at the falling meteor.
KYLIE
Prolly go find it later, sell it
on eBay.
EXT. HORSE RANCH -- DAY
A RANCHER with a cleft palate turns his head to see the
meteor, much closer to him. It's rushing down toward the
treetops of a nearby forest.
INT. GRANT'S OFFICE -- DAY
A framed wedding photograph of a very young Starla and a
large man is sitting on a desk. The photo TREMBLES
LIGHTLY, with the impact of the meteor hitting the earth.
GRANT GRANT, a large, indelicate man in his mid forties,
notices the photos on his desk moving. He looks up from
his desk and out his door, where there's a GLASS WORKSHOP.
Two WORKERS are carrying a large pane of glass, looking
relieved they didn't drop it.
GRANT
Just a tremor, boys.
Grant goes back to filling out the tags of file folders
with a Sharpie.
EXT. POLICE STATION -- DAY
Four cops -- BILL PARDY, the town's young, relaxed, and
handsome Chief of Police, WALLY, an older, toad--like cop,
TREVOR, a younger, somewhat goofy cop, and MARGARET, a
mannish cop -- are standing stock--still in the station
parking lot. They CHUCKLE.
TREVOR
Did ya' feel that?!
They enter the station.
INT. POLICE STATION -- DAY
The four cops start to remove their holsters and so forth,
finished for the day.
TREVOR
I always get afraid when that
happens, 'cause what if the ground
cracks open and you fall inside?
It's so hot in there you get all
burnt to nothin' like that --
(snaps)
Happened to my uncle Barry.
Wally and Bill LAUGH at him.
WALLY
Who told you that story, Trevor?
TREVOR
My aunt.
BILL
Your uncle Barry left her for a
stripper up in Winnsboro.
Trevor looks shocked, sad.
SHELBY, a slightly dim dispatcher, on his headset at the
police operator's unit, swirls toward them, alarmed.
SHELBY
Chief! We got a 'mergency over at
the diner!
INT. DINER -- LATER
The four cops move in. There's a COMMOTION. Most of the
patrons are standing.
WAITRESS
Back there, Bill!
The Waitress nods back through the service window, into
the kitchen, where a large DOE is hopping around. A
DISHWASHER stands on the counter, YELPING with fear.
INT. DINER KITCHEN -- MOMENTS LATER
Bill, Wally, Trevor, Margaret, and the Waitress enter.
The doe skips around.
WAITRESS
She slipped in, was eating trash.
We seen it on TV, how they kill
ya'--
BILL
Right.
WAITRESS
So we thought we best call in.
Bill spots the open rear door, and tries to herd the deer
toward it.
BILL
Come on now, honey, door's this
way.
MARGARET
It's open season. Let's shoot
her.
BILL
She's just scared, Margaret.
WALLY
Also, Bill likes to take a female
through the back door any chance
he gets.
Wally and Margaret LAUGH. Trevor snatches a dish--towel
and rushes the doe, using it like a cape. The scared doe
leaps away from him, jumping onto the kitchen counter.
BILL
She ain't a bull, Trevor!
The animal kicks off a pot, which hits Margaret.
MARGARET
Goddamn bambi--rat!
As the doe jumps to the floor, she gets her hoof wrapped
in a telephone cord.
The cord is plugged into the wall, trapping the doe in
place. Wally, Margaret, and Trevor attempt to dive for
the cord, but can't avoid the doe's crazy, flying hooves.
BILL
Get back.
The other cops step away. Bill steps slowly toward the
doe, speaking calmly.
BILL
It's okay, sweetheart. Nobody's
gonna hurt you.
The doe looks at him, settling a bit. His voice seems to
be soothing her. Bill gets closer.
BILL
That's right. Just gonna pull
this cord out. It's gonna be all
right.
The cops and restaurant folk look on in awe as the doe,
breathing heavily, becomes still. Bill scoops close past
her, and yanks the telephone cord out of the wall.
Bill smiles. Then the doe runs forward, almost knocking
Bill over, and streaks out the back door.
Bill, Wally, Margaret, and Trevor move up to the doorway
and watch the deer skitter off into the woods beyond,
dragging the telephone, tied to her leg.
BILL
Hell, she took a phone. Now them
forest critters are gonna be calling
us all hours of the night.
Everyone LAUGHS. Wally pretends to be on the phone.
WALLY
Chief of police there? This a
squirrel. Bring me a bag of
peanuts, motherfucker!
Everyone LAUGHS some more.
INT. GLASS WORKSHOP -- EVENING
Grant locks his office for the day. His SECRETARY sees
him going.
SECRETARY
'Night, Mr. Grant.
GRANT
See ya', Ashley.
Grant walks across the workshop toward the door. He sees
a crowd of WORKERS lounging around a glass--cutting table,
LAUGHING at something.
Some of them nod at Grant, and he nods back. But he's
completely outside their circle.
EXT. GRANT HOUSE -- NIGHT
A sizable two--story suburban home. All the lights are
off but one.
GRANT (O.S.)
So I get home today, phone's
ringing. It's Hank Wilcox.
INT. GRANT DINING ROOM -- NIGHT
Starla and Grant eat dinner in this well--decorated room.
As Grant chatters, Starla occasionally smiles politely at
him.
GRANT
Callin' for you. What the hell?
I said, 'Hank, that's a little bit
outta line don't'cha think, a single
man callin' someone's wife?' At
night, nonetheless.
Starla is quiet, almost afraid:
STARLA
He's teaching environmental science,
Grant. Probably wants to borrow
my lesson plans from last semester.
GRANT
Oh yeah, that's what he wants to
borrow, this guy.
STARLA
It's just a work thing.
GRANT
Work thing hell, Starla. He just
wants to get in your pussy. Him
and most these other ones around
here. That's where their minds is
at, them sick fucks.
Grant takes a big bite of food, stuffing his mouth.
GRANT
I'll tell you, sugarplum, you're
lucky you got me. You're too damn
trusting. Without me to protect
you, you'd get kilt one of these
days.
Starla nods.
INT. GRANT MASTER BATHROOM -- LATER
Starla stares at herself in the mirror as she brushes her
hair. She uses long, slow strokes, as if stalling.
GRANT (O.S.)
Sugarplum, you coming into bed?
Starla turns toward the door. She doesn't say anything
for a moment.
STARLA
Just a second.
Starla sets her brush down on the counter. She arranges
it neatly beside the others. And walks into the bedroom.
INT. GRANT BEDROOM -- MOMENTS LATER
Grant turns off the TV as Starla gets into bed with him.
It's almost completely dark in here.
Grant crawls on top of Starla. He kisses her and grabs
her in a way not meant to be rough, but is utterly without
grace.
After doing this for a few moments, Starla starts to push
him off her.
STARLA
Grant, no -- I'm sorry, I'm just --
I'm not in the mood.
Grant is on top of her, breathing a little too heavy.
GRANT
Come on, baby, it's --
STARLA
I'm sorry. I don't just have some
switch.
GRANT
Sure you do.
Through Starla's nightgown, Grant pretends to flick one
of her nipples.
GRANT
Flip.
Then the other.
GRANT
Flip.
STARLA
That's disrespectful.
Grant, peeved, gets off of her. He sits on the edge of
the bed for a moment, in silence. Starla looks afraid.
GRANT
When are you in the mood, exactly?
Seems to me that mood's as rare as
winnin' the Goddamn lotto.
Grant grabs his slacks off the valet and starts putting
them on.
STARLA
Where are you going?
GRANT
I'm just some big clown to you,
ain't I?
STARLA
That's not true -- Where are you--?
GRANT
Out.
INT. HENENLOTTER'S SPORTS BAR -- LATER
Grant sits at the bar, knocking back a shot of tequila.
He's getting drunk. He taps his glass.
GRANT
Hit me again there, killer.
The BARKEEP fills his drink.
BARKEEP
Hey, Grant, how's it you come to
have the same last name as first?
GRANT
Parents thought it sounded pleasant,
I s'pose. Joke on me, ain't it?
Grant notices a woman with a lot of makeup -- BRENDA
GUTIERREZ -- staring at him from across the bar, smoking
a cigarette. Grant stares at her, trying to figure out
who she is. She slides off her stool.
She sashays toward him. She props herself on the stool
beside him, leans drunkenly in toward him.
BRENDA
Megan Halesy' little sister.
GRANT
Shit. You're kidding me.
Nope.
BRENDA
Brenda!
GRANT
Hell, you were --
Grant holds his hand only so high.
BRENDA
I was! And I'll tell you somethin',
Grant Grant. I's in love with
you.
Grant stares at her.
BRENDA
My sister Megan, she's a big fat
cow. Was then, even more so now.
I'd be thinking, what'd you see in
her ain't in me?
GRANT
Shit, girl, you couldn't'a been
eleven.
BRENDA
Hell, I was game!
She LAUGHS. So does Grant. He stares at her,
contemplating sinful things. He nods at her wedding ring.
GRANT
Who's the lucky fella?
BRENDA
Fuck lucky. Never marry a damn
half--Mexican.
GRANT
Already ain't. Married a gal named --
BRENDA
Starla Covington. Don't be
ignorant. Everyone knows that.
Fucking prom queen.
Grant thinks.
GRANT
Yeah.
Grant finishes his drink, and gets up to go.
BRENDA
Where you goin'?
Grant speaks more loudly than need be:
GRANT
Starla, she gets real worried 'bout
me I stay out too late. Loves me
too much, that one.
He glances around to see if people have heard, and stumbles
out.
EXT. SHADED CREEK -- LATER
Grant sits on a boulder beside a creek, looking miserable,
downing a six pack.
He throws an empty can into the creek, when he glances
down and sees particles flowing down the river.
Grant slides off the boulder. He kneels and examines the
particles. They shimmer in the moonbeams coming down
between the trees.
Grant peers up the creek from where the particles are
coming.
He sees a gap on the edge of the creek, where water
splashes and is diverted in streamlets down the hill.
He approaches the spot, and comes upon a small crater on
the side of the creek. The meteorite is inside the crater,
but it's cracked into pieces. The rock seems almost
organic, like a shell. The shimmery specks are part of
the shell itself, flecking off into the creek and rushing
downstream.
Grant crouches. He touches the meteorite, and feels some
sort of goo inside it. It's sticky.
He notices a strip of the same slime leading out of the
crater itself and into the woods.
Grant, curiously, slowly, follows the slimy trail.
He comes to a flurry of colorful wild flowers. Something
is rustling the flowers ever so slightly. He moves in
closer.
A gelatinous yellow organism slithers sluggishly between
the flowers. The organism is a mound a few inches high,
gross and veiny, yet as colorful as the flowers around
it. A small cavity on the apex of the organism constricts
and expands lightly. I guess it's not worth keeping secret
that this thing looks a tad like a bright yellow vagina.
GRANT
What the
?
Grant is a little freaked--out by this thing, even
frightened. He looks around for someone else.
GRANT
Hey, anybody 'round here? 'Lo?
No one answers. Grant looks down at the organism, unsure.
He picks up a tree branch.
Grant softly prods the organism with the pointy end of
the branch.
Nothing happens.
He does it again. The thing pulses a little, and surges
toward Grant.
Grand pokes it again.
A small, thin quill -- a SPORE -- emerges from the cavity
in the center of the organism. The spore is quivering
and, as it trembles upward, little bulbed spurs pop up as
well.
Grant slowly bends down to look at it when --
The SPORE suddenly SHOOTS OUT. It strikes Grant in the
stomach.
GRANT
Ow! Fuck!
Grant yanks up his shirt, looking at a wound on his
abdomen. He watches as the spore quivers and disappears
inside him.
He clutches his stomach, SCREAMS in agony. He falls back
into the colorful flowers. His body convulses.
MATCH CUT TO:
CAT SCAN SHOT -- INT. GRANT'S BODY
We see the insides of Grant's body, as if sliced in half.
We ZOOM IN on the little spore, which is jittering up
through his body, and into his neck.
The spore keys into the base of Grant's cerebellum, and
his entire brain crackles with a WHITE ELECTRICAL ENERGY.
BACK TO SCENE
Grant freezes in place, his fingers contorted up in front
of him, silent. He's utterly still, a wax corpse.
A hippie CAMPING COUPLE run into the area, looking for
the source of the screams. The man looks down at the
frozen Grant.
CAMPER
Over here!
The Camper crouches down beside him.
CAMPER
Hey, man. You all right?...
Dude?... Oh shit.
The Camper turns from Grant to his girlfriend.
CAMPER
I think he's d --
Grant GASPS suddenly, sitting up and grabbing the man,
like a drowning man popping up above water. The Camper
YELPS and jumps back. Grant sweats and heaves, trying to
speak, but hardly can --
GRANT
It's taking... my... brain.
CAMPER
Buddy?
Grant's eyes glaze over, and he eases off. He heaves
there, momentarily confused. His eyes dart around, as if
seeing his surroundings for the first time. Grant stands.
CAMPER
You all right, man?
Grant looks down curiously at the camper. Then he turns
and stumbles away from them, out of the forest.
CAMPER
That might of been a stroke, buddy.
You better take it easy.
INT. GRANT'S PICKUP -- DAWN
Grant drives down the road in his luxury pickup truck,
sweating and blinking rapidly.
EXT. GRANT HOUSE -- MORNING
Grant steps out of the truck in his driveway, when he
hears --
NEIGHBOR (O.S.)
Hey ya', Grant.
Grant swings his head toward his NEIGHBOR, who is taking
a happy BEAGLE for a morning walk.
NEIGHBOR
What were ya', night--fishing again?
You catch anything?
GRANT
I caught a little somethin', yeah.
Grant walks inside his house.
INT. GRANT FOYER -- MORNING
Grant looks around the foyer.
INT. GRANT BEDROOM -- MORNING
Grant creeps into the bedroom, looking around. We can
hear the SHOWER RUNNING.
Grant spots his face in a mirror above the dresser. He
moves in close to the mirror, and stares at his own image.
He pulls on his face a little, his eyes brimming with
excitement. He smiles at himself.
Grant looks toward the open bathroom door, where he hears
the running shower. He creeps toward it.
Grant peeks around the doorway. Starla is in the shower,
soaping herself. She looks beautiful there. Grant tilts
his head to the side like a dog. He watches her,
mesmerized, even moved.
INT. GRANT BATHROOM -- MOMENTS LATER
Starla is wearing a white towel and brushing her wet hair
in the foggy bathroom mirror when she hears Air Supply's
EVERY WOMAN IN THE WORLD coming from the bedroom. She's
struck by it.
She moves toward the door. Opens it.
INT. GRANT BEDROOM -- MORNING
The shades are drawn, darkening the room. A few candles
have been lit. Grant is standing there, mostly in
silhouette. He's silent, and he doesn't move.
GRANT
Hey there, sugarplum.
Starla looks at him, stirred.
STARLA
Haven't heard this for a while.
Grant walks toward her. He takes her hand in his own,
lifting it beside him. He wraps his other arm around her
waist. And he slow dances with her. Starla dances too,
a bit hesitantly, a bit shy.
STARLA
I never danced in a towel before.
GRANT
Wearing white, just like on our...
wedding day. I remember it.
Starla nods.
GRANT
I'm sorry about last night. I get
a little insecure sometimes, want
to hold on too tight. It's just
'cause you're precious to me,
Starla.
(MORE)
GRANT (CONT'D)
But I swear to God, baby, I'm
turning over a new Goddamn leaf.
Okay?
Starla nods, touched. Grant's eyes are teary.
GRANT
I love you, sugarplum.
Starla and Grant kiss, tenderly.
Grant falls to his knees in front of her. He runs his
hand over the curve of her hip, her thigh, her buttock,
with as much fascination as lust. He pushes Starla back
onto the bed.
He lifts her leg, and kisses it, nibbles on it a little,
scrapes his teeth on it. Starla is surprised by this,
but enjoys it too: it's probably the most foreplay she's
had in years.
Grant crawls on top of her, runs his hands over her
breasts, her face. Starla's hand moves over Grant's back,
and to his stomach. When she stops, startled.
STARLA
Grant, what's that?
She gazes down at the wound between them, on Grant's bare
abdomen, where the spore entered him. The wound is
yellowish, and surrounded by veins.
Grant, embarrassed, pulls his shirt down.
GRANT
Just a little bug bite is all.
Grant kisses and munches on Starla as she lies back on
the bed, enjoying it.
O.S. HUMMING.
FADE TO:
INT. TEACHER'S LOUNGE -- DAY
Starla is HUMMING Every Woman in the World as she drops
coins into a soda machine and chooses Tab. JANENE, a
a heavyset black teacher, notices this.
JANENE
What are you so smiley about, girl?
STARLA
Oh, nothin'
Starla grabs her soda and sits down with Janene.
just stares.
Janene
STARLA
Just, Grant and I had a nice
morning. It's been a while.
JANENE
Oh! You got that fresh--fucked
glow, don't you?
Janene.
STARLA
You slut.
JANENE
Hush.
STARLA
No shame.
JANENE
You're a married woman.
STARLA
He was... considerate. Maybe this
is the start of a real change in
Grant.
INT. GRANT BATHROOM -- DAY
Grant is holding up his shirt, and looking at his torso.
The wound on his side is blackened and gangrenous, and is
starting to puff up into a veiny little spout. A fuzzy
bluish moss is growing in the crevices around the spout.
A pus oozes out.
Grant looks concerned. He squirts some Neosporin onto
his fingers. He massages it slowly into the wound.
INT. GRANT KITCHEN -- MOMENTS LATER
Grant opens the refrigerator door and rummages around
inside. He pulls out some bread. Some cheese.
He opens the meat drawer. It's replete with cold cuts.
He pulls out some Oscar Mayer baloney. Turkey. Pastrami
and salami. He grabs every type of meat there is.
MOMENTS LATER
Grant assembles a sandwich at the table. Two pieces of
bread and some cheese. He starts putting the meat on.
But he can't stop, piling more and more on until he has
a little sandwich tower.
He looks at it. Something seems off about it. He removes
the cheese. Better. And then the bread. Even better.
He stares at what is now simply a tower of cold cuts.
GRANT
Meat.
After contemplating it for a moment, Grant stands and
carries off the pile of meat.
INT. GRANT GARAGE -- MOMENTS LATER
Grant enters the garage through a door from the FOYER.
He flips the lights on with his shoulder. He looks around.
Grant spots an old file cabinet. He sets the tower of
meat down on the oily floor and opens a drawer. It's
filled with files. He closes that drawer, and opens
another. It has manila file folders, but no files.
Grant takes out the folders. He uses a Sharpie to write
out "BALONEY" on a folder. Then he stuffs all the baloney
into the folder and files it away.
He starts writing out "PASTRAMI"
LATER
Grant flips through his alphabetically--filed meat: from
BALONEY through "TURKEY." But he doesn't look satisfied.
INT. SUPERMARKET -- LATER
Grant stands beside the butcher's counter with a shopping
cart. He peers dreamily in through the glass at the rows
of steaks, pork chops, and so on.
GRANT
Meat.
BUTCHER
Howdy, Mr. Grant. You goin' to
the Deer Cheer this weekend?
Grant snaps out of his reverie.
GRANT
Sure thing, killer.
BUTCHER
What can I do you for?
GRANT
Thinkin' 'bout getting me a couple
of these big ol' rib eyes.
BUTCHER
How many you need?
Grant stares at the steaks.
GRANT
Well... having us a little dinner
party... I'd say... eight. No,
no... fourteen...
The Butcher nods, starts to grab steaks. Grant CHUCKLES.
GRANT
Hell, what am I holding back for?
Why don't you just give me
everything you got here?
BUTCHER
All the rib eyes?
GRANT
Yep. And while you're at it, get
me a few of them chicken wings...
some pork loins... and, ooo, what's
this here? Osso buco?...
EXT. GRANT HOME -- LATER
Grant backs his pickup toward the garage. Meat is piled
into the bed. Wrapped packages of meat fill the seats
around him.
INT. GRANT GARAGE -- MOMENTS LATER
Grant stands in the garage, tearing open the packing, and
letting the loose meat slide into piles onto the floor,
muttering:
GRANT
Meat.
MOMENTS LATER
Grant rolls slabs of beef over the dirty floor and into
a pile.
SOMETHING skitters across the garage and around the pile.
Grant peers around the pile and sees a RAT nibbling on
some ribs. He realizes something.
GRANT
You're meat.
The rat moves away from Grant. But Grant snaps out his
arm with alarming speed, snatching the rat. It SQUEAKS
and wriggles in his grip, tearing and biting at him, trying
to get free.
Grant snaps its neck, and tosses the dead rat onto the
pile of meat. Continues on.
EXT. GRANT GARAGE -- NIGHT
Starla pulls into the driveway. She presses the button
on her garage door opener.
The door SHUDDERS but stays closed. Starla's confused.
She gets out of the car and examines the door. She looks
down and sees a new padlock, locking the door to the cement
driveway with bolts on both sides.
INT. GRANT FOYER -- MOMENTS LATER
Starla enters the house. She heads toward a door along
the wall that leads to the garage. There's a shiny new
lock on that door as well. She touches it, baffled.
She turns to see Grant standing at the end of the foyer.
He's in shadows, a little spooky in the darkness.
GRANT
Welcome home.
STARLA
Grant? Why are there -- did you
put locks on the garage?
Pause. No answer.
STARLA
You drilled into the driveway.
Grant walks into the light.
GRANT
Yeahhhh. I'm sorry. I just got
so excited about... your present.
STARLA
My present?
GRANT
You're my princess, aren't you?
STARLA
Okay.
GRANT
I got a super--special birthday
present for you this year. I
couldn't risk you finding it, so I
had to put them locks on the doors.
Pause.
STARLA
All right... I have to clean up
before dinner.
Grant smiles at her. Starla confused, tries to smile
back, then turns and heads up the stairs. Grant watches
Starla's fine form from behind, somewhat lustily. But
his leering gaze gradually turns into something darker,
and he has a realization.
GRANT
You're meat.
Starla turns.
STARLA
What?
Grant snaps himself out of it.
GRANT
Oh, nothin'. Nothin'. See you in
a sec.
Starla smiles uneasily, and heads on upstairs.
EXT. GRANT HOME -- MOMENTS LATER
Grant steps onto the front porch to get some air. He's
blinking and seems a little dizzy. He gazes around the
neighborhood:
Down the way, a BOY in a little league uniform and his
MOTHER get out of their car and walk toward the front
door.
Across the street, THROUGH A KITCHEN WINDOW, a PLUMP MAN
and his WIFE are eating dinner.
At another home, a SHORT MAN steps on a stepladder,
changing the dome light on his porch.
Grant stares at these individuals, looking like an animal
ready to lunge at its prey, fighting the urge.
GRANT
Meat.
He HEARS a BARKING. Grant turns to see the beagle next
door, tied to the tree, YAPPING at him.
Grant looks around to make sure no one's watching.
EXT. GRANT HOME -- MORNING
Starla walks to get the paper in her robe, and she sees a
BOY, aged thirteen or so, stapling a LOST: REWARD flyer
to a telephone pole, with a picture of the beagle.
STARLA
Roscoe's gone?
The Boy's face is streaked from a long night of crying.
BOY
You haven't seen him, have you?
Starla shakes her head.
STARLA
I'm sure he'll show up, Tim.
The Boy nods, and walks to the next telephone pole to put
up another flyer.
EXT. SHADED FOREST -- DAY
Grant moves up a hill, between trees, looking around for
something. He comes to a stop, trying to remember which
way to go. He does, and moves on.
EXT. OLD BARN -- LATER
Grant comes upon an old wooden barn. The structure is
maybe a hundred years old, and long abandoned. It's
spattered with graffiti. Grant stares at it.
MOMENTS LATER
Grant gathers large fronds and other foliage in his arms.
INT. OLD BARN -- LATER
Grant spreads the plant life over the floor of the barn.
He arranges it, fluffs it there. His actions are very
animal--like when no one's around. He seems to be making
a nest. He sits back, looks at it.
He's happy.
FADE TO:
INT. GRANT BEDROOM -- NIGHT
Starla, dressed in her weekend finery, is looking in the
mirror above her dresser, and putting on earrings.
STARLA
Grant, are you almost ready?
INT. GRANT MASTER BATHROOM -- MOMENTS LATER
Grant looks ill. He is leaning over the sink, sweating,
clutching his stomach.
GRANT
Yeah, hon, I'll be right there!
Grant turns and pushes open his door.
INT. GRANT BEDROOM -- NIGHT
Grant sees Starla sitting on the edge of the bed, her
back to him, as she puts on her nylons. She doesn't know
he's there.
Grant stares at her, demented, and moves slowly toward
her, stalking her.
Something starts to push Grant's shirt up at his stomach,
like a bellybutton erection. The thing slips out of his
shirt -- a writhing, pointy tubule, aiming toward Starla's
back.
Grant looks at the nape of Starla's neck. Her delicate
ear. He becomes confused; he softens.
Starla turns to see Grant, his body now turned away from
her. He's trying to push the tubule back down.
STARLA
What are you doing?
GRANT
You're pretty.
Starla nods, confused by his behavior.
EXT. WHEELSY SADDLE LODGE -- LATER
A banner hangs across the front of the lodge, "DEER CHEER
05" -- the first Friday of deer season in Wheelsy.
Inflatable deer totems decorate the front of the wooden
lodge. RAMBUNCTIOUS MUSIC comes from inside. Partyers
enter.
Grant and Starla step out of his truck. As they do, one
of Starla's students, Will, sees her and waves. Starla
waves back.
Grant notices this and grabs Starla's arm, a bit too hard,
pulling her back.
GRANT
Who's that?
STARLA
It's just one of my students, Grant.
Grant stares at the boy with distrust, and ushers Starla
towards the lodge.
Bill, Trevor and Margaret are hanging out on a large rock
outside the entranceway, drinking beer. Bill watches
Grant and Starla cross the lot. Trevor sees this.
TREVOR
What's she see in that douchebag?
BILL
That's the mystery of the ages
there, Trev. Starla was seventeen
when they got engaged. He was,
like, in his thirties. No one
even knew they were goin' out till
she had that ring on her finger.
MARGARET
Ain't no mystery to it. She's
raised in them shanties off St.
Luc. Dirt--poor.
TREVOR
Gold--digger, huh?
BILL
Hell, you don't know that, Margaret.
Margaret shrugs, BELCHES. Jack, the mayor, with his WIFE,
stops beside them after she does, staring at her.
JACK
Bill, you're Chief of police now.
(MORE)
JACK (CONT'D)
Comes with some Goddamn
responsibility, like keeping your
people in line.
BILL
You're right, Jack. Margaret,
you're fired.
Margaret and Trevor LAUGH. Jack shakes his head with
disdain, and enters the party.
INT. WHEELSY SADDLE LODGE -- NIGHT
Wheelsy citizens celebrate. A country--western band PLAYS.
Couples two--step.
Starla and Grant move through the party. Grant looks
around at the dancing and laughing bodies. Starla sees
her friend from school.
STARLA
Janene!
Janene LAUGHS heartily and the two embrace
JANENE
Hey, Grant.
GRANT
Why don't you two catch up? I'll
go see what the boys are doing.
Starla nods. She and Janene watch as Grant moves off
through the crowd.
STARLA
He's been strange the past couple
days.
EXT. WHEELSY SADDLE LODGE -- MOMENTS LATER
Grant steps outside, and looks around.
Across the parking lot is a playground. Two YOUNG CHILDREN
are spinning on a little carousel there.
Grant starts toward them.
EXT. SADDLE LODGE PLAYGROUND -- NIGHT
The Children GIGGLE, unaware of Grant inching up on them.
Grant gets closer, excited, when he hears:
BRENDA (O.S.)
Hey there, handsome.
Grant turns and see Brenda Gutierrez standing there.
Once again, she's very drunk.
BRENDA
Must be fate, us meeting again
like this.
Grant smiles.
GRANT
Well, you might be right...
Grant sees if anyone's watching. He circles around her.
GRANT
You're lookin' awful pretty.
BRENDA
Shut up.
Brenda SNICKERS.
GRANT
Where's the old half--Mexican?
BRENDA
Took the kids to his Mom's for the
weekend.
Grant smiles.
EXT. FOREST -- NIGHT
Grant holds Brenda's hand, and he pulls her between the
trees. She GIGGLES.
BRENDA
Where you takin' me, you bad boy!
Grant stops in a secluded place, beside the creek, looking
around. No one's there. He turns toward her, smiles.
GRANT
Take off your shirt, doll.
Brenda looks at him, confused.
GRANT
Guess it's hard to explain how
amazin' a human brain is to someone
who that's all they know.
BRENDA
What?
GRANT
Stuff you can never imagine.
Feelings. Big thoughts. And love.
Yeah. I'm inclined to parlay it
into somethin' more. So, go ahead
there, beautiful, and take off
your shirt.
Brenda, though startled, leans back on a boulder and starts
unbuttoning her blouse. After a moment, she looks at
Grant, trying to be sexy while she does it. Grant looks
at her in her bra.
GRANT
Nice.
Grant unbuttons his shirt as well. As he removes it
completely, he turns toward her.
Brenda sees the wound on his stomach has blossomed into a
veiny, blue--moss--encrusted yellow spout, huge and pulsing.
BRENDA
Grant!? What -- ?!
Grant grabs her. She tries to push his arms away.
BRENDA
No, no, we --
Brenda gets up, trying to run away. But Grant grabs her
necklace, yanking her back. The necklace snaps and falls
into the creek beside them.
Grant pins Brenda's wrists against the rock. She struggles
to get free.
Brenda's eyes widen as she looks down to see the writhing,
tentacle--like tubule emerge from Grant's wound. She
SCREAMS.
Grant shoves his hand over her mouth, shutting her up.
He's extremely strong. She watches as the tubule twitches,
feeling its way like a blind snake.
The tubule comes to rest on her abdomen. Tears stream
down from Brenda's eyes. It pushes into her flesh.
Brenda goes into convulsions. Something -- a fluid --
pumps through the tubule and into Brenda.
Grant watches Brenda without emotion as her body spasms
there beside him.
Then she falls back, unconscious. The tubule retracts
into Grant's torso.
EXT. WHEELSY SADDLE LODGE BACK PORCH -- NIGHT
Starla is leaning over a wooden rail, looking at the lights
of the town below. She turns to see Bill lean on the
rail beside her. She looks genuinely happy.
STARLA
Hey, Bill!
Starla catches herself, and looks around to see if Grant
is watching.
BILL
Don't worry. The lurker ain't
around. I checked.
STARLA
That's not funny.
BILL
Sorry.
STARLA
Whatcha' doin'?
BILL
Tryin' to get a buzz on. But I'm
too buff. Too much muscle mass.
Starla LAUGHS.
BILL
What you up to?
STARLA
Just checking out the lights.
Bill and Starla look out over the city together.
BILL
Pretty, ain't they?
STARLA
I don't know. I've seen them so
many times before. I guess any
spot gets boring after awhile.
BILL
Well that's only if you're in the
wrong spot.
Starla looks at him.
BILL
There's a place over there on the
bluffs. When the fog is just right,
like tonight, the lights of Main
look like a kaleidoscope.
STARLA
Oh, yeah?
BILL
Mm hm. But only a few folks know
how to get there. Wally. Rollo
Linkski coulda taken you, but
'course he got hit by that train.
Me.
STARLA
I'll get Wally to show me sometime
then.
Starla LAUGHS out loud. So does Bill.
BILL
Oh, will you now?
STARLA GRANT (O.S.)
Or Rollo's ghost. Starla.
They turn to see Grant approaching. He's a mess. His
pants are streaked with mud.
STARLA
Grant, where'd you go?
BILL
Hey, Grant.
Grant eyes Bill with suspicion. He grabs Starla.
GRANT
You ready, sugarplum?
Starla nods. She looks at Bill and mouths:
STARLA
Bye.
Bill watches Grant and Starla head off, as he downs the
rest of his beer. Wally walks up beside him.
WALLY
Surprised you're able to lift a
mug after carrying that torch for
so long.
BILL
Hey, Wally. Glad you're here.
There was something I wanted to
tell you...
Bill SNAPS his fingers, trying to remember.
WALLY
What?
BILL
Oh yeah. Fuck you, fat ass.
They both LAUGH.
INT. GRANT BEDROOM -- LATER
Starla lies on her side, awake. She's staring at the
dirt on Grant's pants, which are hung over a valet. Grant
holds her from behind, sleeping peacefully.
FADE TO:
INT. WHEELSY POLICE STATION -- DAY
The front door of the precinct opens, and a confused
Mexican MAN walks inside. He is trying to keep from
crying. Three half--naked children follow him, clutching
onto his clothes. The man walks slowly through the office,
looking around for help.
Margaret sees him from her desk.
MARGARET
Sir, may I help -- ?
BRENDA'S HUSBAND
My wife, Brenda. I think something
has happened to her!
EXT. STOP SIGN -- DAY
Starla, in her car with groceries, comes to a stop sign.
She looks at the telephone pole beside it and sees that
it's covered with flyers for missing pets.
INT. GRANT FOYER -- MOMENTS LATER
Starla enters with a shopping bag. The lights are off.
CREEPY MUSIC plays.
STARLA
Grant?
No answer. Starla tries to turn on the lights, but nothing
happens.
STARLA
Damn fuse.
She passes the door to the garage, noticing the lock.
INT. GRANT KITCHEN -- MOMENTS LATER
Starla sets down the bags on the counter, looks around.
STARLA
Grant?
Again, no one's here. She sees a potted flower on the
counter. A green INCHWORM is crawling up the stem, little
by little. She stares at it, as if it's a portent.
She hears a MOAN, coming from upstairs.
INT. GRANT BEDROOM -- MOMENTS LATER
Starla moves slowly into this dark room, looking for her
husband. It seems no one is here.
STARLA
Grant, where are y -- ?
Starla turns, when Grant POPS INTO FRAME. Starla,
startled, SCREAMS. Grant is sick and trembling. But,
worse, he's been transforming. There are small pustules
all over his face.
STARLA
Grant. Oh my God. What happened
to your -- ?
GRANT
Heh. It ain't as bad as it looks,
sugarplum. Dr. Carl was just here.
I had a reaction to a bee sting.
He gave me a prescription. Said I
should be fine, in a couple days.
Starla stares at him, mute and horrified.
GRANT
Don't look at me like that, baby.
Please? I'm gonna go get my...
prescription filled.
Grant grabs his keys off the dresser, puts them in his
pocket, trying to pretend he doesn't hurt.
STARLA
I'll get if for you.
GRANT
No! No. Heh. I'll be right back.
He moves outside the door, leaving Starla, shell--shocked.
INT. GRANT GARAGE -- DAY
It's too dark to see much in here, but we do see Grant
putting meat into a garbage bag.
EXT. GRANT HOUSE -- DAY
Grant looks around to make sure no one's looking, as he
places the garbage bag full of meat into his trunk, closes
it.
EXT. OLD BARN -- EVENING
Grant moves through the forest, in massive pain, dragging
the garbage bag.
Grant comes upon the old wooden barn.
INT. OLD BARN -- NIGHT
Grant enters. It is almost completely dark. He hears
WEEPING. CHAINS RATTLE.
Grant peers over at Brenda, mostly in silhouette, sitting
on the nest he has made. She's chained up and MOANS
through a mouth gag. Grant walks to her. Her body is
horribly pear--shaped and misshapen, like some tumorous
pregnancy. Grant pulls her gag away.
BRENDA
Grant? Grant, I'm hungry. I'm so
fuckin' hungry I think I'm gonna
die.
GRANT
Brought you munchies.
Grant pours the garbage bagful of rotting meat and dead
animals out in front of her.
GRANT
Been saving for a rainy day.
CLOSEUP: Brenda's face, still mostly in darkness. She
stares at the meat, simultaneously excited and repulsed.
She looks up at Grant.
BRENDA
Grant, I'm sorry if I did something
wrong! I think I gotta -- I think
I should go to a hospital!
Grant doesn't respond. Brenda's eyes trail back down to
the meat.
Brenda's hand reaches out, and grabs a maggot--infested
pork chop, pulling it toward her.
We HEAR, but can barely see, Brenda CHOWING DOWN on the
raw pork in the nearly pitch black barn.
INT. GRANT'S TRUCK -- LATER
Grant gets into his pickup; he trembles and YELPS as his
body is wracked with pain and his body starts to transform
even more.
INT. GRANT FOYER -- NIGHT
There's a HARD KNOCKING on Starla's door. She swings it
open to see Bill and Wally standing there, worried.
Wally tries to see inside.
WALLY
Grant around?
STARLA
No. He went to the pharmacy.
WALLY
Pharmacy?
STARLA
He's got a... rash.
Bill and Wally exchange a glance -- maybe this means
something. Starla can see Trevor and Margaret, across
the street, talking to another neighbor.
BILL
Starla, you know Brenda Gutierrez?
Starla shakes her head.
BILL
Maybe she's ever called the house,
or -- ?
STARLA
No. What
?
BILL
She disappeared Friday night. We
got reason to believe foul play
might be involved.
WALLY
Some kids found her necklace near
Tipper Creek, as well as what might
be her blood on a rock.
BILL
The problem, Starla, is, the last
person anyone saw her talking to
was Grant.
Starla looks at him, surprised.
BILL
The Deer Cheer. And Wally and me,
we also saw him that night, with
mud all over his slacks.
Bill hands her his card.
BILL
Have him call me right away, okay?
Starla nods, distraught. Bill tries to smile kindly before
he and Wally move out and off to canvas other neighbors'
homes.
Starla closes the door behind her, distraught, panicked.
She looks at the foyer door, leading into the garage.
Her eyes fall down to the floor, where she sees what
appears to be blood drop stains near the door.
She gains courage, and moves off toward --
INT. GRANT CLOSET -- MOMENTS LATER
Starla throws open this door. She looks at old, unused
sports equipment. She grabs an aluminum baseball bat.
INT. GRANT FOYER -- MOMENTS LATER
Starla holds the aluminum bat, standing in front of the
door to the garage. She hesitates a moment. But then
she swings the bat at the lock on the door.
She swings it again, GRUNTING.
And again.
Finally, the lock is knocked off the wooden door.
Starla pushes away the useless lock, letting it fall to
the floor.
Starla steels herself, and slowly pushes open the door
into the dark garage. As she does, the horrendous stench
hits her. Terrified, she covers her face with her hand,
and enters.
INT. GRANT GARAGE -- NIGHT
Starla sees what's there: not only a huge stockpile of
rotten meat, but a dozen dead pets. They are neatly
divided into various categories, and labeled: Pork, Ground
Beef, Cats, Dogs. The walls and doorway have been heavily
insulated so the smell doesn't sink into the home. She
looks on the floor and sees poor, dead Roscoe the beagle,
his tongue dangling out.
Starla starts to CRY.
She moves quickly back inside.
INT. GRANT LIVING ROOM -- MOMENTS LATER
Starla runs to the front picture window, and looks out
onto the street. She can't see any of the cops.
She turns from the window and picks up a cordless phone.
She looks at the card Bill gave her, and dials the number.
The phone RINGS, and:
SHERRY (O.S.)
You've reached Chief Pardy at the
Wheelsy Police Department. Please
leave a message and your call will
be returned as soon as possible.
There's a BEEP. Starla tries to speak through her SOBS,
pacing:
STARLA
Bill, it's Starla!
As Starla passes the large picture window, she doesn't
see Grant staring in at her, his face now that of some
diseased cephalopod.
STARLA
It's -- I think you better come
over right away -- I think Grant's
sick, he --
Starla turns to see the monstrous Grant through the window.
She just stops. They stare at each other for a moment.
And then Grant lets out a FURIOUS WAIL.
Starla turns and dashes toward the back of the house.
Grant disappears from the window.
INT. GRANT FOYER -- NIGHT
As Starla runs through here, she looks behind her at the
front door to make sure Grant isn't following.
INT. GRANT HALL -- NIGHT
She runs past a wall of family photos.
INT. GRANT FAMILY ROOM -- NIGHT
Starla sees the door on the rear of the house, leading to
the backyard.
She arrives at it, and flings it open --
Grant is there.
He lunges onto her. Starla SCREAMS and drops the cordless
phone, just as it starts RINGING. Grant crawls on top of
her body. Starla reaches for the ringing phone, but he
pins her hands above her head. He looks into her eyes.
He's CRYING. His voice and breath are sick and raspy.
GRANT
Why'd you betray me, sugarplum?!
STARLA
Grant, no!
GRANT
I loved you. I loved --
STARLA
Grant, you're sick!
Grant is about to cry.
GRANT
I wanted you by my side, but you --
I can't trust you now!
Starla's WEEPING, confused. Grant rips his shirt open.
Starla looks down to see the tubule protruding from the
now enormous yellow spore on Grant's chest. The tubule
feels over Starla's blouse, and then slips beneath it.
It starts to poke into her skin.
STARLA
Noooo!
Starla grabs the leg of a coffee table beside her. She
SLAMS the table into Grant's head. This hurts and
surprises him sufficiently to let Starla get out from
under him.
Starla grabs the cordless phone, which is no longer
ringing, and scurries behind the couch. She dials 9--1--1.
Grant thrusts the couch aside.
Starla crawls away again, when Grant attacks her from
behind. He wraps his arm around her neck, pulling her
back. He looks down at her with his sick, angry eyes, as
his arm -- now apparently jointless -- curls around her
like a snake.
Starla gasps for air. Her face turns purple. She hears
a SLAMMING on the door.
BILL (O.S.)
Starla?!! Starla, are you in
there?!
Starla tries to speak but she cannot. Suddenly, we HEAR
the FRONT DOOR OPEN.
BILL (O.S.)
Starla?!
Starla, with barely an ounce of life left in her, sees
Bill, Wally, Trevor and Margaret burst into the living
room.
They are surprised, to say the least, to see this diseased
humanoid strangling Starla from behind.
TREVOR
Fuck!
The cops, freaked out, pull their guns. Grant makes a
SCREECHING SOUND at them. They SHOOT at Grant, nicking
him.
Grant jumps away from Starla, back into the shadows,
SCREECHING in anger and pain. Starla falls to the floor.
Grant slips out the back door and away.
The cops stare, gape--jawed and frozen with shock; what
the hell was THAT?!
Starla rubs her neck, COUGHING.
Bill Pardy runs toward the back door.
EXT. GRANT HOME -- NIGHT
Bill runs out into the backyard. Wally runs up behind
him. They look around at the trees surrounding the area.
Grant is nowhere to be seen.
We CRANE UP and AWAY from them as we...
FADE TO BLACK.
O.S. SNIFFLING.
PASTOR (O.S.)
Jesus, these past few days have
been a trying time for us.
INT. CHURCH -- DAY
We PAN OVER an altar where family members have placed
little items that remind them of Brenda -- photographs,
mementos, "Come home, Mommy" cards, etc.
PASTOR (O.S.)
We ask you now for the safe return
of our beloved Brenda.
Everyone in this modest little church has their heads
bowed as the PASTOR leads the prayer service.
PASTOR
Our sister. Our daughter. Our
mother. Our wife.
Brenda's husband, in the front pew, loses it, CRYING.
His little children, beside him, fiddle in their seats.
PASTOR
And we ask that you keep your light
alive in her heart, wherever she
may be. We ask all this in your
name, Lord. Amen
Bill Pardy is here, in full uniform, hat in hands.
BILL CONGREGATION
Amen. Amen.
Bill looks around the church. He spots Starla, in the
very back of church, head down, distraught, guilty.
He also sees a group of OLD CRONES nearby, pointing at
Starla, and whispering about her.
EXT. CHURCH PARKING LOT -- MOMENTS LATER
Starla's high heels CLACK on the pavement as she moves
quickly to her car.
BILL (O.S.)
Starla.
Starla turns to see Bill coming after her. She stops.
BILL
I talked to the CDC. They didn't
have nothin' on file consistent
with Grant's... symptoms.
Starla nods.
STARLA
How about Brenda?
BILL
New? No. We're hoping we find
Grant, he'll lead us to her.
Starla nods. The wind is strong. Her hair is flying
over her face. Tears come to her eyes.
BILL
You all right?
Starla nods.
STARLA
Yeah.
She moves away from him.
Bill watches her go.
INT. POLICE STATION -- DAY
Bill enters. A few COPS and SECRETARIES are bustling,
making phone calls, etc. They all look tired, as if they
haven't slept. Jack, the mayor, sees Bill.
JACK
Bill!
Bill spots him, moving quickly toward him.
BILL
Shit.
JACK
Bill, we need to talk!
BILL
'Mornin', Jack.
Bill crosses the station. Jack follows.
JACK
Bill, this Brenda's Randy Flagg's
niece. We need to find Grant
yesterday! The town council has
lit a Roman candle and stuck it up
my ass!
BILL
Hell, Jack, your leisure activities
ain't my business.
JACK
Don't fuck with me, Bill. Your
post here as Chief is in dire
straits you don't work this shit
out.
They come to a desk with Wally and Trevor working away.
BILL
Don't worry, we'll find him.
(to Trevor)
Anything new?
Trevor shakes his head.
JACK
How are you going to find him?
BILL
Dude's a half--squid. Ain't many
places he can hide. Sea World,
maybe.
Jack sees a SECRETARY making copies nearby. He speaks in
hushed tones:
JACK
That young lady heard you say
'squid.' She's gonna go out and
create a Goddamn hysteria!
BILL
Sherry, you gonna create a hysteria?
SHERRY
Not today, Bill.
JACK
Still, quit that talk! You yourself
said it was dark in there! You
don't know what you saw!
TREVOR
We saw his arm was all bendy.
JACK
Bastard obviously got lyme disease!
BILL
What?
JACK
Touch some deer feces out in the
forest. Eat a sandwich without
washing your hands. Then you got
lyme disease.
BILL
And that makes you look like
a squid?
JACK
I'll tell you what, no one with
lyme disease gonna win any damn
handsome contests!
Bill, Wally, and Trevor can't help but SNICKER.
JACK
Well, screw you all for laughin'
SHELBY (O.S.)
Bill!
Bill looks over at Shelby, on his headset at the dispatch
unit.
SHELBY
Another ranch attack! Up at the
Castavets'
Bill nods for Trevor and Margaret to get up from their
desks. They do, and start to move out with Bill and Wally.
JACK
Ranch a --'? What 'ranch attacks'?
EXT. CATTLE RANCH -- LATER
POV: A dead rottweiler is lying on its back in the long
grass, its gut split open and intestines spilling out,
almost perfectly symmetrical.
WALLY (O.S.)
It looks like one of them psyche
tests. What do they call it?
Bill and Wally are staring at the dog from above.
BILL
Rorschach.
WALLY
What do you see? I see a butterfly.
Bill moves on through the windswept weeds.
BILL
I see we're fucked. Three ranches
in three days.
Margaret is taking measurements and writing in a note
pad; she sees Bill.
MARGARET
So, I think I got it part--way
figured. You want to hear it?
Bill nods.
MARGARET
So Grant -- I mean, we're saying
this is Grant, right?
Bill nods.
MARGARET
Grant kills a cow right about here.
See there's the blood, musta slit
its neck.
Margaret walks backward, showing the trail of blood in
the crushed grass.
MARGARET
So he drags the cow backwards here.
Only he prolly didn't know 'bout
the Castavets had them dogs.
TREVOR (O.S.)
Hey, look!
Bill looks over at Trevor, standing up between the tall
weeds, holding a dog's head in his hand.
TREVOR
He knocked this'n's head clear
over here!
WALLY
Put that down, numbnuts!
Bill peers at the various slaughtered dogs around them.
MARGARET
So the dogs attacked, somehow he
slew 'em all, and he stole off
with the cow into the forest.
Trevor heads toward them. Bill looks off into the dark
forest on the edge of the ranch.
BILL
He's gotta be in the forest. All
three ranches run alongside it.
TREVOR
Think we should get up a search
party, head in there?
WALLY
It's a hundred thousand acres. Be
finding a needle in a fuckstack.
Bill has a realization. He moves quickly for his car.
BILL
Wally, come on. Trevor and
Margaret, get some folks together.
I think I know where he's gonna
hit next.
INT. POLICE STATION -- LATER
CLOSEUP: A property map of Wheelsy is tacked to a bulletin
board. Red Magic Marker circles are around various ranch
properties on the edge of the city, next to an enormous
forest. A finger points to one of the red circles.
BILL
So the night after Grant ran off,
a calf went missing from here, the
Raglans' ranch.
REVEAL Bill, standing beside the bulletin board. A posse
has gathered, listening intently: Wally and the usual
cops; Jack; an OLDER COP, probably pulled out of
retirement; and a couple of recruits -- a REDNECK and
a GOOD OL' BOY. Bill points to the next red circle.
BILL
Two nights ago, a mare was stolen
from this property, run by
Fitzgibbon, that old rancher with
the cleft palate.
Wally whispers to Margaret, amused:
WALLY
Looks like a chipmunk.
BILL
Your momma wasn't too proud when
you came out neither, Wally.
Bill points to the next circle.
BILL
And then we get here, the
Castavets', where last night's
shit--storm took place.
TREVOR
I see. It's like as if he's going
in a pattern. Is that what you're
saying, Bill?
Bill nods and points to the next red circle.
BILL
And if he sticks to that pattern
he'll be here next. Belongs to a
family, the Strutemyers'. Now I
know y'all are tired and you've
barely seen your families. But
we're gonna have to go there
tonight, lie low and wait.
The posse nod, agreeing.
REDNECK
Let's get that son--of--a--bitch,
Chief.
BILL
Just remember, we don't know what
we're up against here. So let's
be careful.
INT. POLICE STATION/ARMORY -- DAY
Beside a small armory, Trevor loads a Benelli M--1 super
semiautomatic shotgun. Margaret checks the site on a
Remington 700 PSS rifle. Bill takes a Springfield M--1A
pump--action for himself, while Wally stuffs numerous
pistols and ammo into a leather satchel. Trevor notices
a dusty grenade on a shelf.
TREVOR
Hey, Bill, we got that grenade we
confiscated from them jokers wanted
to use it fish for trout?
Bill looks at Trevor, considering.
BILL
Can't hurt.
As Trevor puts the grenade into a side--pocket on the
satchel, Bill sees Jack and the Older Cop, watching.
JACK
I didn't know the Russkies were
invading there, folks.
MARGARET
You seen this guy, you'd wished
they was.
EXT. POLICE STATION -- LATER
The posse loads up their vehicles, and start taking off
out of the parking lot.
Bill and Wally walk out to their police car. Bill tosses
the leather satchel into the trunk.
They get in the car, Bill starts the engine, when --
Starla Grant pulls quickly into the parking lot. Bill
rolls down the window as she gets out of her car and runs
toward them.
STARLA
Bill, I heard what you're doing.
I think I should go along.
BILL
Why? Listen, it doesn't matter.
I gotta go.
Bill starts to roll away, but Starla holds on to the car,
following.
STARLA
Wait! Dammit, Bill, if that girl's
still out there, how will you find
her? How, unless you bring Grant
in alive? Your best chance of
doing that is with me. I can talk
to him --
BILL
He tried to kill you, Starla.
STARLA
He did. I know. But I got him
angry 'cause I wasn't calm. This
time I could --
Starla's on the verge of tears.
STARLA
Please, Bill. What happened, it's
my fault, I know it.
BILL
Starla, it ain't --
STARLA
It is. He'd been acting strange.
And the physical changes. I should
have told someone right away...
But I was just blind. I wanted to
pretend it wasn't happening... If
I don't do what I can to help now,
I just couldn't live with it.
Bill looks at her. He looks at Wally. Wally shrugs.
Bill nods for Starla to get in.
INT. STRUTEMYER KITCHEN -- EVENING
Kylie is blowing on a cup of coffee. Her MOM, DAD, and
two younger SISTERS, aged 9 and 11, are relaxing after
dinner. As Kylie's Mom picks up plates --
KYLIE'S MOM
Kylie! What'd you do to your
fingers?
Kylie's Mom grabs her hand, looking at her very long
fingernails. They're painted sky blue and spotted with
minute teddy bear and bumblebee decals.
KYLIE
Kiri Goshima done 'em. She's
Japanese.
KYLIE'S DAD
Looks like Pokemons done 'em to
me!
Kylie's sisters LAUGH out loud.
KYLIE
Foreign stuff is classy if you
knew something.
Kylie's family sees, OUT THE WINDOW, police cars pulling
up by a gravel road.
KYLIE'S DAD
Oh. There's Jack. I want y'all
to stay inside tonight. All right?
Kylie's sisters nod. Kylie too.
EXT. STRUTEMYER FARMHOUSE -- EVENING
Kylie's Dad steps onto the front porch of this quaint
family farmhouse. He sees Jack heading toward the ranch,
and waves. Jack gives a little salute, while muttering
to the Older Cop.
JACK
This turns out to be a mountain
lion we're gonna look like a damn
bunch of idiots.
The Redneck and Good Ol' Boy make their way to the ranch
as well. They see Bill with Starla.
REDNECK
Didn't know it was date night.
The Good Ol' Boy LAUGHS.
REDNECK
I'll be expecting you toss my salad
at the end of all this then,
Charlie.
GOOD OL' BOY
Shut up.
EXT. STRUTEMYER RANCH -- MOMENTS LATER
The posse fans out over this grassy land where the cattle
graze, finding places to hide. The sun sets behind them.
FADE TO:
EXT. STRUTEMYER RANCH -- NIGHT
Darkness has crept over the ranch, and the beautiful,
pastoral scene has become distinctly more sinister.
The wind blows hard, WHISTLING through the long weeds.
A rusty rooster windmill atop the old barn twists and
CLINKS on its half--bent perch.
A piece of tarp hangs down from the barn roof, FLAPPING
incessantly against the wooden wall.
Trevor and Jack; the Redneck and the Good Ol' Boy; and
Margaret and the Older Cop are hidden around the ranch,
waiting, watching or dozing.
INT. STRUTEMYER BARN -- NIGHT
Inside the barn, the wind is only slightly quieter, and
it's darker. Bill, Starla, and Wally are here. Bill
peers out through the doorway at cattle drinking from the
trough. He looks at Starla; her head tilts to the side
as she nods off. When her head falls all the way, she
snaps back up, and catches Bill gazing at her.
Bill nods and smiles. She doesn't smile back; she's
embarrassed and miserable and this is the last place she
wants to be.
They sit there for a moment in the dark.
BILL
Hey, Starla, remember that time
when you were a kid and you came
knocking on my window in the middle
of the night?
Wally looks at them.
BILL
Starla here's twelve. Guess I was
fourteen. I said, 'Starla, what
the hell you doing out there?'
She tells me she's running away to
Hollywood to become a big star.
She said she knew I was in ROTC,
and she was gonna need a bodyguard.
Invited me along.
Wally LAUGHS. Bill smiles. Starla is embarrassed, but
grudgingly enjoys the story.
BILL
I said, 'Starla, if there's anybody
can take care of herself, I think
it's you. I'm gonna have to
decline.'
WALLY
(to Starla)
How far'd you get?
STARLA
About the bus stop. Ranger Rick
here called my dad.
WALLY
Ha! A cop from the get--go! You
son--of--a--bitch!
STARLA
You fucked up our fame and fortune,
Bill Pardy.
BILL
Yeah, maybe I did.
EXT. STRUTEMYER RANCH -- NIGHT
Jack smokes a cigarette as he keeps an eye out for the
cow killer. The burning ember of the cigarette is blown
off by the wind. Jack searches for it in the dry grass,
trying to catch it before it starts a fire. He crawls
forward, slapping the ground, when he glances up and
sees...
A large, shadowy shape hulking through the trees on the
edge of the forest.
INT. STRUTEMYER BARN -- NIGHT
Bill, Starla, and Wally see Grant Grant emerging from the
forest. He has transformed into something much more
monstrous: a giant, gangrenous, slug--like beast, a clump
of cells and tumor--like protuberances. He has various
tentacle--like--arms growing out of him, like overgrown
eyes on a potato. As opposed to just having the disease,
he now seems to BE the disease itself.
STARLA
Grant?
EXT. STRUTEMYER RANCH -- NIGHT
Jack and Trevor watch in amazement as Grant slithers across
the field, his large, dark, watery eyes searching out
prey. Jack turns to Trevor, pissed, and whispers:
JACK
You said 'squid'!
TREVOR
It got worse.
The Redneck and the Good Ol' Boy watch too, mouths dropped.
The diseased Grant slithers through the grass just a few
feet beside Margaret and the Older Cop. They duck below
the grass, looking as if they're going to have heart
attacks.
Grant approaches a cow. The cow makes a little MOO of
protest when he gets too close, and steps back.
The Grant--creature stabs one of his tentacle growths into
the cow's neck, piercing it. The cow stumbles, choking.
Blood spurts from her neck. And she topples over.
INT. STRUTEMYER BARN -- NIGHT
Bill and Wally stare out the window, motionless.
WALLY
What we gonna do now, Bill? Cuffs
won't even fit on 'im.
Starla musters courage. She stands, and moves out of the
barn.
BILL
Starla, where you
?
EXT. STRUTEMYER RANCH -- NIGHT
Grant wraps a feeler around the cow's horns, and starts
dragging it back in the direction of the forest.
INT. STRUTEMYER BARN -- NIGHT
Bill motions through the barn window to Margaret.
EXT. STRUTEMYER RANCH -- NIGHT
Margaret motions to Trevor.
Trevor motions to the recruits.
And Starla moves slowly in toward Grant.
STARLA
Grant?
Grant turns and looks at her with his half--human eyes.
His breathing is loud, raspy, and sick. He sees, in a
wide circle around him, the nervous posse standing up,
their guns at the ready.
Starla moves even closer. Bill and Wally are coming in
close behind her.
STARLA
Grant? It's okay.
As Starla and the posse get closer, Grant looks almost
scared. His eyes dart around from cop to cop.
STARLA
You're just sick is all. But we'll
take you to get help right now.
I'll stay by your side, Grant,
just like I swore I would. For
better or worse. Remember?
Grant's huge milky eyes betray that he does.
STARLA
Okay?
The posse inch in closer, tightening the circle.
Grant lets out a PIERCING SCREECH of protest. All of the
posse stop, terrified.
Everything is quiet and still except for Grant's gross
breathing. Deep: In, out.
STARLA
Okay, Grant? It's gonna be all
right.
Grant SCREECHES again: a warning. He looks from Starla
to Bill, with hurt, jealous eyes, and GROWLS.
Then Grant's eyes close to half--mast, and he turns away.
His tentacle tightens around the cow's horns, and he again
drags it toward the forest.
While Bill tries to decide what to do, the Good Ol' Boy
nervously blocks Grant's path. He aims his pistol at
him.
GOOD OL' BOY
You stop right there, you son of a
bitch. I don't care what kinda
leprosy you got. We need to find
that girl. Now you can make this
peaceful, or you can make it hard.
Pause. Grant and the Good Ol' Boy stare at each other.
And then Grant SNAPS out a tentacle--arm, whipping it up
the front of the man's body, and back.
The front of the Good Ol' Boy's whole body is split neatly
in half. For a split second, he remains alive: the two
different sides of his split head look down in disbelief
as his organs spill out from inside him. And then he
topples over.
BILL
Fire! Fire!
The posse SHOOT at Grant. Starla covers her head.
Grant is struck; he SCREECHES in pain. He lets go of the
cow. He slithers with incredible speed off toward the
forest.
Bill and the other posse members take off after him like
hounds on the heel of their prey. They SHOOT madly.
Starla watches as the posse follows Grant into the woods.
Starla stands alone and worried a moment, and then she
darts off after them.
INT. KYLIE'S BATHROOM -- NIGHT
Kylie is running a bath. She hears GUNSHOTS ECHO in the
distance.
She peers out a little window above the tub, trying to
see where the shots are coming from.
EXT. FOREST -- NIGHT
The posse run through this very dark forest after Grant,
leaping over brush and rocks. They're nervous, but also
excited, as the primordial hunting urge takes over. Their
eyes are filled with anger and bloodlust.
They're able to follow Grant only by catching glimpses --
a flash of flesh between trees, a tentacle disappearing
around brush.
WALLY
There he is! Over there!
They FIRE at the creature, taking chunks out of trees,
but missing. He's too fast.
EXT. CREEK -- NIGHT
Grant slips around a boulder and splashes through a creek,
and into the plentiful trees beyond. He rustles thick
fronds as he moves up alongside the creek.
The posse run up the creek itself, splashing, trying to
peer through the leaves to get a shot at Grant.
Jack, carrying his revolver, trips and falls in the creek.
He cuts his knee on a sharp rock. He stands, and keeps
going.
They come to --
EXT. FOREST CLEARING -- NIGHT
The posse come up out of the creek. They've completely
lost track of the diseased man--beast.
They stop, out--of--breath and looking around. They whisper:
TREVOR
Where'd he go?
MARGARET
We ain't never gonna find that
girl now.
The Redneck is WEEPING with rage.
REDNECK
I'll kill that asshole what he did
to Charlie.
Bill sees Starla run up behind them. He waves her back.
BILL
Starla, get the hell out of here!
Starla takes a couple steps back, but doesn't leave. She
watches there, half in shadows as the posse creep around,
searching for some trail of Grant.
Margaret looks down into the bubbling creek. She sees
it's turning red. She looks up the trail of red, which
is rippling downhill in the water. The red flow starts
somewhere near a boulder.
Bill and Wally are searching in front of the boulder.
Margaret SEES, but they don't, Grant pulling himself up
on a tree branch and RISING behind them. Blood from a
shotgun wound is dripping into the creek. Grant, pissed,
lifts a tentacle.
MARGARET
Bill!!
Bill turns as the tentacle swings down toward him. He
falls back; the tentacle slashes inches from his face.
Bill BLASTS his shotgun up at Grant, but Grant is already
slithering swiftly back into the thick brush.
The posse squeeze themselves though the brush, following.
EXT. OLD BARN -- NIGHT
The posse emerge on the other side of the brush, only to
be confronted by a terrible odor. They cover their noses
and mouths as their faces shrivel in disgust.
TREVOR
What the hell's that smell?
WALLY
It's something dead.
The posse gaze up at the old ramshackle barn where Grant
had brought Brenda.
JACK
It's coming from in there, ain't
it?
Margaret looks at Bill.
MARGARET
Think he's inside?
Bill takes the lead, carefully approaching the barn.
The posse follows, their weapons drawn. The closer they
get to the barn, the more unbearable the smell becomes.
Only Bill, intent on the task in front of him, doesn't
react to the stench at all.
Bill leans his ear in close to the front door, and listens.
Through the door he can HEAR a QUIET SOBBING. Bill and
Wally exchange a look.
Bill steps back. He and Wally aim their shotguns at the
door. Bill nods to Margaret, and gestures for her to
open it. Starla watches all this from the rear.
Margaret swings open the door.
INT. OLD BARN -- NIGHT
Bill and Wally move cautiously but quickly inside. But
they stop suddenly, in disgust and horror.
BILL
Oh...
It's Brenda. And she doesn't look good. Her weepy little
head is stuck to the front of a huge fleshy orb, which is
what her body has become. This enormous ball of flesh is
nine or ten feet tall. Vestigial fingers protrude from
the sides. She is utterly immobile. Her flesh sloshes,
slightly and constantly; a thousand snakes seem to be
slithering beneath her thin, tight, bruised skin. The
woman is in great pain. She SOBS. Her mouth and chin
are stained with blood.
The posse and Starla enter behind Bill and Wally and are
equally astounded.
OLDER COP
Oh, shit!
They see the source of the awful stench:
Brenda is encircled by the rotting carcasses of cows and
horses and forest critters. They are mostly skeletal, as
they have been largely devoured. They're swarming with
flies. The stench is so bad the posse cover their faces
with the bottom of their shirts.
The SOBBING Brenda looks desperately at Bill and Wally.
BRENDA
Something's wrong with me.
WALLY
Uh, yeah.
Bill and Wally get in a little closer.
BILL
Brenda, um...
BRENDA
I didn't want no one to be seeing
me like this.
As the posse inch closer, Brenda's whole body suddenly
LURCHES FORWARD a bit -- like whatever's inside her is
trying to get out and to the posse. Brenda SCREAMS in
agony.
The posse jump back. They stare as she recomposes herself.
BRENDA
How are my boys, Bill? Are they
all right?
BILL
Boys are fine, Brenda. Uh, what's --
what's happening here, exactly?
BRENDA
I'm so fucking hungry, Bill. I'm
so hungry. I just never knew
anybody could be so hungry.
Brenda tries to smile in a way she might charm her Daddy
into giving her candy. This is creepy as hell.
BRENDA
Would you mind handing me a piece
of that possum there at your feet?
Little bit?
Trevor gags and runs out of the barn.
EXT. OLD BARN -- NIGHT
Trevor vomits into some bushes.
INT. OLD BARN -- NIGHT
Bill eyes poor Brenda.
BILL
I think we best get you to a
hospital right quick.
WALLY
What the fuck they gonna do with
her in a hospital, Bill?
Again, Brenda SCREAMS. Her body LURCHES FORWARD.
OLDER COP
Why's she doing that?!
REDNECK
Her tumors is moving.
JACK
Bill, get her to stop that shit!
BRENDA
It hurts!
Her body lurches forward AGAIN. She sobs.
BRENDA
Help me!! Help!!
And then AGAIN. Starla notices that Brenda's skin is
starting to SPLIT AND TEAR on her side.
STARLA
Bill!
BRENDA
Little fuckers are tearing me
aparrrr-- !
Brenda SCREAMS like a woman giving a thousand evil births
at once and her body RIPS OPEN in one part; and then, in
quick succession, ANOTHER, and ANOTHER. Bill looks out
one of the windows. Grant is peering in at them, smiling.
BILL
He led us here.
And then Brenda's body BURSTS OPEN COMPLETELY, like a
water balloon hitting cement, and thousands of little
SLITHERING EYELESS PARASITES with slippery black--red skin
like slugs spill forth. The horrid creatures, eight inches
long and a few inches thick, swarm over the posse,
completely covering them before they can react.
EXT. OLD BARN -- NIGHT
Trevor sees the things flooding over the posse in the
barn. The parasites are especially drawn to the posse's
heads. Because there are so many, the weight of the beasts
knocks most of them down.
Trevor runs, but the things make it out the doorway,
covering him like lava in One Million B.C., and he buckles.
INT. OLD BARN -- NIGHT
A parasite slithers quickly and fluidly into Wally's mouth.
He gags on it. His eyes flip back up into his head, and
his body starts to spasm.
Jack tries to pull one away from his face, but it's too
slippery and it disappears inside his mouth. His body,
too, convulses, and he spits up blood.
Bill notices the parasites slithering into the mouths of
the Redneck and the Older Cop as well; whites of their
eyes, bodies convulsing, spewing blood. Bill sees the
things oozing up Margaret's neck.
BILL
Margaret, cover your mouth!
Bill sees Trevor outside the door in the dirt, trying to
slap the parasites off. Bill yells to everyone:
BILL
Don't let 'em in your mouths!
One starts to get in Bill's mouth as he speaks, but he
slaps it aside. Margaret pulls her shirt over her face.
Starla SHRIEKS. She puts her hand over her mouth as the
parasites rush up her. She's knocked over, and falls
back onto the floor.
A parasite slithers between Starla's lips -- when,
suddenly, a KNIFE thrusts down, pinning the creature to
the dirt, stopping it from oozing further into Starla.
Bill is holding the knife in one hand, his other hand
firmly over his mouth. Bill swats more incoming parasites
away from Starla's mouth. He covers her mouth with his
free hand. He lies on top of her, mushing their bodies
and faces as closely together as possible so the things
don't get into them. The parasites swarm all over them,
flapping their slimy little tails as they try to fight
their way inside their mouths. But Bill holds tight to
himself and Starla.
Eventually, the parasites give up on Bill and Starla, and
begin to slither away. Bill watches as they crawl off
the posse and filter out of the barn in a squirmy mound.
Eventually, they're gone. Bill takes his hand from
Starla's mouth. Starla looks around.
She sees Margaret lift her face from the ground, shivering,
holding her shirt over her mouth. They gaze out the front
door of the barn.
EXT. OLD BARN -- NIGHT
Trevor pulls his face from the dirt and stands. He spits
violently and wipes the dirt off his tongue with his wrist.
TREVOR
They wanted us to eat 'em! Why
would they want that!?
INT. OLD BARN -- NIGHT
Bill is trying to make sense of it all. He gazes down at
Brenda's body, her bloody skin and misshapen skeleton
spread out over the floor, split open like an enormous
bloody tiger rug.
He looks around at the posse lying on the floor in mangled
positions, their mouths and lips covered in blood, still
lightly convulsing.
He gazes out INTO THE FOREST to see the parasites rushing
away like an ugly wormy army, shaking the brush as they
head off in different directions.
CUT TO:
EXT. STRUTEMYERS' RANCH -- NIGHT
Parasites crawl over rocks and out of the forest and onto
the ranch. The Strutemyer farmhouse looms nearby.
INT. KYLIE'S BATHROOM -- NIGHT
Kylie is taking a steamy bubble bath. Her head is back,
her eyes shut; she's enjoying the warm water. The tub
faucet drips lightly in an uneven rhythm.
EXT. STRUTEMYERS' FARMHOUSE -- NIGHT
The parasites squirm up the side of the house, sticking
to the wood siding.
INT. KYLIE'S BATHROOM -- NIGHT
Kylie glances out the window beside the tub, at the starry
sky and crescent moon, beautiful and still.
There's a KNOCK on the bathroom door. Kylie turns toward
the door -- as she does, a parasite crawls across the
window behind her, streaking a moist slimy trail.
KYLIE'S MOM
Kylie! You're gonna turn into a
plum in there!
KYLIE
Prune, Mom. Plums turn into prunes.
INT. STRUTEMYERS' HALLWAY -- NIGHT
Kylie's Mom is at the bathroom door.
KYLIE'S MOM
I know what turns into what. You
got school tomorrow. Finish up in
there and get to bed.
O.S. Kylie GRUNTS in vague agreement.
Kylie's Mom trots down the hall, to another door.
She KNOCKS once, then opens the door to --
INT. STRUTEMYER GIRLS' BEDROOM -- NIGHT
Kylie's younger sisters lie in single beds, reading
Goosebumps by bed--lamps clipped to the headboards.
KYLIE'S MOM
Time to turn in, ladies.
KYLIE'S SISTER
Just a couple more pages, Mom?
KYLIE'S MOM
Come on now.
The girls SIGH in lazy protest, but still turn off their
reading lamps.
KYLIE'S MOM
G'night.
KYLIE'S SISTER 1 KYLIE'S SISTER
Night, Mom. Night.
EXT. STRUTEMYERS' FARMHOUSE -- NIGHT
THROUGH THE WINDOW we see Kylie's Mom start to close the
door.
KYLIE'S MOM
Sleep tight. Don't let the bed
bugs bite.
Numerous parasites slither INTO FRAME, up the side of the
house, approaching the girls' bedroom window, which is
open a few inches for air.
INT. STRUTEMYER GIRLS' BEDROOM -- NIGHT
Kylie's Mom shuts their door completely. The girls turn
on their sides and close their eyes to sleep.
And the parasites pour in through the cracked window.
They slither over the walls. Their slimy black--red bodies
contrast sharply with the pretty flowered wallpaper.
INT. KYLIE'S BATHROOM -- NIGHT
The door cracks open, and a parasite enters. It slithers
silently over the linoleum tiles.
It arrives at the base of the tub, and crawls up the side.
Kylie continues relaxing, her eyes closed. She doesn't
see the parasite enter the soapy bath water at her feet.
Kylie hears a SOFT SPLASHING and peers down. She spots
the creature swimming toward her between her knees.
Kylie SHRIEKS and scrambles up to get out of the tub. As
she clamors out, she slips and falls to the floor.
The parasite squirms up Kylie's wet naked back. Kylie
SHRIEKS again, jumping up as she tries to slap the thing
off.
KYLIE
Mom!!
The parasite winds toward her lips. Kylie goes to grab
it with both hands, but it slips through them. The thing
slides into Kylie's mouth as she looks down at it.
Kylie snatches the very end of the parasite's tail. Her
long, teddy--bear--spotted fingernails pinch it there,
digging into the parasite's flesh, barely stopping it
from sliding completely into her mouth. It wildly flaps
its tail like a docked trout, desperate to enter her.
Kylie falls to her knees. Her eyes roll back in her head,
and her body spasms while she holds tenuously onto the
very tip of the parasite's tail.
We TRACK IN to a CLOSEUP of Kylie's face: a slight white
electrical--telepathic charge can be seen SPARKING inside
her mouth.
FLASH TO:
KYLIE'S VISION
We are RUSHING through some amoebic landscape, PAST
microbes and cytoplasm and cells, and to:
KYLIE'S VISION -- SERIES OF IMAGES -- CREATURE'S POV
Perhaps the memories of some creature not of earth. Its
eyesight is not like our own; it's in grainy black and
white and amber outlines. Various images FLASH in quick
succession, including the following:
--We are on top of an alien ANIMAL, pinning it down. it
HOWLS beneath us as we tear into its flesh, feasting.
--All around us, diseased monstrous BEASTS feed on more
alien animals. They lunge toward them and pin them down,
ripping them apart, like some National Geographic
documentary shot in Hell.
--In FAST MOTION, unfamiliar plant life around us grows
sick and withers, dying out.
--A group of diseased monstrous BEASTS CRY OUT In uniform
pain. They buckle to their knees; now they're dying.
--The diseased BEASTS feed on their own appendages.
BACK TO SCENE
Kylie tries to regain control of her mind. Her eyes fight
against flipping back in her head. Tears pour down her
face. She pulls the parasite out just a bit.
But then it SLAMS back into her and there are more SPARKS
inside her mouth --
KYLIE'S VISION -- SERIES OF IMAGES -- MANGLED INSECT POV
--We are CLIMBING UP through A creamy, gelatinous yellow.
An opening slit widens in front of us, and we see Grant
slowly bending to look at us, the forest behind him.
KYLIE'S VISION -- SERIES OF IMAGES -- GRANT'S POV
--We watch Starla soaping herself In The shower.
--We make love to Starla, our hands on her face.
--We sit over A convulsing Brenda, impregnating her with
our tubule.
--We see The posse members coming In toward us.
BACK TO SCENE
With a last, desperate effort, Kylie yanks at the exhausted
worm, pulling it fully from her mouth. It flaps in her
fingers. Kylie spits up blood.
Kylie tosses the parasite away from her. Though slightly
crippled, the little bastard writhes back toward her.
Kylie spots her curling iron on the counter; it's plugged
in, the red light is on. She grabs it, and swings it
into the wormy thing.
The parasite SQUEAKS and trembles with pain. Smoke rises
from it as Kylie digs the curling iron in deeper, burning
it, and, finally, killing it.
Kylie lifts the iron in front of her and looks at it.
The dead parasite is stuck to it, dangling from the metal.
KYLIE
Mom!!
Kylie drops the iron. She quickly steps into her clothes
lying on the floor. She runs out of the bathroom and
into --
INT. STRUTEMYERS' HALLWAY -- NIGHT
Kylie runs to the stairway.
KYLIE
Mom!! Mom!!
Kylie stops. Dozens of the things are slithering up the
stairs and up the handrail towards her.
O.S. Kylie hears her SISTERS' SCREAMS. She looks in their
direction, running toward their room.
KYLIE
Emily!! Jenna!!
Kylie tosses open her sisters' door.
INT. STRUTEMYER GIRLS' BEDROOM -- NIGHT
Kylie's youngest sister is on her knees on the bed, a
parasite sticking out of her mouth. Her eyes are rolled
back. Her arms flail spastically. The slithering beast
wags its tail as it disappears down her throat.
Kylie's other sister is backing into a corner, with
parasites crawling up her body. She's SCREAMING bloody
hell, trying to slap them off.
Kylie runs toward her to help. Kylie slaps the parasites
off her sister. But there's too many and they're too
fast. They slide into her sister's mouth.
KYLIE
No!! Nooo!!
Her sister's eyes flip back in her skull as the thing
disappears completely, and she starts spitting up blood.
Kylie sees the parasites around the room coming at her.
There's a clear path toward a window. Kylie runs to the
window, and shoves it open. As the things approach her,
she crawls out --
EXT. STRUTEMYERS' FARMHOUSE AWNING -- NIGHT
Kylie steps onto this shingled, angled canopy over the
front porch. She turns to see the parasites slithering
out towards her. She looks down. It's probably too far
to jump, but she has no choice.
So she jumps down onto --
EXT. STRUTEMYERS' FRONT LAWN -- NIGHT
Kylie lands, hard, tumbling over.
She glances back at the front of the house.
THROUGH THE KITCHEN WINDOW she sees her Mom and Dad, eyes
rolled back, convulsing, spitting up blood.
More parasites are crawling towards Kylie through the
grass.
She spots her family's old Luv pickup truck on the driveway
in front of her. She breaks for it.
She throws open the front door, and jumps inside.
The things approach, crawling in after her. Kylie tries
to slam the door shut, but it won't; many things are stuck
in the door jamb.
They SQUEAK in a chorus of pain, trying to wriggle toward
her.
So she SLAMS the door AGAIN, and AGAIN, and she slices
the little bastards in half.
INT. PICKUP TRUCK -- NIGHT
Kylie makes sure none are inside.
She feels for the keys in the ignition. There aren't
any.
The creatures crawl up and over all the pickup's windows,
trying to get in. Slithery shadows cover over Kylie,
leaving her in almost complete darkness.
Kylie crouches down in on herself, and WAILS.
INT. OLD BARN -- NIGHT
Starla, Trevor, and Margaret stand, wide--eyed and shaken.
All three seem to be in some mild state of shock.
Bill, suppressing his desperation, is trying to make
contact on his police radio.
BILL
11--41. We're gonna need paramedics
out here right away. We got four
men down.
Bill listens for a response, but there's only STATIC. He
presses the button again.
BILL
Shelby, you there?
Still, only STATIC. Bill tries another frequency.
BILL
Shelby, this is Bill. We got an
emergency here.
STATIC.
BILL
Goddammit.
Bill steps outside the doorway, to see if he can get
reception. Trailing off:
BILL
Shelby?
Starla sees Wally's body on the floor. His skin is white
and corpse--like. His mouth is streaked with blood. Starla
crouches beside him, and takes his pulse. Her hands are
visibly shaking.
MARGARET
Is he alive?
Starla looks at Margaret, and nods.
MARGARET
Praise Jesus.
TREVOR
'Praise Jesus?' That's fucking
pushing it, Margaret.
Trevor looks about to cry.
TREVOR
What the hell were those things?!
You ever seen anything like that?
You ever heard of anything like
that?
Margaret shakes her head. Trevor looks at Starla, who
also shakes her head.
TREVOR
Me neither. And I watch 'Animal
Planet' all the fuckin' time!
Bill re--enters.
BILL
No reception out here.
STARLA
Bill, I'll run out to your car,
call for paramedics from there.
MARGARET
That's a long ways. Them worms
are out there.
STARLA
I'll keep my mouth covered.
BILL
No. I'll go. The three of you,
you wait here. Get these folks,
out of the barn. The stench and
rot can't be any good for 'em.
Margaret and Trevor nod. As Bill starts to leave, Starla
grabs him.
STARLA
Be careful, Bill.
Bill nods. Makes a feeble attempt at a smile. He jogs
off into the forest.
EXT. FOREST CLEARING -- MOMENTS LATER
Bill runs into the small glade, and looks around, trying
to remember which way he came from.
He gazes between some greenery, some distance away, and
spies a long--lashed deer munching on foliage. A couple
more deer and a fawn are eating as well. Bill looks at
them a moment, peaceful, perhaps a sign of some hope...
And then a parasite crawls up the deer's neck and slithers
into its mouth. Parasites crawl up the bodies and necks
of the deer behind it. The deer buck and flounce and
scratch trying to get the things off of them.
Bill runs away as fast as he can.
EXT. OLD BARN -- NIGHT
Trevor and Margaret carry Jack out of the barn. He's
bloated, corpse--like and covered in varicose veins.
Margaret is wearing a gag--like swatch of clothing tied
around her mouths, to protect themselves. Trevor's gag
is down around his chin so he can chatter.
TREVOR
It's got to be some Goddamn
biological weapons. Government's
testin' 'em out on us! 'Cause who
gives a shit if Wheelsy disappears,
right?!
They set down Jack and head back toward the barn.
TREVOR
I hope it ain't contagious. I'll
be pissed as hell I turn into a
big mollusk. I'll fuckin' sue, I
swear to God.
Starla, also wearing a gag, is kneeling beside Wally, who
is similarly sick and bloated. His lips are parched and
cracking.
Starla squeezes a wet cloth, dripping all the water onto
Wally's lips. Then she stands, and heads toward the creek.
She doesn't see Wally open his eyes behind her. He sits
up, and stares over at Starla with milky eyes as she kneels
down beside the water.
Starla dips the swatch of clothing into the creek, re--
wetting it.
She stands, and turns, only to see Wally directly in front
of her, standing between trees, almost completely covered
in darkness.
WALLY
Hey, sugarplum.
Pause. Starla pulls the gag from her mouth.
STARLA
What?
Wally speaks with Grant's cadence.
WALLY
Marriage. It's a sacred bond.
Just like you said.
Starla stares at him. Wally almost looks weepy.
WALLY
I'm sorry 'bout trying to strangle
you and all. I lost -- Lost my
head. I didn't want to do none of
the things I done. Not kill them
pets. Not make Brenda a womb.
But it's my nature, ain't it? How
can you blame a one for actin'
according to his nature?
Starla, too freaked to speak, takes a step back from him.
WALLY
I wanted to tell you what was going
on. But I didn't -- didn't think
you'd love me no more. I never
knew... love, Starla, I --
Trevor and Margaret are setting down the Older Cop. They
see Wally standing. Margaret pulls down her gag.
MARGARET
Wally?
Wally turns and stares at her like some angry animal.
MARGARET
You all right?
Wally doesn't answer.
MARGARET
Maybe you better sit back down.
You don't look so good.
TREVOR
Margaret.
Trevor's staring at something. Margaret follows his eye
line. Jack and the Older Cop are sitting up, staring at
her, just like Wally.
The Redneck stumbles into the barn doorway, also staring
at them.
EXT. STRUTEMYERS' FARMHOUSE/INT. PICKUP TRUCK -- NIGHT
Kylie is still alone in the Luv truck. The windows are
clear; the parasites have abandoned their quest, just as
they did with the posse in the barn. But Kylie stays in
the car, trembling, afraid to leave.
She HEARS a DOOR OPEN. She sees her parents and her
sisters come stumbling out the front door of her home.
They're also bloated and diseased. Their chins and shirts
are stained with the blood they spit up.
KYLIE'S DAD
Kylie, honey, you okay? Come on
out.
Her family lumbers up to the truck. They peer in with
their milky eyes. Her youngest sister pushes her face up
close to the window.
KYLIE'S SISTER
Hi, Kylie. It's me.
Her family tries the door handles, but they're locked.
KYLIE'S MOM
Open the door, sweetie. I know we
don't look so good, but your mommy
and daddy love you.
KYLIE
Get away!!
KYLIE'S MOM
Now, Kylie, there's no excuse why
not to be with your family. This
is family fun day, isn't it?
They continue RATTLING the door handles, over and over.
They SLAP the windows.
Kylie SOBS. Her sister speaks in a singsongy voice:
KYLIE'S SISTER
Kyyy--leee, this is your last cha--
ance.
Her Dad leans over and picks up a large rock. He carries
it toward the truck. He holds it up over the windshield.
Kylie SCREAMS as he SMASHES it down. The windshield
CRACKS, but doesn't shatter. He holds it up again.
EXT. FOREST NEAR STRUTEMYER'S -- NIGHT
Bill, out of breath, runs out of the forest --
EXT. STRUTEMYERS' RANCH -- NIGHT
Bill emerges on the edge of the ranch, stretching five or
six acres out in front of him. On the other side of the
field is the gravel road, where his police car is parked.
Beside the field is the Strutemyer's farmhouse.
Bill HEARS a CRASH. He turns to see the diseased
Strutemyers in their driveway, all holding rocks now,
smashing the pickup's windows.
BILL
Hey!
The Strutemyers stop, mid--swing. They turn toward him.
Kylie sees Bill through the rear windshield. She unlocks
the door, and jumps out of the car.
BILL
What's -- ?
Kylie runs past her family and up to Bill. She grabs
onto him, and hides behind him, WEEPING.
BILL
What's going on here?
Kylie's Dad's cadence is also like Grant's:
KYLIE'S DAD
Well, hello there, Pardy.
BILL
What happened to you, Dwight?
Kylie's Dad looks down at his own bloated arm.
KYLIE'S DAD
Poison ivy out back, maybe?
KYLIE'S SISTERS
We're itchy!
Kylie is obviously in shock.
KYLIE
They're not my... They killed...
BILL
Okay. Y'all just wait in this
spot. I'm gonna call the paramedics
for you. Kylie can come with --
RANCHER (O.S.)
Hey there, killer.
Bill turns to see the RANCHER with the cleft palate, now
diseased, holding a shovel. He swings it into Bill,
knocking him down.
Kylie SCREAMS. Her family runs in toward them. She looks
around to see a couple more DISEASED RANCHERS rushing
toward them through the fields.
The Cleft Palate Rancher stands over Bill and raises the
shovel to bring it down again.
Bill feels for his shotgun, which has fallen into the
dirt beside him. He yanks the trigger.
The BLAST hits the Rancher in the foot. He buckles.
Bill stands, pulling Kylie with him as the other diseased
folks rush toward them through the fields.
BILL
Come on.
Bill and Kylie dash toward the cluster of cars as the
diseased chase them.
EXT. OLD BARN -- NIGHT
The infected posse -- Wally, Jack, the Older Cop, and the
Redneck recruit -- are all coming in towards Trevor and
Margaret.
MARGARET
Now, what'd I say?! Y'all just
sit down! You need to get some
Goddamn rest! You're sick!
Starla watches this, by herself, next to the creek. She
eyes a rifle in the dirt.
Jack grabs a fistful of Trevor's hair and restrains his
arms. Wally pulls his pistols from their holsters and
tosses them into the dirt.
TREVOR
Let go!!
Margaret goes to grab her pistol, when the Redneck opens
his mouth wide and --
GLEEKS; that is, he sends a yellowish globby--stream
shooting out of the back of his throat. The glob SPLASHES
on Margaret's hand. Margaret SCREAMS, drops the pistol.
MARGARET
It burns!!
Margaret looks at her hand as the gleek--liquid sinks into
her skin. The hand is swelling monstrously. It's soft.
Parts of it are nearly dripping off the bone.
MARGARET
What'd you do to my fuckin' hand?!
Jack opens his mouth and GLEEKS too -- shooting the stream--
glob forward and onto her neck. Margaret SCREAMS again,
grabbing onto her neck.
Margaret tries to speak, but she struggles just to breathe,
as her neck puffs up, impeding her thorax.
OLDER COP
Meat.
The Older Cop buries his fingers into her neck. The puffy
flesh comes off easily; it's soft, almost creamy. He
stuffs the flesh into his mouth, eating it.
As Margaret topples over, dying, the other posse members
turn to look at a very freaked--out Trevor. The Redneck
opens his mouth at him, when --
STARLA (O.S.)
Let him go!
The posse turn and see Starla, who has made her way over
to where the rifle was on the ground, and is now pointing
the rifle at the posse, trembling.
STARLA
Trevor, come on.
Surprised, they release Trevor.
STARLA
What'd you do to her?!
Jack stares at Starla. He too speaks with Grant's cadence.
JACK
There you go, sugarplum! Why you
choosing camps 'fore you hear --
JACK REDNECK
Both sides of the story!? Both sides of the story!?
STARLA
Why are you talking like Grant?!
The posse moves toward her. Starla is CRYING. The posse
makes a COLLECTIVE SCREECHING sound, then speaks again:
WALLY
'Cause I am Grant!
WALLY REDNECK
I'm you husband --I'm
you husband, Goddammit --JACK
You swore to honor and obey --
OLDER COP REDNECK
Obey me --Obey me, so put that Goddamn
gun down.
STARLA
Don't come any closer. I'll...
shoot.
WALLY
You ain't gonna shoot me! You
always needed me to protect you!
You for damn sure ain't got the
balls to --
Starla BLASTS Wally, blowing open a big crater into his
face.
Wally falls to his knees. Starla and Trevor look on in
shock, as they see...
A slithering parasite squirming out of the crater on his
face -- out of the Wally's brain.
The little thing squirms down Wally's body and slithers
off quickly into the woods. Wally falls over, dead.
The sick posse look at Starla, surprised, infuriated.
And then they leap at her.
Starla tries to shoot them. But she's out of ammo.
She and Trevor turn and dash away as quickly as their
legs can take them.
EXT. TREE--THICK FOREST -- NIGHT
Trevor and Starla run in a zigzag pattern through trees
rooted closely together, panicked, breathing heavy.
TREVOR
Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit!
EXT. STRUTEMYERS' RANCH -- NIGHT
Bill and Kylie arrive at his police car. Bill throws the
door open, and shoves Kylie inside. As he starts to get
in, he turns to see the two little girls closing in.
One opens her mouth and GLEEKS -- it shoots out and lands
on the car right beside Bill's hand.
The other little girl opens her mouth to GLEEK as Bill
jumps into the driver's seat. He slams the door shut
just as the oozy liquid splashes on the window beside
him.
Bill is grossed--out by this, but he doesn't have much
time. He goes to reload his shotgun, when he remembers.
BILL
Shit. Ammo's in the trunk.
He grabs the police radio.
BILL
Trevor! Margaret!
EXT. TREE--THICK FOREST -- NIGHT
Trevor turns and sees Jack, the Redneck, and the Older
Cop leap powerfully over the brush behind them, coming in
fast. But he's able to grab onto his radio.
TREVOR
They killed Margaret!
EXT. STRUTEMYERS' RANCH -- NIGHT
Kylie's two sisters jump onto the hood, SCREECHING. They
SLAM rocks on the windshield. Kylie SCREAMS.
BILL
(into radio)
Where are you?!
TREVOR (O.S.)
We're coming your way, man!
Bill JAMS the car forward, knocking the sisters off the
hood. Then he slams on the brakes.
He looks back and sees the two little girls running toward
the car again.
And he sees the mass of diseased ranch families also
running toward the car. Kylie is SCREAMING and CRYING.
KYLIE
Go! Go! Please!
But, instead, of pulling forward on the gravel road, Bill
turns up and onto the ranch itself -- back towards the
running diseased.
BILL
My friends are still in the forest.
Bill speeds the police car over the dirt field, trying to
avoid approaching ranchers. Some leap at the car, holding
on and getting tossed aside. Bill zooms back toward the
trees.
Just as Bill gets a little headway on the diseased, the
car gets stuck in some mud. The wheels spin, spraying
mud, as the infected approach.
INT. TREE--THICK FOREST -- NIGHT
Starla looks back to see Jack right behind her.
EXT. STRUTEMYERS' RANCH -- NIGHT
The infected arrive at the car. Bill just lets his foot
off the gas, and sits there, letting the ranchers leap
onto the car. Kylie looks at Bill, panicked by his choice
to do nothing.
BILL
We need their weight.
Bill slams down the gas again, and the car zooms forward.
The diseased get knocked off.
BILL
Dumbshits.
Bill rushes toward the trees of the forest.
INT. FOREST -- NIGHT
Starla keeps running, when she trips and falls. She looks
down to see she stumbled over old barbed wire fencing,
now long fallen and curling on the forest floor. Starla
forces herself up, as Jack closes in.
Jack grabs onto her blouse, SCREECHING furiously. When
he HEARS something and looks over to see:
Bill's police car, cruising over the forest floor, directly
toward him. Jack, frightened, lets go of Starla. He's
about to get hit when --
The police car suddenly stops, jammed between two trees,
inches from Jack.
Jack smiles, and moves toward Bill -- but Starla rises
behind him, holding a sharp rusty stake from the barbed--
wire fence.
She thrusts it forward, hard; and it pops out the front
of Jack's neck.
Jack turns to look at Starla, and topples over into the
leaves.
Bill backs the car out from between the trees. He sees
the Older Cop and Redneck coming in toward them.
BILL
Come on!
Trevor and Starla get into the car. The Older Cop watches
them back away and yells:
OLDER COP
Starla!!
EXT. ROAD AWAY FROM FOREST -- MOMENTS LATER
The police car pulls up and out of the forest. The car
is in bad shape. Steam rises from the smashed grill.
Bill looks to his side; he's down a bit from the
Strutemyers' ranch. He pulls away, heading back toward
town.
The foursome sit in a stupefied daze. Starla's beside
Bill. Trevor and Kylie are in the back. Bill grabs the
police radio.
BILL
Shelby?
Nothing. STATIC. Everyone notes this, worried. Bill
tries again:
BILL
Shelby, you there?
For a moment, there's nothing. And then:
SHELBY (O.S.)
Yo, Chief. How y'all doin'?
Bill and Starla look at each other, relieved.
INT. POLICE STATION -- NIGHT
Shelby sits at the police operator's unit, peppy.
SHELBY
You dig that rat out of the hole?
INTERCUT POLICE CAR AND STATION
BILL
Listen, you got any reports of...
I don't know what you call 'em.
They look like big slugs, only
fast.
SHELBY
Slugs? No. 'Less you talkin'
about that new waitress down at
Sloan's! Ha ha!
BILL
Shelby --
SHELBY
Oh, shit! I hope she ain't a police
radio aficionado. If so, I apolog
BILL
Shelby, shut up. Keep an eye out
for these things. If you see 'em,
keep your mouth covered. Otherwise
they'll go straight down it. All
right?
Shelby looks confused, and nods.
BILL
Are you nodding?
SHELBY
Yeah.
BILL
I can't hear when you're nodding.
SHELBY
Sorry.
BILL
We'll be there in ten minutes.
Bill hangs up. Kylie is clutching onto herself, hollow--
eyed, in deep shock. She mutters, almost unintelligibly:
KYLIE
The worms are in their brains.
Starla, Bill, and Trevor look at her.
INSERT -- FOREST
The CAMERA TRACKS QUICKLY FORWARD, through the forest,
and to a CLOSEUP on the Redneck, who is hunched over
Margaret's body, eating her flesh.
MATCH CUT TO a CAT SCAN of the REDNECK'S HEAD: a parasite
is imbedded into his brain; its tail hangs down his spine,
wagging just a bit.
KYLIE (O.S.)
Drivin' 'em around...
BACK TO THE POLICE CAR
Bill stares at Kylie like she's insane.
STARLA
She's right. We saw one -- one
came out of Wally's head.
TREVOR
Yeah. Sort of his eye, it came
out there --
STARLA
Kylie, how do you --
Kylie is rocking back and forth.
STARLA
Kylie, how do you know that?
Kylie shakes her head. She doesn't want to answer.
BILL
Kylie, honey. Please.
(MORE)
BILL (CONT'D)
A lot of bad things have happened
to you today, we know. But we
need your help to find out what's
going on.
Kylie CRIES.
KYLIE
I was in the bath. It tried to go
inside me and I -- for a minute I
became it.
BILL
The worm?
KYLIE
I got it out.
TREVOR
What are they?
KYLIE
Part of him.
BILL
Who?
(pause)
Who?
KYLIE
Mrs. Grant's husband.
Starla stares at her.
KYLIE
But not always. I was -- He was...
other stuff too.
STARLA
What other stuff?
Kylie kind of points at the sky.
TREVOR
He's a fucking Martian?!
BILL
A Martian is from Mars, Trevor.
Kylie tries to think.
KYLIE
For real it looks like a needle.
Its real face. But it always gots
another.
(MORE)
KYLIE (CONT'D)
He goes from place to place,
worlds... planets... killing 'em.
He takes over half of what's alive
and eats the other half. Till
they're gone.
They stare at her, freaked out.
KYLIE
Now he's here. He went in Mr.
Grant.
STARLA
Through a wound on his stomach?
Kylie nods.
KYLIE
He took him over. His body. His --
his brain, everything what he knew.
He's only been dumb stuff before
amoeba--things, and rhino--things.
He liked being human. Didn't want
to change.
STARLA
And you said the worms are part of
him. They're all linked, like one
creature?
KYLIE
When one sees you they all see
you.
STARLA
An animal that doesn't procreate.
It spreads, grows. A living
disease.
BILL
(to Kylie)
So the way to stop this thing is
to stop Grant?
Kylie shrugs. The police car starts CHUGGING.
BILL
Shit.
The car slows, and comes to a stop.
EXT. ROAD TOWARD WHEELSY -- MOMENTS LATER
Bill, Starla, Kylie, and Trevor step slowly out of the
car. They look around the deserted road.
The wide--open night is shrouded in darkness. Quiet.
They can see the lights of Wheelsy down the road in front
of them.
Bill speaks into the radio again, as he gets his leather
satchel of weaponry out of the trunk. Trevor grabs ammo
from the satchel to reload his pistol.
BILL
Shelby, we broke down on 22, a
mile outside town. Come pick us
up.
SHELBY (O.S.)
I got to leave my post.
BILL
Do it.
MOMENTS LATER
The foursome walks down the road, toward the city. Starla
and Bill are in the lead.
BILL
Hey, Starla.
She looks at him.
BILL
Was always curious why you...
married Grant in the first place...
Just never seemed outta love.
STARLA
I know what people say, Bill.
I... Remember, back in high school
I worked at my father's gas station?
Bill nods.
STARLA
Grant used to get filled up every
day. I knew it was just to see
me. He was too old -- But he was
handsome. And he had that big ol'
Lincoln then. I flirted with him.
BILL
Well, big ol' Lincoln, sure. Guess
I would have flirted with him too.
Starla smiles, thinks.
STARLA
My father, he was -- he was real
close to evil. People didn't know.
Still don't. From the time I was
a toddler he'd beat the hell out
of me. I don't mean just like a
smack for smart--mouthing... he
took a real enjoyment in it. And
when I turned eleven or twelve,
things... well, they got worse.
Starla looks at Bill, who seems struck.
BILL
When you wanted to run away, I
called your dad.
STARLA
That wasn't a good night, no.
BILL
I'm sorry.
Starla shrugs it off.
STARLA
Anyway, Grant rolls in one day. I
fill his tank with like an eighth--
a--gallon as usual. And he notices
my lip's all swollen up, and starts
asking me how it happened. I don't
know why I chose then, why Grant --
I guess I saw an opportunity. And
I told him everything, first time
I told anyone. Grant was furious.
He picked up a tire iron, walked
straightaway into the garage, and
beat my father half to death. You
say it's not about love, Bill.
But that was the closest thing to
it I ever knew.
Pause.
STARLA
Grant asked me to marry him a few
weeks later. I felt... safe with
him.
Bill nods. Starla looks at him, smiles.
STARLA
After all this shit tonight, I
know for sure now you regret not
running off with me to Hollywood!
BILL
Hell, Starla. I always regretted
that.
Starla looks at him, moved.
Trevor looks at Kylie, shivering and terrified.
TREVOR
Don't worry, kid. Pretty soon,
we'll be in town, everything'll be
fine.
EXT. WHEELSY CITY LIMIT -- NIGHT
A slithering parasite squirms over a paint--chipped sign
that reads "WELCOME TO WHEELSY, SOUTH CAROLINA, THE WHEELS
OF THE FUTURE," featuring early--'sixties graphics of a
utopian future.
THE CAMERA MOVES DOWN to the road, where hundreds of
slithering parasites squirm into the city. They divide
off in thin lines heading toward the various homes.
We MOVE UP TO a WINDOW on a SMALL HOUSE, through which we
can see an OVERWEIGHT WOMAN in spasms with a slithering
thing in her mouth.
We PAN TO the WINDOW of the HOME NEXT DOOR, where we can
see a FAMILY gathered around a CORPSE, feasting on his
goopy flesh.
EXT. ROAD TOWARD WHEELSY -- NIGHT
STARLA
What's that?
Our foursome look up to see a Buick Century parked at a
haphazard angle in the middle of the road. The driver's
side door is open. The headlights are still on.
They look at each other. Bill takes his flashlight off
his belt and aims it in front of him. They all slowly
approach the car, in the darkness.
Bill aims his flashlight into the Buick. The keys are
still there, but no one's inside.
Trevor looks at the grill of the car. It's dented.
TREVOR
They musta hit a deer. Probably
got out to see if it's okay.
Bill and the others look around.
Bill hears a LAPPING sound behind him. He turns, aiming
the flashlight downward.
A DISEASED DEER is lapping a thick purple tongue on the
wound of a dead man. The sick creature is mostly hairless
and pink and covered in veins. Bulbous black eyes hang
on the sides of its head like a goldfish's.
The diseased deer glances up at Bill and GROWLS a low
growl.
BILL
Fuck me.
The deer springs upward, bringing his hoofs into Bill's
chest. Bill is knocked violently to the gravel, dropping
his shotgun and satchel. The deer rears back and brings
his hoofs down into Bill again. They CRACK Bill's head
against the hard road.
Kylie, Trevor, and Starla see diseased deer coming in at
them from different directions. The deer SCREECH like
dying rabbits.
TREVOR
Bambi--rats!
Trevor aims his pistol at a DEER jumping toward him. He
SHOOTS, misses. The deer knocks him down. The deer stomps
his feet, rearing up and down on Trevor's ribs, almost
like a little dance. The deer tears at Trevor's sleeve
with decidedly carnivorous teeth, forcing him into letting
go of his gun.
Kylie SCREAMS. She dives into a small space beneath a
rock overhang on the side of the road. She watches what's
going on from there.
Starla sees the Buick a few yards away. She glances beside
her to see the largest diseased deer of all, a HORNED
BUCK, careening toward her.
She dashes toward the Buick as fast as she can.
A TUMOROUS DOE leaps onto Bill, biting into his shoulder
and tearing at his flesh, so now he has two deer on him.
Bill is bleeding, dizzy, and disoriented, but he's able
to turn, just a bit, to see the barrel of his shotgun
above him. He tries to scoot himself back as he's being
battered. He reaches up for the shotgun; but the tips of
his fingers barely graze the muzzle.
Starla arrives at the Buick, and starts to crawl into the
front seat.
But the horned buck is upon her. He bites into Starla's
ankle. She SCREAMS.
He yanks back on her, half pulling her onto the road.
But Starla grabs onto the steering wheel with all her
might, and pulls against the horned buck's massive power.
The deer on Trevor starts pulling him off, dragging him
down the road as he HOLLERS.
Kylie, underneath the rock overhang, watches Bill try to
scoot himself back and reach for the shotgun. It's just
a little too far away. She works up her nerve and slowly
starts to crawl out toward him.
As Starla is stretched between the horned buck pulling on
her ankle, and her hand on the steering wheel, she's able
to flip on her side and turn the keys in the ignition;
the ENGINE STARTS. She reaches one hand down to the
floorboard, pressing on the gas.
The Buick lurches forward, wrenching her away from the
horned buck's mouth.
Bill reaches again for the barrel of his rifle. It's too
far away. But then he sees Kylie, at the butt of the
rifle. She reaches out and pushes it just a little, into
Bill's hand. Bill grips the muzzle like a baseball bat,
and swings it into the face of the deer jumping on him,
knocking the beast back.
The deer tries to stumble forward again, but its whole
head and neck have been knocked askew. It topples over,
dead.
Bill flips the shotgun forward into his hands. He stuffs
the muzzle into the tumorous doe biting into his leg.
The deer looks at him. Blood is running down Bill's face
and he looks half--crazed. Bill glances down and sees the
telephone wire wrapped around her ankle.
Bill pulls the trigger, destroying her.
He stands, looking around for the deer with Trevor. It
has dragged him a fair distance down the street. Bill
SHOOTS once, missing it, and again, hitting it straight
on.
Kylie looks around to see more diseased deer running
through the fields toward them.
Starla pulls herself into the driver's seat and backs up
alongside her friends. Throws open the passenger door.
STARLA
Get in!
INT. BUICK CENTURY -- MOMENTS LATER
Bill fumbles for the radio controls.
BILL
Shelby!
Trevor looks out the window, watching the deer fade away
behind them.
TREVOR
When I buy my zoo, I'm leaving
them things the hell out!
BILL
Shelby!
SHELBY (O.S.)
Hey there, Chief.
BILL
Shelby! We need people out here
at Cosgrove and McCammon right
away!
SHELBY (O.S.)
Don't worry, Chief.
EXT. MAIN STREET -- NIGHT
Shelby, sick and bloated, speaks into his radio, as he
moves down the street with a hoard of the infected.
SHELBY
Already on our way.
BACK TO BUICK
Kylie turns her head, and glances out the window. And
SCREAMS. Starla, Bill, and Trevor turn to see --
An SUV barreling straight towards them.
It SLAMS hard into the side of the Buick.
And SMASHES the car back, across a short lot, and through
the glass storefront of a flower store.
INT. FLOWER STORE -- NIGHT
The Buick and SUV are destroyed, amidst the ruins of this
store. Shattered vases and flowers surround them. Glass
fragments dangle from the window frame. Some fall and
CLINK to the floor.
Starla lifts her battered head from the wheel. She looks
beside her to see Bill and Trevor, seemingly unconscious.
She looks back at Kylie. The impact has killed her. Her
neck is bent at an ungodly angle. Bone juts up out of
her skin.
Starla looks out her rear window and sees the SUV door
open, and the DISEASED DRIVER stumble out. His body is
battered and broken, but, still, he lumbers toward her.
He tries to speak, but his jaw is broken, and only a MUMBLY
MOAN comes out.
Starla struggles to get out of the car. Eventually, she
does, and she falls to the floor, amidst the broken glass
from the shattered window, and the water all over the
floor from the broken vases.
She sees the moaning driver limping toward her. He's
still trying to speak, but he's unintelligible.
The driver gets close, ready to grab her. Starla sees a
metal bar. She grabs it. And SLAMS it into the diseased
man's shin.
He topples over.
She crawls onto the fallen driver and brings the metal
bar down into his head, again and again, SHOUTING and
CRYING with fury.
Starla looks down at the man, who is very dead.
Starla looks up to see dozens of DISEASED TOWNSFOLK coming
at her, from down the street, between buildings. They
see Starla there.
DISEASED TOWNSFOLK
Starrrrrlaaaaaa!!
Bill and Trevor limp up behind Starla, pulling her toward
a door on the back wall.
BILL
Come on.
INT. FLOWER STORE STORAGE AREA -- MOMENTS LATER
Bill closes and locks the door behind them.
EXT. FLOWER STORE -- NIGHT
The diseased townsfolk surround the little store on all
sides. They SCREECH.
INT. FLOWER STORE STORAGE AREA -- NIGHT
TREVOR
What the hell are we going to do?!
BILL
Just block the doors, any way you
can.
Bill grabs hammers and nails off a hardware bench.
Trevor knocks things off shelves and yanks up the metal
shelving.
Starla looks doubtful of this whole activity. But still,
she helps.
The storeroom has two doors. They start nailing anything
over them they can.
Trevor sees some slithering parasites coming in through a
crack in the upper corner of the room.
TREVOR
Goddamn snakes!!
Trevor aims his pistol at the things and starts shooting
wildly at them, BLASTING up the whole room.
Bill and Starla see slithering parasites coming in from
other cracks in the room as well. They also BLAST at
them. Dust is all around; they can hardly see.
Bill runs out of ammo. He grabs a hand--held Black and
Decker electric circular saw and turns it on. He starts
jamming it into the parasites, cutting them up, and putting
big slices in the floor. They SQUEAK with pain.
EXT. FLOWER STORE -- NIGHT
The diseased townsfolk WAIL and SLAP their hands on the
walls, almost rhythmically, like some tribal ritual.
Some push on the doors.
INT. FLOWER STORE STORAGE AREA -- NIGHT
Bill hears something POP behind him. He turns to see a
little hole in one of the doors. Three diseased fingers
slip inside, trying to pull away more.
Bill uses the circular saw to cut off the fingers.
An arm pops through the door. Bill slams the circular
saw into that. Blood spurts. Bone grinds.
A man's eye peeks through another crack. Bill jams the
circular saw through the crack and into the man's face.
EXT. FLOWER STORE -- NIGHT
The FACE--SAWED MAN backs away from the hole, clutching
his bleeding eye.
INT. FLOWER STORE STORAGE AREA -- NIGHT
Bill spots a wide piece of shelving falling off the door
across from him. He runs over to the space, when the
circular saw stops turning. Bill turns to see he's
accidentally unplugged it.
EXT. FLOWER STORE -- NIGHT
The diseased townsfolk have all gathered on one side of
the building now, putting all their efforts into tearing
down one door. Some have even climbed onto the roof above
it, curling off the gutter and roofing overhead.
INT. FLOWER STORE STORAGE AREA -- NIGHT
Bill grabs his leather satchel, and starts to reload his
shotgun. Starla sees that the diseased townsfolk have
almost torn down one of the doors.
STARLA
This is stupid.
Starla goes to the other door, and starts tearing away
the planks they nailed there.
BILL
What are you doing?!
STARLA
We can't make it. Just get away,
when you get the chance.
BILL
What?
STARLA
He wants me, Bill! I'm going to
get him to take me to him! See if
you can follow me, and kill him!
BILL
No, Starla! No!
Another full metal plate is pushed off the door.
A DISEASED MAN'S face peeks through. Trevor swirls to see
it. The Man GLEEKS, hitting Trevor on his chest. Trevor
looks down, in shock.
And the whole door and part of the wall bursts open. The
Diseased pour inside and around Trevor, GLEEKING all over
him, splattering his body with the burning liquid. Trevor
starts to puff up, swelling, becoming soft. They grab
him.
BILL
Nooo!
Bill grabs Trevor by the wrist, and tries to pull him
away from them. But Trevor SCREAMS in agony; the liquid
has made his flesh too soft. His entire body splits apart
like wet tissue, his organs spilling out in front of them.
Bill stares down in shock, still holding Trevor's arm.
Starla has pulled away enough boards of the other door.
She throws it open. None of the diseased are on this
side of the building anymore. She moves outside.
EXT. FLOWER STORE -- NIGHT
Bill follows her. Two DISEASED PEOPLE appear, SCREECHING
and running toward them. Bill SHOOTS them both. And he
makes a break for it, running as fast as he can across
the street.
He turns, expecting to see Starla right behind him. But
she has stayed behind, staring quietly at the ground.
Starla has tears in her eyes. She motions with her head
for Bill to go. Bill is confused.
The diseased townsfolk come up around Starla from the
sides of the flower store, no one paying attention to
Bill. They encircle her, slowly. Some SCREECH angrily
at her. She's too disgusted or fearful to even look in
their eyes. They BREATHE with SICK, RASPY breath.
DISEASED WOMAN DISEASED KID
Starlaaaaaaa! Starlaaaa!
And they WAIL, in a cacophony of simultaneous voices, all
the deep angers, fears, frustrations, and jealousies they
inherited from Grant Grant, such as:
SMASHED--FACE MAN
You said for better or worse! You
lied!
NO LONGER PRETTY BRENDA'S HUSBAND
I gave you everything! I. Loved. You!
SHELBY FAT SICK GUY
It's not just about lesson I wanted you by my side,
plans! Hank Wilcox wants sugarplum. But I'm too
your pussy! ugly now, huh!!?
MR. INAPPROPRIATE WAITRESS
Your daddy'd still be You always thought I was
a fucking your every hole joke, ain't you?
weren't it for me!!
BRENDA'S HUSBAND
You like Pardy better'n me? That's
who you want to screw now?!
STARLA
Grant... Please...
They surround her. They touch her body, her ass, her
breasts. Pull on her clothes. She trembles.
STARLA
I'm sorry... I know I haven't
behaved how you -- how you want.
I know. Don't... hurt... me.
Starla glances down to see a diseased dog licking her
calf, tasting her.
STARLA
We need... to... talk.
A DISEASED MAN grabs the side of her neck and face.
DISEASED MAN BRENDA'S HUSBAND
Then talk. Then talk.
STARLA
Not here, though, okay? Not all
of you. I'm not used to -- I want
to talk to your face, Grant. Your
more real face. Your --
The diseased townsfolk grab Starla, enveloping her, and
start dragging her away.
A few townsfolk remain behind. They look around for Bill.
SMASHED--FACE MAN
Pardy?!! Where are you, Pardy!!
But he's nowhere to be seen. They SCREECH angrily.
EXT. MAIN STREET -- NIGHT
Bill runs as fast as he can across the street here -- the
same direction the hoard took Starla, but down a block.
EXT. SIDE OF MOVIE THEATER -- NIGHT
Bill falls against the side of this building, hiding in a
dark crevice. Down the way, he can see numerous dead
bodies, and a WOMAN chased down and tackled by some
infected townsfolk.
Some diseased townsfolk wander by Bill, looking for him.
Bill crouches down so he isn't seen.
DISEASED WOMAN SHELBY
Pardy. Pardy. Pardy. Come on out, Pardy.
PASTOR
We've surrounded the town, you
prick! Ain't no way outta here!
Bill waits for them to pass. When they're gone, Bill
looks up toward the next street -- he can see the hoard
moving Starla across that street.
He makes sure no one's looking, and follows her.
EXT. GRANT STREET -- LATER
One of the diseased pushes Starla too hard, and she falls
to her hands and knees. They keep pushing her. She
stumbles back to her feet and moves on. She's almost
hyperventilating.
EXT. GRANT HOME -- MOMENTS LATER
Here, the Diseased Townsfolk around Starla stop. She
looks up to see that they've led her onto her own front
yard. Starla gazes up at her home:
The diseased have done a little remodeling. Part of the
front wall has been torn away, replaced with some primitive
thatched woodwork. The front doorway has also been
partially destroyed. Because of the sloppy reconstruction,
the roof is caved--in and sloping.
Diseased people sit in meerkat--like poses on all sides of
the Grants' home, watching out for trouble.
EXT. HOUSE ACROSS FROM THE GRANT HOME -- NIGHT
Bill, out of breath, arrives across the street. He can
see Starla standing with the diseased. He hides behind
some shrubs.
EXT. GRANT HOME -- NIGHT
The diseased push Starla up between them, violently, to
the front door.
Starla stops at the dark hole on the front of the house.
It's pitch black inside. She looks back at the rotting
faces behind her. And then slowly enters.
INT. GRANT FOYER -- NIGHT
Starla balks at the smell. She looks beside her at the
garage; the wall has been torn out, and this has become
Grant's feeding area, with rotten meat, including some
bodies, in a pile.
Starla steps slowly forward, looking around.
STARLA
Grant?
Starla can see into the shambles of a kitchen from here.
EXT. HOUSE ACROSS FROM THE GRANT HOME -- NIGHT
Bill looks at the diseased surrounding the Grant home.
They seem impossible to get through.
Bill eyes the house next door, maybe twenty--five feet
from the Grants'. He makes sure no one's paying attention
for a moment, and he darts across the street to a parked
car. The diseased don't see him. Bill gazes down the
street beside him.
The sun is just barely beginning to rise. They don't
have much time to move in the darkness.
Bill makes a break for the house next door.
INT. GRANT KITCHEN -- NIGHT
Starla walks into the kitchen. Cooking supplies and
condiments are scattered over the floor. She spots a
meat thermometer on the floor amongst other utensils.
She glances out the rear window. Diseased people are
guarding the backyard, looking away from the home.
She grabs the meat thermometer. She snaps the thermometer
part off the top, discards it, and shoves the long metal
spike into the seam of her skirt.
Suddenly, Starla hears EVERY WOMAN IN THE WORLD, the song
she and Grant danced to earlier, starting to play through
tinny speakers.
Starla looks up through a missing section of ceiling; she
can see a tiny piece of Grant in the bedroom above her.
STARLA
Grant? We should talk.
EXT. NEIGHBOR'S BACKYARD -- NIGHT
Bill has made his way into the backyard. He looks over
at the Grant home. Some diseased townsfolk in the backyard
could conceivably see or hear him. He tries the back
door, but it's locked.
Bill notices a window slightly open. He starts to push
it up. It SQUEAKS LOUDLY.
He peers over at the diseased. They don't hear. He throws
the window up further, and crawls inside the home.
INT. GRANT FOYER -- NIGHT
Starla stands at the base of the stairwell. The SONG is
louder.
STARLA
Grant?
She starts to ascend the stairs. They CREAK beneath her
feet.
INT. NEIGHBOR'S HOUSE -- NIGHT
Bill peeks out the window, careful not to be seen by the
diseased humans around Grant's. Bill can see Starla in
the home next door, walking up the stairs.
Bill runs toward the stairwell here.
INT. GRANT UPSTAIRS HALLWAY -- NIGHT
Starla looks down the hall. Most of the walls have been
torn away.
Between wooden beams, Starla can see Grant's cumbersome
mass, his back to her, in what was once the bedroom.
In front of him, the SONG ENDS on the CD player. It starts
into the NEXT SONG on the album. Grant uses one of his
crusty tentacles to push the back button.
EVERY WOMAN IN THE WORLD starts over.
Starla walks toward him.
INT. GRANT BEDROOM -- NIGHT
Grant keeps his back to her. Starla takes in the room.
Photographs from their scrapbooks are all over the walls:
photos from their wedding, and vacations, and family
parties.
STARLA
Hey, Grant.
Starla walks around Grant, giving him a decent berth.
STARLA
You did some real interesting
decorating here.
Grant watches her from the corner of his sad, purulent
eye.
STARLA
Hey.
Starla walks by a window.
STARLA
Look, the sun's starting to come
up.
Starla starts to open the drapes.
INT. NEIGHBOR'S UPSTAIRS HALL -- NIGHT
Bill happens to look through the neighbors' kid's bedroom
and to the home across the way where Starla is pulling
the drapes away from the window. She sees Bill there.
INT. GRANT BEDROOM -- NIGHT
Grant SCREECHES angrily at Starla. She quickly closes
the drapes, not letting on she saw Bill.
STARLA
Sorry. I didn't -- I didn't know
you wanted it dark.
INT. KID'S BEDROOM -- NIGHT
Bill walks into this young boy's bedroom, filled with
airplanes and sports memorabilia.
He peeks around the window frame at the Grant bedroom
window, now closed to him. He makes sure his shotgun is
loaded.
INT. GRANT BEDROOM -- NIGHT
Starla tries to change the subject by walking to a wall
with the photos.
STARLA
You like these memories, huh, Grant?
Grant looks away from her. Starla moves toward him, almost
seductively.
STARLA
You like being called Grant, don't
you?
Grant is silent. She gets closer.
STARLA
I think you do. You really do.
You like being Grant. Like when
we danced. And when you... made
love to me here on the bed.
Remember that?
Grant looks embarrassed. Starla becomes more brazen.
STARLA
I know you've been alone, Grant.
Almost forever. From here to there
to there to here, there's never
been another one for you.
Starla almost looks as if she's about to cry, out of
compassion for him.
STARLA
Grant. Grant, I could help you.
Be with you the way you want.
See, I want to live. I've never
had much use for this world, not
really. You and I, together, we --
She touches his tentacle with her fingers. He moves it
back, and GROWLS a little.
Starla moves her trembling fingers toward him again. She
sets them on his tentacle once more. He glares at her
distrustfully, breathing his deep, sick breath.
STARLA
You don't trust me, I know. That's
why I brought you someone, Grant.
Starla looks into his eyes.
STARLA
It's Bill. He's in the house next
door. Just look.
INT. KID'S BEDROOM -- NIGHT
Bill glances down to see a diseased man looking up at
him. In fact, they're all looking up at him. Bill is
confused.
INT. GRANT BEDROOM -- NIGHT
Grant looks at Starla with sad eyes, perhaps touched.
Starla smiles nervously, expectantly.
STARLA
See? I brought him here for you!
As an offering! To prove I love
you more than him!
Grant wraps his tentacle around Starla. Starla, though
obviously disgusted, touches his face with her hand.
INT. NEIGHBOR'S HOUSE -- NIGHT
The diseased townsfolk break down the door, moving into
the downstairs below Bill.
INT. KID'S BEDROOM -- NIGHT
Bill hears them approaching. He SHATTERS the window, and
crawls onto a small mock--balcony outside.
INT. GRANT BEDROOM -- NIGHT
Starla moves slowly in toward Grant, as if to kiss him.
Grant looks, well, joyful.
And then she yanks the metal spike from her skirt and
JABS it into Grant's eye.
Grant SCREECHES, blind and bucking. Starla SLAMS the
spike into his other eye.
And she STABS him again, shoving the spike into his
forehead, where it stays.
Starla leaps to the window. She throws open the drapes.
STARLA
Now, Bill!! Kill the motherfucker!!
EXT. NEIGHBOR'S MOCK BALCONY -- NIGHT
Bill raises his shotgun and BLASTS as Starla jumps away
from the window.
INT. GRANT BEDROOM -- NIGHT
The WINDOW SHATTERS and the shot strikes Grant. He
SCREECHES, swinging his tentacles aimlessly around the
room in fury.
One tentacle SLAMS Starla against the wall, probably
breaking a rib or two. Another tentacle SMASHES the CD
player, squelching the song.
EXT. NEIGHBOR'S MOCK BALCONY -- NIGHT
The diseased townsfolk enter the kid's bedroom, rushing
toward Bill on the balcony. But Bill won't stop. He
BLASTS the shotgun again.
INT. GRANT BEDROOM -- NIGHT
Grant is struck in the head. He starts slithering out of
the bedroom, feeling his way out.
EXT. NEIGHBOR'S MOCK BALCONY -- NIGHT
Bill is out of shells. He drops his shotgun. He grabs
the grenade out of the pocket on the black leather bag.
INT. GRANT BATHROOM -- NIGHT
Starla, clutching her ribs and barely able to move, pulls
herself up on the window.
Bill tosses her the grenade. She tries to catch it, but
misses it. It lands on the carpet. She see Grant's
tentacles slipping away. She tries to move but she's
hurt bad, bleeding.
EXT. NEIGHBOR'S MOCK BALCONY -- NIGHT
The diseased GLEEK at Bill, but Bill throws himself
forward, letting himself fall through the flimsy balustrade --
EXT. GRANT HOME -- NIGHT
Bill lands hard on the lawn between the two homes. He
grabs a .38, and stands beside the window on Grant's house.
Through the window he sees Grant barreling down the stairs.
Bill SHOOTS Grant with the .38, SHATTERING the glass.
He UNLOADS the clip into him.
The diseased townsfolk surround Bill, grabbing him. Grant,
using the others' eyes to see, snaps his tentacle forward,
wrapping it around Bill's neck, raising him up. Grant
SCREECHES.
INT. GRANT FOYER -- NIGHT
Starla appears at the top of the stairs, clutching her
bloody side. She has the pin in one hand and the grenade
in the other.
With all her remaining effort, she lobs the grenade behind
Grant.
GRANT
Er
?
It EXPLODES.
EXT. GRANT HOME -- NIGHT
Grant's exploding flesh sends Bill flying backwards.
INT. GRANT HALLWAY -- NIGHT
Starla is thrown back.
EXT. GRANT HOME -- NIGHT
Around the house, the diseased's eyes gaze lifelessly
upward as they each plummet to the grass.
FADE TO:
EXT. GRANT HOME -- MORNING
Bill unwraps what's left of the tentacle from his bruised
neck, and looks around at the dead diseased. Grant's
splattered flesh is around him.
Bill hears a quiet RATTLING sound. He looks around him.
And then sees, down at his feet, what is actually a
distorted piece of Grant's cerebellum. Sticking out of a
new organic slit in the cerebellum is the quill--like spore.
It quivers and trembles upward, its little bulbed spurs
popping out.
INT. GRANT HALLWAY -- MORNING
Starla crawls forward to look down through the smoke:
most of the second floor has been blown away. Her mutated
husband is just a mass of flesh and alien organs.
EXT. GRANT HOME -- MOMENTS LATER
Starla comes around the side of the house, holding a paper
towel roll to the slice on her ribs. She sees Bill
standing there. She smiles.
STARLA
Hey.
Bill smiles too.
BILL
Hey.
EXT. MAIN STREET -- DAY
Bill and Starla hobble down the town center. The leather
bag is slung over Bill's shoulder. Everything around
them is dead: the victims who were being feasted on, as
well as the various diseased. The torture is over, but
no life remains.
EXT. MAIN STREET -- MOMENTS LATER
Bill finds an abandoned Nissan Maxima in the middle of
the street, with the keys still in it.
BILL
Starla, over here.
EXT. WHEELSY EXIT -- LATER
In the Maxima now, Bill and Starla pull around a toppled
ambulance and through a spouting fire hydrant, and out
onto --
EXT. ROAD BEYOND WHEELSY -- DAY
The sun is bright and beautiful, glistening on the car.
Bill and Starla breathe more easily and smile a little as
they head up this long, barren road outside the city.
EXT. CLUSTER OF STORES -- MOMENTS LATER
Bill and Starla pass through a small block of stores.
Starla gazes out the window to see people -- real, actual,
HEALTHY HUMAN BEINGS: men and women and children -- going
about their daily chores. Tears come to her eyes.
Bill grabs Starla's hand. She clenches his tightly.
STARLA
We can probably get some first aid
and food at this gas station up
here.
BILL
Yeah. Good.
EXT. GAS STATION -- MOMENTS LATER
The Maxima pulls into the station, and stops.
INT. GAS STATION MART -- MOMENTS LATER
Starla and Bill pile stuff up on the cashier's counter --
Band--Aids, gauze, alcohol; Power Bars and Gatorade. The
CASHIER rings it up, staring at them because of their
wounds.
CASHIER
Comes to 32.87.
Bill pulls money out of his pants pocket. As he does,
Starla glances down. His arm pulls up his shirt, and
Starla can see the black and yellow wound there on his
stomach. She turns away, looking around, confused.
Bill pays, smiles at the cashier.
BILL
There you go.
EXT. GAS STATION -- MOMENTS LATER
A stunned Starla steps with Bill out of the station, moving
toward the car.
Starla stops.
STARLA
Shit. I-- I forgot... I wanted to
get aspirin.
She starts to move back inside. Bill stops her.
BILL
I'll get it for you. Ibuprofen or
aspirin?
STARLA
Aspirin.
Bill smiles, and goes back inside. Starla moves quickly
with the bag of stuff toward the car.
INT. GAS STATION MART -- MOMENTS LATER
Bill pays for the aspirin, and walks out with it.
EXT. GAS STATION -- DAY
Bill walks out; the Maxima is still there.
INT. MAXIMA -- DAY
Bill gets in the driver's seat, puts his keys into the
engine.
BILL
We'll just head up here into
Bishopville, get checked up in the
hospital. Then maybe we'll head
off to Hollywood after all, huh?
STARLA
Okay.
Bill turns to smile at Starla. She's aiming the .38 at
his face. Tears are streaming down her cheeks.
BILL
Please, Starla. I'm gonna do my
best not to hurt anybody --
STARLA
You took Bill.
BILL
It's my nature.
STARLA
And this is mine.
Starla pulls the trigger, the GUNSHOT CRACKS OUT.
EXT. GAS STATION -- DAY
As the Maxima sits in the lot, ANOTHER GUNSHOT CRACKS
OUT. Then we hear the HORN BLARING.
INT. MAXIMA -- DAY
Bill's dead body is slumped over the steering wheel.
Starla really can't bring herself to look at it, as she
reaches across it and toward the door handle.
EXT. GAS STATION -- DAY
The car door flips open. The horn stops blaring.
And Bill's body is kicked out of the car, sliding onto
the pavement.
INSERT TITLE, FULL SCREEN:
SLiTHER
INT. MAXIMA -- DAY
Starla WIPES the tears away from her face. She glances
out the window to see the cashier peeking out of the
cashier's station.
Starla scoots over into the driver's seat. She shoves
the car into drive.
And she takes off down the road, not looking back.
Starla's blanched and numb but the tears still keep coming.
CUT TO BLACK.
END
| screenplays |
Berberis harrisoniana syn: Mahonia harrisoniana is a rare species of flowering plant in the barberry family, Berberidaceae. It is known by the common names Kofa barberry, Kofa Mountain barberry, Harrison's barberry, and red barberry.
It native to the southwestern United States, where it occurs in the Sonoran Colorado Desert in far eastern San Bernardino County in southeastern California and in the Sonoran Desert region in southwestern Arizona Yuma, La Paz, Pima and Maricopa counties.
It occurs in shaded, rocky canyons in the mountains, at an elevation of approximately 8001000 m.
Description
This plant is a rounded shrub usually growing up to 1.5 meters tall, sometimes reaching 2 meters. The leaves are trifoliate, with three spine-tipped leaflets each a few centimeters long. The inflorescence is a dense cluster of up to 11 flowers. Each bright yellow flower has 9 sepals. The fruit is a juicy blue-black berry about half a centimeter wide.
The compound leaves place this species in the group sometimes segregated as the genus Mahonia.
References
External links
Calflora Database: Berberis harrisoniana Harrison's barberry
Jepson eFlora treatment: Berberis harrisoniana
harrisoniana
Category:Flora of the Sonoran Deserts
Category:Flora of the California desert regions
Category:Flora of Arizona
Category:Natural history of the Colorado Desert
Category:Natural history of the Lower Colorado River Valley
Category:Natural history of San Bernardino County, California
Category:Plants described in 1939 | wikipedia |
Non-existence of double time-derivative of fields in the Lagrangian and violation of equal footing of space and time
In classical field theory, we consider the Lagrangians with single time-derivative of fields whereas double derivative of the field w.r.t. space is allowed sometimes. I understand that the reason of abandoning the 2nd order time-derivative of the fields is that we require two initial conditions, one is that of the field and the second is that if the momentum of the field.
What I don't understand is what is the problem with specifying the two initial conditions?
Also, while moving over to QFT from the classical description, how come the above mentioned discrimination of time derivative over space derivative, does not contradict the notion of putting space and time on equal footing?
Metric signature convention: $(+---)$.
First, note that physical dynamics is ultimately decided by the equations of motion, which you get from the Lagrangian $\mathcal{L}$ after using the least action principle. The kinetic term in a $1$-derivative (before integration by parts) field theory goes like $\mathcal{L} \sim \partial\_\mu \phi \partial^\mu \phi \sim -\phi \square \phi$ whose equations of motion are $\square \phi + \cdots = 0$. This is a second order differential equation and so needs two initial conditions if you want to simulate the system.
The reason why people get nervous when they see higher derivatives in Lagrangians is that they typically lead to ghosts: wrong-sign kinetic terms, which typically leads to instabilities of the system. Before going to field theory, in classical mechanics, the [Ostrogradsky instability](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostrogradsky_instability) says that non-degenerate Lagrangians with higher than first order time derivatives lead to a Hamiltonian $\mathcal{H}$ with one of the conjugate momenta occurring *linearly* in $\mathcal{H}$. This makes $\mathcal{H}$ unbounded from below. In field theory, kinetic terms like $\mathcal{L} \sim \square \phi (\square+m^2) \phi$ are bad because they lead to negative energies/vacuum instability/loss of unitarity. It has a propagator that goes like $$ \sim \frac{1}{k^2} - \frac{1}{k^2-m^2}$$
where the massive degree of freedom has a wrong sign. Actually, in a free theory, you can have higher derivatives in $\mathcal{L}$ and be fine with it. You won't 'see' the effect of having unbounded energies until you let your ghost-like system interact with a healthy sector. Then, a ghost system with Hamiltonian unbounded from below will interact with a healthy system with Hamiltonian bounded from below. Energy and momentum conservation do not prevent them from exchanging energy with each other indefinitely, leading to instabilities. In a *quantum* field theory, things get bad from the get-go because (if your theory has a healthy sector, like our real world) the vacuum is itself unstable and nothing prevents it from [decaying into a pair of ghosts and photons](https://arxiv.org/abs/hep-ph/0311312), for instance.
This problem of ghosts is in addition to the general consternation one has when they are required to provide many initial conditions to deal with the initial value problem.
Also, in certain effective field theories, you can get wrong-sign spatial gradients $ \mathcal L \sim \dot{\phi}^2 + (\nabla \phi)^2$. (Note that Lorentz invariance is broken here). These lead to gradient instabilities.
This isn't true; time and space really are on an equal footing in relativistic quantum field theory. For example, the kinetic term for a real scalar field is
$$\frac12 (\partial\_\mu \phi) (\partial^\mu \phi)$$
which is first-order in both space and time. If you want, you can integrate it by parts to get
$$- \frac12 \phi \partial^2 \phi$$
but this is second-order in both space and time, which we don't like for the reasons you said.
the reason to generally avoid second order (time) derivatives in the Lagrangian is that they bring to third order equations of motion, that would need three constants of integration to be solved and that usually imply the possibility of "run-away" solutions (or Ostrogradski instabilities). These are solutions in which the energy encreases exponentially, a standard example is the Abraham-Lorentz force(see [Abraham–Lorentz force](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham%E2%80%93Lorentz_force) ):
$$\ddot {v}\sim \frac {\dot {v}}{\tau}$$
where you see that for instance a initial zero speed does not prevent a solution of the form $v\sim e^{t/\tau}$, which means that the object you are describing undergoes a sort of self-acceleration.
There can be also other problems with higher derivatives (google Ostrogradski instability).
Anyway, you are right in saying that including second order spatial derivatives but only first order time derivatives in the Lagrangian, impedes the covariant formulation in which space and time are on the same page.
But that may not alsways be dramatic.
Note however that exist some more "exotic" Lagrangians (for instance Galileons and [Horndeski theories](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horndeski%27s_theory) ) in which even though you include second order time (and space) derivatives you still get second order equations and therefore nothing violates the basic physical requirements. These theories are covariant.
| stackexchange/physics |
successful attempts were made to combat the high incidence of dental caries in developed countries but the increased incidence of dental caries is still a great burden in the developing countries .
though dental caries is not a life - threatening disease , it still has great biological , physical , social , and economic implications .
a survey conducted among 12-year - old children in seven states of india ( uttar pradesh , rajasthan , orissa , puducherry , maharashtra , arunachal pradesh , and delhi ) showed that caries prevalence was high in puducherry and low in orissa .
similarly , a survey conducted in ludhiana among 12-year - olds and 15-year - olds , caries prevalence was found to be 81.4% and 86.2% , respectively .
the use of pit and fissure sealants in high caries risk population is recommended by some systematic reviews . even after 30 years of inception of pit and fissure sealants in the dental market
studies from the usa , greece , sweden , and scotland all indicate that sealants are underutilized .
the composition of pit and fissure sealants is bisphenol a - glycidyl methacrylate ( bisgma ) , urethane dimethacrylate , and triethylene glycol dimethacrylate . however , there is no sufficient data about the knowledge and usage of pit and fissure sealant among private dental practitioners .
hence , the present study was aimed to assess the knowledge , value , opinion , and practice regarding dental sealants among the private dental practitioners in chennai , tamil nadu , india .
a cross - sectional descriptive study was conducted among 192 dental graduates working in the private sector in chennai , tamil nadu , india and they were interviewed by the questionnaire method .
india is a nation of extraordinary diversity , the second largest in asia and the seventh largest and the second most populous country with a population of 1.21 billion .
sample size required for the study was calculated to be n = 192 , with 80% power at 5% - error .
questions were divided into four sections to assess the knowledge , value , opinion , and practice regarding the use of dental sealants among private dental practitioners .
all participants data were coded to ensure the confidentiality of information . ethical approval from the college authorities was obtained .
the knowledge , value , opinion , and practice about dental sealants among the dental professionals in chennai , tamil nadu , india were assessed using a pretested self - administered questionnaire . based on the patient 's feedback , the questionnaire did not require any alteration .
kappa statistics was performed to check the internal reliability of the questionnaire and it was found to be 0.8 .
the study was conducted by using simple random sampling on the private dental practitioners in chennai , tamil nadu , india .
the questionnaire contained part a and part b. part a included demographic data such as age , gender , levels of education , and years of experience in clinical practice .
part b included the dentist 's knowledge , which consisted of 11 questions ; value consisted of 5 questions , opinion consisted of 6 questions , and practice consisted of 8 questions .
the ranking of the participants responses for part b ( knowledge , value , opinion , and practice ) was based on the agreement with each statement , which was based on the 5-point likert scale : strongly agree , agree , neutral , disagree , and strongly disagree .
study participants with dental degrees such as bachelor of dental surgery ( bds ) , master of dental surgery ( mds ) , doctor of philosophy ( ph.d . ) who were willing to participate were included .
study participants who were not willing to participate and were unable to give informed consent were excluded .
the responses were coded in microsoft excel and data were transferred to the computer for analysis by using statistical package for the social sciences ( spss ) 17 ( spss inc . ,
frequency distributions were computed . for frequency distribution strongly , strongly agree , and agree were combined as agree and strongly disagree and disagree were combined as disagree .
the responses were coded in microsoft excel and data were transferred to the computer for analysis by using statistical package for the social sciences ( spss ) 17 ( spss inc . ,
frequency distributions were computed . for frequency distribution strongly , strongly agree , and agree were combined as agree and strongly disagree and disagree were combined as disagree .
table 1 depicts the frequency of the responses regarding knowledge . about 184 ( 95.8% ) of the study subjects
had agreed that there was scientific evidence for the restorative use of pit and fissure sealant . about 8 ( 4.2% ) of the study subjects
had not understood about the instruction for placing dental sealant . only 16 ( 8.3% ) study subjects had disagreed that the important factor in sealant placement was proper acid etching .
about 132 ( 68.8% ) of the study subjects had believed that caries risk assessment was to prevent overtreatment .
about 60 ( 31.2% ) of the study subjects had disagreed that pit and fissure sealants had adverse effects .
about 120 ( 62.5% ) of the study subjects had disagreed that the sealant technique takes time to be performed correctly . only 24 ( 12.5% ) of the study subjects
about 120 ( 62.5% ) of the study subjects agreed that they had difficulty in justifying about the sealants cost .
about 12 ( 6.2% ) of the study subjects had disagreed with the statements about there being a necessity to use and promote sealants among dental educators and dentists .
only 76 ( 39.6% ) of the study subjects had agreed that they applied dental sealants because the oral public health community instructed them to do so .
frequency of responses regarding value frequency of responses regarding opinion table 4 depicts the frequency of responses regarding practice .
about 120 ( 62.5% ) of the study subjects had disagreed with the belief in the effectiveness of sealants . only 16 ( 8.3% ) of the study subjects had agreed that they recommended the reapplication of dental sealant when there was complete or partial loss of sealant material in the teeth .
pit and fissures on permanent molars and premolars are vulnerable sites for carious lesions due to their morphology and plaque accumulation .
sealants applied to pits and fissures act as mechanical barriers between the enamel surface and the biofilm , and if retained completely , have been shown to be very effective in restricting the entry of bacteria .
the studies of handelman et al . in 1976 from over 35 years ago and some later studies by mertz - fairhurst et al .
( 1998 ) have shown that when caries lesions are sealed , the lesion does not progress . until the middle of the 1980s ,
sealants were generally applied in a preventive manner solely to intact , unstained fissures with no suspected enamel caries lesions .
the present recommendations for sealant application relate back to several international consensus reports from the 1980s and 1990 where sealing over enamel lesions and questionable fissures was suggested .
twelve school - based pit and fissure programs have been proven to be beneficial in preventing caries , especially in schools that serve children from low income group families .
the present study was planned to assess the knowledge , value , opinion , and practice among private dental practitioners in chennai , tamil nadu , india .
the knowledge , value , opinion , and practice and demographic details such as age , gender , highest level of education , and years of experience were measured using a pretested self - administered questionnaire . in the present study , males were found to be more when compared to females .
this was due to difference in sample selection , inclusion / exclusion criteria , and the nature of the data obtained . in the present study , 58.3% , 29.2% , and 12.5% of the study subjects belonged to the age groups of 2534 years , 3544 years , and > 45 years , respectively .
( 2014 ) revealed that 64.7% , 27.6% , and 7.7% of the study subjects belonged to the age groups of 2534 years , 3544 years , and > 45 years , respectively . in the present study ,
52.1% , 35.4% , and 13.5% of the study subjects had < 5 years , 510 years , and > 10 years of professional experience , respectively , whereas the study by kailash asawa et al .
( 2014 ) revealed that 53.2% , 23.1% , and 23.7% had < 5 years , 510 years , and > 10 years of experience , respectively .
this was due to the fact that the usage of preventive method was more common in the present decades when compared to the past decades .
2012 revealed 38.4% of dentist practice pit and fissure sealant , whereas in the study of hadi ghasemi et al .
( 2007 ) among iranian dentists and the current study among indian dentists revealed that the majority of dentists had usage of dental sealant .
this was due to the fact that awareness was more in these countries ; hence , accurate knowledge about preventive dental care will enable dentists to make appropriate decisions about their patients health . about 8 ( 4.2% ) of the study participants disagreed with the statement that they did not understand the instruction for placing dental sealant .
the reason might be due to the fact that study participants who had > 10 years of experience had less awareness about the pit and fissure sealant method .
the technique for placing dental sealants was familiar among 160 ( 83.3% ) study subjects .
about 140 ( 72.9% ) of the study subjects agreed that resin sealants were more effective than gic .
these findings were similar to the findings of the study by kailash asawa et al .
this was because teaching about the dental preventive method in indian and spanish curricula was found to be more favorable .
the reason may be attributed to the fact that resin - based sealants are superior in retention and prevent dental caries than glass ionomer sealants .
about 156 ( 81.2% ) of the study subjects believed that the appropriate technique of application was essential for the success of pit and fissure sealants .
( 2013 ) and the findings were less compared to the study conducted by san martin et al .
, 62.5% of the study participants agreed that they found it difficult to justify the cost of sealants to patients .
the agreement of the study participants was comparatively more in the study by kailash asawa et al .
moreover , in the present study around 12.5% of study participants responded that pit and fissure sealant material was very expensive .
this might be due to the fact that the national health system in spain provides a care to children based on parent 's income .
but in tamil nadu ( india ) , the state government provides dental treatments such as restoration and extraction free of cost rather than preventive dental procedures . in the present study ,
79.2% of the study participants agreed to promote the use of dental sealants , which is similar in the study by kailash asawa et al .
contrary to this only 16.7% of study participants agreed with greater belief in the effectiveness of sealants for the community , whereas in a study by hadi ghasemi et al .
( 2007 ) revealed that there were positive attitudes toward preventive dental care , especially regarding its benefits for the community .
the reason behind this fact is economically beneficial and personally reputable . in the current study
, 60.4% of the study participants agreed that they had difficulty in explaining the to the patients as to what dental sealants were .
the present study finding was in line with the study conducted by kailash asawa et al .
this might be due to the fact that there is a lower literacy rate about the oral health awareness in the indian population .
this study concluded that knowledge , value , opinion , and practice regarding use of dental sealants among the private dental practitioners in chennai , tamil nadu , india revealed sufficient knowledge , value , and opinion about dental sealants but inadequate practice of dental sealants . in view of the high likelihood of oral diseases such as caries occurring in pit and fissures and the inadequate use of sealants by the dental profession , this study demonstrated a clear and present need for the dentists to receive further formal training at the level of undergraduate , postgraduate , and continuing professional dental education in india . | pubmed |
Why is the surface of a liquid slanted when it is accelerated?
Consider a uniformly horizontally accelerated tube of water. I know that the fluid experiences a pseudo force in addition to its own weight, so that it reaches equilibrium in the below diagram.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/KUSPb.jpg)
But why can't the water also exert a force like this, so it can be in equilibrium horizontally?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Wd7AH.jpg)
The reason that the second diagram you drew cannot represent what is happening is that it will not satisfy Newton's 2nd law for all parcels of fluid in the tank. Imagine that you had a tank like the one shown in the diagrams and, rather than accelerating it, you just tilt it at an angle so that base is no longer horizontal. Basically, what you ave done is change the direction of gravity relative to the sides of the container. Would you expect the water surface to remain parallel to the base of the container, or would you expect it to be horizontal again (but tilted relative to the base). What you have done in the acceleration experiments is to add a pseudo-gravitational force component in the direction opposite to the acceleration. So now, the effective gravity is no longer pointing in the vertical direction. Thus, the surface of the fluid must readjust to again be perpendicular to the new effective gravitational direction (which is not vertical).
If you do a force balance on a small parcel of fluid within the system having sides dx, dy, and dz, the force balance in the y (vertical) direction reduces to:$$\frac{\partial p}{\partial y}=-\rho g$$The force balance in the x (horizontal) direction reduces to:$$\frac{\partial p}{\partial x}=-\rho a$$where a is the acceleration. The variation of pressure with position is given by:
$$dp=\frac{\partial p}{\partial x}dx+\frac{\partial p}{\partial y}dy=-\rho adx-\rho g dy$$ It follows from this that the surfaces of constant pressure are given by:$$\frac{dy}{dx}=-\frac{a}{g}$$ The free surface is a contour of constant pressure.
For the sake of simplicity, let's assume it's a cubical container of water. The concept remains the same.
Look at the "free body diagram" of the water itself. As you noted, one side of the water is higher than the other. The surface is slanted.
The water is accelerating, so we know that there must be a net horizontal force acting on it. We also know that the only horizontal forces that are possible in our case are due to the pressure forces acting on the water via $P=\gamma\*H$.
The only way the water can accelerate is if the force on one side is greater than the force on the other side. The only way this can happen is if the pressure on one side is greater than the pressure on the other side. The only way this can happen is if one side of the water is higher than the other. Again, $P=\gamma\*H$.
The forces acting on the water in the $x-direction$ can be derived using calculus.
The reason your proposed force can't work is because water is a fluid.
Solids are locked into place, so they can both resist compression and resist shearing (the sideways force in your diagram). Fluids can only resist compression; they cannot resist a sideways shearing. This is precisely what makes fluids flow in the first place.
Slice the water in the latter case into layers that are perpendicular to the net force. All the layers in this case would be squeezed by the layers of water above them, so they would expand until they could no longer do so - in other words, when each layer extends from left wall of the container to the right wall (or the bottom, if the acceleration is high enough). This case would look like your first picture.
A more mathematical explanation would be that the slanted case is the configuration with the lowest potential energy. But proving that should involve some tedious steps, especially if you assume that the water could be in any shape in the end.
Imagine yourself inside a car at rest with 10 cm deep water inside it. Label the surface level as 0.
While stopped the water level is at rest, i.e. parallel to the Earth surface.
Next you accelerate the car motor:
The mass of the water is not rigid (is not ice) and it is not firmly linked to the car.
Move ahead the car a little - the water mass will lag a little because the motion could not be transmitted at once to it, without delay. Then:
The front of the car will present a water deficit (imagine a hole between the car and the water). Next moment - the water will fall into that hole and the surface level is negative.
In the rear of the car we have an accumulation of the initial water plus the water that is not present in the front of it - Then the water level will have to be positive; higher then the level 0.
The inertia law, aka the 1st Newton law, is at work in relation to the liquid mass and is often stated as - An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.
The water level will be balanced to 0 after the acceleration stopped, whatever the velocity.
| stackexchange/physics |
Home VMI Archives Photographs Collection Exterior of the newly constructed Lejeune Hall, Oct. 1966.
Exterior of the newly constructed Lejeune Hall, Oct. 1966.
Title Exterior of the newly constructed Lejeune Hall, Oct. 1966.
Description Exterior view of Lejeune Hall soon after its construction in October 1966. The building was named in honor of VMI's fifth Superintendent Major General John Archer Lejeune and served as the Cadet Activities building. It was torn down in 2006 to make room for the construction of Third Barracks.
Date of Photo 1966 Oct.
Notes Folder contains an additional sketch of Lejeune Hall. | slim_pajama |
Why is water a poor solvent for organic molecules?
Few organic molecules dissolve in water but why is this the case?
Pure water can form two hydrogen bonds per molecule. The enthalpy of these hydrogen bonds is about 23 kJ/mol of water. You have to give water a very good reason to rip apart its hydrogen bond network, and the interactions water experiences with the organic compounds often aren't enough, even considering increased entropy, to make this favorable.
Water is not a bad solvent for all organic molecules. In fact many organic molecules *are* soluble in water. In general the solubility of a substance in a given solvent is determined by the strength of the intermolecular forces between the solvent and solute.
The predominant intermolecular force in water is hydrogen bonding and so molecules with groups which can hydrogen bond generally dissolve well in water. These groups can have acidic hydrogens of their own such as alcohol or amine groups which can h-bond to water both through their hydrogens and through the lone pairs on their oxygen and nitrogen atoms respectively. Also other groups which have lone pairs on electronegative atoms such as carbonyl groups can h-bond with water and so will generally dissolve, although not as well as alcohols or amines. All of these groups are generally termed to be hydrophilic.
There are also hydrophobic groups which tend not to bond well with water and so do not tend to dissolve. These are generally groups which are non-polar and interact primarily through Van der Waals forces. Therefore they do not form strong interactions with water (because water primarily interacts through h-bonding) and so do not dissolve. These groups tend to be apolar, the most common example being alkyl groups.
So in answer to your question, many large organic molecules with predominant hydrophobic groups do not dissolve in water whereas smaller molecules with hydrophilic groups do tend to dissolve.
This questions has a more detailed discussion of the properties of water as a solvent: [Why is water "the universal" solvent?](https://chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/21898/why-is-water-the-universal-solvent)
| stackexchange/chemistry |
Terrone is a leading restaurant in Marsaxlokk featuring high quality Mediterranean cuisine. With an emphasis on fresh local produce including fresh fish and run by a young passionate team of professionals that have extensive experience in Malta and overseas, it has made a significant impact on the local restaurant scene in the short time it has been operating.
We are looking for an enthusiastic, young chef to work with a small team to assist with the preparation of simple yet stunning dishes. If you love preparing food, willing to learn from experienced, professional chefs and are excited by the prospect of working with a small team that want to be different from the crowd, then email us your CV or give us a call. Attractive salary and conditions will be offered to the right applicant.
Baristas...brewing a great Cup o' Joe is your specialty?
Floor Staff to work @ Zen Sushi To Go Pama & Skyparks.
Sushi Chef for Japanese Sushi Take Out outlets in Malta.
Sushi Take Out Restaurant Kitchen Helper.
Sushi/Japanese food Chef to work in Malta (Japanese native). | slim_pajama |
cool white dwarfs are among the oldest stars in the galaxy .
being gyrs old these stellar remnants are of importance for dating old stellar populations and understanding their star formation history .
we are interested in understanding the physical properties of the atmospheres and the spectra of cool white dwarfs . over the last years we have introduced several improvements in the physics of dense media in our atmosphere models , including the radiative transfer in the refractive atmosphere , the non - ideal chemical equilibrium abundances of spectroscopically important species and the opacity of dense helium .
identification of the missing absorption mechanism at short wavelengths in the models of hydrogen - rich atmospheres as the ly-@xmath3 red wing opacity as well as better description of helium - rich atmospheres have a significant impact on our understanding of cool white dwarfs .
these improvements dramatically change the predicted flux at short wavelengths ( especially in the johnson u and b , and sdss u and g filters ) .
the hydrogen atmosphere models follow the observed sequence of cool white dwarfs on various color - color diagrams ( fig .
the best fits to the spectral energy distributions of the individual stars with @xmath4 have been obtained with hydrogen - rich models .
this suggest that most of the cool stars possess hydrogen - rich atmospheres , which challenges the current picture of the spectral evolution of cool white dwarfs . in order to investigate the chemical evolution of white dwarf
atmospheres the more extreme , fluid - like atmospheres of helium - rich stars have to be better understood .
the atmospheres of these stars have extreme pressures and densities of a few @xmath5 and can not be described by ideal gas laws but must rather be treated as a helium - rich fluid in which the strong inter - particle interactions determine its physics and chemistry .
the conditions prevailing at the surfaces of the helium - rich atmosphere stars could be diagnosed with trace species such as @xmath6 and @xmath2 , through the impact of dense fluid on their absorption and the resulting white dwarf spectra .
using modern methods we compute the properties of these species in dense helium .
the resulted high - pressure - induced spectral distortions are then matched with absorption signatures observed in the spectra of helium - rich stars ( like distorted swan bands in dqp stars ) to derive the atmospheric parameters of the stars .
with a grid of improved atmosphere models we have analyzed large samples of cool white dwarfs .
the colors of the new models are compared to a large sdss sample in figure [ f1 ] .
the new pure - h models not only reproduce the observed sequence of white dwarfs better than previous models but also show the need to include extreme line broadening of ly-@xmath3 to characterize white dwarfs with @xmath4 when the short wavelength filters are used ( @xmath7 ) .
we also fitted the individual seds of a large sample of cool white dwarfs .
we found that most of the stars we fitted have pure - h atmospheres , with several having mixed h / he atmospheres dominated by h. most of the stars previously identified as having pure - he atmospheres @xcite turn out to be hydrogen - rich stars in our analysis @xcite .
two examples of such fits are given in figure [ f2 ] .
we also observe that the amount of helium in mixed stars seems to decrease with the decrease in the effective temperature and the coolest stars ( @xmath8 ) possess pure - h atmospheres .
the interpretation of these results requires further investigation and new , targeted observations to further validate the models .
the dependence of the derived atmospheric parameters on the atmosphere models used in the investigation is also evident for the low - mass , he - core white dwarfs .
these under - massive white dwarfs evolve through mass transfer in binary systems .
one of the best known such system is a cool white dwarf orbiting the millisecond pulsar psr j0437 - 4715 . using the atmosphere models of @xcite the white dwarf
was assigned a helium - rich atmosphere @xcite , which is at odds with the evolutionary models of such stars .
we fitted the entire spectral energy distribution of the star , including hst uv , optical , near- and mid - infrared spectra with our models .
the result is shown in figure [ f3 ] .
an excellent fit is obtained with a pure - h atmosphere model with @xmath9 .
the presence of hydrogen is indicated by the flux suppression in the uv because the ly-@xmath3 opacity and near - ir because of cia opacity from molecular hydrogen @xcite , comparing with the fit by the pure - he atmosphere model .
_ ab initio _ methods represent a novel approach to the modeling of the properties of fluid - like stellar atmospheres . in combination with the methods of the classical theory of fluids they are a powerful tool for predicting the thermodynamical , optical and chemical properties of cool white dwarf atmospheres . in our work
we use the density functional theory , the most common _ ab initio _ method ( pbe functional and plane wave codes , see @xcite ) .
below we briefly discuss two examples of our recent _ ab initio _ work ( see also kowalski , these proceedings ) . by the time it reaches
@xmath11 a white dwarf with an initial pure - he atmosphere should have accreted enough hydrogen from the interstellar medium for the latter to be detectable through the prominent bound - free opacity from the negative hydrogen ion .
@xcite suggested that the negative hydrogen ion undergoes pressure ionization in the dense helium atmospheres , which could explain the absence of hydrogen in the spectra of helium - rich , cool white dwarfs . in order to address this problem , we performed quantum mechanical calculations of @xmath6 in dense helium .
surprisingly , at least up to the density of helium of @xmath12 ( which is the highest density reached in the cool white dwarfs atmospheres ) the negative hydrogen ion remains bound , which is indicated by the presence of two electrons around the proton .
some helium - rich atmosphere white dwarfs ( dq / dqp ) show the @xmath2 bands in the optical ( swan bands ) .
this gives the opportunity not only to investigate the properties of molecular carbon in their atmospheres , but to use @xmath2 as a probe of the physical conditions in cool helium - rich atmospheres , which are still poorly understood .
there are two noteworthy observational facts about the dq / dqp white dwarfs .
cutoff in their cooling sequence at @xmath11 @xcite and the appearance of so called dqp stars , which show distorted swan - bands - like spectral features in the optical , at lower effective temperatures @xcite .
the examples of spectra of both types of stars are given in figure [ f4 ] .
two different explanations for the origin of the spectral features have been discussed in the literature .
@xcite speculated that the dqp stars show pressure shifted bands of @xmath2 , while other researchers point to a different molecular species @xcite .
the second idea was critically reviewed by @xcite . to elucidate the nature of the spectral features observed in dqp stars we performed an extensive investigation of spectroscopic properties of @xmath2 in dense helium , the electronic transition energy for the swan bands and the vibrational frequencies , in dense fluid helium @xcite .
our calculations show that the electronic transition energy for the swan absorption increases significantly with the density ( @xmath14 ) , causing a blueward shift of the swan bands in the spectra of dqp stars .
the observed shifts of about @xmath15 for most of the dqpes indicate that the bands form at density of @xmath16 , which is an order of magnitude lower than the one predicted by pure - he / c atmosphere models .
this suggest pollution by hydrogen , which even in small amounts increases the opacity and can lower the atmospheric density to the required values .
our result shows that the optical bands observed in dqp stars are pressure shifted @xmath2 bands as was originally proposed by @xcite .
the same approach to the @xmath17 ballik - ramsay absorption ( 10000 - 18000@xmath18 bands , @xcite ) gives the blueward shifts of at least @xmath19 ( @xmath20 ) for these bands in dqpes .
the distortion of the ballik - ramsay bands may produce the spectral depression observed at @xmath21 for the dqp star lhs2293 @xcite .
the atmospheres of cool white dwarfs could be understood only by having a reliable set of both hydrogen- and helium - rich atmosphere models , and modern _ ab initio _ methods of computational quantum mechanics are powerful tools to generate the necessary constitutive physics . with our improved models
we have fitted the entire seds of various types of white dwarfs .
most of the white dwarfs with @xmath22 show h - rich atmospheric composition and the coolest stars could be fitted only with the pure - h models .
this indicates that the accretion of hydrogen from the ism plays an important role in the evolution of white dwarf atmospheres .
our investigation of the properties of molecular carbon in the helium - rich atmosphere dq / dqp stars shows that the molecular bands observed in the optical spectra of dqp stars are the pressure shifted swan bands .
we thank martin durant , oleg kargaltsev , george pavlov , bettina posselt , marten van kerkwijk and david kaplan for sharing the spectrum of psr j0437 - 4715 , didier saumon for useful comments on this paper and sandro jahn and molecular modeling of geomaterials group at gfz potsdam for financial support . 9 bergeron , p. , ruiz , m. t. , & leggett , s. k. 1997 , _ apj _ , 108 , 339 bergeron , p. , leggett , s. k. , & ruiz , m. t. 2001 , _ apj _ , 133 , 433 kowalski , p. m. , & saumon , d. 2006 , _ apj _ , 651 , l137 kilic , m. , kowalski , p. m. , mullally , f. , reach , w. t. & von hippel , t. 2008 , _ apj _ , 678 , 1298 kilic , m. , kowalski , p. m. & von hippel , t. , 2009 , _ aj _ , 138 , 102 kilic , m. , kowalski , p. m. , reach , w. t. , von hippel , t. 2009 , _ apj _ , 696 , 2094 bergeron , p. , saumon , d. , & wesemael , f. 1995 , _ apj _ , 443 , 764 bassa , c. g. , van kerkwijk , m. h. , & kulkarni , s. r. 2006 , _ a&a _ , 450 , 295 saumon , d. , & jacobson 1999 , _ apj _ , 511 , l107 w. koch and m. c. holthausen , _ a chemist s guide to density functional theory _ , ( wiley - vch , weinheim , 2000 ) dufour , p. , bergeron , p. , & fontaine , g. 2005 , _ apj _ , 627 , 404 koester , d. , & knist , s. 2006 , _
a&a _ , 454 , 951 schmidt , g. d. , bergeron , p. , & fegley , b. 1995 , _ apj _ , 443 , 274 lebofsky , m. j. , & liebert , j. 1984 , _ apj _ , 278 , l111 hall , p. b. , & maxwell , a. j. 2008 , _ apj _ , 678 , 1292 kilic , m. et al , 2010 , _ apjs _ , 190 , 77 kowalski , p. m. 2010 , _ a&a _ , 519 , l8 ballik , e. a. , & ramsay , d. a. 1963 , _ apj _ , 137 , 84 farihi , j. 2009 , _ mon . not .
r. astron .
_ , 398 , 2091 .
harris , h. c. et al .
2006 , _ apj _ , 131 , 571 durant , m. , kargaltsev , o. , pavlov , g. , kowalski , p. m. , posselt , b. , van kerwijk , m. h. , & kaplan , d. l. 2010 , _ apj _ _ to be submitted _ | arxiv |
Speed of Light (in a vacuum): Is it possible to have a vacuum that is "more of a vacuum"?
I'm not quite sure what "a vacuum" precisely means in the context of "the speed of light in a vacuum". Are, for example, electromagnetic fields present in a vacuum? Is there a concept of "temperature" inside a vacuum?
Is "the speed of light (vacuum)" the same $c$ as the one in $E=mc^2$? If so, then why don't we measure $c$ more accurately than "in a vacuum on the surface of planet Earth"?
In short -- what is, and is not, considered "in a vacuum"?
The speed of light can refer to two things, the speed a light signal propagates, and the special, ultimate speed that shows up in the equations of relativity theory.
Inside a medium such as glass or water light moves noticeably more slowly than in a vacuum. This is because it interacts with the material. If one solve Maxwell's equations in vacuum - that is, no material factors present in the equations - one gets a higher velocity that is the same as the light speed in relativity.
This is not a coincidence. Relativity was developed to describe how physics could be entirely independent of the speed an observer is moving yet always observe light signals having the same speed. Once one works through the algebra one ends up with a theory that has a special speed, leaves the Maxwell equations invariant (or rather, [covariant](https://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/tong/em/el4.pdf)), and the speed of light from the equations coincides with the speed in relativity. This is basically a mathematical result.
All of the above is classical physics, but quantum mechanics messes things up a bit. In classical physics vacuum is just spacetime with no matter in it. Quantum field theory makes the fields even in what classically would be a vacuum have some energy, and particle pairs can pop up and vanish randomly - with measurable effects. This is why there is a [Casimir force](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casimir_effect) between two conductive plates close to each other: the vacuum between them in a sense has lower energy than on the outside. Indeed, [it has been argued that this affects the speed of light signals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scharnhorst_effect) passing through the space between.
These quantum effects are tiny compared to normal matter densities, so they mostly matter conceptually. The classical vacuum is just space with no matter present. Which is of course an idealization since in practice there are always a few stray atoms or particles even in intergalactic space, but usually the effect on electromagnetism (or relativity) is minor.
Yes, there are different sorts of vacuum. In Casimir vacuum there are less electromagnetic waves, so the speed of [light is conjectured](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scharnhorst_effect) to be greater than $c$ in Casimir vacuum, but that is only from the point of view of an observer in normal vacuum. For an observer immersed in Casimir vacuum, the speed of light still would be $c$.
| stackexchange/physics |
'1'be Skalaton Kay
01/19/03 FADE IN:
A LANDSCAPE, BEYOND A WINDOW
A crooked oak tree, laden with Spanish 1110ss, with branches
swaying in the bree2e.
AN OLD MAN CAROLINE (O.S.)
I lost no time, of course, in telling
my mother all that I knew, and perhaps
I should have told her long before,
and we saw ourselves at once i.n a difficult and dangerous position.
lies in an institutional bed. Wisps of white hair, a sunken
face, skin taut against bones. He stares outside •••
INE (O.S.)
Some of ma .s money --if he had
any --cer inly due to us, but it
was not kel r captain's
shipmates, he two specimens
seen by me, and the blind
beggar, woul ned to give up their booty the dead
man's debts.
TO THE LANDSCAPE ~
a,,aoross the room, beyond thew ~o, a new sound rises:
the branches RUSTLING from the wind de.
CAROLINE (O. S.)
The captain's order to mount at once
and ride for Doctor Livesey would have left my mother alone and unprotected,
which was not to be thought of.
THE OLD MAN'S GAZE
sha:r:pens·slightly, with the aural shift. The exterior WIND
rises ••• as the man's breathing slows ...
CAROLINE (0.S.)
Indeed, it seemed impossible for
either of us to remain much longer in
the house ...
WHILE THE TI\E:F;S OUTSIDE
sway, the wind stronger now. ANGLE closes, on the tree's
branehes, Span~~h moss trailing like gossamer strands ... • CAROLINE (O.S.) ..• for the fall of coals in the
kitchen grate, the very ticking
clock, filled us with alarms ••• of the
••• while the lulling, restless breeze gets louder, now
DROWNING OUT the voice. It's as if we've moved outside.
Hearing only the trees, the winds, some birds--
REVEAL INT. BEDROOM -DAY
--and suddenly-silence. 2.
CAROLINE ELLIS, 25, casually pretty, a gentle toughness about
her, is at the man's bedside, reading softly frOll\ her dog
eared copy of "Treasure Island":
NE
ed to us at last to go
nd seek help in the
et. No sooner said
-ded as we were, we
ran o he gathering
evening and t os fog.
Caroline glances up. An reading. The elderly
man's eyes are now closed.
She studies his the book aside,
She walks to the door, revealing
not a personal bedroom. A NURSE
CAROLINE
Sandra, when you get a
(the nurse stops)
Mr. Talcott's gone.
INT. HOSPICE OFFICE -DAY Then calmly sete
d. Feels for a pulse.
~nstitutional space, sin a hall beyond--
.second?
A heavy-set black NORSE is at her desk, on the phone:
DESK NORSE
Hiya, this is Gail over at the
hospice. You got the honors for a
William Talcott? Mmm-hll'lrn. Time to
get packing.
INT. PATIENT'S ROOM
A aODYBAG is unzipped. A toetag gets tied. A catheter bag
unhooked. A medical bracelet snipped off. Two young
MORTUARY WORKERS prepare to transfer the corpse--MORTUARY WORKER
Ready and --lift! 3.
Caroline's at the doorway, shown paperwork by an OFFICIAL:
HOSPICE OFFICIAL
Print and sign at the bottom there.
( turns page l
Sign and date.
{hands her a pen) Initials, print and sign.
INT. PATIENT'S ROOM -MOMENTS LATER
NURSING ASSISTANTS are busy. The bodybag sits on its gurney;
a silent witness. SHEETS are stripped. T~SH is bagged. A
VACOUM CL&ANER blares.
Caroline waits by r as a CNA empties drawers, tossing
junk into a box 1 "lliam Talcott -Personal Effects."
Baseball cards, " sland" and a beat-up shoebox of
cassettes. The n ·· oline watching; hands her the
box of possessio
CN
Front desk. ' ' se a
INT. MORTUARY VAN
Loading doors are opened
gurney inside. It BANGS Footsteps, laughter fade away.
INT. HOSPICE OFFICE slide the bodybag
· ors are SHUT ..
aarkness and silence.
Gail the heavy-set nurse is still on the phone:
INT. LOBBY DESK NORSE
Hiya, this is Gail over at the
hospice. Is this Mr. Womack? Mr.
Womack, I'm calling with good news.
We have space now available for your
mother. Nice room, lovely view, It's
a fine piece of real estate.
Caroline sits alone, with the "William Talcott" box.
Waiting. She examines his shoebox of cassettes --all home
compiled tapes, labeled "Best Big Band Songs," "Best 30's
Delta Blues", "Best Breaking-Op Songs", etc.
caroline smiles at the meticulously-labeled collection ••. as a
starched, older NURSE passes, sees hex and stops. • OLDER NURSE
You expecting someone?
CAROLINE
Whoever's coming for Mr. Talcott.
OLDER NUl'ISE
You'll be waiting awhile, hon.
CAROLINE
Didn't we call? He said he had
f"-fflily.
OLDER NURSE
Couple kids by an ex, out west. They don't want nothing to do with him.
Who knows why,
(lifA~,
But ... w~2all his--
Trash it out h •
(shrugs)
That's the one od ·
You ain't aroun
world forgets.
EXT. HOSPICE BUILDING -DAY 4.
A back alley. "William Talcott -Pe
trash bin. Caroline stares regretf al Effects" hits a
y, lowers the lid.
She walks away, then stops. Hustles back to the trash,
fishes out the shoebox of cassettes. A private smile.
CAROLINE It's all right, Mr. Talcott, Stick
with me •••
She tucks the tapes under her arm and walks on .•. as jangling,
upbeat ZYDECO MUSIC rises, taking us into--
INT. NEW ORI.EANS BLUES CLUB -NIGHT
Where a ZYDECO BAND rocks away onstage, to a dancing downtown
crowd. Among them is Caroline, dancing her heart out. With
her is JILL DOPA!, 26, her black and flirty roommate -
smiling as she fends off the attention of some suitors ••.
while Caroline lets it all hang out •••
. .. dancing away like there's no tomorrow .... 5.
AT THE BAR -HOMEN'l'S LATER
Caroline·and Jill shove through the crowd, laughing together--
CAROLINE
Hey, you know what I want 'em to do
when I die? I want a headstone with a
jukebox. Right there in the cemetery,
with MP3's of like my twenty favorite
songs of all time. That's what they
should do, Not some stone marker.
Remember people with their m.uaiJ:,
JI!,!,
I don't know. !'m not sure I'd want to be associated for all eternity with
~Little Red Corvette"--
As they reach the ba handsome-BARTENDER recognizes them--
BART DER
Hey --ol ou doin'? I haven't s ever! How's
Eric? Wha he band?
(tight l\l.ii,,11111!~~'3s) Can't help you. 't know.
BARTENDER
Come .en. llihat do you an
wouldn't know?
CAROLINE
Two shots of Cuervo, two Coronas.
She turns he:r back on him, surveys the crowd. The bartende:r
looks to Jill, affronted. Jill repeats, louder.
JILL
Two cuervos, two Coronas!
The bartende:r backs off, gets the drinks.
JILL
Man. There any clubs in this city
where they J1Qn.'.S. know you?·
CAROLINE
They lcnow him. Now you see why I'm
checking out the job. • JILL
So you can ditch town
heard from again? and never be
CAROLINE It'd be just for a few weeks. Plus it
Pilltli•
Lots of
school.
hospice?
dead. JILL jobs'll get you into nursing
Why'd you have to pick
You and your jukebox for the 6.
Caroline glares gently. Jill smiles, but with some worry.
became a nurse to
She smiles, looks off.
MUSICIAN-type enter the
BRUNETTE on his am. He
GIRL sidles over, requests
JILL (O.S.
Hey. Drinks. I had a
seeing a handsonie ROCK
. He's got a sexy
some friends, as a
Drinks arrive but Caroline doesn't e. Jill now follows
her gaze --as the Musician spots caroline. He tenses, then
gives a veak smile and wavea Caroline doesn't wave baek.
The Brunette pulls the Musician away as the crowd fills in,
cutting off Caroline's view. Jill's face falls.
JILL
Aw shit. Are we leaving?
CAROLINE
We' re leaving.
Caroline downs her tequila shot. Then downs Jill's too.
CAROLINE
After two more.
She slams her shot glass on the bar, signals for refills. Jill gives caroline a sympathetic look: \ ,.
JILL
So maybe getting out of town wouldn't
be such a bad thing.
EXT. CITY OO'l'SKIRTS -DAWN
AN AERIAL TRACK as the sun glints off the never-ending swamps
and inlets of Lake Pontchartrain ... as a Honda Civic leaves
the New Orleans skyline, speeding the bayou causeway west.
EXT. BAYOU ROADS• DAY
The Civic drives past moss-laden oaks and palmettos sprouting
from the lush June swamps. Lonely towns and floating shacks
dot the landscape --cheap bayou hideaways. A sign reads
"Entering Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana."
In the car, caroline p
cassettes, revealing
Hospice Caregiver -sin one of the late Mr. Talcctt's
e:r :reading "Seeking Full-Time
nne Parish --Paid Position"--
--as she drives p KLE GAS STATION. Where a wind-
chime made of wis s s · the breeze.
EXT. BAYOU ESTATES -
The scenery soon becomes , , more landscaped: large
tree-lined lots --sOCM wit g ces --with long
driveways curling to Reconstruc omes.
She stops at a pair of open IRON eeks directions.
CAROLINE
No way,
EXT. DEVEREAUX HOUSE -DAY
Through a CANOPY OF 01\KS, a faded white plantation-style
house appears. It's small fer a mansion --but built wicti
small columns and galleries in grand local tradition.
Caroline's Civic follows the gravel drive to a circle at the
front veranda, where a Ford Bronco is parked. Ivy vines
creep up the house's exterior, in minor disrepair.
She steps out, surprised by the scale of it. Cicadas buzz.
A summer breeze whispers. And as she approaches •••
••• we follow her in reflection ... as ANGLE CREEPS INTO her
car's driver-side MIRROR ..• 8.
INT. DEVEREAUX HOOSE
Caroline •steps through the open front door to a large foyer,
with an arcing staircase. A dusty chandelier hangs above. A
faded painting of St. Peter on the wall.
The room (like the whole house) is slightly over-furnished:
mismatched bookshelves and armoires. The general decor
bespeaks an old-fashioned Southern sensibility.
CAROLINE
Hello,
There's no answer~
INT. LIVING ROOM
Antique furniture and
of large windows over
gardens slopes tot a painting of St. Michael frame a wall
ing the backyard. A gras·sy lawn and
a .s of a marshy be.you.
Near the water, an
HAN in a wheelchair
wears a kitchen apron. ·s giving a haircut to an OLD loth beneath his feet.· She·
P-SNIPS from outside •••
,s.)
Here for a did mine.
She turns to see LUKE MARSHALL, ~• dsome in a rmnpled suit, leaning in the docrvay. es his hair with a
smile and a gentle Southern acce • ·
LUKE I'm kidding. It's Caroline, right?
CAROLINE
sorry I --the doer was open--
LUKE
Upstairs, didn't hear you. It's a big
house.
CAROLINE
Yeah.
He reaches her, extends a warm hand.
LOKE
Luke Marshall. His estate lawyer. We
spoke on tne phone--
CAROLINE
Yes, hi, ~hat's him? LUKE
They say a few weeks, maybe. He's
pretty far gone.
CAROLINE
I understand.
LUKE
His wife's kinda having a rough time
with it,
CAROLINE
That's natural.
LUKE
(nods, regards her)
Caroline --that's a nice name~ Means
something to o with singing, I bet.
NE
I'm sor --i the interview with you
o:r with s. ?
L
Oh, I'm jus
Help who?
Luke offers a hopeful look.
LUKE
Listen, when I introduce ... let me
do most of the talking.
EX'!'. BACK c:ARDENS -l>A'! 9.
The Old Woman gathers up the tablecloth with the fallen hair,
takes her jar of combs and scissors and heads for the house--
LUKE (O.S,)
Violet, you have a visitor.
--and sees Luke and Caroline approaching. She's VIOLET
DEVEREATJl(, 71, a grandmotherly, long-faded Southern belle.
LUKE
This is Caroline Ellis, with Hospice
of New Orleans. Caroline, this is
Violet Devereaux, Ben's wife.
CAROLINE It's a p1~asure to m~et yo~, Mre.
Oe-s,erea111<. '!ou have a lovely hOl\\e. 10.
Caroline offers a sm:i.ling hand. Violet looks her over.
VIOLET
ll!llt1ph.
And walics right past, into the house.
Luke sighs, leads Caroline on, toward the Old Man --.still in his wheelchair facing the swamp ..•
LUKE
I'm sorry, it's just hard the idea
of a stranger in her house--
CAROLINE
I understand. Really.
""'• o~ ,·o,w, '"" """" womens sy. So what got you
involve spice1
I'm applying~ for the fall,
Kind of a oh~~
Change fro!0~at~
CAROL~E ,A
A friend of mine had a a
manage it for him, helped
LUKE
What's the band? Maybe I know it.
CAROLINE
Thanks. I wouldn't want you to.
She defers .polite:y as they reach the Old Man --BEN
DEVEREAUX, 16, an emaciated wraith of a man, bones brittie1
face vacant. Totally still. Luke stays behind him:
LUKE
Well, here's the man of the hour.
( over-loud)
Ben, I want you to meet Caroline
Ellis! You see her, Ben?! Can you
show her you see her?!
The old man's eyes vaguely find caroline's. His head doesn't turn. A sad and faraway look, slightly haunting. Caroline CAROLINE
He can't talk at all?
LU!(E
The stroke pretty much paralyzed him:
he's just wasting away.
CAROLINE
Which side was affected?
LUKE
Both,
CAROLINE
(frowns)
Both?
Yeah,
severe.
the att said it's really
a month ago. Up in
where she found him.
It tremors steadily.
Hello, B • l'
They turn ::e~:e n::o:!::T th: b~- A► still in her
kitchen apron but now with a cig':::t'P'
VIOLET
I don't want h@r.
LUKE
Violet, you haven't even--
VIOLET
She's not from here. Look at her.
She von't understand the house.
LUKE She's from New Orleans!
VIOLET
Wasn't raised, though. Hear how she
talks. Who knows .lUlllll she's from--
CAROLINE
I'm from Elizabeth, New Jersey. 11. VIOLET
llmmph.
LUKE
Violet! It's an accent --you'll get
used to it,
VIOLET
We liked the last girl better.
ttlllE
We? Who is "we"'? You're
Ben's mind now? The last
Violet. And this is~
you need help with him--
VIOLET reading
girl l&tt,
You know
She won't un erstand the house. She's
not right. 12.
She goes
He sighs ws up his hands, exasperated.
n apology.
EXT. DEVEREAUX HOOSE
Caroline gets in her car
LUKE
Wait, please, let me talk
CAROLINE
l can't help anyone who doesn't want
me helping.
LUKE
She dw:.a want help. She's just
scared.
CAROLINE
Of what? Politeness?
LUKE
He's the love of her life and he's
dying.
Caroline stops, key in the ignition. Luke's desperate:
LUKE
They've·been together forever.
Sweetheaxts, soulmates, all that crap.
And now she's gotta go it alone.
(MOREi LUKE (CONT'D)
I don't know about you, but that'd
probably put some sandpaper up llllt ass.
CAROLINE
Aren't you a rO!Dantic.
I try.
CAROLINE
Keep trying.
LUKE
Look, I do wills and·trusts --not
searching for caregivers. But it's a
service the firm provides. The last
one she hired quit, you're the tenth
interview since she's shot down
every one.
(despe
See, to
means i
It's all it
I'm here or not. 13.
She glances to the hou e curtain rustle closed in
an upstairs window. ~
What'd she mean abou t use; CAROLINE ~
LUKE
What?
CAROLINE
She said I wouldn't understand the
house. Why'd she say that?
LUKE
She bas her quirks. Look, she's a
porcupine, I know. But her checks
clear, trust me. And she has to have
soroebndy.
(pleads)
Can I talk to her? Will you wait?
CAROLINE
You can talk to her.
Luke smiles gratefully, about to head for the house-
CAROLINE
J\l>out how my salary just went up. -14.
INT. CAROLINE & JILL'S APT. -PAY
Jill watches Caroline pack, in a funky bedroom with vintage
rock tour posters. Shelves upon shelves of albl.llllS and CP's.
CAROLINE
Two rules: you play any of my stuff, put it back where you found it. It
goes genre, band alphabetical, year of
release, Bands that switch genres go
on more than one shelf, not the .li.illllfl.
shelf.
JILL
What's the second rule?
CAROLINE
No listening o anything by him.
She hefts a plastic
( labeled "The Inf illed with CP's, tapes and demos
") , dragging it into a closet.
Why don't that?
You don't life.
She snatches an armful of sheet
the closet floor in a pile,
JILL
You just bury it.
EXT. APT. BLPG. -NEW ORLEANS -DAY ets and drops it on
usic crate.
Caroline stuffs cne last suitcase into her Honda Civic •••
JILL
Well, you better not start feeling at
home out there, drinking mint juleps
and joining a bridge club--
CAROLINE I'll.be back before you know it.
JILL
And you better call me, okay?
Whenever you wanna talk to someone who
wasn't around for World War Two.
C!\P.OL!NE
What's with you and old people? JILL
They terrify me. 15.
She's straight-faced, then smiles. Gives a heartfelt hug,
JILL
Be careful out there.
EXT. BAYOU COUNTRY -DUSK
The sun casts deep shadows as ANGLE SWEEPS through the scrub
oaks, dripping with moss --skirting the bayou and finding
Caroline's Civic, headed back for Terrebonne Parish ••.
EX'l'. RAMSHACKLE GAS STATION -DUSK
CB.reline pumps gas at a rundown general store. Somewhere
unseen, a.!IAB.Y is cryin She replaces the pump, grabs her
wallet and enters the,.,......,,;;;e .... passing its .wishbone chimes.
INT. STORE
At the screen rail of RED OUST crossing
the doo:rway. elves, buzzing flies. No
one's behind the regi YING baby is louder --from
a door left ajar to a way.
CAROLI ..
Hello? I need to pay '
No answer. The baby' s WAIL grow e · g. Unnerving her.
She holds a $20 bill, steps towa rk hall •.•
CAROLINE
Um ... hello?!
The BAWLING continues, a SHRIEK now, as Csroline reaches the
doorway ... and then suddenly SILENCE.
Caroline takes a step back. Then puts her $20 bill on the
counter and hurries out.
EX'l'. RAMSHACKLE GAS STATION
Caroline returns to her car •.• as the unseen CRYING res\ll!IEOS.
Disturbed, she looks back to the store. No signs of life.
CAROLINE
Welcome to the neighborhood ..•
INT. DEVEREAUX HOUSE -CAROLINE'S ROOM -NIGHT
A PHOTO is set on a side tab1e: of a b1ue-co11ar DAO
teaching a LITTLE GIRL to play guitar. 16.
Caroline regards it, then surveys her room: faded curtains
and a four-poster bed. Small flowerpots with white violets.
Her new home.
INT. ADJOINING Bll.THROOH
Caroline enters vith some toiletries ..... and stops as she faces
the sink. There's a medicine cabinet above --but a small
framed watercolor hangs where a mirror should be.
Caroline frowns. There's no mirror in the bathroom at all.
INT. LOliER HALL -NIGHT
Caroline walks the faded floral carpet, looking for-
CAROLINE
She fi.nds
bathr00111. Mrs. Devereaux? I'm all unpacked!
foyer, l:>eside another open door to a
ns1 and takes note.
There's no mirror oom either ◄
INT. UPPER LNIDING/l!ALL
Jin antique-decorated hal li. ll sconces, runs the
length of the house --bis he staircase. At one
end, a closed door is flan n s gone out.
At the other end hangs a larg o black swans in flight. Beside it, a .bedroom do i o •
INT. BEN'S ROOM -NIGHT
Caroline enters to see the old man in·bed,
He's in near-dark.~ess 1 staring into space.
plays faintly on a vintage phonograph,
CAROLINE wheelchair nearby.
Zydeco MUSIC
Remember ;ue, Mr. Devereaux? I'm gonna
l:>e staying with you, •. for awhile.
(tries a smil.e)
All right if I call you Ben? I like
Ben better.
She steps to his bedside, adjusts his blanket.
CAROLINE
Not a lot of light in here for you.
That how you want it?
The old man stays·expressionless. She lifts his a:ans to tuck
the blanket higher, taking his hand in hers--CAROLINE
I'm Caroline, I don't know if you
remember. I like your music--
--and su<idenly finds she can't free her hand--17.
--because b1.:;. hand GRIPS it tight. She jerks back, spooked,
but he won•,t let go. He clutches fiercely •.• and his distant
eyes meet hers. His grip stays resolute.
CAROLINE
Ben, hey --ouch, what's the--
VIOLET (O.S.)
He needs his remedies.
Ben's grip releases. Caroline spins to see Violet entering
with a tray --a small rtar & pestle and a water glass.
He has
his reme
{edge
Pale, pale, had
She puts a hand to 'f taking temperature.
Nine in the morning · 'at night.
Needs his pills in ,--I'll
show you where. Help i it
down.
She pours the pestle's powder into t e water glass, stirs it
with a spoon. It clouds into silty gray.
VIOLET
Have your remedies now.
She tips the glass to Ben's lips, holding
He drinks with difficulty, spilling some.
chin, kisses his forehead--
VIOLET
And a kiss to make it taste. a kerchief beneath.
Violet wipes his
She smiles sadly, squeezes his hand. Caroline notices that
this time Ben doesn't grip back.
Violet sighs, then lookS Caroline up and down, appraising: VIOLET
Scrawnier than I'd like. Pretty
though. Bet you're all marked up,
aren't you.
CAROLINE
Marked up?
VIOLET
Written on. You young folks, you're
always jabbin' yourselves with ink and
needles. Written on, aren't you.
CAROLINE
Not where you can -see.
Violet gives a grouchy look of distaste.
Hmmph.
INT. VIOLET'S ROO 18.
A DOOR opens, _casti an antique-furnished, four-
poster bedroom. Must
VI •
This here's my ro , 'Pp. t _, ross the hall. You'll not be ed ere and I'll respect your ro ame.
. . .
INT. OPPER HALL
violet shuts the door, leaving the bedrooms' end and valking
Caroline back toward the stairs ...
VIOLET If he makes a ruckus in the night, I
can hear him. l..eave him to me.
CAROLINE
Does he have those often spasms"?
VIOLET
Don't mind 'em. He's to be fed twice
a day, plus his remedies. I make his
meals myself: you're not to share
them. ·That was a problem with the last girl, so you know.
CAROLINE
Understood. VIOLET
He's to be bathed daily and his linens
changed. He spends his afternoons in
the gardens --the porch if inclement-
and evenings he rests with some music. 19.
At. a side table, she gives a cluck of distaste, picking some
dead stalks out of a vase of flowers.
CAROLINE
How long've you lived here?
VIOLET
Oh, let me think. Since '62. we
moved down from Savannah, Convinced
the owners to sell the property, I was
a realtor back then--
INE
Must have it a history.
VIO
Hmmph. S banker built it, We used for my
husband's an . All the
riff-raff he .!ll!!r' it's in here. 'Cept
She stops at the stairs, motion
door with the unlit wall scone
VIOLET --it's for china and
(eyes her)
I keep a close count
you know,
INT. LIBRARY -NIGHT he hall's
crys and such.
of all that, so end: the
A CABINET is opened, a JEWELRY BOX is removed, and unlatched :o reveal •.• an old-fashioned IRO!il KEY.
VIOLET (0. S,)
There's more than thirty rooms in all.
They made a separate key for every
door in the old days, depending who
was allowed where.
She stands with Caroline at a sideboard, amidst the room's
stacks of bookshelves, filled to brimming. VIOLET
.For the owner they made a skeleton
key. Every room, it'll open. This
one's yours, I have the other.
She hands her the key. Then, almost an afterthought:
VIOLET
It's an old house; makes noises.
Sometimes shadows play tricks. But
don't pay 'mn no attention. ¥ou be
good to it and it'll be good to you. 20.
Caroline frowns at her tone. But Violet's already leaving-
VIOLET
Next is the pantry --I may send you
=~ ~~·:::-:~,
Violet stops. Car i ing at the sideboard: an
inset section has a dif t . d stain, as if once covered.
CAR NE
I was just ••• I .
bathrooms, for i aren't
any mirrors.
VIOLET
Child, you get as worn-ou ,
wrinkled as we are, you d t need
reminding. You want a little one for
your own use, it's fine with me.
CAROLINE
What'd you do with yours?
VIOLET
(a strange shrug)
We put them away.
INT. LOWER HALL -NIGHT
They reach Caroline's room, finishing the tour--
VIOLET
Now the boy tells me you don't smoke.
I smoke, I smoke often and I enjoy it.
I trust that won't be an issue.
CAROLINE It won't be. VIOLET
Then be aware that in most respects I'll live as if you weren't in
residence. We're not kin, after all.
Your own parents still living?
CAROLINE
No,
VIOLET
(stops, surprised)
Oh? Must've been young.
CAROLINE
My father died last year --of cancer.
He raised me.
Oh my. for him as _well?
NE
I would 21.
Violet raises an eyeb~o ' r ine shifts, uncomfortable .••
CAR NE
We'd had .•• kind a ing out. But
I would've. If I d , . little
time we had left.
Violet studies her. caroline ex . nishment. But
Violet nods, with a rare touch o :
VIOLET
You think too much about the time you
have left, child ••• you don't spend it
living.
Caro1~ne smiles~ Violet approximates one.
VIOLE'l'
You be good to my husband. You be
good to his house. He'll need his
remedies-at nine~
INT. KITCHEN -DAY
BOTTLES OF PILLS sit on a counter. Handwritten labels, not
typed. Five pills dre placed in the small pestle ••• as
Caroline grinds them to powder. •
INT. UPSTAIRS BATHROOM -PAY
A faucet ·churns water.
naked skin and bones. Ben's in his wheelchair:
A lifeless stare.
CAROLINE
Oon't mind me, I've seen it all
before •.• let's get you clean here •.• 22.
slumped,
Her pants rolled up, she sets his feet in the tub --then lifts at the shoulders, guiding him to the tub's edge. She
steps into the water, pivots her patient and eases him in--
--and notes the wall above the sink. No mirror.
INT. FOYER -DAY
caroline locks Ben's
built into the wall
dressed, his face
EXT. BACK GARDE!llS elchair onto a motorized DESCENDER
curved ·staircase. He's freshly It carries him down,
Caroline wheels Ben front patch where Violet --
with sunhat and cigar rdening.
VIO
Just set him .there, 'if}d. e.t him face the water --he t. You
don't see gardens li in New
Jersey, I expect. · ·
CAROLINE
Actually, it's the Garden State.
VIOLET
Oh, I doubt that very much. Nothing
more glorious than a garden. Gone
every.winter, back every spring.
(searching garden-box)
Fiddlesticks, where's my Jack-in-the
Pulpits? Do me a blessing and run up to the attic, child. There's a box of
my seed packets --it's right by the stairs, could you fetch it for me?
CAROLINE
We're not related, Mrs. Devereaux.
Violet frowns. Caroline's firm, but friendly:
CAROLINE
.My name's Caroline. :It's not '"'child .. '' 23.
INT. UPPER ll.llLL'S END -~y
The attic door sits flanked by the dark sconces. Caroline
mounts the main stairs, reaches to open it--
--and finds it locked. She frowns, as if it's the first one
she's come across.
INT. CAROLINE'S ROOM -MOMENTS LATER
The skeleton key is swept up from Caroline's dresser.
INT. UPPER'S HALL'S END
caroline puts the key into the attic door's lock. It rattles until the teeth catch --and turn --as she opens--
--to reveal an enclos SPIRAL STAIRWELL, with water-clamaged
wooden steps. She f a wall switch --a dim sconce turns
dull yellow somewhe
She climbs it to find it !il"co;llli door --faded from
water da!llage. She turns one's locked too.
Her brow furrows. Two doors same place?
She inserts the skeleton key. J gl
The upper door creaks open to reveal tles --unlocks.
INT. ATTIC
A dark, angled-roof storage space. Water stains warp the
floor, shelves and boxes. Shapes under drop-cloths, tattered
rolls of insulation, boxes of tile, paint cans.
The only dim light spills from the stairwell. Caroline feels
for a wall switch, but finds none.
Instead, her foot kicks a shoebox beside the stairs
with gardening seed packets. She picks it up--laden
--and then stops. She peers ahead in the dimness. At the
far side of the attic, thirty feet further into the shadows, is a backless shelving unit of tile boxes and paint cans.
This shelf is blocking a DOOR.
Intrigued; she steps closer. Floorboards CREAK underfoot. • 24.
She pushes tile boxes aside, to glimpse the door --dark,
heavy wood, badly wa;cped, hinges rusted. It appears to have
been re-hinged many times. Its knob is rusted black, but its
keyhole looks like all the rest.
She sets.the seed-box down, puts the skeleton key into the
keyhole. And turns.
But the warped door doesn't open. The key sticks and won't
rotate. It remains locked.
Caroline jiggles the key, tries to twist the knob and force it --but it doesn't budge.
She steps back, removes the key. Another floorboard CREAKS.
She spins at the sound, then relaxes. She's all alone.
Huh.
EXT. BACK GAROENS
Violet's garden, weeding thatch--
She squints up to see Carol the seed-box.
VIOLET
The key, what key?
CAROLINE
The key you gave me for the house.
There's a door in the a~tic it doesn't
work for.
VIOLET
The attic? Oh, in the attic --no, it's never opened that. I thought you
meant the staircase. (rifles seed-box) Jack-in-the-Pulpits. There we are.
CAROLINE
What's in then?
VIOLET
Seeds, child.
CAROLINE
In the· .a.ttiJ::; Behind the door • VIOLEl' I've no idea. Been shut since we
first moved in. Tl1e other keys don't•
work it either. Another closet, I
expect.
CAROLINE
You've never opened one of the doors
in your own house?
VIOLET
Well, we never wanted for space. Now
be a dear and see to Mr. Devereaux -
I wonder if he wouldn't like some iced
tea.
CAROLINE
(stares t her)
Right. 25.
Violet returns to
who stares emptily drifts, moored by r ning. Caroline looks to Ben -
you ..•. where a RUSTED CANOE ton the backyard bank.
Violet When your · , s~~oke ••• he
was in the a . shall said.
sets down her trowel wit~
VIOLET
So he was.
CAROLINE
Do you know what he was doing?
VIOLET
As much as I know what you were. I
as:unne he was up there looking for
something. It's since been difficult
to engage him on the subject.
She gives her a snappish look. Caroline nods, retreats.
CAROLINE
Sorry.
VIOLET
Oh, and Caroline, ..
(a curt smile)
Extra sweet, please, the tea. I
wouldn't mind some myself. •
• 26.
INT, CAROLINE'S ROOIII -NIGHT
AAIN patters the window. ·caroline's in bed, in T-shirt and
panties, reading a Tulane School of Nursing course catalog.
Her gaze shifts to the skeleton key. It sits on her side
table. She looka away, but her gaze sidles back.
Distracted, she opens the table's drawer and sweeps the key
inside. Shuts it and springs from bed.
INT. CAROLINE'S BATHROOM
A COMPACT is snapped open to reveal its tiny MIRROR, as it's
placed on the sink ledge.
In its reflection, we see Caroline turn on a hot shower, and
then strip off her clot es, her back to us ..•
ANGLE CLOSES on the
and pulls the cur , as she climbs beneath the spray
the mirror starts to FOG .•.
INT. CAROLINE'S R
Dark and late. ANGLE ng bedsheets and a fo.cn
beneath, to find Carolin asleep, headphones on--
•-as there's a LOUD THUMP m Caroline stirs.
Then a faint, muffled scrape -- Then silence.
Caroline's eyes open.
Again, short and muffled
Caroline sits up in bed.
INT. FRONT FOYER
Caroline, in a flannel robe, peers up the staircase.
darkness above. She waits. Rain PATTERS. And then,
faint but clear --SKRRIIICH! Qnly
again,
She hits the switch for the chandelier. Light nooos the
foyer and upper landing. Nothing to be seen.
INT, OPPER LANDING/HALL
Caroline arrives at the top, listening for another sound.
She checks both directions, then frowns at something.
From a new switch, she shuts OFF the chandelier. The hall
goea dark again ... save for a dim strip ot LIGHT--\ 27.
--emanating from beneath the attic -stairway's door.
Caroline's breath hitches. She reaches into her pocket ... and
retrieves the skeleton key, as--
SKRRIIICH! She spins. It's pehind her.
Thrown, she's now facing the hall end with the bedrooms. She
marches for them, desperate to locate the sound. Reaching
Violet's door first, she silently tries the knob--
INT. VIOLET'S ROOM
--and opens it to see violet sleeping, grey hair tangled and
back turned. The !IAIN'S harder now. caroline shuts it--
INT. !ll\LLWAY
--and turns to She turns the knob--
--but this one Caroline's surprised. Key still in hand, · and turns--
WT. BEN'S ROOM
--and reveals a shadowy
Caroline hits the lights:
bed is disheveled. His ph
and POPPING at the end of a
Caroline spins with alar:m as
Not here, but it's somewhere close-
INT. HALLWAY d .elll'2U . Ben's gone!
c ir's still there. His
l turns, needle stuck
! --another scrape.
Caroline runs out, noting the attic stairway with the LIGHT still on beneath. There are several doors between her and it --as another SC!IAPE sounds, to her right --behind one--
INT. UPPER ROOMS -SERIES OF SHOTS
The KEY unlocks a door --LIGHTS ON in a sitting room,
cluttered with furniture. Another KEY, another REVEAL --a
guest bedroom, laden with books. Another REVEAL --a sewing
room, more quilts and clutter still--
--and as Caroline nears the hall's end, she stops still -
key already in another door --as she realizes--
CAROLINE
!iili. was locked •.. •
• 28.
INT. BEN'S ROOM
She rushes back, scanning the room, throwing open a closet
and then noticing for the first time--
--the water puddle beneath the closed windowsill.
She races over, where RAIN batters the roof eaves over the
backyard sunporch. She thrusts open the window--
EXT. BACK OF HOUSE -SUNPORCH ROOF
--to see a drenched Ben DRAGGING himself away along the roof, level with his window! SKRRIIICH! with each·struggling pull.
His legs useless, his palsied arms clawing weakly--
CAROLlNE
BEN!
The --of pure terror-
--as he reaches fo
clutching with .both
--as it
BEN,
--with a twelve-foot ARCING
ground! The trellis lands atop
INT. UPPER LANDING/HALL roof's edge,
onto it--
with it--
Caroline POUNDS on Violet's door, but doesn't wait--
CAROLINE
MRS. DEVEREAUX! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!
--as she rushes straight for the staircase-
EXT. BACK GARDENS
Caroline BURSTS out the sunporch door, seeing the trellis flat on the ground ••• and Ben struggling to pull himself away,
fifteen feet from it, headed toward the swamp.
Caroline reaches him, turning him over--
CAROLINE
Ben, what are you doing, Jesus--29.
--and his hand LASHES for her throat! His other for her
wrist! Caroline recoils, needing a shocked moment to realize
he's trying to fend .bn off--
CAROLINE
It's me! Hey, it's me!
But weak as he is, he keeps struggling, with choked, grunting
MOANS. They're the first sounds he's made. Caroline manages to pin his hands and he stares with horrified eyes--
CAROLINE
What is WRONG with you?!
--as Violet now runs from the house, in her nightgown--
VIOLET
Mother of , what's he done?
He got
was bedr I thought he
V
He has nigh
bleeding'? Oh
Violet collapses beside him, ki
his hai.r,. H.e seems to go remot
CAROLINE
God, if he broke somethin
even feel it?
VIOLET
(rocking him) s forehead, stroking
What'd you do. What'd they make you
do ...
Caroline notes her strange use of words-
CAROLINE
His door was locked.
VIOLET
I always lock it. It's the
nightmares. They make him struggle in
his sleep. He spasms, he crawls.
He's fallen before--
CAROLINE
From his window? VIOLET
The stairs. Fetch his
He'll catch his death.
get him warm--
CAROLINE
What about a doctor?
VIOLET chair, child.
We've got to
In the morning. Fetch his chair! 30.
Caroline recoils at her sharpness. Drenched, she backs away,
then turns and hustles into the house. Thunder ROLLS.
INT. BEN'S ROOM -NIGHT
Caroline hurries in, grabs Ben's wheelchair, then sees she left his window open, he jumps to shut it --and freezes.
One of Ben's bedshe twist. STREAKS o it up straight .•• f
ragged, spastic scra
.. .. .. nHELF ME" •
CAROLINE! s half-off the bed, bundled into a ter discolor it. Caroline lifts
treaks out to form letters --a
s •••
VI •
Astonished, she spins to the w • .
tenderly rocks her husband in thd~~• "'""''"'
Caroline considers. Then whips the eet off the bed, balling it up --as she grabs the wheelchair--
INT. UPPER HALL
--and rolls it to the stairs, where she stops short.
Noticing the light under the attic door •• ,is now Qf:f.
INT. CAROLINE'S ROOM -NIGHT
The crumpled sheet gets STUFFED in Caroline's suitcase.
VIOLET (0. S. l
Caroline?!
EXT. BACI< GARDENS
Caroline finally hustle• out, rattling the wheelchair across
the yard to reach the soaked old couple--
VIOLET
What in damnation took you? CAROLINE
I came as fast as I could.
Violet struggles to lift Ben into the chair-
VIOLET
Help me with him. Help me, would you?
Help me now, b.clil. me--31.
Off her repetition of the words, Caroline's eyes meet Ben's.
She lifts him, staring right into his eyes --somewhere
pained, lost, unknowable--
CAROLINE
I will.
INT. BEN'S ROOM -DAY
Sun streams in. A ha
examines Ben, back· COUNTRY DOCTOR with stethoscope
while Violet smokes, looks on.
It's like
night --whe
medication,
What've
Violet?
VIOLET
Oh, fiddlesticks.
him, not me. 01nes over h:!Jn at
eping --the
enough •••
~, s~king,
You•re,,,;or
Around the corner, Caroline's in the hallway ••• listening.
EXT, BACK GARDENS -DAY
The trellis leans against the sunporch, upright again,
caroline's re-tracing the path of Ben's crawl ...
CAROLINE
Where were you gi:iinQ: •••
... and looks ahead to the bayou. In this direction lies the
rusted canoe. Beyond it, a distinctive moss-laden oak.
Caroline approaches the canoe. At the water's edge, the
ground turns soggy. She looks down and now notices--
--a trail of REDDISH DUST in the grass, like crushed pebbles.
(Just like at the doorway of the creepy gas station.) It
forms a trail along the waterline, into the gardens--LOKE (O.S.)
So Dr. Kevorkian. You're here a week
and he's trying to kill himself.
Luke's on the back steps, rumpled suit and briefcase.
LUKE
You must have quite the bedside
manner,
CAROLINE
Among my many cha:rms.
LUKE
What the hell happened? I come out to
work on her will and she's in with the
doc. She says he fell. 32.
Caroline h roof to the ground. Luke
follows nods,
LUKE
There is no way you a
INT. CAROLINE'S ROOM -DAY
The door shuts, with a confused
LUKE Please don't tell me you're quitting.
I.'..m the one who'll have to replace you,~ have to start all over--
CAROLINE
Relax. I want to show you something.
She motions to the unmade bed, then rummages her closet.
Luke sits on the bed, regarding the room--
LUKE
Y'know, where I come from •.• a girl
will usually ask you to dinner first.
Caroline glares. She drags out her suitcase, opens it to
reveal the balled-up BEDSHEl!.T. As she uncrurnples it--CAROLINE
Look at this. It's from Ben's room..
I think he meant for me to find it--33.
••• and trails off, with the sheet now unfurled. It's
completely white. The dirty water-writing's ru,t. tll=. She
checks the other side, Uptlnds it. Nothing.
:LUKE
To find ••• his laundry?
CAROLINE
No, there was •.• it had.,.
She's pe,:plexed. Luke looks oddly at her.· ..
:LUKE
Off her
Caroline Had what?
(gets
Hey, the ~writte
She hates ' started about
with short hair
She's not much o
CAROLINE if you're
a sleeve to reveal·a tattoo:
her
A mystery.
Forget it. I thought .•• I don't know
what I thought •••
LUKE
You thought something about Ben.
She doesn't readily respond.
:LUKE
I admire you, you know. What you do.
CAROLINE
Don't.
:LUKE
I'm serious. If my own parents were
sick, ! don't· think I could take care
of them--
CAROLINE
You'd regret it. •
•
• •
• 34.
Luke now notices the photo of the Dad and Daughter on her
side table. But before he can ask--
CAROLINE:
When I was eighteen( I ran off with my
boyfriend. He had i,. band; a good ·
band, he was going s0111ewhere. My dad
hated the guy but I didn't care. I
figured home would always be there to
go back to. Figured my dad and I'd
one day patch things up.
(beat)
Before I ever found out he had cancer,
he was dead. He thought it was his
way of sparing me. From this.
LUKE
:~:n:o:rAN:ight about the
boyfrie~
She gives a bittersweet . i!rhen decides to risk it:
NE
Have you ever.. . elt like Ben was ask' lp?
LUKE
Asking~?
CAROLINE
In any way. A look, a touch. For ~-
Luke hesitates, as if recalling something when suddenly--
VIOLET (O.S.)
Mr. Marshall?! Where in damnation are
you? caroline, have you seen--
A SHARP KNOCK on the door, as Caroline swiftly grabs the
balled sheet from the bed and hides it behind her back. Luke
notices her strange action --as the door swings open--
--and Violet stops in mid-sentence to see Luke spring up from
the bed, Caroline standing beside him--
VIOLET
I ••• well .•• I see ..•
L~ke step5 out, wale•ing Violet a couple s~eps into the hali--LOKE
Now, Violet, you .knmL
woman in my life.
VIOLE'!' you' re the only ·
I know no such thing and I would like
you to remove your perspirations.
She swats his hands, with a stern look to Caroline-
VIOLE'!'
Hmmph.
(beat)
The physician's departed, young man,
so I'm prepared to discuss my
paperwork. ll in fact that's why
you're here. 35.
She harumphs off.~e her back, Luke dutifully bows for effect --then hand ar ne a business card--
LU
When you t · talk.
Violet spins back, eyei t .• Caroline innocently takes
his card, and as he foll · y--
--Caroline chucks the balle
IN'!'. BEN'S ROOM -DAY
A PADLOCK has been rigged to
Caroline regards it from the foot of the bed, carrying a tray
of gurri:>o. She looks to &en --sleeping soundly.
She sets the tray down, steps to the window. On a side table is a weathered 1962. PHOTO of Violet & Ben (early 30's) and their house --beside a ~sold" sign. A couple in love.
Outside the window, Violet's gardening below. Caroline looks
from the snapshot to the woman .•. with a look of resolve ..•
INT, UPPER HALL -DAY
The SKELETON KEY unlocks the door to the attic stairwell,
Caroline glances over her shoulder,
INT. SPIRAL STAIRWELL
She climbs the dim-lit, narrow passage. At the top, she
unlocks the second door ... •
•
• • 36.
INT. ATTIC
..• and confronts the cluttered room, with
door still blocked by the shelving unit.
breath ... then svitches OFF the stairvay's the warped wood
Caroline takes a
light.
Pitch black until a FLASHLIGHT pops on.
the shelves and warped door--She makes her way to
~-and pushes tile boxes aside again, to find the blackened
doorknob. She kneels, shines her light in the keyhole.
Something's blocking it.
There's a GROAN of roof-beams --an outside wind. She spins
the light, scans the attic ••• sees nothing •••
So she returns to the keyhole. She pulls a piece of coat
hanger, jimmies the hol to try and clear it. It CLINKS
something metal. Car e abandons her attempt--
--and switches to
leverage, and retr
--a distinctive SHAP.D O
caroline shines the li
holds the end of her own in. She feels around, gets
ly .•• pulling·out--
t PLINKS to the floor. 's a broken~ of key. to · , It's ·a match.
The walls GROAN again; this ' ores. She rises,
inserts her key into the keyhol
This time it turns. CLICK.
Caroline swallows.
And pushes open the door. She
A ROSH of air sweeps out, stirring up dust within the attic
and forcing Caroline's eyes shut momentarily.
The door sticks, opening only a foot. Caroline clears the tile boxes to one side, and puts her arms and torso throuQb
the shelving unit, putting weight into it--
--and as the door opens wider, she climbs fully· through,
INT. THE SECRET ROOM
It's the size of a walk-in closet. Slats of natural light
come from a·small ventilation-grate above, dappled by swaying
oaks outside. Dust motes swirl in the half-light.
Hanging from a string overhead, like a drying bouquet, are a
cluster of animal WISHBONBS . 37.
There are numerous CRATES and BOXES, a WH££L OF FORTUNE with
runic symbols, and two unfinished CANVASES propped up on the
floor. ~here's a rolltop desk with nails protruding from odd
angles. A snake-headed SCEPTER in the shape of a cross.
Caroline, on all fours, now rises. Flashlight off.
More faint GROANS from the attic floorboards beneath her.
Her head jangles the wishbones as she stands; like dead
chi.mes. She turns the two canvases away from the wall--
One is a painting of a black wall and oval mirror, with a
BLACK MAN's face. The face has no features. The second
painting is the same, but in the mirror is a BLACK WOMAN.
Featureless --just concavities and raised ridges. Both paintings look·weathered and ancient.
Caroline shudders,
reveal a Mason Jar
INT. SllNPORCH -S desk. Opens it to
The screen door BAN nters, wiping her brow and
pulling off gardenin
VI
Caroline? I'm ma ,:n 'if;et. ea --can I interest you? Caro e
She frowns at the silence. ►
INT. SECRET ROOM -Sl\ME
Caroline opens more desk drawers: finding faded vials of
various preserved ROOTS, POWDERS and HAIR. Beneath the desk• is a massive round HATBOX made of alligator skin.
She opens the box to find a stack of RECORDS inside. She
removes the top one from its sleeve: ~August 24, 1909. New
Iberia Parish. Papa Justify's Conjure of Sacrifice.w
INT. BEN'S ROOM
Violet regards the lunch tray beside her sleeping husband.
She lifts a spoonful of the gumbo to her lips, touches her
tongue to it. Still warm.
INT. UPPER HALL
Violet shuts Ben's door with a wary look ••.
VIOLET
Caroline, you in the house? • 38 •
•.. and stops, gaze settling on the attic stairway door.
INT. SEC~ ROOM
Caroline turns to the boxes and crates: there's a thick
SCRAPBOOK atop the stack, covered in dust. It has a mosaic
of stones, beads and mirror shards for a cover.
She opens it to a photo of the DEVEREAUX HOUSE, circa 1912.
A group poses on the frorit lawn, a WEALTHY COUPLE and two
REDHEADED CHILDREN, flanked by GUESTS in summer formalwear.
At the edges, an African-American BUTLER and MAID.
She turns the page. Another photo: the same two children, a
BOY and GIRL, both 10. The butler and maid standing behind
them, hands on shoulders. Unsmiling.
The next page, in ragged
Justify and Blessed T "Conjure Book of Uncle
She flips pages,
with labels like"
Coins-in-Pocket,n" structions, recipes and sketches
a Wandering Eye,'' "'Conjure of
a Lying Tongue."
INT. O!?!?ER HALL'S END
Violet inserts her skelet
stares strangely as it won'~
It was unlocked already.
INT. SECRET ROOM/ATTIC
Caroline spins at the sound of
stairwell door is still closed
through beneath it. he attic stairway door,
B the knob does.
R below. The top
yellow LIGHT now spills
She shuts the book, scrambles out --accidentally KICKING the
1909 record under the shelving unit and into the main attic!
Violet's FOOTSTEPS climb the stairs ...
Caroline SCRAMBLES back through, jerking her legs and
catching a falling paint can from smacking the floor! She
spins to pull the door shut, reconfigures the shelf •.• and
then searches her pockets for the broken end of key--
--which she tries to shove back in the lock. Her hands are
trembling, it won't fit in. It hits the floor.
INT. SPIRAL STAIRWELL
Violet's marching up the steps, almost there--39.
INT. ATTIC
--as Caroline sees the under-door light blocked by shadow.
She abandons the effort, snatches the key-piece and crawls
for hiding behind a dusty-mirrored dressing table--
--and then sees, ten feet away, the 1909 record lying in the
middle of the floor--
INT. SPIRAL STAIRWELL
--as Violet reaches for the second doer's knob, not even
bothering with the key tb.is time--
INT. ATTIC
--and stepping into ••• a dark, empty attic.
The record's not on
the bookshelf, is s
Behind the dresser, Caro
1909 record. Hidden from
Violet oor. The warped door, blocked by
.e room is silent.
breath, clutching the
VIOLET
You're forgetful,
She says it to herself, sighs, and descends the stairs.
Shutting --and locking --the top stairwell door.
Caroline takes a breath. Waits until she hears the lower
stairwell door shut --and lock --and then hits her
FLASHLIGHT. Rises from hiding, still trembling.
She leans on the dresser to steady herself, glancing at her
o,'ll face in its dusty mirror--
AS A SHADOW MOVES SLOWLY
right behind her, in blurred reflection. A DARK, FORMLESS
SHAPE. · Caroline spins, raising hands to defend--
--as a DARK DUSTCOVER slips off a standing DRESSING MIRROR.
Caroline relaxes, steps to re-cover it. It has an ornate, gilt-silver frame. oval. Etched with figurative detail. 40.
But as she replaces the cover, she notices a whole GROUP of
sheet-=vered objects leaning against the wall nearby. She
removes the sheet to find •.. MIRRORS. Dozens of them. Large,
small, fancy, plain. some of them have faces WARPED --the
glass BUBBLED, DISTENDED or SCRATCHED,
Caroline turns a troubled circle --scouring the attic with
the flashlight beam. Shadows and silence.
IN'l.'. OPPER HALL'S END
An EYE through a keyhole. A beat later, the door opens and
Caroline slips out into the empty hall.
INT. CAROLINE'S ROOM
She pulls the 1909 record from under her shirt, stuffing it
under her pillow as--
Caroline o (O.S.)
Where'v ou ?
CA I
CAROLINE
Yeah. He was sleeping, t , so •.. I
just left it--
VIOLET
Best to wake him up and feed him or
the gumbo gets cold.
CAROLINE
I'm sorry, Mrs. Devereaux. I'll warm it up again right sway.
VIOLET
No harm. I lcnow how it is ... to be
tired.
She holds Caroline with an enigmatic look.
VIOLET
When you next have time to go into
town, I left a list in the kitchen--
CAROLINE
l have time today. Violet nods, then seems to soften. Smiles.
VIOLET
Thank you for all your help --with my
husband. It's so nice not to be
alone. In this house.
EXT. NEW ORLEANS STRE!f;T -DAY 41.
Caroline's Civic travels the towering city, passing a Garden
District streetcar.
INT. CAROLINE & JILL'S APT. -CLOSET -DAY
An old RECORD PLAYER gets dug from a packed closet, amidst
stacks of co1s, albums, laminates and posters.
A framed picture clatte s free --of a smiling, leather-
jacketed Caroline in nus of the MUSICIAN she encountered
in the club, surro bandmates and equipment.
She tosses it brus lY.
INT. APT. LIVING ROOM
The dusty
E>arish. --
Caroline lowers the needle.
SCRATCHES and POPS. Heavy backg --possibly outdoor --recording.
CLAPPING. RATTLING from a sand-fil
then a woman's soulful HUMMING--if an amateur
D!UlMEIE:AT and
WASHBOARD and
--wh.ich soon takes on the rhythms of an old Negro spiritual--
FEMALE SINGER (ON RECORD)
Lawdy lawd, come to free my soul--
GROUP CHORUS (ON RECO:IU>)
Lawdy lawd, come to free my soul--
SINGER
Lawoy lawd, let the good times roll--
CHORUS
Lawdy lawd, let the good t.:!.mes roll--
SINGER
Rattlesnake, rattlesnake, shed that
skin--• The CHORUS
Rattlesnake, rattlesnake,
skin--shed that
SINGER Split me open, let the lawd ,:oll in--
CHORUS
Split me open, let the lawd roll in--
call-and~response picks up the pace--
SINGER ANPCHOROS
Rollllll on! Rollllll on! Rollllll
on! Rollllll on! Roll! Roll! Roll!
Roll! Roll! Roll! Roll! Roll! 42.
As the shouts of "RollH hit like drum-strikes, a MAN's guttural CHANTING beg' --low and steady, building
ominously, words u · el ible. And a WOMAN's wordless SONG
--an open wail, nging ildly in pitch and voluroe.
Caroline stares at trying to make out the
SHRlEK --someone sere
Caroline hovers, breathle record; stepping closer, the SONG builds into a
and then goes SILENT ..•
Only the MUSIC continues .•. t · ·, lurking beat ...
And now Caroline turns •.. to see l n e front door, with
her handsome African-American DATE. echless.
Caroline slaps·the record needle, shutting it off.
CAROLINE
Hey, didn't hear you come in. I was,
uh ••. just playing some music.
EXT. FIRE ESCAPE -NIGHT
Caroline and Jill sit alone, feet dangling. Through the
window, Jill's date waits patiently. Jill holds the record:
CAROLINE
The wife says it's been locked up the
whole time they've lived there. Maybe
that's· true, maybe that's bullshit,
but either way.--
J!LL
· You found yourself a hoodoo ro011\ . Jill CAROLINE
A what?
JILL
You know what hoodoo is?
CAROLINE
I know what voodoo is.
JILL
voodoo's a religion, slaves brought it
from Africa. Hoodoo's different --it
started here in the South. It's like
a homegrown version.
CAROLINE
How's it different?
More sec~. t's less about God and more ab mag ' • And more popular
with you it • ou Cock ASians.
hands the record b , m.,. g wryly.
CAA NE
Magic.
JILL
Spells, conjures ..• it. She shops at this
Quarter--
CAROLINE
She believes in it?
JILL
She keeps a recipe book. Y'know, get
your man back, make your man leave -
that stuff always sells.
CAROLINE
She stick the pins in the dolls?
JILL
I think that's only on TV. She mostly lights candles·and sprinkles powder
and gives you dirty looks.
CAROLINE
Does she get a lot of men that way?
JILL
She dates women now. •
• •
Jill's date RAPS on the window, motions to his watch.
blows him a kiss just a sec.
JILL
Me, of course, I'm blessed' with
natwcal irresistability. 44.
Jill
Caroline doesn't smile. Jill sees she's still bothered.
INT. JILL
Look. You :i.a.i.ci the house had a
history, right? I wouldn't worry
about it --hoodoo magic's pretty
harmless.
CAROLINE
Harmless how?
mumbo jumbo,
don't
Late. Ben lies sleepi checks in on him. She
steps to his side and adJ et.
The old man twitches slightly ng. His mouth moves
but he remains asleep. Carolin~ d kes his hand ..•
INT. UPPER HALL 1
Reluctantly, she re-locks his door with the skeleton key ••.
and then looks to Violet's closed door.
INT, ATTIC
The door edges open, as a SHADOW falls upon the boxes and
fu.rniture ... and then the covered mirrors in the corner.
It's caroline. With a dete:i:mined look,in her eye.
INT. VIOLET'S ROOM -MORNING
Sun streams brightly. Violet's just dressed, bed made, as
she empties a vase of dying flowers and exits--
INT. OPPER HALL
--crossing to unlock Ben's door, humming to herself--INT. BEN' S ROOM
--as she opens it and GASPS, The vase drops and BREAKS.
REVERSE to see Ben in b<ld, staring at her with a wide,
frightened gaze. But Violet's eyes are not on him.
They're on the MIRROR now hanging on his wall.
INT. FRONT FOYER 45.
Violet hurtles downstairs, clutching the tllirror. She hits
the foyer and stops still--
--at the sight of ANOTHER MIRROR now hanging beside the door.
INT. CAROLINE'S ROOM -MORNING
A FOONDING brings ca shirt, just out of to the door. She's in her T
s she opens to see--
She's clutching three eyes w-ild--
CAR
I don't unders s-
VIOLET , •
This is not your hous T r order
here! There's order int ouse!
CAROLINE
What, I found 'em --I needed one in
my bathroom and--
VIOLET
I told you! You heard me! NO MIRRORS!
Violet storms off. caroline allows a small smile.
INT. ATTIC -MOMENTS I.ATER
Violet puts the mirrors back in the corner, re-covering them
with a dropcloth as Caroline enters behind her--
CAROLINE
I1ve seen the room.
Violet spins, tense.
VJ:OI.i:T
What room? •
•
• • 4G.
CAROLINE
The room you say you've never seen.
She pulls the half-key from her pocket --the broken metal
bit that was wedged in the lock.
CAROLINE It' s no,t locked an;>111,ore.
Caroline starts for the warped door --as Violet DARTS to
defend it, Blocking the shelves with her body! Caroline
stops still. A tense silence ...
VIOLET
You don't know ... you don't know l!lha,J;.
you've seen ...
Her voice, for the is scared. Caroline nods.
No.
EXT. BAYOC SWl\MP -
Spanish moss sways in
cypress. Their twist s ,in from oak and
duckweed waters ..
VIOLET 0.,
You're not from. the S
understand.
CLOSE on Violet's face, beaten and r
long drag from a cigarette, flecks
VIOLET
A ;room like that --you don't throw
those things away. It just brings
trouble on you. Best to leave 'em
where you find 'em.
(distant)
House is theirs as much as ours.
CAROLINE
The house is whose? takes a
REVEAL they sit at opposite ends of the rusted canoe -
drifting --in the waters just off the backyard. Ben is in
the gardens, a wheelchair still-life.
Caroline has her arms folded, a skeptical inquisitor. Violet
nods to the paddle in Caroline's lap, with annoyance--
VIOLET
! told you to row where he can't hear . She nods in Ben's direction. Caroline paddles a bit •.•
CAROLINE
Violet Whose things are in that room?
I/IOI.ET
Back a hundred years ago ••. the banker that lived here, Thorpe was his name.
Made his fortune cheating the poor, the way I heard it. It was him and
his family and a couple of colored
servants. Names of Mama Cecile and
Papa Justify.
(beginning a tale)
What Thorpe didn't lcnow was Justify
was what people called a two-headed
doctor. A conjure man~ Cecile too.
They believ in this sort of magic --
Southern
Roodoo,
FLASHCOT -PAPA JUSTIFY
BOOM! A black butler in l910's
JUSTIFY, 45, stares at us
flickering black candle.
FLASHCOT -MAMA CECILE nd tails, PAPA
L He holds a
smiling face.
BOOM! A black maid, MAHA CECILE, 32, stares soullessly too,
from the darkest depths. Holds another black candle.
BACK TO THE BAYOU
VIOLET
They were famous in the bayous;
healed the sick, righted wrongs that's what the coloreds said anyway.
To Thorpe, they were just the help.
Cared for his house, cared for his
kids --what they did on their time
was their business. Till, the story
goes, one night there was a party.,.
• 48.
EXT. DEVEREAUX i!OOSE -NIGHT -FLASHBACK (1912)
Vintage MOTORCARS fill the drive, as FOOTMEN escort !?ARTY
GUESTS in black tie into the lit-up, elegant mansion.
VIOLET (V. 0. ) It was the bank's anniversary and all
the muckety-mucks came --politicians,
sugar barons, ri~erboat tycoons ...
INT. DEVEREAUX HOUSE
The privileged CROWD mingles from room to room. A JAZZ SAND
plays. Champagne flows. In the foyer, some GUESTS take their coats and bid farewell to the elegantly-dressed
ROBERTSON THORl?E, 40's, and his wife MADELEINE.
VI LET (V.O. l
Well, ther drinking and dancing
and a tr wo, I'm sure, and when
came th say farewells, some
guests w goodbye to
Thorpe's ut no one knew
where they'd No one'd seen
'em for hour
INT. UPPER HALL
several drunken GUESTS stumble
"Grace." They're followed by T
VlOLE'l' (V.O.)
So they all made a game o
Searching the house for the ', calling "Martin" and
full of hooch as they were. And then
someone heard rnusic ... and voices ... and
shouting. From the attic.
Tho,::pe turns toward the white door at hall's end •..
INT. ATTIC STAIRCASE
Thorpe charges up the spiral stairwell and slams into-
INT. ATTIC
1:LASHCOTS: a PHONOGRAPH playing. Cracked, warped M!RRORS.
BLACK CANDLES around the room's per;imeter. Chalk C!RCLES.
POWDERS and HAIR. WISHBONES jangling, casting shadows .••
•.• on the innocent faces of redheaded MARTIN (9) and GRACE
(7), sitting cross-legged, their eyes wide. 49.
Beside them sit PAPA JUSTIF"i'. and Hl\MA CECILE, in sweat-soaked
underclothes and convulsing as if possessed.
VIOLET (V.O.)
The servants were up there with 'em,
They'd been teaching 'em how to
conjure up hoodoo.
Thorpe SNATCHES up his children --but Justify and Cecile
spasm on, eyes rolled back. Thorpe screams for help.
VIOLET (V,O.)
well, the banker went mad. And his
guests were with him. Who knows how
many months it'd been going on.
INT. UPPER Hl\LL/ATTIC
GUESTS come racing, little Martin and G
.o.) as Thorpe's wife rushes
and protesting--
All that
They'd though
was just get f them drinking.
ty was over. It rted.
EXT. BACK GARDENS
A HANGMAN'S NOOSE goes over an
piles out, carrying Papa Justif
prisoners. They struggle to no
bound and they're dragged into 'c:h. A MOB of guests
"'•"'-··· Cecile as
eix hand.~ are
Beneath a gnarled oak, tuxedoed GUESS set two· nooses around
their necks. More guests haul on the rope. The two servants
are strung up, jerking and twisting. The mob hurrahs.
Some WOMEN in gowns rush out with bottles of rum. Other
GUESTS douse the hanging c:orpses, as a cummerbund is LIT •••
In an upstairs window, teary Hartin and Grac:e stare in
horror. As the two reflec:ted figures go up in FIJ\MES •••
Until their mother steps into view and lowers the shade.
INT. BAYOU SWAMP -BACK TO PRESENT DAY
The same gnarled oak remains. Caroline stares up, fr0"1 where
their canoe floats right beneath it •••
VIOLET It was·horrible. Rumors got out, but
no arrest$. No t•i=1• Money ha~ a
way •.• CAROLINE
What happened to the family?
VIOLET
Thorpe's bank went under. He shot his
wife to death, then shot himself.
People said it was the servants'
revenge. The children stayed to '62.
CAROLINE
They stayed here?
VIOLET
We bought it from 'em. All grown by
then --strange people. Let the place fall apart around 'em --it's us who
fixed it up. And we never asked 'em
why a room w blocked off --in the attic. or....,0_..,,"they had no mirrors.
Caroline stares s
But
VIOLET
The servants. Ever since my husband
went into their room.
FLASHCUT -THE WARPED DOOR
BOOM! The door in the attic, unblocked. Beckoning.
FLASHCUT -PAPA JUSTIFY AND MAMA CECILE
BOOM! Staring at us from a HIRROR's reflection. With a
curtain of FLAMES burning behind them.
BACK TO SCENE 50.
Caroline blinks, incredulous. Violet looks to Ben's lonely
perch on shore. A quiet tremble: VIOLET I've read some hoodoo books. They say
putting brick dust down keeps harm
away. I've put it everywhere--
CAROLINE
Mrs. Oevereaux--
VIOLET
--around the house, around my bed--
CAROLINE
Mrs. Devereaux! For God's sake! 51.
Violet glances up like a wayward child, then into her lap--
Violet's I don't
You don
believe
mirrors.
VI T to believe me.
on't expect me to
ghosts in your
Not till you s ~hem (beat)
whispers up the:i:e. • • , I' or see their ligh o 2z;r ar
CAROLINE
Your husband had a stroke.
gaze holds. She crushes her dying cigarette.
VIOLET
When we moved in and saw that room, we
swore we'd neve~ touch it. Wellt a
1110nth ago Ben went in there. I don't
know what he wanted, I don't know what
he did. But that's how I found him.
(scared)
They're here now. And whatever they
did to him .•• I won't let 'em do it to
me.
There. She's said it. She won't meet Caroline's eyes, but
looks to her husband with infinite sadness •..
VIOLET
l\nd now you'll leave like all the
rest.
And off caroline's look ..• 52.
EXT. DEVEREAUX HOUSE -YARD -DAY
A sprinkled trail of RED BRICK OUST meanders the weeds along
the property line. Caroline tracks it to where it crosses
the gated driveway. She kneels and swipes a red finger •••
INT. GARDEN SHED -DAY
A mower, bags of fertilizer and tools. Caroline kneels at a
homemade trough of pulverized BRICK DUST. Beside it, a
sledgehanuner and a stack of bricks labeled "Botanica Brick.s -
Blessed for Spiritual Uses." She shakes her head:
CAROLINE
Gotta love the South ...
INT, UPSTAIRS BATHROOM -DAY
Ben stares into space lift his helpless b reach under and
She gets und and lowers him
gently. urns--
--to see Violet behind her, and a grateful smile.
VIOLET
Thank you, Caroline. For
understanding •. ,our house
Caroline nods. Violet moves on. Caroline splashes water on
Ben's chest and starts soaping his arms--
CAROLINE
You married a headcase, y'lcnow that?
She thinks you got hexed in that attic
by ghosts. Nice, huh? :I2U had the
stroke and Ab.c!..A the one with the
messed-up head.
She drops the soap, which splashes WATER into her face. Soap
stings one of her eyes--
CAROLINE
Ahh--
--and she goes to the sink to flush it with cold water. She
rifles her purse !or her COMPACT, checking her reddened eye
in reflection. To Ben: CAROLINE
She says they show up in your mirrors.
Ghosts in the mirrors ... 53.
She sets the compact on the sink's edge, and as she turns
back ... it falls off. Hits the floor and SNAPS SHUT.
Caroline picks it up .•. and then sees Ben staring at it. His
eyes are wide, rapt. She frowns, studies him--
--and then places the compact on the far ledge of the tub.
Ben's eyes follow it as if it's a small predator.
Intrigued, Caroline slides it closer --along the tub's edge.
Closer .•. closer .•• closer •••
.•. and as she brings it nearer to him, his entire body starts
TREMBLING, eyes scared, water rippling and splashing as if he
wants to run but can' he brings it toward his face--
--and snaps it o see the MIRROR--
--and suddenly Bene
he FLAILS his whole
everywhere. An arm
Ben,
She tries to calm him, but he k to shut the bathroom door, hopin
then collapses at the tub, holding
CAROLINE LSIONS! Eyes panicked,
SPLASHING water
ds the compact flying--
g. Caroline darts
an't hear --and
shoulders ••.
Shh, shh, l didn't mean to scare you.
!1m so-rry, Ben. I1m. so sorry ...
... until he finally calms and quiets. Caroline regards the
fallen mirror and her helpless patient ••.
CAROLINE
You see them too ...
INT. NEW ORLEANS HOSPITAL -DAY
Jill wears a nurse's unifo:rm, checking the chart of a PATIENT
as she exits his room, into a hospital hall--
CAROLINE (O.S.)
You said the whole thing's about
believing it, right?
She spins, surprised to see her roommate standing there--• •
• Jill JILL
Hi, what are you--
CAROLINE
The hoodoo thing. You said it's like
hypnotism. When it works, it's 'cause
the person believes it works.
JILL
Cary, rm working here--
CAROLINE
Hear me out. If you thought some kind
of magie made you sick, you'd believe
in a magic cure, right? Even though it's total bullshit --because you
he)ieve, y'know, mind over matter, it
might actuall ·help you, right?
suspicious.
"cure"?
INT. FRENCH QOJ\RTE Y 54.
Shelves are stacked with · ALS:
and extracts. Chicken head, ·
preserved in fluid are on displ all manner of herbs
and murky mysteries
TOOR DIRECT
Okay, ladies and gent
things up and make your .
The bus leaves in five nu es sharp.
Next stop's the grave of Marie Laveau
herself!
REVEAL a cramped store with pre-packaged spiritualist
paraphernalia, filled with guidebook-toting TOURISTS •.• as Jill leads caroline in. They edge past a Midwestern
Housewife examining a bug-eyed African tribal figurine --as
Caroline shoots Jill a skeptical look.
JILL
Not here.
INT. BACK OF BOTANICA
Jill and Caroline push through a BEADED CURTAIN to find
themselves in a cluttered inventory corridor, where an uneven
STAIRCASE leads upward. Olllinous.
JILL
There . INT. UPSTAIRS STOREROOM
The chatt~r of tourists fades as Caroline --alone -
a dusty storeroom, stepping over a line of RED OUST.
wall shelves --boxes of roots, bones, powders --but
downstairs, it's all unlabe1ed and unpackaged. ss.
enters
Wall-to
unlike
MAMA CYNTHIA, a heavyset dark-skinned Creole in her 40's, sits at a counter. A BOY nearby does homework. Music on a
radio in French, as the woman studies Caroline dully:
MAMA CYNTHIA
Help you find something, child?
caroline surveys the room.
CAROLINE
::: :::~t, at the;;:;ob:::•:h:t~:::?
telly your eneltlies. you ha ~- It's how you
(regards
She approaches the counter, ga -Jr er bravado:
CAROLINE
Say I knew someone, who t ght he'd
been --whatever you call it, put
under a spell--
MAMA CYNTHIA
Fixed.
CAROLINE
Right. l\nd if there's
there'd be an unfixed?
MAMA CYNTHIA
(her ga~e softens) a fixed •••
Someone been conjuring on you, child?
CAROLINE
No, it's not for me ••• I just .•• I'm just trying to help someone who
believes in ..• this stuff ...
Mama Cynthia nods sagely. Motions for her to sit: • MAMA CYNTHIA
Tell me.
CAROLINE
He can't speak. Or move. He had a
stroke but he doesn#t thint he did.
He --he seems to think someone lll4da
him that way.
MAMA CYNTHIA
You want to know what happened to him.
CAROLINE
Yes.
MAMA CYNTHIA
You want him to tell you.
lf it
u thought
What I think to do with 56.
The woman muses, then grabs a and shuffles down an it. ~
aisle, picking out crushed herbs ·1 chet and a white
candle. Humming to herself.
Caroline smiles at the Creole Boy. e doesn't smile back.
Unnerved, she gets up to pursue Mama Cynthia--
--who opens a Chinese Cabinet of tiny rolls of parchment.
She picks one out, holds it up. Adds it to the cigar box.
MAMA CYNTHIA
When r tell you what you have to do,
you need to do it exactly the way I tell you. Every step and every word.
Exactly --or I'm not responsible. No
one on this earth's responsible. Save
for you, child. You understand?
Caroline nods.
CAROLINE
And what happens then?
Mama Cynthia smiies, gieaming gold-capped tee~h . 57.
MAMA CYNTHIA
And then you pay me.
EXT. FRENCH QUARTER BOTANICA -DAY
The tour bus pulls away as Caroline exits, cigar box in hand,
to meet up with Jill, waiting on a bench outside.
JILL
You bought something. Holy shit, you
bought something.
CAROLINE Let's go.
She heads off across the street, as Jill follows--
What the
Come on.
nothing i
psychosomatic me there's
terature about
11,ts.
CAROLINE
How 11UJch of a patien
depends on his believi
JILL
Recovery? What
for a hospice! this guy .die_! recovery? You work
Your job is to help
She stops, Caroline doesn't. No long$r amused:
JILL
He's not your dad, Cary. Not this
one, the last one or the one before.
Now Caroline stops. Spins with a hurt stare.
CAROLINE
All I want is to help somebody. Why
do you have to make it like it's
something for me.
JILL
I'm sorry. •
• CAROLINE
Go to hell, Jill.
JILL
Hey, I said I'm--
CAROLINE
Go to hell. But thanks for helping.
Sorry nothing was in it for you.
EXT. DEVEREAUX HOOSE -DUSK 58.
THUNDER rolls as Caroline's Civic returns, under the oaks'
ominous shadows. Luke's ~ronco is there~ •.
INT. LIVING ROOM -DUSK
Caroline slips by with
passing a doorway whe
directing her signa wo grocery bags and her cigar box
'olet sits with Luke, who's
o several papers:
Once fo ~ attorney, again
for your liv U~nd that one's
the big basi ha · amacallit--
VIOLE
I plan to read th o know.
See that you have .. in any gifts for yourself. .
LUKE It's JUSt as you wanted i rs.
Devereaux. To the letter.
INT. KITCHEN
Caroline sets the hoodoo cigar box dovn, hurriedly unpacking
groceries. As her back's turned for a moment--
LUKE
Thought you were gonna call me.
She spins to see Luke in the doorway. A hushed voice:
LUK.:
About Ben.
CAROLINE It was nothing.
LUKE
Oh. Oh, okay. 59.
Caroline nods, glancing to the cigar box left on the counter. It's right beside him --within his reach.
LUKE
You mean nothing like when you touch
him and he holds on like crazy? Or
nothing like how he stops the second
.libil. walks in? You mean nothing like
that?
Caroline regards him, surprised.
LUKE
Just 'cause justice is blind doesn't
mean lawyers are.
(beat)
But it's nothing, you're saying. I
can forget ut that weirdness and just do my from now on, you'.re
saying.
He tries a smile, eassurance.
I don't know. ·
LUKE ·
.i1ill you know?
VIOLET ( .
You may witness a sign ur n , Mr.
Marshall! Mr. Marshall?! ·
LUKE
I was hired to help him, just like
you. If there's something I should be
doing •.• please tell me.
His voice is genuine; Caroline nods. And then Luke notices
the cigar box. He lifts it, with a shake of his head--
LUKE Christ. That woman's gonna smoke
herself into the grave.
Caroline hitches her breath, but he puts it down, unopened.
And takes his leave.
INT. CAROLINE'S BATHROOM -NIGHT
Shadowy. THUNDER rolls. A HOT FAUCET steams as Caroline
stealthily fills a large bowl. Checking over her shoulder. 60.
INT. LIVING ROOM
Violet sleeps in a chair, some quilting on her lap, a AAOIO
on. A SHADOW passes silently, carrying a tray •..
RADIO VOICE (O.S.) ... with forecasters calling for up to
a foot of rain in coastal areas as the
storm makes its way across the Delta
starting ovemight .••
INT. OPPER LANDING/HALL
Caroline mounts the stairs, with a bowl of steaming water and the hoodoo cigar box. She reaches the landing ••.
... and she walks on, ANGLE DRIFTS toward the attic door ..•
Ben sits in near
A key sounds in hi his phonograph playing soft BLOES.
eyes shift.
C
Hi, Ben. '
She slips in, sets her tra .. nd re-locks the door.
Ben's eyes shift to the tra. DER rumbles.
CAROLINE
I want to show you svm..,u,
be our secret, okay?
Ben tremors slightly, His eyes meet hers.
CAROLINE at'll
Violet says you didn't have a stroke
up in the attic. She says something
maim you this way. With a spell. Is
that what she told you? Is that what
you believe?
Caroline sets the tray on the bedside table, She adds the
sachets of herbs to the water ...
CAROLINE
Well, I know a spell too, Ben.
She circles Ben's bed with the bowl, trickling a spatter-line
across the floor. Ben's eyes widen.
CAROLINE
I know a spell that makes you better. 61.
She brings the bowl back to the table, lights and floats the
white candle. Then takes Ben's bedsheet; tears a swatch:
CAROLlNE
And all you have to do is believe it.
By flickering candlelight, Caroline soaks the cloth, and
touches it to the crown of Ben's head. She unrolls the scrap
of parchment •• ,and takes a deep embarrassed breath:
CAI\OLINE
{feeling stupid)
Babbling brook, babbling brook, send
back this poor tongue you took.
Ben trembles, wide-eyed. Warm water trickles his face. Soft
THUNDER outside. She touches the cloth to his forehead:
(a l
Babblin
back thi ronger)
abbling brook, send
e you took.
Water trickles. Hores
remains. caroline sig~,
as she touches the eloth His shaking stare sher strongest voice yet
CARO ~ Babbling brook, k, send
back this poor ton k!
A SUDDEN THUNDERCIAP sounds outside roline
--as Ben gives a CHOKED CRY,
BEN
-Cccc ... cccc •.. ccc ...
Caroline jerks back, shocked.
BEN
cccc ... cccara ... cecarza .•.
(sputtering)
Cccearoline ...
INT. LIVING ROOM -SAME jumps, spins--
ANGLE RUSHES across the room •.. to Viole~. As if awakened.
INT. BEN'S ROOM
BEN
Ceea.rol.ine, hhh ... hhh ... CAROLINE
(astonished) It's all in your head ...
BEN
Hehhh ••• hehhpp ••.
CAROLINE
Talk, Ben, talk to me. Keep talking--
BEN
Hehhppme ••• hehhppme ••.
CAROLINE
Help you how? How, Ben?!
Ben's desperately intense, mouth struggling to say--
Ggggerneo~he --
VIO . S.)
CAROLINE?.
. " There's a POUNDING on d . Caroline spins--
VIO
CAROLINE, AREY ?1
--and Ben jerks in bed, arms n fright--
BEN
Gggmeotofere! Gg,neotofer Now, now,
gggmeotofere ! ! ! 62.
--knocking the water bowl off the table! It SPILLS to the
floor, DOUSING the floating candle out! And the second it
goes out, Ben's choked silent!
CAROLINE
No --NO! (to the door)
Just a second, I'm here, one second--
VIOLET (O.S.)
WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH HIM?!
Ben SPASMS again, flailing and falling off the bed. Caroline •
tries to catch him but he collapses--
CAROLINE
Ben, why? Get you out of here lrlh,y_?! VIOLET (O.S.)
CAROLINE, OFEN THIS DOOR!
CAROLINE
ONE SECOND!
She cradles Ben's head --·his mouth is struggling but no
words come. A KEY is rattling in the lock.
CAROLINE I'll.help you, I promise --just :talk
to me. What happened in that attic?
What're you afraid of? Tell me what
you're afraid of! 63.
He raises a shaking ann ... struggling higher and higher •..
• . . as the
doorway. silhouette fills the
.finger pointed ••. at bilJ:,
WHAT HA
Caroline's fro2en. Gla
candle. Violet charges e spilled water. The doused
What is
CAROLINE
He •.• he was crawling a in
sleep. He fell. I broug
VIOLET
Get away from him!
She shoves her aside, hauling Ben back into bed. He stops
protesting, goes lilllp and passive in her arms--
--as Caroline steps back, snatching up the spilt bowl, the
parchment and candle. Violet strokes Ben's face, unaware--
VIOLET It's all right now. I'm here, it's all right. Need your remedies, don't
you. Need to sleep ..•
Caroline edges for the door, trying to rub out traces of the
"water circlen as she goes. ·violet turns her way:
VIOLET
You were talking to him? • \ . .___..'
• CAROLINE
I was just •.• telling him a story. To
settle him down.
VIOLET
What kind of story1
CAROLINE
Just a story. No ghosts.
Violet studies her stare.
VIOLET
That'll be all for tonight, I think.
CAROLINE I'll come back to clean the room--
hank you.
She remains at her husb
caroline sees only
INT. UPPER HALL 64.
hand. Jlut
She backs away, clutching her
sound of a LOCKING KEY. l ... as there's the
INT. CAROLINE'S ROOM -NIGHT
CLICK! As Caroline locks her own room's door.
She opens her closet, digs out hex suitcase. Inside is the
"Conjure of Sacrifice" record she stole from the attic room.
She adds the candle and parchment, re-closets it.
Then hears faint phonograph ZYDECO resume upstairs. As RAIN
patters· the window outside. Storm's here.
INT. LOWER HALL -NIGHT
Silent. Empty. Darkness. A strange ANGLE moves toward
caroline's door. It seems to float the hallway ..• closing
fast •.. and then drifting INSIDE THE KEYHOLE ...
INT. CAROLINE'S ROOM
.•• to where Caroline sleeps. Tangled in sheets, tossing in
discomfort. As ANGLE closes TIGHT ON HER FACE •.. FLASHCUT -PAPA JUSTIFY
BOOM! The black butler staring, with his black candle.
BACK TO CAROLINE 65.
twisting fitfully, as if seeing the image in her dreams ••.
FLASHCuT -MAMA CECILE
BOOM! The black maid staring, with her black candle.
FLASHCOT -THE WARPED DOOR
In the attic, the door THUMPS as if struck from behind. No
shelves block it. Mirrors hang on either side, SHIVERING.
BACK 1'0 CAROLINE
turning again,
FLASHCUT -THE RED off ...
From the 1912 lynching, ·at the window, with the reflected FLI\MING CORP ir mother draws the shade.
FLASHCOT -THE WARPED
Getting BATTERED from behind, s ~i at its hinges, making the hanging mirrors SWAY. T . . F ••• THUMP ..•
A PAIR OF SCISSORS
SNIPS closed in darkness, BI.ADES SLI ING TOGETHER-
INT. CAROLINE'S ROOM
As Caroline wakes with a GASP,
sheets, getting her bearings. to check the windowsill clock, bolting up in bed. She grabs
She collapses back, turns over
beside her compact--
--and sees a SHADOWY SHAPE in the compact' s mirror --a
figure pulling her bedroom door shut!
Caroline spins --the door now closed. She leaps from bed, tries the knob. It's locked. Just like she left it.
INT. LOWER HALL
A key RATTLES as caroline jerks open her door --to see an
empty hall.
CARO:t.IN&
Mrs. Devereaux? •
•
• • Just darkness and silence;
INT. CAROLINE'S ROOM
She shuts and re-locks her door. Flips on the light and
surveys the room. Nothing seems amiss. 66.
She pulls an end table to block the door, then
compact in which she saw the shadowy movement.
over ••• and snaps it resoundingly shut. looks to the
She strides
EXT. DEVEREAUX HOUSE -MORNING
A SCATTERING OF BRICK DOST. Violet's in a raincoat, in a
steady rain, humming privately as she shakes a fresh trail of
the red powder around the perimeter of the yard.
INT. LIVING ROOM
Caroline watches
sunporch,. in his dow, arms folded. Ben's on the
vacant once more ...
The stain1ell door ope
blocked warped door. Ra
Caroline marches in and gra
strains, PULLING it aside, scra
doesn't care. The warped door ,
She hesitates a beat.
INT. HOODOO ROOM dim light on the shelf
he roof.
the bookshelf. She floor, but she
exposed.
Caroline warily re-enters to see everything as she left it ••.
as she lifts a CAMERA and starts taking pictures.
And as FI.ASHES go off, one after another .•. ANGLE CREEPS
TOWARD the stack of MIRRORS in the attic, toward an uncovered
corner, to spy her in reflection ..•
EXT. HOUSE -FRONT STEPS -DAY
Caroline slips out, in a raincoat --only to see Violet on
the front veranda, in a rocting chair. Staring.off •..
VIOLET
All that rain. The way it hits our
trees like that. The sound it makes.
He loves that. Or a warm brandy. The
way heat ripples off a summer road.
Those thing~ are h,J.,m • She studies the wisping smoke of her cigarette •••
VlOLET
He had years left. Good years.
Caroline edges toward the steps, unsure how to respond-:
CAROLINE I. ,,have to pick up some shopping ••. in
town. I've got your list. l'll--
VIOLET
Whatever you were doing ••• last night.
I know you were only trying to help.
CAROLINE
I was, Mrs. Devereaux.
What you
Violet looks up, w Whatever it was.
EXT. l?l\RISH !\OAO/'.INT. C ,
ear ••• as she locates Luke's bu ' rd "
I~'T. LUKE'S OFFICE -DAY 67.
Raining. caroline speeds the r ~l phone to her
PICTURES of the hoodoo room are dealt down on a desk. The
faceless paintings. The jars of teeth and hair. The
"Conjure Book of uncle Justify and Blessed Teachings."
CAROLINE It's in the attic. For conjures and
hexes and spells. They're in books
and on records. They believe in this,
bJ:lth of them---
RE\IEAL Luke's office, a disorganized room in an old downtown
law firm. Luke, in suit and tie, is at his desk. He studies
the photos; Caroline waits, on edge.
LURE
Well, I see your cause for concern •• ,
but my family's superstitious too.
We're called Baptists.
CAROLINE
This is different.
• LUKE
Why? 'Cause it hasn't made it up to
Jersey? It's hannless. LOcal color.
I~'s ~ Orleans--
CAROLINE
You said yourself you were worried
about him.
LUKE
Well now I'm worried about you. 68.
There's a KNOCK on Luke's door, as a timid SECRETARY enters--
SECRETARY
Mr. Marshall, Mr. Tenna.ry wants to
know if you've found those files yet.
Also, Mr. Ma e has asked to see you
in Mr. Dod ' ff ice--
Luke presses hand
He waves a dismiss emples, shuts his eyes. Overload.
he secretary retreats.
Estate
good.
CAROLI
When did you first
Devereauxs?
LUKE sounds
A couple weeks before he . 'his
stroke. They wanted a lawyer to
update their wills.
CAROLINE
Was it his idea or her idea?
LUKE
What do you mean?
CAROLINE
Did it ever seem like she .kiulli
something was going to happen to him?
LUKE
How, from her tarot cards in the
attic? From a visitation in her
sleep? What's it mattek?
He throws up his hands in frustration, scattering Caroline's
photos. Then ca.lrrus, sits back, reg.rets· it. LUKE
This is not what I was hoping for when
I gave you mt number.
He tries a smile. Caroline doesn't return it.
CAROLINE
I want to knOW why the last caregiver
quit.
INT. RURAL NURSING HOHE -DAY 69.
A POV tracks a faded hall, glimpsing elderly black RESIDENTS
through the open doorways of shabby rooms. Most lie in bed,
watching TV game shows or the ceiling.
In a final room, a weary black volunteer, HALLIE (20's), is at the bedside of an .ciated WOMAN. Hallie's massaging the
woman's hands, whis~ to her--
SE (0.$.)
Hallie?
She looks up, sees an o. NU with Caroline and Luke.
H
Some folks want~
EXT. NURSING HOME BAC!Ct'ARD -DA
Still raining. A brown-grass lo
with Hallie under a ratty awning,
HALLIE
Ever hold someone's hand while they
died, Mr. Marshall? Nuh-uh. What's
dying to you. I ain't gotta give my
reasons to you ..
She stares Luke down, challenging. Then to Caroline:
HALLIE
How is he?
CAROLINE
He's hurting. He's been trying to tell me. sit
Hallie studies her as she takes a drag. Offers the pack.
CAROLINE
I don't smoke. llallie !!ALLIE
You a superstitious person, Caroline?
CAROLINE
No. Not particularly.
HALLIE
I told my mama where I was wo~kin',
she said nothing good never happened there. Said the lilJll;. folks who owned it went crazy. Rich folks --brother
and sister. Blew all their money and
sold the.place. Then the sister had a
heart attack, they locked the brother
in a padded ro01n.
LUKE
Wbat, becaus of the ru:ius.e.?
All I woman's got her
hands in it n .
CARO E
Do you lcnow abo
HALLIE
She said they shut
moved in.
CAROLINE
Do you know about the mirrors?
HALLIE
She said you see the servants there.
CAROLINE
She told you too?
HALLIE
May be their room and their conjures.
But ain't no ghosts put no spell on
her husband, ~ did.
Caroline wavers at Hallie's conviction:
CAROLINE
You really believe that?
HALLIE
You don't? 70. LUKE
(throws up his hands)
I am not here. This is not happening.
CAROLINE
But •.. why would she?
HALLIE
I think she found something in that attic. And she's trying to use it.
LUKE
I am not heatjng this! 71.
He leaves the table, utterly frustrated. Left alone, Hallie
meets Caroline's eyes. Caroline swallows.
I heard~M;urt you. It can't hurt you don't believe.
Then Is ave that house
before you do \
EXT. BA'iOU COUNTRY -DA¥
RAIN POURS harder as
LUKE
For God's sake, were that
stuff?
CAROLINE It doesn't matter if I'm buying it. ~ buying it.
LUKE
So what? You're gonna take him away
from his wife? From his home?
Because somehow you know what he
wants?
CAROLINE
You tell me why everybody k:nows a
ghost story about that house.
LUKE
Because ·r-don't-know. What do you
mean everybody? Who's everybody? beside--•
CAROLINE
You want to see?
(a stern look)
You'll see.
--as she suddenly brakes hard and swerves another way.
EXT. RAMSIIACKLE GAS STATION -DAY 72.
Still RAINING as Caroline pounds on its familiar door. A
~closed" sign hangs. Luke's beside her--
CTIROLINE
See the line across the doorway? It's
brick dust. Hoodoo. Keeps your
enemies from coming across. See the
wishbones hanging? Let's ask :tlllilU
people about hat house and see what
~ have
She pounds again.
Caroline stops.
CAROLI
This stuff's got a
here. It doesn't ma real. It's real to
LUKE from inside.
out
So why's that mean Ben's in danger?
Caroline has no answer •.. as she suddenly stops still.
There's MUSIC coming from nearby. Low but building. A kind
of DRUMBEAT CHANT. Similar to one we've heard before .••
LUKE
What --what's wrong .•.
Caroline grabs Luke's hand and pulls him around the side of
the store. There's a low-slung HOOSE on the back of the lot:
torn s=een door, laundry hanging.
EXT. RURAL HOUSE
Rain pours down as they approach. The MUSIC's coming from
inside. Another ominous call-and-response •••
SINGER ANO CHORUS
Heal the spirit from the sickness ...
Heal the spirit from the sickness •••
(MORE) SINGER AND CHOROS (CONT'D)
Cast it out if you be strong •••
Cast it out if ycu be strong ••.
Caroline creeps closer, seeing RED DUST around the house.
There's a baby CRYING inside; the same WAIL as before.
SHADOWS of figure·s behind a curtained window •••
LUKE
What are you .d.Qin$l?
CAROLINE
The music ... it's not just music ••.
As the music's DRUMBEAT builds, the baby's CRIES intensify,
now a steady Sl!RIEK .•• as through the cu.rtain, a BABY'S
silhouette is raised into view--
CAROLINE It's for a --
--and Caroline race ea opening the screen door and--
Caroline,
INT, RORAL HOUSE
--storming into the candle·
young CREOLE HUSBAND and WI ,
wife's hands are slathered with
the crying BABY over a basin of
body is covered in SORES ••• frorn om•s wild tableau: a
nightclothes. The t. The husband holds
water. The baby's
What seemed like SOl!I!! nightmarish
trying to comfort their child. r 1 is just two parents
Caroline strides in and stops short.
couple's surprised, but they've been
they just stand there and stare.
CREOLE HUSBAND
She's got the chicken pox. So does Luke.
up all night. The
liorn out,
Caroline surveys the room --as Luke pulls her back--
LtlKE
Sorry, we --she heard it crying, she
thought --sorry, really, sorry for troubling you. lie shouldn't have--
--but Caroline doesn't budge. Eyes on their turntable:
CAROLINE Where'd you get that record. •
• 74.
EXT. FLOATING BAYOU SHACK -DUSK
An ominous shack sits atop a murky patch of swamp, deep in
the bayous. A post-and-plank footpath navigates the thicket
of trees. Rain continues to pour.
Caroline's Civic reaches the end of an overgrown dirt road.
She and Luke regard the floating shack.
LUKE
Mama raised a gentleman.
I smiles weakly}
After you.
INT. SHACK -DUSK
Caroline and Luke step skulls and dried roots
supply store all in o ferrets. The walls inside, off the tiny porch. Bones,
ang. It's a ratty home and a hoodoo
Piles of books; several caged
e boards; the roof leaks.
A decrepit African
rocking chair, sevin: YOO WOMAN, 90's, sits in a is. Facing away.
Ma'am? records.
A. cex:tain •••
The woman keeps rocking.
Doan loan
CAROLINE
What if we had one to ask you about?
To ..• to offer you--
BAYOU WOMAN
Wouldn't want it.
Caroline surveys, frustrated; then has a thought-
CAROLINE
lihat if it was made by a man named
Justify?
The Bayou lioman stops rocking. And turns to reveal she's
BLIND. Wizened face, dirty dress, cracked dark glasses.
RAYOO WOMI\N
Who else is in here?
LUKE
I am • BAYOU WOM1'N
How you know that name?
CAROLINE
How do you?
BAYOU WOMAN
That's the most powerful conjurer who
ever done lived. The legend of
Terrebone Parish. Some say his spells still hidden there.
CAROLINE
Hidden where?
BAYOU WOMAN
Big ol' house. Hoodoo folks round
here try~o t their hands on it --long time But some young couple
outta Geo a ~ght it up. Prob'ly
no id~a at's ~d inside.
Caroline-7S.
He gestures to a crate o eco
them; labels like "Broken
Conjure" ,-all recorded in t Caroline rifles through
ure,# "Money-Come
d 1920's.
Oh, records, you said. I may
loan a few.
The woman weakly rises, fumbles closer to do business--
CAROLINE
How about a record called the Conjure
of Sacrifice?
The woman's face goes stone. Her hands shake as she feels
her way closer to them--
BAYOU WOMAN
What'd you say?
CAROLINE
That's the one ite. have.
The Bayou Woman's breathing sounds louder, accelerated ••• and
then relaxes. Shakes her head with a smile:
BAYOU WOMAN
You• re funning with me. You had J:.ba:t;,
you wouldn't.say so. No, no. CAROLINE
You know it.
BAYOU WOMAN
That's the greatest conjure on God's
green earth. They say Justify done
discovered it, hut he got kilt 'fore
he could use it. Him and his poor
wife both. It han't never heen found.
LUKE
What's so special about it?
BAYOU WOMAN
Keeps you from dying, that's what.
Caroline stares at her.
awhile. Not fore
(th
Who else else in he someone
BAYOU
You has to sa=ifice
the years that they
LUKE
Wait, sacrifice as
BAYOU WOMAN
You get what they had corning. And it's longer life for you.
CAROLINE take
That's what the recQrd does? Helps
you kill someone?! 76.
The Bayou Woman's toothless smile gQes grim ... as a sickening
feeling again overtakes her.
BAYOU WOMAN
You han't found it. No, no. You
wouldn't tell if you'd found it •..
She steps fonrard, arms feeling out. Caroline and Luke pull
hack, as she sweeps her arms from side to side--SAYOU WOMAN
You han't found no record of
Justify's. Tell me that you 77.
HAN'T!
She lunges out, as Caroline skips aside --sending the Woman
crashing into boxes of roots--
LUKE
We're going --get out, go--
He shoves Caroline tovard the door, shaking the Woman off as
she flails for his legs.
BAYOU WOl!!l\N
No! I'm just a poor old nuthin' !
Tell me you han't found it. I'll
trade you anything! ANYTHING!
EXT. FLOATING BAYOU
Caroline and Luke
the poor w-oman' s c the bayou footpath, leaving
EXT. MUDDY ROAD
The rain pounds
I' ve got to get
with hilll--
LUKE
Hang on, wouldya wait -
goddamn second?! e Civic--
He grabs her shoulders, resists her attempt to fend him off.
They meet eyes in the downpour. Luke lets go.
LUKE
You got me scared now.
CAROLINE If I found proof she means to harm him
would I have grounds to get him out
of that house?
LUKE
All you have is crazy stories--
CAROLINE If I found proof, would you stand by
me? Would you stand bl( me?
They search each other's eyes. 78.
LOKE It's gotta be~-
EXT. DEVEREAUX HOOSE -NIGHT
·RAIN continues, relentless now, with huge POODLES OF STANDING
WATER in the yard as Caroline returns •••
INT. LIVING ROOM -NIGHT
THUNDER rumbles as RAIN sheets the windows. Violet stands by
Ben's wheelchair, facing away. The front door SHOTS o,s.
CAROLINE (0. S. )
Mrs. Devereaux? I'm home!
Violet doesn't look up --her eyes on Ben. A SNIP-SNIP of
scissors. She's cuttin his hair.
INT, CAROLINE'S R
Caroline scampers
hair in a towel and She locks her door, rubs her
oset--
--to open the suitcase stashed the "Conjure of
Sacrifice• record and ci x • She grabs the album--
--only to find the label re s Records Zydeco Hits". It's a totally different album.
CAROLINE
No. No, where
caroline searches the case, shoves i aside, searches the
closet. Nothing. The conjure record is~.
INT. GARDEN SHED -DUSK
caroline SLAMS inside, checks stealthily over her shoulder.
She drops to the trough of pounded BRICK DOST .•• and scrapes
handfuls into a paper bag •..
CAROLINE It won't work ... because none of it
works ••• mme. of it ••.
INT. CAROLINE'S ROOM -MOMENTS LATER
caroline pulls away the area rug at the base of her door,
scattering a line of the BRICK DUST across it.
She then lowers the area rug back to conceal the line. She
wipee her hand5 clean, then nervously opens the door .•• CAI\OLINE
Mrs. Devereaux?!
IN'I', KITCHEN 79,
Violet wears an enigmatic stare, putting towels on a leaking
windowsill. Some pots steam on the stove.
CAROLINE {O. S. l
Mrs. Devereaux, could you come here?
INT. LOWER HALL/CAROLINE'S ROOM
Violet rounds the hall, with apron and handtowel. THUNDER
rolls as she stops in Caroline's doorway--
VIOLET
You were off or some time.
Caroline's at the f by her window.
raining'?
S'posed to
way, the sw
VIOLET
Rarely reaches the house. akes a toll on my flower beds, though.
{regards her oddly)
You wanted me for something?
CAROLINE this
I was wondering if you could take a
look at this --there's a leak here--
She points to the cracked ceiling above her windowsill.
VIOLET
Oh, they're all over. Just rainwater.
CAROLINE
Yes, but if you look at it --could
you come over and look at it?
Violet narrows her eyes, takes a step across the threshold-
--and stops. Hesitates there --one foot in the room, one
foot out. l\.s if sensing s0111ething unpleasant. She retracts the foot that had entered the room.
VIOLET I've supper on the stove. I shouldn't
leave it.
CAROLINE It'll just take a second to show you.
VIOLET
I can see fine from here. 80.
Caroline's smile fades. Violet holds her gaze, searching it.
VIOLET
Why don't you put this on the sill.
She holds out the handt wel she has with her.
NE
All rig •
Caroline holds out doesn't move.
Neither woman takes a
CAROL
(a pathetic e
Could you just come·
for a second, so I c
what I'm seeing? Fro
Violet regards her gravely, then
VIOLET
You're an odd one, Caroline.
A tea kettle starts WHISTLING o.s. Violet smiles and --fr01t1
the doorway --tosses her towel onto Caroline's bed.
VIOLET
I've made tea.
She heads-back down the hall. Caroline shudders a touch,
crossing the room to shut her door--
--as Violet stops at hall's end. Turns.
VIOLET
Caroline, after you see to Mr.
Devereaux's remedies, perhaps you'd be
so kind as to join an old woman for
supper. It'd mean a great deal to me. ----·
CAROLINE
Well,.,I wouldn't want to--
VIOLET
Wonderful. We should have done it
days ago.
(a pleasant smile) I' 11 ma.ke you S01'118thing.
IN'r. BEN' S ROOM -NIGHT
Ben lies in near-darkness as Caroline brings his medicine tray. His eyes look to her expectantly--
CAROLINE
Brought your pills for you, Ben.
--as she sits at his si e and pours the powder from the
mortar-and-pestle int · water. Watches it dissolve ••.
I'm get Tonight.
INT.
Caroline rifles a medici
SLEE!?ING !?ILLS. She dumps
dinner tray. She grinds them finding prescription to the pestle on Ben's
••. beside a handful
VIOLET (Q.S.)
Caroline! Supper!
INT. DINING ROOM -NIGHT
A CHUNKY RED BOWL OF GUMBO and a glass of iced tea sits
before Caroline as THUNDER crashes outside.
Violet sits at the table's opposite end, already eating.
Caroline warily eyes the meal before her ••.
VIOLET It's strange, isn't it, how one gets
attached? I miss you now, when you're
not around the house. Ben and I ••. we
never had children of our own.
CAROLINE
Why was that.
VIOLET Selfish, I suppose. How's your gumbo? CAROLINE
I'm just starting.
sugar for your tea? Did you want, um,
I put it out--
She nods to the bowl of SUGAR CUBES between them.
VIOLET
Oh, I don't think I'll take sugar
tonight.
CAROLINE
But I thought you liked it .•• with
sugar. Two sugars.
VIOLET
Do I? I suppose I do.
I
ease we OLINE ts up)
he pitcher out, in
Eat. 82.
Violet eyes her .•• until
her gumbo, but doesn't ea her seat. Caroline stirs
THUNDERCLAP.
VIOLET
You think I'm senile
Ghosts in the attic wi
husband --she's just as
woman, isn't she.
CAROLINE her
I just don't understand --if there
are ~ghosts• --why they'd put a spell
on him and not on me. I've been in that room too.
V!OLET
Maybe they can't.
CAROLINE
lihy not.
VIOLET
Maybe you don't believe in them.
(beat)
Maybe All houses have spirits, and it's just we don't see them .•• until we
believe· we can.
Caroline sets down her spoon, eyes on the sugar cubes--83.
CAROLINE
Y'know, I'm not really that hun--
There's a E'LASH OF LIGHTNING outside and an immediate LOUD
THUNDERCLAP --as the electricity SUDDENLY GOES OUT!
VIOLET Fiddlesticks. Don't move, I'll fetch
candles --eat your gumbo, dearie me--
In the dark, Violet rises --and~ the bowl of sugar
cubes .•. as she feels her way into the kitchen--
Once she's gone, Caroline jumps at her new chance: fumbling in her pocket to find her sedative vial --still with a do2en
PILLS. She shakes them all into her napkin, balls it up--
--and CRUSHES it un~erf t quietly. She darts up, feeling along the table to v· 's end ••• and funnels the huge dose into Violet's iced • e stirs it quickly, as CANDLELIGHT
flickers, coming ser--
--and Caroline darts ~chair --just as Violet enters with two tapered LE
By candleli:it 1~
--and sets them in the centerpi ~•· She doesn't notice Caroline grab her falle , re-settling.
VIOLET
There we are.
CAROLINE
So. Was that the stonn or the ghosts?
Violet sits with a self-pitying look.
VIOLET
Say what you will about spirits. I've
always wondered if there wasn'~
something to be learned from them.
She takes a drink of her tea ... and frowns at the taste •.•
CAROLINE
Like a· spell?
A dark look flickers as Violet lowers her glass. CAAOLINE
I have great respect for your husband.
Whatever's happening to hiJn ••• whatever
he's been l;J2ld. is happening •.. he's
fighting it.
VIOLET
You haven't touched your gumbo.
CAROLINE
What are you doing to him, Violet--
VIOLET
I made you that gumbo and you haven't
even touched it.
What CAROLINE
oing to--
I AM HI HE IS MY HUSBAND AND
WHATE TO HIM, I' LL DO! 84.
She BANGS the table and · ts her feet --and then sways
unsteadily. She turns le, tiny slur to her voice-.-
What is th{;~~ '---<!~
CAROLINE . l ~ He's not safe in this us
VIOLET
No ••. you .•• what've you done .••
CAROLINE
Not with you.
VIOLET
What've you ••• issmyhouse .•.
CAROLINE
I'm taking him away, Violet.
VIOLET
NO!!!
She lunges for Caroline, but the drug's already taking effect --she loses balance, hits the table on her way to the floor--
VIOLET
(slurred, sluggish) .. ~too1ate, tooiate, not again too late •.. you whore, little whore ... 85.
--as she struggles to take a stick of GOLD CHALK from her
pocket, She tries to draw a circle around herself--
VIOLET
.•• keepimindishouse ••• keepim, oh
keepim ..• keepimindishouse .•.
Fading fast, she pulls a folded piece of parchment .•. but then
collapses. Caroline snatches the paper from her grasp -it's labeled "Conjure of Ultimate Protection." Concentric
circles marked with crosses, blood and hair. Violet MEWLS--
--as Caroline steals the paper and runs.
INT, UPPER LANDING/HALL
Caroline races upstairs with a CANDLE lighting her way. As
she passes the door to he attic--
--there's a ROAR OF
otherworldly. Sh tside from the sto:i:m. It sounds to the attic door ..• but runs on ...
INT. VIOLET'S ROOM -
Caroline THROWS OPEN
--and SCREAMS to see a G
bed! She leaps back --but
away. Caroline pulls away the
--to reveal a trio of bunched, It's a dummy. Caroline reacts,
CAROLINE
Proof •.. show me proof ... IGURE lying in Violet's
r doesn't tn0ve,. facing
and a white wig.
s to the closet--
--to see a stack of Mason jars full of RED BRICK DUST. She
tosses clothing aside, quilt swatches, knick-knacks, .• and
turns back to the bed. Which she suddenly SHOVES aside--
--to reveal a CIRCULAR CHART OF RUNES "burned" into the
hardwood floor beneath, like an arcane calendar. Against the
wall, there's a SHALL FOOTLOCKER. She opens it--
--and finds a white sheet, which she unfurls to see the words
"HELP ME" scrawled in dirty water. Beneath it is the
"Conjure of Sacrifice" record. It's her evidence.
And finally she lifts a tied SWATCH OF HAIR. Dark hair. As
she lifts it to see the color matches her mm.
INT, BEN'S ROOM
She kicks open the door, carrying the footlocker--• • 86.
CAROLINE
Time to go.
INT. UPPER LANDING/HALL
She struggles to carry Ben down the stairs --bypassing the
motorized lift --awkwardly reaching the door--
EXT. DEVEREAUX HOUSE
Rain SHEETING down. The yard saturated, starting to flood.
Caroline carries Ben to her Civic, into the backseat--
CAROLINE
I'm coming right back, I swear--
INT. UPPER LANDING/HALL
She grabs her footlocker of "proof"--
Caroline freezes.
INT. DINING ROOM
Violet still lies
and closes, as if but chilling.
VIOLET •.. carrrroline ...
The front door SLAMS o.s.
EXT. HOUSE/INT. CIVIC Her hand opens
The car's wheels SPIT water as it REVS away from the house,
WIPERS flaring to keep the deluge away--
Caroline glances to the backseat, where Ben lies slumped
against the footlocker--
CAROLINE
Hang on, Ben, just hang on--
--and looks ahead to see the driveway's IRON'GATES closed!
Caroline YELLS and slams on the brakes. The car hydroplanes
to a stop at the thick metal bars --always open heretofore.
CAROLINE
It~s never closed ... never ... 87.
She scrambles out, tries to pull them open. They're locked
shut. Caroline rages, getting drenched .•• and leaps back in
the car. ·She REVERSES it swiftly--
CAROLINE
Hold on t.i.ght.
--and then ACCELERATES, a thirty-foot slam right at the
GATES! And BANG! The gates hllld. The Civic's hood
crumples. caroline's head hits the dash.
INT. DINING ROOM
Violet struggles to her knees, sluggish, disoriented .•.
VIOLET ... keepi.minthishouse .••
EXT.
Caroline pounds t the engine dies,
slipped to the car · a crumple--Ben has
No, no, no, ....
The car's dead. Desperate
downpour. She struggles wi
beneath the arms and draggi
CAROLINE
We've gotta hide you--tumbles back into the
do r, clutch.ing him
--and as she desperately surveys the waterlogged yard,
LIGHTNING flashes, illuminating the distant garden shed.
INT. GARDEN SHED
Caroline drags Ben in. There's a foot of water on the
ground. She sweeps clear a storage shelf of tools--
--and struggles to lift Ben onto it, lying him flat and
pulling a rain tarp over him. He's scared--
CAROLINE I'll get help, I'll find help --I'll
be back with help.
(grabs his hand)
I will nQJ:. leave you.
EXT. DEVEREAUX HOUSE
Caroline ~plashes bA~k to the Civic, retrieving the
footlocker and turning toward the house as----Violet appears on the front porch, in silhouette.
she braces With a HUNTING RIFLE for support. In her
hand, she shines a FLASHLIGHT across the yard.
VIOLET
Carrrroline ... 88.
Drowsy,
other
Caroline darts to tree-cover, splashing across the yard.
Violet tracks the splashes with her light--
--but caroline makes it to hiding. Violet shines onward,
missing her. Caroline creeps further--
VIOLET
Where's my husband, child? He's mine,
now, he belongs to me. Till death do
us part.
EXT. SIDE OF HOUSE
Caroline stays s
edging away ftOJ11
VI
You think yo
house? Think trees, with the RAIN soaking her,
e, toward the back--
from this
.,,._0.ger than me7
The rising bayou now floods
the house. And in the gardens.
~.rdens, encroaching on
the rusted canoe.
EXT. DEVEREAUX HOUSE
Violet surveys the front yard with flashlight •.•
VIOLE'!'
You have no idea how strong I am •••
••• as she hears SPLASHES somewhere in back.
EXT. BACK or HOUSE
Caroline shoves the CANOE into the bayou, with the footlocker
aboard, and scrambles into it herself.
At the house, Violet struggles around, shining the beam,
rifle raised and ready.
VIOLET
Carrrroline ...
But the canoe slips silently toward the cover of mossy oaks,
RAIN cloaking the sounds of Caroline's paddle--VIOLET
Carrrroline •••
And Caroline and the footlocker slip further away-
VIOLET
CAROLINE! 89.
--as Violet grows panicky now, sweeping the light across the
swamp, well short of the canoe's location now--
VIOLET
WHERE'S MY HUSBAND, CAROLINE! ! !
In the bayou, soaked and shivering, Caroline paddles and
paddles .•• into the watery darlmess ••• away ••• away •••
-NIGHT
Still raining. Par
inside, as a CANO half-full. ZYDECO plays from gainst a dock piling.
caroline shudders as
a TAXI parked in the ro
INT. TAXI -MOVING -
Caroline looks like a drenc ed
CABDRIVER looks her over, and t
CABDRIVER
Hey there. llhat you
CAROLINE
Proof.
EXT. GARDEN DISTRICT ROWHOUSE -NIGHT boat. Her eyes are on
A
A DOOR OPENS to reveal Luke in jeans and "LSU" T-shirt. He's
stunned to •See Caroline there, shivering and pale--
LUKE
Jesus, Caroline, ~hat are you--
CAROLINE
We have to help him. We have to help
him, he's still at the house--
She pushes her way inside, drops the footlocker. He shuts
his door, totally confused --as she opens the locker--
--to unfurl the muddy "HELP ME" scrawled sheet--• 90.
CAROLINE :thll is what he wants us to know.
INT, LUKE'S LIVING ROOM -MOMENTS LATER
Caroline's shivering badly as Luke puts a blanket over her,
then another --but she won't stay on the couch--
LUKE
Lie down, wouldya? How long've you
been out there? Look at you!
CAROLINE
I have to get back to the house--
LOKE
You're not going back. cops'll go, Y. u're not I' 11 go,
going.
I left -
Luke grabs her she , · to. get through to her--
L
Ca~oline! You · ' e anyone.
She settles at his tone. H hair off her
forehead, gives her face a
LUKE
I know a guy who's an A.D.
get the cops·out there.
him and tell him ••. what do
I want to report an act of
His CELL PHONE rings, startling them.
look .•• as Luke picks up.
LUKE
Luke Marshall.
{swallows hard) e1ll
an call
I tell him?
hoodoo?
They trade a wary
Mrs. Devereaux, to what do I .•.
Caroline scrambles upright on the couch. Luke stills her:
LUKE
From who? You mean from the hospice?
Why would I have ••. whoa, wait -firing her's one thing but ..• what the
hell happened? 91.
He holds up a finger to Caroline, then runs to a desk. Opens
a drawer and pulls a mini-tape recorder. He hits "Record,"
puts it to the receiver by his ear:
LUKE
Wait, Mrs4 Devereaux, start from the
start. Tell me"everything.
He pulls the recorder back --it's not turning. He opens up
the back --no batteries inside--
LUKE
Hang on, hang on, one second-
(low, to Caroline)
I want this on the record.
He rifles the drawer again, then hustles to the kitchen,
opening drawers there, hen into the back bedroom--
o. s.)
Hurting
how? 's been hurting him
Caroline sits alone, sh"
Luke's desk lined with
--to see PHOTOS"of Luke w
Luke in a graduation gown. like "Fundamentals of Estate La
"Basic Wills and Trusts." She
LUKE (O.S.)
So when did you first
wished hi.-n any ha:rm? She surveys the room ..• and
She steps to it-
riend, Luke with parents,
n the desk have titles
Law for Beginners, u
n eyebrow--
--as beneath them, she catches a glimpse of her .Qlm photo.
It's a "surveillancen-type shot, from when she first arrived
at the house. She shoves the books aside to see more--
--and KNOCKS OVER a glass"of water, which spills into the
desk's middle"drawer --which Caroline opens on instinct--
--to see JARS of HERBS and POWDERS. A jar of WISHBONES, a
SWEETENING GLOVE, a DOG'S PAW, FINGERNAILS, HAIR ••.
Caroline's chilled. She swiftly rifles the drawer--
LUKE (O.S.)
Well, look, if I dQ hear from her,
what do you want me to say?
--as over her shoulder, Luke steps into silhouetted view in
his bedroom doorway, without the phone--• 92.
--as Caroline lifts up a broken piece, all but the tip--
--of a skeleton key.
And over her shoulder, Luke MARCHES toward her. She doesn't
see him, doesn't hea~ him, so focused on the key--
--that the first danger she senses is the CORD AROUND HER
THROAT. Pulled tight in an instant --and back--
--jerking her backward off her feet! The wind's knocked fr0111
her and before she can recover--
CAROLINE'S POV
--an upside-down Luke SLAMS her head to the floor--
--and into DARKNE
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. FLOODED LANDSCAPE
Black and rippling water, ging from it. Whether
bayou swamp or newly-floode t' impossible to tell.
The HISS of a slick roadway. · has stopped.
INT. LUKE'S BRONCO
REVERSE to find Caroline's eyes ope , pressed to a window.
She's lying prone in the passenger seat, hands bound behind
her and gagged. With Luke at the wheel •.•
LUKE
Hell of a thing, isn't it? Everywhere
you look. A whole new world all
around you. It's like being born.
(considers)
Or dying. I wouldn't know.
EXT. DEVEREA1JX HOOSE -NIGHT
The Bronco enters the now-open gate, edging past the stranded Civic, easily navigating the slightly-flooded drive... ·
••. and approaches the house. Windows all lit with CANDLES.
EXT. FRONT OF HOOSE
Luke hauls caroline from the Bronco to the steps. She resists him, so he yanks her hair back: LUKE
Hush, Caroline. I know it's hard the
way things turned out. But you lo!.i.ll
be helping. After all ••• it's what you
were hired for.
INT. DEVEREAUX HOOSE 93.
The door BANGS open as Luke drags Caroline in. The foyer is eerie and candlelit. Tall shadows flicker.
LUKE
Anyone home?
Violet appears at the top of the stairs with her flashlight
and hunting rifle. She fixes both on Caroline:
She descends the s
gasps for air, .sputt e removes Caroline's gag. She r· knees--
She looks
VIOLET
WHERE IS HE, CHILD?
CAROLINE
Why are you helping her ... ?
Luke flickers a conflicted glance. Then to Violet:
LUKE
Is everything ready?
VIOLET
We can't fix .bJu: until we know where
he. is • We need him ruu:.e.
She hands Luke the rifle and drops to a knee, gripping
Caroline's hair --her grandmotherly smile no more: •
• VIOLET
~ou'll tell me where my husband is.,,
because he's as your father was.
Nothing you can do to help him. So
there's no need to even try. 94.
Caroline's trembling --a tear streaks her face. She looks
away, down the hall. At the end is the door to her room.
She stares for a long moment.
Then something registers in her face. She seems to subtly
strengthen. And sbe meets Violet's stare head-on.
CAROLINE
He's in the garden. The shed.
is.
She goes out the fro'
manages to struggle to
CAROLINE
I want his picture.
LUKE any more than she
(raises the rifle)
As you l<llll'.fl., caroline.
CAROLINE
My dad's picture.
She stumbles forward, leaning against the wall as she ignores
him, headed for her bedroom.
CAROLINE
I want it with me •.•
She keeps going, and Luke lowers the rifle. He allows her
onward ••• and stays several steps behind.
EXT. YARD/INT. GARDEN SHED -SAME
Violet SPLASHES across the lawn, reaching the shed--
--and forcing the door open. There's two feet of standing
water, floating tools •.. and above, a FIGURE under a tarp~ VIOLET
Well, now. Th= you are.
She throws the tarp aside--
--just as GARDSN SHEARS come flashing at her --and she GRABS
BEN'S WRIST in the nick of time, leaving the points mere
inches from her face!
Violet twists his arm; the shears drop. Poor Ben stares with
desperate eyes --wet and shivering. Violet tut-tuts:
VIOLET
Oh Ben. And after all I've done for
you.
INT. LOWER HALL/CAAOLINE'S ROOM -SAME
Caroline still moves
bound behind her. bracing with the wall, hands
the door--
the damn thing.
--as Luke picks up the' ce,. trides right by her--
--and as he puts a foot t 'll.E!!~,' s threshold, he ~-
Re gets a strange look ••. as""!!e ~wn •.• and then turns back toward caroline .•.
CAROLINE
And no one who means me h an cross it.
And as Luke's eyes widen, Caroline BURSTS into movement-
·-darting right at him before he can raise the rifle --and
scampering through the doorway! Luke tries to grab her but
snatches air--
And she's inside! Re flails with a hand, refusing (or
unable) to take a step across the threshold--
--so he raises the rifle instead, as she SLAMS against the
door with her back, driving it SHUT! She grabs her skeleton
key off the dresser --locks the door with her bound hands--
INT. HALLWAY
--wru.le Luke aims the rifle at the lock! CLICK. Luke
frowns, cracks the stock. It's not loaded, • 96.
INT. CAROLINE'S ROOM
Caroline tumbles over the bed, leaps to her windowsill-
INT • HALLWAY
--as Luke SLAMS against the door, hearing GLASS SHATTER-
LUKE
She's outside--
(calling)
VIOLET! SHE'S OUTSIDE!
EXT. YARD/GARDEN SHED
Violet BURSTS from the shed --seeing Caroline outside the
shattered window, sawing her bonds with a GLASS SHARD--
--and
free.
EXT. FRONT OF HOUSE
--as Luke SPRINTS out,_
EXT. BACK OF HOUSE
--as Caroline CLIMBS the lattice
then RIPS the lattice free. She
as Violet and Luke converge below--
VIOLET
She's --why's she-(realizes, to Luke)
GET BACK INSIDE!
INT. VIOLET'S ROOM from sight, hands now
splashing--
sunporch roof and
an upstairs window
Caroline BURSTS in and flings open the closet. To find the
Mason jars full of BRICK DUST.
INT. FRONT FOYER -SECONDS LATER
A TRAIL OF BRICK DUST comes spilling across the front doorway
--just as the door FLIES OPEN!
Caroline leaps back, a Mason jar in her red-stained hand -
to see Luke staring at the dust-line like it's the plague--
LUKE
SHE'S DONE THE DOOR! Caroline spins to the flanking windows, scattering a handful
of brick dust there too--
Luke sees, and :immediately races sideways, out of sight-
As Caroline scatters another handful across the door to the
main hall--
--as a WINDOW SHATTERS somewhere in that direction--
--while Caroline scatters a line across the doorways to the
dining room, and to the living room, effectively "sealing"
off the foyer --then sprints up the staircase--
--as Luke darts into view from a room halfway down the main
hall. He rushes to the foyer threshold, stops still at the
dust-line, watching her escape--
I CAN'T
INT. OPPER lf?u,L
Caroline CHA!l.GES to the scattering dust across ng, racing to the far end,
oorway, Viole~'s doorway--
-as there's another WIN1JVw~- upstairs--
--and Caroline scatters a line
next, the jar running out,
--just a couple last doors
AS ONE OF THEM FLIES OPEN
--as Caroline's bent before it. Violet charges out, knocking
Caroline backwards and sending the Mason jar flying--
--over the railing to SHATTER in the foyer helow--
--as Violet snatches hold of Caroline's hair, twisting it
viciously as Caroline struggles up--
VIOLET
Try to use my conjures on ME?!
--and Caroline spins, sending them both crashing into a side
table. A corded phone hits the floor. They pivot off,
st\llllhling to the stairs just as Caroline finds leverage--
--and rips herself free with an enraged CRY, leaving Violet
unbalanced, at the stairs' edge--
• 98.
--as the old woman pinwheels and FALLS BACKWARDS. She SLAMS
the steps, somersaulting over, smacking off the wall as the
stairs curve to the foyer--
--and landing violently, her legs broken at nasty angles.
LUI<E
NO!!!
Caroline sees Luke's vengeful stare from a foyer doorway, rifle in hand --and then he darts from sight. His steps run
off ••• as there's a low MOAN from Violet's crumpled figure.
Caroline spins, shaking, not knowing where to turn •. 4so she
turns around. To face the attic stairwell's door.
INT. SPIRAL STAIRWELL
Caroline darts in, pu
end table. She loc .the corded phone from the hall's
oor. The cord runs beneath--
• --as she sits on t tairs and dials 911.
91 (O.S.)
9-1-1 Emerge •
There's a mechanical CLUN\.~. It's the motor of the
staircase wheelchair lift. ni ••
CAROLINE • . ..iii"'
Please, my name is Car~in EUlll:s, I
need police and paramedic at
1750 Bayoµ Chapelet in Te : onne
Parish. There are people urt and in
trouble! Please hurry!
She hangs up, shaking, then pounds in another number. The
mechanical HOM is getting closer--
JILL'S VOICE (O.S.)
Unnnh •.. what time is it?
CAROLINE Jill, I'm in trouble, I'm in the
house! It's real, it's all real--
JILL'S VOICE
Cary? You're where, what?
CAROLINE
I'm in the Devereaux house!
Jill's reply gets lost as the line goes DEAD. Caroline pulls at the phone --the cord's severed end slips under the door. There's a THUMP against the door.
VIOLET (0. S.)
carrrroline ••. 99.
Caroline jumps--
Weary, but still strong. Caroline scrambles further up-
VIOLET (O.S.)
Carrrroline ...
INT. ATTIC
caroline rushes inside and shuts the door, locking it with
the skeleton key. As the lock CLICKS home--
--there's the sound of a familiar DRUMBEAT. Distant, but
pulsing through the house. Music we've heard before.
Caroline pales.
INT. BEN'S ROOM
A MAN'S HAND moves a
REVEALING LUKE, setting
It's the ''Conjure of "
!NT. ATTIC
The MUSIC BUILDS clapping J
gourd, the washboard and thew 's spinning phonograph ••.
r albmn sleeve aside.
drumbeat, the rattling
o l huirntlng--
--as the lower stairwell door is he OPEN and SHUT.
Candlelight FLICKERS beneath the upper door--
--as caroline backs away, trembling, as she hears-
FEMALE SINGER (ON RECORD)
Lawdy lawd, come to free my soul--
CHORUS (ON RECORD)
Lawdy lawd, come to free my soul--.
SINGER
Lawdy lawd, let the good times roll--
CHORUS
Lawdy lawd, let the good times roll--
Caroline snatches a folded parchment from her pocket and
spins for the door to the Hoodoo Room--SINGER
Rattlesnake, rattlesnake, shed that
skin--
CHORUS
Rattlesnake, rattles·nake, shed that
skin--
--fumbling with the key to unlock it and enter-
SINGER
Split me open, let the lawd roll in--
CHORUS
Split me open, let the lawd roll in--
INT. HOODOO ROOM 100.
Caroline stumbles
starlight through the door open. There's faint
roof-grate--
--as she sets her
Violet's "Conjure o instructions for
Chalk, sa
sawdust, blo · r --chalk,
--and rifles the rolltop desk, · a jar of BROWN
SAiDUST, sticks of GOLD CHALK, we -handled KNIFE--
As the music's call-and-response pi the pace--
SINGER AND CHORUS Rollllll on! Rollllll on! Rollllll
on! Rollllll on! Roll! Roll! Roll!
Roll! Roll! Roll! Roll! Roll!
--Caroline grabs a red candle and scampers back out, knocking
over the 1912 picture of Papa Justify and Maroa Cecile, with
the redheaded Thorpe children--
INT. ATTIC
--to drop to her knees on the floor. She lights the red
candle, puts the conjure instructions beside it--
--which depict a pair of concentric circles, "eyes" drawn at
the compass points, chalk lines radiating from the center and
blood, hair and sawdust filling the outer ring--
--so Caroline copies it, drawing two CHALK CIRCLES around
hex, then slashing lines and drawing eyes--101.
WOMAN IINO CHORUS (0, S.)
Roll! Roll! Roll! Roll!
--as the male guttural CIIANTING joins the music. And the
female wordless WAIL, changing pitch, building steadily--
--as a shadow blocks the light beneath the attic door--
--and Caroline spreads the brown sawdust- around her, then
taking the knife to her hair--
CAROLINE
Protect me, protect me, protect me--
--and hacking off the ends, spreading them with the sawdust
and then bringing the knife to her left forea:cm--
--slicing a long surfa cut to DRAW BLOOD--
--as the MUSIC bui fas rand faster, the wail a SHRIEK--
--as the attic door I
And the music goes S
Out of the shadows, a FI into view. It's Violet,
on her elbows, dragging he lower torso.
VIOLET
Why, child. I bel. rok both
my legs.
Caroline smears her blood around th ·rcle, waving the knife
defensively--
CAROLINE
You can't touch me.
near me. See this?
of Protection.
VIOLET You can't come It's the Conjure
Is that what that is now ...
The old woman's smile turns wicked:
VIOLET
And just who.gave you that?
Slowly, so slowly ••. Caroline stills .•.
As Violet reveals a lighter, holds it to the floor at the
doorway, and FLICKS it alight--102.
--as it sets a preset TRAIL OF KEROSENE aflame, racing both
ways around the room and LIGHTING BLACK CANDLES that have
been placed along the perimeter floor and furniture!
Revealing the DOZEN MIRRORS that now hang on the walls,
previously obscured by the darkness.
The kerosene trail burns out, but the.black candles stay lit.
The attic's AGLOW in macabre candlelight --and now looks
exactly the same as in the 1912 flashback, where the servants
were found with the Tho.rpe children ..•
VIOLET
All that circle there protects is
you ..• from leaving it,
Caroline stares at her self-drawn circle with horror ..•.
•.. while Violet pulls . · ornate OVAL DRESSING MIRROR from
behind a cabinet. s wheels, gilt and ornamental.
VIO
We've bee you, child. To
believe.
Caroline faces her
mirror for leverage,
her broken legs--
VIOLET It doesn't work if
CAROLmE
But I ... I don't believe •..
believe .. .
VIOLET
Ohh, I think you do. ieve~ uses the
despite
The MUSIC has resumed, DRUMBEAT building, CHIINTING returning,
many voices now, speaking in tongues, chanting faster--
--as Violet TURNS the mirror on its swivel, so that the
backing faces Caroline and the mirrored side faces her -
with her body pressed flush, clutching it tightly to her--
INT. UPPER HALL
Luke carries a BLACK CANDLE, eyes closed, bathed in sweat.
He steps solemnly toward the attic--INT. ATTIC LUKE
(sotto, trance-like) ... the spirit is willing, the flesh is
weak, the spirit is willing .•• 103.
Violet's obscured, BODY SHAKING, quaking the mirror and its
rolling stand--
--as Caroline waves the knife desperately, still inside her
own chalk circle, terrified--
CAROLINE
Stay back, I'll kill you, stay away--
INT. UPPER HALL
Luke stalks closer, e faster as the MUSIC held, his chant getting
INT. ATTIC
Behind the mirror, Violet's
the very roam starts to SY.AKE -
mirrors on.the walls, the candl
CAROLINE
(now shuts her eyes J is
I don't believe, I don't believe, I
don't believe, I don't believe--
INT. UPPER HALL And now
hanging
As Luke reaches the attic stairway, bathed in sweat, his
chant builds to an unintelligible FRENZIED CRY and his black
candle SHATTERS INTO EMBERS--
INT. ATTIC
CAROLINE
I DON'T BELIEVE!!!
As a bone-curdling SCl<EAM erupts from behind the mirror and
Violet JERKS BACKWARDS, hitting the wall--
--as the MIRROR SHOOTS FORWARD, rolling across the floor and
pivoting over as it does --to now reveal the mirrored side--
--except instead of Caroline's reflection, it's Violet--•
• • 104.
AS HER REFLECTED IMAGE CHANGES
before our very eyes •.• as Violet (in the mirror) DE-AGES, a
woman of seventy-one, then of forty-five, of twenty-eight--
--like history itself is hurtling back:wards ••• as the mirror
ROLLS closer and closer and now--
IN THE MIRROR, VIOLET VANISHES
replaced by a RED-HAIRED WOMAN of fifty-five, then of forty,
of twenty --like snapshots melting impossibly fast--
--until the reflected image is now the REDHEADED GIRL we've
seen before. Little Grace Thorpe from the 1912 flashbacks.
AS SHE VANISHES TOO
replaced by a woman w seen before. An African-American
woman. A conjure w . n a familiar maid's outfit.
It's MAMA CECILE. d ious screams are hers--
--as the MIRROR ROLLS caroline's outstretched
arms and horrified sta
--throwing Caroline backwa
the warped door at full for
--just as the MUSIC and
And the dark room falls silent.
BLACIQIES S .
FADE IN:
EXT. DEVEREAUX HOUSE -NIGHT ru:lOM, SLAMMING into
SMASH COT TO:
The dark house LIGHTS OP, room by room, as the electricity
sputters back on.
INT. ATTIC
The wall sconces COME ON for the first time, illuminating the
space. It's like a stor.m blew through,
Caroline lies crumpled on the floor,
and grime. She stirs, struggles up.
cobwebs, checks her body for wounds. in sawdust, glass shards
She blinks to clear the Then sees Violet lying face-down by the stairway door.
Motionless. 105.
Caroline gets to her feet, wincing. She limps to Violet,
kneels beside her •.• ·
••• and snares a CIGARETTE peeking out of Violet's pocket. Violet's lighter is on the floor. Caroline flicks it alight:
CAROLINE
Thank you, child.
And takes a good long smoke.
LUKE (O.S.)
Cecile?! You all right, Cecile!?
Luke arrives in the
stands, nods to the ay, surveys the scene. Caroline less old woman:
Luke nods~ relieved, her gaze to Violet's body:
A fair bit e lawyer,
::~:•:a:::~~;;;Etime~y n't
believe like they used to, gotta
get 'em riled up.
She surveys the mirrors on the walls, regarding her own body,
as if she's trying on a new outfit--
CAROLINE
Told you I wanted a black one,
Justify.
LUKE
The black ones wouldn't stay. Beggars
can't be choosers.
CAROLINE
lll!mlph •
Luke approaches from behind, puts his arms around her-
LUKE
! think it fits you beautifully.
Better than Violet, or even Grace.
(MORE) •
•
• LUKE (CONT'D)
(smiles)
We'll get used to them. 106.
We always do.
on the floor, Violet now stirs. Disoriented, she turns over,
looks at her body, her broken legs. Raises trembling aJ:111S.
And feels the contours of her face.
She stares at Caroline in shock ..• as the girl approaches •.•
CAROLINE
What folks don't understand 'bout
sacrifice, child ••• is it don't always
mean dying.
(beat)
Sometimes it's more of a trade.
Violet's agape. Caroline smiles. Violet's shaking, her dry
mouth cracking open, her liver-spotted arms--
Gggg ..• ~.~- Temeot ••• gemeotof •••
(sw ows, ronger)
Getmoto -~. t out of here ••• ! GET ME OU !
Her eyes well up, her e l of horror--
I know, ch~ 'f!'rd
EXT. DEVEREAUX HOUSE -DAWN --,~
Jill drives up the waterlogged drive
Caroline's damaged Civic with a wor passing
--and reaching the house to find two POLICE CARS and an
AMBULANCE already there.
INT. LIVING ROOM
Violet lies on a gurney, legs immobilized and staring into
space. Her aJ:IIIS have slight tremors, her eyes dart with
paranoid helplessness --just like Ben.
Cl\.ROLINE (O.S.)
We thought it was just the fall, but
now it's like she can't move anything.
She can't even speak. It's like it
triggered, I don't know--
LUKE (O.S.J
Like a stroke or something--
REVEAL Jill hurrying through the doorway to find Caroline and
Luke talking with two PARAMEDICS, beside Violet--\...._..
JIL.L
Cary!
She runs over --ae Caroline turns, confused-
CAROLINE
Dearie me. I'm sorry, are you with
the police?
JILL
iihat? It's lll!t, You called me. 107.
Violet's eyes widen to see Jill, she gives a choked MOAN-
PARAMEDIC
(to his partner)
C'1n0n, let's move her in with her
husband. And keep that mirror away
from her, a? --she goes nuts
when she t thing •..
--as the Paramedic
no avail ••. as Jill s
JILL
For help. Don' t
LOKE out. She shakes, moans, to
ine with a perplexed look--
(offers a swift hand)
cary's not herself right --I'm
Luke Marshall, the Oevereaux's lawyer.
JILL
I •.. hi, Jill Dupay, her roommate--
CAROLINE Jill! Yes, I llid call, Fiddlesticks!
I don't know what possessed me --the
stoxm, it flooded --then she fell--
JILL
Hey, I'm here, it's all right.
CAROLINE
They'll need real care now --a full
time facility --they'll have to
leave, they can't stay here--
JILL
(arms around her)
cary. It's~-• .... Luke nods sympathetically too. Caroline calms.
CAROLINE
Could you ride with them, Jill? To
the hospital --we'll meet you there?
JILL
Hey. Whatever you need.
Caroline smiles sadly. Nods to Luke.
CAROLINE
We just need more ti.me. 108.
She departs, leaving Jill with Luke, Jill surveys the room, still confused ... noticing spattered red dust •..
to them --her being
wasn't for long, but
How do you kn at.
(a con~den ~) In their wills? e ~e ~ing her the house.
INT. AMBULANCE -DAY
Violet's gurney gets LOADED in, rol to a stop ..• right
beside Ben's. Violet tw:ns her sad eyes •.•
... to meet Ben's. There's undexstanding there nov.
SHADOWS enter the ambulance. Doors shut, engine REVS. And
as Violet struggles .•• to reach a trembling hand .•.
INT. LIVING ROOM
WE SEE PICTURES on a mantel. As ANGLE SLIDES from left to right ... starting on a 1906 wedding photo of Papa Justify and
Mama Cecile. Next, the 1912 photo of Justify and Cecile with
the two Thorpe children, Martin and Grace .••
INT. BATHROOM
•.. while Luke hangs a MIRROR back in place ...
INT. 11!,lBULANCE
. .• and Violet's hand reaches, straining with all she can .•. 10!>.
INT. LIVING ROOM
TRACKING PAST PHOTOS .•• of redheaded Martin and Grace Thorpe
as teens, holding hands. Then in middle-age (SO's), ann-in
arm --shaking hands with a smiling young Ben and Violet (20's), beside a 1962 "Sold" sign at the Devereaux house.
Then, a photo of elderly Ben and Violet, cheek-to-cheek •..
INT. DINING ROOM
••• while Caroline re-hangs a sideboard MIRROR .••
INT. AMBULANCE
••• and Violet's trembling hand is still desperate to grasp .••
INT. LIVING ROOM
ENDING THE TRACK... h hoto of Luke, in his graduation
gown, getting his deg e. Next to the photo of Caroline
as a child, learni gu· 'th her father.
INT. AMBULANCE
.•. as Violet's hand clut
gurney. They clasp and ho
Sitting by the door, Jill and a
two elderly faces lost in each
PARAMEDIC
Man. I hope I never
JILL reaching out from his
Yeah? Well, take a look at them.
Nothing wrong with growing old.
(beat)
Long as you're together.
INT. LIVING ROOM
Where the TWO HANDS CLASPED are Caroline's and Luke's.
They're kissing, a tender kiss, both familiar and new •..
•.. in a room with all its mirrors now re-hung •.• to
.•• as ANGLE PULLS AWAY, out the window, leaving them there ••.
... two young bodies' in love ...
EXT. DEVEREAUX HOOSE
••• in the home they've always known .•. 110 •
••. as ANGLE RISES, lllOVing into the swamp •• into the mossy
oaks, past the hanging tree ..•
••• and as the ambulance disappears down a distant road •.• we
ASer;ND high above the bayou and into the Southern sky •••
•.• all mortal cares left far below.
CUT TO BLACK. | screenplays |
during the last decade there has been growing interest in molecular electronics , stimulated largely by the experimental realization of molecular wires@xcite , systems in which a single organic molecule or a few molecules carry an electric current between a pair of metal contacts .
hybrid molecule / silicon nanoelectronic devices are another intriguing possibility and research that may lead to their creation is also being pursued.@xcite for many potential nanoelectronic applications it will be necessary to sandwich a molecular layer between metal and/or semiconductor layers that act as contacts and also protect the molecular layer from the environment .
however , this makes the molecules inaccessible to direct nanoscopic experimental probes such as the scanning tunneling microscope ( stm ) .
thus the structures and electronic properties of such buried molecular layers are , to a large degree , still the subject of conjecture .
ballistic electron emission microscopy ( beem ) is a technique that can probe the nanoscale spatial structure and electronic spectra of buried interfaces.@xcite in beem experiments a bias voltage is applied between an stm tip and a thin metal overlayer covering a buried substrate , usually a semiconductor , which is kept at almost the same electrochemical potential as the metal overlayer.@xcite electrons are injected from the stm tip into the metal layer and travel ballistically through the metal .
some of them are transmitted through the metal / semiconductor interface into the semiconductor substrate.the electric current transmitted through the interface is measured as a function of both the lateral position of the stm tip and the bias voltage applied between the tip and metal overlayer .
this allows the imaging of defect structures at the interface and spatially - resolved spectroscopy of their electronic structure , with nanometer resolution .
recently beem experiments have been initiated on systems in which self - assembled molecular monolayers are present between the metal overlayer and semiconductor , specifically , alkane dithiolates between gaas and gold.@xcite since in such beem experiments a significant bias is not applied across the molecular layer , beem spectroscopy ( bees ) of buried molecules ( unlike the usual spectroscopies based on measurements of current - voltage characteristics of molecular diodes@xcite ) is not subject to complications due to bias - induced charging effects and electric fields in or near the molecular layer .
thus in addition to being a unique probe of buried structures with nanometer spatial resolution , beem can provide important spectroscopic information relevant to molecular electronics that is complementary to that obtained from measurements of diode current - voltage characteristics .
however , because of the absence to date of any appropriate theory , it has been difficult to interpret the results of beem experiments for metal / molecule / semiconductor systems unambiguously : for example , in the recent experimental study@xcite a beem signal could only be detected in a few small , isolated patches of the sample and it has been unclear whether this should be interpreted as evidence that most of the sample was occupied by an insulating alkane - dithiolate self - assembled monolayer ( sam ) that did not transmit a detectable beem signal and that the observed signal was coming from occasional patches of defects in this sam , or that to the contrary the detected beem signal was being transmitted through small patches of alkane - dithiolate sam surrounded by much larger regions of a more strongly insulating material ( such as alkane - dithiol multilayers ) between the semiconductor and the gold overlayer . in this article a theoretical study is presented of ballistic electron emission microscopy / spectroscopy of single organic molecules between a thin gold overlayer and a silicon substrate . it is predicted that alkane molecules of moderate size ( hexane and decane are studied ) attached to the si substrate by a c - si bond ( and whether thiol - bonded or not chemically bonded to the gold overlayer ) should transmit the ballistic electrons so weakly that such single molecules are expected to be below the threshold of detection for conventional beem equipment . however , related single molecules containing unsaturated c - c bonds or aromatic rings are predicted to exhibit sufficiently strong transmission resonances that their observation in beem experiments should be feasible .
thus it is predicted that @xmath0 molecules with unsaturated c - c bonds or aromatic rings embedded in an alkane or alkane thiolate sam between a silicon substrate and gold overlayer should be detectable in beem experiments with present day equipment .
the calculated beem spectra of the molecules are also presented and the effects of some simple interstitial and substitutional gold defects that may occur in molecular films are also briefly discussed .
this paper is organized as follows : the theoretical model of the structures and electronic structures of the systems studied and the approach used to calculate the beem currents in these systems are described in section [ model ] .
the results obtained are presented together with their interpretation and implications for experiment in section [ results ] .
the main conclusions are summarized in section [ conclusions ] .
as in other transport calculations in molecular electronics,@xcite the theoretical model studied is based on an @xmath1 @xmath2 that includes the molecule itself as well as clusters of nearby atoms belonging to the electrodes that transmit electrons to and from the molecule . in this way the chemical bonding between the molecule and the electrodes is taken into account as well as the electronic structures of the molecule and the electrodes . in the present systems
there are three electrodes : the stm tip , the metal layer between the tip and the molecule , and the silicon substrate . an atomic cluster from each of these is included in the extended molecule , as is shown for an ethylmethylbenzene molecule in fig.[fig_1 ] : a cluster of 10 au atoms represents the ( 111)-oriented monoatomic au tip .
the au film between the tip and molecule is represented by a 591 au atom cluster that is approximately cylindrical and presents ( 111)-oriented facets to the stm tip and the molecule . a hemispherical 390 si atom cluster with the dangling si bonds passivated by h atoms and its flat ( 111 ) surface facing the molecule represents the si substrate .
the molecules studied here bond to the si substrate through a single covalent c - si bond . for those molecules that are thiol - bonded to the gold film , the sulfur atom is positioned @xmath3 2.2 below a hollow site between three gold surface atoms .
density functional theory was used to estimate the atomic geometries of the molecules and of their bonding to the semiconductor substrate and metal overlayer.@xcite however in cases where the end of the molecule adjacent to the gold layer terminates in a ch@xmath4 group ( which does not bond to the gold ) , the distance between the gold surface plane and the closest h atom of the molecule is somewhat arbitrary , and was assumed to be 3 .
most theoretical work on electronic transport in molecular wires with metal contacts has been based on semi - empirical tight - binding models or kohn - sham density functional calculations of the electronic structure.@xcite it was found in the present study that , in order to realistically model ballistic transmission of electrons through the gold film between the stm tip and molecule in beem experiments , several hundred au atoms need to be included in the cluster that represents the gold film in extended molecule .
this makes the density functional approach impractical for the transport problem .
furthermore previous theoretical work modeling the current - voltage characteristics of molecules on silicon found kohn - sham density functional calculations to be unsuitable for treating the electronic structure of the silicon substrate,@xcite and to yield results that disagree qualitatively with experimental stm data.@xcite however , transport calculations based on semi - empirical tight - binding models can be performed for systems with large numbers of atoms and have successfully explained experimental current - voltage characteristics of molecules connecting gold electrodes@xcite and of molecular wires on silicon substrates.@xcite thus a hybrid tight - binding model of the electronic structure that combines parameters derived from semi - empirical considerations of quantum chemistry and from _ ab initio _ band structure calculations is adopted here . as is explained below , a number of parameters that enter the model are not known accurately , and in order to proceed further it is necessary to make plausible but not rigorous approximations and assumptions regarding their values .
the sensitivity of the present findings to the values of these parameters was explored in the course of this work and it was found that the _ qualitative _ conclusions reported here are robust to reasonable variations in parameter values .
the reader is referred to previous papers@xcite for extended discussions of the reliability of such techniques . the semi - empirical extended hckel model of quantum chemistry@xcite
is used to describe the electronic structure of the molecule and coupling between the molecule and silicon substrate .
however in order to model the electronic structure of the silicon substrate satisfactorily , the extended hckel model requires modification and this is done here as in ref . :
extended hckel theory describes molecular systems in terms of a small set of slater - type atomic orbitals @xmath5 and a hamiltonian matrix @xmath6 . the diagonal hamiltonian elements @xmath7 are the atomic orbital ionization energies .
non - diagonal elements are approximated by @xmath8 where @xmath9 is a phenomenological parameter usually chosen to be 1.75 for consistency with experimental molecular electronic structure data . however , in the present work , as is discussed in detail in ref .
, for si atoms the single parameter @xmath9 is replaced by a set of parameters @xmath10 whose values are chosen so that the modified extended hckel model obtained in this way yields an accurate description of the band structure of crystalline silicon .
the electronic structures of the gold film and stm tip are also described by a tight - binding model with a non - orthogonal basis but in this case the tight - binding parameters @xmath11 and @xmath12 from ref . that are based on fits to @xmath13 @xmath14 calculations of the electronic structure of gold
are used . the atomic orbital energies @xmath15 of ref . for gold
are defined up to an arbitrary additive constant which is chosen in the present work so as to yield reasonable values of the energy offsets @xmath16 between the homo levels of the molecules @xmath17 studied and the fermi level of the gold film .
the values of the offsets @xmath16 are not known accurately at present either theoretically or experimentally , their determination being an important open problem of molecular electronics . for the present purpose
they are estimated as the differences between the work function of au and the homo energies of the respective isolated molecules obtained from density functional theory , an approximation that has been used successfully to align the fermi energy of gold with the homo of benzenedithiolate,@xcite and has also been applied to a variety of other metal - molecule junctions.@xcite the effects of the potential difference between the stm tip and the gold film on the electronic structure of the system are included in the present model by offsetting the atomic orbital energies @xmath15 for gold stm tip upwards in energy from those of the gold film by an amount @xmath18 where @xmath19 is bias voltage between the tip and au film .
the value of the energy offset @xmath20 of the silicon conduction band edge ( at the surface of the silicon substrate ) above the fermi level of the gold film is another important parameter that is not known accurately for gold / molecule / silicon heterojunctions .
here it is assumed , for simplicity , that @xmath21 , a typical experimental value of the schottky barrier measured in beem experiments on au / si(111 ) interfaces;@xcite the si orbital energies @xmath7 are adjusted ( all equally ) so as to place the lumo level of the si cluster of the extended molecule @xmath22 above the fermi level of the gold film .
finally , the hamiltonian matrix elements between the stm tip and gold film and between the gold film and molecule are estimated from eq.([hij ] ) with @xmath23 . because of the non - orthogonality of the basis states employed in the present model , the above adjustments of the diagonal matrix elements @xmath15 of the tight binding hamiltonian require@xcite corresponding adjustments @xmath24 of the non - diagonal elements @xmath11 , which were taken to be @xmath25 where @xmath26 is the shift of the diagonal element @xmath27 . in a beem experiment
the electron flux that passes from the stm tip to the gold film subsequently separates : a small part of it ( that constitutes the beem current @xmath28 ) continues through the molecule to the si substrate and on to the electron drain electrode , while most of it ( referred to henceforth as the film current @xmath29 ) proceeds laterally through the gold film directly to the drain electrode .
the total current @xmath30 passing through the stm tip is thus given by @xmath31 .
the present calculations of @xmath28 and @xmath29 are based on landauer - bttiker theory.@xcite for beem experiments the gold film , the si substrate and the electron drain can all be considered to be at the same electrochemical potential.@xcite also , in practice , electron transmission from the source to drain via the gold film , molecule and silicon substrate , and directly via the gold film are mutually incoherent processes .
therefore it follows from landauer - bttiker theory that the currents @xmath28 and @xmath29 at a given value of the applied source - drain bias voltage @xmath19 are related to the multichannel electron transmission probabilities @xmath32 at energy @xmath33 from the source electrode to the drain via @xmath34 where @xmath34 can be the beem path through the gold film , molecule and si substrate ( @xmath35 ) , or the direct path through the gold film to the drain ( @xmath36 ) , according to @xmath37 where @xmath38 + 1)}$ ] and @xmath39 is the electrochemical potential of the source ( @xmath40 ) or drain ( @xmath41 ) electrode.@xcite the source and drain electrodes are modelled here as arrays of ideal single - channel leads : one such drain lead is coupled to the 1@xmath42 orbital of each of the hydrogen atoms that passivate the dangling bonds terminating the si cluster of the extended molecule , and one is coupled to each @xmath43 valence orbital of the surface atoms of the si cluster ( except for those of the h and si atoms in the vicinity of the si atom to which the molecule bonds ) , a total of 675 ideal leads .
an ideal drain lead is also coupled to each @xmath42 , @xmath43 and @xmath44 valence orbital of the surface atoms of the au cluster representing the the au film , except for those au atoms in the immediate vicinity of the molecule and stm tip , totalling 2709 leads .
similarly an ideal source lead is coupled to each valence @xmath42 , @xmath43 and @xmath44 orbital of the surface atoms of the cluster representing the stm tip , except for the terminal atom of the tip , a total of 81 leads .
each ideal lead @xmath45 was modelled as a semi - infinite tight - binding chain with a single orbital per site , a site energy @xmath46 and nearest neighbor hopping matrix element @xmath47 .
@xmath46 was chosen to be equal to the energy ( including the shift , if any , due to the applied bias ) of the hydrogen , silicon or gold orbital to which lead @xmath45 was coupled .
the hopping matrix elements @xmath47 were all taken to have a magnitude of 6 ev , sufficiently large that the eigenmodes of all of the ideal leads in the energy window between @xmath48 and @xmath49 in eq .
( [ landauer ] ) be composed of counter - propagating ( left and right moving ) waves .
the coupling matrix elements @xmath50 between the ideal leads and their respective hydrogen , silicon and gold orbitals were also set to @xmath47 .
as well as mimicking macroscopic electrodes by transmitting an ample electron flux to and from the system , the above large numbers of ideal source and drain leads have a similar effect to phase - randomizing bttiker probes@xcite in minimizing the influence of dimensional resonances due to the finite sizes of the gold and silicon clusters employed in the model ; it was verified that the ideal leads described above meet these requirements by comparing the results obtained in test calculations with differing numbers of ideal leads , differing values of the lead parameters , and differing numbers of atoms in the au and si clusters of the extended molecules .
calculations of the currents @xmath28 and @xmath29 for cylindrical au atom clusters with the same height ( 1.4 nm ) as that of the 591 au atom cluster in fig.[fig_1 ] but with differing diameters confirmed that the diameter of this cluster ( approximately 2.5 nm ) was sufficient for these currents to have converged with increasing cluster diameter , i.e. , that electron transport through this finite cluster adequately represents ballistic propagation of electrons through a thin but laterally extended gold film . to calculate @xmath32 and hence evaluate eq.([landauer ] ) , the transformation to the alternate hilbert space described in refs . and @xcite was made , mapping the non - orthogonal basis of atomic orbitals to an orthogonal basis .
the lippmann - schwinger equation @xmath51 describing electron scattering between the source and drain leads was solved numerically for @xmath52 in the alternate hilbert space.@xcite in eq.([eq : lsch ] ) @xmath53 is the green s function for the decoupled system ( i.e. , with the coupling between the ideal leads and the extended molecule switched off ) , @xmath54 is the eigenstate of the decoupled ideal source lead @xmath45 with energy @xmath33 and @xmath52 is the corresponding scattering eigenstate of the complete system with the coupling @xmath55 between the ideal leads and the extended molecule switched on .
the scattering amplitudes @xmath56 from the ideal source lead @xmath45 to drain lead @xmath57 at energy @xmath33 were extracted from the scattering eigenstates @xmath52 and the transmission probabilities that enter eq .
( [ landauer ] ) were then calculated from @xmath58 where @xmath59 and @xmath60 are the electron group velocities in ideal leads @xmath45 and @xmath57 respectively at energy @xmath33 . the sum over @xmath57 in eq .
( [ eq : multitx ] ) is over those drain leads connected to electrode @xmath34 , i.e. , the gold metal film or the si substrate as discussed above , while that over @xmath45 is over the leads connected to the stm tip .
for the terminal atom of the gold stm tip over an atom at the center of the top surface of the au cluster that represents the gold film in fig.[fig_1 ] , and separated from that surface atom by a nearest neighbor distance of gold ( 2.88 ) , the stm tip and gold film are connected by an atomic quantum point contact . for this geometry
the present calculations of the electron transmission probability @xmath61 between the tip and gold film at zero applied bias yield values close to 1 ( per spin ) for energies @xmath33 around the fermi level of gold , consistent with previous experimental@xcite and theoretical@xcite studies of gold atomic point contacts . however , in beem experiments the stm tip is normally further from the gold film , at distances in the stm tunneling regime . unless stated otherwise , the results of the beem calculations to be presented here will be for such a larger separation ( 4.33 ) between the tip atom and the gold film
for which the calculated the electron transmission probability @xmath62 between the tip and gold film at the gold fermi energy and zero applied bias is approximately @xmath63 .
the calculated electron transmission probabilities @xmath64 from the electron source to the drain via the stm tip , gold film , molecule and silicon substrate are shown in fig . [ fig_2 ] for two representative molecules that are shown in the insets .
the solid ( dotted ) curves are for zero ( 2v ) bias @xmath19 between the stm tip and gold film . the fermi level of the gold film is at e=0 in all cases , and the silicon conduction band edge at the silicon surface @xmath65 is indicated by the vertical dashed line .
the lower plot is for decanethiolate ( @xmath66 ) thiol bonded to the gold film below a hollow site between 3 gold atoms and attached to the silicon substrate by a single carbon - silicon bond .
this molecule is insulating , having a large homo - lumo gap , and thus its transmission in a beem experiment is predicted to be very small resulting in @xmath67 in the range shown .
the upper plot is for another chain molecule ( @xmath68 ) also with 10 carbon atoms and bonded similarly to the gold film and si substrate , but in this case the 5th and 6th carbon atoms each have one h atom attached instead of two so that there is a double bond connecting these two c atoms ; see upper inset .
this double c - c bond gives rise to a molecular state near @xmath69ev where the transmission @xmath64 is greatly enhanced ( at its peak by almost seven orders of magnitude relative to that for the decanethiolate ) although it is still _ very _ weak ( @xmath70 ) in absolute terms , as expected for a transmitting state associated with a double bond surrounded by large potential barriers .
however , there is no other resonantly transmitting state in this system in the energy range above and reasonably close to the fermi level of the gold film , the range relevant to beem experiments .
therefore despite its weakness this resonance is the dominant beem transport mechanism for this system as will be seen below .
notice that the application of a 2v bias does not change the transmission probabilities @xmath64 by much on the scale of fig .
[ fig_2 ] ( less than a factor of 2 ) because the main transport bottleneck here is the molecule and the application of a bias between the tip and gold film does not affect the molecule significantly . in beem experiments the distance between the tip and gold film is not known accurately , as is the case for most stm experiments where only _ changes _ in the tip - surface separation are measured .
however , the transmission probabilities @xmath71 and @xmath72 and currents @xmath28 and @xmath29 depend strongly on the tip - surface separation .
this makes a direct comparison between calculated and experimental values of these quantities problematic .
however , it is intuitively plausible that @xmath28 and @xmath29 should scale in the same way with the tip - surface separation in the tunneling regime and thus @xmath73 should be nearly independent of the tip - surface separation .
this has been confirmed by calculations carried out in the present study .
thus the ratio @xmath73 lends itself better than @xmath28 or @xmath29 to comparison between theory and experiment and it will therefore be the focus of attention in what follows .
another advantage of studying this quantity theoretically is that spectroscopic beem ( i.e. bees ) measurements of @xmath28 vs. the bias voltage applied between the stm tip and metal film are normally taken not at constant tip - surface separation but at constant tip current @xmath30 , which , for the systems studied here , differs negligibly from the film current @xmath29 .
therefore because @xmath73 is approximately independent of the tip - surface separation , plots of @xmath73 vs. bias voltage should differ from experimental plots of @xmath28 vs. bias by only a scale factor that is independent of the bias , making qualitative comparisons between calculations and bees current - voltage characteristics appropriate .
a typical experimental beem setup can readily detect beem currents with current ratios @xmath74 greater than roughly @xmath75 ; this number will be referred to below as the nominal beem sensitivity threshold " ( nbt ) . in the present calculations the silicon cluster that represents
the silicon substrate in the extended molecule is of necessity small even though it includes hundreds of atoms ; the silicon hemisphere shown in fig.[fig_1 ] has a radius slightly less than 1.5 nm . because of its small size it transmits electrons appreciably by quantum tunneling even at energies below the conduction band edge @xmath65 in fig.[fig_2 ] where there are no eigenstates of the extended molecule with a strong silicon content .
because of this the calculated transmission @xmath64 shown in in fig.[fig_2 ] , although it is extremely weak below @xmath65 , does not decline all the way to zero for @xmath76 .
thus while the present model should describe the beem electron transmission reasonably well at energies higher than @xmath65 , it does not describe the details of the @xmath77 of beem current at the threshold voltage @xmath78 accurately for macroscopic silicon substrates .
however , as will be seen below , for the molecules studied here , the current ratios @xmath74 in the near - threshold regime are very far below nominal beem sensitivity threshold , and detailed study of this regime is therefore left for future work . here , for simplicity , in calculating @xmath28 from eq .
( [ landauer ] ) , @xmath64 will be set to zero for @xmath76 .
the calculated current ratios @xmath74 for some representative saturated chain molecules are shown in fig .
[ fig_3 ] .
@xmath79 is decane bonded to the silicon substrate through a single c - si bond and not bonded chemically to the gold film . even at an stm tip bias of 4v the calculated @xmath74 for this molecule is 6 orders of magnitude below the nominal beem sensitivity threshold . for @xmath66 (
decanethiolate depicted in the lower inset of fig .
[ fig_2 ] ) the thiol bond to the au film results in predicted beem currents two orders of magnitude larger than for @xmath79 .
however , the calculated current ratios @xmath74 for both @xmath79 and @xmath66 are still so low as to be well below the nbt not only for single molecules but even for self - assembled molecular monolayers where hundreds of molecules may be contributing together to the beem current . for @xmath80 ( hexanethiolate which is similar to decanethiolate but with fewer carbon atoms and so presents a thinner tunnel barrier than decanethiolate ) the calculated current ratios @xmath74 are two orders of magnitude higher than for decanethiolate but still well below the nbt . thus detecting a beem signal from single alkane or alkanethiolate molecules on silicon or even from self - assembled monolayers of these molecules
is expected to be challenging experimentally except for quite short molecules of these types .
this is quite reasonable given the well known insulating nature of alkanes and alkanethiols .
while the solid curves in fig . [ fig_3 ] are for a separation of 4.33 between the stm tip atom and the gold film , the ( black ) dotted curve for @xmath80 is for a 5.05 separation at which the calculated transmission @xmath72 between the stm tip and gold film is lower by a factor of approximately 35 .
notice that the calculated values of @xmath74 are almost the same for the two separations , illustrating the insensitivity of the ratio @xmath74 to the separation between the stm tip and gold film in the tunneling regime , as has been discussed above .
the calculated current ratios @xmath74 for some representative unsaturated molecules are shown in fig .
[ fig_4 ] .
transmission resonances due to molecular states associated with the unsaturated c - c bonds in these molecules give rise to dramatic increases in the beem current at bias voltages ( indicated by arrows ) at which the fermi level of the stm tip crosses the resonant molecular energy levels . as a result , even for @xmath68 ( depicted in the upper inset of fig . [ fig_2 ] ) the largest value of @xmath74 is predicted to be within an order of magnitude of the nbt .
for @xmath81 ( similar to @xmath68 but with a shorter c chain and only one h atom bonded to c atoms 3 and 4 ) and for @xmath82 ( ethylmethylbenzene depicted in fig .
[ fig_1 ] ) @xmath74 is predicted to exceed the nbt for bias voltages above the threshold for resonant transport.@xcite thus experimental observation of single buried molecules such as these in beem experiments should be feasible with conventional beem equipment . because the predicted current ratios @xmath74 for saturated molecules ( fig .
[ fig_3 ] ) are much smaller than those for unsaturated molecules of similar length ( fig .
[ fig_4 ] ) it should be possible to study individual buried unsaturated molecules by beem and bees by including a few unsaturated molecules in a self - assembled monolayer of saturated molecules of similar size on silicon under a thin gold film , the saturated molecules behaving as an insulating background surrounding the unsaturated conducting molecules .
i.e. , beem and bees experiments extending to _ buried _ single molecules the classic stm studies@xcite of the properties of single unsaturated molecules embedded in self - assembled monolayers of saturated molecules on gold substrates should be feasible . however , in interpreting such experiments it is important to note that the calculated current ratios @xmath74 shown in fig .
[ fig_4 ] for unsaturated molecules rise with increasing bias from values far below the nbt . because of this , experimentally observed values of the threshold voltage for the onset of the beem current are likely to depend on the sensitivity of the beem equipment unless equipment capable of detecting extremely weak beem currents is used . as in fig .
[ fig_3 ] , the solid curves in fig .
[ fig_4 ] are for a separation of 4.33 between the stm tip atom and the gold film while the ( black ) dotted curve for @xmath81 is for a 5.05 separation at which the calculated transmission @xmath72 is again lower by a factor of approximately 35 .
once again the calculated values of @xmath74 are almost the same for the two separations , illustrating the insensitivity of the ratio @xmath74 to the separation between the stm tip and gold film in the tunneling regime , this time for a resonantly transmitting molecule .
in the course of the present work , preliminary results have also been obtained for some defects that may occur in molecular sams on silicon covered with gold : it was found that small interstitial gold clusters embedded between decanethiolate molecules of the sam and also single gold atoms substituting for h atoms of decanethiolate molecules should give rise to beem transmission resonances and associated features in @xmath74 qualitatively similar to shown in fig .
[ fig_4 ] .
however , these resonant features in @xmath71 and @xmath28 were found to be much weaker for the defects that were studied ( a 6 atom au cluster roughly equidistant from the au film and si substrate and a single gold atom substituting for a h atom on the 5th c atom [ from the si substrate ] of decanethiolate ) than those of the unsaturated @xmath68 molecule .
finally , it is interesting that the recent experimental studies@xcite of gold - covered octanedithiol molecules on gaas substrates observed beem current - voltage characteristics qualitatively similar to the resonant behavior in fig .
[ fig_4 ] .
however , since the experiments were on saturated molecules and the beem signal was observed only in a few very small patches of the sample the origin of the observed behavior is unclear .
a better understanding of the electronic and structural properties of buried molecular layers and single molecules is essential for the development of molecular nanoelectronics . in this paper
the feasibility of imaging single buried molecules and measuring their electronic spectra has been explored theoretically .
it was found that the insulating nature of single alkane and alkanethiolate molecules chemisorbed on silicon substrates and covered with gold should make them difficult to detect by ballistic electron emission miscroscopy and spectroscopy for all but very short molecules of this kind .
however beem currents resonantly transmitted through molecules containing double c - c bonds or aromatic rings should be large enough to be accessible to present day beem equipment , and predictions of the beem current - voltage characteristics for some examples of molecules of each type have been presented . the predicted beem current - voltage characteristics for unsaturated molecules exhibit observable features ( marked by the arrows in fig .
[ fig_4 ] ) due to resonantly transmitting electronic states of the extended molecule that lie above the fermi level of the metal overlayer .
the energy differences between these resonant electronic states and the fermi level of the metal film are given by @xmath18 where @xmath19 is the bias voltage between the stm tip and metal film at which such a feature occurs .
thus beem current - voltage characteristics can be used to measure the electronic spectra of buried unsaturated molecules in the environment between the metal and semiconductor layers . since
no bias voltage is applied between the metal overlayer and semiconductor substrate that surround the molecule these beem spectra differ from those obtained using conventional diode measurements in which the bias voltage is applied _ across the molecule _ and therefore modifies the electronic structure that is being measured . at the present time
rigorous theoretical techniques for molecular electronics , and especially molecular transport calculations , have yet to be developed .
thus the present study relies on a combination of semi - empirical and _ ab - initio _ methods as well as intuitively reasonable approximations and assumptions .
the results presented should facilitate the design and interpretation of experiments by providing theoretical answers to some rather basic questions regarding beem and bees of molecules that have not been addressed previously .
further theoretical work on this topic as well as experiments testing the present predictions are clearly desirable , and it is hoped that the present exploration will stimulate such efforts .
i thank k. kavanagh and h. dalgleish for discussions .
this research was supported by the canadian institute for advanced research and nserc .
in beem experiments there may be a potential difference of a few mev between the semiconductor substrate and the metal overlayer , however , this potential difference is normally much smaller than the potential difference between the stm tip and metal overlayer .
thus its effect on the beem current is usually very small and will be neglected in the present theoretical study .
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the two arrows associated with the beem current - voltage characteristic of @xmath82 in fig . [ fig_4 ]
mark features that are due to transmission resonances associated with the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital ( lumo ) and the lumo+1 orbital of the molecule . | arxiv |
post - operative sensitivity after tooth colored composite restoration remains a challenge and in most studies postoperative sensitivity was found to be up to one - third of the study sample . in spite of great improvement in technology of materials and adhesive systems , postoperative sensitivity is always likely to occur if the clinician is not cautious with both the placement and bonding technique involved in direct composite restorations .
persistent postoperative sensitivity after composite placement may
trail the following mechanism of action : as polymerization shrinkage forms a gap under the restoration , which is then filled with dentinal fluid within the first 2436 h. when that a particular tooth is subjected to either hot or cold stimulus , fluid contraction and expansion in that gap occurs , which causes fluid movement within the dentinal tubules and therefore leads to postoperative sensitivity .
one of the methods that has been advocated to decrease postoperative sensitivity is using alternate light curing regimes .
it is claimed that soft start polymerization mode produces less polymerization shrinkage thus producing less stress at the composite / enamel / dentine / cementum junction , potentially producing less microgaps , less microleakage , and consequently less postoperative sensitivity .
it has been noted that patients who present with postoperative sensitivity within the first month of the placement of restoration are more likely to have failed restorations within the first 5 years of them being placed .
treatment of persistent postoperative sensitivity may consequently require replacement of filling , which in turn increases the cost of treatment , chair side time , and excessive use of trained man power .
this is especially a problem in third world countries where resources are scarce and therefore postoperative sensitivity should be avoided . to date
, there are very few studies known to us both locally and internationally that have compared postoperative sensitivity using different curing modes .
this study will help us in comparing two different methods of polymerization to reduce postoperative sensitivity in composite restorations and will highlight if soft start curing is a better treatment modality than constant curing in reducing postoperative sensitivity in class v restorations , so that a better technique may be adopted in subsequent patients .
the sample size was calculated using sample size calculator ( sample size determination in health studies , who ) .
the level of significance was set at 0.05 , power of test as 0.80 , and anticipated difference between the two proportions ( 0.40 0.15 = 0.25 ) .
at least 62 restorations were done with constant curing and 62 with soft start curing mode .
it was a split mouth design , the same patient served as his or her own control .
ramped curing was done in the test group while constant curing was done in the control group .
patients having at least two contra lateral teeth with class v lesions.only noncarious lesions were included.patients of ages ranging from 20 to 50 years .
patients having at least two contra lateral teeth with class v lesions . only noncarious lesions were included .
class v lesion extending below the cemento - enamel junction.patients teeth with gingival recession.patients using desensitizing agents regularly.patients teeth having lesions more than 2.5 mm in depth.patients with preprocedure sensitivity .
patients with preprocedure sensitivity . after taking ethical approval from the university ethical review committee ( 1198-sur / erc-09 ) patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria after taking informed consent were recruited in the study .
both the contra lateral class v lesions were restored under isolation on the same visit .
patients were given ( injected with ) local anesthesia and gingival retraction , when required , was done by placing gingival retraction cord . using appropriate burrs , cavity was prepared using the conventional bevel cavity design for class v lesions , and was then filled with composite z 100 ( 3m - espe ) using a incremental technique .
each increment of 2 mm was then cured either with ramped or constant curing with elipar free light ( 3 m espe , illustration 1 ) depending if the tooth was in the test group or control group .
all the procedures were performed by the principal investigator in order to control examiner variability .
randomization was done with the help of coin toss , and teeth on the right side were treated first .
the coin toss decided whether the right tooth received either ramped or constant curing regime and subsequently the contra lateral teeth received the alternate treatment ; teeth receiving soft start curing were labeled as group a and teeth receiving constant curing were labeled as group b. patients were contacted and examined after day 2 and day 7 to assess postoperative sensitivity .
clinically patients perception for sensitivity was checked using air , hot , and cold stimulus application .
patients were asked to mark sensitivity according to sensitivity scale . 2 = moderate sensitivity 3 = severe sensitivity .
the sample size was calculated using sample size calculator ( sample size determination in health studies , who ) .
the level of significance was set at 0.05 , power of test as 0.80 , and anticipated difference between the two proportions ( 0.40 0.15 = 0.25 ) .
at least 62 restorations were done with constant curing and 62 with soft start curing mode .
it was a split mouth design , the same patient served as his or her own control .
ramped curing was done in the test group while constant curing was done in the control group .
patients having at least two contra lateral teeth with class v lesions.only noncarious lesions were included.patients of ages ranging from 20 to 50 years .
patients having at least two contra lateral teeth with class v lesions . only noncarious lesions were included .
class v lesion extending below the cemento - enamel junction.patients teeth with gingival recession.patients using desensitizing agents regularly.patients teeth having lesions more than 2.5 mm in depth.patients with preprocedure sensitivity .
after taking ethical approval from the university ethical review committee ( 1198-sur / erc-09 ) patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria after taking informed consent were recruited in the study .
both the contra lateral class v lesions were restored under isolation on the same visit .
patients were given ( injected with ) local anesthesia and gingival retraction , when required , was done by placing gingival retraction cord . using appropriate burrs , cavity was prepared using the conventional bevel cavity design for class v lesions , and was then filled with composite z 100 ( 3m - espe ) using a incremental technique .
each increment of 2 mm was then cured either with ramped or constant curing with elipar free light ( 3 m espe , illustration 1 ) depending if the tooth was in the test group or control group .
all the procedures were performed by the principal investigator in order to control examiner variability .
randomization was done with the help of coin toss , and teeth on the right side were treated first .
the coin toss decided whether the right tooth received either ramped or constant curing regime and subsequently the contra lateral teeth received the alternate treatment ; teeth receiving soft start curing were labeled as group a and teeth receiving constant curing were labeled as group b. patients were contacted and examined after day 2 and day 7 to assess postoperative sensitivity .
clinically patients perception for sensitivity was checked using air , hot , and cold stimulus application .
patients were asked to mark sensitivity according to sensitivity scale . 2 = moderate sensitivity 3 = severe sensitivity .
chi - square test of independence and fischer exact test were applied for distribution of teeth and to see the comparison between the ordinal outcome severities of postoperative sensitivity between the groups was done using the wilcoxon rank test .
a total of 124 restorations were placed and these teeth were equally distributed in all four quadrants .
chi - square test was applied to evaluate the equal distribution of teeth and treatment given which did not show any statistically significant differences in the type of teeth and treatment given ( p = 0.74 ) [ figure 1 ] .
chi square test ( p = 0.74 ) . out of 124 restorations which were placed , only three restorations ( 2.41% ) presented with postoperative sensitivity .
of those three restorations , one was found to be in the mild category ( constant curing ) , one in moderate category ( constant curing ) , and one in severe category ( soft start curing ) , but there was no relation between sensitivity and tooth type [ figure 2 ] .
fischer exact test ( 0.336 ) the wilcoxon rank test was applied to observe the difference in postoperative sensitivity between the two treatment groups which showed mean rank scores of 62.95 and 62.03 for constant and soft start curing , respectively , with a p value of 0.539 [ table 1 ] .
this shows that there was no statistically significant difference in postoperative sensitivity in either of the treatment modalities .
a systematic review was done to look for correlation between in vitro and in vivo studies and it was found that out of the 11 studies identified , nine studies showed that the laboratory data did not match the clinical data and therefore were unable to forecast clinical results ; moreover , clinical trials are essential to evaluate the experimental efficiency of adhesive systems .
we decided to do our study on noncarious cervical class v cavities because it has been approved by american dental association ( ada ) acceptance guidelines for the following reasons : the lesion does not provide any inherent micromechanical retention ; class v cavities typically include margins that are present in both dentine and enamel surface , therefore both can be evaluated at once ; and preparation and restoration of class v lesions is a relatively simple task , thus minimizing the effect of operator variability . in in vivo studies inconsistency arises due to interoperator variability , as skills , competence , and experience of the operators may vary ; for that reason , the primary investigator was the only operator to control interoperator variability .
in order to assess postoperative sensitivity , we have used ordinal categories ; a method which has been used in other studies as well . however using another method such as visual analogue scale
nevertheless , we have used categories because it is sometimes claimed that patients have trouble following visual analogue scale . in our study
, we chose to use the split mouth study design which has its roots in the agriculture industry ( split plot design ) and was adopted in dentistry for the very first time in 1968 by ramfjord et al .. this design seems reasonable because it may control variations within individuals and therefore potentially increases the power of the study .
however , hujoel et al . pointed out the deficiencies of this design which are still not well understood by both clinicians and statisticians alike .
one of the major drawbacks associated with this design is that the carry over effect may lead to biased treatment efficacy ; secondly , the statistical part of split mouth design is more complex than the single mouth design ; and lastly the recruitment of patients is hampered because of the need of having symmetrical disease in the mouth and this may bias the patients selection into recruiting those with a higher disease status or poor oral habits . in our study , we also faced similar pitfalls , but needless to say that this design does have its advantages in clinical trials where the patient recruitment is a difficult task , and a lesser amount of patients are needed compared to whole mouth design .
however , all the challenges that this design has have to be taken into account by both the clinicians and statisticians . in our study , the incidence of postoperative sensitivity was 2.41% .
however , a higher incidence of postoperative sensitivity is found in the literature ranging from 4.9% to 26.2% .
the patients who presented with postoperative tooth sensitivity were recalled at day 7 and then at 1 month intervals and we found that tooth sensitivity tended to decrease with time and none of our patients required any more added interventions .
these results are consistent with the study done in brazil , which concluded that the postoperative sensitivity related to resin - based composite was a time - bound event and gradually decreases with time .
we could only locate very few clinical in vivo studies which were done to study the effect of modulated light curing regimes . to study the effect of alternate light curing regimes , chan et al .
evaluated soft - start ( pulse - delay ) polymerization technique in class i and ii composite restorations . a double - blind
, randomized clinical trial was carried out to compare two curing techniques : soft - start and the plasma arc curing light .
the authors concluded that within the limitations of this study , class i and ii restorations placed with a soft start technique did not show significant changes in postoperative sensitivity or decreased signs of marginal stress .
these results may be explained by one study that found that the advantage of initial slow polymerization obtained by the soft - start method was offset by a rise in total polymerization shrinkage when final curing was completed at 1130 mw / cm .
however , contrary results were seen in a study done in kuwait by alomari et al . who observed that the step mode of the led curing light reduced the incidence and severity of postoperative sensitivity following placement of posterior composite restorations compared to the fast mode of the same curing light .
in contrast to what we expected , we found a relatively low incidence of postoperative ( 2.41% ) sensitivity .
overall these results may be attributed to advanced adhesive technology available which is less technique sensitive , our chosen cavity design ( class v ) as well as following a strict restorative protocol . as was pointed out by opdam , postoperative sensitivity is also largely dependent on the clinical technique employed . keeping the above discussion and contrasting results that were found by alomari et al . in mind , the results of our study should be considered cautiously and more long - term clinical trials should be done in order to evaluate other clinical parameters of success such as marginal staining and secondary caries , using different cavity designs as well as tooth types .
within the limitations of the current study , we conclude that restorations placed with the soft start curing technique did not show significant changes in postoperative sensitivity when compared with the constant curing technique . | pubmed |
Code Geass 1. she walks in beauty like the night
Title: she walks in beauty, like the night
Author/Artist/Iconist: Dark Hooded Eriol the Magician
Fandom: Code Geass
Claim: Lelouch Lamperouge / C.C
Prompt Set: Violet
Prompt: 1. Books
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine!
Notes: I am writing unofficially again for the Violet set. I don't own the poem that they read. It was by Lord Byron and it's hauntingly beautiful.
Lelouch Lamperouge entered his bedroom with a sigh. After handling a hard day between balancing school and the rebellion, he was exhausted. He closed the door behind him and turned to walk towards the huge queen-sized bed. A sigh escaped him when he saw his usually pristine bedroom in a mess. "C.C, how many times have I told you not to leave your things around?"
His violet eyes widened when he realized that his roommate and accomplice was not going to answer him at all. The silent and indifferent witch was fast asleep on his bed with a book clutched to her full bosom. What caught his eye was not the provocative display of legs and limbs but her unusual accessory. Her- that was really his- eyeglasses were askew on her nose and her expression was blissfully serene.
He laid his bag on the table and approached her cautiously. The dark-haired senior made sure that he did not make any sound. Curiousity won over exasperation. Piles of old books and thick tomes were scattered all over the room. His eyes softened when he read the titles and names of long-dead authors from centuries of old on cracked covers: Lord Byron, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, William Butler Yeats..
The dark-haired student smiled to himself as he picked up the books and returned them to his bookshelf. It was not his respect for books that made him do it. These books were his sister's. The only reason he kept them was for Nunnally.
Nunnally used to love to read. When she couldn't see anymore, he resolved to share the written word by bringing it to life by reading it to her. Every night he read to his little sister. She always loved the rhyme and rhytm of poems so that was how he managed to compile a collection. Her fertile imagination and romantic nature was somethign he wanted to preserve.
Years later, he learned to appreciate the beauty of books. Lelouch became a voracious reader himself. He absorbed the wisdom of the ages by devouring volume after volume. It was no surprise that his favorite book was _The Prince _by Nicholas Machiavelli.
Lelouch was so absorbed in his task that he he did not see her stir. He actually dropped what he was holding when he heard a soft and lilting voice recite a favorite poem.
_"She walks in beauty, like the night,_
_of cloudless climes and starry skies_
_And all that's best of dark and bright_
_meet in her aspect and her eyes:_
_thus mellowed to that tender light_
_which heaven gaudy day denies."_
He glanced towards his right to see the beautiful C.C leaning on one elbow to have a better look at the book. He noticed not for the first time the lush curves of her womanly body displayed to its best advantage. Her green hair gleamed in the sunlight; her golden eyes shone behind rimless glasses. He did not want to admit that his breath was stolen away.
She turned her eyes towards him with subtle intent. It seemed to him that she was changing under his gaze. Lelouch saw her as a nymph under the moonlight and the witch under the starry sky. There was no doubt that she might have been what the poet merely dreamed about.
C.C smiled when he put down the books to sit on the edge of the mattress. His violet eyes were hypnotic. Lelouch unconsciously shifted in his seat for a more comfortable position. He closed his eyes when she continued her verse.
_"One shade the more, one ray the less,_
_Had half impaired the nameless grace_
_Which waves in every raven tress."_
C.C's voice was beautiful. It was soft and clear in the quiet room. He couldn't help but imagine her in his mind; he was given a glimpse of her heart.
She was so mysterious. The dark-haired boy had always considered her an enigma. Always changing, always different- she was too difficult to know. Like the wind or the ocean, he couldn't grasp her. Yet that was what made her so exciting and dangerous.
Although she pretended to be selfish and self-absorbed, he knew that she still cared. She hid her reasons behind barbed quips and sarcastic comments. She denied her intentions behind her actions.
C.C herself was grace under pressure.
_"Or softly lightens o'er face;_
_Where thoughts serenely sweet express_
_How pure, how dear, their dwelling-place."_
Golden eyes twinkled behind glasses.
He wanted to pinch himself. Did he imagine that? Was it an invitation?
What he thought he knew about her was wrong. She had so many layers, memories and truths. Her past, present and future were hidden from him. She had seen too much to have an open and honest heart. It hurt him sometimes when she evaded his questions about her past but he bore it with reluctant indifference.
But she'd always, always, reached forward to tell him that what mattered most to her was their present.
Lelouch drew comfort in that.
_"And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,_
_So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,_
_The smiles that win, the tints that glow."_
C.C presented an image of a cold woman to the world. She was indifferent and cold, selfish and untouchable. It seemed that she cared about no one. She saved him because she needed him. He was a tool. She wanted him to fulfill her wish.
But Lelouch always believed that she cared about him in her own way.
_"But tell of days in goodness spent,_
_A mind at peace with all below,_
_A heart whose love is innocent!"_
C.C closed the book shut. She carressed the violet cover almost lovingly. Her eyes fell on Lelouch who was lying back with his eyes closed. His face was so soft and childlike in repose.
She wondered if she could look like that when Lelouch fulfilled her wish.
When she died, she wanted to feel like that. She wanted to know that she did everything to help. Although her actions weren't always good, she was sure that her intentions were. Maybe God and the world would not see it but she did.
Her heart- poor foolish heart- had fallen in love with the man she wanted to save.
"You're still quite innocent," Lelouch murmured with a bittersweet smile. "Because you still read love poems."
C.C rolled away to cuddle with Cheese-kun. She smiled when he got up to clean her mess. Her cheeks burned deliciously when he murmured under his breath the first opening lines.
_"She walks in beauty, like the night."_
2. awakening
Title: Awakening
Author/Artist/Iconist: Dark Hooded Eriol the Magician
Fandom: Code Geass
Claim: Lelouch Lamperouge / C.C
Prompt Set: Violet
Prompt: 3. Stranger
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not mine!
Notes: I am writing unofficially again for the Violet set. There are warnings for spoilers on CG R2 because it's slightly based on that. xposted on
I am wrong in thinking that today is just an ordinary day. The start of my day is quite normal actually. I've written everything down on my journal like I always do. It always involves skipping Homeroom, running away from Viletta-sensei and sneaking away to win chess matches over disgusting Britannian lords with my younger brother, Rolo, to drive me there…
My life is boring. As Lelouch Lamperouge, I am a student who sits with discontent at the current situation of the Area 11. Although I am a Britannian, I am not satisfied with how the Viceroy runs the country. I am not happy with the attitudes of my own people.
When the terrorists suddenly attacked Babel Tower, I am actually surprised and somewhat relieved. Finally, something is happening! Of course I am worried sick over Rolo when we got separated and that is why I'm searching for him. I should have the power to save my only brother… I want to save him…
The work of terrorists meets my eyes as I arrive at the landing. Blood and bodies mingle on the floor. The scent of expensive perfume and death mixes an intoxicating fragrance with the fumes. I couldn't believe my eyes when I realized that the terrorists also killed Elevens.
Horror sweeps over me. My stomach rebels against my will and I kneel down with a hand over my mouth. I breathe deeply and then I see a picture clutched on a dead waitress's hand. Zero's masked face stares back. I can't believe it. They are still clinging on to the hope of a saviour.
There is no mistake that Zero is their beacon of hope and salvation. Zero is the symbol of freedom. I am still awed at the influence of the mysterious masked man who disappeared a year ago. "They're still clinging to Zero…" I mutter to myself and then my jaw drops.
Shock washes over me when I get up. A black Knightmare frame is still standing in front of me. I could feel its gaze. "A Black Knight… Is he going to kill me? What should I do? Even if I run…"
For the first time, I felt fear grip me. My knees give out beneath me and I fall on my rear. The Knightmare's cockpit opens up. I am expecting a terrorist to get up and start firing at me so when a young woman stood up I am overwhelmed. She murmurs my name as if it is the most natural thing in the world.
"Lelouch."
My violet eyes widen as I stare at the pilot more. She has long green hair, a slender body encased in a white suit that clings like second skin and hypnotic golden eyes that seems to contain all the truths in the universe.
Who is she? How does she know my name? I think frantically. We are practically strangers. But I feel like I know her and she knows me. She is familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. I do not know why but I feel like I've seen her once before…
"We've come for you, Lelouch. I am your ally. Your enemy is Britannia."
I step back as she focuses her golden gaze on me. The terror and helpless feelings fades away as I return her stare. On the dim light of the collapsing building, she is an unearthly and supernatural being. She is illuminated from above by the collapsing ceiling; I think of devilish angels or angelic demons. I couldn't take my eyes off of her.
"You made a pact with me. We are accomplices."
When our eyes meet again, I have a feeling that she knows me very well. But it is clear to me that she is a stranger. I have never met anyone like her before. If I did, I would remember…
I couldn't take my eyes away. Her golden eyes are holding me in place. But I force myself to get up. "Pact? Accomplices?" I ask, slightly confused.
"Only I know who you truly are," she replies in the same soft and knowing tone.
"Who I truly am?" I murmur to myself with some curiosity and shock. Before I know it, I am walking forward. She stares at me levelly, as though weighing my actions. I watch her stretch out her hand for me.
A gunshot hits her from behind. She sways in the spot with her rippling green hair and pleading eyes before free-falling. I try to will myself to move; I am immobile with shock. "Lelouch…" she whispers before closing her eyes.
I run forward to catch her before she hits the ground. Her eyes are closed; she is not breathing. Panic sweeps over me. I am not thinking rationally anymore when I try to shake her awake. "Hey!" I shout before turning my eyes to the Britannian army squad who had fired the first shot.
The following events are a blur. All I remember is shock, anger and frustration. All I can recall is the sharp pain of betrayal by my country. The insolent captain, the burning bodies and the guns pointing at me aren't as vivid as the knowledge of immediate death.
I am going to die here. I am only bait to lure out this beautiful stranger- the woman he calls C.C. The awful violet fire that is consuming the dead and the wounded living are reflected in my eyes. I stare at the men who are supposed to protect the innocent and defend the weak. I stare at the Britannian nobles who abuse their power. I did not want to believe that the government will use its own men to exterminate the innocent.
Will I die this easily without knowing anything? Screw this. If only I had the power to get through this place… If only I had enough power to stand up against the world…
I stare in shock when the young woman in my arms suddenly sits up and kisses me. Her gloved hands are cool on my cheeks. Our lips connect.
I can see nothing but white. I feel like I am rushing through long halls at high speed.
_Do you want power? _
This voice… It's the girl just now…
_If it's power, you already possess it. It is only shut inside the cage of oblivion. Recall who you truly are and the power of kings!_
Images and sounds are overwhelming me. I am rooted to the spot.
_Let the seal now break open._
A kiss enters my mind. It is faint and hazy like something out of a dream. My heartbeats accelerate at the forbidden thrill. The girl who is kissing me looks suspiciously like the stranger who is in my arms. The seal on her forehead glows at her last command.
Memories flood my mind. It is like watching a very long movie on fast-forward. I can see everything clearly now. The thorn-like irritation I felt in my everyday life is all fabricated memories.
I remember now.
Standing in front of carved and sealed doors inside the cave in God's island, I face my best friend and mortal enemy. I am wearing my elaborate costume as the commander of the rebellion. After Kurunugi Suzaku fires that single shot, my mask with its violet face splits neatly into two. It falls to the ground to reveal my serious expression before blood drips down from my forehead. The insignia of the active Geass glows on my left eye.
I… I am Zero!
Faces are flashing in front of me. Nunnally. Kallen. Suzaku is pointing his gun towards me with that terribly cold and ruthless expression. His voice rings in my head. "Lelouch, I won't ask for your forgiveness. We are friends after all, right?"
"Ah, so that's your answer Suzaku." I reply as anger danced in my veins. He has betrayed me!
The flames flicker at the slightest breath of wind. I realize that I am still holding her. A wicked smile spreads all over my lips as I hug her tightly to my chest before I get up. I let her go and we both get back to our feet.
She is no stranger. She is my witch, accomplice and friend. We've gone through a lot. She is C.C and that is why I must protect her too.
"Before you execute me, answer my question." My voice rises above the din.
"That woman's still alive!" The stunned commander mutters as he draws his gun. "Impossible, we shot her at the heart!"
C.C watches me command the army squadron to kill themselves without saying a word. The blood doesn't disgust me anymore. I am not affected by the horrific sight of burning bodies. There are sacrifices to be made if we are going to change the world.
I am enlightened now. There is no such thing as a normal life. I am Lelouch vi Britannia and I am Zero. I am both the creator and destroyer of worlds. Thanks to C.C, I remember my ambition and duty.
She stares at me with an indescribable expression. There is worry and pity, I know, in her knowing golden eyes. She is worried about me. It makes me feel relieved and surprised but I push it back. Now is not the time for that.
But anger and frustration wins when I remember that my hated father- the Emperor of Britannia- also has the power of kings. He is the one responsible for my false memories; he is the one who banished me to a worthless existence. "C.C…" I murmur with suppressed rage.
Her reply is quick. "It wasn't me who gave that man a Geass."
"And where is Nunnally?" I ask immediately. My little sister, my only beloved family member, is the first thing that came into mind. Worry swept over me like a wave.
"I could've searched for her but the Black Knights were all but destroyed." C.C replied haughtily.
"What happened to Sayoko?" She used to be the maid who took care of my sister; she also knew too much.
"She ran away with Diethard and the others to the Chinese Federation. That woman doesn't know about Zero's identity. She wouldn't know about Nunnally's importance. There's nothing we can do about that, right?" The green-haired witch explains as she walks towards me. There are blood stains on the front of her white uniform but she carries herself without affectation. She acts like it is something that happen everyday which frankly annoys me but I do not want to say anything.
We continue our conversation without restraint. First things first, I think. We don't need to catch up now. She will be back in my bedroom anyhow. I gather as much information as I can to formulate a good plan when we are interrupted by another soldier in a Knighmare.
I steal his Knightmare with my Geass. It is almost time to finish up. My ears prick up when I hear her say aloud, "Your Geass shouldn't work unless you look your target in the eye."
Her tone was indifferent and vaguely insulting. I smile as I played with the keys. Her footsteps are light and dainty as she walks away. "I don't want to hear that from an immortal witch," I retort with another wicked smile.
Our witty banter and tough love treatment is our game. C.C is too used to being untouchable to demonstrate and I have too much pride to show. We know it's a useless game and we should be more honest but it's impossible. It's not much but it's more than we could have.
C.C looks back at me with a sneaky smile of her own. She is so beautiful and so dangerous at that moment with her eyes agleam with mischief and wit. I feel my breath catch. I could feel my blood pounding on my ears.
I cannot help but think that I am glad to be back. The stubborn and untouchable witch has saved me yet again. By kissing me at our last battle together, she is sealing my power. And by kissing me again, she is setting me free.
As Lelouch vi Britannia and Zero, I am ready to take my destiny.
3. Lost and Found
Title: Lost and Found
Author/Artist/Iconist: Dark Hooded Eriol the Magician
Fandom: Code Geass
Claim: Lelouch Lamperouge / C.C
Prompt Set: Violet
Prompt: 6. Narcissism
Rating: PG-15
Disclaimer: Not mine! CG is a property of other people.
Notes: As per usual, unofficially written for 7rainbowprompts!
C.C finds him standing in front of the mirror night after night.
She wakes up sometimes in the middle of the night to find their bed empty. The light on the walk-in closet alerts her that he's awake and brooding again. When she gets up to sneak a peek, she lets out a sigh.
(Lelouch had the costume made right after their contract. It was costume made from the finest materials and the best craftsmanship. The tight slacks, bullet-proof shirt and the mask all came together like pieces of a puzzle. Lelouch had marvelled at the design that she made for him; he thanked her wordlessly when she killed the tailor who made it.)
He stands in front of the full-length mirror. Dark bangs falls almost casually to cover his left eye. The costume fits like a glove on his tall but slender body. He stands authoritatively with an unnervingly commanding presence.
She feels his anguish, his terror and his purpose washing over her body in waves.
Lelouch sweeps his arm in a grand gesture. The violet and black cape flutters like a dove's wing. (She knew he likes that cape too damn much. It added drama and theatricality and foreboding to his character.) A smile creeps up over her face.
There are so many secrets. Nobody knows how much effort Lelouch puts into his performances and speeches. No one has any idea on what he does to perfect his presence. What seems spontaneous and exciting is actually rehearsed.
He plays the crowd like a violin and they don't even know it.
Zero needs the support of the public just as Lelouch needs hers. The notorious rebel controls the Black Knights but Lelouch defers to her. There are so many parallels and so many contrasts. Sometimes she gets tired of keeping track of who is Lelouch and who is Zero…
"What do you need?" Lelouch's velvet voice interrupts her thoughts.
"Come back to bed," C.C answers. It's a threat, a plea. Golden eyes stare at his violet eyes behind the violet face of Zero's mask. "You're tired."
"I'm fine," he snaps.
"What you are doesn't concern me," she retorts easily. "Rest because you need it. Put your narcissism away for another time."
The violet cape swishes in the silent room. She stands on her ground as he walks towards her with confident steps. His eyes are hard; his mouth is set. Her heartbeats accelerated.
(His first time out on his costume was iconic. He was a saviour, a hero. His dark clothes complimented his mystery; his voice spellbound them. In that fateful night, Zero was born.
She didn't know if she could still reach him. Zero was her boss and her baby. As his witch, she served and ordered. When he put on his mask and swept back his cape, she knew Lelouch was lost. Lelouch was locked away.)
"I'm not a narcissist," he says harshly.
"Why are you still wearing that?" C.C replies with a cold stare. He takes a step backwards. Softening, she adds, "Let it go. Another day waits."
He reaches upwards – she readies herself for a slap- but he merely pushes a button at the back of the mask. Zero's blank purple gem-like mask falls off to reveal the smiling tired face of Lelouch.
His violet eyes are sad and lonely so she steps forward. She undresses him gently like a sister by peeling away the layers of clothes. Cape, shirt, vest, cravat and slacks were put away until he was standing on in his boxers.
Her hands are gentle; her eyes are kind. She helps him into black silk pyjamas and holds his hand to bring him back into the moment.
(He would not take off his costume on the night Euphemia li Britannia died. She watched him march straight into the walk-in closet before locking it behind him. He who had never locked a door between the two of them required it. Curious, she had crept up towards the door to listen and to ponder on his need for privacy. Her heart tore apart when she heard weeping.
She let him sleep alone on the bed in bloodstained clothes with the moonlight shining down on his mask. And she didn't sleep until the sun came up.)
Lelouch lets her lay him down on the bed. She snuggles up to him and breathes in the scent of his skin. He does not say anything when she presses her soft womanly curves to him; he does not look to know she's only in her underwear.
A single clap brings back the darkness of their shared bedroom. The warmth of the bed doesn't soothe him at all. He speaks before he knows it. "Am I really a narcissist?"
"I was kidding," she murmurs sleepily.
"I spend too much time in the mirror after work," he wonders aloud. "And I'm terribly conscious of my physical appearance."
C.C gives him an unladylike snort. She presses a hand to his chest and smiles soothingly. "You're not Narcissus. You don't love yourself."
He stares down at her at a loss for words.
"That's why I love you," C.C says simply.
And she knows that Lelouch is free now and he is finally found.
4. Summer Snacks
Title: Summer Snacks
Author/Artist/Iconist: Dark Hooded Eriol the Magician
Fandom: Code Geass
Claim: Lelouch Lamperouge / C.C
Prompt Set: Violet
Prompt: 8. Grapes
Rating: PG-15
Disclaimer: Not mine!
Lelouch Lamperouge entered their bedroom with a small sigh. He unbuttoned his formal black uniform's top before hanging it behind the door. It was an unusually hot summer day in Ashford High School. He had a vague inkling that it might be caused by global warming but he pushed away the thought.
(As far as he knew, he had enough causes to deal with. Battling for the environment weren't on the priority list. Who had time to worry about plastic and the ozone layer when they had to save lives?)
"You're early," a soft voice remarked.
The black-haired lad turned to his right to see C.C lying on her stomach on the window seat. Her long green hair gleamed in the sunlight; her skin glowed with a healthy tan. He had to smile at her utter lack of self-consciousness. C.C could lounge around in her underwear and not bat an eyelash.
He's never met another woman who was so confident and so sure of her place in the world. All the other young women he met or knew paled in comparison. C.C was a woman of the world. And as much as he hated to admit it, he admired that.
C.C reminded him of his mother- wild, fearless and fierce. She possessed an aura of composure that attracted him. For a man who had a lot going on in his life, he needed someone who would give him stable ground. He wanted someone who could keep up and keep him.
Lelouch knew that balancing his life with the rebellion was taking its toll on him. And C.C had taken it up on herself to see to it.
"I'm not busy," he said as he headed towards the dresser. Somehow living with a green-haired immortal woman made him lose all of his inhibitions. The situation suited him actually. Having her around made things so much easier.
C.C responded with a soft "mmm".
"What are you eating?" Lelouch asked as he approached her. He had changed into a white t shirt and black boxers. Sweat dripped down on his back. His black hair was damp and clung to his head.
She looked at him coolly as she sat up. He was a tall and lanky youth with no definition whatsoever but he was terribly gorgeous. Her eyes noted his unnatural thinness and the puffiness under his eyes. She wondered if he was even trying to sleep; she knew she should be worried.
(The witch couldn't let her contractor die without doing anything, right?)
Then and there she decided to chide him more about his health. It was about time to try eating healthy too. She may not need to watch her diet but he does. A bite of regret reminded her that maybe; just maybe, it was her fault that he was slightly unhealthy. Having pizza everyday doesn't cover all the necessary nutrients a growing boy needs…
Lelouch was painfully aware of her studying gaze but he refused to be affected. It was a game after all. They were both playing and neither was winning. The first one to give in loses…
"Grapes," C.C answered quietly. She picked up a piece from the shallow yellow bowl lying beside her book and held it up. Her golden eyes went thoughtful as she stared at the juicy little fruit with its wet dark violet skin and smooth texture. Lelouch stared back when she turned to him. "They match your eyes."
He sat down beside her, shaking his head. She was so random sometimes. His little Gray Witch was going to lose today… "Why thank you," he said drily. "Ow!"
C.C swatted his hand away. She hugged the bowl to her chest possessively. He couldn't help but look at her full bosom. They looked soft and full like fruits ripe for picking. A small swallow reminded him that his throat was dry. "Get your own bowl," she murmured.
Lelouch smirked as he leaned forward and stared at her eyes intently. "Is that so? Why don't you share with me?"
"They're cool, fresh and totally delicious…" She smiled wickedly when he placed a hand in between her outstretched legs. A shiver climbed up her spine as his eyes held her in place. Cold violet eyes rimmed with the darkest fan of lashes kept her gaze.
(Two can play this game.)
His eyes darted downwards to her lips when she popped a grape into her mouth. Seeing her sensuous pink lips closing around the small purple fruit was enough to drive him crazy. He had to have her now…
C.C smiled when Lelouch kissed her deeply. She knew that snacking on grapes was a very healthy option.
(And she knew that making love was always the best exercise.)
5. Afterlife
Title: Afterlife
Author/Artist/Iconist: Dark Hooded Eriol the Magician
Fandom: Code Geass
Claim: Lelouch Lamperouge / C.C
Prompt Set: Violet
Prompt: 4. Paradise
Rating: PG-15
Disclaimer: Not mine!
Lelouch Lamperouge imagined that when he died, he would be transported to Hell. He would endure an eternity drowning in fire, getting eaten by bugs inside out and then rubbing elbows with his enemies. The ghosts of his victims would float around him and goad him into committing suicide again and again. It was a terrible thought but he did not shrink from it.
What was a sinner like him supposed to do?
He was walking past the small chapel inside the Academy when he saw the green-haired witch kneeling in front of the altar. She was wearing the Ashford Academy uniform with her hair tied back. To any other person, she looked like a regular student praying to her God.
Unable to stop his curiosity, he went inside the quiet chapel. It was a small room with two rows of chairs in front of the altar. There was a crucifix and lighted candles on the altar table. He felt lightheaded because of the overpowering smell of the flowers that decorated the sacred room. He couldn't help himself when he made the sign of the cross.
Like all good princes, he was educated in theology and religion since childhood. Ever since he started committing atrocities in the name of the rebellion, he quit believing in his faith. He preferred to believe that he was an atheist. At least he had no one to answer to but himself.
He sat down beside C.C. She gave him a sidelong glance. He raised an eyebrow.
"Are you praying?" he asked casually. She sat down at the pew after dusting her knees. It was done very gracefully and very quietly. He knew that she had been adopted by a nun when she was a little girl. Maybe old habits die hard. "Did God hear you?"
"Maybe," she answered calmly.
Lelouch had always admired her cool and detached manner. How could someone so heartless have faith? "Do you think you'd still enter Heaven?"
"I'll know when I die," she retorted.
"I'll go straight to Hell," Lelouch Lamperouge said with some conviction. He shrugged his shoulders elegantly. "I'll be happy if you join me."
C.C gazed into his serious violet-coloured eyes. She allowed a small smile into her face. Maybe dying won't be so bad if it meant that she'd see him again. At least she wasn't alone in her suffering. "Hell will be Paradise if that happens."
6. To Fight Temptation
Title: To Fight Temptation
Author/Artist/Iconist: Dark Hooded Eriol the Magician
Fandom: Code Geass
Claim: Lelouch Lamperouge / C.C
Prompt Set: Violet
Prompt: 7. Damned if you do, damned if you don't
Rating: PG-15
Disclaimer: Not mine! Written unofficially for 7rainbowprompts in LJ.
He was done with her teasing!
Lelouch vi Britannia, 11th Prince to the throne of the Empire, had enough. He had tried to be patient, gentlemanly and totally unaffected but she had pushed him too far. As a young man, he was exposed daily to her exquisite tortures. She kept on tempting him just as the snake had tempted Eve.
His witch, the mysterious C.C, was either the snake or the apple. He couldn't tell which anymore. All he knew was that he couldn't stand being in her presence without getting excited. It was madness. It was distracting. He certainly couldn't think about subjugating Britannia and defeating his mortal enemy when she took off her clothes or cuddled with Cheese-kun.
It was enough to drive a man crazy.
She'd driven enough men into insanity actually. He could clearly recall that she could put La Belle Otero to shame with her suicide count. And it wasn't just because of the Geass.
Lelouch sighed as they entered his bedroom together. They just had a bad day in the battlefield so he was already on edge. He sat down on his bed and closed his eyes. C.C walked towards a different direction. When he opened his eyes, he saw that she was standing in front of the full-length mirror.
His violet eyes widened when she reached back to unzip her jacket. As each inch of the creamy flesh of her back was revealed, he felt his mouth go dry. She acted as if she was unaffected by his gaze. He watched her, fascinated, as she hung the article of clothing on the back of a chair. His eyes nearly went out of his skull when she slowly unbuttoned her pants and slid it off her long legs.
Standing in her pristine white underwear, she pretended to stare at herself in the mirror. Lelouch caught her gaze in the mirror. A small secretive smile was on her lips. The tip of her tongue wet her lower lip just a bit and it was enough to provoke him.
C.C squealed in surprise when he grabbed her by the waist and threw her down on the bed. Her long green hair spread out under her and her golden eyes gazed at him expectantly.
Damned if you do, he thought involuntarily, you'll be damned if you give in...
Her hand sneaked down to caress him.
Damned if you don't.
His train of thought crashed.
C.C lost herself in his violet eyes when he leaned down to kiss her passionately. Lelouch must understand that the only way to fight temptation is to give in.
7. Lover
Title: Lover
Author/Artist/Iconist: Dark Hooded Eriol the Magician
Fandom: Code Geass
Claim: Lelouch Lamperouge / C.C
Prompt Set: Violet
Prompt: 9. Time to Spare
Rating: PG-15
Disclaimer: Not mine! The themes are also not mine. They're courtesy of 7rainbowprompts in LJ.
C.C had had many lovers. She's seen many faces and embraced many bodies. She's had many men in her life that had loved and used her. Love was an illusion and sex was a game. And she was always a willing participant until it bored her.
She'd spent nights on different beds with different men. So she thought that this affair was not any different.
Lelouch was just a man. Tall, dark-haired and aristocratic, he was certainly gorgeous. But she had met many dark-haired men who were certainly more charming or more handsome. She thought that she could launch a silly little love affair with him without getting emotionally involved.
Yet she ended up doing the opposite.
C.C smiled ironically. No matter how many centuries she'd lived or how many men she'd adored, she was still human after all. Her heart had fallen in love with young Lelouch. She should have known better than to succumb to a physical relationship. It made everything complicated.
If Lelouch had remained impervious to her charms or unattracted to her, it would have been easy. She would have maintained her distance or assisted him without emotional attachment. But Lelouch also shared her affections. He'd also believed that he was passionately in love with her.
They might have looked like a couple who did nothing but fight but they knew better. They were well-suited to each other. And their sexual chemistry was undeniable.
She sighed softly and snuggled closer to him. Lelouch was her lover. Damn her promises to Marianne and Charles. Damn her heart. She leaned forward and kissed his temple. He exhaled and slowly peeked at her.
His eyes were the same colour as the twilight sky. Those were the eyes of the Britannian nobles and the mark of an heir to the Britannian Empire. Those were also the same shape and colour that had stared fanatically as she granted immortality. They were large like gemstones and deep violet like amethysts. She blinked. The mania and greed of his forebears were gone. Instead she was looking into Lelouch's innocent gaze.
"Good morning." C.C smiled. "It's still dawn. There's time to spare..."
She kissed him.
Love was a game. Sex was an illusion. But none of it mattered to her anymore when they were together. Because, C.C believed, they truly cared about each other.
End file.
| fanfiction |
Fifty Shades Trilogy 1. Chapter 1
"Good morning sleepy head. You look breathtaking this morning.", Christian says as he starts slowly kissing my neck. "I love waking up with you Mrs. Grey."
"Well, I love waking with you too Mr. Grey. But you sir are always up.", I giggle pointing at his erection. I bite my lip, knowing all too well what it does to him.
"I want to bite that lip now. You know how that affects me. Frisky this morning Mrs. Grey?", he says with a naughty look on his face. He moves my silk nightgown up my body and starts slowly kissing my stomach. "You are a little tease Mrs. Grey."
"I don't know what you are talking about. Tease? I think not sir.", I laugh. "I need to get up and check on Teddy. He probably is awake and ready for breakfast. Come on lazy bones, get that fine ass of yours out of bed. What would you like for breakfast? Don't even say me, because I am not on the menu."
"Damn it, well since I can't have you, I guess I will settle for an omelet. But it won't taste as good as you.", he says with a smirk. Christian climbs out of bed, wearing only his pajama pants that hang loosely from his hips. "Come on wench, fix us some breakfast."
I get out of the bed and throw my robe on. After leaving our bedroom, I make my way to Teddy's room. Opening the door, I see my sweet two year old laying in the bed. "Good morning Teddy Bear.", I say as I kiss his cheek and put my hand on top of his cooper hair. "How about some pancakes for breakfast."
"Momma, I want Scooby Doo.", he says. He loves watching Scooby Doo. Christian is actually the one who introduced him to it. Who would have thought that billionaire ceo Christian Grey was a Scooby Doo fan.
"Ok, breakfast first and then Scooby.", I say as I pick him up and head downstairs to the kitchen where Christian is already. "Sit with Daddy while I fix my two Grey men breakfast."
"There is my big boy. I bet you want to watch Scooby after breakfast, don't you Teddy Bear.", Christian says as he puts Teddy in his chair. He talks to Teddy as I fix breakfast. Christian is truly a wonderful father.
"Ok, guys. Breakfast is ready.", I say as I put our plates down. Breakfast is a delight. Christian and I talk to Teddy about the trip to the zoo we went on the before. We laugh as Teddy gets pancake syrup on his fingers. His hands are so sticky. Christian tries to help him, only to get syrup on his hands as well. The sight makes me laugh.
After breakfast, we head to the family room where Teddy and Christian immediately turn the tv onto Scooby Doo. I sit on the couch with them, admiring them. Both of my guys look in my direction and give me their trademark Grey smile. The room is filled with love. I find my eyes getting heavy and decide to close them for a bit.
"Miss Steele, are you ok?", Christian is asking with concern in his gray eyes. My head hurts. I look around, and find that I am laying on the couch in Christian's office. How did I get here? Wait, he called me Miss Steele. What kind of a crazy joke is he playing.
"What happened Christian?", I reply, needing answers. He is standing by me, running his hands through his unruly cooper hair. I notice he is not wearing his wedding band. Glancing at my left hand, I notice my ring finger is naked as well.
"Well, you were coming into my office and fell. When you did, you hit your head pretty hard on the floor. You were passed out for a bit. I think you need a doctor. We can reschedule the interview for another day."
"Interview?", I question him with my blue eyes staring into his gray eyes. What interview?
"The interview that you were doing for the WSU newspaper. I was told that Miss Kavanagh couldn't make it and you would be doing it instead.", he says with a smile that makes my heart flutter.
OMG, I was dreaming. Everything that happened with Christian and Teddy were just a dream. But, it seemed so real. I start to get up from the couch and stand before Christian. He is looking at me with a deep gaze. "No, I would like to still do the interview today."
"Are you sure? We can do this another time.", he asks
"Oh, I am sure. I am very sure.", I say biting my lip as I notice the desire building in him. It is a feeling that I know will last for a long time.
2. Chapter 2
I still can't believe that everything that happened with Teddy and Christian was just a dream. It felt so real. Maybe it is a sign. I have always believed that dreams mean something. Here I am standing in the office of sexy as hell Christian Grey, and I feel like I know him so well. My heart feels I know him well as well as my body. Feelings of lust stir in my body. "Get a grip Ana", I tell myself. I have to get this interview for Kate.
"Are you ready to begin, Miss Steele?", Christian asks as he motions towards a chair in front of his desk. He runs in his hands through his cooper hair. Those hands that I want on me, on all of me.
"Yes, I am ready, Christian", I reply sitting down in my seat as he takes his place behind the desk. Thoughts of my dream continue in my head, but I resolve to do my best to push them away to the back.
I begin the interview with Christian. As I am asking the questions that Kate has written down, I get the feeling of deja vu. I feel like I have asked all of these questions before, and I know the answers even before he responds. The one question that I see on the list which I will not ask is the question if he is gay. There is no way in hell that I am asking that. The answer is obvious to me, to my body which has a tingling sensation radiating through it during the entire interview. Christian's grey eyes never leave my own blue ones. I find myself biting my lip several times. Some of the times, purely on accident. But others, on purpose. I see him smirking sexily at me every time. Finally, the last question has been asked, but I don't want the interview to be over. I want to be with him just a bit longer.
"You know, Anastasia, no one but my family and close friends call me by my first name.", he say with a smile as he tilts his head to the side examining me.
Feeling embarrassed I respond , "I am sorry, Mr. Grey. I don't know what came over me. This is the first time I have done an interview and got nervous.
"Ah, a virgin I see", Christian says with a devilish grin on his face. "Well after me, you won't be one", he says raising his brow at me. I feel like my entire body is going to explode at that sentence.
"Why didn't you stop me and tell me that I couldn't call you by your first name." I know that need to get out of here with what little dignity I have left, but my body is telling me to stay.
"Honestly, I didn't mind it. I know that it sounds crazy, but there is something about you Anastasia that I can't explain. I just met you, but ever since you fell earlier, I have had these feelings. It feels like I have known you for a long time even though I just met you. Please, don't leave yet. Let me show you around.", he says as he puts his hand out for me. After placing my hand in his, the electricity between us in undeniable.
After showing me all of the twentieth floor, we walk towards the elevator. Entering the elevator, the sparks between us ignite. Christian pushes the stop button and unexpectedly pushes me up against the wall. He begins kissing me passionately. I know I shouldn't be doing this with a man I just met, but I feel like I am where I belong here with him. I moan into his mouth, feelings of desire wanting him.
"Wait, I have never done this before.", I say shyly to him as he is making his way down my neck with his soft kisses.
"So you are a virgin Miss Steele?," he says with a chuckle. "You are too perfect of a woman to lose her virginity in an elevator.", he says pulling away from me and composing himself as I do the same.
The elevator soon resumes going down to the first floor. "Will you have dinner with me tomorrow night Anastasia?," Christian asks as we step out of the elevator. There is nothing that I would like more.
"Yes, I would love to. Here is my number and address.", I say as I write on a piece of paper I pulled from my purse.
"Christian, boy, there you are.", I hear as an older gentleman starts walking toward us from the entrance of Grey House. His face lights up as he sees Christian who has gone back to holding my hand. The gentleman looks at me and smiles brightly.
"Grandfather, it is a pleasure to see you. I would like to introduce you to Miss Anastasia Steele.", Christian says looking like a little lovesick schoolboy. "Anastasia, this is my grandfather, Theodore Trevelyan." I suddenly get the feeling of familiarity. Theodore, that is the sweetest name.
"Pleased to meet you Mr. Trevelyan.", I say as I shake his hand. He smiles at me sweetly. "I have to go. Christian, I will see you tomorrow night. Again, a pleasure, Mr. Trevelyan."
"The pleasure was all mine dear. I hope to see you again.", he says. "Christian, be a gentleman and walk that wonderful lady out."
"I will be right back, Grandfather." Christian continues holding my hand as we go outside. Rain has started falling. "You are wet Miss Steele.", he says with a naughty look.
"That I am Mr. Grey", I say biting my lip. "I can walk the rest of the way to my car. You shouldn't keep your grandfather waiting. I will see you tomorrow night." I lean in and kiss him deeply before making my way to my car.
What a day. I met Christian Grey and have a date with him. Something tells me it will go well. Meeting his grandfather was also nice. Christian and Theodore, two of the most angelic names I have ever heard. Smiling to myself, I feel like fate is on my side.
3. Chapter 3
After arriving home, Kate immediately asks me how the interview went. "It went well, very well in fact. Here is the transcript of the interview." Thoughts of Christian dance around in my head. I can't wait till our date. It is totally unlike to me to go out with a guy who I just met, but there is something about Christian Grey that makes me throw forget all of my dating rules.
"So, what did you think of him? He is a handsome guy, huh?', Kate asks as she sits on the couch eating soup. Handsome is an understatement. He drop dead gorgeous. I have never met anyone as hot as him. Yet, he wants to go out with me, plain old me.
"Well, he is not too bad on the eyes. In fact, he asked me out for tomorrow night.", I say as I get ready for the interrogation that I know is about to come. Kate knows that I am not the type of girl who usually goes out with a complete stranger. But Christian doesn't feel like a stranger to me. He feels like someone who I have known my whole life.
"Whoa!, a date? Wow! Ana, that is great. I bet you are glad that I got sick and you had to do the interview instead. Tell me everything", she says. I knew that she would not let me get by without details.
"I asked him some questions. He is a very nice guy who I connected with. He asked me out. What else is there to say?", I say trying my best to get her off my back.
"Hold on, why do I get the feeling that there is something that you are leaving out. I know you Ana. What exactly happened to make you say yes to a date with him?", she asks looking at me like a parent who has just caught their child in a lie.
Not wanting to tell her about how I fell and hit my head which resulted in me having the most vivid dream about Christian, I decide to tell her about the other big thing that happened. "We made out in the elevator. Actually, it probably would have went further if he hadn't of stopped me.", I say looking at Kate who looks completely shocked.
"Ana, you made out with billionaire Christian Grey in an elevator just after meeting him? And he stopped it, not you? Ok, who are you and what have you done with the real Anastasia Steele?", she questions.
"Yes, I know it's not something that I usually do. Well, never do. There is something that attracts me to him Kate. I can't explain it. I wanted him so much in the elevator.", I say blushing. Here I am, a never having been intimate with a man, yet I wanted Christian right there in the elevator. My head is telling me that I I am crazy, but my raging hormones are telling me otherwise.
"I don't know about you going out with him Ana. You just met the guy and don't know a lot about him. For all you know, he could be some kind of a kinky sex freak.", Kate says with concern in her eyes.
Kinky sex freak? Those words alone should make me run for the hills, but for some reason the idea of Christian being kinky is a turn on. In fact, I don't think I would mind being tied up by him. Thoughts of being tied to the bed by consume me. I know that Kate is not going to let this go, so I decide to suggest she join us for dinner. Christian mentioned a brother, Elliot, during the interview. Maybe he can come along and be a distraction for Kate.
"Tell you what Kate, how about you come with us tomorrow night. Christian has an older brother Elliot who can maybe come as a date for you." Kate suddenly looks like a child on Christmas morning. If there is one thing that Kate is good at, it's guys. They fall at her feet. "In fact, I have a feeling that you two will hit it off."
"All right, talk to Christian and see if it is ok. If he says yes, then I will go. I hope that his brother is not a jerk."
Almost right on cue, my phone rings from inside my purse. I jump out of my chair and rush to answer it. I am hoping that it is Christian. The sound of his is memorizing. "Hello"
"Anastasia, how are you?", Christian says from the other end. I start getting goosebumps. "I wanted to call and let you know that I will pick you up at 6:00 tomorrow night. I have been thinking about you all afternoon and can not wait to see you."
I head to my bedroom with the phone so I won't have to deal with Kate eavesdropping. "Tomorrow night at 6:00 is fine Christian. I have a favor to ask you. Kate has doubts about me going out with you. She is just being protective. I think she is crazy, but I was wondering if your brother can come along. We can make it a double date with him and Kate.", I say.
Christian lets out a sigh, "Sure, Anastasia, I will check and see if Elliot is free. You know Kate may not be entirely wrong about me. I could be trouble. Just know that even though they will be there with us, I still plan on having a good time with you, a real good time.", Christian laughs. "I will see you tomorrow evening Anastasia. Sweet dreams baby."
Baby? Christian Grey, who I just met, called me baby. I feel my body once again filling with desire. I want this man more than I have wanted anything else in my life. Tomorrow night can't get here fast enough.
4. Chapter 4
**Author's Note: Thank you all for reading and for the reviews. I am having fun writing this story. Any input on how you think the story should go is greatly appreciated. Special shout out in this chapter to my boo Gemma 1027.**
The next day at the hardware store, time passes by so slow. We have hardly had any customers, which makes time pass even slower. Finally, 4:00 comes, quitting time. I rush to get into my car Wanda. I want to look special so Kate is going to lend me one of her dresses. When I arrive home, Kate is not there. I pray that she gets home at a decent time. She takes forever to get ready. The last thing I want is to be late for my date with Christian.
After taking a shower, I head into my bedroom and dry my hair. I look in the drawer and pull out a black lace bra and matching panties, the sexiest I own. Thoughts of what could possibly happen with Christian make me want to look my best. I put on the deep purple dress that I borrowed from Kate. The length is shorter than I normally wear. I slip on the black heels that I also got from Kate. Looking in the mirror, I don't recognize myself. I look hot!
"Ana! I am home. Sorry I am running late.", I hear Kate shouting from the living room. I glance at the clock and it is already 5:30. I knew she would be late. As I enter the living room, Kate's mouth drops open. "Wow! Ana, you are smoking. That dress looks incredible on you. I am going to get a quick shower and will be ready by 6, promise." She heads to the bathroom. Sure enough, at 5:55, Kate is dressed and ready to go.
At 6:00 promptly, there is a knock at the door. I open it and see Christian who is dressed in dark jeans, a white shirt, and black jacket. "Hi", I manage to say. "Please come in."
A tall,blonde,blue eyed guy follows Christian into the living room. "You must be Katherine Kavanagh.", Christian says as he extends to his hand to Kate. I am sorry that you were ill and not able to conduct your interview. But Miss Steele did a wonderful job. For someone who had never done an interview before, she did amazing.", he says looking at me with those hypnotizing eyes.
"It is a pleasure to meet you as well Mr. Grey. I read over the transcript from the interview and Ana did very well.", Kate says as she looks over to the guy who is accompanying Christian. Elliot, I think to myself.
"Bro, are you going to introduce me or what?" the guy asks as he looks at Kate and smiles. The way they are looking at each other makes me feel like they are going to get along well.
"Anastasia,Kate, this is my brother Elliot. Elliot, this is Anastasia Steele and Katherine Kavanagh.", Christian says looking somewhat annoyed. I have a feeling that he is not too keen on the idea of having a double date.
"Hi, ladies. It is a pleasure to meet you both.", Elliot says to us both but his eyes are only fixed on Kate.
"Shall we go?", Christian asks. We walk outside, and I notice two cars. One is a silver Mercedes and the other a black Escalade. A man in his mid-thirties wearing a dark suit stands by the Escalade. This is Taylor, my driver. I came in my own car as I have some business to attend to here in Portland and will be staying overnight at the Heathman. Elliot has to get back to Seattle tonight.", Christian says as he opens the rear passenger door of the car for me. I look at Kate, thinking she is going to speak up about the separate car issue, but she is too busy talking to Elliot. I get in the car and watch as Christian walks sexily to the the rear driver's side and slides in beside me.
Silence fills the car as we head to dinner. Christian is staring at me, almost as if he is trying to read my mind. Looking at him, I bite my lip. Instantly, he shifts in the seat, no doubt his body being affected by my lip biting.
"Oh Anastasia, when you bite that lip, it makes me want you so bad. I think you want me too.", he says. He starts running his fingers down my neck. "Tonight, I want you to be mine."
Mine. Again, I get that feeling of deja vu. I shrug it off as we arrive at the restaurant. Taylor stops the car and opens the door for me, giving me somewhat of a smile. Elliot pulls in behind us. He and Kate get out of the car and are holding hands. Damn, that was fast. We walk into the restaurant and are seated by a young guy who tells us that our waitress will be with us shortly. A few minutes later, a young, brown haired girl comes to the table. She immediately notices Christian and smile. "Good evening, I am Kirsten, I will your waitress this evening. Here are your menus. I will be right back to take your order.", she says never looking at any of the rest of us. What are we invisible?
Our dinner soon arrives. Elliot tells us about his career in construction. He has a wonderful sense of humor. Kate seems to be in a trance listening to him. Christian and I are talking as I suddenly feel his hand move up my thigh. My body is on fire. "How about we get out of here and go somewhere a bit more private?", he asks as he kisses me deeply.
"I should say no, I really should. But something is telling me to go for it.", I say looking at him with my hormones raging. "Kate,we are going to head out. Elliot, it was nice to meet you. I had a feeling you and Kate would get along well.", I say smiling to them.
"Bye Ana, bye Christian.", they say in unison, never taking their eyes off of each other. We go outside and wait for Taylor to arrive with the car. Christian is holding my hand and staring at me.
"What are you looking at Mr. Grey?", I ask with a smirk on my face. He continues to stare at me.
"I am admiring your beauty Anastasia. You are a gorgeous. Did you not see all of those guys in there looking at you? They want you."
"You must be blind. I didn't see any guys noticing me in there.", I say as I roll my eyes at him. He raises his eyebrow at me.
"Did you just roll your eyes at me Miss Steele? What do you think I should do about that?", Christian asks with a wicked grin.
For some reason, only one thing comes to mind. "Spank me.", I say looking at Christian who is both stunned and aroused by my answer.
5. Chapter 5
**Hey all :) I uploaded this chapter initially last night. I realized it was too short so I went back and rewrote it. I sort of have an idea of where I want to take this story. Any input or ideas is greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading and for the reviews :)**
Upon arriving at the Heathman, we quickly head to Christian's room. It is obvious to us both what is about to happen. After tonight, I will no longer be a virgin, having given myself to the sexy god Christian Grey. We stare stare at each other hungrily. Christian starts kissing my neck making my body melt. His mouth soon begins assaulting mine. If the kissing is this good, I can only imagine what the sex will be like.
"Are you sure you want to do this Anastasia?, he asks breaking away from the kiss. He looks at me with questioning eyes.
"Yes, I am sure. I have never been more sure about anything in my life.", I answer as I grab him by his belt and pull him towards me. Our lips find their way back to each other. The desire for one other is undeniable. I want him and he wants me. There is no turning back.
"You should know something before we go any further.", he says once again pulling away from me. "I am trouble Anastasia. My life is not exactly normal. I am fifty shades of fucked up."
I know that his warning should make me want to get away from him, but I feel myself unable to move. He may have issues, but my body tells me that I am where I should be. "Christian, there is nothing that you say that will change my mind. Is it because I am a virgin? If so, don't let it get in the way. I want you to be my first." I start undoing the buttons on his shirt which he soon stops by grabbing my hands. I look at him with confusion in my eyes. Then, knowing what it does to him, I bite my lip.
"Anastasia, there you go again with the lip biting. You know the effect it has on me, on my entire body.", he says with a sexy smirk as I look down at his erection. He has hunger in his eyes.
"Christian, I am here in this hotel room after just meeting you yesterday. That should tell you that I want this so bad. I don't give a damn about your issues. I want you to fuck right here, right now."
"I will fuck you, fuck you hard." I am so turned on by those words. Once again, I start to undo his buttons, and once again, I am stopped. "No, you can't touch me there Anastasia. Please, never touch me on my chest."
I wonder what his issue is with being touched on his chest, but right now, I am to concentrated on having his fuck me that I don't question him. Christian turns me around with my back to him. He starts kissing my neck with his soft lips. His hands move to the zipper of my dress and before I know it, I am standing just in my black lace bra and panties. Christian lets out a gasp as he eyes my almost naked body.
"Anastasia, you have the most beautiful body. You skin is so soft.", he says as he runs his hands slowly down my front. He removes my bra and starts kissing my breasts. The feeling I have is incredible. Before I know it, he pushes me on the bed. Hovering over me, he begins kissing me from my neck to my stomach. "Have you ever had an orgasm Anastasia?", he asks. Looking in my eyes, he gets his answer. "Well, I will have to change that."
I suddenly feel him moving his hands over my panties, massaging me. Before I know it, he has slipped two fingers into my sex. _Oh my! _The feeling of his fingers swirling around in me is indescribable. He moves his fingers in and out, teasing me.
"Please, Christian, please.", I moan. He looks up at me with his sexy gray eyes and gives me an evil grin. "I need you."
He starts picking up the pace with his fingers. I am running my hands through his cooper hair. My body is rising from his assault. "Oh baby, you are so wet.", he says. He continues going faster, and I soon feel myself letting go as I experience my very first orgasm.
"Oh Christian!", I scream. He looks at me and smiles, obviously proud of what he has just caused.
"Did you like that baby?", he asks. "I assume you are not on birth control." He reaches into his pants and pulls out a condom. Standing up quickly, he removes his pants and boxers. My mouth drops open as I see his length. "Like what you see Miss Steele?"
"Very much Mr. Grey.", I say as I grab his hand and pull him onto the bed with me. We kiss passionately. With his lips still on mine, he takes his hands and pulls my panties off. He raises up and slips on the condom. Positioning himself over me, he grins. I know what is about to happen. He slowly slides his length in, letting me get used to the feeling. I squint from the initial pain.
"Are you ok?", he questions. I nod my head with lust in my eyes. He starts moving in and out of me slowly. The pain has subsided and now all I feel is pleasure. Our bodies move as one. "Oh god, Ana, you feel so good." He starts thrusting into me harder and harder, deeper and deeper. "Come for me baby.", he whispers in my ear. Those words make me shatter. Christian soon follow. He collapses on top of me, kissing me softly. After laying there for a few minutes, Christian pulls out of me and rolls over to the other side of the bed. We are both panting.
"Now I see what all of the fuss is about.", I say giggling. Christian props himself up on his elbow and smiles at me. He looks so carefree. "Thank you for being my first.", I say as I kiss him.
"You are very welcome Miss Steele. The pleasure was all mine. You know, this was a first for me as well." I look at him dumbfounded. _Is he a virgin too? _"I am not a virgin Ana.", he says reading my mind. "This was the first time I have ever done vanilla."
Vanilla? What the hell is he talking about? I look at Christian for an explanation. "Look, I don't do normal relationships. I don't do the dating thing. From the time I was fifteen years old till now, all of my relationships have been purely sexual ones.", Christian says looking at me. "I am into BDSM Anastasia."
I lay in silence. What the hell is he saying. Kate was right, he is a kinky sex freak. I sit up in the bed with my mind racing. "What exactly goes into this whole BDSM stuff? Do you tie them up, gag them, whip them? Please tell me Christian."
"I am a domme. The women that I am with are my subs. I exercise control over them. Yes, I do tie them, gag them, and whip them. There are a lot of other things that I do to them, but I don't want to get into detail about that. For some reason, the way I feel for you is completely different than what I have felt for other women. I want to share my lifestyle with you, even though I know you are better off without me.
suddenly, things start to make sense somewhat. That's why Kate had the gay question written down on the list she gave me for the interview. People probably think he is gay because he is never seen on dates. In these days of tabloids, how is it that he can keep this lifestyle of his private? I get off of the bed and start getting dressed quickly. I can feel his eyes on me as he continues to lay on the bed.
"Please Anastasia. Don't go. I want you to stay. We can just lay here and talk.",he says with pleading eyes. What I have just been told is shocking. And he wants to share this kind of lifestyle with me?
"How in the hell can you keep this kind of stuff private Christian! I mean, how can you be sure that one of these subs is not going to sell her story to a magazine or newspaper?" Then it dawns on me. "You make them sign contracts."
6. Chapter 6
The revelation that Christian is into BDSM sent shock waves through my body. He offered to explain things more in depth with me, but I knew that I had to get away from him. This man who I had given my virginity to makes women sign contracts when they are with him. The thought that I would have to sign one was sickening to me. I ran from the room as fast as I could. After dressing at lightning speed, Christian soon caught up with me at the entrance of the hotel.
"Please Ana, don't go. Stay with me. I want you to better understand things, better understand me.", he said with pleading eyes.
"I can't do this Christian. Tonight was a mistake. You said I should stay away from you, but I didn't listen. I have to go.", I say with tears falling down my cheeks. I get into a taxi and head home; wanting to forget the entire night, wanting to forget Christian Grey.
Two days have passed and my attempt at forgetting Christian Grey have not succeeded. Elliot ended up staying over the night of the date and has practically been camped out at our apartment ever since. I am happy for Kate. She has had boyfriends in the past who I felt were the one for her. I was wrong, but something about Elliot tells me that he truly is the one for her. Kate keeps asking me what happened with Christian, but I don't want to talk about it.
"Ana, there is a delivery for you at the door.", Kate says entering my bedroom where I am been holed up for the past two days. I have been wearing pajamas, listening to sad music, and eating junk food, hoping my pain will go away.
"Kate, can you please get?", I ask I as start playing Adele on my iPod. She sighs and goes and goes back to the door to get my delivery. A few minutes later, she reenters my bedroom carrying a dozen red roses.
"Wow, Ana, these are beautiful. I bet I know who they are from.", she says with a smile on her face. She hands the roses to me and waits curiously to see if she was right about the sender.
_"My dearest Anastasia, there is so much I want to say to you. Please give me a chance. Have dinner with me.", Christian_
Tears start falling as I finish reading the card. Kate sits beside me on my bed with worry in her eyes. "Ana, I know something happened with Christian the other night. I didn't want to push you because I figured you would talk about it when you were ready. It's hurting me to see you like this. So, tell me what happened."
"Kate, I..I.., I messed up. Here I was thinking that he was the perfect guy. I have never felt like this about a guy before. I slept with him.", I say through tears. Kate raises her brow at me, obviously wanting details about me cashing in my v card.
"OMG! Ana!, you finally did it. How was it? Was it good?", Kate asks. I don't know how to tell her about the guy I gave my virginity to is the kinky sex freak she thought he might be. So, I decide not to tell her everything.
"It was amazing Kate. Nothing I have ever been told about it compared to how it really was. It was mind blowing. But, I realized that he and I are just two totally different people. He doesn't do the whole dating thing."
"Ana, Elliot told me that Christian doesn't normally date, but he took you out. He sent you these gorgeous roses, that means he is interested. Plus, there is the thing that Elliot told me which I didn't want to bring up."
"What did Elliot say?" All of a sudden, I start to wonder if Elliot knows about Christian's lifestyle and told Kate about it. No, if he had, Kate would have not kept that from me. She would be in my face telling me that I was allowed nowhere near Christian because she is very protective of me.
"He said that he talked to Christian yesterday and that he sounded miserable. Elliot said he has never heard him sound so down. It was like he was dealing with a bad breakup. I think you mean more to him than you realize Ana.
We sit in silence for a few minutes until my phone starts ringing. I get up to answer it and see Christian's name on the id. After hesitating for a minute, I answer it. "Hello".
"Anastasia, I am glad that you answered. I hope that you received the roses I sent.", Christian says, his voice sending chills down my spine.
"Yes, I did, and thank you Christian. They are lovely.", I reply as I see Kate doing her best to eavesdrop on the conversation.
"Their beauty is nothing compared to yours. I want to see you, tonight. Please, I know that you are confused, but I want to explain things."
I think for a few seconds. My mind is telling me to say no, but my body is saying go for it. "Ok, Christian, I will see you tonight.", I answer.
"Thank you Anastasia. I have some work to do, but I will send Taylor to pick you up at 5:00. I look forward to seeing you.",he says and then hangs up.
"You're seeing him tonight? That's good Ana. Please just be careful. I know he is probably a really good guy who likes you a lot, but there is just something off about him.
"Kate, I will be fine. I appreciate your concern, but I can handle it.", I say not sure if I am trying to convince her or myself. Maybe Christian wants things with us to be different than what he has had in the past with women. However, I am not sure I would be totally against being tied up or spanked by him. Suddenly, I feel myself smile as two words come to my mind, kinky fuckery.
7. Chapter 7
The thought of seeing Christian again both excites me and also unnerves me. I borrow a strapless red dress from Kate and pair it with red heels. My hair is pulled into a low ponytail. Kate has left to go to dinner with Elliot so I am left alone waiting nervously for Taylor to arrive. I hear a knock at the door and look at the clock, 5:00 exactly.
"Good evening Miss Steele.", Taylor says with a smile when I open the door. He seems to be very polite. I wonder exactly what all he does for Christian.
"Good evening.", I say shyly. We walk outside to a black Escalade which is parked at the curb. Taylor opens the rear passenger door and I slide inside. The leather seats are so soft and comfortable. The car ride to Seattle is quite. Neither of us says anything, though I am tempted a few times to question Taylor about Christian. Instead, I stare out the window looking into the darkness thinking about what may happen. My stomach is in knots.
After finally arriving in Seattle, we drive for a bit until we arrive at a skyscraper with Escala on it. Taylor pulls into the garage, and I start getting anxious. After pulling into a space, Taylor gets out and opens my door for me. I smile nervously at him. Maybe I shouldn't have come.
"Mr. Grey is waiting for you in his apartment Miss. Steele. Before we go up, I would like to say something. I have worked for Mr. Grey for almost four years and in that time, I have never seen him so taken with anyone as he is with you. Mr. Grey is a very private person, but he has been having a hard time hiding his feelings for you."
"I had no idea. I appreciate you telling me this Taylor.",I say with a big smile on my face. Christian is taken with me! Suddenly, I don't feel so nervous anymore. We walk to an elevator and get it. Taylor pushes the button for the penthouse. As the elevator heads to the top, I turn to Taylor. "Don't worry Taylor. I won't let Christian know about what you said. Thank you for telling me though." I have a feeling that Christian is all business with his staff and would blow a fuse if he knew Taylor had talked about Christian's feelings.
We arrive at the penthouse, and I am in awe. The living room is all in white, just like Christian's office at Grey House. I feel out of my element as I glance around the huge apartment. Classical music fills the room. It is soothing. "Good evening Anastasia, you look incredible.", Christian says as he enters from a nearby room. He is dressed in jeans, a black button up shirt, and converse shoes. I try my best not to drool as I look at him.
"Good evening Christian. Your place is gorgeous.", I smile as he strides sexily towards me. Before I realize I'm doing it, I am biting my lip.
"I want to bite that lip of yours Miss Steele, so bad.",Christian says making my entire body melt. The things this man does to me. "Would you like a glass of wine?", he asks heading into the kitchen. A few seconds later, he returns with a bottle of wine and two glasses. "Bollinger, an excellent wine for a fine lady.", he says half filling the glasses. "Cheers".
"Cheers", I say raising my glass to his. "The music you have playing is lovely. I feel like I have heard it somewhere before. What is it?"
"It is "The Flower Duet" by Delibes. I love classical music. Actually, I love a lot of different types, but I am partial to classical. How about I give you a tour and then we can discuss things?", he asks reaching for my hand.
"Ok.", I say taking his hand. It has only been two days but I have missed his touch. I have missed him. Maybe we can work things out tonight. He guides me through the different rooms. I feel like a kid on Christmas morning when he shows me the library. It is spectacular. "Christian, this is unreal. You have the most amazing place.", I say with a huge smile.
"There is one last room that I would like to show you Anastasia. Come.", he says leading me up the stairs. As he opens the door, I smell wood and leather. The room is completely painted in dark burgundy. "Anastasia, this is my playroom."
I am in shock as I walk around the room. There is a bed with cuffs and chains. I see paddles, whips, riding crops, and other sex toys. "You use these things on women?", I ask.
"Yes, I do. I need control Anastasia. It is the only way of life I know. If a sub pleases me, she is rewarded. If not, she is punished. I want you Anastasia. I want to share this with me.", he says waving his hand around the room. "I want you in my playroom with me."
"So you would spank me with some of these things?" I feel both scared and oddly turned on. I glance to a rack beside the door. It is on there that I notice a belt. Suddenly, I get a bad feeling as I look at the belt. It is a feeling of hurt and sadness. "Christian, I am willing to give this a chance, but I ask that you not use that belt on me. I just have a feeling of uneasiness about it."
"Oh, Anastasia, I am happy to hear you say that. I will not use that belt, I promise.", he says as he kisses me softly. "You and I are going to have fun in the playroom."
"Playroom? Red Room of Pain is more like it.", I say giggling.
8. Chapter 8
I have agreed to go into Christian's playroom with him. Feelings of desire and doubt fill me. Part of me feels like I only said yes because I wanted to be with him so badly that I would do anything I had to do. "Come, Anastasia. Let's go downstairs to discuss things.", he says as he leads me downstairs to his study. He motions towards a chair for me to sit in as he takes his seat behind the desk. Suddenly, he goes from being sweet to all professional. He hands me a stack of papers. "This is an NDA. I would like you to read it. We can discuss the things in there that you are not sure about. Some of the things listed can't be changed, they are hard limits."
For some reason, I thought my relationship with him would be different than those in his past. Elliot and Taylor both said that Christian felt for me something that he had never felt before. Maybe they were mistaken. _"Why would you think he wouldn't want you to sign a contract. He told you himself that he doesn't do the normal relationship thing.", _my subconcience says to me.
Glancing over the items listed, I am in shock. I can't look at him in the playroom. I have to wear what he says, eat healthy, be properly groomed. Feeling sick to my stomach, I put the contract down. "Christian, I thought I could do this, but I'm sorry. I don't think I can.", I say with tears starting to fall.
"Why not Ana? I told you I want you, and I thought you wanted me. Why did you say yes and suddenly decide you can't?"
"I do want you. I just thought that maybe what we have is different than what you are used to especially after I was told by..."
"Told what? What were you told exactly Ana?", he asks with questioning eyes. I don't want to get Elliot and Taylor in trouble for revealing how Christian feels. Taylor could be fired, and I don't want to be responsible for that. However, he can't fire Elliot as his brother.
"Elliot told Kate that you were upset about what me leaving the other night. So, I foolishly thought that maybe this thing with us would be different, no contract. I thought we could have more."
"Elliot, that fucker. He should keep his mouth shut. Ana, the NDA is something that I have always done with my subs. It protects both me and them." I feel like I can't listen anymore and stand to leave. As I reach the door, I feel Christian grabbing my hand stopping me. "I have never felt the way I feel for you before. That scares the hell out of me. What scares me even more is you walking out that door and never coming back.", he says as he pulls me into his arms
"Christian, I have never felt like this before either. But, I can't be your sub. My feelings for you are too strong."
"Ana, maybe we can compromise. There are still some things that are hard limits to me, but we can hold off on the playroom until you are ready. Not sure how it will go, but I will try the more thing. Please stay."
"Oh, Christian, the thought that you are willing to do this for me makes me happy.", I say biting lip. My desire for him is undeniable.
"Miss Steele, the things you do to me.", he smirks. He lifts me up and puts me on his desk. "I want you so bad baby, this is going to be fast." We kiss passionately as my hand moves over his erection. Hiking my dress, he smiles wickedly at me. He pulls my panties down and moves a finger inside me. "Always ready for me. I like that." I moan as he moves his finger around at a slow pace.
"Christian, please, I need you.", I say begging him. He moves his finger out, and I realize he is teasing me. "Christian, please."
Christian soon unzips his pants and in a flash as put on a condom. "We aim to please Miss Steele.", he smirks as he rams into in me, hard. He moves in and out of me harder and faster. "Let it go baby, come for me." With those words, I shatter and soon he finds his release. "Oh, Ana, that was amazing."
"Hmmm", is all I say. I start to feel exhausted as my eyes fight a losing battle. Waking up, I look around the room. Where am I? Then, I realize that I must be in Christian's bedroom. He is sleeping peacefully next to me. The clock on the bedside table has 10:30. Both of our bodies must have been tired from our sexcapade in his study. I need to go to the bathroom. Slowly getting up from the bed, I open a door on the left right side of the room. It is his closet. "So, this is the closet of Christian Grey.", I say to myself as I look at all of the clothes. He has more clothes than I do. Something catches my eye. Feeling like I am in a trance, I grab it.
"Ana, what are you doing?", Christian asks from the bedroom. I walk out of the closet. "Are you ok?"
"Yes, I was looking for the bathroom and went in the closet instead.", I say shyly. He laughs softly as he points to another door in the room. "I will be right out.", I say as I go into the bathroom. After finishing in the bathroom, I go back into the bedroom with my hand behind my back. I am still holding my find from the closet.
"Come back to bed baby. Wait, what are you hiding behind your back?", Christian asks with a puzzled look.
Biting my lip, I reveal what practically jumped into my hand. "I was hoping we could use this.", I say holding out the silver-gray silk woven tie.
9. Chapter 9
When Christian saw the tie in my hand, he was surprised. Even though I was unsure about the playroom, I still wanted to to something kinky with him. "You gotta start somewhere.", I thought to myself. I walked over to the bed and could see the lust in Christian's gray eyes. He wanted to try this as much as I did.
"Ana, are you sure? We don't have to do this tonight. There is no rush baby.", he says with seriousness in his eyes. I sit on the bed and lean towards him, kissing him hard, letting him and his body know that I am sure. "You are one brave woman Anastasia Steele.", he responds.
Christian gets up from his spot on the bed. "Lie back baby. I promise to be gentle." I lay on the bed as Christian binds my hands to the headboard with the tie. "Oh, Ana, you are so beautiful." He leans over me and starts giving me feather kisses on my neck. I want to run my hands through his sexy copper hair, but the tie prevents it. "Oh, my dear Ana, the things you do to me. You have no idea how much I desire you.", he say as he kisses my breasts. My body yearns for him. He starts moving down my body with his light kisses. The things this man does to my body. Soon, he is down at my sex and before I know it, he inserts two fingers and moves them around at a slow pace.
"Christian, please, I want you.", I beg. He looks up at me and smirks. We kiss passionately. "Mmmm, Christian.", I moan. He continues moving his fingers around inside me, picking up the pace. "Christian, please, I want you inside, please." Again, he smirks but this time he reaches over to a drawer on the nightstand. I see him slip a condom on.
"You want me Miss Steele? You shall have me." He slams into me and the feeling is unreal. He starts thrusting in and out of me slowly and then faster. "Come for me Ana", he whispers. At those words, I unravel. I find my release and soon Christian finds his. He collapses on top of me. "Oh, Ana, baby. You are one amazing woman. Let me untie you. As he unties me, he looks at me with curious eyes. "Are you ok? Did that hurt?"
"No, I'm fine. That was beyond incredible. I really like that tie.", I giggle. Before I know it, I am yawning. Sex with Christian Grey is exhausting, but well worth it. I try to fight the exhaustion, but before I know it, I am asleep.
The next morning, I wake up and look around. It takes me a few minutes to remember where I am. Oh, yes, I am in the bed of sexy Christian Grey. I still can't believe it. These past few days have been wonderful. Christian is not in the bedroom so I decide to go look for him. I look in a drawer and find a tee shirt of his and some boxer shorts and slip them on. As I go down the stairs, I hear Christian talking to a woman. As I make my way to the living room, I notice a well dressed blonde haired woman.
"I really think that buying one more salon would be good. I will put an offer in tomorrow.", Christian says to the woman. He sees me and stands from his chair. "Anastasia, good morning."
"Good morning", I say nervously as feel the woman's eyes on me. She looks me up and down, like someone who is eyeing the competition.
"Ana, this is Elena Lincoln, my friend and business associate. She came by to talk about the chain of hair salons I own which she helps operate." Christian comes over and puts his arm around me. "Elena, this is Anastasia Steele, my girlfriend." Girlfriend? That word makes my heart flutter. I start blushing as Elena's mouth drops open.
"It is nice to meet you Anastasia.", she says in a tone that says otherwise. She shakes my hand, and once again I get a feeling of deja vu. "Girlfriend?, Christian, it seems we need to catch up on some things when I have more time. I have a meeting so I must run. Good to see you Christian. Anastasia, again, a pleasure.", I smile slightly at her. She hurries out the door before Christian can even respond.
"I don't think she likes me.", I say to Christian as I follow him to the kitchen. He sets puts the tea kettle on and sets out a cup. Then, he makes his way to the cabinet and pulls out a box that is labeled Twinings English Breakfast, my favorite tea. How in the world did he know that. "How did you know this is my favorite"
"I had Elliot ask Kate. I wanted to know more about you. Actually, I wanted to know everything about you, and I thought knowing what your favorite tea was is a good starting point. Are you hungry?"
"Hmm, a bit. I kind of worked up an appetite last night.", I say as he laughs. "I don't really eat big breakfasts though. I usually eat..", I stop as I see him bring yogurt and granola from the fridge.
"Yogurt and granola. I know.", he gives me my tea and a bowl as he takes his own and sits down next to me. "You look beautiful in my shirt Miss Steele.", he says as he eats his yogurt.
"So, Elena, are you two good friends?", I ask as I take a sip of my tea. I see him tense up. "Christian, did I say something wrong?"
"No, it's just, well, Ana. I don't know how to say it. Elena is a friend of my mom's, and she is the woman I lost my virginity to.", he says as he looks down.
"What?! She took advantage of you? Christian, I can't believe it." I am in shock. "Does your mother know about this?"
"Ana, she didn't take advantage of me. I was willing and knew what I was doing. And no, my mother does not know about Elena. She can never know, because that would mean exposing my secret."
"Secret? You mean how you have subs? I am lost here. How does Elena fit into the whole sub thing?", I inquire.
"Because, Ana, she introduced me to that world. Before I had subs, I was one myself. I was Elena's sub.", he says. I start to feel sick to my stomach.
"This is a lot to take in Christian. Is there anything going on now with her?", I ask as he shakes his head.
"No, only a friendship and business relationship, that's all. Please, I know that this is a lot to digest, but I am begging you to be patient. I only want you Ana.", he says as he kisses me.
"I want you too, and I will be patient. It's just I got a weird feeling from her that she doesn't like me. I can't explain it, but I don't think she will want to have girl bonding time with me anytime soon."
10. Chapter 10
**Hey guys! Sorry, I haven't updated in awhile. I have hit a bit of writer's block. I know where I want the story to end, just trying to map out how to get there. Any ideas or opinions are greatly appreciated. Enjoy!**
The next two weeks passed by like I was in a dream. Kate and I graduated college and moved to Seattle. While Kate had went to Barbados with her family and Elliot, I stayed behind to look for a job and spend time with Christian. I found myself falling more and more for him every day.
"Why don't you come work for me at GEH?", Christian asked one morning as I prepared resumes in the kitchen at Escala. "I can give your career a good start."
"While I do appreciate the offer Christian, I want to work in publishing and do my own thing. I don't want to be the girl who is screwing the boss.", I say as he comes behind and kisses me lightly on my neck.
"I don't give a fuck what other people think Anastasia. But, I do understand what you mean by doing your own thing. You are one determined woman Miss Steele."
"You need to get to work Mr. Grey. I am going to work on my resumes some more and then head over to my apartment and unpack some things since I haven't had a chance yet.", I say with a laugh. It's true because I have spent basically every day and night at Christian's since moving.
"Have a good baby. I will see you tonight.", Christian says as he pulls me from my chair and kisses me passionately. Christian smiles as he and Taylor leave. I finish my resumes and get ready to head to my apartment. I think I am going to cook dinner tonight for Christian.
The day is beautiful so I decide to walk to my apartment. Things look so much different when you are truly happy. I practically skip like a giddy,lovesick school girl. While I am walking, I get a feeling like I am being followed. I turn around and see no one. I brush it off and head into my apartment. Soon, I find myself making a dent in the boxes and the apartment starts to come together. I am startled by my phone. Looking at the id, I smile when I see it is Christian.
"Ana, how is my girl coming along with the unpacking?"
"Hi, Christian. It is coming along pretty good. I have gotten a lot accomplished. For the first time, it is starting to look and feel like home."
"That's great. Maybe I can come by after I get done for the day. I can help you with some of your um bedroom stuff.", he says with a laugh.
"Mr. Grey, I think you are just wanting an excuse to get into my bed.", I giggle
"Perhaps, but seriously, I want to help you. Besides the unpacking, how has you day been?"
"Good, except for, well..", I stop myself because I don't want him to worry.
"Ana, what is it? Did something happen?", Christian asks with concern in his voice.
"I just had this uneasy feeling when I was walking to the apartment, like I was being followed. I am sure it is nothing."
"Ana, I am going to send Taylor to pick you up, ok? Stay there until he gets there. Don't leave."
"Christian, I think you are overreacting honestly. There is no sense in having Taylor come for me. I walked here and will walk back."
"Ana, I mean it. Stay there!", he yells into the phone. I can't handle his bossiness any longer so I hang up the phone. Immediately, it rings again. Christian. I turn my phone off. No man is going to tell me what to do. I decide to go get some food at the deli down the street. As I walk out the building, the uneasy feeling returns. I turn around and this time I am face to face with a pale, dark haired woman. She looks disheveled and uncared for.
"Who are you and why are you following me?", I snap at her.
"Anastasia Steele.", she says. I stare at her in shock for a moment. How the hell does she know who I am?
"Yes, and you are?", I ask looking straight into her brown eyes. I suddenly start to feel anxious. There is something about her that makes me fearful.
"I just wanted to see you, see what you have that I don't.", she says as I give her a puzzled look.
I see Taylor start towards us in the Audi. Relief that he is here floods me. The woman looks at him as he comes to a stop. She looks frightened.
"Master has a dark side.", she says before running off.
"Miss Steele, are you ok?", Taylor asks as he comes up beside me.
"Yes, I am fine. I have no idea who that woman is, but she irked me.", I say as I get into the car. Taylor doesn't say anything during the ride back to Escala. I keep thinking about the girl and what she said, _Master has a dark side_. Then it dawns on me, Christian.
11. Chapter 11
After we arrived back at Escala, I just wanted to take a nap. The unpacking and the confrontation with the mystery woman were exhausting. I couldn't help but feel that Taylor knew who the woman was. He hadn't said a word, but I kept getting a vibe from him. After stepping off the elevator and into the living room, I just wanted rest. But that was not going to happen when I saw Christian standing before me. Taylor went to him and whispered something to him. I don't know what it was, but Christian suddenly got a concerned look on his face.
"Christian, what are you doing here? Are you making sure that Taylor picked me up?", I say.
"Yes, although Taylor told me that you were outside and looked like you were planning on walking. What the fuck did I tell you Ana?", he snapped.
"I know what the fuck you told me, but I am a grown ass woman who is capable of making my own decisions. If I want to do something, I will do it. I think that you are being unreasonable.", I snap back at him.
"Unreasonable? Taylor said you were talking to someone when he arrived. You had a scared look on your face." I get the feeling that Christian knows who the woman was as well. What is it about this mystery woman that has both him and Taylor looking worried.
"I don't know who she was. She knew my name and from what she said, I think she knows you. Maybe she is a fan of the Christian Grey fan club."
"What exactly did she say Ana? Tell me."
"She said that she wanted to see what I have that she doesn't. And she said master has a dark side. Honestly, Christian, I was a bit frightened of her. But, I get the feeling that she is troubled.", I say as I look into his gray eyes.
"Oh, Ana. I am sorry that you had to be involved in this. I don't want you to be tainted by my life.", he says
"What is going on Christian. Involved in what exactly? Who the hell is this woman? Is she a sub?"
"Her name is Leila. She was a sub who wanted more, but I couldn't give her that. I ended my contract with her about three years ago. I hadn't heard from her since. It seems that she got married not long after I ended things. About Four months ago, she left her husband for another man. He apparently was killed in a car accident. After the accident, she became distant from her family. Then one day, she just disappeared."
"Wow, poor thing. I don't understand though why she came to me."
"Well, the night that we had our first date, it seems that a waitress at the restaurant took a photo of us. She sent it to the the Seattle Times. Since I am never seen out on a date, it was big news. I am guessing Leila saw it."
"And since you couldn't give her more, she wants to see the woman who is more than a sub.", I say as Christian nods. "Why do I feel like there is still something that you are not telling me?"
"Leila showed up at my office yesterday and made a scene. She started yelling how she was the woman for me. I tried to get her to calm down. She was being irrational. I turned for a second and the next thing I know, she was gone. I contacted my security advisor Welch to try and locate her. This morning, he called and told me what he had found out about Leila's life in the past three years."
"Christian, we need to find her. I feel so bad for her. She needs help."
"I agree baby. We are going to find her and get her the help she needs." Just then, Christian's phone rings. "Excuse me, I need to get this."
I sit down on the sofa and try to gather all of my thoughts. I know that I am the first woman who Christian has had a real relationship with, but could Leila wanting him have sent her over the edge. I start to get chills all throughout my body. Once again, the deja vu feeling returns. I start sensing that the Leila situation is going to get worse before it gets better. I look and see Christian come back into the room.
"Sorry about that. It was Welch with some news.", he says as I see him tense up. He sits beside me on the sofa and puts my hand in his.
"What is going on Christian? You are starting to scare me. What did Welch say about Leila?", I ask nervously
"Leila got a concealed weapon permit this morning, probably right before she saw you. Please Ana, don't worry. I have my guys looking for her, and she will be found. You are not to go anywhere without security, understood?"
"Christian, I want Leila to be found. The thought of her out there with a gun scares me. But, I don't need a babysitter. I appreciate your concern for my safety, but I can take care of myself."
"Anastasia, this is not negotiable! You will have security with you, like it or not.", he snaps at me. I can't take it anymore. I quickly rise from my seat and start towards the kitchen. Christian is right behind me.
"Look here Grey, I am not your employee. You can't just go around telling me what to do. Why don't we sit down and come up with a compromise? After all, that's what relationships are about, compromising with one another.", I say as I walk over to him. I can see his eyes soften and his body starts to relax.
"I just want you to be safe Ana. If anything were to happen to you, I would die. Please, just consider having one security guy. You probably won't even know he is there.", he says as he kisses my hair.
"Fine, one guy, no more. I swear Christian you are so stubborn sometimes", I say with a laugh.
"Oh, I agree he is stubborn", a woman laughs. I look behind me to see a tall, raven haired girl. She has a huge smile on her face. I hope she is not another former sub. I don't think I can handle two in one day. Christian sees my questioning eyes.
"Anastasia Steele, meet the other infuriating woman in my life. This is my sister Mia Grey.
"Ana, although Christian likes to keep his life private, I have heard so much about you from Elliot.", Mia says as she pulls me into a hug. I look to Christian who is at a loss for words.
"Mia, it is nice to meet you", I say as she continues hugging me. Finally she lets me go and hugs Christian. I sense that Christian adores Mia greatly.
"You and I are going to be great friends Ana. I can feel it.", she says with a big smile. Something about the way she says it makes me think that we will indeed be great friends.
12. Chapter 12
**Hey guys! Just a small filler chapter till we get to some drama in the next. Enjoy!**
After getting to know Mia, she told Christian and I that his parents wanted us to come to dinner that night. Although I was nervous, I agreed. Christian was becoming more and more a bigger part of my life, and I wanted to see where he came from.
"So, are you excited to meet my parents? I know they are going to be crazy about you.", Christian said as he stood behind me at the bathroom mirror. We had just taken a nice,long shower together.
"Yeah, I am. It's just I have no clue what I am going to wear. I want to look really nice for them.", I said as I stood wearing my robe.
"Baby, you could naked and they would adore you. But, I only want you naked for me, so I have something to show you. Come.", he said as he leads me from the bathroom into his bedroom. "While you were out unpacking, I had some things delivered for you.", he said as we went into his huge walk-in closet. On one side, Christian's clothes hung while on the other side, I saw lots of women's clothes.
"Christian, what is all of this? Please tell me that you didn't go out and buy all of these clothes just for me.", I said as I looked at all of the clothes. They were very nice, and very expensive.
"Well, I had them sent over from Neiman's. Carolyn Anton, the personal shopper there picked them out. From what I can see, she did a good job."
"I agree, they are nice. In fact they are too nice. You shouldn't be spending all of this money on me. The gesture was sweet, but I can't accept these."
"Ana, I can afford it. Hell, I can buy the whole damn store if I want. You are special to me, and I wanted to do something nice for you. Please, don't over think things.", he says as he gives me puppy dog eyes.
"How can I say no to that face. Ok, I will accept the clothes. Thank you so much.", I say as I jump into his arms. "You know I think I will give you a proper thank you after we got back tonight."
"Oh Miss Steele, I think I have created a monster.", Christian laughs. "I am going to finish getting ready and will let you finish as well."
I decide on a knee length black dress and black heels. I decide to wear my hair down. As I enter the living room, my jaw drops as I see Christian who is standing by the window. He is dressed in black pants and a white shirt. I feel heat radiating throughout my body.
"Anastasia, you look, wow. You are breathtaking.", he says as he kisses me lightly. "I can not wait till we get back so I can have my way with you." He sees me staring at him. "What is it baby?"
"Nothing. It's just you look so hot.", I say blushingly. "I mean you always look hot, but tonight you look wowwww."
"Come on, let's not keep my parents waiting.", he laughs as he takes my hand and leads me to the elevator. "Relax, it's going be a good night."
"I hope so. I can't wait to meet your parents.", I say with a smile. But, I have a feeling that tonight is not going to go smoothly.
13. Chapter 13
The ride to Christian's parents' home was quite. I was still nervous, and I think Christian could sense it. He held my hand the entire ride. We finally arrived at the house which was huge. I started to feel out of place. Taylor got out of the car and opened the door for me.
"Christian, this is a beautiful place. It looks like one of the houses that you see in a magazine."
"Ana, it's just a house, baby. Come on. I will give you a tour after dinner, and maybe show you my old bedroom.", he says with a wink. I bite my lip at that comment. "Ana, you know what that does to me."
"I know. Do you think you are going to be able sit throughout dinner with your and not think about having your way with me?.", I say softly.
"No, I know I will be thinking about it because I am always thinking about you baby. But, I will try to be on my best behavior. Well on my best behavior for now at least.", he says with a smirk.
The door opens and we are greeted by Mr. and Mrs. Grey. Christian's mother is dressed in a beige pant suit. She is a beautiful woman who has a huge smile on her face. Mr. Grey is tall and handsome. This had got to be the best looking family in the world.
"Christian, sweetheart, you are here. Come in.", Mrs. Grey says still smiling. We step into the foyer.
"Anastasia Steele, this is my mother, Grace and my father, Carrick.", Christian says as I shake their hands. "Mother, Father, this is Anastasia Steele."
"It is a pleasure to meet you both Mr. and Mrs. Grey. Thank you so much for inviting me to dinner.", I say nervously.
"Anastasia, it is a pleasure to meet you as well. Christian never brings girls home to meet us. Mia said that you two were a cute couple and I can sense that.", Mrs. Grey says.
"Actually, I said that they looked like two dogs in heat and also a cute couple.", Mia says giggling as she comes down the stairs. "Ana, it's great to see you again.", she says as she pulls me into a hug. She then hugs Christian whose face is red, no doubt from the dogs in heat comment.
"Mia, please mind your manners around our guest.", Mrs. Grey says as she leads us into the living room. "Dinner will be ready soon. I thought we could get to know one another. Christian, Anastasia, would you two like a glass of wine?"
"Yes, please Mother. I will have a glass of white wine.", Christian says. "Ana?"
"No, but thank you anyway Mrs. Grey. And please, call me Ana.", I say as I sit on the sofa next to Christian.
"My dear, call me Grace. My mother-in-law is Mrs. Grey.", She says as she hands Christian his wine.
"Mia told us that you recently graduated college. And please call me Carrick.", Mr. Grey says with a smile.
"Yes, I graduated a few weeks ago and now I am looking for a job in publishing.", I say as I start to relax. Why was I nervous? They are nice and very welcoming.
"Ana, how about I give you a tour of the house while we wait for dinner?", Mia says excitedly. Christian almost chokes on his wine. "Are you ok Christian?"
"Yes, yes. I'm fine. It's just that I already promised Ana that I would show her around after dinner.", he says as he winks at me.
We all start talking and getting to know one another. Grace and Carrick look at each other lovingly throughout the conversation. I can feel the love in the room. The doorbell rings and startles us.
"Are we expecting someone else for dinner?", Christian says with a questioning look.
"Yes, I ran into Elena earlier today and invited her to dinner. I hope that is ok.", Grace says as Carrick goes to open the door.
Christian looks at me, and I do my best to smile. I knew that this night was not going to go off without a hitch. This dinner should be interesting. "On second thought, Grace, I will have that glass of wine."
14. Chapter 14
Elena glided into the living room and immediately I could see eyes on Christian and me. Christian was holding my hand and looking at me. I was doing my best to remain calm. The last thing I wanted was to cause a scene in front of Grace and Carrick.
"Christian, I didn't know that you were going to be here. It is nice to see you. Oh, Anastasia, I am glad to see you again.", Elena smiled.
"Elena, you have met Anastasia?", Grace asks as Elena takes a seat in a chair across from the sofa where Christian and I are sitting.
"Yes, although it was very brief. I had to stop by Christian's place to discuss business, and I had the opportunity to meet Anastasia. Perhaps we can get to know each other better tonight over dinner.", Elena says with a fake smile.
"It's nice to see you as well Elena. I would absolutely like to get to know you better.", I say mirroring her fake smile. Two can play this game. I can feel Christian's hold on my hand get a bit tighter, probably as a way of assurance.
"Mia, will you go and see how much longer dinner is going to be. I am getting famished.", Carrick says. Mia goes to check on dinner. "We are having chicken marsala tonight. I hope everyone is hungry." A few minutes later, Mia comes back in.
"Gretchen said that dinner is ready. Come on Ana, you can sit by me.", Mia says with excitement.
When we go into the dining room, I find myself sitting in between Christian and Mia. Carrick and Grace are seated at the ends of the table, and Elena is directly across from me. I can feel her eyes burning as she watches Christian and I.
"Mia, why don't you sit next to Elena to even out the seating.", Grace says as we begin eating."
"I would, but I want to sit next to Ana.", Mia says, sounding almost like a whining child. "I really am glad that you came tonight Ana. For Christian to agree to come, he must really like you." I see Elena look down at her plate, obviously upset by Mia's words.
Dinner actually goes smoother than I thought it would. Elena pretty much keeps to herself, except for a few times she and Grace talk. Christian has not said anything to her. I get to know Grace and Carrick better and tell then about my life. When I tell Carrick about my dad Ray and his love for fishing, he tells me about the big catches he has made. "But, the best catch of my life is sitting right there.", he says motioning towards Grace who smiles brightly and looks like she is holding back tears.
When dinner is over, I know that Christian is going to want to give me a tour of the house. I have a feeling he has something else planned so I excuse myself to go to the restroom so I can freshen up. I reapply my lipstick and give myself a once over before I open the door to join Christian. Just as I am going out, I come face to face with Elena.
"Anastasia, I thought I would come and check on you, make sure you are all right darling.", she says with a smirk.
"Yes, I am fine, thanks for your concern Elena. Now, if you will excuse me, Christian is waiting for me." I try to leave but she is blocking me. "Will you please move?"
"You know Anastasia, I have been friends with Christian for a long time. I have watched him grow into the successful man that he is today. In addition to being business partners, we have a special relationship you could say."
"I am aware of that relationship Elena. Christian told me about your history, and to be honest, it sickens me how a grown woman took advantage of an innocent boy."
"He was not that innocent. He wanted it as much as I did. I helped Christian by showing him ways of releasing his anger and stress.", she says smugly.
"You mean by introducing to the world of BDSM?", I say as she looks stunned. "That's right Elena, I know about Christian being your sub and how he has taken on subs himself. He has been honest with me."
"That is good to know. It seems now though that he has not been honest with himself. He has this absurd idea that he can have a "normal" relationship with you. I think he just needed a small time out from his usual life and that is ok. Once he has gotten whatever it is he is doing with you out of his system, he will go back to where he was."
"I don't think so. Our relationship is special Elena. Christian and I are don't have to have a domme and sub relationship because he wants more than that with me.", I say as I feel my anger building.
"More with you? Look, I am sure that you are a nice girl who will make some guy happy one day. But, you are not the girl for Christian. Christian needs a woman who can take care of his _every_ need. You are just some quite and boring little girl." I can't believe her.
"That's funny. I assure you that I can take care of Christian's needs. My mom used to say that it is the quite ones you have to watch. So, game on Elena.", I say as I push her put of my way and start down the hallway. I see Christian standing at the end of the hall, shocked. Obviously, he heard the conversation.
"Ana, baby, are you ok? I heard what Elena said. Don't listen to her.", he says as he pulls me to him.
"I'm fine. She expressed how she feels, but I let her know I feel too. Can we do the tour another time? I kinda just want to go back to your place and get some rest."
"Sure baby. It has been a long day. I think some rest will be good.", he says as he kisses me.
We say our goodbyes to everyone even to Elena. I wanted to claw her eyes out, but instead pretended everything was fine. As we drove back to Escala, I reflected on the evening. I enjoyed meeting Grace and Carrick and getting to know Mia better. I admit the Elena incident shook me, but I am not going to let her get to me because I know Christian and I have something great.
15. Chapter 15
The next morning I wake up with the sun shining brightly. Looking at the clock, I see it is already 8:00. What is more suprising is the fact that Christian is still asleep. When we had gotten back to Escala the night before, I was exhausted. Although I was determined to put Elena in her place, the argument with her had been tiring. I am not usually the confrontational type, but there was no way that I was going to let her insult me. I wonder why Christian is still in bed, it is a work day. I decide to wake him up, just in case he overslept.
"Christian, rise and shine sleepy head", I say as I kiss the back of his neck. Even in the morning he is sexy.
"Mmmm, good morning baby. How did you sleep?", he says as he turns over to face me. He pushes a stray hair behind my ear.
"I slept good. You must have as well since you are still in bed Mr. Grey. Isn't today a work day for you?"
"It is, but I am not going in until a bit later. I think since I am the boss I can manage to be late. Besides, I wanted to spend some time with you this morning. I know last night was sort of crazy, but I want to put it behind us."
"Last night was wonderful until my conversation with Elena. I really enjoyed meeting your parents. The Elena thing was just a small bump in the evening.", I say as Christian kisses me. "I just don't see how you and Elena ever happened. What was it that made you want to be with her? Please don't say her charming personality because that is sooo not true."
"Ana, I really don't want to talk about this now. Elena is part of my past, which I am trying to put behind me. I want to focus on us."
"I want that too Christian. But, I want to know more about you. You have not been completely honest with me. There are things you have been guarded about. I want us to be open."
"I can see that you are not going to let this go. Look, we can talk later. Right now, I need to get up and get to work.", Christian says as his mood suddenly changes.
"Fine. I need to go grocery shopping today so I can stock up the fridge at my apartment. Kate is going to be home in two days, and I don't want her coming back to a foodless fridge."
"Before you go, make sure you have security with you.", he says as he gets out of the bed. "Please don't argue about this either."
"I am not arguing about it, but I will remind you that I agreed to one and only more guy.", I say as I start to get agitated with him. If his mood can change in an instant, so can mine.
"I remember. Let me get dressed and I will introduce you to your security guy.", he says as he goes into the bathroom.
I get up and go into the kitchen where Gail, Christian's housekeeper is preparing breakfast. I haven't really had the chance to talk to her much, but she seems very nice. As she seems me come in, she smiles.
"Good morning Miss Steele. What would you like for breakfast?", she says sweetly.
"Please call me Ana. I think I will just have some yogurt and granola and a cup of tea.", I say smiling back at her. I get the feeling that Christian is all business with his staff. I just wish he would loosen up a bit.
I am sitting at the breakfast bar eating my breakfast when Christian walks in. He is followed by Taylor and a tall, burly man. I smile at the three men as they stand before me. All of them look serious, not even a trace of a smile coming from any of them.
"Ana, this is Sawyer. He will be your security. Please, listen to him. He is here to guard you, and that will be a lot easier if you cooperate.
"Sawyer, it is nice to meet you.", I say as I shake his hand. I finally see a hint of a smile coming from him.
"Ma'am, it is nice to meet you as well." His serious face returns as Christian takes a seat next to me.
"Please, call me Ana. I really don't like being called ma'am or Miss Steele. I want to feel comfortable with you, and that won't happen if I am called Miss Steele.", I say as I look at Christian who looks annoyed.
"Taylor, will you go brief Sawyer on the Leila situation while I have my coffee.", Christian says as Taylor and Sawyer leave the kitchen. "I try to keep things with my staff professional and then you just try to throw all of that out of the window.", he says to me.
"I am sorry Christian. They work for you, not me. I don't like being all serious. Maybe if you eased up a little.."
"Ease up? They are my staff. I am not about to start changing things. There have to be boundaries.", he snaps.
"It seems someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. I don't know what your fucking deal is Christian, but you were fine until I mentioned opening up about things."
"Ana, look I said we would talk about it, and we will. Now, I have to go.", he says as he kisses me softly. Soon, he and Taylor are gone.
I swear that man infuriates me sometimes. After finishing my breakfast, I take and shower and dress. I feel awful about what happened with Christian. Maybe I just need to let him open up at his own pace. After doing some more work with my resumes, I decide to head to the grocery store so I can stock up on food at my apartment. Going into the security room, I see Sawyer sitting at a desk.
"Sawyer, whenever you are ready, I need to head to the store.", I say with a smile.
"I am ready now Miss Steele, I mean Ana.", he says. He leads me out of the apartment and into the garage where we get into the suv. Thoughts of my argument with Christian consume me.
"Before we stop at the store, I want to go by GEH for a quick stop." Maybe Christian and I can have lunch and just talk. I hate fighting with him. We soon arrive at GEH, and I head up to Christian's office. His assistant Andrea is sitting at her desk.
"MIss Steele, how are you?", she smile.
"I am good. Is Christian in? I need to see him."
"He is, but he is in a meeting right now. I am sure he will be done in a few minutes if you want to wait."
I take a seat on a white sofa and wait for Christian. A few minutes later, his door opens up and out steps Elena. Why is she here? "That bitch troll", I say to myself.
16. Chapter 16
I can't believe that Elena is at Christian's office. She has a smug look on her face as she walks past by. Part of me wants to yank her by her hair and beat her senseless. Christian has shock on his face.
"Anastasia, it is so lovely to see you again. Christian, darling, I will be in touch.", she says in a seductive tone before leaving in the elevator.
"Ana, what are you doing here? Is everything ok?", Christian asks as he takes a step towards me, but I hold up my hand to stop him.
"I hated how things were tense with us this morning, so I thought I would stop by and see if we could have lunch and talk. Clearly I shouldn't have come.", I say as I turn to leave, but he grabs my arm.
"Wait, I know you probably were not expecting to see Elena here, but she is still a business associate Ana. I can't just avoid her completely."
"Look, I am sorry for barging in. I am going to go.", I say as I start towards the elevator with Christian on my heels.
"Please don't go. Let's have lunch and we can talk.", Christian says with pleading eyes. Part of me wants to stay, but the better part of me is saying to go.
"I think I should stay at my place tonight.", I say looking down at the floor because looking at his gray eyes is just too hard.
"Why? Because you found Elena at my office or because we had a small tiff earlier at Escala. Honestly, Ana, you are being childish right now."
"Childish? You know what, fuck you Christian Grey!", I snap. Who the hell does he think he is calling me childish.
"Anastasia, why don't you just stay at Escala tonight in the guest room? Leila is still out there, and I want you safe."
"No, I don't want to be anywhere near you right now. So, if you think for a second I am going to stay with you, you are mistaken."
"Then Sawyer will be stay at your apartment with you. Please just do this."
"Fine. I hope you have a good rest of the day Christian.", I say as his phone rings and he answers it.
"I have to get to a meeting in the conference room, Ana", Christian says once his call is over. "I will call you later.", he says as he moves in to kiss me, but I shift and he only kisses my cheek.
After Christian walks away, I look at Sawyer who has been standing by the elevator. I smile as I walk over to him. "Ready?", I ask.
"Yes, just, um", he says. "Would it be ok if I went to the men's room really fast?", he says shyly.
"Sawyer, you don't have to ask for permission to go to the restroom", I say laughing. "You go on, and I will meet you downstairs."
"I don't think that Mr. Grey would approve of me letting you go downstairs on your own ma'am."
"Well, he is not here. Besides, nothing is going to happen in a few minutes time."
"Ok, I will be down in a minute.", he says.
I get on the elevator with all kinds of thoughts in my head. I know that Christian means well, but I feel suffocated. When the elevator stops on the bottom floor, I see the Escalade parked in front of the building. Instead of going to it, I decide to run. As soon as I get in the street, I see a car speeding. All I can make out of the driver is it is a woman, a brunette. Crap. I feel shock throughout my body. I try to run as fast as I can across the street, but the car swerves over. Suddenly everything goes dark.
17. Chapter 17
My entire body hurts. What the hell happened? I open my eyes, and I realize I am in a hospital room. Looking beside me, I see Christian sitting next to me with what looks like tears in his eyes.
"What happened? Why am I in the hospital?", I say to him as I see a small smile come across his face.
"Oh Ana, my Ana. You're awake. You had me so scared baby.", he says as he holds my hand. "What is the last thing that you remember?"
"I decided to get away on my own for a bit, started across the street, and...", I say as everything starts to come back to me. "There was a car, and it was coming at me. Did it hit me?"
"No, baby. Sawyer got downstairs and realized you had given him the slip. He saw you going across the street and the car heading towards you. He ran and pushed you out of the way. Unfortunately, when he did, your head hit the sidewalk and you were knocked unconscious."
"He saved me. Sawyer saved me.", I say still in shock.
"That's his job. If you wouldn't have ran, he wouldn't have had to save you."
"I know. I feel awful about it. It's just I needed to be on my own. Christian, I have never felt this way before. Being with you is intoxicating almost. But, I don't want to be one of those women who lose themselves when they are in a relationship."
"I don't want to lose you Ana.", he says with sadness in his eyes.
"You won't. I just think that maybe we should slow it down a bit. I am going to start staying at my place again. Kate is going to be back, and I want to spend time with her. You and I will still be together, just not every waking minute.", I smile at him.
"Ok, but please as long as Leila is out there, let Sawyer stay with you. Even after Kate gets back he can stay on your sofa. I almost lost you today, and I don't want to feel this way again."
"You drive a hard bargain Grey, but I will agree to your terms. Speaking of Leila..." I stop myself because I have a feeling once Christian knows about the driver of the car, he will rethink me staying at my place.
"What about Leila? Ana, what is it?"
"Christian, everything that happened in the street was pretty fast, but I did see that the driver was a woman, a brunette to be exact."
"Fuck! Taylor! Get over here now!", he yells to Taylor who must have been standing nearby. Taylor rushes over. "I want all of the footage from the street cameras. I want Leila found now!"
"Yes sir. I will get right on it.", Taylor says as he leaves Christian and I alone.
"Ana, I know that I said I was ok with you staying at your place, but please stay at Escala. You can sleep in the guest room. When Kate gets back, she can even stay there with you if you want."
"But you agreed to it"
"Yes, yes I did, but that was before I found out that it was Leila who tried to run you over."
"We don't know for sure if it was Leila. It could be someone else."
"Possibly, but more than likely it is Leila. She is the only brunette who has a vendetta against you."
"True. Ok, I will stay at Escala in the guest room, but only until Leila is found."
"Oh Miss Steele you are one stubborn woman", he says as he kisses me.
The doctor said that I had a slight concussion and just some bruising. I have to stay overnight in the hospital for observation. Christian has cancelled the rest of his day and has vowed he would not leave me. Taylor and Sawyer are standing guard at my room as a precaution. I feel terrible for giving Sawyer the slip and want to apologize to him.
"Christian, can you ask Sawyer to come in here for a minute please?", I ask as Christian sits next to my bed reading the newspaper.
"Why? What is it that you have to say to him? If he had been with you the entire time, you wouldn't be here."
"That was my fault. I was the one who ran away. If he hadn't saved me, I might not be here right now. I want to apologize to him and thank him for saving me.", I say as my blue eyes stare into his gray eyes. Christian smiles and goes into the hallway. Sawyer soon comes in.
"Miss Steele, Mr. Grey said that you wanted to speak with me.", he says nervously.
"Please, call me Ana. I want to tell you that I am sorry for running away. I should have waited for you upstairs. I know that I put you in a terrible position. Also, thank you for saving me. If you had not been there... I am grateful to you."
"No worries about the running thing. As for the saving you, I was doing my job.", he smiles.
"Well, you are doing a good job, even though I haven't exactly made it easy for you. But from now on, I will be on my best behavior.", I say as I hear a knock on the door. The door opens and I see Kate.
"Kate, what are you doing here? You are back early.", I ask
"I think the better question is why are you here Ana? I come home and you are in the hospital. What the hell has been going on since I have been gone? Why do I have a feeling this has to do with that fucker Grey", she says angrily.
"Kate, sit down. We have a lot to catch up on.", I say as I motion to an empty chair. If dealing with the crazy Leila was not enough, now I am going to have to deal with the wrath of Kate.
18. Chapter 18
**Hey all! This chapter is kinda light. I love the characters of Kate and Elliot and the way they interact. I still am a few chapters away from revealing who tried to run over Ana. Thanks again for reading and reviewing**.
"Kate, a lot has happened since you left. I really don't know where to begin.", I say as I can see her become more and more agitated. If there was one person who was more hard headed than Christian, it was Kate.
"Yeah I can tell. Let's see how about you start with, oh I don't know, how you got in the hospital!", she says as she sits down in the chair next to my bed. "And who the hell is that guy? Did you end things with Grey and start seeing this guy?", she ask looking at Sawyer who is frozen in the room.
"No, his name is Sawyer. Christian has him protecting me. In fact, he is the one who saved me. A car almost ran me over, and Sawyer pushed me out of the way.", I smile at Sawyer who leaves the room.
"Why the hell would a car try to run you over Ana? I leave for two weeks and everything goes to hell in a hand basket."
"There is a woman, Leila, who used to casually date Christian. He ended things with her. When she saw a picture of us in the newspaper, she snapped." I decide to give her an edited version because I am not about to to tell her how Leila was Christian's sub.
"So this is Christian's fault. That bastard! I am going to kick his ass Ana!", Kate snaps as she starts towards the door.
"Kate, no. This is not his fault. He had no idea that she was going to go crazy. Christian has Sawyer watching over me, and he has been doing a good job. If anyone is to blame for me being here it's me. I gave him the slip and ran off."
"So I will kick your ass instead", Kate laughs as her mood lightens. "I was so scared Ana. I told Elliot that I wanted to come back a day early because I missed you. Then as soon as we landed, Elliot got a call from Christian that you had been hurt. All of these thoughts were going through my head.", she say as she starts crying, something she doesn't do often.
"Hey, I'm fine. I am not going anywhere.", I say with tears forming in my own eyes. "I have to stay here tonight, but I can leave tomorrow."
"Great. Then we can get situated in our apartment.", Kate says.
"Christian wants me to stay with him at Escala, just until they catch Leila. He said that you can come and stay with us.", I say.
"I think that that it is nice of him wanting to protect you. You should definitely stay there with him. But, I think that I am going to stay with Elliot."
"Kate, you came back early because you missed me, and now here I am going to stay with Christian. I feel awful. I need my friend."
"You will have your friend because she is going to stay with us.", Christian says as he walks in the door followed by Elliot.
"Um, I appreciate the offer Grey, but you can't tell me where I am going to stay. I am going to stay with Elliot", Kate says as she leans into Elliot.
"Yes you are babe. The thing is, I am going to stay at Christian's too. Christian and I were talking about how Ana staying at Escala is the best thing. She needs security, but she also needs you. You need her. Remember how you would sit on the beach in Barbados and say "I wonder what Ana is doing"., Elliot says
"Elliot Grey, you continue to amaze me. Just when I think you can't make me fall for you anymore, you do.", Kate says as she kisses him.
"I am glad that is settled. I think this will be a good arrangement.", Christian says.
"Yes, I think it will be. I think we should go. Ana, I will see you tomorrow.", Kate says as she hugs me.
"Get some rest. Laters.", Elliot says hugging me. He and Kate walk out of the room leaving Christian and I alone.
"Don't worry about the room situation. There is plenty of room so you can still have a room of your own.", Christian says.
"Thanks, but I think I will stay in your room with you. What you did, offering to let Elliot and Kate stay with us was sweet.", I say as Christian hold my hand. Suddenly the door to the room opens and Elliot pops his head in.
"Oh, I almost forgot, I like to walk around naked. You know, just to let everything air out", he says laughing.
"Lelliot!", Christian says with both anger and amusement. I think he is more amused because he is wearing a huge grin.
"Just kidding bro. Actually Ana, our dad is the one who walks around in the buff.", he chuckles. I shake my head at that thought.
"Still think this arrangement is a good thing Mr. Grey?", I say laughing.
**The songs "Lie in the Sound" by Trepassers William and "One more night" by Maroon 5 come to my mind when I am writing for Ana and Christian. What songs do you guys think work well with the Christian and Ana story?**
19. Chapter 19
The next day I am released from the hospital. The doctor said to take it easy for a few days. Christian has taken the rest of the week off from work. I feel guilty about it because I know that he is a busy man. We arrive at Escala midafternoon. Elliot and Kate have gone to our apartment to unpack some of Kate's things.
"You know Christian, if you want to go to the office for a bit, I will be ok. I have Sawyer here with me.", I say as I go into Christian's bedroom.
"Ana, I want to be here. I can do some work later in my study if I decide to.", he says as he kisses me.
"It's just that you have this huge company to run, and the last thing I want is for you to feel obligated to take care of me."
"Me taking a few days off is not going to ruin the company. I have Ros, my second in charge taking care of things. By no means do I feel obligated to take care of you. I want to do this.", he says. "Now, why don't you get in the bed and get some rest."
"I don't want to lay down. That is all I have been doing. Why don't we watch some tv?", I say as I try to give my best puppy dog eyes.
"I am not much of a tv watcher, but if that is what you want to do, fine. We can go downstairs and have some snacks while we watch tv.", he says with a big grin.
We head to the kitchen and get snacks. Christian laughs as I grab all junk food. I get popcorn, ice cream, and an assortment of mini candy bars. Walking into the living room, Christian stops and stares at me.
"Do you maybe want to get something nutritious to eat? Maybe an apple or an orange?", he asks.
"Nope, not at all. I almost died yesterday, and I think I have earned the right to pig out.", I say laughing.
"Ok, just checking. When you feel sick later, don't say I didn't warn you.", he laughs as we sit on the floor with our junk food food. "What do you want to watch?"
"I don't know. Let me see.", I say as I flip the remote through the channels. "Oh, Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I love this movie."
"I like it too. It actually is one of my all time favorites", Christian says. He looks so young and carefree, not at all like a CEO.
After watching the movie and eating almost all of the food, I still to get tired. I move to the sofa and lay down. Taylor appears in the doorway and gives Christian a look.
"Baby, why don't you nap. Taylor is going to brief me on the Leila situation.", he says as he kisses the top of my head. Before I know it, I am asleep.
"Elliot, you are so frustrating!", Kate yells waking me from my nap. She looks at me on the sofa. "Ana, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. I was just venting at Elliot.", she says glaring at Elliot who looks a scolded child.
"Again Kate, I am sorry. I had no idea that my ex worked at the boutique. What if the tables were turned and it was your ex?"
"That is not the point Elliot. She was being extra attentive to you. Clearly she didn't care that your girlfriend was right there in front of her.", Kate says.
"She may have flirted, but the only woman who I saw and had eyes for was you Kate. There is no other woman for me.", Elliot says as he kisses Kate.
"I didn't mean to come off as sounding insecure. I guess I need to adjust to having a real relationship. My past relationships are nothing compared to what we have.", Kate says.
"The same goes for me babe. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me."
I feel like crying listening to Elliot and Kate. They are so great together. I decide to get up and go check on Christian but instead he comes into the living room. His face looks tense. I wonder what Taylor has found out about Leila. Thinking about her being out there, ready to strike again, scares me.
"Elliot, Kate, I am glad to see you guys. Ana, can I have a word with you?", Christian asks as I nod. We go into the study where Taylor is leaning against the wall with a stern look on his face.
"So, what is new with the Leila thing?", I ask with worried eyes looking at Christian, then Taylor, and back at Christian.
"We were able to get the street security camera footage. There is a black Lexus parked down the street from GEH.", Taylor says.
"Ok, the whole thing happened so fast. But, I know it was a dark-colored car with a brunette woman.", I say as I try to remember as many details as I can. "She was wearing sunglasses, I think, so I couldn't see her eyes.
"The next video shows the car coming at you. So, now we know it was a black Lexus, with a brunette driver.", Taylor says as he glances at Christian.
"Leila could have rented the car. I think we should check with car rental agencies to get a positive id on her.", I say.
"That is if Leila is the driver.", Christian says as I look at him with shock in my eyes.
"What do you mean if she is the driver? Christian, what other brunette would want to hurt me?"
"I don't know baby. But, I know one blonde who doesn't like you very much. She could have worn a wig." I know exactly who he is thinking of.
"You don't really think that she would do this do you? I mean she is not a very nice person, but attempted murder?", I ask Christian.
"Elena has a black Lexus.", Christian says as my jaw drops.
20. Chapter 20
The rest of the day passed in a blur. Christian called the police officer in charge of the investigation, Detective Matthews. He told Matthews about the street camera footage and how he believes Elena is responsible. Matthews asked for the tape so he can get some of his men to analyze it. Christian told him that he could get his security guy Welch to do it, but Matthews said he wanted to do everything by the book. He said Elena could say that Christian had his guy "doctor" the footage. Taylor reluctantly took it to the police station.
"So now what do we do?", I ask as Christian and I eat breakfast the next morning. Kate and Elliot are still sleeping. They ended up going out the night before to a club. Christian asked if I wanted to go, but I was in no mood for having fun.
"We wait and see what they find with the video. Hopefully Matthews will bring Elena in for questioning. The sooner we can prove she did this, the better."
"Christian, I know she doesn't like me, but I want to make sure one hundred percent she is the one who did this. I know this probably is not easy on you."
"Me? You are the one who almost died. Why are you worried about me?"
"Elena has been a big part of your life for a long time. The thought that she could be this dangerous has to be unsettling."
"It is. Even after I stopped by her sub, we were still friends. She was one of the only people who I could really talk to, besides my therapist, Flynn. But when I overheard how she was talking to you that night at my parents' house, I started rethinking things. If she really was a friend, she wouldn't have done that."
"I just want all of this to be over. I want to find the person who did this and move on.", I say as I get up from the table. I hear Christian's phone ring.
"It's Matthews.", he says as he answers the phone. "This better be good news. Ok. I see. Well keep me posted.", he says to Matthews before hanging up.
"Well? Did they find anything?, I ask Christian.
"No, Matthews said that you can definitely see it was a brunette, but that is all. I think they have some stooges working down at that station. My guys would do a hell of a lot better job.", he snaps.
"I'm sure they are doing their best. What now?"
"Matthews is going to bring Elena in for questioning. She does have motive. Plus, she drives a black Lexus and has access to wigs at her salon."
"That is a step forward. I think I am going to take a nice bubble bath to relax. Would you like to join me?", I ask biting my bottom lip.
"Hmmm, let me think. Hell yes! There is nothing I want more than to be up against your wet naked body right now."
"Well, I may not be naked yet, but you are already making me wet.", I say giggling. I take Christian's hand and lead him to the bathroom.
Christian and I spend what seems like eternity in the bathroom. The stress of the incident made us desire the other even more. Being with him made me forget about all of the bad going on. After we dry off our bodies, we lay in bed naked and just cuddle. We are both almost asleep when we hear a knock on the door. Christian and I rush to throw some clothes on. When we are both decent, he opens the door to find Taylor.
"Sir, you have a guest downstairs.", Taylor says.
"Who in the hell is it Taylor?", Christian asks.
"It is Mrs. Lincoln. She insisted on speaking to you and Miss Steele." I stand in shock. Has she come to finish the job?
We go downstairs and see Elena standing by the piano. She does not look happy. Taylor stands by the staircase looking like he is ready to shoot if she tries something.
"Elena, why are you here?", Christian asks.
"I just came from the police station Christian. A detective Matthews asked me questions about someone trying to run over Anastasia."
"I know. I told him that I thought you may have been responsible.", Christian says.
"Why in the hell would you do that? After everything we have been thought, you think that little of me?", Elena spits.
"Come on Elena, I know you don't like me.", I say speaking up.
"That is correct, but I don't dislike you enough to kill you. I didn't know about what had happened until Grace told me yesterday. I sincerely am happy that you are ok Anastasia"
"The detective should have arrested you. How in the hell did he just let you walk away?", Christian asks becoming angry.
"Dear Christian, the detective asked me a lot of questions, which I answered truthfully. I could have gotten a wig, which the detective said you suggested. But as for the black Lexus, you are wrong. I have not had my Lexus for two weeks now. I am now driving a white Mercedes."
"You are lying. You are just trying to cover your tracks Elena.", Christian says as his phone rings. "Matthews", he says as he puts the phone on speaker. "Detective, tell me how in the hell Elena Lincoln is standing in my living room now"
"Mr. Grey, that is why I am calling. I talked to Mrs. Lincoln. She cooperated fully. Mrs. Lincoln told me she no longer has her Lexus."
"And you believe that bullshit!?", Christian snaps.
"I saw her vehicle registration. Then my guys looked at the camera footage from a bit earlier than what your guys had. There in the video is Mrs. Lincoln getting into a white Mercedes. After she left there, she went to her salon. Four of her employees there confirmed she never left. I will be in touch.", he says as he hangs up.
"Anastasia, I know we are not friends and probably won't ever be, but I do hope the person who did this is found. I am glad you are ok.", Elena says.
"Thank you Elena.", I say
"I have to go. I was in the middle of a busy day at the salon when I was interrupted.", Elena says as she leaves.
"Great so now we are back to square one.", I say with tears in my eyes.
"No, Leila is still out there. She could have rented a car. Ana, I promise that we will find who did this.
"Sir, this just arrived for Miss Steele.", Sawyer says as he comes into the room. He hands me an envelope which I open. "Ryan said it was a brunette with sunglasses on. He did notice a tattoo of a crescent moon on her left wrist. She ran off before he could stop her."
_"My my my Anastasia, it seems you were one lucky girl the other day. The next time, you won't be so lucky. You and Grey think you have it all figured out, but sometimes things are not as they seem. They are an illusion. See you soon."_
21. Chapter 21
"Does Leila have a crescent moon tattoo?", I ask Christian as I give I finish reading the letter. I am shaking. The person who did this will not stop until they finish me off.
"Honestly Ana, I don't know. I have not seen her in so long. It is possible that she got one after I ended our contract. Taylor, I want you to look at the security footage from downstairs. I also want to talk to Ryan, see what he all he remembers about the woman."
"She was here, just downstairs. She will not stop until I am dead", I say as I tremble with fear. I fall to my knees in tears. Kate and Elliot walk into the room with concerned looks on their faces.
"What is going on? Ana, what is?", Kate asks as she comes to my side. I point to the letter which is now laying on the floor next to me. Kate picks it up and reads it. I see her face turn red. "Where did you get this?"
"It was delivered downstairs. The woman took off before anything could be done.", Sawyer says.
"That bitch was downstairs?! You have got to do something Grey! I will not sit back and let my best friend be terrorized.", Kate says
"Kate, calm down. I am sure that Christian is doing all he can. They are going to get this chick.", Elliot says as he puts his hand on Kate's shoulder. "Ana, I know that this is not easy, but you are not alone."
"Thanks, Elliot. And Kate, Christian is doing all he can to find her. It's just all overwhelming.", I say as I get up from the floor.
"Why don't we all go out to dinner? It will be good to get our minds off of things. Ana?", Christian asks.
"I don't know. I am not very hungry.", I say, even though my stomach is telling me otherwise.
"Come on. It will be fun. You do remember what fun is, don't you?", Kate says smiling at me.
"I know that it's hard not to think about, but we can try, even if it's for a just for a few hours. We can even go to that restaurant where we went on our first date."
"Exquisito, the food there was delicious.", I say with a smile.
"I'm shocked you remember. You two were only into each other that night.", Elliot laughs.
"Hey, I believe you and Kate were occupied with one another that night too.", I say as I elbow him. Ok, let me get changed, and we can go.", I say as kiss Christian before heading off to get ready.
When we arrive at the restaurant, my mood has changed a lot. Getting out of the apartment is a good idea. I want to just relax and enjoy the night. Taylor and Sawyer are sitting at the table next to us. As we eat, I start to get an uneasy feeling in my stomach. I shake it off as it just being my nerves.
"See, wasn't this a great idea? Great food, wonderful company, what more could you ask for.", Elliot says.
"It is a good night. Thank you all for being here for me. I really appreciate it.", I say.
"I'm glad that you are having a nice time, baby. I hate seeing you upset.", Christian says as he kisses my hand.
"I owe the biggest thank you to you. You are the most amazing man Christian Grey. Now, on a different note, I need to use the lady's room. I will be right back."
"Take Sawyer with you.", Christian says.
"I am not going to take Sawyer with me to the ladies room. He is enjoying his meal. I will only be gone a few minutes."
"Fine, if you are not back in five minutes, I am sending him after you.", Christian says as I get up from the table and go to the restroom.
Before I head out of the restroom, I touch up my makeup. Staring at myself in the mirror, I start to get the uneasy feeling again. The door opens up and a waitress comes in. I recognize her as the same waitress from the first time we came here.
"Are you having a good evening Miss Steele?", she asks as gives me a smile.
"Yes, I am. How do you know my name?", I ask.
"I know a lot about you. I know that you almost got ran over by a car the other day. You poor, poor thing.", she says.
"I have to get back.", I say as I start towards the door. The next thing I know she is coming behind me and has a cloth in her hand. As she puts the cloth towards my mouth, I am frightened when I see a crescent moon on her left wrist. Crap.
22. Chapter 22
**Here we are: the reveal of who has it out for Ana and why. Enjoy!**
I feel so groggy. I am laying on a sofa with my hands and feet tied. I look around and don't recognize my surroundings. Where am I? The last thing I remember is being in the restroom at the restaurant. Then, oh no! I remember the waitress having a crescent moon tattoo like the one Ryan said the woman who dropped off the note had.
"Look who is awake. Hey there sleepy head. Did you have a good nap?", the waitress asks as she bends down to me."
"Who are you and what do you want?", I ask.
"I'm sorry, where are my manners? I am Kirsten. You probably know me from the restaurant. Oh, and yeah I kinda tried to run you over.", she says with an evil laugh. "Imagine how excited I was to see you and your friends come in the restaurant tonight. When I saw you go to the restroom, I knew that was my chance. Of course, I barely got you out of there before Grey's goon came looking for you."
"Why are you doing this? I don't know you. I have done nothing to you.", I say with tears in my eyes.
"It's all sorta complicated. Let me get our other guest and maybe that will help explain better. Be right back.", she says as she goes into the next room. A few seconds later, she comes back in with a woman who has her mouth gagged and hands tied. My heart skips a beat when I see the woman is Leila.
"Leila? Tell me what the hell is going on!", I say.
"Tsk, tsk,tsk patience.", Kirsten says as she pushes Leila down on the sofa next to me and removes her gag. "This is kinda ironic, isn't it? Grey likes his women tied up and here you two are.", she laughs.
"Come on Kirsten, I think you are taking this too far. Please let us go.", Leila says as she looks at me.
"Leila, I thought you would be happy that I am doing this. Christian Grey is the reason why you are broken. I vowed that I would make him pay."
"He is not why I am this way. I was already broken.", Leila say sobbing.
"Again, I ask, what is going on? How do you know Leila?", I ask Kirsten.
"Leila is my half-sister. She used to be so full of life, so vivacious. Then, she met Christian Grey. I know all about his lifestyle. I know he had her sign an NDA, but she still confided in me. She fell for him. What did he do? He threw her away like she was garbage."
"But Leila moved on. She got married to someone else.", I say.
"I think I only did that because the guy was nice and good to me. Truthfully, even after I got married, I still thought about Christian. Then, one day, I met Ben. He was the most amazing man. We had so much in common. I left my husband, and Ben and I planned to get married. But, he got killed in a car accident. I was so lost. The last time I had felt that way was when Christian let me go.", Leila says.
"I hated seeing her like that. After Ben died, she cut off contact with all of the family. I was so worried about her. I would see Grey come into Exquisito, and he acted like he didn't have a worry in the world. Leila was still damaged by how he treated her, and Ben's death made it worse. So, I believe if Grey hadn't have done what he did, Leila would not be as bad."
"I am sorry Leila for how you felt after Christian ended things, and I am sorry about Ben. But, that is no excuse to try and kill me.", I say.
"I know. Kirsten took that photo of you and Christian that night at the restaurant. She sold it to the newspaper, knowing I would see it. I was so distraught when I saw the two of you in the photo. Here he was giving you what he denied to me. I came to town and met up with Kirsten. I followed you that day so I could see what was so special about you."
"Christian said that you had gotten a concealed weapon permit. Where you planning on killing me?"
"I got it, and then I realized that I am not a killer. Seeing you two together hurt, but I knew he was happy. So, I told Kirsten that I did I didn't want revenge. She said I was a coward, and she would do it for me. I tried to go to the police, but she knocked me out and has been holding me here."
"I promised he would pay, and I keep my promises. Leila, everything that I have done has been for you. I am sorry that you don't appreciate it.", Kirsten says.
"What about the black Lexus? Did you know that Elena Lincoln had one and tried to frame her?", I ask.
"I know Elena. I've seen her come in a few times with Grey. Honestly, I didn't know she had a black Lexus. That was a coincidence. When that idiot security guard saved you, I was so mad. I didn't think you would survive. Still, I figured that the blame would be on Leila."
"You were going to set her up? Why? She is your sister?", I ask.
"When she backed out of helping me, she turned her back on me. Plus, here she is messed up. She would probably be declared mentally unstable and put in a facility. Like I said in my letter, nothing is as it seems.
Suddenly, there is a loud knock on the door. Leila and I look at each other. Kirsten moves to the table where she grabs a gun. She points it at Leila and then me.
"Ana! I know that you are in there!, Christian yells. The door is soon kicked down and I see Taylor and Sawyer with their guns drawn on Kirsten. "Put down the gun. It is over."
"No, it will be over when I say it is. You may have controlled Leila, but you will not control me!", Kirsten says as she points the gun at Christian. Leila looks at me and nods. She lunges at Kirsten and knocks her to the ground. The gun slide out of her hand, and Taylor picks it up.
"Ana, oh baby. Are you ok?", Christian says as he unties my hands and feet. He has tears in his eyes.
Suddenly, all the emotions that I have been feeling come to the surface and I break down. The flood gates open and tears start flowing.
"Baby, look at me. I was so worried. Please say something", Christian says as he takes my face in his hands.
"I love you.", I say.
23. Chapter 23
I can't believe that I told Christian that I love him. Maybe it was only because of all the craziness going on. Maybe it was because he had just saved my life, and my emotions were all over the place. Oh, who am I kidding, I love him. I am in love with him. I know that we just met, and I still don't know a lot about him. I do know that I get butterflies in my stomach when I see him. I have never felt this way about any man. I am hopelessly in love with Christian Grey. Looking at his face though, I am not sure how he feels about my revelation.
"Ana, I.., I um..,", Christian says obviously at a loss for words.
"Sir, the medics are here. I am glad that you are ok Miss Steele.", Taylor says interrupting Christian.
"You better let them look at you. I am going to check on Leila.", Christian says as he goes to Leila. Looking at how he interacts with how, I can't help but get a bit jealous. She had been Christian's sub. She was able to do the things for him that I can't. Deep down though I tell myself that I am all he needs. It is me that he is giving more to, no one else. That makes me feel somewhat better.
"Miss Steele, I am sorry for everything. I never meant for everything to get this far. I can understand if you hate me.", Leila says as she walks over to me.
"I don't hate you Leila. You helped saved me, and for that I am thankful.", I say with a smile.
"My therapist Flynn is going to take you a place where you can get the help you need Leila.", Christian says.
"What is going to happen to Kirsten?", Leila asks as she looks at Kirsten who is being taken downstairs.
"They are going to charge her with attempted murder and kidnapping. She will be locked up for a long time.", Christian says. "Detective Matthews wants to talk to you two about what happened."
"Ok, again, I am so sorry for everything.", Leila says.
"Good luck Leila. I hope that you find peace and happiness.", I say hugging her which takes both her and Christian off guard.
"Thank you. I wish you two the best.", she says as she walks over to Matthews.
"How did you know where I was?", I ask Christian as we walk over to the medics.
"Sawyer went to the restroom, and you were gone. When we asked the restaurant staff if they had seen you, a waitor mentioned that a waitress was also missing. I asked if she happened to have a crescent tattoo, and he said yes. So, we got her address and came here."
After the medics give me a clean bill of health, Christian and I go back to Escala. All I want to do is sleep. This has been an eventful day. Luckily, it ended well. For the first time in days, I am going to be able to sleep with both eyes closed. As we enter the living room, we are greeted by Elliot and Kate.
"Ana, thank goodness you are all right.", Kate says as she hugs me. "So it's over now?", she asks looking at Christian.
"Yes, it's over. We can all go back to our normal routines. You and Ana are free to move back into your apartment.", Christian says.
"Well, I know that I will be glad to get back to my own place. I can get back to walking around naked.", Elliot says as Christian, Kate, and I laugh. "Joking. I am glad you're ok Ana.", Elliot says hugging me.
"Thank you. I know that I probably should tell you guys about all that happened, but right now I just want to get some sleep. I will talk to you guys tomorrow, ok?", I say.
"Get some rest. We will see you in the morning.", Kate says as she and Elliot go to their room.
Christian and I are now alone in the living room. We both stand in silence. Christian has been acting distant since I told him that I love him. Maybe I shouldn't have told him, but I don't think I could keep it in any longer. The more time I spend with him, the deeper in love I fall.
"I think that I am going to do some work in my study. You should get some rest, it's been a long day.", Christian says.
"Why don't you hold off on the work and come to bed with me?", I ask as I bite my lip.
"Ana, I really need to do some work. You should go on and not wait up for me.",he says. He comes over to where I am standing and kisses me softly. "Sweet dreams."
"Goodnight Christian", I say as I go to the bedroom. Even though we were in the same room, it felt like he was a million miles aways. After I get ready for bed, I grab my IPOD. As I am shuffling through the songs, I stop on "Distance" by Christina Perri. The song seems to be the perfect fit for how I am feeling. I replay the song over and over as tears fall. How can saying three words change everything so rapidly.
24. Chapter 24
**Thanks everyone for the reviews. I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and I hope you guys enjoy it as well :)**
Waking up the next morning, I am disappointed to find that Christian is not next to me. It's Saturday, so he shouldn't be at work. I know that I need to talk to him about my confession that I love him. I hurriedly put some clothes on so I can go and find him. As I come downstairs, I see the tv is on cartoons. The deja vu feeling that I have had a lot lately returns. Instead of finding Christian on the sofa, I find Elliot. He is eating Captain Crunch and watching Transformers.
"Elliot, what in the world are you watching?", I say laughing.
"Hey, just because I am a grown man does not mean that I can not enjoy some quality cartoons.", he says as he takes a big bite of his cereal.
"Sorry, I'm not judging.", I say as I sit on the sofa next to him.
"It's ok. I just think life gets too serious sometimes so we need a reminder of our childhood to brighten our day. Christian and I would always watch cartoons on Saturday mornings. We would argue over what we would watch. Me, I always wanted to watch Transformers, and Christian would want to watch.."
"Scooby Doo",I say before I even realize I am saying it.
"Yeah, how do you know?", Elliot says tilting his head.
"Lucky guess", I say. "Where is your brother anyway?"
"He said he had some work to do at the office."
"On a Saturday? Figures. What about Kate?",I ask.
"She woke up early and went shopping. She started to wake you but thought you needed your rest. Something is on your mind. What is it?"
"Nothing. I'm fine.", I say lying through my teeth.
"Ana, I may have not known you very long, but I can tell you are lying. Over these past few weeks, I have come to think of you as a sister. You can talk to me.", Elliot say smiling.
"Well, I told Christian that I love him, and ever since he has been distant. I think that I messed up."
"By saying how you feel? You didn't mess up. Christian loves you too."
"I don't think he does. He wouldn't have acted so weird if he did.", I say.
"I know my brother, and I know that he loves you. Christian has always kept to himself, and he deals with feelings differently than most people. That's probably why he has that playroom upstairs. Shit. I mean..", Elliot says as I stare at him in disbelief at him mentioning the playroom.
"You know about the playroom? I didn't think that Christian told anyone about it."
"He didn't. You see Ana, I have always been a curious type. I would come here and see this door that was always locked. I asked Christian what it was, and he said it was a storage room. Why lock it? So, one day, I saw Gail grab a key from a top shelf in the kitchen. I watched as she went into the room. The next day, I was supposed to have lunch with Christian, but he was running late."
"Let me guess, you jumped at the chance to go into the room?", I ask.
"Yeah, my initial reaction was WHAT THE FUCK?! Seeing all of the things in there was a shock. Part of me thought Christian was still a freaking virgin. Boy, I was wrong. I started to confront him, but I decided not to. I have been with my fair share of women, but not once has Christian judged me. He just deals with his emotions unlike most people."
"I admit that when I first saw the room, I was shocked as well. Have you told Kate about it?"
"Gosh no! I would never. My point, Ana, is I have never seen Christian as happy as he is with you. He has love written all over his face. Just because he hasn't said it doesn't mean that he doesn't. Be patient."
"Thanks Elliot. You have been a great help.", I say as I hug him. I hear footsteps behind us and see Christian. "Christian, how was work?"
"Good. I'm sorry I didn't wake you. You just looked too peaceful there sleeping. How about we go somewhere?", Christian says as I walk over to him.
"Where?", I ask inquisitively.
"I don't know. How about we just go for a ride in Charlie Tango?", he asks.
"Charlie Tango?", I ask.
"That's his helicopter.", Elliot says. "I'm going to make a sandwich. See you guys later.", Elliot says smiling.
"Ok, that sounds like fun. Let's go.", I say. We go up to the roof of Escala and I see a helipad with Charlie Tango. Christian smiles at me as he straps me in. "You just wanted an excuse to restrain me", I laugh.
"You know me too well Miss Steele", he says as we start taking off. "See how different everything looks up here. I like to come here to get away from everything."
"It is very peaceful up here.", I say as we continue flying. "Look, it looks like we are coming up to a beach."
"Yes, it would appear so. I think that I have been to this beach before, but that's odd. I don't remember that being there before", he says pointing down to the beach.
I gasp as I see written in the sand "I love you Ana".
25. Chapter 25
Christian loves me! There on the beach written in the sand is his declaration of love. Just when I think he can't get any more amazing, he surprises me. I look at him at he smiles over at me.
"Christian Grey, I told you yesterday that I love you, but I love you even more at this moment. I thought you were at work. How did you pull this off?", I ask.
"I had a little bit of help", he says as he points down to Kate who is standing by the water waving. "Kate helped me do this while Elliot kept you company."
"This is the sweetest thing that anyone has ever done for me.", I say crying.
"I know that I still need to talk to you about some things, and I will, I promise. Right now, I just want us. I want to forget anyone or anything else exists. There is a place I want to take you to." Christian continues flying Charlie Tango until he comes to an open field where he lands. As we land, I see Taylor and another man.
"Anastasia Steele, this Stephan, he pilots for me."
"Miss Steele, it's a pleasure to meet you.", Stephan says as he shakes my hand.
"Thank you, it's nice to meet you as well.", I reply. "Hello, Taylor."
"Miss Steele, from the smile on your face, I assume that you had a very good flight.", Taylor says with a grin.
"Yes, it was very nice.", I say smiling at Christian who winks at me. My heart melts instantly.
"Stephan and Taylor are going to take Charlie Tango back. We are going to take a drive to Puget Sound.", Christians says.
"Ok, sounds like fun. Goodbye Taylor. Again, nice meeting you Stephan.", I say as we walk to a waiting car. It's a silver Saab convertible. "Wow, this is a nice car. Boys and their toys.", I say laughing.
"Well, I think I have a few toys that you might want to see in my playroom.", Christian says seductively. "But, this is not my toy. It belongs to you Ana."
"Me? Christian, I appreciate the gesture, but I can't accept this. I have a car."
"That thing is a death trap. This car is much safer. Please Ana, I don't want to argue with you over this."
"I have a feeling that you will win the argument anyways so I will accept it. Thank you so much Christian. I love it and I love you.", I say jumping in his arms.
"I love you too Ana. Now come. I want to show you something.", Christian says as he hands me the car keys. "Drive slowly"
"Yes, sir.", I say as I get into the car. "So, Puget Sound?", I ask.
"Yes, we aren't too far away.", Christian says as he starts giving me the directions. Soon, we come up to Puget Sound. I see a lot of boats in the marina, but immediately my eye catches sight of a huge boat with the name Grace on the side.
"Is that your boat?", I ask Christian.
"Yes, come, let's go aboard.", he says as he takes my hand in his. "Lovely isn't it?"
"It's beautiful. I think that it is wonderful that you named it after your mother."
"My mother saved me. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for her.", Christian says.
"This has been the most amazing day. I think we should end it on a high note.", I say as I bite my lip.
"Hmmm, what do you have in mind Miss Steele?", Christian says as he kisses me.
"I take it the boat has a cabin. How about you show me.", I say as my hand moves down to his growing erection.
"Right this way.",he says as he leads me into the cabin.
I stand there and look at the man I love. The heat between us is growing by the minute. He kisses my softly on my neck. Slowly, he starts unbuttoning my blouse. My hands are in his hair as we kiss passionately. He takes my bra off and starts tenderly kissing my breasts.
"Christian, I want you so much.", I say moaning as he pushes me down on the bed.
"Shhhh, you will have me.", he says as he pulls down his pants and boxers. "Permission to come aboard Miss Steele.", he says as he smirks at me.
"Yes, come aboard and fuck me now!", I say as Christian kissing my stomach.
"Oh, Ana, you have such a way with words",he says as he looks into my blue eyes with his grey eyes. He continues kissing my stomach and slowly makes his way down to my sex. After pulling my panties down, he pushes two fingers into me. The feeling is indescribable. As he moves his fingers in a circular motion, he gazes deeply into my eyes. "I love you Ana."
"I love you too, but I would love you even more if you were inside me", I say pouting. He continues moving his fingers around, and I feel like I am going to come. "Christian, mmm. Please...", I say moaning as I orgasm.
"Now, you wanted me inside you so I suppose that can be arranged.", Christian says laughing. He reaches over to his pants on the floor and pulls out a condom from the pocket. "You know, I hate these things so I think tomorrow you should meet with Dr. Greene about birth control."
"Dr. Greene? Who is that?", I ask panting as Christian is rolling on the condom.
"She is the best OB/GYN in Seattle. We really should have already met with her.", he says as he positions himself above me.
"I know. I will gladly meet with her tomorrow, but right now, shut up and fuck me.", I say as I pull him down to me. Just a few seconds later, I feel him slam into me, so hard.
"You like that baby? How about I go deeper?", he whispers in my ear as he slams into me even harder and deeper. "Oh, Ana, you feel so good." He continues thrusting himself in and out of me, going harder each time.
"Christian, that feels so good. Oh, I'm about to come.", I say.
"Me too baby. Let's come together. As soon as those words come out, we both come. Our bodies explode. "That was amazing."
"Yeah, it was. You really know how to give a girl a workout.", I say laughing.
"Beats going to the gym.", he says as we lay in the best staring at each other. I long to touch his chest, but I know that's still off limits. We have come so far, yet still have a ways to go.
"I love you.", we say in unison.
26. Chapter 26
After an eventful day, Christian and I return to Escala. Kate and Elliot are cuddled up on the sofa watching tv when we arrive. Christian and I stand there for a few seconds watching them. It's obvious that Christian is as happy for them as I am.
"Hey guys. Soooo, where have you been?", Elliot asks when he finally notices us. He and Kate both have huge smiles on their faces.
"Come on Elliot, you can stop pretending like you don't know. I know that you both had a part in today. Thank you.", I say looking at Christian who smiles back at me.
"You're welcome. So where else did you guys go? You haven't been at the beach this whole time have you?", Elliot asks.
"I showed Ana my boat. You could say that she was very impressed by it", Christian says as I blush.
"I am glad that everything turned out well for you guys.", Kate says as she hugs me. She looks at Christian for a minute and then hugs him too. "Remember what I said. You better take good care of her or I will cut your arms off and beat you with them.", she says smiling.
"Isn't she just delightful?", Elliot says as Kate gives him a death glare. "Did I mention how lovely you are today?"
"Look, even though Kirsten is locked up and everything is over, you guys can stay again tonight if you want?", Christian says to Kate and Elliot.
"Thank you for the offer, but I think that I am going back to my place. I really do appreciate you letting us stay here with you.", Kate says.
"You are welcome. Why don't we all get dinner before you go?", Christian says.
"I could actually go for some pizza?", I say.
"Pizza! That sounds so good. What about you guys?", Kate ask Elliot and Christian.
"Pizza sounds good. Why don't you guys order, and I am going to check my email while we wait", Christian says as he kisses me. "Be right back baby."
"Come on Kate, let's go start packing. You brought your entire closet with you.", Elliot says as he rubs Kate's shoulder. "I told you he expresses himself differently than the rest of us.", he whispers to me as he and Kate go to pack.
I am left alone in the living room. The silence gives me time to reflect on how amazing the day has been. It seems everything is starting to fall into place. I soon hear my phone ringing.
"Hello.", I say
"Anastasia Steele. Hello, this is Elizabeth Morgan from SIP.", a woman on the other end says.
"Yes, hello."
"I was going over your resume, and I would like to meet you for an interview."
"Ok, I would like that.", I reply
"Great, how about Monday at two?", she asks.
"Yes, that would be good, thank you."
"Great, see you Monday.", she says as she hangs up.
I know that getting a job interview should be good news, but I have an uneasy feeling. SIP is a well respected publishing company, but I can't help but have a bad feeling.
"Baby, you ok?", Christian says as he comes into the room.
"Yeah, I have a job interview Monday."
"Ana, that's great news baby. You don't look too happy though. What's wrong?", he asks as he pulls me up from my chair and into his arms.
"I don't know. I should be jumping around with excitement, but I don't know.. It's hard to explain."
"It's probably just your nerves. But, there is nothing to be nervous about. You are going to go in there, and you are going to ace that interview.", he says as he kisses me.
"Yeah, you're right. It's just my nerves. I am going in there Monday, and I am going to show them that I am the right person for the job.", I smile to Christian. I keep telling myself that it truly is just my nerves, but deep down I have a feeling that it is more.
27. Chapter 27
After dinner, Elliot and Kate leave. Christian and I are all alone in the apartment. I am sitting in a chair in the living room reading a magazine when Christian comes over and pulls me up from my seat. He has a scared looked on his face.
"Christian, what is it? What's wrong?", I ask as I see him tense up.
"Ana, I've always had an aversion of having someone touch me. It all goes back to my birth mother.", he says with sadness in his eyes.
"Christian, I know that I have wanted you to open up, but you don't have to do this now."
"I want to do this now, Ana. My mother was a crack whore who I basically took care of. Her pimp used to use me as an ashtray hence the scars on my back.", he says as he removes his tee-shirt, and I study the marks on his chest and back. I had seen the scars before, but decided not to question him about.
"Oh, Christian, I am sorry that you had to go through that. No child should have to endure that."
"When she died, I was alone with her body for four days before anyone noticed. Then, when I was brought into the hospital, there was Grace. She rescued me. She was my saving grace.", he says with tears in his eyes.
"She loves you, as does the rest of your family.", I say smiling at him.
"Yes, I am realizing that. You helped me see that. I love you so much Ana. Before you, I didn't want_ more_. But, you are my _more_." he says as he grabs my hand and starts to put it on his chest, but I pull back.
"Christian, I love you too, but I don't want to force you to do something that you are not ready for."
"You're not. I need to start dealing with my touch issues. I know that it is going to be hard, but I want to start dealing. You have my heart Anastasia Steele, so it's only fair that you can touch it.", he says putting my hand on his heart. He tenses up for a minute, but he soon relaxes.
"How does that feel?", I ask.
"Good, your touch makes me feel like I am complete.", he says as I take my free hand and bring his left hand up to my heart.
"Now this is complete.", I say.
"Stay right there.", he says as he lets go of me and moves over to the stereo. He pushes a button and comes back to me. "Dance with me.", he says with his gray eyes staring into my blue eyes.
"Of course.", I say as we resume with our hands on the other's heart. A song come on, "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri. We dance slowly, gazing into each other's eyes. Thoughts of my job interview come to my mind. I still have a bad feeling about it, but I push it away. Right now, all that matters is the love that Christian and I have for each other.
**Sorry this is a short chapter. More drama is ahead, especially with the arrival of Jack Hyde ;)**
28. Chapter 28
Considering how eventful Saturday had been, all I wanted was a relaxing Sunday. For the most part it was a good day. At noon, I met Dr. Greene, the OB/GYN Christian knew. After discussing the different forms of birth control, I decided on the Depo shot. She said that the shot would be the best idea. After seeing Dr. Greene, I told Christian that I wanted to spend the night at my own apartment and just hang out with Kate. Kate and I watched Steel Magnolias and ate junk food, like old times. I decided to call it a night early so I could be well rested for my job interview.
Now here it is Monday, the day of my job interview. I am both excited and scared. I kind of wish the interview was this morning so I could get it over with. My stomach is in knots just thinking about it. After eating breakfast I hear my phone ringing. I look at the id and see the smiling face of Christian on the screen. I can't help but smile.
"Good morning Mr. Grey.", I say.
"Morning baby. I hope you slept better than me. I didn't sleep at all last night. All I could think about was how I wanted you in the bed next to me.", he says.
"I didn't sleep too well either. I was too anxious about the interview."
"You didn't miss me?", he asks playfully as I can vision him pouting.
"Yes, of course I missed you.", I say giggling. "I always miss you."
"Good comeback", he says laughing. "Don't worry about the interview. You are going to nail it. I have to go into a meeting. Call me later and let me know how it went."
"I will. I hope that you have a good day. I love you."
"I love you too.", he says before hanging up.
I go to my bedroom and start getting dressed. Kate let me borrow a black silk blouse and gray pencil skirt. I decide to wear my hair in a low ponytail. "You got this", I tell myself as I look at my reflection in the mirror. Getting into my Saab, my nerves start easing. There is nothing to be nervous about, right? After arriving at SIP, I park my car. I still can't believe Christian got me a Saab. When I am on my way into the building, I see a man going in. He looks at me and gives me a smile. I suddenly get a chill.
"Anastasia, come in.", Elizabeth Morgan say as I enter her office. "Please have a seat", she says motioning towards a chair. "The position you are interviewing for today is assistant to Jack Hyde, senior editor here at SIP. He was supposed to join us, but is running late.
During the interview, I am amazed with how calm and relaxed I am. I answer the questions smoothly. Christian was right, I am nailing this interview. After talking for fifteen minutes, the door opens and I see the man from earlier enter.
"Anastasia Steele, this is Jack Hyde, senior editor.", Elizabeth says as I stand to shake hands with Jack. Chills go down my spine.
"Miss Steele, it is nice to meet you. I had the chance to go over your resume earlier, and I have to say I was impressed.", Jack says smiling at me.
"Thank you.", I reply.
"Jack, I think that Anastasia would be a perfect fit for SIP.", Elizabeth says as she smiles at me.
"Well, usually we have to think about our decision, but since Elizabeth thinks you are perfect, and I liked what I saw, I think we have a decision."
Liked what he saw? What the fuck does that mean? I want to believe that he is referring to my resume, but I feel like he means something else. "Get a grip, Ana. You are over thinking it", I tell myself.
"We would like to offer you the position if you would like it.", Elizabeth says.
"Yes, thank you so much.", I say.
"Great, can you start tomorrow?", Jack asks.
"Tomorrow is fine."
"Excellent. I will go ahead and get your paperwork. I will be right back.", Elizabeth says. I am left alone in the room with Jack. He is standing by the window, and I see him smile at him.
"I think that you and I are going to get along well Anastasia.", he says.
"I am looking forward to working here.", I say nervously.
Jack turns his head from me and looks out the window. "Hmm, there is a bird's nest in that tree outside.", he says. "I think I can see a..." he then says something that makes me shiver, "baby bird."
29. Chapter 29
Baby bird. How can two words make me suddenly feel nauseous? I just met Jack, but I feel like my working for him is not going to be a normal experience. He keeps looking at me in a way that makes me nervous. When Elizabeth comes back, I am relieved. I hurriedly fill out my paperwork.
"I hope that you enjoy working here Ana.", Elizabeth says.
"Me too.", I reply.
"Yes, Ana, I think you and I are going to get along just fine.", Jack says in a creepy tone.
"I will see you tomorrow.", I say as I leave. I cannot get out there fast enough. I decide to call Christian and let him know that I got the job.
"Ana, how did it go?", he says after answering on the second ring.
"Good, I got the job. I start tomorrow.", I say.
"That is great news baby. I told you that you would ace it."
"Yeah.", I say
"You don't sound too excited about it. What's wrong?", he asks. I don't know if I should tell him about Jack. I probably am overreacting. I don't want Christian to do something irrational.
"It's nothing. I am happy, just glad that the interview is over. Now, I can relax."
"How about we go out tonight to dinner and celebrate?", Christian asks.
"That sounds nice. I look forward to it."
"Great, I have to go. Laters baby."
After arriving back at the apartment, I change into a white tank top and black yoga pants. I decide to do some cleaning. One thing that I like to do while cleaning is listen to music so I grab my IPOD. I stop on Florence and the Machine's "Shake it Out". I soon find myself dancing around the kitchen as I am mopping. Turning towards the living room, I am startled to see Christian standing in the doorway clearly amused with my dancing. I am sooo embarrassed.
"Christian, I was just uh...", I say at a lose for words.
"Shaking what your momma gave you?", he says laughing.
"Funny, I was cleaning. What are you doing here?"
"Well, I got finished early so I thought that I would surprise you."
"You did just that. I am a mess.", I say.
"Ana, you are beautiful. Can I help you clean?"
"Thanks for the offer, but I am actually done. Why don't you relax while I get a shower?"
"Better idea, we can shower.", he says pulling me into him.
"I like that idea Mr. Grey.", I say as I kiss him. We are soon interrupted by my phone. "Just a second." I recognize the number as my college friend Jose Rodriguez.
"Jose, hi. How are you?", I ask.
"Ana, hi. I am good, really good. I haven't talked to you since you and Kate moved to Seattle. How is it there?"
"Perfect", I say looking at Christian who is looking at me intently. "Everything is great. How are things with you?", I ask.
"Things are good. I am actually going to be in town on Thursday on business, and I was kind of hoping that we could catch up."
"That would be nice. I would like that. There is someone who I want to introduce you to.", I say winking at Christian.
"Oh, a boyfriend? That is great.", he says. I am not sure if he actually means it since I know that he used to have a crush on me.
"Yes, a boyfriend. Let me know what time you can meet. I look forward to it."
"Same here Ana. I have to go. Bye."
After hanging up, I feel Christian's gray eyes glaring at me with curiosity. He tilts his head at me, obviously waiting to find out more about Jose.
"That was an old friend from college, Jose Rodriguez. He is coming into town and wants to catch up."
"Was he more than a friend?", Christian asks.
"No, he was just a friend. You know it is possible for a guy and a girl to be just friends."
"I know that. It's just that you are so beautiful and amazing that any guy would want you. I don't think you realize how breathtaking you are Ana."
"Christian, not every guy wants to get into my panties. Please don't get jealous.", I say as I wrap my arms around him. "I want you to come so I can introduce you to him. I want him to meet the man I love."
"All right. I would love to meet your friend. So, do you think you will like your new job?"
"Yeah, Elizabeth who interviewed me seems really nice, but.."
"What?", Christian asks.
"I am going to be the assistant to this guy Jack Hyde. I'm sure it's nothing, but I just got a bad vibe from him. I probably was just nervous and all."
"Bad vibe? That fucker better not try anything with you Ana. If he does, tell me.", Christian says.
"I can take care of myself Christian. I am not this helpless little creature.", I snap.
"I never said you were. I just don't want some creep touching what's mine."
"Excuse me? The last time I checked I was your girlfriend, not some possession of yours."
"I don't want to fight with you over this right now. Come on, let's just go shower."
"No, because I know that you just want to shower so you can fuck me. Well, you sir, can go fuck yourself."
"Maybe I should go.", Christian says as I see his face get more red by the second.
"That's probably the best thing.", I say as he kisses the top of my head before going to the door.
"I love you Ana.",he says with hurt in his eyes.
"I love you too.", I say as he leaves. I go to the door and for a minute think about running after him, but I decide not to. I have to stand my ground. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day.
30. Chapter 30
After Christian left, I couldn't think straight. I know that he means well when he wants to protect me. I just don't want to feel like a piece of property to him. Even though we confessed our love to each other, we both still have a lot to learn about relationships. After two hours, I decide to call him and try to sort things out. The phone rings several times but no answer. I get his voicemail.
"Hey. I don't really know where to begin. Just call me when you get this, please. I love you.", I say and then hang up.
Kate is out with Elliot so I can't talk to her about my Christian problem. After two hours of waiting for him to call back, I decide I need some fresh air. My stomach is not feeling too well, probably because I have only had yogurt today. I decide to get some dinner. I see a small pub that I remember Kate said had awesome burgers. Walking into the pub, I take a seat at a small table by the door.
"Ana!", I hear being yelled. Looking up from my menu, I see Mia.
"Mia, hi. It's good to see you.", I say.
"You too. Is Christian with you?", she asks.
"Um, no, not tonight."
"Oh. I was supposed to meet a friend, but she called me right as I was walking through the door that she can't make it. I was about to leave and then saw you. Would it be ok if I joined you?", she asks.
"Sure, that would be great.", I say trying my best not to let her know that Christian and I had a fight.
"What did my brother do?"
"What do you mean? Christian didn't do anything.", I say.
"Ana, I can see from the look on your face that you are having guy problems. I also know Christian Grey.", she says smiling.
"I really screwed up Mia. I told Christian about this guy who I felt uncomfortable around. Christian was not happy. He said that the guy better not try anything. I know that Christian was just being protective, but I didn't want to hear it."
"My brother is very protective. That's how he is with the people he loves. I remember when I was sixteen, there was this boy who I was crazy about. I would write his name and draw little hearts on my notebook. He was all I could think about. We had a winter formal at school. I begged my mother for this pink dress."
"I bet you got it too", I laugh.
"Of course.", she says laughing. The day before the formal, the guy comes up to me and says he wants to go with this other girl. My heart was in a million pieces. I decided to just skip the formal. Well, the night of the formal, my dad said I should go. He had already scheduled a limo to take me. I thought he was crazy for thinking I was going alone. Christian called and told me, "Mia, don't let this guy get to you. He is just one in a million fish in the sea. You go out there and show him what he is missing."
"That was a sweet thing for him to say.", I say. I wish Christian were here with me so I could tell him how sorry I am.
"Yeah, I got dressed. I looked amazing. As I was going to the limo, the door opened up, and Christian stepped out. He had a tux on and said that he wanted to take me. Some girls would die if they went with their brother to a dance, but not me. The fact that he wanted to take me was incredible."
"Wow, that was sweet of him.", I say.
"Christian takes care of those who he loves Ana. It's how he is."
"It's just I never have been in a relationship before, and I don't know what to expect. They need to hand out manuals."
"Even if they did, I am sure the guidelines for dating Christian would not be in there.", she says laughing.
"Mia, I need to go and make things right with Christian. Can I take a raincheck on dinner?", I ask.
"Of course. I know you guys will work things out", she says.
After hugging Mia goodbye, I drive to Escala. As I am getting out of my car, I see Sawyer. He smiles at me.
"Good evening Miss Steele. I don't think Mr. Grey is home.",he says.
"It's Ana. Would it be ok if I come up and wait on him? I really need to see him."
"Yes, that would be ok.", he says as he leads me to the elevator. We are soon on our way to the penthouse.
When we arrive at the penthouse, I hear Gail in the kitchen and decide to say hi. She is cooking spaghetti. It smells heavenly.
"Ana, it is good to see you. Mr. Grey is not here, but should be home soon.", she says smiling.
"Sawyer said it would be ok if I waited."
"Of course it is. Would you like some spaghetti?", she asks as my stomach growls. "I will take that as yes."
"Thank you." Since I didn't get to eat at the pub, I am starving. She puts a big plate of spaghetti in front of me. "This is really good.", I say taking a big bite.
"Old family recipe.", she says
I soon finish all of my spaghetti. Crap. I see that I got sauce on my shirt. Thankfully, I still have the clothes that Christian bought for me. After excusing myself, I go to change. I decide to get one of Christian's shirts instead. As I am looking through the drawers, I see a pair of jeans. Pulling them out, I see that they are overwashed and ripped. _Oh my_. I know that I should put them back, but it's like they have a hold on me. Just thinking of Christian wearing them is making me wet. I lay them on the bed and find a tee-shirt. It smells like Christian.
"Ana.", I hear as I look at the door. Christian is standing there staring at me.
"Hi. Sawyer said that you were not here, but I could wait."
"I went for a workout with my trainer Claude. I needed to clear my mind.", he says.
"I'm sorry Christian. I shouldn't have acted the way I did. You were just being a good boyfriend."
"I just want to make sure you are safe. I guess I didn't really word it right when I said "mine." I know that you are not a piece of property Ana. This whole thing is still new to me."
"Me too. How about we learn about this relationship stuff together?", I say as I smile at him.
"I think that would be good. Now, what are you doing with my shirt on Miss Steele?", he says with a raised eyebrow.
"I got spaghetti sauce on my shirt so I decided to put one of your on.", I say as I kiss him
"Ok, well what about those jeans? Why do you have those? They are too big for you baby.", he says laughing.
"I thought you could put them on. For some reason, thinking about you wearing them turns me on.", I say biting my lip.
"Really now? Thinking about you being turned on and that lip biting is making want to fuck you so hard."
"I want that, but I want to go to the playroom."
"You sure?", he asks.
"Yes, I am sure. I don't want to do anything extreme, but I want to go in there."
"Ok, I will change. You go on up.", he says as I go to leave the room.
"Oh, and I think I need to be spanked too sir.", I say smiling from the doorway.
31. Chapter 31
Christian and I both enjoyed going into the playroom. I never thought that I would have a kinky side, but I am learning more things about myself everyday. After an exhausting night of kinky fuckery, I am dreading going to work. As I wake I see that Christian is not next to me, but I soon see him emerging from the bathroom, freshly showered. He is only wearing a towel around his waist.
"Good morning beautiful. You seem to have some drool on the side of your mouth.", he says with a smirk. How can I not? My body is burning with desire.
"Why don't you come over here and get it out?", I say as I bite my lip.
"I would love to, but I have to get to work. And you Miss Steele, don't want to be late for your first day at work."
"Ugh, don't remind me.", I say rolling my eyes.
"Please, if that Jack guy tries anything, let me know."
"I will, I promise.", I say smiling at him. I am glad that I have clothes here because I don't have time to go back to my apartment. I take a quick shower and dry my hair. I decide to wear black pants and a beige blouse. I am amazed with how professional I look. Going downstairs, I see that Christian is finishing his coffee and on his Blackberry.
"Good morning Ana. What would you like for breakfast?", Gail asks.
"Yogurt and granola would be good.", I say smiling.
"And her favorite tea", Christian says looking up from his Blackberry.
"Yes, some tea also. You know me so well Mr. Grey.", I laugh.
"I try.", he laughs. "How about we ride to work together? Taylor and I can drop you off."
"As much as I was looking forward to driving my new car that my incredible boyfriend bought me, ok.", I smile.
"I am shocked that you aren't fighting me on it."
"I'm not. I want to spend as much time with you this morning as I can.", I say kissing him. "Now, I am ready to go if you are."
"I am. Come.", he says taking my hand as we go to the elevator and head to the garage. We get into the SUV and soon are on our way.
"I am going to miss you terribly today. I don't know how I will get any work done thinking about you.", Christian says as we arrive at SIP. He gets out and comes around to open my door.
"I will miss you too.", I say kissing him. As I pull away, I see Jack coming towards the building. He smiles at me as soon as he sees me.
"Good morning Ana. Ready to ball rolling?", he says as he comes over to Christian and I. Christian instantly puts his arm around me.
"Morning Jack. Yes, I am ready to start work. This is my boyfriend Christian.", I say as they shake hands.
"Nice to meet you Christian. I am Jack Hyde. Ana will be my assistant here. Well, I will see you in there Ana.", Jack says suddenly in a hurry to get inside.
"So that's the bastard you're working for? I can see why you get a vibe from him. Remember what I said, let me know if he tries anything."
"Don't worry, I will. Now, I better get in there before I am late. I love you."
"I love you too baby", Christian says.
As I go towards the entrance, I hear a bird chirping. Suddenly, the words baby bird come back to my mind. I turn around and see that Christian is still standing by the SUV, probably making sure I make it inside ok.
"Ana, what is it", he asks coming up the steps to where I am. "Baby, you look like you've seen a ghost."
"I was just thinking about something Jack said yesterday. At the time, I thought it was nothing to worry about, but now I don't know. There was this bird's nest outside that he was looking at. He said "I think I see a baby bird.", I say as I start shaking. "I wanted to dismiss it as nothing, but for some reason the words baby bird make me uneasy. I have no idea why. What the hell do those two words mean?", I say as I see Christian suddenly tense up.
"I think I know what they mean.", he says.
32. Chapter 32
How would Christian know what baby bird means? I look at him inquisitively. He is standing with his hands in his pockets, acting like he holds the key to a big secret.
"What does it mean Christian?", I ask.
"I really don't want to talk about this right now Ana. It's not the place. How about we go back to my place to talk?"
"No, you have to get to work, and so do I. I can't just leave work on my first day because my boyfriend wants me to."
"What if I am telling you to take the day off as your boss?", he says. What the hell is he talking about. Boss? Then it hits me.
"Please tell me you didn't buy SIP just so you can watch over me.", I say as he looks in every direction but mine. "Christian Grey, answer me, damn it."
"The idea of buying SIP crossed my mind weeks ago. I like to dabble in different kinds of businesses. Two weeks ago, I bought it."
"So, my getting the job was just a coincidence. You had nothing to do with it?", I ask.
"Yes, I had no hand in it. I didn't want to tell you about my owning it because I didn't want you to feel awkward."
"Well, that was a total fail. Back to the baby bird thing.", I say
"Come, let's go for a drive so I can explain.", he says as he leads me back to the SUV. I hesitantly get in.
"Wait, what am I going to tell Jack? I can't just leave."
"I wouldn't worry too much about Jack right now. He already had one foot out the door.", Christian says. "His job performance has been less than stellar. He was only there until a replacement could be found. More than likely, this was going to be his last day."
"So, does his losing his job have anything to do with me and how I told you he made me feel?", I ask as I look into his eyes.
"Like I said, he was already on the way out. But, after you told me that he was weird with you, that sealed the deal. As for the baby bird, my foster mother, Mrs. Collier, who I lived with while Carrick and Grace finalized my adoption read me this book Are You My Mother. Mrs. Collier would call me Baby Bird.", Christian says as his eyes darken.
"How would Jack know that?", I ask as grab Christian's hand.
"I asked Welch last night to run a background check on Jack. I should know something today about what he found out."
"Maybe he has some vendetta against you and only hired me as part of his plan."
"I don't know.", Christian says as his Blackberry buzzes. "Roach, is it done? Excellent." he says before hanging up. "Just a minute. "Barney, I need you to get me all of the personal data files on Jack Hyde.", he says after making another phone call.
"Well, what's done?", I ask.
"That bastard is out of there. Now, we are going to see if he has anything on his computer. Welch is still working on the background check."
I start having the déjà vu feeling again. For some reason, I have a feeling that Jack Hyde is not going to just go away. "Christian, I have a bad feeling about this."
"Hey, look at me. Everything is going to be ok. You are my world, and I am not going to let anything happen to you.", he says kissing my hand.
"I just have a feeling that Jack Hyde is going to be relentless with whatever he has planned."
33. Chapter 33
After we arrive back at Escala, Christian says that he needs to talk to Taylor and Sawyer in his study. I wish that he wouldn't keep things from me. I go into the kitchen and see that Gail is cleaning.
"Ana, I thought that you would be at work.", she says.
"Something came up, so I won't be going in today.", I smile. As I am going back into te living room, I see the guys come out of Christian's study. Christian has removed his tie and looks like hell.
"Ana, Sawyer is going to be going with you everywhere until we get things situated.", Christian says as he comes over to me. Great, it's like the whole Kirsten thing all over again.
"Have you heard from Welch?", I ask as Christian's face hardens, letting me know that he has.
"He just called back. It seems that Jack is from Detroit which is where I was adopted from.", he says. This is news to me. I had thought that Christian was born and adopted here in Seattle.
"You both are from Detroit? There is more, isn't there?", I ask folding my arms.
"The icing on the cake is it seems Jack was also in the same foster home as I was. That time I was in the foster home was a big daze for me."
"Maybe he thinks Carrick and Grace should have adopted him instead.", I say as I reach out and hold his hand.
"Maybe. Welch is going over his computer to see what he can find. Roach called and said that Jack was not too pleased when he was told to leave SIP."
"I had a feeling that he wouldn't be."
"He started yelling "This isn't over. Payback is a bitch.", Christian says as my jaw drops. "That is why Sawyer is going to be with you at all times. And, I want you to stay here for now."
"All right. So, what now?", I ask.
"Well, I am going to work from here today. You look tired. Why don't you go nap?", Christian says.
"I wish that you would come and nap with me.", I say pouting.
"Me too baby, but I really need to get some work done. I will wake you when I finish.", he says kissing me.
"Ok, I love you.", I say as I start towards the bedroom.
"Love you too.", he smiles.
As soon as I get into bed, I am asleep. Dealing with crazy people is exhausting. After sleeping for what feels like eternity, I wake up. Looking at the clock next to the bed, I see it is already 5:00. Damn, Christian said he would wake me. I get up and go looking for him. When I go into the living room, I see Christian sitting on the sofa talking to Elliot and Kate."
"Hey, sleeping beauty. You look well rested.", he says kissing me passionately.
"I thought you were going to wake me when you got done."
"I was, but you looked like you were resting peacefully so I decided to let you sleep. Elliot and Kate stopped by."
"Hey guys.", I say.
"Christian wanted to know if we wanted to hang out with you guys tonight. Of course, I would never pass up a chance to hang out with two hot girls. Oh, and Christian.", Elliot says.
"Elliot. I thought we could do something different tonight like play cards or a board game. But, Elliot had another idea.", Kate says as Elliot goes to get something from behind the sofa.
"Karaoke!", Elliot exclaims.
"I don't know. I don't sing.", I say looking at Christian.
"Neither do I Steele, but we can all makes fools out of ourselves together.", Kate says laughing.
Elliot plugs in the karoke machine and grabs the microphone. "Ok, who wants to go first? Oh, Elliot, ok, yes. I would love to go first. Kate, this is for you", he says pointing at Kate who is embarrassed already.
"How bad can it be?", Kate ask laughing.
_You know you love me
I know you care
Just shout whenever,
And I'll be there
You want my love
You want my heart
And we would never, ever, ever be apart_
_Are we an item?_
_Girl quit playin'_
_We're just friends,_
_What are you sayin'?_
_Said there's another as you look right in my eyes_
_My first love, broke my heart for the first time_
_And I was like_
_Baby, baby, baby ooh_
_Like_
_Baby, baby, baby noo_
_Like_
_Baby, baby, baby ohh_
I_ thought you'd always be mine (mine)
Baby, baby, baby ohh
Like
Baby, baby, baby noo
Like
Baby, baby, baby ohh
I thought you'd always be mine (mine)_
"Yeah, I think that Elliot has Bieber fever", I say laughing. We are all relieved when he finishes.
"Elliot, that was well..How do I say it..Aweful.", Christian says as Elliot rolls his eyes.
"We can't all be blessed with the singing voice that you have Christian", Elliot says.
"So, you have a good singing voice Mr. Grey?", I ask looking at him as he shrugs his shoulders. "I think that you should go next."
"Ok, I will. Let me find a song. Here we go.
_Beauty queen of only eighteen
She had some trouble with herself
He was always there to help her
She always belonged to someone else_
_I drove for miles and miles_
_And wound up at your door_
_I've had you so many times but somehow_
_I want more_
_I don't mind spending everyday
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile
And she will be loved
She will be loved_
_Tap on my window knock on my door_
_I want to make you feel beautiful_
_I know I tend to get so insecure_
_It doesn't matter anymore_
_It's not always rainbows and_ _butterflies_
_It's compromise that moves us along, yeah_
_My heart is full and my door's always open_
_You can come anytime you want_
I fall more in love with Christian as I hear him singing. He has an amazing voice. I am almost crying.
"Ana, don't cry. He is not that bad of a singer", Elliot jokes.
"Christian that was beautiful.", I say kissing him.
"You inspire me. My favorite part is _you can come anytime you want_.", he says with a raised eyebrow as I laugh.
Even though, once again my life is being turned upside down, I know that Christian and I will get through it together.
**One of my favorite songs ever is Maroon 5's She Will Be Loved. I could envision Christian singing it to Ana.**
34. Chapter 34
After a great night with Elliot and Kate, Christian and I went to bed wrapped in each other's arms. Neither of us knew what was going to happen with Jack Hyde, and that scared me. Thoughts of what he had said "Payback is a bitch" unnerved me. Was it an empty threat or did he have something terrible planned. I was shocked with how fast I was asleep.
"You have got to be fucking kidding me!", I hear Christian yelling. Opening my eyes, I see him pacing back and forth on his Blackberry. Damn, it's already 9:00 a.m. I am shocked that he is still here. "I want to find that bastard and put a stop to this. Are we clear?", he snaps at whoever is on the end of his call. He looks over at me and smiles, just slightly. "I have to go, but get it done.", he says ending the call.
"I would say good morning, but I have a feeling that is not appropriate. Dare I ask who suffered the wrath of Christian Grey?", I say as I sit up in the bed.
"Welch. He found some things on Jack's computer. It seems he has files on my family.", he says as he sits on the bed next to me.
"What kind of things?", I ask."
"He had information about my family. Most of the stuff was about me and Carrick. Before you ask, I have no idea why he had it.", he says looking at me.
"So, now what do we do?"
"Taylor went to Hyde's apartment last night, but he was not there. His neighbor said that Hyde came by yesterday and told him that he had lost his job and was leaving town.", he says
"Maybe he actually did leave town."
"Perhaps, but I have Ryan watching his apartment to see if he comes back. Baby, I have just as many questions about this as you, but I want to just forget all of this shit for the day." Christian says.
"I want nothing more than that myself. Aren't you going to work though?"
"Not today. I am playing hooky.", he grins.
"Christian Grey, what will your boss say? He may not agree with you taking the day off."
"I don't care what that fucker thinks", he smirks.
"Oh, he is a _fucker_, a very good _fucker_ indeed.", I giggle.
"I love the sound of you giggling. I am just sorry that all of this is happening so you can't giggle more.", he says with sad eyes.
"Hey, look at me.", I say as I take his face in my hand. "This crap that is going on is just a bump in the road. We will get through it, together."
"You are so amazing."
"As are you", I smile. "Jose texted me last night asking if we can meet for dinner tomorrow night at 8. You are coming right?", I ask.
"Of course. I am anxious to meet him."
"Great. Now, let's enjoy the day, drama free"
The day was peaceful and relaxing. Christian only checked his Blackberry a few times, seeing if there were any new updates on Hyde. We hung out at Escala most of the day, but that night we went bowling. Who would ever think that CEO Christian Grey bowled? Just like everything else, he excelled in it. We played against Taylor and Sawyer who were awful.
"I have had a great day Christian. Thank you", I say kissing him as we walk out of the bowling alley. Taylor is walking ahead of us and Sawyer is following.
"You're welcome. It's been a long time since I bowled. I enjoyed it.", he says.
Walking back to the SUV, I sense that something is not right. As we get closer, Taylor stops in front of us. I wonder why until I see the answer. The windshield and all of the windows are busted.
"Sir", Taylor says looking at Christian.
"That son of a bitch!", Christian yells.
Taylor and Sawyer inspect the damage closer as Christian stands by with me pulled into him. I have started shaking. Taylor comes over to us with a piece of paper which he hands to Christian. Christian and I read the note together.
_"Consider this just the beginning of the fun. You and that bitch are in for a bumpy ride."_
35. Chapter 35
"Maybe you should call your friend and postpone dinner for tonight", Christian tells me through the phone the next day. Everyone was shaken up by the events at the bowling alley. Christian was hesitant to go to work, but he had an important meeting.
"No, I am not going to let Hyde control our lives. Besides, we have security so everything will be fine.", I respond. Christian told me before leaving for work that he was adding extra security, even for his family. He is not taking any chances with Hyde.
"Ok, please be nice to Sawyer", he laughs. I roll my eyes at the statement. Sawyer is staying with me for the day.
"I will. I need to start looking for another job.", I say
"Tha's not necessary. You still have your position at SIP. They are going to choose someone to take Hyde's place by the end of the day tomorrow. You can go back to work Monday."
"Really? What about how I have totally blown off this week? I don't think they will look the other way."
"Are you forgetting who is the boss?", he laughs. "Besides, I have talked to Roach who is senior management. He is aware of the situation and understands. The story is that you got sick while getting ready for your first day and will begin next week."
"Christian, that's ridiculous. I don't want preferential treatment."
"It's not. Roach had already seen your résumé and said you were the best person for the job. I have to go baby. Love you."
"I love you too."
"Ana", I hear being called from the doorway. I look up and see Sawyer standing there nervously.
"Hey. Relax Sawyer. I am not to to and give you the slip today.", I smile.
"Oh thank goodness.", he says as I see him ease up.
"Tomorrow, well...that is a different story.", I say in the best serious tone I can without laughing. He suddenly gets a deer in headlight look. "Gotcha.", I say laughing. Then, he actually laughs himself. "I have feeling that you and I are going to get along fine."
The rest of the day passed by quickly. At six, Christian arrived home, and we started to getting ready for dinner with Jose. Jose had texted me the name of the restaurant a friend had recommended. Christian said that he had been there a few times, and it was a nice place.
"You look stunning", Christian says as I am stepping into my heels. I have chosen a red knee-length dress and red heels.
"Thanks", I says smiling. "You don't look too bad yourself. That is an understatement. Christian is wearing dark jeans and a white shirt paired with a black jacket. Oh my.
"You can still call and cancel.", he says.
"Why? Is it that you are worried about Jack or worried about Jose?", I say crossing my arms. "Jose is just a friend, nothing more."
"Baby, I know that a man and woman can be just friends. But, I think that it would be too hard for a man to be just friends with you. You really have no idea how gorgeous and amazing you are.", he says kissing me.
"You have nothing to worry about with Jose. Now, come on let's go have a nice dinner."
Arriving at the restaurant, I see Jose standing outside waiting. He smiles when he sees us. Rushing over to us Jose hugs me tightly.
"Ana, it is so good to see you.", he says. "You have always been beautiful, but now, wow!"
"Jose, it is nice to see you. I wanted to call you sooner, but things have been busy.", I say as I smile at Christian who is waiting to be introduced. "This is my boyfriend Christian."
"Christian, it is nice to meet you. You have a great girl there.", Jose says as he shakes Christian's hand.
"Oh, I know. Every morning when I wake up and see her laying there next to me, I think about how damn lucky I am.", Christian says. He is obviously is having a good time letting Jose know we are together.
"Come on. Let's go inside. I am starving.", Jose says as we head into the restaurant. I look back behind us at Sawyer and Taylor who are trying to keep a low profile. They are going to be seated at a nearby table.
Christian insists on ordering the best wine they serve. He keeps looking at Jose, trying to get a feel on him. I silently roll my eyes on the inside. This dinner should be interesting.
"Ana, I have something to tell you.", Jose says
"All right.", What is it that he wants to tell me?
"Well, there is someone, a woman who I have strong feelings for.", Jose says as I see Christian listening intently.
"Ok, that's great. I am happy for you.", I say.
"Thanks. I know that she likes me, but I don't know if her feelings are as strong as mine. At first, I thought that I should just keep my distance from her. She and I are two completely different people.", he says as I start to wonder if he is confessing his feelings for me with Christian right here at the table. Christian doesn't look too happy.
"I don't know what to say Jose.", I say taking a big sip of my wine. I am at a loss for words.
"It's ok Ana. I actually invited her to dinner here tonight." Crap. I can sense the storm that is Christian Grey is ready to be unleashed. "But, she is running late.", Jose smiles. I immediately relax as does Christian.
"I am happy for you Jose. I think that even though two people are total opposites, they can still work.", I say as I wink at Christian. "I think you should take a chance and see where this goes with her."
"It means a lot to hear you say that Ana. Maybe the two of you can be friends."
"I hope so."
"I will be right back baby. I have to go to the restroom.", Christian whispers as he leaves the table.
Jose and I make small talk as we wait on Christian to return. We have a lot to catch up on. I see Jose look towards the door and smile. His date must have arrived. He stands to greet her.
"Anastasia Steele, I would like you to meet my date Elena Lincoln.", Jose says. I look at Elena in shock.
"Hello, Anastasia. It is nice to see you again.", she purrs. She looks gorgeous as usual. I smile faintly at her as I see Christian heading back to the table. He stops in his tracks when he sees Elena.
"What the fuck?!", Christians says loudly causing other diners to look.
"You guys know each other?", Jose asks looking at me and Christian and then Elena.
"Anastasia and I just met a few weeks ago, but Christian and I go way back.", Elena smiles.
"Small world huh?", Jose laughs.
"That it is.", I say.
"Well, let's enjoy our dinner.", Elena says.
Maybe I should have followed Christian's idea and cancelled. Too late now. Here we go..
36. Chapter 36
Awkward doesn't even begin to start the atmosphere at the dinner table. We are all seated staring at each other. You could cut the tension with a knife. Is this how the entire night is going to be? I can't take it anymore and have to say something.
"So, how exactly did you two meet?", I ask looking at Jose and Elena. I sincerely doubt that it was at a BDSM club.
"I was in Portland two weeks ago on business, and my meeting had ended early so I thought that I would check out the local scenery. As I was driving, I noticed a building where a crowd had gathered. I then saw a sign that said "Jose Rodriguez Photography Show.", Elena says as she runs her fingers along Jose's hand. "Photography has always been an interest of mine."
"Really? I have known you for a long time, and I had no idea.", Christian says
"Oh yes, I have _many_ interests Christian.", she smirks.
"I was talking to someone about one of my photos, and Elena walked up. She was telling me how she enjoyed looking at my work. We started talking and talking. Even after most of the people had left, she stayed to talk."
"I really can't describe it. I just felt this connection to him that I have never felt before. I was supposed to leave the next morning, but well, my plans changed.", Elena laughs as it becomes obvious that they had slept together.
"How exactly do you all know each other?", Jose asks.
"Elena is an_ old _friend of my mother's.", Christian says.
"Now, Christian, that's not all of it.", Elena says. Oh boy, here we go. Surely she is not going to tell Jose how Christian was her sub. "Christian and I are also business partners. He and I own some salons together. Whew, thank goodness.
"Yes, we are business partners.", Christian says.
"I met dear sweet Anastasia a few weeks ago. I must say she really is something.", Elena smiles at me. She is trying her best to make it seem like she and I are good friends.
"Oh Elena, you are too kind. I honestly have never met anyone like you. You have an interesting woman there Jose.", I smile as Christian fights hard to hide his amusment.
"I know. She is amazing. I realize that some people may have a problem with our age difference, but I don't care what they think."
"Me either. Age has never been an issue with me.", Elena says as she looks at Christian.
"Jose, are you leaving tomorrow?", Christian asks.
"No, I am staying in Seattle a few more days. I told Elena that I would take her out and give her some basic training in taking photos."
"He is so sweet offering to help me. Who knows maybe there is _something_ I can teach him." OMG! I suddenly get choked on my wine. The thought of Elena training Jose in BDSM makes me feel sick to my stomach.
"Are you ok baby?", Christian asks as he rubs my back.
"Yeah, my wine just went down the wrong way."
The rest of dinner passes by slowly. I am relieved when it is finally time to go. Christian and I walk outside with Jose and Elena holding hands behind us. They stop and kiss passionately.
"Dinner was great. It was great to see you Ana. Christian, I enjoyed meeting you.", Jose says.
"It was good to see you too Jose. Elena, nice to see you as well. Jose is a wonderful guy. Take care of him.
"I plan on it. I plan on taking _good_ care of him.", she winks at Jose.
"I bet you wish you would have listened to me when I said to cancel.", Christian says as we are on our way home.
"Tonight will go down as one of the most interesting dinners I have ever had. Who would have thought Jose would be crazy about Elena?", I say. My friend and the bitch troll. I have a feeling that is going to be an interesting relationship.
37. Chapter 37
A week has passed since our eventful dinner. I started my job at SIP, and I love it. Since Jack Hyde is still out there somewhere, Sawyer has been keeping guard at work. So far, Hyde hasn't made any more threats, which kind of scares me. What if he is spending his time laying low and planning something big? Jose called me yesterday and told me that he is going to be back in town tomorrow. He is considering moving to Seattle. The idea of him and Elena together stills gives me chills.
"Penny for your thoughts?", Christian asks as we ride to his parents' for dinner.
"Just thinking. I would give anything to be a fly on the wall in the room with Jose and Elena. I mean, has she ever had a normal relationship?", I ask Christian.
"With her husband, but that ended when he found out us.", Christian says with his head down. Plus, I think that was more of a marriage of convenience for both of them. He had a fat wallet and needed someone to be his trophy wife. She was more than willing to be that."
"Do you think she has done things to Jose? You know like sub things?", I ask Christian.
"I don't know, and I really don't want to think about it. What Elena does is her business, not mine. Jose is a grown man and can take care of himself."
"Yeah, you're right. I don't want to think about them at all tonight.", I say as we arrive. Grace and Carrick meet us at the door. "Hello Grace, Carrick."
"Ana, sweetheart, you look lovely. Christian, darling, hello.", Grace says hugging us. Carrick hugs me and Christian. We walk into the living room where Mia is seated reading a fashion magazine. Seeing us, she immediately jumps up.
"Ana! I am sooo glad to see you. Christian, my favorite brother!", Mia exclaims. She is her usual vibrant self. "Mom said that Elliot and Kate were coming tonight as well. Kate's brother is coming too."
"Ethan? That's great.", I say. Ethan has always been a nice guy. Kate told me that he had gotten back from Europe.
Christian and I sit on the sofa and drink wine as we listen to Mia talk about how she was tired of dating losers. Apparently, the last guy she dated had cheated on her with her friend.
" I wish you would have told me about that creep Mia. I would have done something.", Christian says. He is every bit the protective older brother.
"Christian, while I do appreciate your offer, no thanks. I can fight my own battles.", Mia says.
"All right. remember he is just one of a million fish in the sea.", Christian says as I recall my talk with Mia that night at the pub. Mia looks at me and grins.
"Christian is right. Your perfect guy could be just around the corner." As if on cue, I see Kate, Elliot, and Ethan standing in the doorway. Ethan is as good looking as Kate. The Kavanagh's have good genetics.
"Wow, who is the hottie?", Mia whispers to me. Clearly, she is taken with Ethan.
"Everyone, this is my brother Ethan.", Kate says. Kate starts introducing Ethan to everyone. When he comes over to me, he smiles.
"Ana, wow, look at you. You look wonderful.", he says as he hugs me tightly. I can feel Christian's eyes on us. Pulling back from Ethan, I look at Christian.
"Ethan, this is Christian Grey, my boyfriend.", I say proudly.
"Ah, yes, Kate said you were seeing someone. Nice to meet you Christian.", he says shaking Christian's hand.
"Nice to meet you as well."
Mia is standing behind me waiting for an introduction. I grab her hand and pull her beside me. She is blushing. "Ethan, this is Mia Grey, Christian and Elliot's sister."
"Mia, lovely to meet you."
"Same to you. So, Kate tells me that you were in Europe? I was just there myself not too long ago.", Mia says
"Cool, who knows we could have been in the same place and not known it.", Ethan laughs. I think he is as equally smitten with Mia.
"OK everyone, dinner is ready. Let's make our way to the dining room.", Grace announces.
"Ethan, why don't you sit by me, and we can talk about our Europe trips?", Mia asks.
"Sure, sounds great.", he says with that boy next door smile of us.
"What is that? And should I be worried?", Christian asks as we watch Mia and Ethan head to the dining room.
"That Mr. Grey, is your sister finding another fish in the sea.", I giggle. "I wouldn't worry. Ethan is a great guy."
"Kate, I know that is your brother, but if he hurts my sweet little sister in any way, I will make him suffer.", Christian says to Kate.
"Sweet? Christian, have you forgotten that she is the one who somehow managed to saran wrap my entire apartment?", Elliot asks. "That was not cool.", he says pouting.
"Oh, Lelliot, it was just a joke. I thought it was pretty funny, mainly because it was you instead of me that it happened to.", Christian says as Kate and I are fighting hard to hold back our laughter.
Dinner starts out nicely. Everyone is enjoying the meal and having a great time. As I look around the room, thoughts of Jack Hyde disappear from my mind. I am not going to let him ruin my night. I am also not going to think any more about Jose and Elena.
"I was having lunch with Elena yesterday, and she has herself a new guy.", Grace says. Damn.
"Really? Well, I suppose she needs to move on. She hasn't dated anyone since her husband, I think.", Carrick says. Yes, because she takes on subs instead.
"She seemed happy. But, he is a lot younger than her. Ana, Kate, you two are friends with Jose Rodriguez, aren't you?", Grace asks.
"Yes, he is a great guy, very sweet.", Kate says.
"I just don't know about the age difference. I mean, she is old enough to be his mother.", Grace responds as I see Christian become uncomfortable.
"Mother, I think that who Elena dates is her business.", Christian says. I can sense he is trying to stop the conversation.
"I suppose you're right."
"As long as you don't trade me in for a newer and younger model, we will be fine.", Carrick laughs.
"No chance that is going to happen. You are the only one who gets my engine revved up.", Grace says as everyone at the table stops eating.
"Ewww, can you guys not talk about this while I am trying to eat.", Elliot says.
"Oh, Elliot, relax.", Carrick says. "Just because there is snow on the roof, it doesn't mean there isn't fire in the furnace.", he says winking at Grace.
The rest of the night turned out well. Ethan and Mia made plans to go out for dinner. Something tells me that they are going to be a good couple. As I watched Christian sleep that night, I thought about how thankful I am for him coming into my life. He changed me, for the better. Jack Hyde may still be a threat, but I was not going to let him control our lives. Love conquers all.
**Thank you all for reading and reviewing. There is plenty of drama and twists coming up ;). I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!**
**Sherry**
38. Chapter 38
"Ana, baby, wake up. Breakfast is ready. ", Christian says trying to wake me up. It is Saturday, and I just want to sleep.
"Christian, please let me sleep just a bit longer.", I reply with my eyes still closed. I feel him slide into the bed next to me. "Just a few more minutes."
"Ok, I will let you sleep while I go have breakfast, alone, all alone.", I hear him say as he gives a fake sigh. It is obvious that he is trying to make me feel guilty, and it is working.
"Fine. I'm up.", I say as I get out of bed and put my robe on. He is looking at me with a boyish grin. "Well, come on Mr. Grey. You said breakfast was ready."
"Since Gail is off today, I made breakfast.", Christian says proudly. As we come into the kitchen, I see the table is set with fresh strawberries, toast, and pancakes. "I hope you like it."
"It smells delicious, and I am sure that it tastes just as good. I didn't know that you could cook.", I say as I sit down at the table.
"I can sort of.", he says as he looks down at the floor.
"What do you mean sort of?"
"I prepared the strawberries and made the toast, no problem at all. Then, I went to make the pancakes, and I don't know what the fuck happened. They looked awful."
"These pancakes look perfect Christian. I think you underestimated yourself."
"No, no. Taylor came in and saw what a mess I had made and cooked them. But, I watched him, and next time, I will know how it's done properly."
"Awww, I think that it is sweet you wanted to make breakfast.", I say as I lean over to kiss him. "By the way, the toast is good. You did that well."
"Yeah, I burnt the the first batch.", he smiles.
"Oh, well, practice makes perfect."
"Indeed, how about after breakfast we go back to bed and _practice _my favorite activity."
"I don't know. I was in bed earlier, and you were so insistent that I get up.", I smirk at him.
"Ah true. We could always _practice _right here in the kitchen. I could have my way with you right here on this table.", he says as he gets up and walks over to me.
"Mr. Grey, I am having my breakfast right now. Perhaps after we can _practice_.", I giggle.
"All right. Besides, you need to eat so you can have your energy.", he says as he kisses my neck. My body starts responding as he moves down to my breasts, kissing them through the fabric of my shirt. I stop eating and look at with lust in my eyes. "No, no, no. You must finish your breakfast.", he says. Damn him. I instantly devour the rest of my food.
"Ok, I am done.", I say as he laughs at me.
"Oh, baby, what am I going to do with you."
"I can think of a few things.", I say as I stand up and kiss him passionately. I can feel his erection against me. Our tongues start ravaging each other. We somehow make it over to the counter, and Christian sits me on top of it. I suddenly hear someone clear their throat and look to find Taylor in the doorway. His face is as red as mine and Christian's.
"Excuse me sir. I didn't mean to interrupt.", Taylor says.
"It's fine. Is something wrong?", Christian says as he adjusts himself.
"Ms. Elizabeth Morgan is here to see you and Miss Steele. She is waiting in the living room."
"Ok, we will be right there.", Christian says as I get down from the counter.
We walk into the living room to find Elizabeth in tears. I go over and sit next to her on the sofa. She looks at me and gives a small smile.
"Ana, I had no idea that Jack Hyde was such a bad person.", she says as the name that I had tried to block sent chills throughout my body.
"I'm lost here. Has Jack done something to you?", Christian asks.
"When he started working at SIP, he was really nice. I had just gone through a breakup, and Jack would listen when I needed someone to talk to. He was very attentive. After a few weeks, Jack asked me out. I wasn't sure since we worked together, but I agreed. That night, I had too much to drink. We ended up having sex.", she says as she continues crying.
"It's ok. You don't have to talk about this if you don't want to.", I say as I hand her a tissue.
"I need to. The next morning, I told him that what happened was a mistake. He said no worries. Things were weird afterwards though. After we interviewed you that day, he made some comment that you would fit into his plan perfectly. I asked what he meant, and he said he was referring to his plans for SIP.
"But the fucker was referring to something else.", Christian says as his face reddens.
"Yes. When he was fired, I was relieved in a way. Last week, he called me and asked for money. He said that he was leaving town. I was hesitant, but then he said that he would make me pay if I said no. He claimed to have a video of the night we slept together. He said the he was going to post it online if I refused."
"That creep. How can someone be so evil?", I say with disgust.
"I agreed, and dropped the money off with him at the park. He said that he was going to move to Detroit where he was born and start over. I prayed that was the last time I would see him. Then last night, he called me.", she says as she looks at me.
"What did he say?", I ask.
"He said, "I have a message for you to give to that bitch Ana."
"What kind of message? Elizabeth?", Christian asks as he over to me.
"I will see her soon."
39. Chapter 39
"How about we go on a trip?", Christian asks me after dinner.
"A trip? I just started my job, _again_, and can't go on a trip.", I say as I put away the dishes. "What is your ulterior motive Grey?"
"Do I have to have an ulterior motive for wanting to take my beautiful girlfriend on a trip?", he asks.
"Well, considering the fact that just a few hours ago we were pretty much told that Jack Hyde is coming for me, yes. I love you for wanting to keep me safe, but I am not going to let that monster control my life." I admit hearing what Elizabeth said got to me. I had to excuse myself for a few minutes so I could compose myself. Then, I decided that I was not going let him win.
"All right. How about some ice cream for _desert_?", Christian says as he walks over to me.
"I have a feeling that you are going to do more with ice cream than eat it.", I say as I raise my eyebrow at him.
"Maybe. We did get interrupted earlier so I think we should make up for it."
"In that case, get some whipped cream and chocolate syrup so I can make a Christian sundae." My phone starts ringing and I see it's Jose.
"Jose, hey."
"Ana, I hope that I'm not bothering you."
"No, no, we were just about to have desert.", I say as I look at Christian. "Is everything ok?"
"Not really. Elena and I had a fight, and I left her place pretty upset. Is it ok if I come over and talk?"
"Sure, you can come over."
"Ok, I will be there soon. Bye."
After hanging up with Jose, I see Christian doesn't look happy. He was all set on us having some fun, and now that's not happening.
"Jose is on his way over."
"Yeah, I heard, although I wish he wasn't Ana. Tonight was going to be about us."
"He's my friend. He needs me. I can't just turn my back on him. He and Elena had a fight, and he is upset."
"I don't think we should get involved in their...whatever the fuck it is they have. That's between them, not us.", he says as his face gets red.
"He probably won't be here long, and after, we can have our fun.", I say as I kiss him.
"I don't know. I may not be in the mood anymore.", he pouts.
"You're always in the mood."
"Damn, you know me too well. Ok, I will let you and Jose talk while I go work on some paperwork. But, I may have to spank you later for making me wait."
"I look forward to it." I hear the elevator open, and see Jose standing there, looking upset.
"Good evening Jose.", Christian says.
"Hi Christian. I am sorry for just showing up."
"It's fine. I'm going to my study to work.", he says as he leaves Jose and I in the living room.
"So, you want to sit down?", I ask. Jose sits on the sofa as I take a seat in the chair across from him.
"Elena and I were doing good. She is great Ana. She really is. I've never met anyone like her before." That's true. Elena Lincoln is one of a kind indeed.
"What happened?"
"When I first went to her house, she gave me a tour. That place is huge. I went upstairs to this room." Oh no. "She showed me all of these whips and chains. There were paddles and all kinds of other sex toys. She said that she had at one time used them." Yeah on Christian.
"What was your response?"
"At first I was shocked. She said that she hadn't touched the stuff in a long time." She is so lying. "I got over it, but then I thought maybe that kind of thing isn't so bad." My jaw drops.
"Wow, really?", is all I can say.
"Yeah, I'm sorry maybe I shouldn't be talking to you about this kind of thing.", he says.
"No, it's fine. Did you tell Elena that you wanted to use the toys?" I can not believe we are having this conversation. I should have listened to Christian and stayed out of it.
"I did, and she said that even though she missed doing that stuff, she wasn't. She said that she was fine with our sex the way it was. Ana, I have to admit, the thought of being tied up by her is hot." I start feeling sick to my stomach. "Tonight, I told her that we should go in there for a little while, but she said no. Then she said that maybe we are a mistake. I told her to forget that I suggested going in there, but she still said she was unsure about us."
"Jose, I'm sorry. I really am. Maybe you should give her some time. She probably just needs to be alone for a while, but I am sure you guys will work it out."
"I hope so. I'm driving back to Portland tonight because I have a shoot tomorrow. I appreciate you listening Ana. You are a great friend.", he says as he stands up. We hug, and then I walk him to the elevator. "Bye Ana."
"Bye Jose. Have a safe trip.", I say as he the elevator closes.
"So, is Jose Elena's new sub?", Christian laughs when I go into his study.
"No, he's not."
"Did she try to gag him? Is that why he is mad?", he jokes.
"Apparently, the table is turned. Jose wants to play, but Elena doesn't.
"What the fuck!", Christian says.
"Yeah, evidently Jose likes kinky." I am torn about Jose and Elena. It is unsettling seeing them together, but she makes him happy.
"Now, how about that desert?"
"I will gather the ingredients, and meet you in the bedroom"
40. Chapter 40
The weekend is never long enough. Christian and I spent most of it in bed. I don't think I will ever have enough of that man. He had already left for a meeting this morning when I woke up. I had a quick breakfast and headed out the door with Sawyer on the way to work.
"Sawyer, what's your first name?", I ask from the back seat of the car. He looks at me puzzled. "This is not Christian you're guarding. I just hate using your last name."
"It's Luke.", he smiles through the rearview mirror as my phone buzzes. Christian.
"Hey baby.", he says.
"Hey yourself. I missed you this morning."
"I know. I missed you too. I missed every inch of you." Damn, he turns me on even on the phone. "Are you on your way to work?"
"Yeah, Luke and I are almost there."
"Luke? Nevermind, if you want to call him Luke, that's your choice. How about lunch?"
"I would like that very much."
"Great. I will pick you up at 12:00."
"Sounds good to me Mr. Grey, but how about I pick you up?"
"Taking control are we Miss Steele?"
"Hmm, maybe. Is that a problem?"
"No, it's actually a bit of a turn on. You can pick me up here at 12:00. I love you."
"I love you too."
After arriving at SIP, I get started immediately on my work. Hopefully the morning goes by fast. As I continue working, I see Elizabeth start towards my desk. I wonder in Jack has been in contact with her anymore.
"Elizabeth, hi.", I smile.
"Hi.", she replies.
"Have you heard anything else from Jack?"
"Thankfully no. Maybe he is actually in Detroit and just wants to scare us."
"Well, I'm not going to let that bastard control my life whether he is in Detroit or not."
"I'm with you on that. I have a favor to ask."
"Sure, what is it?"
"Well, I have an important lunch meeting. As you can see, I spilled coffee on my blouse.", she says pointing to a stain toward the bottom. "Normally, I would drive home and change, but my sister is using my car. She is supposed to drop it off with me about 1:00. I was wondering if I could possibly get a ride. If you can't, I understand. I could take a taxi."
"No, it's fine. I was actually going to leave a little before 12 to pick Christian up. I could take you to your place so you can change. Then, Sawyer and I can drop you off at your meeting on the way to Christian's office."
"Really? It wouldn't take me long to change at all, and the restaurant is not far from my apartment. I can get my sister to drop my car off at the restaurant after my meeting.
"Sounds good. We can leave here at 11:30, if that's ok?"
"That's fine. Thank you so much Ana. See you at 11:30.", she smiles. I need to call Christian to let him know we are taking Elizabeth by her apartment, just in case I am a few minutes late.
"Ana, baby, is everything ok?", he asks after answering on the second ring.
"Yeah, I was just calling to let you know that Sawyer and I are going to take Elizabeth by her place on our way to pick you up. She has a meeting, and needs to change clothes."
"Ok, that's fine."
"We shouldn't be late. If I am, you can take it out on me later sir."
"In that case, take your time.", he laughs. "Bye baby, love you."
At 11:30, Elizabeth meets me and Sawyer at my desk. She has been nothing but nice to me, so the least I can do is give her a lift. I know that Jack has put her through hell as well. We get into the Audi and head towards her apartment. It doesn't take long to get there.
"Here, this is where I usually park.", she says pointing to a spot in the garage of her building. "Ana, do you think you can help me choose a blouse. This is an important meeting, and I want to look nice."
"Sure, let's go.", I say as the three of us get out of the car.
Suddenly, I hear see a figure step out from behind a parked car. I almost stop breathing when I see it's Jack Hyde. He walks over towards us as Sawyer pulls his gun out.
"Stop right there. Don't come any further.", Sawyer says as he steps in front of Elizabeth and I.
"Hello guys. Wow, it is so nice to see all of you.", Jack says as he pulls out his own gun.
"Jack, what are you doing here?", I ask as I start shaking.
"Didn't you get my message that I would see you soon? I thought about paying you a visit Saturday or Sunday, but I thought, hey let her enjoy the weekend.", he laughs in a maniacal tone.
"You're crazy, you know that?", Elizabeth says.
"Maybe, but you are nothing but a whore. And you Ana, acting all innocent. I think that is just a charade, you little prick tease."
"Drop the gun. Now!", Luke orders.
"Fine, fine. You win.", Jack says as he puts his gun on the ground. I keep my eyes on him, making sure he doesn't try something else. Luke walks over to pick the gun up. As he turns towards me, I hear a gunshot. The next thing I know, he is falling to the ground.
"Luke!", I scream. What in the hell happened? Then, I realize that I have been played.
"Elizabeth?", I say as I find her holding a gun of her own.
"Ana, this is my lunch date.", she say as Jack walks over to her. He kisses her passionately.
"You did well sugar.", he says.
"You won't get away with this, either of you.", I say as I look at Luke who is bleeding profusely. "Christian knows we're here. He is going to make you pay you son a bitch."
"We'll see about that." Jack says as he slaps me. "That is for calling me a son a bitch." Before I know it, he slaps me again, harder this time. "That is for calling me a bastard earlier. Anything else you want to say to me?"
"Go to hell", I say as he then hits me so I hard I fall to the ground. As I am laying on the ground, my heart breaks as I watch Luke start to lose consciousness. I pray that Christian saves us.
41. Chapter 41
"We're going for a little ride bitch", Jack says as Elizabeth hands him her gun.
"If you think I'm going anywhere with you, you are fucking crazy." Once again he hits me. I hear Sawyer's phone ringing, knowing it is Christian or Taylor.
"Jack, is it necessary to be so rough with her. If you kill her, we have no leverage with Grey." I can see doubt in her eyes.
"Sugar, I am not going to kill her, just trying to make her listen. Now, why don't you go to the car and get that rope we have so we can tie her up. Then we are going to call Grey and give him our demands." Elizabeth starts walking back toward the car when I look at Jack who is aiming the gun at her. Before I can say anything, boom. She falls to the ground. I try to hold back the tears, but I find it impossible.
"She was a whiny bitch. I can't believe she actually thought I was going to split the money I got from Grey with her. Why are you crying? Shut up!", he yells as he hits me hard again. My vision is becoming blurry. But, I can see Sawyer move a little. His hand is near the gun he got from Jack. Not wanting Jack to notice what's going on, I decide to distract him.
"Ok, Jack. I'm sorry for calling you those names. I will do whatever you want."
"Now that's what I want to hear. You know I had planned on killing both you and Grey after I had my money, but maybe I will keep you around. We could have a lot of fun.", he says as he bends down and touches the side of my face. His touch makes me feel nauseous.
"Whatever you want Jack.", I try my best to smile. Boom. I see blood coming from Jack's shoulder. He drops his gun in pain. I see that as my chance to gain control. I take my fist and hit him in the groin. He falls to the ground in pain as I somehow find the strength to stand. I grab the gun that has fallen from his hand.
"Do it. Kill me. I have nothing to live for anyway.", Jack says as he moans in pain.
"I could easily kill you, but I'm not. You are not worth it, you bastard.", I say as I kick him with all I have. I can hear a car coming towards us. Relief floods my body as I see it is Christian. Before Taylor can stop the car, Christian is out running towards me.
"Ana!, Ana!", he yells. "Baby, oh my god."
"I'm ok. Go to Luke. He's been shot.", I say as I look at Luke who is trying stay awake. Taylor is soon at his side with the phone to his ear. I can hear him calling 911.
Jack is still laying on the ground as Christian grabs the gun and points it at him. I have never seem so much hate and anger in Christian's face.
"Christian, don't. Please. You will regret it.", I say as he lowers the gun. "I assume that was you calling Sawyer's phone earlier?"
"Yeah, I knew you said you might be a little late, but something just didn't feel right. I tried calling your phone, but you didn't answer."
"I left my phone in the car."
"Baby bird, look at you. Letting a woman get to you. She must be good in bed."
"Shut the fuck up!", Christian says as he hits Jack so hard, it knocks him out. "Don't worry, he's not dead."
We soon hear sirens. Taylor is applying pressure to Luke's wound. He is still awake, but barely. An ambulance arrives and starts preparing to transport him to the hospital.
"Don't worry baby. He will be fine."
"I hope so.", I say as I break down in Christian's arms.
"Hey, it's ok now. It's over. Look at me.", he says as he takes my face in his hands. "There was a time when I was in such a dark place, that I might have pulled that trigger. But then, you fell into my office and changed everything. When we were on our way here, I told Taylor that if we made it through this, I was never going to let you go. I'm a man of my word. I love you more than life itself.", he says with tears in his eyes as he drops to his knees. "Anastasia Steele, will you marry me?" I am stunned by everything that has transpired today. But, I know there is not a doubt in my mind as to what I am going to say.
"Yes."
42. Chapter 42
After talking to the police, Christian and I went to the hospital. He was insistent that I get checked out. I had some bruises caused by Jack hitting me, but luckily that was all. After getting examined, I go to check on Sawyer.
"Ana, darling. Christian called me and told me what happened.", Grace say when she sees us at the hospital. "How are you?"
"I'm ok. It's Sawyer that I am worried about.", I say as Christian pulls me into him.
"Mom, do you think you can see how he is?", Christian asks as he pulls me in closer.
"Of course, I will go check right now."
Christian and I sit down in the waiting room. Neither of us say anything for a while. The marriage proposal from earlier has not been mentioned anymore. Maybe Christian only proposed because of a rush of adrenaline. He probably was just relieved that I was ok.
"How about we go down to the cafeteria and get some food?", he asks.
"Maybe after we find about Sawyer. Christian, if he hadn't shot Jack..."
"Hush. Don't talk like that, ok?"
Grace starts walking towards us. She gives a small smile as she gets closer. Is she trying to prepare us for bad news.
"I talked with Dr. Scott, Luke's doctor. The bullet barely missed his heart. They were able to retrieve it. Now, the next 24 hours are going to be rough, but Dr. Scott is optimistic that Luke is going to make a full recovery."
"Thank god.", Christian sighs.
"Thank you Grace."
"He is not able to have visitors right now, but you should be able to see him tomorrow. Christian, why don't you take Ana home to get some rest. I have to get back to my rounds. I will see you two later.", Grace says as she leaves us.
Christian and I go back to Escala. As I look at the clock, I notice it's only 5:00. This has to be the longest day of my life. As I walk through the living room, my body collapses on the sofa. Christian bends down next to me.
"Ana, you should eat."
"Not right now. I just want to sleep,and forget about this day.", I murmur as I start to fall asleep. I feel Christian cover me with a blanket.
"Sweet dream baby."
When I wake up, I feel like I have slept forever. My body feels refreshed even though I only slept for two hours. Maybe it's knowing that Jack Hyde is finally in jail where he belongs. I look for Christian and soon find him in his study. Looking up from his paperwork, he smiles.
"Hey, I was just about to come wake you. How did you sleep?"
"Good. I feel energized.", I reply
"That's great. Are you hungry?", he asks as he gets up from his chair and comes towards me.
"Why yes, Mr. Grey, I am. What do you have in mind?"
"Well, I was thinking maybe some Italian food. Then, maybe we could go see a movie. This theater downtown is showing Casablanca."
"Casablanca?", I ask.
"Yeah, that's one of my all time favorite movies. I actually saw the ad for it yesterday and was going to see if you wanted to go. So do you want to?"
"I love that movie. Let me change, and we can go.", I say as I kiss him. "Maybe later, we can play.", I wink.
"Damn woman, you are insatiable.", Christian laughs as I head off to change.
Dinner was amazing. Christian took me to Assaggio Ristorante. I was suprised at how hungry I was. Then, I remembered that Christian and I never made it to lunch. After leaving dinner, we head to the theater.
"Would you like some popcorn?",he smiles at me.
"Not right now. I could actually go for some Raisinets though. Oh, and a diet coke.", I smile. This is the first time in a while that we don't have to worry about looking over our shoulders for Jack.
"Ok, coming right up."
"Where do you want to sit?", I ask as we walk into the theater. Then I notice that we are the only ones there.
"Obviously we are the only ones who appreciate classic movies.", he says with a smirk. "Let's sit in the middle. Some fucker better not sit in front of me and block my view."
"I don't think that's going to happen.", I laugh.
We take our seats and wait for the movie to begin. Christian puts my hand in his. I start blushing like a teenage girl on her first movie date. After several minutes, I start to wonder when the movie is going to start. Finally, the lights dim.
"Here we go.", Christian whispers. I look at the screen eager to watch the movie. Instead of Casablanca, what I see on the screen takes my breath away.
"Anastasia, Will You Marry Me?"
I turn and look at Christian who is holding a ring in his hands. He gets up from his seat and down on his knee. I can't control my tears.
"Will you marry me?"
"Yes, yes. I will.", I say as I leap into his arms. Then I hear applause coming from the back of the theater as the lights come on. I see Carrick, Grace, Elliot, Mia, Kate, Ethan, Taylor, and Gail. They start towards us with big smiles on their faces. One by one, they start congratulating us. "When did you plan this?", I ask Christian.
"I've been planning it since last week. I was going to propose to you tonight anyways. Then today in the garage, I was so relieved to see you were safe that I had to propose right then. But, I still wanted to do the hearts and flowers thing.",he smiles. "I can't wait to make you Mrs. Grey."
"I can't wait to become Mrs. Grey."
43. Chapter 43
Accepting Christian's marriage proposal not only once, but twice has made me the happiest woman in the world.. Seeing all the Greys, Kate, Ethan, Gail, and Taylor at the theater the second proposal even more special. I find myself falling more and more with Christian every day.
"I think I messed up with the proposal.", Christian says after we get back to Escala. Is he having doubts about marrying me? "I should have asked your father's permission for your hand. Fuck, I haven't even met him or your mother." I have had several phone conversations with both of my parents about my relationship with Christian. I conveniently left out the details about the Leila/Kirsten incident and Jack Hyde. They both had wanted to visit, but I kept making excuses because the last thing I wanted to do was involve them in drama. Now that it seems the storm clouds have disappeared, maybe I should invite them to visit. Introducing them to Christian is one thing, but to announce my engagement is another.
"How about I call dad in the morning and see if he wants to visit. Maybe my mom and stepdad can come too. Then when they are here, they can get to you know. I'm sure they will love you."
"Sounds like a plan. Now, it has been a long day. How about we call it a night?", he says.
"I agree. I am so tired.", I say as we start towards the bedroom. I rest my head on Christian's chest and before long we are both peacefully asleep.
As I wake up the next morning, I feel Christian's body wrapped around mine. There is no better way to wake up. He shifts and opens his eyes, giving me a smile. _Oh that smile._
"Good morning Mrs. Grey.", he says kissing me."
"I'm not Mrs. Grey yet, ", I laugh.
"I know. I'm just practicing. I love saying Mrs. Grey. You agreeing to be my wife has made me the luckiest man in the world.", he grins. "Now, get up and get dressed. After breakfast, we will go to the hospital."
"You're not going into work today?", I ask as I slide out of bed and put my robe on.
"No and neither are you. Yesterday was hell, and you need the day off so you can relax."
After having breakfast, I decide to call my dad and invite him for a visit. I want to let him know that Christian and I are getting married. Growing up, I dreamed of him walking me down the aisle at my wedding.
"Annie, hey.", Ray says answering the call.
"Hi, Dad. How are you?"
"Good, how about you? Are you still seeing Christian?", he asks. "Not only seeing him, but marrying him", I think to myself.
"Yeah, and things are really good. I was thinking maybe you can come visit. Christian really wants to meet you."
"I would love to. Christian seems like a good guy from what you've told me."
"He is the best Dad. How about next week?" I know it is short notice, but I want to let my dad know about the engagement as soon as possible.
"Next week? Wow, that's pretty soon, but sure. I have nothing better going on. I will start making plans now. I can't wait to see you Annie."
"I can't wait to see you either Dad. I love you.", I say hanging up. Since that went well, maybe the call with my mom will go as smooth. As I call her, I get her voicemail. I leave a message asking if her and Bob would like to visit, and to call me when she gets a chance.
After I have called my dad, Christian and I head to the hospital to see Sawyer. His doctor tells us that he is getting better, and we will be able to see him soon. As we wait, I get a phone text from Jose telling me that he still has not worked things with Elena. She won't even talk to him. I feel guilty being so happy knowing Jose is having a hard time.
"You can see him now.", the doctor tells us. Walking into the room, I try not to cry. Sawyer is hooked up to a lot of ivs and he is so pale. He is looking at the widow but turns when he hears Christian and I.
"Luke, oh my god.", I say as I stand by the bed.
"Hi, Miss..Ana.", he says weakly. " ."
"Luke, call me Christian. I'm here as your friend, not your boss.", Christian says with a small smile.
"I'm so sorry Luke. It's my fault that you are here."
"No, it's not Ana. The ones to blame are that bastard Hyde and that bitch Elizabeth. They are the ones who did this."
"You saved me, again. I owe you my life."
"I was just doing my job.",he smiles. "I'm just glad that it's all over. Now, you are Christian can start planning your wedding." Christian and I look at each other, wondering how he learned we are engaged. "Christian's mother came by earlier to check on me. She had a huge smile on her face and let it slip. I'm happy for you two."
"Thank you Luke. I want you to know that I'm incredibly grateful to you for saving Ana.", Christian says. "We should let you rest."
"Yeah, we're going to go, but will be back later to visit.", I smile. When we get back home, I start thinking about Jose's text from earlier. Even though Elena and I will never be best friends, maybe I can talk to her about Jose.
"I need to go see someone."
"Who?", Christian asks as he looks up from his newspaper.
"A friend of a friend.", I smile.
"A friend of a friend? Who is it?" Then he realizes who I am referring to. "No, I don't think you should go, Ana."
"I need to see Elena. Christian, I know that it probably sounds crazy, but I want to talk with her about Jose."
"Ana, that's between them. Just stay out of it."
"Your mother said that Elena was happy with Jose. You have made me so happy, and I want to share that with others.", I say as I kiss him.
"Do you realize how fucked up it sounds? You wanting to help your fiance's ex lover/dom with her relationship with your friend who is old enough to be her son.
"Yes, it is fucked up, but I still want to talk to her."
"Go right ahead Dr. Phil", he shrugs.
44. Chapter 44
I decide to take a chance and talk to Elena. I didn't call ahead because I was not sure what I was going to say my reason for going was. If she knew that I wanted to talk about her and Jose, she probably would not agree to it.
"Anastasia? What are you doing here?", Elena asks after opening the door.
"I came here to talk to you about Jose. Please, before you shut the door on me, hear me out." After thinking for a second, she allows me to come inside.
"Let's go into the living room. Would you like something to drink?" Even though I could use I stiff drink to get me through this conversation, I shake my head. "Have a seat.", she says motioning to the sofa.
Elena's house is not at all what I thought it would be. I imagined it to be very dark and creepy, almost like a witch's lair. Instead the walls are white and have beautiful paintings lined up on them. The place has a very homey feel to it.
"Thank you for agreeing to talk Elena. I know that you and I are not exactly friends.", I smile.
"That's true. Look, if you came here to tell me how much better off Jose it without me, and how I should stay away from hi, you're wasting your time. The two of us are no more.", she says in a sad tone. Could she actually have a heart?
"Actually, I'm here because Jose is miserable without you. When I found out you were the one who he was seeing, I was shocked. Jose has always been a good friend, and I want the best for him. Given your past with Christian, I was against your relationship right away. I didn't consider that maybe the two of you had something."
"I'm going to tell you something that I've never told anyone. When I was eighteen, I had dreams of being a fashion designer. I started taking some classes and thought I was on my way. Then, I met this guy Thomas Chandler who swept me off my feet. I fell hard for him. We even talked about marriage.", she says.
"What happened between the two of you?", I ask. Now she has my curiosity piqued.
"I had the chance to move to New York and work for a top fashion designer, but Benjamin was here in Seattle so I gave up the chance. Even though I loved him, I often found myself giving up a part of me little by little. One night, I decided to go to his apartment and cook him dinner. Since I had a key, I let myself in. I could hear Thomas laughing in the bedroom. I shrugged it off that he was watching tv, until I heard a woman as well. When I walked into the bedroom, there he was in bed with his next door neighbor. The little whore quickly got dressed and left."
"Elena, I'm so sorry that happened to you.", I say as I smile. I feel sorry for her. "What happened with Thomas?"
"He said that it had been just a one time thing, but I knew better. There had been times that he claimed to work late. The thought that he might be cheating had come to mind, but I was too blind to actually see it. I went from hurt to angry in no time. He was still on the bed, and I told him it was ok, I forgave him. I went into the closet, got a tie, and told him that I wanted to have some fun. The fool believed me.", she laughs. "I tied him to the bed posts and then beat him with a belt."
"Wow, so that's how you came into your lifestyle?"
"Yes. After Thomas, I vowed never to fall in love again. I was no longer going to let a man have control and hurt me so I got into the BDSM lifestyle. With it, I was the one in control. I met my husband Linc. He was a nice rich man who needed a woman by his side for appearances. Although I believe he loved me, I didn't feel the same. Even though I was married, I continued being a dom. Needless to say, when Linc and I divorced, it didn't bother me at all. When Christian met you, I thought he was silly for believing in love. But then, I saw how happy he was. I admit that made me question my beliefs. When I met Jose, there were sparks instantly with us. The way felt with him was so much greater than anything I have ever felt before. I even showed him my playroom."
"He told me, and he said that you said you had given up that stuff. I had a feeling that was not the truth.", I say raising my eyebrow. She laughs and nods her head.
"I didn't want to scare him away, but then he said he wanted to try it. I couldn't believe it. One night as I was laying in bed, I started thinking what if Jose gets tired of me and wants someone else. He could always decide he wants someone younger. So, taking control, I ended things with him before I could get hurt."
"When I started seeing Christian, I was worried that I was not going to be good enough for him. I was scared that I was going to get my heart broke, but I decided if I didn't take a chance, I would never know. Jose is devastated by what happened. Elena, he is not Thomas.", I smile.
"I'm sorry for being such a bitch to you Anastasia. You intimidated me, honestly. Here you were able to change Christian's views on relationships. I miss Jose very much."
"Call him. Just hear what he has to say. I've taken enough of your time.", I say as I stand. "I should go."
"Thank you Anastasia. I don't have any friends that I can truly talk to. I appreciate you listening.", she says as I leave.
When I get back to Escala, I find Christian in his study. I stand in the doorway and watch him for a couple of minutes before he notices me. He smiles at me as I sit in the chair in front of his desk.
"So, is Elena going to be a bridesmaid at the wedding?", he smirks.
"I don't know about that, but I think she and I have a new understanding of one another."
45. Chapter 45
A few days after my talk with Elena, Jose called and said they met and talked. He happily informed me that they are back together, and he is moving to Seattle. I never thought I would be happy for him and Elena, but love does crazy things to you. You want to share the joy that fills you.
After a boring day at work, I arrive back at Escala. Ray is arriving tonight. I am excited to see him and anxious for him to meet Christian. There is no doubt that he will love Christian. Who wouldn't? As I'm changing clothes, I hear footsteps coming into the bedroom. I feel him before I see him. Turning around I find my future husband staring at me with hunger in his eyes.
"Good evening Mr. Grey. Something seems to have caught your eye.", I say biting my lip. Christian continues staring at me, not saying a word.
"No", he says finally breaking his silence. "Just admiring the vision before me. How did I get so lucky? I keep wanting to pinch myself so I know that this is not a dream." I walk over to him and softly pinch him on his left arm. "Ouch, what was that for?", he asks jokingly.
"I was pinching you so you would know that it's not a dream.", I giggle. Christian kisses me softly as my phone rings. I see that it's my dad.
"Hi Dad! Where are you? Are you in Seattle yet?", I ask excitedly. Christian decided to have Stephan fly my dad tp Seattle in Charlie Tango. At first my dad refused, but he finally agreed.
"Yeah, just landed. Stephan tells me some guy named Taylor is picking me up. Annie, I can take a cab."
"You will do no such thing. I will see you when you get here." I turn to see Christian laying on the bed, grinning. "What are you doing? My dad will be here any minute. We don't have time to fool around."
"Just because I'm laying on the bed you assume I want to fool around?", he asks as I quickly nod. I have never seen Christian lay on the bed and not expect sex to follow. "This may surprise you, but I was just resting for a bit until your dad got here." Damn, I didn't see that coming.
"I'm sorry. I came to the wrong assumption. Rest for a bit." I kiss him on the cheek.
"Of course if you wanted to do something, I wouldn't say no.", he grins wickedly. I knew it! This man and his sexual appetite. I really can't say anything since mine is almost as bad. As I finish fixing my hair, I feel dizzy all of a sudden. "Are you ok baby?", Christian asks as he jumps up by my side.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just got a little dizzy. Don't worry.", I say to him. Telling him not to worry will do no good. He is Christian Grey, the man who constantly worries about me. That's one of the reasons I fell in love with him. "It's probably because I skipped lunch."
"Ana, you know how I feel about you not eating.", he says hugging me.
About twenty minutes later, I hear voices coming from downstairs. It's my dad! I run downstairs as fast as I can, not caring that I'm in heels. Christian is right behind me. Ray looks my way and smiles.
"Dad!", I exclaim as I hug. "I'm so happy to see you."
"Annie, I'm happy to see you too. Let me look at you. You look so grown up.", he smiles. "This must be Christian.", he says holding hand out to Christian.
"Mr. Steele, it's a pleasure to meet you sir.", Christian says shaking my dad's hand.
"Please call me Ray."
"Ok, Ray.", Christian grins. "Ana talks about you all the time. You did an extraordinary job raising her." Ray smiles with pride.
"She was always a good kid. Never got into any trouble. Always focuses on her school work. She is the best daughter a man could ask for."
"Ana is the most amazing woman I have ever met. I love her more than anything in the world."
Christian and I have chosen to wait a little more into my dad's visit before revealing our engagement. I want them to get to know each other better. We decide to have dinner at Bastille restaurant. As we ride to dinner, my dad and Christian are deep in a conversation about fishing. They seem to be getting along well.
"Has your mother met Christian yet?", Ray asks as we are enjoying our dinner.
"No, not yet. She finally called me back and said that Bob has some vacation time scheduled in a few weeks, and that they would try to visit then."
"Well, I'm honored to have the privilege of meeting you first Christian.", Ray says.
"The honor is all mine Ray.", Christian says as he grabs and kisses my hand. Oh this man.
After an incredible dinner, we return to Escala. We spend a couple of hours in the living room talking. Ray tells Christian about my teen years. He even mentions the time that I decided to give myself bangs. That was not a pretty sight.
"I bet you were still gorgeous.", Christian smiles.
"I think I am going to turn in. Thank you for a wonderful evening Christian and Annie.", Ray says.
"Do you need anything else Dad? Extra blankets or pillows?"
"No sweetheart. I'm good to go. I will see you guys in the morning. Goodnight.", he says before walking upstairs.
"I think I'm going to bed too.", I say. I feel a little nauseous suddenly. I go into the bedroom and change into one of Christian's tee-shirts.
"Baby, are you sure you're ok? You look pale.", Christian says entering the bedroom.
"Yeah. I'm fine, just feeling a little nauseous." I get into the bed and watch Christian as he strips to his boxers and joins me in bed.
"Maybe it was something you ate at dinner.", he says as he kisses me softly. I move towards him and rest my head on his chest.
"Yeah, that's probably it."
46. Chapter 46
"Christian, I have something to tell you. I don't know how to say it so I'm just going to come out with it. I'm pregnant.", I say to my fiance who gets a look of disbelief on his face.
"Fuck Ana! How in the hell could this happen? You were on the shot.", he says running his hands through his messy cooper hair.
"Those things are not always one hundred percent. Sometimes they run out before.."
"I can't deal with this right now. I have to get out here." He looks at me with anger in his eyes before leaving.
"Christian!", I yell. "Christian!"
"Ana, baby wake up.", Christian says shaking me. It was just a dream. As I open my eyes, I see him looking at me with wondering eyes. "You were having a nightmare. What was it about?" Looking over at the bedside clock, I see it's just 6 a.m..
"I, uh, You were leaving me.", I say as he kisses my forehead.
"I would never leave you. What happened to make you think I would?" I don't want to tell him that I may be pregnant. Yesterday I was dizzy and nauseous, signs that baby Grey could be on the way. I remember one day as we took a stroll in the park, we were both struck by the affection between two parents and their young son. Christian watched them with a huge grin on his face. "That's going to be us one day.", he said. But, I have a feeling that he is not ready for a baby right now.
"I don't know why. It was just a nightmare. I think I'm going to go read awhile before breakfast. You go back to sleep.", I say as I kiss him softly.
I head to the study and struggle to read. Not able to concentrate, I decide to cook breakfast for Christian and Ray. I still feel a little nauseous, but not as much as last night. As I'm cooking the bacon, I turn around and see Ray walk into the kitchen.
"Something sure smells good in here.", he says with a big smile. "You have always been a good cook Annie."
"Thanks Dad. Would you like some coffee?", I say as I hand him a cup. I go back to cooking the breakfast and find myself in a daze.
"Annie? You there?", I hear Ray say as I look up from the bacon.
"Sorry, I was lost in thought. What were you saying?", I ask as I put the bacon and eggs on the table.
"I was telling you how happy you and Christian seem. Are you ok? You seem to have something on your mind."
"I'm fine Dad. I'm just a little tired is all. Breakfast is served.", I smile as I see Christian walk into the kitchen. My heart skips a beat as I look him. Since today is Saturday, he is dressed in jeans and a black tee-shirt. Damn, he is sexy as hell.
"Good morning Ray. How did you sleep?", Christian says as he pours a cup of coffee.
"Like a baby.", he answers. Baby. Shit. All of I sudden I feel like I am going to hurl. I cover my mouth and quickly run out to the bathroom. I barely make it to the bathroom before I vomit what seems like everything I have eaten in the past week. When I finally finish, I wash my hands and face and stare in the mirror. All of the color is gone from my face.
"Annie, are you ok?", I hear Ray knocking on the door.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I think I have a stomach virus or something.", I say as I walk into the living room. "Is Christian still having breakfast?"
"He finished. He said he had some errands to run and would be back soon. Can I get you something?"
"No, I'm good. Thank you though. So what do you want to do today?"
"Well, I was actually going to see if it would be ok with you if I went to the shooting range for a while with Taylor. He and I got to talking last night on the way here. He was a military man too, how about that." I'm happy that my dad and Taylor are becoming friends. "He asked if I wanted to go to the range with him. Since you're not feeling well, I can tell him no."
"You go Dad. I will be ok.", I say as I lay down on the sofa. "I think I'm going to rest for awhile." I see Taylor come into the room from the security office.
"Ok sweetie. I hope you feel better. Call me if you need anything.", he says as he and Taylor leave.
I close my eyes and try to sleep, but my thoughts won't let me. As I am about to finally drift off, I hear the elevator. Too tired to see who it is, I keep my eyes closed. Suddenly, I feel a hand on my shoulder. I jump out of my skin and look to find Christian standing in the living room with a bag.
"Christian, you scared me.", I say as I sit up on the sofa.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to. Come.", he says as he takes my hand and pulls me from the couch. "I saw Ray and Taylor downstairs so we are all alone.
"Let me guess, you want to have some kinky fuckery? Is there some kind of a new toy in there?", I point at the bag in his hand.
"No, no toy Miss Steele.", he smirks as he reaches in the bag. I'm stunned when I see the bag's contents. A pregnancy test and timer. Christian notices me eyeing the test. "I think you need to use this."
"How..I mean..why..", I say flabbergasted. "Christian, why did you buy that?"
"I started thinking that's it a possibility you could be pregnant. Last night you were dizzy and all. Then earlier, you ran to the bathroom in lightning speed."
"There is a chance, I guess that I could be.", I say as I look down at the floor. He hands me the test and timer. "I will be right back."
"Ana.", he says as I turn around. "It's going to be ok.", he smiles.
I head into the bathroom and follow the instructions on the test. It says that the results will show in three minutes. As I open the door, I see Christian standing against the wall with his arms folded. He comes towards me, kissing me softly.
"Is that what your nightmare was about?", he says as he takes my hand.
"I told you that I was pregnant, and you left."
"That's not going to happen. If you're pregnant, I will be happy. I want a family with you."
"Wouldn't it be too soon?"
"Fate brought me you. So, if fate brings us a baby now, it will be amazing."
We stand and hold hands outside the bathroom until we hear the timer. It's the moment of truth. Knowing that Christian is supportive no matter what makes me feel a lot better. He walks into the bathroom with me. Picking up the test, I see the words Not Pregnant. I look at Christian who gives me a small smile.
"No baby Grey.", I say. I would be lying if I said I didn't feel a bit of disappointment.
"Not yet, but there will be one day. I can't wait to see you pregnant. I almost forgot something else that I have for you.", he says as he pulls a piece of paper from his pocket. I notice it's in his handwriting. It reads:
_"I loved you yesterday. I love you still. I always have. I always will."
_
47. Chapter 47
**Thank you all for reading and reviewing. Angela76, I was inspired by your comment and worked it into the story ;) Enjoy!**
Now that I know I'm not pregnant, I can focus on the next task at hand, telling Ray that Christian and I are engaged. I can tell that Ray is fond of Christian, and he accepts our relationship. But, telling him that we are getting married is on a whole new level. Hopefully, Ray will react in a positive way to the news.
"What's going that head of yours Grey?", I ask I am resting on the sofa with my feet propped up in Christian's lap. He is gently massaging my feet, and it feels like heaven. This man has magic fingers.
"Just thinking about how we are going to tell Ray about the engagement. Are you sure he likes me?" Christian sounds like a teenage boy who is afraid of his girlfriend's father.
"Yes, he likes you. Maybe we should just tell him at dinner tonight. Just get it over with."
"It seems he has become fast friends with Taylor. Maybe if I offer Taylor a raise, he will tell Ray for us.", Christian says as I laugh. "Of course, I need to make sure Taylor is not armed when he does it.", Christian smirks.
"It's natural that you are nervous because you want to marry his daughter. Fathers tend to be protective of their daughters, but Ray will be ok. Just imagine if we have a daughter, and her boyfriend comes to you asking to marry her."
"That's not going to happen.", he shakes his head. "I will send her to a convent.", Christian says as I roll my eyes. "I saw that."
We continue sitting on the sofa talking until we see Ray and Taylor come in. They are laughing like two lifelong friends. It's different seeing this side of Taylor. Usually, he is all professional.
"Hey you two. How was the shooting range?", I ask.
"It was a lot of fun. You should have come with us Christian.", Ray says as he sits in the chair across from the sofa.
"I wanted to stay here and keep Ana company, but I'm glad you guys had fun.", Christian smiles.
"Thank you again for going Ray. We will have to do that again.", Taylor says as he walks to the security office.
"Are you feeling better Annie?", Rays asks.
"Yeah, still tired, but a lot better.", I answer as I look at Christian. "I was thinking I could cook dinner tonight. Maybe lasagna?"
"You don't have to do that.", Ray says.
"I want to cook for my two guys.", I say as I stand up.
"Your lasagna has always been delicious. Have you tried it yet?, he asks Christian who shakes his head. "Well, you're in for a treat. Annie is a great cook."
"My stomach is growling just hearing how good it is. I can't wait to try it.", Christian says.
"I think I'm going to go to my room for a whilet. I will see you guys in bit."
Christian and I watch Ray head to his bedroom. As I start moving toward the kitchen, Christian jumps up and kisses me, taking my breath away. "What was that for?", I giggle.
"I just felt like kissing my fiancé. Did you want to have dinner here so there won't be any witnesses around when Ray kills me after we tell him we're getting married?"
"Relax, it's going to be fine."
Christian and I go into the kitchen so we can get dinner started. He wants to help me so I give him the task of preparing the salad. I know that is probably the best thing for him to do since he is no cooking skills. When dinner is finally ready, the entire penthouse is filled with delicious aromas. As Ray comes into the kitchen, I see Christian get pale. Mega-CEO Christian Grey is nervous!
"Ana, this is wonderful.", Christian says as he takes a bite of the lasagna.
"Thank you.", I smile.
"Ray, there is something that Ana and I...", Christian starts saying until we see Mia bouncing into the kitchen. "Mia, what are you doing here? Is something wrong?" She has a huge grin on her face as she looks at me and Christian.
"No, I was just on my way to meet Ethan for dinner and thought that I would see when Ana wants to go shopping for wedding dresses. I can't wait to start planning!.", she shrieks. Ray has a stunned look on his face. After all of this time trying to find a way to tell Ray we are engaged, Mia does it for us.
"Mia, this is my dad Ray Steele. We were just about to tell him that we're engaged.", I say as Mia realizes that she has spilled the beans.
"OMG! I am so so sorry. I had no idea. My apologies Mr. Steele.", Mia says.
"It's all right. I had a suspicion that something was going on. I can see the way that you two look at each other. You are in love, and I think that is wonderful. Annie, I have always wanted the best for you. Christian, even though I just met you, I can tell that you are a great guy. Your face lights up when you say her name or when she walks into a room. Having Annie as a daughter has been the highlight of my life, and having you as a son will be another." I see Mia start tearing up as my own tears are falling.
"Ray, when I first met Ana, I was going through life with my eyes closed. I didn't know what love was. Then, when Ana fell through my office, my heart opened up. I am a better person because of her. She is the first thing I want to see when I wake up in the morning, and the last thing I want to see when I close my eyes at night, for the rest of my life."
"I'm so happy for you too.", Ray says. We all stand up and hug. "You are going to be a beautiful bride Annie"
"I'm getting married!"
48. Chapter 48
Things have been going so well for Christian and I. Ray left to go back home yesterday after giving us his blessing. Now all we have to do is tell my mom that we're engaged and the wedding planning can begin.
"Ana!", Christian yells as he comes into the kitchen where I'm talking to Gail.
"Christian, I'm not deaf. You don't have to yell my name."
"You didn't have a problem with me yelling your name last name, but then again, your screaming my name was a lot louder." Oh my god. Gail is pretending she didn't hear him, but her blushing gives her away.
"Ok Mr. Grey, now that you have made your presence known, what is so important that you must yell?", I ask as I prepare my tea.
"I have something to show you. Come on. It's a bit chilly so you will need your coat.", he says as he pulls me from my seat. "Gail, Taylor said that he was going to take a quick shower and would be ready for your date night." Gail and Taylor are so cute together.
"Gail, I hope that you and Taylor have a lovely evening.", I say as I'm practically dragged from the kitchen. I have no idea what he Christian wants to show me, but he can be as bad as a child on Christmas morning sometimes. I have to admit, though, that it's cute.
As we head downstairs to the garage, I can't help but smile at the man I'm going to marry. He has had a huge grin on his face since he came home. We get into the R8 and head towards our destination. If only I knew where our destination was. I soon notice a sign that reads 9th AVE NW. Christian looks over at me and smiles. There are several nice homes on the road. Just as I am about to ask where we are going, he turns into a drive way that leads to a large Mediterranean-style house. It is breathtaking. This is the type of house that I have always dreamed of.
"Whose house is this?", I ask as Christian stops the car.
"Ours. That is if you like it." He gets out of the car and comes around to open my door. "I got the key from the realtor so we can look around." Taking my hand, he leads me to the front door. As soon as we step inside, I get a warm feeling. Christian leads me through the different rooms in the house.
"I thought this could be our bedroom.", he says as we go into a huge room that is bigger than my old apartment. "Then, this bedroom across the hall could be one of the kid's rooms."
"One? How many kids do you want?"
"I don't know.", he shrugs. "At least two. How many do you want?"
"At least two.", I giggle. "I can see us having at least one of each."
"If we have a boy, he can help me keep all the delinquents away from our daughter."
"I thought she was going to be in a convent." I put my arms around his neck and kiss him softly.
"Oh yes, I forgot. So, what do you think about the house?"
"I love it. I can definitely see us living here and raising a family. How about you?"
"Baby, we could live in a cardboard box, and I would be happy as long as we were together.", he smiles.
"That was so sweet."
"Yeah. I'm thinking of putting it on a greeting card." We both burst out with laughter. As we walk to the back of the house, I see that it overlooks the Sound. The view looks like something from a painting. It's gorgeous.
"Christian, I love this house. It feels like home." He holds my hand as we go outside towards the water. We sit for several minutes on a dock that overlooks the water until we are interrupted by my phone. I look and see that it's my mom.
"Hey Mom. Oh Bob. Hey." Christian looks at me with questioning eyes. "What do you mean someone was in the house? Well, is she ok?" I can't believe what I am being told. "I will be there as soon as possible." I hang the phone up with shaking hands.
"Ana? Baby, what is it?", Christian asks.
"Bob said that he came home, and the house was trashed. Furniture was turned over. He could tell it was a robbery.", I say trembling.
"Damn. Was a lot taken?"
"Bob doesn't really know. Christian, my mom was shot."
49. Chapter 49
"My mom is going to be all right. She is. She just has to be.", is what I keep telling myself as Christian and I make our way to the hospital in Georgia. Carla Adams is the most caring and loving person in the world. She would give the shirt off her back to someone in need. Which is why I can't fathom that someone shot her in her own home during a robbery.
"Baby, your mom is going to ok.", Christian says as he tenderly holds my hand. He has so supportive since I found out about my mom. As soon as I got off the phone with Bob, Christian called and had his private plane prepared for the trip to Georgia. After what seems like the longest car ride ever, we finally arrive at the hospital.
"Excuse me, my mother Carla Adams was brought in. Could you tell me where she is?", I ask a nurse at the nurses' station. She looks through the computer for a second as I impatiently tap my finger on the counter. Christian puts his hand on my shoulder.
"Mrs. Adams is up on the fifth floor in ICU", she finally says. I immediately head to the elevator with Christian right beside me. Stepping out of the elevator on the ICU floor, I look for Bob, but can't find him.
"Can I help you?", a passing nurse asks. Her name tag read Marianne.
"I'm Anastasia Steele. My mother Carla Adams was brought in. Could you tell me how she is and which room is hers?".
"Yes, Mrs. Adams' room is 503. It's right there.", she says pointing a room not far from where we are standing. I've been one of the nurses taking care of her since she was brought in. You can go in, and I will get her doctor so he can tell you about her condition.
Christian leads me into the my mom's dimly lit room. My heart stops when I see her. I don't recognize the woman in the bed. She is unconscious with tubes and ivs coming out of her body. I stand next to her bed and gently touch her hand.
"Mom, it's me. I got here as fast as I could. This is not the exact way that I wanted to introduce you, but Christian is here." Christian moves from his spot by the wall and stands next to the bed.
"Hi .", Christian says softy. "I wish I could have met you under more fortunate circumstances. Ana talks about you all the time. She loves you so much." We are interrupted by a knock on the door. A doctor in his mid forties enters the room.
"Miss Steele?", I nervously nod. "I'm Dr. Mathis.", he says as he shake our hands. "Your mother suffered a gun shot wound to the chest. The bullet damaged the right atrium and ventricle. We were able to remove the bullet, but she is far from being out of the woods. I'm sorry that I don't have better news for you." I can't believe what I'm hearing. "I have to check on a few more patients, but I will be back around in an hour.
"Where is Bob? He should be here.", I ask as I sit down in a chair next to the bed.
"Maybe he went down to the cafeteria. I could check if you want.", Christian says as he rubs my shoulder.
"Christian, what if she doesn't make it?" I turn around and look at him with tears.
"She will. You told me how strong she is. I bet she is as big of a bad ass as you are."
"Can you go and look for Bob. I want to talk to him. I need to know about everything that happened."
"Of course baby. I will be right back.", he says as he kissed the top of my head before leaving the room.
"Mom, I don't know if you can hear me, but I hope you can. You need to wake up. Please."
A few minutes later, Christian comes back into the room, and I see Bob behind him. He doesn't make eye contact with me. Instead, he chooses to stare blankly at the floor.
"Bob, hi." He finally looks up at me and gives a brief smile.
"Hey Ana. I'm glad that you are here. I..uh..went downstairs for some coffee. If I had known you were here, I would have been back up here sooner.
"Can I talk to you outside for a minute?" Bob looks at me with questioning eyes. "I want to know what happened, and I don't feel comfortable talking in front of Mom. He nods as I look at Christian. "Christian, can you.."
"Yeah", he says reading my mind. "I will be right here" I walk out of the door behind Bob.
"What in the hell happened?", I ask as soon as we step into the hallway.
"I came to the house to pick up some things and the house was in disarray. As I went into the bedroom, I saw her laying on the floor", he says as he again avoids eye contact.
"What do you mean you went to pick up some things? Why would you have to do that?", I cross my arms and wonder what he is talking about.
"Ana, I was not staying at the house with your mom. Carla kicked me out last week when she found that I had been having an affair." My jaw hits the floor. No wonder he won't look me in the eye. His conscience is bothering him, as it should be.
"Unbelievable! Are you telling me that my mom was home alone because you couldn't keep your pants up?!" I know that I shouldn't be raising my voice right outside my mom's room, because I can't help it. Christian comes out into the hallway, looking at me and then Bob.
"Ana, what's going on out here?", Christian asks as he moves beside me.
"Why don't you ask Bob?", I snap.
"Look Ana, what do you want me to say? I'm sorry? Because I am. But, your mom and I have been having issues for awhile."
"So just because you had problems you went looking elsewhere?!"
"I didn't mean for it to happen. About two months ago, after an argument, I stormed out. I ended up at a bar, and met this woman. One thing led to another, and we started seeing each other."
"Bob, is it possible that this woman who had an affair with could be responsible for what happened to with Carla?", Christian questions.
"No way. There is no way that Meg could have done this.", he quickly answers.
"How can you be so sure Bob?
"I don't like what you're getting at Ana.", Bob says as he steps towards me, but Christian puts his hand out to stop him.
"What I'm getting at is that it's odd that my mom finds out you're having an affair, and then she ends up in the hospital fighting for her life."
"There is no way Meg did this Ana. And Christian, you just saw Carla for the first time, and she was unconscious. You have no dog in this fight." Christian tenses up.
"Yes, I hate that I had to see Carla for the first time in that state. As for the "dog in the fight" comment, you are wrong. This affects Ana so it affects me as well.", Christian says.
"Bob, it's been a long day. Why don't you go home and get some rest. I will stay here tonight with mom.", I say as I regain my composure. I have always liked Bob, but I can't believe what he has done.
"All right. Call me if anything changes.", he says. "Ana, I know that I messed up, and I am sorry." Christian and I watch as he gets on the elevator and leaves.
"I know that was a shock to your system.", Christian says as he pulls me into him.
"Yeah, it was. First thing tomorrow, I'm going to talk to the police about their investigation. Then, I am going to find out what Bob is not telling us."
50. Chapter 50
"Hey baby, I have some coffee for you", Christian says as he comes into my mom's hospital room and hands me a steaming hot cup of coffee. He and I stayed overnight at the hospital with my mother. There was no was that I was going to leave her. I need to be here when she wakes up. It's not a matter of if, but rather, a matter of when she wakes up. Seeing her laying in the hospital bed breaks my heart. Why would someone want to hurt her? I'm still not conviced that Bob is telling the entire truth. I get the feeling there is more than he is telling besides the fact he had an affair.
"This coffee is awful.", I say after taking a sip.
"I thought that it was fairly decent.", Christian laughs as I look at him in disbelief. "Well, it's not five star coffee, but it's good."
"I called my dad last night and told him about my mom." I gently rub her hand as I sit next to the hospital bed. "Well, I didn't tell him about the Bob situation, but I told him the rest. He was in shock. Even though they are no longer married, they are still fond of one another."
"Have you talked to Bob this morning?", Christians asks as I shake my head. "I'm sure he will be here soon." I would have thought that Bob would be here already. Even though my mom kicked him out, he could still be here for her. His behavior keeps getting more suspicious by the minute. "Isn't the detective in charge of the case coming to talk about the investigation?"
"Yeah. He should be here soon.", I reply as I see the door open and Bob standing in the doorway. He looks well rested, not at all like a guy whose wife is fighting for her life in a hospital bed.
"Good morning Ana, Christian. Has there been any change?", he asks as he walks into the room and kisses my mom softly.
"No, she is the same. The detective in charge should be here soon. Hopefully, they have some leads." I get up from my seat and take a spot on the floor next to Christian. "Bob, you can sit next to Mom if you want." He gives me an uncertain look before finally sitting down.
"Hey Carla, it's me. I want you to get through this so we can get back on track.", Bob says as we hear a knock on the door. A man in his late fifties comes into the room.
"Detective Owens, hello.", Bob says to the man. "This is my step daughter Anastasia Steele and her boyfriend Christian Grey." Detective Owens walks over to Christian and I and shakes our hand. "I talked to Detective Owens briefly yesterday."
"I would like to know more about the case Detective, but I think we should talk outside in the hallway.", I say as I look at Christian.
"That would be fine Miss Steele.", Detective Owens says as he leads me and Christian out into the hallway.
"Bob, are you coming?", I asks as I hold the door open.
"I'm going to sit here with Carla. Since I talked to the Detective yesterday, I will let him fill you in on what he knows."
"Detective, what you can tell us about the burglary and shooting?", Christian asks as we walk to the waiting room.
"When we arrived at the house, it was completely ransacked. Even though there were items broken and furniture turned over, we haven't found out what all is missing. Your step father said that he hasn't had a chance to check. Often in burglaries, jewelry is one the big items taken. While some may have been stolen, your mother was still wearing her wedding ring and necklace." After hearing that she was wearing her ring, it makes me wonder if my mom was still holding out hope for her marriage. I make a mental note to look at Bob's ring finger to see if he is wearing his.
"Do you have any idea who could have done this?" Christian takes my hand in his.
"Not at the moment. We are talking to neighbors to see if they may have seen or heard anything."
"Detective, has my stepfather told you about the affair he had.", I ask. From the look on his face, I can tell Bob hasn't mentioned it. "He had an affair with some woman, Meg I think. It may not be important, but if there is a chance my mom's shooting is connected..." Detective Owens takes out a small note pad from his jacket and begins writing.
"Thank you Miss Steele. I will look into that. I have to get back to work, but I will keep you updated."
"What's going through that beautiful head of yours?", Christian asks as we sit down on a small sofa in the waiting room.
"Something doesn't add up. Why would someone break in the house and not take my mom's jewelry. I mean they went as far as shooting her so why not take her ring and necklace. Christian, I don't think robbery was the motive."
"Yeah, I don't know Bob as well as you, but even I feel like he is hiding something. Do you think his girlfriend could have something to do with it?"
"Maybe. I hope that I'm wrong, but what if Bob did it. He has not exactly been forthcoming with information. Detective Owens didn't know about the affair.", I say as Christian and I don't see someone appear behind us.
"Affair? What the hell do you mean affair?", I hear as I turn around and see Ray standing behind us.
"Dad, what are you doing here?" I immediately stand up and hug him. Christian is soon on his heels and shakes Ray's hand.
"Hello, Ray."
"When you told me that your mother had been shot, I felt like I needed to be here for her, you, and Bob. After what I just heard, Bob can go screw himself. That bastard cheated on her?"
"Yeah, but we don't know everything. Mom found out about it and kicked him out."
"Even though Carla and I are no longer married, we are still friends. We talk occasionally on the phone, mostly about you. She always seemed like everything was fine with her and Bob."
"I thought they were ok too, but I guess you never know what goes on behind closed doors. Would you like to see her?"
"Yes, but if I see that loser husband of hers, I may go crazy."
"We won't let that happen Ray.", Christian smiles as we walk back to my mother's room. As we go in, I see that Bob has moved to another chair and is watching tv. He looks over at as we come into the room. When he sees Ray, the smile that had been on his face disappears.
"Ray, I didn't know you were coming.", Bob says as he walks over to Ray.
"Carla and I are still friends, and she is Ana's mother so I needed to be here."
"I'm glad you are here. Ana, I'm going to the cafeteria for some food. Do you guys want anything?", Bob asks.
"No, I'm fine.", I respond as Christian and Ray shake their heads. "I will be right back." I look at Ray and can tell that he wants to call Bob out. As Bob goes into the hallway, Ray follows him. After a quick look at Christian, I proceed behind the two men. I have a feeling why Ray followed Bob out, and I need to be around if a fight breaks out.
"Bob, before you go, I need to know something." Bob tilts his head slightly as he looks at Ray. "Why would someone who has a woman as wonderful as Carla go elsewhere?"
"I don't know what you are referring to Ray."
"Carla and I grew apart. We tried to work it out, but we decided that it was best to end it. Even though she and I had our issues, neither of us thought about cheating. I understand that the two of you may have had problems, but that doesn't give you the right to cheat. Carla is an amazing woman. I have never met a woman who is as special as she is. She is a rare gem that needs to be cherished."
"Ray, I really don't want to talk about this with you. It's non of your business.", Bob says as he walks away. I walk over to Ray and smile. After hearing what he said to Bob, I can tell that he still cares for my mom very much. As I go to open to the door to my mom's room, Christian comes out with a serious look on his face.
"Ana, it's your mother."
51. Chapter 51
As I enter my mom's room, I'm met with a sight that stuns me, my mom is awake. Tears start falling as I rush over to her. She is looking at me with a smile. Though it is only a slight smile, it is the most beautiful smile in the world.
"Mom, hey.", I say as I gently take her hand. I briefly look at Ray who is smiling with relief. Christian mouths that he is going to get the doctor.
"Ana", she says softly.
"Yes, I'm here. We were all worried about you.", I say as I see her eyes shift slightly to Ray. He walks over to the other side of the bed.
"Hey Carla. It's so good to see those beautiful eyes of yours again.", he says as she smiles.
A few minutes later, Dr. Mathis comes into the room. He is delighted that she is awake, and wants to do a quick exam. Ray and I step out into the hallway as we wait. Christian comes from the elevator with a puzzled look on his face.
"After I told the doctor that Carla was awake, I went downstairs to the cafeteria to let Bob know she was awake. I didn't see him at first so I started coming to come back up here. Just as I was about to get on the elevator, I saw him standing by the front entrance. He was on the phone with someone, and from his facial expressions, he was not happy with whoever was on the other end."
"That rat is up to no good. I wouldn't be surprised if he was talking to his mistress.", Ray says with disgust in his tone.
"We need to find out what he is up to. It doesn't sit too well if he was talking to his girlfriend while his wife is in ICU. I can't believe that I'm about to say this, but I have a feeling Bob knows who shot Mom."
"I will get in contact with Welch and if he can help us. Don't worry we will find out who is behind this.", Christian says as we see Bob come off the elevator.
"Bob, where were you?", I ask as I fold my arms.
"Remember I told you that I was going to the cafeteria. What's up with the third degree?", he says. I want to call him out on his lie of being in the cafeteria, but I hold my tongue.
"Mom is awake." Bob's face freezes in shock.
"What? How? When? That's great" Even though he is smiling, I get the feeling that he is disappointed that she is awake. Doctor Mathis comes out of the room a few minutes later and says that Mom is on her way to what he believes to be a full recovery.
"Ana, I think you and Christian should go in and see her. I know she wants to meet Christian. Plus, I probably am the last person she wants to see now.", Bob says as his defensive attitude from earlier fades. Christian takes my hand as we walk into the hospital room. When my mom sees us, her face lights up.
"Hey Mom. There is someone who I want you to meet. This is Christian Grey.", I say as I look lovingly at Christian.
"_Oh my_", she says, clearly taken by how Christian's good looks. "Christian, it is so nice to finally meet you."
"I'm happy to finally meet you as well. Ana speaks very highly of you.", Christian says as he flashes that million dollar smile of his.
"So, when is the wedding?"
"Wedding? What are you talking about Mom?" Christian and I were going to tell her about the engagement after she had recovered. How could she have found out?
"I can see it on your face Ana. You have engaged painted all over it. I knew it was coming."
"We were going to tell you when you came for your visit, but then this happened.", I say as I look down at the floor.
"I'm happy for you sweetie. You deserve this. I know this is probably not the way you wanted to tell me, but it's ok. Your good news gives me something to look forward to.", she says with sadness in here eyes.
"Mom, Bob told us that you kicked him out. He also told us why you did it. Why didn't you tell me?"
"I started to. There were a few nights where I went to pick the phone up and call you. I just couldn't do it. Ana, this is my fourth marriage, and I thought it was going last forever. I guess I was embarrassed."
"There is nothing to be embarrassed about. Bob is the one who messed up. He had a wonderful wife and threw it away." Tears start to down her face. "Please don't cry. I didn't mean to upset you."
"No, you're right. Bob is the one who messed up. Where is he?"
"Out in the hallway with Dad.", I smile.
"Hopefully Ray won't kill him.", Christian laughs as my mom looks at us.
"Ray knows about Bob's affair and was not too pleased."
"Ray has always been a protective man. That's one of the things that made me fall in love with him.", Mom says.
"Carla, do you remember anything about the day of the shooting?", Christian asks. She remains silent for a minutes, and I realize she is trying to remember.
"Not all of it. After going grocery shopping, I came home and tried to do some cleaning in the kitchen. But, with everything going on with Bob, I was just exhausted so I decided to take a small nap." She stops for a minute as she gathers her thoughts.
"We can do this later Mom. You need to rest."
"It's fine Ana. I went into the bedroom and was about to rest when I heard someone coming up the stairs."
"Did you hear glass or anything being broken from a window, maybe were someone got in the house?", Christian asks as my mom shakes her head.
"No, I never heard anything before the footsteps. That's all that I remember." I can see that she is getting tired.
"Why don't you rest Mom. We will be back in a little while."
As Christian and I walk into the hallway, Bob and Ray both jump to their feet. "She is resting.", I tell them.
"While she is resting, I'm going to pick up a prescription that I was supposed to get the other day.", Bob says.
"All right." He is on the elevator and gone in no time. As I'm about to discuss my doubts about him with Christian and Ray, I see Detective Owens walk up.
"Miss Steele, the hospital called and said that your mother was awake. Would it be ok for me to talk with her?"
"She's resting right now Detective."
"I understand. I can come back later and talk with her.", he says.
"Detective, before you go, I have something to ask you." He looks at me and gives me a nod to go ahead with my question. "Was there visible signs of forced entry into my mother's house."
"There was a window in the study of the house that was broken. We think that is how the guy got in." He looks at me, Christian, and Ray like we have a secret that he wants in on. "Is there something that you want to tell me Miss Steele?"
"My mom doesn't recall hearing glass break. So, there is a chance that it was broken _after_ she was shot, right?"
"There is a chance that she just didn't hear the glass break, or she might not be able to remember right now due to her injuries."
"Possibly, or maybe the reason she didn't hear anything is because the person who did it let themselves into the house and broke the glass _after_. I think you should talk with my stepfather."
52. Chapter 52
Knowing that my mom is on the road to recovery means I can now focus on finding the person responsible for shooting her. My earlier suspicion that Bob is hiding something has increased since hearing my mom recall what she remembers. Hopefully, Welch and the police can find something soon. Just being in the same room with him is nauseating.
"Hey baby, I just got off the phone with Welch. He was able to get a hold of Bob's cell phone records and credit card receipts.", Christian say as I sit in the cafeteria eating what I assume is jello. I thought the food we were served in school was awful.
"Anything interesting?", I ask as I give up on the jello.
"There were several outgoing and incoming calls from a number that started about two months ago. Isn't that when the affair began?" I nod my head slowly. "At first there countless calls between the two. Then, about a week and half ago, most of the incoming calls stopped, but Bob continued calling the number."
"That has to be the woman he had the affair with, Meg."
"Welch looked, and sure enough the number belongs to a woman named Meg Bryant.", Christian says. Welch faxed the call history to me, and here it is." He hands the piece of paper to me as I look at the times all the calls were made.
"Damn, how did he get any work done when he was always calling her. There are some days where he called her ten times. I barely see any calls from him to my mom on here. That bastard. I want to call this Meg and see what she has to say."
"Ana, I think we should give this to Detective Owens so he can handle it."
"We will, but I just want to talk to her and see what she has to say. There has to be a reason why she stopped calling him all of a sudden. Maybe she ended it, and he couldn't deal."
"What if she is the person who shot your mother? She could be dangerous." Christian does have a point, but I need answers from her myself. I need to hear why she had the affair with Bob and ruined my mother's marriage.
"There is a café across the street that I will ask her to meet me at. And, you can come with me.", I smile
"I have a feeling that you're going to do this with or without me, so I will go with you." Christian reaches over and takes my hand. "We'll get the answers."
I look at the number on the phone list and dial it. After it rings several times, I'm about to hang up when I hear a soft voice on the other end answer.
"Hello?", a woman asks.
"Is this Meg Bryant?"
"Yes it is. May I ask who is calling?"
"You don't know me, but my mother is Carla Adams." There is a moment of silence, and I wonder if she is still on the line. "Hello?"
"I'm here. I don't know Carla Adams."
"But I think you know her husband Bob, don't you?"
"I'm sorry, but I need to go."
"Please don't hang up. What you and Bob did is your business, but I need to know if he had anything to do with my mother being shot. She is the most important woman in my life, and I'm not going to stop until I find out who did this. Can you meet me at, please?" I can sense that she is pondering what to do.
"Ok, I will meet you."
"How about in an hour at the café that is across from the hospital?"
* * *
An hour later, Christian and I go into the small café across the street from the hospital and wait on Meg Bryant to arrive. All of these thoughts of what she looks like have been going through my head. Is she younger than my mom? Is she a brunette or a blonde? How tall is she? Before I know it, I have my answer. A tall slender brunette woman in her late forties walks in, and I have an immediate feeling that she is Meg. Since Christian and I are the only other people in the café, she heads straight to the table where we are sitting.
"Meg?", I ask as I stand.
"Yes", she says nervously.
"I'm Anastasia Steele. This is my fiancé Christian Grey.", I look at Christian who has stood and shakes her hand. "Please have a seat." A few seconds later, a waitress comes to the table.
"Can I get you guys something?"
"Ana, tea?", I nod. "Ms. Bryant, what would you like?", Christian asks.
"I'm fine."
"Have you ever had Twinings Breakfast Tea? It's my favorite. I find that it has a calming effect. Would you like yo try it? Meg slowly nods. "Two Twinings Teas and one coffee.", I tell the waitress.
"Thank you for coming here Ms. Bryant."
"Call me Meg.", she says with a slight smile.
"My step father told me that he began seeing you about two months ago.", I ask.
"Yeah. I had just had an exhauting day at work so I stopped by this bar for a drink. I'v never been a big drinker, but I found myself in there. After sitting in the few a while, I noticed this man looking at me. Before I knew it, he was coming over and introducing himself"
"That was Bob Adams?", Christian asks.
"It was. He was so charming and funny. Before I knew it, we were exchanging phone numbers."
"Did he tell you that he was married?"
"He said that his wife had died a year ago in a car accident. I felt sympathetic towards him. A few days after the bar, he called me to have dinner. We went to this small Italian place not far from my place. I have never been so relaxed with a guy before. It just felt natural. After dinner, we went back to my place where we ended up sleeping together." She puts her head down, probably from the shame she feels.
"So, this went on and you never had an idea that he was lying about being a widower?", I question. The waitress brings our drinks over as I'm anxious to see what else she has to say.
"No, he never gave me any sign that he was. One night, I mentioned that we should go to his house, and he told me that he wasn't ready to bring another woman into the house that he shared with his wife. I thought it was kinda strange, but shook it off as he was still dealing with her death."
"Something changed though.", Christian says.
"Two weeks, Bob came to the car rental agency that I work at. One of my coworkers Lisa saw him, and pulled me to the side after he left. She said that Bob was married to one of her sister's friends named Carla, and that Carla was very much alive. That night, I confronted him, and he admitted it. I was married once before, and my husband cheated. The thought that I was a home wrecker was unnerving. I told him to leave and never call me again."
"That jerk.",I say
"He just kept calling me. Last week, he called me and said that everything was going to be fixed soon. I asked what he meant and he said that Carla was going away. I thought he meant on a trip. Then, the other day, he called me and said that he had taken care of her. He said she was in the hospital, but probably wouldn't make it. Then, he told me that he had shot her and made it look like a robbery." I can't believe what I'm hearing. Actually hearing the words that Bob shot my mom maked me angry.
"Why didn't you go to the police?"
"He told me if I did that I would be next. There was something in his voice that made me believe that he was serious. I'm so sorry about everything. I never meant for any of this to happen.", she says to me with tears in her eyes.
"It's ok. I thank you so much for this. There is a detective that we need you to tell this to. Meg, Bob is not going to hurt you. We are going to make sure of that."
Christian called Detective Owens and gave him a brief run down at what we found out. While I went back to the hospital, Christian took Meg to the police department so she could give her statement to the police.
When I got back to my mom's floor, I saw Bob sitting out in the waiting room reading a sports magazine. I wanted to let him know what I had found out, but decided not to. He looked at me and gave a brief smile. _Smile now because soon you won't be_, I thought to myself. When I walked into my mom's room, she and Ray were laughing.
"Hey guys. What's so funny?"
"Just reminiscing Ana. You've been gone a while. Are you ok?", my mom asks.
"Yeah, I just had some things that I needed to take care of. Everything is ok though." I take a seat on the sofa in the room and watch as my parents laugh like two teenagers. It is a sweet sight. I find it hard to stay awake so I decide to close my eyes for a few minutes. Just as I'm about to fall asleep, I hear commotion coming from the hallway. Both Ray and my mom look towards the door, wondering what's going on. Ray and I are soon out in the hallway where we find Christian, Bob, and Detective Owens.
"Detective, what do you think you are you?", Bob asks as Detective Owens turns him around and puts him in handcuffs.
"I'm arresting you for the attempted murder of Carla Adams."
53. Chapter 53
"I still can't fully digest that Bob would do this.", my mom says on the other end of our phone conversation. "Of course, I didn't think he would cheat on me either."
It has been weeks since Bob was arrested for the shooting. Just a few hours after Detective Owens took him into custody, Bob confessed. He claimed that he didn't want my mom to suffer any more than she already had. If he was so concerned with her well-being, he wouldn't have committed the crime that put her in the hospital. Christian and I returned to Seattle a week ago when she was released from the hospital, but Ray decided to stay behind a while longer.
"Mom, you didn't know. Sometimes people turn out to be completely different people than you think they are.", I tell her.
"Ana, I don't know what I would do without you. You have been so wonderful during all of this."
"You're my mother, and I will be there for you . Dad has been pretty great too, huh?", I smile.
"Yeah, he's been wonderful. He may no loner be my husband, but he is sill great. This morning, he cooked breakfast, can you believe that? Ray Steele cooking?", she laughs.
"That's new.", I laugh.
"Have you began wedding plan yet?"
"Not really. I want you to get fully recovered so you can help. It's always been a dream of mine to have you wedding dress shop with me." I stare at the pile of wedding magazines that Mia dropped off. She has been talking non-stop about the wedding. Even though I told Christian that I want something simple, I have a feeling that Mia has other ideas.
"You are going to be the most beautiful bride Ana."
"Thanks Mom. I know that you are probably getting tired and need to rest."
"This medicine they have me on has me so drowsy. I think I will take a nap. I love you sweetie.", she says.
"I love you too."
Since it's Saturday, Christian is not working, but he has gone to play with golf with Elliot and Carrick. Bored, I decide to call Kate to see if she wants to hang out. I have a feeling that it won't be long until she and Elliot are engaged.
"Hey Ana.", Kate says after answering the phone.
"Hi Kate. What are you up to?"
"Actually best friend of mine, I'm on my way up to your place." As soon as she finishes the sentence, I see her arrive in the living room. "Hi", she waves.
"I was going to see if you want to hang out, maybe get a bite to eat or something.", I say as Kate sits in the chair next to the sofa.
"Sure, we can go eat and maybe do some shopping."
"How did I know that you were going to throw shopping in there.", I roll my eyes as she laughs.
"Come on Steele, let's go." Kate and I are soon out the door. As we make our way to one of Kate's favorite boutiques, it starts pouring rain. The sudden downpour will proabably cut the guys' golfing short, but I still want to spend some time with Kate.
"How about this?", Kate says holding up a light blue baby doll style dress.
"That's cute. You should get it.", I reply as I look through a rack of blouses.
"I think I am. Hmm, should I get the blue or the green? Or both?"
"If you get the blue, you will wish you had bought the green. If you get the green, you will wish you had bought the blue. Just get them both." I pick up a deep purple sleeveless satin dress, and I decide to try it on. After trying on and buying the dress, Kate and I grab some chinese food.
"Have you guys set a date for the wedding yet?", Kate asks as we eat.
"Not yet. With everything going on with my mom, we haven't had a chance. I have a question for you.", I say as I take a bite of my fried rice.
"Ok, what is it ?"
"Will you be my maid of honor?", I ask
"Ana! Of course!", she shrieks. "I would be honored."
"You're the sister that I never had."
"Same here.", she smiles.
When Kate and I finish our meal, she drops me off at Escala. I notice that Christian's car is in the garage and hurry up the elevator. As I come into the apartment, I don't see any lights on except for a small light coming from underneath Christian's study door.
"Christian?", I say as I knock softy on the door. Opening it up, I see him sitting at the desk. He sits silent for a few seconds before acknowledging me.
"Hey", he says hoarsely.
"Christian, what's wrong?", I ask as I walk around to him.
"My dad called a few minutes ago. He and my mom were sitting in the living room when they heard the door bell. When he answered it there was this guy standing outside."
"Ok? Who was he?" I bend down to his level as his gray eyes darken.
"He..he said he was Carrick's son."
54. Chapter 54
"Carrick's son?", I ask as with questioning eyes.
"His name is Parker Bennett. He said that his mother was an old high school girlfriend of Carrick's.", Christian says as stands from his chair. "My dad admitted that he dated this guy's mom Maggie. They were pretty hot and heavy until they graduated high school. When they graduated, Maggie broke up with my dad because she was going to college in New York and didn't think a long distance relationship would work."
"How old is this Parker?"
"He's thirty-five. He said that his mother Maggie was pregnant when she broke up with Carrick. She knew he had dreams of being a lawyer and didn't want to ruin them."
"Wow." I can't believe what I'm hearing. There is a possibility that Carrick has a son, by blood. I can see why Christian would be upset by this revelation. "Why is this guy just now coming forward?"
"For years, his mother wouldn't tell him who his father was. Last year, she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Parker asked her to tell him who his father was before she died. She relented at first, but finally did a month ago. She told him that his father was Carrick Grey. Two days later, she died.", Christian says with sadness in his voice.
"How are Carrick and Grace dealing with this?", I ask as I take his hand.
"They are in shock. The idea that my dad may have a biological son is a lot to take in."
"I assume they are going to do a dna test to confirm this?" Christian nods.
"Mom was able to get some strings pulled at the hospital so they are on their way now. I also have Welch doing a background check on Parker. The last thing my dad needs is for someone scheming to get money."
Christian and I attempt to enjoy the rest of the day, but I can tell his head is elsewhere. As we sit on the sofa and watch tv, he feels like he is miles away. Of fifty
"How are you feeling about everything?" I look at him and gently run my hands through his copper hair.
"Shit, I don't know. If he is Carrick's son, I know that Carrick will welcome him with open arms. My mom will too. It will be an adjustment, you know? Knowing that this guys shares the same blood as my dad."
"Hey, look at me.", I say as I take Christian's face in my hands. "Your dad is not going to love you any less if this guy is his son. He will still be your dad." I can see Christian relax a bit. A few seconds later, his phone buzzes.
"Welch, what have you got?", Christian says as he listens to the results of Welch's search. "All right, thanks." After ending the call, he lets out a small sigh. "Parker Bennett is a thirty-five year old advertising executive from New York. According to Welch, he makes a hell of a lot of money. If he is lying, there is a chance that is about more than money.
The next day, Christian and I decide to go to Carrick and Grace's. When we come in, we see Grace and Carrick in the living room with a tall brown haired man. All eyes instantly shift to us as we enter.
"Christian, Ana.", Grace says as she hugs us. Carrick walks over and hugs us as well.
"Son, Ana.", Carrick says with a smile. "There is someone that I would like you to meet. This is Parker Bennett. Parker, this is my son Christian and his fiance Anastasia." Carrick beams with pride as he introduces us.
"Hello. It's nice to meet the two of you.", Parker says as he shakes our hands. "We were just talking about you Christian." Christian looks puzzled as he looks at his parents. "Your parents were telling me how proud they are of you."
"Oh, well, it's because of having amazing parents.", Christian smiles. "So, did you have the test done yesterday?"
"Yes. We should know the results in by Tuesday.", Carrick answers. Grace and I leave the men in the living room while we go outside for a walk. With the chance that Carrick may have a son, I wonder how Grace is feeling.
"How are you doing Grace?"
"I'm good Ana. I know all of this is a lot to handle, but I'm being strong with it. When Carrick and I married, we both knew that we wanted children. There was not a doubt in our minds that we should adopt. Seeing Parker show up saying that he was Carrick's son was suprising, but I'm supporting Carrick all the way."
"How are Elliot and Mia with everything?", I ask.
"Elliot said that he will welcome Parker if the test is positive. Mia is having a hard time with it, but I think over time she will come around.
It is now Tuesday, and the dna results are expected back today. Christian tossed and turned all night. I think his anxiety level is at an all time high. Carrick told him it was all right for him to be there when the results were in, but Christian said that he would rather not.
"Are you sure that you don't want to be there when they find out the results?" I sit down at the breakfast bar next to Christian who is reading a newspaper.
"Yeah. I'm going to support my dad, no matter what, and will welcome Parker into the family. I just think the reading of the results should be done with them."
"I understand. The Grey family has welcomed me with open arms, and I feel if Parker is Carrick's son, he will be too." I say as I kiss him softly on the cheek.
"We will. Besides, it will mean one more person to help me torment Elliot.", Christian laughs. His laughter is cut short by his phone.
"It's my dad.", Christian says nervously. He reaches for my hand as he listens to Carrick. "Ok, talk to you later."
"Well, are the results in?" I see a smile come across Christian's face.
"I have a brother."
55. Chapter 55
Learning Parker Bennett is Carrick's son was a revelation. Even though Christian said that he accepts it, I don't think it has fully set in. It will take some time for everyone to get used to the idea. Carrick and Grace have decided to throw a dinner party to welcome Parker into the family.
"You look nervous.", I tell Christian as we make our way to the dinner.
"Maybe a bit. This is going to sound crazy, but I want Parker to like me.", Christian replies with a slight smile. Who would ever guess that Christian Grey would be nervous of being liked.
"Christian, he is going to like you. You are going to charm him and soon you will be acting like the brothers that you are."
When we arrive, the driveway is full of cars. I thought that it was just going to be a small family get together. It looks like half of Seattle is here. Christian looks just as surprised as me.
"Christian, Ana, come in.", Grace says as she meets us at the door. "We have quite a turn out here."
"Mom, I thought it was just going to be the immediate family." Christian takes my hand and guides me through the foyer.
"Initially, it was. Then, your father started talking about how he wanted this one to meet Parker and that one to meet Parker. We asked Parker if he was ok with a larger gathering and he was fine with it. He said that he is considering moving to Seattle permanently so this will be a perfect chance for him to meet people."
As we walk into the living room, I see Elliot and Kate talking with Christian's grandparents. Carrick and Parker are talking to an older gentleman. Scanning the room, I spot Mia and Ethan at the back. Ethan looks like he is talking to her, but she seems to not be listening. I recall that Grace said Mia was having a difficult time with the news that Parker is Carrick's son.
"There you two are.", Carrick says as he and Parker walk over to where Christian and I are standing. Christian takes two glasses of champagne from a caterer's tray. He hands me a glass and grins.
"Hello Christian, Ana.", Parker smiles as I take a sip of my champagne. "It means a lot that you are here Christian. I'm looking forward to getting to know my new brother."
"Same here Parker."
"Ana, you look nice tonight. My brothers have excellent taste in women."
"Thank you Parker. Grace said that you may be moving to Seattle?", I ask as he nods.
"Yes. It's something that I've been thinking about for a while. Now that my mother is gone, there really is nothing in New York for me. Plus, it would give me the chance to get to know my new family." I see all three men smile when the word family is mentioned. It had to have been hard for Parker to lose his mother. She is someone that can never be replaced, but having his new family can help him not feel alone.
"I'm going to go and say hi to Kate and Elliot.", I tell Christian as I kiss his cheek lightly.
"Hey Kate, Elliot. This is a big turn out."
"Yeah. I think everyone seems to be having a good time.", Kate says.
"Everyone but Mia.", Elliot chimes in. The three of us look over at Mia who is now staring at the floor. "I admit that it's crazy to find out that my dad has a son, but I'm going to do my best getting to know him. I wish Mia would do the same."
"She probably just needs time."
"Speaking of time Ana. Isn't it time to start planning the wedding?", Kate cheerfully says. Kate and Mia probably already have the wedding planned out in their heads. You would think they are the ones getting married.
"Soon, Kate. As I said the other day, I want my mom to get fully recovered. I want her to enjoy this journey with me."
"I understand. It's just that I love weddings and shopping. Anything that combines the two is great.", Kate laughs as Elliot rolls his eyes. "I saw that Elliot."
"Hey baby", Christian whispers in my ear as he joins us. "Hello, Elliot, Kate."
"The girls were talking about weddings. Come on bro, admit that you would rather just elope to Vegas."
"That's where you're wrong Elliot. I want Ana to have the wedding of her dreams. Anything she wants is fine with me." My heart melts as his words. The truh is I probably would elope with Christian in a heartbeat, but I couldn't do that to our parents. They have all been there for us through so much and deserve to share in our happiness.
"Hey guys", I hear coming behind me as I turn around and see Mia and Ethan. Ethan has a big smile on his face, but Mia's face is blank.
"Hi Mia, Ethan. Mia, I love you dress.", I say trying to get a smile, but it fails.
"Ana, can I talk to you for a minute.", Mia asks.
"Of course, Mia." I tell Christian that I will be right back and then walk with Mia outside onto the patio. "You don't look like you're having fun."
"I'm not really in a party mood. There is a lot on my mind right now, and I need someone to talk to." The usually bubbly Mia has been replaced by an emotionless Mia. I've never seen her like this before.
"Mia, I'm always here when you need someone to talk to."
"Thanks, I can't really talk to my parents about this."
"Your mom said that she thought you were having a hard time with Parker being Carrick's son. It will take some time to get used to it."
"For so long, I was the baby of the family and the center of attention. When I found out about Parker, I became worried that my dad wouldn't care about me as much. I mean, now he has a son who is his by blood. How can you compete with that?"
"Just because Parker is Carrick's biological son doesn't mean that you will be loved any less. Blood or not, you are Carrick Grey's daughter. Parker seems excited to get to know you guys."
"Yeah, he said that he wanted to get to know us. I suppose that it's just going to take some time.", Mia says as I see her mood lighten slightly.
"Do you want to go back inside?"
"In a minute. Ana, there is something else that's going on with me.", she says as I tilt my head with questioning eyes. "I'm pregnant."
56. Chapter 56
I knew that something had been bothering Mia, but pregnant? Even though she admitted to being worried about Parker, this pregnancy is more than likely responsible for her zombie like state. She and Ethan haven't been dating long, but I can see they are in love.
"Pregnant?", I ask just to make sure I didn't hear wrong. She looks at me with tears brimming in the corners of her eyes and nods.
"I found out a few days ago, and I've been trying to adjust to it.", she says as we sit down in a pair of chair. She shifts her body so she is facing me.
"How do feel about it?"
"At first, I was in complete shock. Then, I started worrying about what I was going to do. Part of me feels like I'm not ready for this, but I also feel like maybe I can do this."
"What did Ethan say about it?", I ask. Mia's looks at me and arches her brow. Instantly, I know that she hasn't told him.
"I haven't had the courage to tell him yet. Things have been going so well for us, but a baby changes everything. He could be happy, or he could run. I can't lose him Ana.", she says through the tears that are cascading down her face.
"He loves you and will support you no matter what."
"Even if he does, there's my family to deal with. They are going to be so disappointed in me." She stands from her seat and wraps her arms around herself as nervousness runs through her body.
"While they may be surprised at first, they will get used to the idea. Your family could never be disappointed in you."
"Christian is going to freak out. He has always been protective of me. What if he goes after Ethan?"
"It may take some time, but he will get used to it. He will be cool uncle Christian. That kid is going to be so spoiled.", I say as Mia laughs.
"Yeah. If it's a boy, he will make sure that he has his own designer suit before he even leaves the hospital. Thanks Ana. You have really helped me, but could you not say anything right now to Christian. I just need to a bit more time before I tell everyone."
"Of course." Just as I hug Mia, Christian walks outside and looks at us with questioning eyes.
"There you two are. Is everything ok?", he asks as he looks at me and then Mia.
"Ana was just helping me realize that I need to give Parker a chance. I'm going to go find Ethan. See you guys back in there." Mia smiles as she walks back inside.
"Is that all that's going on?" I'm not about to spill Mia's secret to him so I decide to stick to what Mia told him. After all, it's not a complete lie since Mia was worried about Parker coming into the family.
"She was worried that she would be treated differently now your dad knows about Parker. I helped her see that she is going to be just as loved as she has always been." Christian slowly walks over to me with his grey eyes fixed on my blues. I wonder if he suspects there is more going on.
"That is why I love you and can't wait to marry you.", he says as he kisses me softly. "You want to head back inside?" As I nod, he takes my hand and leads me back into the house.
When we walk into the living room, I spot Mia standing talking to Parker. She looks over at me and smiles. It's a step forward with one of the things bothering her. Now all she needs to do is tell Ethan and her family that she's pregnant. It's ironic that,not long ago, I thought I might be pregnant and now Mia is. As I look at Christian, I can't help but think of our own future children.
"What are you smiling at?", he smirks.
"Just thinking about how I can't wait to marry you .",I giggle.
"I can't wait to marry you either. How about we set a date?"
"All right. Do you have any certain day in mind?"
"Tomorrow.", he laughs. "Seriously, I would marry you tomorrow if I could, but I want to give you your dream wedding."
"What about you? What kind of wedding do you want? It's your day too."
"Baby, any kind of wedding is fine with me. I've already found my ever after.", he says looking at me. I fall more in love with this man every day. "How about we get out of here?"
"That sounds good ." Christian and I say our goodbyes to everyone. Just as we are about to leave, he realizes that he forgot his car keys. As he heads back inside, I decide to wait by the car. Making my way to the car, I hear someone talking angrily by the shrubbery. It's Parker. Bending down where he can't see me, I see him on the phone.
"I'm trying, but it would help if I knew what exactly I was looking for."
57. Chapter 57
After overhearing Parker on the phone, I'm suspicious that he may have a hidden agenda with the Grey family. Who was he talking to, and what is he looking for? From the sound of it, Parker doesn't even know himself. The Grey family has accepted and welcomed him with open arms. They would be devastated if Parker ends up being a creep.
"Christian, I need to tell you something.", I say as I sit up in the bed the next morning. Christian turns over on his side to face me.
"You want to fool around?", he says with a raised eyebrow.
"No, well, not right now. Maybe after I tell you what I need to say." He laughs as he moves over to me and begins kissing my neck. "It's about Parker." As soon as the words are out of my mouth, Christian stops his assault on my neck. "Last night, I overheard him on the phone with someone. It sounded like a tense conversation."
"What exactly did you hear?"
"He said that he was trying, but it would help if he knew what he was looking for." Christian's eyes darken as he runs his hands through his hair. "It may be nothing. I hope that I just misinterpreted it, but I have a feeling that he may be up to something."
"Fuck!", he says loudly. "While you and Mia were outside talking, one of dad's friends wanted to meet Parker, but we didn't know where he was. I decided to go look for him and saw him coming from my dad's study."
"Why was he in there?", I ask.
"He said that he was looking for the bathroom, but I wasn't too sure he was telling the truth. I didn't want to accuse him of something without having supporting facts."
"Do you think there is more to him than meets the eye?"
"Yeah. I mean he could have a logical explanation, but something is off. I'm going to get Welch to run a more detailed background on him. Now, about that fooling around?", he says as he quickly climbs on top of me. I soon surrender to the force that is Christian Grey.
* * *
"Ana, hey.", I hear Mia say as she comes into the kitchen that evening. She seems to be in a better mood than she was at the party. "Is Christian home?" Her eyes scan the apartment as I shake my head.
"He's still at work. How are you?", I ask as I motion for her to sit down at the table.
"Good, I guess. I told Ethan last night after the party. He was shocked at first, as he should be. Then, he said that he wants this baby.", she says through tears. "He said this baby is proof of our love."
"Oh Mia, I knew he would be ok with it. Have you told your parents yet?"
"Not yet. I thought that I would tell Christian first since he is the one who I'm worried about telling. The sooner he knows, the better."
"Sooner he knows what?" Mia and I turn around and see Christian standing in the doorway. Mia and I throw a quick glance at each other before looking back at Christian.
"I'm glad that you're home. I missed you.", I stand from seat and walk over to him. I kiss him softly on the lips as I prepare for the storm that is brewing.
"Ana, I know you're trying to change the subject. What is going on with you two? Does this have something to do about what you talked about last night at the party?" His eyes go from me to Mia and then back.
"There really is no easy way to say this so I'm just going to say it. I'm pregnant.", Mia says as Christian's face falls flat. Several minutes pass by without a word being spoken. Finally, Christian breaks the silence.
"You knew last night that she was pregnant?", he asks me as his eyes search for answers.
"Mia told me last night."
"Please don't be mad at Ana. I told her not to say anything to you until I was ready." Mia stands and walks over to where Christian and I are standing.
"Fuck Mia! Do you realize that your life as you know it is going to change? Are you ready for that kind of responsiblity?"
"I am. It's something that I've thought about, and I want this baby. Ethan wants to be a dad." At the mentioning of Ethan's name, Christian tenses up.
"That little Kavanagh fucker! All he had to do was keep it in his fucking pants!"
"Christian!", I stare at him with scolding eyes. Mia's tears are falling more constant at the sound of his outburst. "Mia and Ethan love each other and want this baby. You may need some time to adjust, but it will be ok in the end.", I take his face in my hands, trying to get through to him.
"I knew that you would react this way. I was more afraid of disappointing you than Mom and Dad. Well, you know what Christian? I'm having this baby. You need to fucking over it." I've never seen or heard Mia like this. She has been pushed to her limits with Christian.
"I forgot something at the office.", he says as he leaves. Mia and I look at each other thinking the same thing. Is he going to Ethan's?
"Ana, what if he hurts Ethan?"
"He won't." At least I hope he won't. "Christian probably just needs to cool off. He will be all right."
Mia and I sit in the kitchen eating the chocolate cake that Gail made the day before. Two hours and an empty cake plate later, Christian still hasn't returned. I decide to call him to make sure he is ok.
"Hey baby.", he says.
"Where are you?", I ask as Mia listens.
"I needed to do something, but I'm on my way back."
"Ok, see you when you get back." After ending the call, Mia looks at me. "He's on his way back."
"I haven't heard anything from Ethan. No call or text that he was on his way to the hospital or anything. That's a plus.", she shrugs. A few minutes later, we here footsteps in the living room. As we make our way into the room, we're met by Christian and Ethan. Both of them are smiling. What in the hell happened?
"I needed to speak with Ethan." Christian says as he sits on the sofa. "I wanted to beat the hell out of him. When I got to his apartment, he was just arriving. He had a book in his hand, _What_ _to Expect When You're Expecting_." Mia's face beams with joy.
"I told Mia that I want to be a father to this child, and I meant it. Your brother and I had a long talk."
"I told him that he better treat you and this baby right or I will cut off his arms and beat him with them." Ethan laughs at Christian's threat. "In all sincerity, I want you to be happy Mia. That's all I've ever wanted. You are my little sister, and I'm always going to look out for you. Ethan is a good guy, and you guys are happy. I see that look in his eyes when he looks at you. It's the same look I have when I look at Ana."
"You're going to be a great uncle.", Mia says as she hugs Christian.
* * *
After Mia and Ethan leave, Christian and I decide to go out for a late dinner. I'm relieved that he knows about Mia's pregnancy. Even thought he didn't react well at first, he seems to have accepted it.
"I still can't believe that Mia is having a baby.", he says as we eat dinner. "I honestly thought that you and I would be parents long before Mia and Ethan."
"You never know what fate has in store for you.", I smile.
"Let's have a baby." My jaw drops at what he has just said. Children are something that we both want, but I didn't know when he wanted them.
"Christian, let's get married first. Then, we can talk babies.", I reply with an eye roll.
"We didn't get around to setting the date last night. When do you want to get married Miss Steele?", he takes my hand in his.
"How about in a..month?" Christian flashes a huge smile. "I know you said you wanted me to have my dream wedding. That's what I want. I want to marry you in one month."
"Perfect! So, the baby thing?"
"What time frame are we talking about?", I ask.
"How about a honeymoon baby? We can try then and see what happens. Ana, I love you, and I want to have lots of beautiful babies with you. What do you say?"
"All right. We can try on the honeymoon." We finish our dinner and head to the car. As we approach the car, we spot a silver Lexus parked near the restaurant. It appears to be two men talking. Christian looks at them intently. One of the men gets out of the car, and we see that it's Parker. Christian is still staring at the Lexus.
"Christian, do you know who is in that car?"
"Elena's ex husband Linc."
58. Chapter 58
"That lying fucker!", Christian says as we arrive back at Escala. Christian didn't say a word during the entire ride home.
"Why in the world would Parker be with Linc?", I ask I questions invade my mind.
"Revenge. It's as simple as that. Linc has hated me ever since he found out Elena and I. He and my dad used to be good friends, but Dad realized that Linc couldn't be trusted. He went around town telling slandering my dad."
"Why would he involve Parker? Carrick's own son." Then, I realize that it's highly possible that the DNA test results were faked. Reading my mind, Christian nods. Carrick will be devastated if Parker is not his son. Even though they just found out the results, they have bonded. The entire family has welcomed him.
"I don't know what Parker is up to with Linc, but you can be sure that I will find out. I'm going to get Welch to run a more detailed search on him. I want to know everything about him right down to what he had for breakfast."
"Are you going to say anything to your dad until you know more?" Christian looks torn with that question. If he says something to Carrick before knowing more, the whole thing could go sour.
"I'm not sure. I think I may confront Parker about it first, just to see what his explanation is. Are you ready to call it a night?", he asks through his darkened eyes.
"Yeah. It's been a long day, and I'm exhausted. My energy level has been considerably lower lately. I think it's from dealing with my mom's shooting and all." Christian walks over and wraps his arms tightly around me. I could stay here forever. "Let's go to bed ."
The following day, Christian left early for a meeting with Welch. He was gone before I even woke up. After taking a quick shower, I head to the closet to pick my wardrobe for the day. I decide on black pants and a deep red blouse. I become frustrated when I can't get my pants zipped. It's probably from eating that chocolate cake with Mia. I need to see if Christian will take me to one of his workout sessions with Claude. Of course, Christian will no doubt suggest that we use his preferred workout routine. When I'm finally dressed, I call for an appointment so I can find out if there is anything in particular I need to know about trying to get pregnant. Luckily, she had a last minute cancellation and I can see her this morning before heading to work.
"Good morning Ana.", I hear Luke say as I'm finishing breakfast. I almost forgot that he was coming back to work today. I will be forever grateful for him saving me from Jack.
"Luke! How are you feeling?"
"Great! I'm glad to be back at work. Mr. Grey wants me to drive you to work today." It was so nice being able to drive myself after Jack was arrested. With everything going on with Parker, I can see why Christian is having me driven.
"Ok. Before I head to work, I have an appointment." I grab my coat and purse as we get ready to leave.
"I heard that you were engaged. Congratulations!"
"Thank you. You are invited, of course." As we head to the garage, my phone buzzes with a call from Christian.
"Good morning ."
"Good morning baby. Are you on the way to work?"
"In a bit. I'm meeting with before I before." As Luke walks to the SUV, I stop and lower my voice so he can't hear the conversation that Christian and I are having. "I want to know if there is anything in particular that we need to do to make it easier to have a baby." I can hear Christian laughing on the other end.
"Ana, I think we will do just fine."
"I know. How was your meeting with Welch?"
"He is checking on something that could help in finding out more about Parker. I should know more later today. I hope that you have a good day. I love you."
"Love you too."
* * *
After my appointment with Dr. Greene, I head to work. I keep myself busy as thoughts about what Parker's true intentions are run through my head. I hope that we know what's going on soon. When it's time for lunch, I ask Luke to drive me GEH. Hopefully Christian will be able to have lunch with me. As I arrive on his floor, his assistant Andrea smiles as she sees me approaching.
"Hi Andrea.", I smile.
"Miss Steele, hello. He is in a meeting right now.", she says as I hear loud voices coming from Christian's office.
"I'm going to see what's going on in there." Opening the door, I see Christian standing by his desk and Parker sitting in a chair. "Sorry to interrupt, but what's going on in here. I can hear you outside."
"Parker was just about to tell me what the fuck is really going on with him.", Christian says as he stares at Parker who shifts uncomfortably in his seat.
"I told you that I was meeting with that Linc guy because I needed a job."
"Cut the bull shit Parker. I caught you in my dad's study, and you made a phone call to someone about looking for something. I'm going to ask you one more time, what's going on?"
"I'm sorry. I can't do this anymore. Your family has been so good to me, and I'm tired of this charade." I walk over and stand next to Christian who is waiting for Parker to explain.
"Linc said that he wants to destroy you Christian. He wants to destroy the whole Grey family. He said that your dad was the one person who you look up to the most so he wanted to start there. Linc said that he tried to find things that he could use against Carrick, but he didn't find anything. So, he decided to look further into his past to see if he could find something. After talking to one of Carrick's high school friends, he found out about Meg Bennett."
"Is she really your mother?", Christian asks.
"Yes. Linc thought she may have some dirty little secret on Carrick so he went to find her. Only, she had already passed away before he could talk to her. My mom told me before she died that my real father was a random guy she met at a club a month after she and Carrick broke up." Christian sighs as it's confirmed that Parker isn't really Carrick's son. I take his hand in mine.
"You're not Carrick's son?"
"No. The real reason my mom broke up with Carrick was because she didn't want to do the long distance thing. When Linc showed up at my house, he asked if I wanted to help him. He was going to be paying a generous amount of money. Even though I was an advertising executive, I needed the money. My mom didn't have insurance so I have a pile of hospital bills. I was hesitant at first, but I finally agreed." He looks at me and Christian with a regretful look.
"So the fucker had the test results faked?"
"Yeah, he said that he had some connections and money will buy anything if it's the right price. I didn't know what I was looking for. He just told me that he needed an inside man and to look for anything to use against you and your family. I'm sorry."
"That sneaky bastard. Here is what you're going to do Parker. You are not going to tell Linc just yet hat you've been exposed, but you are going to tell my dad the truth. From now on, you report to me what Linc is up to."
"Ok. Your family has been the family that I never really had. I'm sorry for everything that I've done, and I will make it up to you."
"Yeah, you will. You can go now. Don't say a word about this to Linc." Parker nods and quickly leaves the room.
"Do you really believe he is sorry.", I ask.
"Yeah. Instead of him being Linc's mole, he is now mine." Christian kissed me softly as he runs his hands through my hair.
"Did you talk to about prepping for our honeymoon baby?", he smiles.
"I did."
"What is it?", he says as he tilts his head.
"There is not going to be a honeymoon baby."
"You changed your mind?", he asks with questioning eyes.
"No, no. It seems that pregnancy test that I took a few weeks ago was wrong."
"Ana, what are you saying?" Christian's eyes light up as he realizes what I'm saying.
"I'm saying that in about seven months there is going to be a baby Grey, and I'm not talking about Mia. I'm pregnant."
59. Chapter 59
"Good morning baby", Christian whispers in my ear causing my eyes to open to those beautiful gray orbs of his. He tucks a loose piece of hair behind my ear before moving his hand to my stomach. "And good morning to you too baby." My heart skips a beat at the sound of him speaking to our unborn child.
"Good morning Mr. Grey" I bite my lip and shift my body closer to him.
"I think that someone is a little frisky this morning." He arches his brow at me as I kiss him. "Not that I'm complaining." Immediately, our lips are conjoined in a passionate kiss.
"Christian, please.", I moan as his hand moves underneath my shirt.
"What is it baby? What do you want?", he teases .
"You. I need you.", I respond in a pouty tone.
"You have me.", he laughs as he slowly traces his finger down my body before arriving at my sex. He glances at me for a second and winks before slipping two fingers in me. My hips arch at the sensation of him swirling inside me at a tortuously slow pace.
"Oh", I moan as he continues working his magic. I feel my release coming as the movements inside me become faster.
"Come for me baby." Those word send me over the edge. "I suppose you want me inside you now?", he smirks. I nod all too enthusiastically as he removes my panties before doing the same with his boxers. His erection springs free as he hovers over me. "Ready?"
"Yes.", I moan as I pull him down. He slides in me and begins thrusting, going slow before picking up the pace. "Christian."
"I love..you.", he says as he continues moving in and out. "You feel so good. Let go Ana." After a few more thrusts, I give in as Christian follows. "Fuck"
"Yeah.", I pant. "I'm hungry now.", I giggle as he eases himself out. We lay in the bed for a few minutes before we get up.
"Your parents are going to be here soon." , I say as we finish our lunch of chicken alfredo. It has been two days since Christian and I found out that Parker is not Carrick's son. Christian wanted to tell Carrick as soon as he found out, but Carrick was out of town for work. Now that he is back in Seattle, Christian has invited him and Grace over. Parker is coming as well, though he was hesitant at first. When Christian found out that Parker was working for Linc, he was furious, but he decided to keep Parker close by keep an eye on Linc.
"My dad is going to be so upset. He was excited when he thought Parker was his son."
"It's going to be hard, but your family is a good support system. He will be ok." A few minutes later, we hear Carrick and Grace arrive. They are clearly in a good mood as they their laughter fills the living room. Christian looks at me as, knowing their happiness is about to take a detour.
"Hey you two.", Grace says as she hugs us. "Ana, Christian told me that you have some good news." Christian and I decided to wait until I was past the three month mark to tell everyone I'm pregnant. "The wedding is a month away."
"Oh, the wedding. Yeah. We didn't want to wait much longer." I then realize that by the time our wedding day arrives, I will probably have a baby bump."
"Have a seat Mom, Dad.", Christian says as we sit on the sofa. "Parker should be here soon."
"Christian, what is so important, and what does it have to do with Parker?", Carrick asks as he sits in the chair across from the sofa.
"It's my responsibility to tell you that." All eyes shift to Parker who has just arrived. "Christian is only looking at for you Carrick."
"Will someone please tell us what the hell is going on?", Grace says as she looks at me and then Christian.
"Although my mother was Meg Bennett, I'm not your son Carrick. I have no idea who in the hell my real father is, but it's not you." Carrick's face falls flat as Grace puts her hand to her mouth holding back her gasps.
"No my son?", Carrick asks Parker who nods. "How come the test came back that you were?"
"It was faked by someone."
"Who was it Parker? Who was the bastard who felt the need to turn my life upside down!" Parker shudders like a small child as Carrick's anger erupts. I've never seen him angry, and it's not a pretty sight. "I asked you a question!" Carrick jumps from his seat and goes towards Parker, but Christian moves in between the two men.
"Linc, Dad. It was Linc", Christian says as he tries to calm his father down. "He found Parker and hired him to destroy the family."
"I knew that Linc had an issue with me but why would he come after the entire family?"
"He blames me for his divorce from Elena."
"Why would he blame you for the divorce Christian?", Grace questions as she stands from her chair.
"Elena and I had a relationship" My eyes close as this secret that Christian has kept for so long is revealed. Even though I was nauseous a few weeks ag, I haven't been sick anymore, but I suddenly feel bile rising in my throat. I can't hold it in any longer and run to the bathroom. I can hear the voices in the living room becoming louder as I hold on to the sides of the toilet. When I'm finally done vomiting, I wash my hands and sit on the floor, with my back against the wall. I close my eyes and am about to doze off when I hear a light knock on the door.
"Ana? Baby? Are you all right?", Christian asks as he walks in and sits next to me on the floor.
"Yeah. I'm ok." He pulls me into him, and I rest my head against his heart. "Where is everyone?"
"Gone. Mom and Dad are pissed. Parker is full of regret for what he did."
"They know about Elena now." Christian lets out a sigh as I look up at him.
"Yeah, and that is a conversation that hasn't finished. Dad was so furious with the Parker thing that he left. Mom was going to stay and talk about Elena, but I told her I needed to check on you."
"What happens now?"
"Parker is going to help me with the Linc thing. I may be foolish for trusting him, but I honestly think he wants to redeem himself. I'm meeting with my mom sometime this week to discuss Elena. I've never seen my parents so mad.
"They will come around. They love you.", I say as I kiss him and place his hand on my stomach. "We love you."
60. Chapter 60
The expression "When it rains, it pours" couldn't be more true than now. It should be a happy time for Christian and I as we prepare for our wedding and parenthood. Instead, everything around us is falling apart. Carrick learning that Parker is not his son was just the tip of the iceberg. When asked why Linc was after the Grey family, Christian had no choice but to reveal his relationship with Elena to his parents.
"My mom is coming over tonight to talk.", Christian says as he finishes his coffee. It had been three days since the affair with Elena was revealed, and Christian has finally worked up the courage to talk to his mom.
"I'm glad that the two of you are going to talk. Is your dad coming too?" Christian nods as he stands.
"No, he said that he has a meeting with a client, but I think he is still upset about Parker."
"Have you heard anything from Parker about Linc?"
"He called me yesterday and said that Linc was getting anxious. Parker told him that he hasn't found anything that he can use against our family. Linc was not happy. I'm tempted to just call the bastard and set up a meeting with him so we can finally have it out." I know that Christian wants all of this craziness to end. What if Linc tries to hurt him or worse? The thought of losing Christina is unnerving. "Ana, it's going to be ok. If I meet with him, I will take security.", he says as he puts his arms around me.
"I can't lose you. This baby and I need you. Please don't be reckless.", I say through tears. He softly wipes away the tears away.
"Baby, I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me.", he laughs as I feel my body begin to relax. "I'm going to head to work. I love you."
"I love you too." Christian kisses me as he puts his hands on my still flat stomach. "We love you."
My work day passes by in a blur. Keeping myself busy has been a good distraction from everything. Christian called earlier and said that a client wanted to meet this evening, but he declined because Grace is coming to talk. As Luke and I prepare to leave work, my phone buzzes, and I see that it's Jose. Oh no. Now that Grace knows about Elena and Christian's relationship, she will probably confront her, thus causing Jose to learn about the relationship. Jose has been so happy with Elena that I haven't even thought about the repercussions of him finding out that Elena had a relationship with Christian that started when he was fifteen.
"Jose, hey.", I answer as Luke and I walk outside.
"Hey Ana. I was just calling to see how things are going with you. Elena and I just got back today from the Bahamas." From the sound of his voice, he hasn't found out yet. Maybe I should go ahead and tell him.
"That's great Jose. There is something that..", I stop my sentence when I see a silver Lexus parked on the curb. Linc starts walking towards Luke and I. "Jose, I have to go." Before he can respond, I hang up. The man who is trying to ruin the Greys is standing right in front of me. Luke moves in front of me as Linc smiles.
"Miss Steele, I've been meaning to introduce myself. I'm.."
"I know who you are Mr. Lincoln. I'm busy right now. Can I ignore you another time?", I say as Luke and I begin to walk away.
"I have to say that I'm glad Christian is with someone closer to his age. Your boy ruined my marriage, and I've been waiting for a long time to get revenge against him.", he says in a menacing tone. I turn around and face him as my temper boils.
"First of all, he is not a boy. Christian is a _man_, a real _man_. He is ten times the man you will ever be . Secondly, the best thing for you to do is stay the hell away from Christian and the Greys."
"You're a fiesty little thing aren't you? I like that in a woman." I find myself getting more and more creeped out by him. "I will let you be on your way, but I'm sure I will see you soon." He walks away as I try recover from what just happened. Luke and I finally head home.
When we arrive at Escala, Christian is already home. Grace is sitting in a chair across from me. They appear to be in heavy conversation so I decide not to bother them. I head to the bedroom to rest for a while. As I fall asleep, I dream about Christian and I being happily married with no drama. I just hope that dream comes true.
"Ana?", I hear Christian say as he sits on the bed next to me. I open my eyes to see him looking like a lost little boy. He has a tray with two bowls of soup on it. "Gail made some soup, and I thought we could eat in here since you looked tired. How are you feeling?"
"Exhausted. I'm just drained. How did it go with your mom?" I take a bite of my soup and smile at Christian who had begun eating as well.
"She was hurt by everything. I told her how things with Elena began and why. God Ana, the look on her face was devastating. There was so much more that I wanted to tell her, but she got an emergency call from the hospital and had to leave."
"It's going to be ok.", I say as I continue eating.
"You're always saying that. How can you be so sure?"
"I just do. It may not be better tomorrow or next week, but things will improve."
"As I was coming in here, Sawyer stopped me and told me that Linc showed up outside your work. When were you going to tell me?", Christian asks as we both finish our soup.
"I was going to tell you when you finished your talk with Grace. He scared me just a bit, but I'm fine."
"Fuck!", he says as he runs his hands through his hair. "This has to end. I can't have you and the baby at risk." I start yawning as my exhaustion makes a reappearance. "Why don't you sleep?" Christian kisses me as I lay my head on the pillow. "I'm going to do some work in my study."
"Don't be too late.", I say as I close my eyes.
When I wake up the next morning, I don't see Christian next to me. I quickly put my robe on and head to the living room where he is sitting. He looks up from his paper and smile. It's clear that he is in a better mood.
"Good morning . Why didn't you wake me?"
"You needed your rest. Breakfast is almost ready.", he smiles as his Blackberry buzzes. I decide to check on breakfast while he takes his call. After I prepare my tea, Christian walks into the kitchen. His face is completely blank.
"Christian, what's wrong?"
"That was my mom. She was calling to tell me that Linc is dead. Someone killed him."
61. Chapter 61
"Linc is dead?", I ask as I Christian nods.
"My mom said that Linc's housekeeper found him this morning in his living room. It was evident that it was a homicide, but the police haven't determined the exact cause of death.", he says as he avoids making eye contact. As I'm about to make my way into the kitchen, something catches my eye. There are scratch marks on Christian's neck, right above the neckline of his tee-shirt. Even though he wanted to confront Linc, there is no way that Christian could have killed him. The idea that he would commit such an act is unfathomable. "Ana, what are you looking at?" My eyes remain fixed on the scratch marks.
"Where did you get those scratches on your neck?", I ask as Christian walks over to a mirror on the wall in the living room. "Christian? Please tell me there is a logical explanation." My knees start shaking as he looks at me like a deer in headlights.
"It's not what you think." He walks to where I'm standing and lifts my chin with his hand so we are eye to eye. "I went to Linc's house last night after you fell asleep." As those words reach my ears, I begin to feel weak. Christian takes my hand and leads me to the sofa.
"You went to see him? Christian, tell me that you took Taylor or another security guy with you." He stares at me with eyes that tell me that he went alone. "Oh my god Christian! You said that you wouldn't do anything reckless, but you couldn't leave it alone could you?" Tears start flowing freely down my face as I try to comprehend what the love of my life has done. I know in my heart that Christian didn't kill Linc but going to confront Linc, alone, doesn't look like a move an innocent man makes. The scratches are an obvious sign that more than talking took place.
"When you told me that Linc cornered you, something in me just snapped. I knew that I had to see him. I know that I should have taken Taylor with me, but I didn't."
"What happened?"
"I got to his house, and he had this smug look on his face. He told me that he knew Parker had ratted him out, but he was not going to end his vendetta. We argued for several minutes, and then he said something that made me so furious.", he says as he runs his hands through his copper hair.
"What did he say?", I ask Christian who shakes his head. Why won't he tell me? "Christian, what did he say?"
"He said that he couldn't wait to see if you were as good of a fuck as Elena. When he said that Ana, I came unglued. I punched him in the nose, but not as hard as I wanted. He then punched me in the stomach. I then punched him again, and he started to fall. Fuck!"
"What happened when he started to fall?" I have a feeling that his answer is going to come back and bite him in the ass.
"When I first got to Linc's, I was so worked up that I loosened my tie which he tried to grab as he was falling. That's how I got the scratch marks. After he fell, I decided that I was done with him. So, I left. Ana, he was alive when I left."
"I believe you, but going over there was a stupid move.", I say as I lean in towards him. For some reason, I have a feeling that there is something Christian is not telling me.
"My tie. I was so ready to get out of there that I didn't notice my tie had fallen off. I left it behind." Now there is even more evidence against Christian. "I'm going to go over to my parents' to see if they have heard anything." It then dawns on me that Carrick had motive for wanting Linc dead. Linc was threatening his family, and Carrick is the protective papa bear of the Grey family. I don't want to think about the possibility that Carrick killed Linc. "I love you."
After Christian leaves, I have my breakfast of yogurt and granola. I can't help but think about Linc's murder. Linc pissed many people off so the list of suspects is probably a mile long. When I finish eating, I go into the living room to watch tv, hoping it will keep my mind occupied. I hear the elevator door open, and I hope that it's Christian. Instead, it's Jose. Judging from the expression on his face, he has found out about Christian and Elena.
"Jose, hey.", I say as I stand. He walks over to me with a blank face.
"I just found out that my girlfriend and your fiancé had a relationship that started when Christian was fifteen. You knew about it didn't you?"
"Yes. I found out about it soon after I started seeing Christian. I should have told you."
"Did you enjoy making me look like a fool!", he yells as he takes a step towards me. For the first time ever, I'm scared of Jose.
"I think you need to leave now .", Luke says as he comes from the security room.
"We'll finish this conversation later." Jose looks at me for a minute with coldness in his eyes before leaving.
"Are you ok Ana?", Luke asks as I sit down on the sofa to recover from Jose's anger.
"Thanks Luke.", I smile. Christian soon returns from his parents' with confusion in his eyes.
"Have your parents heard anything?", I ask him as he takes a seat on the sofa next to me.
"Not really. The coroner thinks he died from blunt force trauma to his head. My mom said that my dad was acting strange last night. She said he acted distant. I know that my dad hated Linc for what he did, but I don't think he killed him.", Christian says as he stares at the painting on the wall.
"Carrick couldn't do such a thing. Jose came by while you were gone, and he told me that he knows about you and Elena."
"How did that conversation go?"
"It wasn't very long. He started yelling and took a step towards me. I don't think he would have done anything, but Sawyer came in and made him leave. Jose looked like an entirely different person with this fury in his eyes."
"Jose is your friend, but you need to think about the possibility that he could have killed Linc for Elena."
"There is also a chance that Elena killed him. It seems the list of suspects keeps getting longer by the minute." Christian nods as he kisses the top of my head. "Love make you do crazy things sometimes."
* * *
Later that evening, Christian and I head to his parents' for dinner. The entire family is there. During dinner, Grace tells everyone that Linc will not be discussed. She keeps looking at Christian, and I know that the Elena thing is still on her mind. Christian said that Grace promised not to tell Elliot and Mia about the relationship. She and Carrick simply said that Linc had a vendetta against Carrick, which was the reason Linc was after the Greys. Mia and Ethan keep stealing glances at each other as Christian smiles at me. They haven't told Grace and Carrick about Mia's pregnancy yet. As we eat, Kate and Elliot talk about going to Hawaii for vacation. When dinner is finished, I start feeling sick and quickly make my way to the bathroom.
"Ana, darling, are you all right?", Grace asks as she knocks on the door. I finish composing myself and open the door to her concerned face.
"I'm ok." Even though Christian and I had decided to hold off on telling the family that I'm pregnant, telling Grace about the baby could be a bright spot in all the drama. "Actually, Grace, there is something that I need to tell you."
"What is it dear?", she ask.
"Christian and I are having a baby." I see her face immediately light up. "We were going to wait to tell everyone, but I thought you could use some good news." I see tears start to fall down her face as I hug her.
"This is the best news that I could have gotten. Thank you so much.", Grace says.
The next day, I head to work even thought I can't concentrate. A few hours after I arrive, Christian calls and says he can't make lunch because he has meetings all day. I decide to go down the street for a lunch. Luke and I arrive at the restaurant before it gets too busy. As I'm looking at the menu, I notice someone walk up to the table. It's Parker.
"Ana, hey.", he smiles.
"Hi.", I say as Luke sits in the chair next to me.
"I was about to get some lunch to go. You look nice today." Something about the tone of his voice makes me feel uneasy.
"Thank you Parker."
"So, I bet Christian is on pins and needles with Linc being dead. Here is he is with the perfect life and possibly facing murder charges." Murder charges?
"What are you talking about? Christian didn't kill Linc. Where did you get the idea that he is facing charges? Parker, you had motive as well."
"True, but I heard that Christian paid Linc a visit the night he was killed. Why would he do such a thing? He has a successful career, loving family, and gorgeous fiancé." How did Parker find out about Christian visit to Linc's. "Ana, if you need anything, and I mean anything, here is my number." He hands me a card with his cell number before walking off.
"That was odd.", Luke says.
"Yeah, it was.", I say
"There is something about that guy that's off. I saw him yesterday at the gym, and he was talking about how he wished he was really a Grey. He said that he hated that found out. I heard resentment in his voice when he talked about ." A few minutes later, my phone buzzes and I see that it's Christian.
"Hi ."
"Ana", he says. "Don't panic, but I'm on my way down to the police station for questioning." I start feeling nervous as I listen. "Apparently, Linc's housekeeper said she saw me leaving right before she found his body. I swear he was alive when I left."
"Christian, I'm going to meet you there."
"No, don't. I have no idea how long I will be there, but it will be ok. I love you Ana.", he says as he hangs up. I know that Christian didn't kill Linc, and I wish I could prove it.
"Christian is on his way to the police station for questioning." Something about Parker doesn't feel right. I decide to call Carrick to let him know that Christian is on his way to the police.
"Carrick, it's Ana."
"Ana, hello. I had a feeling that you would call. I'm on my way to meet Christian now."
"How bad is it?"
"Christian has admitted to being at Linc's and that they had a struggle. The police found a gray tie that Christian said was his. They are going to talk to him some more at the station. Ana, I know my son didn't do this." I decide that I'm going to prove Christian's innocence one way or the other. I tell Carrick to keep me posted and end the call.
"Luke, I need your help."
* * *
"I was thrilled when you called.", Parker says as he comes into the room that I rented at the Sorrento Hotel. After my conversation with Carrick, I decided to follow my instinct that Parker killed Linc and is framing Christian. Parker had immediately answered my call.
"Well, I wasn't going to, but I felt there was so much more that needs to be said between us.", I smile.
"Ana, I have to say that Christian doesn't deserve a woman like you." He walks over to me, but I put my hand up to stop him.
"I asked you to come here for a reason, and I think we should just get to it.", I say with a smirk on my face. "Parker, I like to do things in a different way." I walk over to my purse and pull out a pair of hand cuffs that Christian keeps in the bedroom.
"You're so full of surprises.", he laughs as he tries to once again come towards me.
"Patience. Why don't you lay back on the bed, and we will have a night that you'll never forget." In an instant, he takes his spot on the bed and looks at me with hunger in his eyes.
"I've been wanting this for so long.", he says anxiously as I hear the clicking of the cuffs to the bed post.
"I want this too. When Christian is away, Ana will play", I softly whisper in his ear. Now that I have him right where I want him, it's time for answers.
"Ana, I want you to know that there is nothing that I wouldn't do for you and the Greys. I admit at first I was so set on being a Grey, and that was all I cared about. Then, you captured my attention. Do you know how many times I asked myself why Christian was so lucky to have the Greys and you? I knew that he needed to be removed from the picture so I could be a Grey and have you."
"Why do you mean removed?"
"Setting Christian up for Linc's murder." Bingo. "I went to Linc's house, and he told me how Christian had just been there. I had already planned on killing Linc. I was pleased to learn that Christian had hit him and left his tie behind. It was a sign that things were finally falling into place. I hit him in the head with a lamp, and he fell over dead."
"You killed him?", I ask as he nods. "Christian said the housekeeper saw him leave right before the murder."
"Oh yes, dear Renee. During the times that I had been to Linc's to meet with him, Renee and I became friends. Linc was awful to her. When I killed Linc, I told her that I would pay her to say she saw Christian. She was all too willing. Now that you know what I did for you baby, what are you going to do for me?", he say as he laughs.
"I'm not going to do anything for you, but I'm going to do something to you.", I walk over to the bathroom and open the door. Luke steps out and smiles before picking up the video camera that was hidden. "I'm going to help send your ass to jail." Luke calls the police as Parker looks stunned at what just happened.
After the police arrive and take Parker into custody, I walk out of the hotel and to the car. I'm about to get into the car when I see Christian run to me. He smiles slightly before kissing me.
"Ana, I heard what you did. What were you thinking?"
"I know it was crazy, but I needed to prove that you were innocent. Luke was with me the entire time."
"If anything had happened..", he says.
"Nothing happened. I'm ok. It's over."
62. Chapter 62
Now that Parker is in jail for Linc's murder, things should be getting back to normal, but they're not. In three weeks, Christian and I will become husband and wife. The planning is in full force thanks to Mia and Kate. My mom and Ray arrived yesterday for a short visit. They seem to be getting along well. Maybe love is on the horizons once again for them. I'm going wedding dress shopping today with my mom, Kate, and Mia. The wedding is going to be held at Grace and Carrick's house at night.
Christian and Grace have talked some more about his relationship. Grace blamed herself for what happened, but Christian assured her that it wasn't her fault. The day after Parker's arrest, I decided to talk to Jose about the Christian and Elena, but he has left town. When I called his father, he told me that he didn't know what was going on with Jose, but Jose had told him that he needed some time alone.
"Good morning ", I tell Christian when I walk into the kitchen. He is seated at the table with his coffee in one hand and the newspaper in the other. As I sit down next to him, he doesn't look at me. Ever since the Parker thing ended, Christian has been distant. I've tried to talk to him, but he just pushes me away. "Christian?", I say, waving my hand in front of him, hoping he will acknowledge my presence.
"Anastasia, what is it?", he growls. I don't recognize the man in front of me. This is not the Christian Grey that I'm about to marry.
"What crawled up your ass?" He slams his cup on the table causing me to flinch.
"Excuse me for not being as cheerful as you would like."
"I don't know what's going on with you, but I wish you would let me in. In three weeks we're getting married."
"I've been meaning to talk to you about that. Ana, there isn't going to be a wedding in three weeks. We have to postpone it." My heart stops at his words. This is the man who said he would marry me in an instant, and now he is talking about putting it on hold. "I have an important business deal, and I'm going to have to travel to Asia for about two weeks."
"Can't you send Ros instead? You're postponing our wedding for work?", I practically leap out of my chair as he follows my movements.
"Ana, please, don't be mad.", he says as he starts towards me, but I move away.
"Go to work Christian. I have nothing else to say to you." He looks at his watch and then back at me before I walk out of the kitchen. I turn one last time at him and shake my head in disgust. He gives me a small smile before I head to the bedroom to cry my eyes out.
* * *
When I am certain that Christian is gone, I make my way into the living room where my mom and Ray are laughing. They are getting along well. Maybe they will find love again. They both look at me as I sit down in the chair across from the sofa where they're seated.
"Ana, what's wrong? You've been crying.", my mom says with concern in her eyes.
"It's nothing. I'm fine.", I say through tears.
"You wouldn't be crying if nothing was wrong. Spill.", Ray says.
"The wedding may be on hold." They look at each other in shock as I wipe my tears away. "Christian said that he has to go to Asia for two weeks. I think he is using it as a cover up because he doesn't want to marry me."
"That's not true. That boy wants to marry you more than anything in the world. So you put it off for a bit. It will happen.", my mom says.
"Maybe."
"No maybe. It's a definite. Now, come on. We have to go find your dress."
When my mom and I meet up with Mia and Kate, my mood still hasn't improved. The bridal shop is filled with gorgeous gowns, but nothing catches my eye. I know that I want a loose fitting gown to cover my baby bump. Christian and I decided to tell everyone about the baby at the reception.
"Ana, what about this one?", Kate says as she holds up an empire waist gown. It is beautiful, but I shake my head. "What's with you Steele?"
"The wedding may be on hold.", I say as Kate's smile fades.
"What in the hell did he do?"
"Nothing. Christian has to go away on business. I really don't want to talk about this right now Kate." Thank goodness my mom and Mia are at the other end of the boutique because I can't handle an inquiry from Mia as well.
"Ok, but there is something that I need to tell you. Don't panic, but Elliot got ordained online to perform the ceremony.", she laughs.
"I take it that Christian doesn't know."
"No. Elliot said that he wanted it to be a surprise."
"Oh it's a surprise all right." Kate and I burst into laughter as we try to visualize Christian's face when he is told of Elliot's plan.
"Kate, will you tell my mom and Mia that I needed to run an errand. I will talk to you later."
"Sure thing.", she smiles as I rush out of the boutique and head to GEH.
* * *
As I arrive on Christian's floor, I begin to feel anxious about the talk that I hope to have with him. Andrea tells me that his schedule is clear so I make my way into his office. When I open the door, Christian is walking away from his filing cabinet. He looks at me and smiles as I suddenly trip. Luckily, he catches me before I fall.
"Ana, are you all right?", he asks as he leads me to a chair.
"Yeah. Deja vu, huh.", I smile. "I need to know what's going on with you. Talk to me." Christian takes another chair and pulls it in front of me as he takes my hands in his.
"All of the bad things that have happened have been because of me. Linc wouldn't have hired Parker and died, Jose wouldn't have a broken heart, my parents wouldn't be disappointed, and you..", he stops as his eyes fill with tears.
"What about me?"
"Parker could have hurt you or worse. God Ana, the thought of something happening to you sickens me. It would have been my fault."
"Look at me. None of this is your fault. I think I turned a blind eye to Elena because of Jose, but she is the one who started all of this. She took advantage of you when you were fifteen."
"But, I was in the relationship too."
"You were fifteen, a child. What if it was your child that was involved?", I ask. I see Christian begin to understand. "She knew better."
"I would hold her at fault. I guess now that we're becoming parents, the severity of what she did is finally starting to set in."
"Elena may be trying to change, but she still did what she did."
"Yes, she did. I'm just sorry that it took me this long to see everything.", he says as he kisses my hand. "Are you still marrying me?"
"Of course. Do you really have to go to Asia or was that something that you just said?"
"There is business in Asia, but I can send Ros. Three weeks? Wow? I would marry you now if I could.", he smiles as an idea comes to my mind.
"Same here. All of this wedding planning is crazy. I think a wedding should be about the two people that are getting married, not the flowers or the dress. I have to go, but I will see you later."
* * *
After leaving GEH, I decided to put my plan in motion. Thankfully, I was able to enlist help. I'm now standing on the very same beach that Christian professed his love for me in the sand. All of the Greys, Kate, Ethan, Gail, Luke, and my parents are here. After telling Kate my plan, she and Mia found a dress for me. Even though there are no lavish decorations or fancy dresses, this is my dream wedding because I'm marrying my dream guy. I'm getting my happily ever after. I see Taylor and Christian arrive, and Christian's face freezes when he sees everyone.
"Ana, what's going on? Taylor told me that there was somewhere that I needed to be. He wouldn't tell me anything."
"This is our wedding Christian.", I smile as he looks at our guests.
"What? This is not the wedding you wanted."
"Yes it is because you're here."
"We don't have a minister.", he laughs as Elliot steps forward.
"You do actually since I'm officially ordained."
"Elliot, no."
"Christian, let him." Christian thinks for a moment before agreeing.
"Let's do this.", Elliot says. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join this man Christian Trevelyan Grey and this woman Anastasia Rose... aww Rose that's pretty.", Elliot says as Christian gives him an annoyed look. "Sorry Anastasia Rose Steele in holy matrimony. Um, I'm sorry, I'm still new to this.", he laughs. "I kind of forgot some of it, but if anyone objects to this union, speak now or forever hold your peace." Christian and I have our eyes locked on each other as Elliot pauses. "Ok, the vows. Do you want to do the traditional vows or have you got something else?"
"I've had my vows planned for a while.", Christian smiles at me. "Today, Anastasia, I join my life to yours, not merely as your husband, but as your friend, your lover, and your confidant. Let me be the shoulder you lean on, the rock on which you rest, the companion of your life. With you, I will walk my path from this day forward." Christian begins crying as he finishes. I look around and see tears in almost all the guests' eyes.
"Ana, your turn.", Elliot says.
"From this day on, I choose you, my beloved Christian to be my husband. To live with you and laugh with you; to stand by your side, and sleep in your arms; to be joy to your heart, and food for your soul; to bring out the best in you always, and, for you, to be the most that I can. I promise to laugh with you in good times, to struggle with you in bad; to solace you when you are downhearted; to wipe your tears with my hands; to comfort you with my body; to mirror you with my soul; to share with you all my riches and honors; to play with you as much as I can until we grow old; and, still loving each other sweetly and gladly, our lives shall come to an end."
"That was beautiful guys.", he says through tears. "Do you have rings?" Christian shakes his head and winks at me. In the rush of getting things together, I forgot the rings.
"Elliot, just pronounce us husband and wife so I can kiss my bride."
"All right. By the power vested in me .." Before Elliot can finish his sentence, Christian kisses me. "I know pronounce you husband and wife. You can continue kissing the bride." Everyone begins applauding as we continue kissing.
"I love you Mrs. Grey."
"And I love you "
63. Chapter 63
It has been a little over three months since Christian and I became husband and wife. After the wedding, we had a small reception at Grace and Carrick's where we announced the pregnancy. To say everyone was excited is an understatement. My mom has already decided that she wants to be called Grammy while Grace wants to be GG. The baby has already brought the family closer together. Christian and I traveled to Europe for a two week honeymoon. Even though we spent most of the time in bed, we were able to do some shopping and sigh seeing. Upon our return to Seattle, Christian surprised me when he handed SIP over to me. After much thought, I accepted.
Tonight is Mia's birthday, and the entire Grey family is celebrating with a dinner at Grace and Carrick's. A week after the wedding, Mia told her parents that she's pregnant. Even though they were shocked at first, they have accepted it and are looking forward to having two grandchildren. I'm five months pregnant, and Mia is just a month behind me. The two of us have a camaraderie. It's nice having someone to talk to about the changes my body is going through or the weird food cravings that I get.
"Ana, are you almost ready?", Christian asks as he comes into the bedroom. I'm standing in front of the mirror inspecting how I look in the new blue wrap dress that I purchased last week. Christian stops at the bed and stares at me for several moments.
"What? I look like a whale, don't I?", I ask I as I move away from the mirror. His eyes follow my every move.
"Not at all. You look gorgeous. You've always been beautiful, but now that you're carrying our child..", I see tears begin to well up in his eyes. "Ana, you're breathtaking." He walks over and kisses me softly as he puts his hand on by bump.
"Are you sure you don't want to find out the sex of the baby?" After much thought, we decided to not find out whether the baby is a boy or girl.
"The thought of being surprised excites me. Have you changed your mind?", he asks.
"No, I want to be surprised as well. Ready Mr. Grey?"
"After you, ." Christian takes my hand as we make our way to the downstairs to the Audi and head to dinner. The drive is a little longer than normal because of a heavy downpour.
* * *
"Christian, Ana, come in.", Grace says as she opens the door. "Ana, you look wonderful. Elliot and Kate are in the living room with your father. Mia and Ethan aren't here yet." The relationship between Christian and his parents has improved since he revealed his relationship with Elena. Grace has cut all communication with her former friend who is still nursing a broken heart since Jose left for parts unknown.
Christian and I walk into the living room where Elliot appears to be telling Carrick about the work that's being done on the house that Christian and I bought. Even though I loved the house that he showed me, we decided to do a renovation to it. Hopefully, it will be ready in a few weeks.
"Hey guys.", Kate says as she hugs me and Christian.
"Hey lil mama.", Elliot laughs as he too hugs us. "Mom said that Mia was having a hard time deciding what to wear. Women." he says as he rolls his eyes, forgetting that Kate is standing beside him.
"What was that?", she asks as she folds her arms and shoots him a death glare.
"I said women, they are goddesses." Christian and I laugh as Elliot unsuccessfully tries to recover from his statement. We sit on the sofa and wait for Mia and Ethan. After waiting for an hour, the telephone rings. Grace smiles as she answers it. A few minutes later, that smile is gone as she ends the call.
"Grace, what is it?", Carrick asks as he comes to her side.
"Mia and Ethan were on their way here. They had an accident." Everyone is frozen in silence. I look at Christian who has a blank face. "We need to get to the hospital."
Carrick and Grace get into their car with Elliot and Kate. Christian walks to the driver's side of the Audi as he fumbles for his keys. He is in no shape to drive. I walk over and take the keys from his grasp. Surprisingly, he doesn't argue and gets into the passenger side. During the drive, I glance at Christian a few times, but he has his eyes focused straight ahead.
"They're going to be ok.", I say as I try to reassure him. Mia and Christian have always had a special bond. It was Mia's arrival in the Grey family that helped Christian begin to speak.
"I can't lose her Ana. She has so much going for her right now. Ethan was planning on proposing to her tonight after dinner. This can't be happening."
We finally arrive at Overlake Medical Center where Mia and Ethan are being treated. As we head to the nurses' station, the air around us is filled with anxiety.
"My daughter and her boyfriend were brought in. Mia Grey and Ethan Kavanagh.", Carrick says to a nurse as he tries to catch his breath.
"Yes, they were brought in a little ago. Let me find the doctor."
"I called my parents. They're on their way.", Kate says as Elliot wraps his arms around her. It seems like eternity waiting for word on what's going on. As I look at Christian, I see his face begin to turn red, and I know what's about to happen.
"Will someone tell us what the fuck is going on! We have been waiting and waiting. I will buy this fucking hospital and hire more efficient workers!" , he yells at a nurse that's passing by. His temper is soon aimed at a passing orderly. "Listen you goat fucker! We need information now!"
"Christian, calm down.", I say as I pull him over to a chair. A few minutes later, we see a doctor who appears to be in his fifties come towards us.
"Grey family?", he asks as everyone nods in unison. "I am Dr. Todd, and I treated both your daughter and her boyfriend."
"How are they?", Grace asks.
"Ethan is lucky. He has a broken arm and several cuts. Mia, however, has more serious injuries. She has a linear skull fracture and several contusions to her body."
"What about the baby? She's..preg..pregnant", Christian struggles to say through tears.
"I'm afraid that she lost the baby." This is supposed to be a joyful time, but fate has other plans. Everyone erupts in tears at the news that Mia's baby is gone.
"My baby, my poor baby.",Grace cries as Carrick holds her in his arms. Elliot has Kate wrapped in his hold as Christian and I remain seated. He turns his tear-stained face towards me.
"This shouldn't be happening. Mia is supposed to be getting engaged tonight and getting ready for motherhood.", he says shaking his head. "Why do bad things happen to good people?"
"I don't know. Sometimes, things just don't make sense. Mia has a strong support system. It's going to be hard, but she will get through this."
64. Chapter 64
It has been two days since Mia and Ethan's accident. Two days ago, their lives were forever changed with the loss of their unborn child. Ethan was released from the hospital yesterday, but Mia's hospitalization is going to be longer. The Grey family has been camped out at the hospital around the clock. Even though I've gone to the hospital with Christian, I can't muster the strength to see Mia face to face. I feel guilt being pregnant while Mia mourns the loss of her baby.
"Ana, I'm going to the hospital soon. You're coming right?", Christian asks as he walks into the kitchen where I'm finishing my breakfast. He stares at me for a minute as I try to think of an excuse not to go.
"I actually have a meeting at work today.", I respond as I take a bite of my pancakes.
"A meeting? Baby, it's Saturday. Nice try though." Christian gives me a slight smile as he holds my hand. "What's really going on with you? Mia asked yesterday why you haven't been to see her. I lied and told her that you weren't feeling well."
"She just lost her baby, and the last thing she needs is to see me waddle in there with my baby bump." I feel tears begin to fall down my face as Christian's grasp tightens. Between the pregnancy and Mia's accident, my hormones have been all over the place.
"It may be hard for her to see you, but you can't avoid her forever. Mia thinks of you as a sister. She needs you Ana." Christian is right. Mia needs all the support she can get during all of this.
"All right. I'll go."
When Christian and I arrive at the hospital, we see Ethan leaving Mia's room. He looks at us with frustration in his eyes.
"Hey Ethan, what's wrong? Is Mia ok?", Christian asks as Ethan looks at the closed-door to Mia's room.
"Yeah, she's fine. I went in to talk to her, but she snapped at me. She said that she wants to be alone for a while so I'm going to head to the cafeteria for some coffee."
"We're going in to see her. It's going to be ok Ethan. Just give her some time.", Christian says as Ethan nods. He turns and slowly walks down the hall.
"She said that she wants to be alone so maybe we should come back later.", I say as I try to walk away, but Christian takes me hand and leads me back to Mia's room.
"Nice try Mrs. Grey." Christian lightly taps on Mia's door before opening it. We walk into the dimly lit room as anxiety runs through my body. Mia slowly turns her head from the spot on the wall that had held her attention. Her eyes move to me and Christian. "Look who's here."
"Hey Mia.", I say as I notice the cuts and bruises on her body.
"Hi.", she says with emptiness in her eyes.
"Ethan was on his way to the cafeteria where we got here.", Christian says as motions for me to take a seat on the sofa.
"I told him to leave me alone for a while. Mom and Dad were here earlier, and I was so glad when they left. I just wish they would give me space."
"They just want to be here for you Mia." I remain quite in my spot on the sofa as I watch Christian's eyes soften.
"I get that, but there is nothing that they can do. There is nothing that anyone can fucking do. No matter how many flowers and get well cards I get, my baby is gone. You know why? Because I had to be typical Mia and change my clothes a million times that night. If we hadn't been late, the accident wouldn't have happened. My baby would still be growing inside of me."
"Mia, this isn't your fault. It's no one's fault.", Christian says as he takes her hand. "I wish that I could take away all of the pain that you're feeling."
"When I found out that I was pregnant, I was so confused. The thought of being a mother was terrifying. I had always been this carefree girl who thrived on being spontaneous. Then, it hit me that I was going to be someone's mother. I had this little person growing inside me that was going to need me. The thought should have scared me, but it did the opposite. I told myself that I was going to love my baby and protect it with every fiber of my body. I failed." Mia begins crying as Christian looks at me. I wipe the tears from my eyes as he does the same.
"You didn't fail. Please don't blame yourself. Sometimes life doesn't make sense.", I say as I make my way over to her.
"I loved my baby so much already. What am I going to do?"
"It's going to be a hard journey, but you're not going to be alone. When Mom and Dad brought you home, you were this light that helped guide me through darkness. Do you remember being told what my first word was?"
"Mia.", she smiles.
"Yes, it was Mia. You helped me, and I'm going to do the same for you. We all are.", Christian says.
"It hurts", she asks as Christian looks at me in confusion.
"Does your head hurt Mia? Are you in pain?", I ask. "Where do you hurt?"
"Right here.", she says as she puts her hand on her heart.
65. Chapter 65
"Welcome home Mrs. Grey.", Christian smiles as he parks the R8 at our new house. Elliot's crew finished the renovations last week, and today we officially move in. We're going to keep Escala, but the house is our "home." It is the place where I can envision our children growing up.
"Home, I like the sound of that.", I say.
"Don't get out yet. Stay right where you are." I look at Christian in with confusion in my eyes as he leaps from the driver's seat and sprints over to my side of the vehicle where he opens my door. As I begin to step out, he takes my hand. "I'm going to carry you into our new home."
"While I appreciate the grand gesture, you don't have to do that. The last thing I want is for you to hurt your back carrying me. In case you haven't noticed, I've put on some weight."
"Oh, I've noticed.", he laughs. "I've always loved your body, and I love the new curves that you have. Come on Mrs. Grey." Hae lifts me carefully in his arms and gives me a light kiss as he makes his way to the door. His plan hits a snag when he realizes that he can't open the door with me in his arms. "I'm going to put you down for a second." I roll my eyes as he fumbles in his pocket for the key. When he finally has the door open, he picks me up again and walks into the living room.
I immediately feel the warmth in the house. My favorite room is the living room. I close my eyes and picture stockings being hung over the fireplace. Pictures of Christian and I decorate the wall.
"Is this the vision you had when we bought the house?", Christian asks as he wraps his arms around me.
"No, it's my vision and more. I love this house." I turn around and stare at those deep gray eyes. "I suppose we should work on getting things unpacked."
"We could do that, but I have something better in mind.", he says as he begins placing soft kisses down my neck. We can christen the house, room by room. How about we start right here." My body is full of desire at his words.
"I suppose we can do that."
Christian kisses me as I run fingers through his hair. He lifts my shirt over my head as I mimic his actions with the one he is wearing. His mouth slowly moves down to my breasts.
"I love you so mch.", he says as he looks at me.
"I love you too. Now back to what you were doing.", I pout as he laughs.
"As you wish." Once again he kisses my breasts as he fingers work their way to my pants. He quickly unzips them before sliding his hand into my panties. "Always ready for me." The touch of his hand as he cups my sex is unbelievable. My pants are soon on the floor, and I begin running my hand on his erection.
"Always ready for me.", I say as I help him remove his jeans and boxers. I stop my actions for a minute and look at him through my lashes, biting my lip. "Fuck me now."
"So romantic.", he chuckles as he leads me to the sofa where he gently lays me down. "I think you are too dressed.", he says. sliding my panties down. Those magic fingers of his are soon in my sex as he begins swirling his fingers in slowly. "Fuck!"
"What? What's wrong?", I ask as he stops.
"I forgot Elliot is coming by with the plans for the backyard." Even though the house is finished on the inside, we are still working on the details of the back.
"Well, hurry up then.", I moan as I pull him towards me and kiss him. He smiles before positioning himself at my entrance. A few seconds later, he slowly thrusts into me.
"Christian.", I say breathlessly as he thrusts slowly. "Please, faster." He obeys my command and picks up the pace as he thrusts in and out of me.
"You feel so good. I could do this all day." I feel my release coming as Christian gives me a devilish grin. "Come for me Ana." Those words are my undoing as the walls of my body shatter. Christian soon follows me. "Fuck."
"Indeed", I giggle as he pushes a strand of hair from my face. We lay on the sofa for a few minutes before we compose ourselves.
* * *
About thirty minutes later, Elliot arrives with the plans for the backyard. Kate is at Mia's apartment. Mia has been out of the hospital a few days, but still has a long recovery to go, both physically and emotionally. We are determined not to let her go through this alone.
"There is one room in the house that hasn't been decorated.", Elliot says as he walks through the kitchen. Christian looks at me and smiles. We know that Elliot is referring to the nursery. Even though I'm excited that we're having a baby, I still feel guilty since Mia lost her baby.
"Yeah, we probably will just go with neutral colors. That way it will be good for a boy or girl.", Christian say. "Have you seen Mia today?"
"For a bit. She says that she is doing better, but she is still struggling. Ethan had a friend from college getting married so he is out of town. He tried to get Mia to go, but she said she was not good company." Christian's Blackberry begins buzzing causing Elliot to roll his eyes.
"Excuse me.", Christian says as he anwers the call. I see his face begin to tense up as he listens to the person on the other end. "Keep me posted." He ends the call and looks at me with seriousness in his face.
"What was that?", I ask.
"I have to make a few call. Elliot, will you keep Ana company for a bit?" Christian leaves the kitchen and heads to his new study. I wonder what is going on.
"So, have you guys got any names picked out?", Elliot asks me as he tries to distract me.
"Not really."
"You can always go with Elliot Jr. or if it's a girl Ellie."
"We keep those in mind.", I laugh as I see Christian come back into the kitchen. He looks at me and tries to smile.
"Something is wrong. What is it?"
"Kirsten Williams escaped from the psychiatric hospital where she was being held." My face falls flat as the name Kirsten Williams, Leila's half-sister, is said. I had hoped that I would never see the woman who tried to run me over and kidnapped me again. She had been found mentally unstable and sent to a facility instead of jail.
"Do they have any idea where she is?", Elliot asks.
"Not yet, but she paid Leila a visit."
"Did Leila know where she where she was headed?" I inquire as Christian walks over to me. "Christian?"
"Leila is dead."
66. Chapter 66
"Poor Leila", I say as I struggle to comprehend what Christian just told me. Elliot looks at Christian with a puzzled look on his face. When Kirsten wrecked havoc on me and Christian, we left out a few details. One of the main things was that Leila was one of Christian's former subs.
"That was the girl who you initially thought had tried to run Ana over, isn't it?", Elliot asks.
"Yes. It turned out that her half-sister Kirsten did it. Leila had some issues, but she had no part in trying to hurt Ana." Christian's face is filled with worry. "After the kidnapping thing, Leila began seeing a therapist and started going to art classes."
"Kirsten killed her own sister?", I ask.
"It appears that way. The police think she went to Leila for money and a place to stay while she regrouped.", Christian says as he walks over to where I'm sitting. He puts his arms around my shoulders.
"I should be going. If you guys need anything, let me know.", Elliot says as he hugs me and Christian. Once Elliot is gone, Christian takes my hand and leads me into the living room where we sit on the sofa.
"She wouldn't come after us, would she?", I ask as I look for reassurance. The look on Christian's face tells me that he is not sure what's going to happen. "She should know that the police would look for her around here. I mean she probably is already half way across the country." My voice cracks as I struggle to catch my breath.
"Ana, calm down. While she would be stupid coming after us again, it's still a possibility. Security is going to be raised until we know she's not a threat. I'm not taking any chances, especially now." He places his hand on my growing stomach.
"We're going to be ok, all of us.", I say as I lay my hand on top of his.
We sit in silence for several minutes before I decide that I need to move around. I'm not going to let Kirsten control our lives. I will not live my life in fear. I stand up as I feel Christian's eyes on me.
"Where are you going?"
"We're hungry.", I giggle.
* * *
When I wake the next morning, I find the spot next to me in bed empty. I have a feeling that Christian is already up taking care of the extra security precautions. My stomach turns at the delicious aroma of food that fills the air. I take a quick shower and dress before making my way to the kitchen. Gail is at the counter putting pancakes on a plate.
"Good morning Ana.", she smiles. "I'm making pancakes for Christian's breakfast. Would you like your usual yogurt and granola or pancakes?"
"Morning Gail. Pancakes would be nice." I've craved pancakes a lot lately. One day, I ate them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. "Where is Christian?"
"He's in his study with Jason. I'm sure they will be out once they smell breakfast." Her words speak truth when a few minutes later Christian and Taylor walk out of the study.
"Good morning .", Christian says as he sits next to me at the table.
"Good morning. I hated that I woke up without you next to me."
"Sorry baby. I had to go over security issues with Taylor. You are not to go anywhere without Sawyer. Understand?"
"Yes. Since it's Sunday, what are you going to do today?"
"I have a few files to work and that's it. What would you like to do?", he says as he takes a sip of coffee.
"I actually thought about seeing if Mia and Kate want to go shopping. We can have a mini girls day while you work. Then, you and I could maybe go to a movie later."
"That sounds like a nice plan. Remember Sawyer is going." I roll my eyes at him as I giggle.
Two hours later, Mia, Kate, Sawyer, and I are looking through racks of clothes. We have been to three boutiques so far, and I've only purchased a dress. Mia has walked in a daze. Kate, however, has bought a ton of items. Poor Sawyer had to carry an armful of bags from the last store.
"Mia, how about this one? I think the color would look good on you.", I say as I hold up a one shouldered blue dress.
"I don't really need anymore clothes. My closet is already full. I even had clothes in the guest bedroom closet, but I moved them to make room for the baby...", she stops as I see tears form. I walk over to her and my hand on her shoulder. "Sorry. I have good days and bad days."
"Don't apologize. There is no need to hide your feelings. Know that we're here for you." She smiles at him for a moment before her face falls flat.
"Hello ladies.", I hear a voice purr behind me. I am surprised to see Elena who is dressed to the nines in a black dress and heels. This is the first time that I've seen her since the Parker incident. I haven't spoken to her since Jose learned about her and Christian.
"Hello Elena."
"Excuse me.", Mia says as she walks away. I sense the last thing she wants is to see Elena.
"It seems like it's been an eternity since I've seen you all. Congratulations on the marriage Anastasia.", she smiles as her eyes wander down to my stomach. "And judging from your stomach, congratulations on the baby."
"Thank you. I really have to go.", I begin to walk away from her.
"Is that why you you got married so soon?", she says as I turn around. "Did Christian feel he was obligated to marry you before the baby came?" I can't believe she has the nerve to ask me that.
"No. We decided to get married because we wanted to begin our lives as husband and wife sooner rather than later. It really is none of your business."
"Love is for fools. I know that you probably are shocked to hear me say that after Jose, but it's true."
"I know that you're not happy that your relationship with Christian was exposed. The only person really to blame for that is you. You took advantage of Christian."
"Everyone makes mistakes Anastasia. One of the ones that I made was falling for Jose. I ended up being weak because of him, but things have changed."
"What do you mean?", I ask.
"What I mean is..", she walks up to my ear and whispers, "the bitch is back."
67. Chapter 67
The bitch is back. Elena Lincoln's brief stint on the good side has come to an end. The old Elena is back, and I wonder what she has up her sleeves. As she walks away from me with a smirk on her face, Mia comes rushing back with Luke. They can see the uneasiness on my face.
"Ana, I had a feeling that Elena was up to something so I went to get Luke.", Mia says as she looks at Elena who is now standing at a rack of blouses at the front of the store. An oblivious Kate is only a few inches away from her as she continues her shopping spree.
"I should have been by your side Ana. I'm sorry.", Luke says with regret in his eyes.
"There is no need to apologize. I was foolish to think she had some good in her." I look at Mia has a puzzled look on her face. She still doesn't know about Elena's relationship with Christian. Carrick and Grace told her and Elliot that Linc was after the Grey family because of Carrick. Mia has been through a lot, and the last thing she needs is to find out is how her brother was seduced at fifteen by their mother's friend.
"Ana, Mom and Dad didn't tell us the entire truth about why Linc was after the Grey family. All they said was it was a vendetta against my dad, but I know there is more. It was also about Elena and Christian, wasn't it?" My mouth drops open at the fact that she figured out the truth. "Come on. I could tell from the way she was always fawning over him. I saw the tension between the three of you that night Christian first introduced you to the family. So, what did she say to you just now?"
"The bitch is back. Just leave it alone Mia. She's not worth it." Mia's face reddens as she clenches her fists by her side. Before I know what is happening, she begins walking away, but Luke jumps in her way.
"Miss Grey, please, don't.", he says.
"Move out of my way." There are some things in life that I can't fix or help. This is something I need to do." She moves around Luke rushes towards Elena. Luke looks at me and shakes his head before we follow her.
"Elena.", Mia says with fury in her eyes.
"Mia, darling. What is it? Do you need something?" Kate looks up from the table of jeans in front of her.
"I don't need a damn thing from you. The same thing goes for my family. They are the most important thing to me, and I will not let you mess with them."
"I have no idea what has gotten into you, but you're out of line.", Elena says as she steps towards Mia who holds her hand up to stop her. "You need to calm down."
"I will not calm down! Stay the hell away from my family you bleached blonde, botoxed, old hag bitch troll." Elena looks around the boutique at the crowd of people who have gathered around for her verbal lashing. She hurries out the door with her head down.
After dropping Mia and Kate off, Luke drives me back to the house. Christian is sitting on the sofa when I walk in. He is going to be furious when I tell him about the Elena incident.
"Hey baby.", smiles as I take a seat next to him. My lips are soon on his as I kiss him passionately. A few moments later, he pulls away.
"What happened?"
"Why do you assume something happened? Can't I kiss my sexy husband and father of my unborn child just because I feel like it?", I ask.
"You can, but Elliot texted me right before you got home and said to ask you about what happened at the boutique.", he replies with a smirk.
"Kate and her big mouth. Promise me that you won't freak out." I take his hand in mine.
"Ok, now I know it's bad. Spill."
"Elena was there, and she said congratulations on the wedding. Then, she said the bitch is back."
"What the fuck?!", he says as he leaps from his seat.
"Calm down."
"I will not calm down. It's not bad enough that we're having to deal with that psych Kirsten being on the loose, but now Elena is causing trouble again."
"Mia kind of put her in her place."
"She shouldn't have to do that. Elena needs to back the fuck off." Christian's Blackberry begins buzzing. "Be right back." He walks into his study to take his call. The call doesn't last long, and he comes back into the living room a few minutes later. "That was Taylor. It seems there was a sighting of Kirsten, at Elena's. It appears they are working together."
"Why can't we just have a normal life? Is that too much to ask?"
* * *
The next morning when I wake up, Christian is once again in his study. He is determined to find Kirsten and stop whatever she and Elena have planned. I head into the kitchen and have a quick breakfast, wishing that Christian would join me. After I finish, I decide to read a book in the living room, but my phone buzzes. I don't recognize the number. Christian comes into the room as I answer the call.
"Hello."
"Did you miss me?", a voice on the other end asks. I remember the voice all too well. It's Kirsten.
"Kirsten?" Christian's eyes widen as he sits down next to me. "What do you want?"
"I just want to have some fun. I made a new friend."
"We know. It's Elena Lincoln."
"Yes. She actually reminds me of myself. The other day, we ended up talking about things that we're allergic to."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Elena is allergic to bees.", she laughs. "Yesterday, we had an argument. She ended up going shopping to cool off. While she was gone, I visited a friends who raises bees." I put the phone on speaker as I feel nauseous.
"What did you do?"
"If you go to Elena's, you will find an old freezer in the basement. I left a surprise there. I have to go now. Bye."
"Christian.", he nods his head, knowing what I'm about to ask. He calls for Luke to come and watch me while he calls the police. A few minutes later, he and Taylor head to Elena's. I just want this nightmare to be over. As Luke sits in a chair by the fireplace, I close my eyes to rest.
"Ana, baby.", I hear Christian say as I wake up from my nap. I look at the clock and see that it's been almost two hours.
"Was she?", I ask.
"Yeah. Kirsten put her in the old freezer with a bunch of bees. She went into anaphylactic shock.", he says as he pulls me into him.
"Elena is dead, but Kirsten is still out there."
68. Chapter 68
"Why are you up so late?", Christian asks as he joins me at the kitchen table. It's almost two a.m., and sleep has avoided me. "Ice cream and popcorn?" He shakes his head in amusement at my late night snack choice.
"It's really good.", I smile as I take a big bite. "I tried to go to sleep, but every time I close my eyes, I picture Elena in that freezer. I can't imagine the suffering she went through."
"I know that it was a cruel way to die, but you have to remember that she helped a psycho killer."
"Kirsten is not going to let up. She is going to keep coming after us."
"I promise you that we will stop her. You're always telling me that everything will be ok in the end. It's my turn to tell you that.", he says as he leans into me.
"If only it were that simple. I just want to live my life in peace!", I scream as I throw my bowl of ice cream on the floor. Christian looks at me for a few moments before I stand to clean up the remnants of my outburst.
"Ana.", he says as he grabs my hand.
"This is supposed to be a happy time for us. I keep telling myself that I refuse to live in fear, but it's a losing battle." A floodgate of tears is released as Christian puts his arms around me, and I bury my head in his chest.
"We are going to get through this, and we will be happy." I look up and see tears in his eyes as he gives me a reassuring smile. "I'll clean this up. Why don't you go upstairs and try to sleep. We have a doctor's appointment in the morning." I kiss him before making my way to the bedroom and crawl into bed. surprisingly, it doesn't take me long to fall asleep this go around.
The next morning,Christian and I spend breakfast talking about possible baby names. We still want to be surprised if it's a boy or girl. I told Christian that I like the name Theodore if it's a boy, and his face was filled with excitement. He likes the name Abigail for a girl. Talking about baby names help keep my mind off the craziness going on in our lives.
"Are you ready Ana ?", he asks after breakfast.
"Yes"
"Taylor and Sawyer are both going with us today." We walk outside and are greeted by our two loyal security member. Christian opens the door for me as I climb into the SUV. After everyone else is in the vehicle, we leave for our appointment with .
* * *
When we arrive at the hospital, we step in the elevator and prepare to head to 's office. Christian and I wait for a few minutes before I'm told that I can go into the exam room. Taylor and Sawyer stay behind in the waiting area. A few minutes after we go into the room, a blonde nurse comes in. She has her head down as she looks at a clipboard.
"Good morning Mr and Mrs. Grey. How are you two today?", she asks with her back to me and Christian. _That voice_. Christian's eyes meet mine as I shake my head. "Are you ready to die today?" She turns around, and our suspicions are confirmed. It's Kirsten. Her hair has been dyed blonde and she is wearing blue contacts.
"Kirsten.", I say as my body shakes. Christian moves in her direction, but she quickly pulls a gun from her pocket.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!", he asks as she waves the gun between the two of us.
"Well, I woke up this morning and was bored. Soooo, I thought maybe I should kill the Greys today.", she laughs.
"You are sick. I hope you've enjoyed your brief freedom because it's coming to an end very soon.", I say.
"Ana,Ana, you and that mouth of yours. Maybe I should kill you first. Then again, maybe I should kill your hubby first." Kirsten's focus is soon interrupted by a knock at the door.
"Sir!", Taylor yells from the other side as Kirsten looks away from us.
Christian used this as his chance to overpower her. He lunges towards her, but she puts a fight. Even though Christian is largerr than her, the battle goes on for several minutes, until I hear a loud boom. My eyes widen as I see Christian who has his back to me remain still. _Please no_. I see Kirsten fall to the floor. Christian turns to me as I try to catch my breath. I suddenly feel my legs become weak, and before I know what's happening, I feel myself falling. Christian catches me before I fall. I feel my eyes become weak as my surroundings are clouded in darkness.
* * *
"Ana, baby,wake up."
Where am I? I slowly open my eyelids and notice that I'm in a hospital bed. Christian is holding my hand as I see a smile come across his face.
"What happened?"
"You passed out after Kirsten was shot. The doctor said that both you and the baby are fine. All of the stress you've been under just came to the surface."
"Is she? Is it over?"
"Yes, it's over.", he says as he kisses my hand. "Dr. Greene asked again if we wanted to know what we're having."
"I know that I said I wanted to be surprised, but I kind of want to know what we're having. We can begin calling the baby by its name, and we can start buying." clothes.
"I was hoping you would say that . Don't be mad, but my curiosity got the best of me, and I asked."
"What are we having?"
"We are having..a baby girl." Tears fall from both us. We're having a girl.
"A baby girl. I like the name you suggested, Abigail.", I say through tears. Christian puts his hand on my stomach and gently rubs it.
"Hello Abigail. I'm your daddy, and this is your mommy. We love you so much baby girl. You are going to be spoiled beyond belief. We can't wait to meet you."
69. Chapter 69
**A/N Bit of a filler chapter. Thanks everyone for reading :)**
A month has passed since Kirsten's reign of terror came to an end. Things are finally starting to get back to normal. Dr. Greene told us that we're having a girl, and we've decided on the name Abigail. Christian had Elliot start working on the nursery after we found out. It should be ready in a few days. I'm now in my seventh month, and I am eager to meet my baby girl.
"Beautiful picture, isn't it?", Christian says over my shoulder as I gaze at the sonogram picture in my hand.
"It's still hard to believe that we created that."
"Our love created that.", he smile as he sits at breakfast bar.
"What if the sonogram was wrong?", I ask as Christian gives me a puzzled look. "I've heard stories where people are told the baby is one gender, and it comes out the opposite. It's possible."
"Baby, I think we would know if the baby were a boy. He would have his tell tale boy parts."
"The doctor called and said she had a cancellation. She asked if I would like to move my appointment up to this afternoon. Can you come?" I manage to raise myself out of my chair so I can get some juice.
"Of course. I talked to Mia earlier, and she said that Ethan wants to take her away on a vacation." Two months have passed since Mia lost her baby, but she is still struggling. She has begun to let Ethan and her family in so that's a starting point.
"I think a weekend away would be good for her."
"Yeah, I agree. It hurts me seeing my little sister in so much pain.", Christian says as he I take a piece of leftover pizza from the fridge and begin consuming it cold. A few minutes later, the doorbell rings, and Christian goes to answer it. When he comes back into the kitchen, I see Mia with him.
"Hey Mia." I shove the rest of my pizza in my mouth as she sits down.
"Hey. I was on my way Mom and Dad's and thought I would stop by and see you guys.", she smiles. It's not a famous Mia Grey smile, but it's a smile nonetheless.
"I was telling Ana that Ethan wants the two of you to go on a vacation.", Christian says.
"He told me to pick a place, and that's where we would go. I have no idea where I want to go, but I'm kind of looking forward to it."
"You could alway take a blindfold and throw a dart on a map. Wherever the dart lands is where you go.", I laugh.
"That's not a bad idea Ana. I may have to do that." Mia looks at me as I stand at the counter. Everytime I see her, I feel bad about my bump being right there for her to see.
* * *
When Mia leaves, Christian and I get ready for my doctor's appointment. I dress in a a dark blue long sleeve dress and black flats. With Kirsten gone, we are able to travel without security. It's nice having it just Christian and I. Soon, there will be another person traveling with us. My heart skips a beat at the thought of Christian with a baby carrier in his hands.
"Good afternoon .", smiles as she comes into the exam room. "How have you been feeling Ana?"
"Hungry, tired, and hungry.", I giggle.
"That's a good thing. Ok,let's look at your baby, shall we." Christian holds my hand as we look towards the screen. A few seconds later, we see our baby, and Christian's jaw drops.
"Is that a?", he asks, pointing at the screen.
"It appears that your baby has been shy up until now. That is indeed a penis. These things happen sometimes. You are not having a girl. You're having a boy."
"A boy? Are you 100% sure this time?", I ask.
"Oh, it's pretty obvious that it's a boy", Christian smiles.
The appointment doesn't take much longer, and Christian and I are soon on the way home. We're both still in shock that the baby is a boy.
"I can't believe he was being shy. He gets that from you.", Christian says with a chuckle as we arrive home. I notice that Elliot's truck is in the driveway.
"He's just not as brazen as his father when it comes to showing his "parts".", I laugh. "Why is Elliot here?"
"Oh, crap.", Christian says as he parks the car. He unbuckles his seat belt and scurries out to open my door. "It was going to be a suprise. He had a few finishing touches left, and the nursery was going to be ready. Now, he'll have to start over."
"Hey guys!", Elliot says as he opens the door. "I've got a suprise for you Ana."
"We have one for you too.", I reply as we make our way into the living room.
"Come with me.", Elliot motions for us to follow him to the nursery. When he opens the door, I'm in awe at the sight before me. The room is decorated in light pink and brown. A crib lines the left side of the room. Abigail is stenciled on the wall above the crib.
"Elliot, the room looks amazing, but we're going to have to start over.", Christian says as Elliot's widen. "We just found out the sonogram was wrong, and we're having a boy."
"Are you fucking kidding me!", Elliot shouts. "I've done all of this work for nothing?"
"I know, and you did a wonderful job. You can start over."
"_Or_..you can keep everything pink. How about that?" Christian and I roll our eyes as Elliot points to the wall. "Bro, I even stenciled the name on the wall. You know you can always keep the name Abigail."
"Let me think about that idea for a second. Um, no.", I say as Christian tries to hide his amusement.
"Fine. I will redo it, but my fees have gone up."
"Deal. How do you feel about a nephew?", Christian asks.
"Man, that's great. I can show him how to play video games since his dad sucks. What's the name?"
"Theodore Raymond Grey.", I answer as Elliot grins.
"Teddy. I think I know how to do the nursery now."
70. Chapter 70
"Ana?", Christian asks as we're curled up in bed. The soothing sound of rain fills my ears. I'm on my side facing Christian who has his arms around my waist.
"Yeah?", I reply as I find myself yawning beyond control.
"Are you scared?" I prop my head on my elbow so I can see him better in the semi darkness of the room. "About becoming a parent?"
"I would be lying if I said I wasn't, but I think fear is a natural part of it. Once we see our little miracle, everything will fall into place." I move closer to him and rest my head on his chest as he runs his hand through my hair.
"What if I screw up?"
"You won't, trust me. Christian Grey, you are going to be the most amazing father in the world."
"I hope so.", he says as I raise up and kiss him on the cheek.
"I know so." We lay there in silence for a few minutes before sleep takes over.
When I arrive at work the next morning, my assistant Hannah is smiling at me when I walk in.
"Good morning Ana. How are you feeling today?", she asks.
"I'm feeling pretty good, just tired."
"You look good. There is a meeting at ten with the senior editors."
"Ok, thanks Ana." As I open my office door, I'm stunned by the dozens and dozens of red roses that cover the office. A large basket sits on top of my desk with various snacks.
"I thought you or Teddy may get hungry so I got you some snacks.", Christian says as he stands in the doorway.
"That's so sweet of you. What about the roses?"
"Just because." He begins walking slowly towards me as Teddy dances around in my stomach. When he finally is standing right in front of me, I wrap my arms around his neck and pull his lips to mine.
"I have a meeting at ten.", I say after we finally pull apart.
"How much longer do you plan on working before the baby comes?"
"Right up until I go into labor." This is a subject that Christian and I haven't talked about, but I hope he supports my decision.
"Ana, I wish you would take off sooner."
"There is a lot of work that needs to be done here, and I can't just drop it." Christian's Blackberry buzzes as he gives me a smile.
"Mom, hey. What? Slow down. I can't hear you." Christian struggles to make sense of what Grace is telling him. "I'm with Ana right now. We'll be there as soon as we can." Christian ends the call and stares at me with tears in his eyes. "My dad collapsed at the office. They think he had a heart attack."
"Oh my god. Did Taylor bring you here?" Christian nods frantically. "Ok. Let's get him and go." I take Christian's hand as we rush downstairs to Taylor who is waiting outside the SUV.
"Taylor, take us to Overlake Medical Center." Carrick is at the same hospital where Mia and Ethan were taken following their accident. I pray that he is ok. "Mia and Ethan left yesterday to go to Aspen."
* * *
When we arrive at the hospital, we see Grace and Elliot pacing in the waiting room. Their faces are filled with worry.
"Mom.", Christian says as he hugs her. "Has the doctor said anything?"
"Not yet. The doctor is Frank Morris. I've known him for years, and he is one of the best. There is no doubt in my mind that he will help your father. Ana, why don't you sit down sweetheart?"
"I'm fine Grace." I hug her tightly as Christian talks to Elliot. "Where's Kate?"
"She's on her way. I called Mia and got her voicemail so I called Ethan. He answered and said he would tell her."
"He's going to be ok. I know he will. Carrick Grey is a fighter, and he's not going anywhere. I remember when he first asked me out. I told him no, and he vowed that he wouldn't give up. The stubborn man called me every day for a week to ask me out. I finally caved in and agreed. That was one of the best decisions of my life." A few moments later, a doctor comes into the waiting room. "This is Dr. Morris.", Grace says as he stands before us. "When can we see him?", Grace asks as all eyes are on Dr. Morris. His face is somber as the realization of what he is going to tell us hits.
"I want you to know that we did everything that we could. We tried so hard to save him, but we just couldn't."
"Bull shit!", Christian shouts. "You march your ass back in there, and you fix him."
"I know this is a shock, and I'm sorry."
"You're sorry? You're damn right you are. You're a sorry excuse for a doctor." As Christian walks away, he kicks a chair over, startling everyone. "Fuck!"
Elliot puts his arms around Grace as she begins sobbing. Her legs soon give out as she falls to the floor in tears.
"The love of my life is gone. How can that be?" I touch her arm gently as I move to where Christian is standing.
"Christian.", I say as he looks at me through tear-stained gray eyes.
"This is some kind of fucked up dream. It has to be. First Mia loses her baby and now this. This family has suffered enough."
"I know."
"I just need you to feel you in my arms right now.", he says as pulls me into his arms. "This is the only thing that makes sense right now."
71. Chapter 71
"Mom!", Mia yells as she opens the door at the Greys'. Everyone is gathered in the living room as we try to comprehend that Carrick is gone. As Mia comes into the room with Ethan by her side, silence fills the air. "We got here as soon as we could." Grace stands and hugs her daughter as Ethan remains by her.
"I can't believe he's gone. I keep expecting him to walk through that door. When he left this morning, I had no idea that it would be the last time I was going to see him."
"It seems unreal. When I talked to him on the phone before our flight yesterday, he sounded fine. He told me to have a safe and relaxing trip."
Christian and I are sitting on the sofa with Kate and Elliot across from us in a pair of chairs. Since we left the hospital, few words have been spoken but countless tears . I look at Christian who is gives me a small smile.
"Are you hungry? You haven't eaten.", he asks as I shake my head.
"I'm not hungry."
"That's too bad because I called Gail to bring some food over." Christian stands up and walks to the door and opens it. Almost right on cue, Gail and Taylor appear with a mountain of food. Christian takes the food that Gail has in her arms and follow Taylor to the kitchen.
"I'm so sorry.", Gail says as she hugs Grace.
"Thank you Gail."
"I'm going to help them in the kitchen with the food.", Elliot says as he stands up to join Christian and Taylor.
"Hey Ana.", Mia says as she sits in the spot that Christian vacated.
"Hi Mia.", I lean over and give her a hug. "I'm sorry about your dad. He loved you very much."
"I know. The last thing he told me was that he loved me." Mia has been having a hard time, and I'm worried about how Carrick's death will affect her. "My mom and dad have been there for me during these last few months even though I tried to push them away. It took some time to finally realize that I needed them. I'm going to make sure I'm here for my mom every step of the way."
"Ok everyone, there is food in the kitchen. Help yourselves.", Christian says as he comes back into the living room. "Mom, you need to eat." Grace shakes her head, but Christian leans down to her. "Mom, please." Grace looks at him for a few seconds before standing. Christian puts his arms around her as he leads her to the kitchen. Ethan walks over to Mia and extends his hand to her.
"Come on Miss Grey.", he says as Mia takes his hand. They follow everyone in the kitchen. Kate and I are the only ones left in the living room.
"How are you holding up Ana?", Kate asks.
"I'm fine. How about you?"
"Fine, I suppose. Elliot has been quite since we left the hospital. I just don't want him to close himself off." Kate's anxiety about Elliot mirrors mine about Christian. There was a time when Christian didn't let people in. He was in a dark place, but he made it it out. I hope he doesn't resort back to that period.
"We need to stick together. It's going to be a hard time for everyone, especially the next few days, but we need to be there for one another." I look up and see Christian standing in the doorway staring at me.
"I couldn't agree more . Now, you and our son need to eat." Even though I wasn't hungry a few minutes ago, I'm suddenly famished.
"Ok. I don't think you'll have to worry about Teddy not having an appetite. Just the mention of the word food has him going crazy.", I giggle as Christian puts his hand on my stomach.
"He's really kicking it up in there. Would you like some of Gail's macaroni and cheese Teddy Bear?" Teddy begins flipping around even more as Christian laughs. "I think that's a yes." He helps me up from my seat as Kate smiles at us.
"Kate, you need to eat. Come on.", I tell her.
"I'm right behind you."
* * *
After everyone has finished eating, Christian and I decide to go for a walk outside. The sky is clear and full of stars.
"My dad and I used to come out here and look at the stars. I remember one night he told me this quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson. "When it is darkest, men see the stars." That's kind of an ironic quote. It seems there are more stars in the sky tonight than there have ever been."
"Your dad loved you so much. Last week, he and your mom stopped by my office on their way to lunch. Carrick talked about how he was proud of how you stepped up during the Parker thing and after Mia's accident."
"My family has been there for me so many times in the past. At one point, I didn't show them my appreciation. Then you came into my life and opened my eyes. I finally saw that I had this amazing family who loved me. I knew that I needed to be there for them through all the good and all the bad." Christian puts his arms around me as the cool night air sends shivers throughout my body.
"I could see the love within your family that first night I met them."
"It's our family.", he says as he gently kisses my cheek. "The old Christian Grey may have went off the deep end after all of this, but I'm not that same man. I'm a better man because a clumsy brunette fell into my office."
"I hope you're talking about me.", I say as he laughs
"Always you. I miss him so much already." I can see the tears falling down his face as we sit on a bench. "We're Greys, and we will pull this."
72. Chapter 72
The Grey family lost its patriarch three days ago. Carrick's death has left a void in the family that can never be filled. Today will be the hardest day as his funeral is held. Everyone has been coping in their own way. Grace has cried and even laughed as she has told stories about Carrick and their courtship. Mia has been there for her mother every step of the way even though the pain of losing her baby is still there. Elliot has done the exact thing that Kate was worried he would do, close himself off. Gone is the playful, joking Elliot. The Elliot that is around now is distant. Christian has been the glue of the family. He helped Grace with the funeral arrangements. When she couldn't bring herself to pick out a casket, Christian did the task. He has made sure the Grey house is stocked with food. I know Carrick is looking down proudly at the man Christian has become.
"Can you zip me up.", I ask after I slip on my black dress. Christian comes up behind me and kisses my neck as he pulls the zipper up. I turn around and smile at him. He is dressed in a white dress shirt, black coat, black pants, and a black tie.
"This is going to be the hardest day of my life.", he says as he takes my hand and runs his fingers over my wedding bands. "How do I say goodbye?"
"You don't. There never really is goodbye. I know that your dad is in heaven right now smiling at the man you've become over the past few days. You've always been a man of strength, but these past few days have showcased that."
Christian and I finish getting ready in silence as his face remains somber. When we're ready to leave, we meet Taylor, Gail, and Luke outside at the SUV. Today they too are going to pay respect to Carrick. As we arrive at the Greys', I notice that Mia and Ethan are already here. Grace's parents Mr. and Mrs Trevelyan are here as well. The only car I don't see is Elliot's. He is probably running behind because of Kate.
"Christian, Ana.", his grandfather says as he hugs us. Mrs. Trevelyan comes behind him and hugs us as well.
"Ana, look at you. You're looking radiant dear.", she gushes.
"Thank you. We're in the home stretch."
"Mom, hi.", Christian says as Grace walks into the room. "I see everyone is here but Elliot and Kate."
"Kate called earlier and said they were going to be a little late. I woke up this morning telling myself that I was going to be strong today, and I would be able to say goodbye. I'm not strong enough for that." Christian pulls his mother to his chest as she begins crying. Mia, who has been standing by the fireplace, comes over and holds her mother's hand.
"Let it out Mom. No one expects you to hold your feelings in."
We wait at the house for half an hour until it's time to go to the church. Just as we are about to get into the cars, Elliot and Kate arrive.
"Elliot, where have you been?", Christian asks as Elliot rolls his eyes.
"Relax. I was doing things at home and lost track of time. No need to get your panties in a wad." Christian's face tenses up, and I know he wants to say something to Elliot but refrains.
"It's fine. Come on."
* * *
As we walk into the church, we see several mourners have already gathered. Flowers fill the front of the sanctuary and photos of the family are set on a small table next to the casket.
"We should go up front before it begins.", Christian says as I nod. The entire family walks up to the casket to pay our respects before the service.
"Carrick, I don't know what I'm going to do without you. You have always been my one constant. I remember all of those nights that you came home and cooked dinner even though we both knew it was awful.", Grace laughs. "I would give anything to have one more of those dinners. You're always going to be in my heart. I will love you till eternity." She rests her head on the casket for a few minutes before turning to us. "Mia, sweetie." Mia steps forward and gives a small smile.
"Hey Dad. You always said I was a daddy's girl, and you were right. I'm so proud to be the daughter of Carrick Grey. You taught me so much about life. Who knows where I would be without your love and guidance. I love you." Elliot motions for Christian to go next, and we walk up together.
"Dad, I know that I've never been good with expressing my emotions, and I'm sorry for that. You and Mom saved me and gave me this amazing life. You saw the best in me even when I couldn't. I wish you could be here to meet Teddy, but he is going to know what an incredible man his grandfather was. I love you Dad." Elliot is standing alone and looks like he doesn't want to go up. Kate whispers something in his ear, and he finally moves forward.
"I wish I were half the man you were. I will miss you, and I love you."
The church is now overflowing with people, and we take our seats in the front pew. Christian sits next to Grace and holds her hand while I'm on his other side. The minister talks about Carrick's younger life, his family, and his career. When he has finished, he announces that Christian is going to give a eulogy. Christian stands and walks to the front.
"Carrick Grey was a friend to many of you. I know without a doubt your lives are forever changed by him. He never judged or made anyone feel inferior. To me, Carrick Grey was the greatest father. The early part of my life was clouded in darkness and despair. Then one day, this family, the Greys took me home. I had never had a home before, and it took some time to adjust. My dad and mom were patient with me every step of the way. I remember when I was learning to ride a bike. I was scared to death that I was going to get hurt, but my dad assured me that it was going to be ok. He vowed that he would be with me every step of the way, and he was. Even after he finally let me go, he remained by my side. I'm about to become a father for the first time, and I'm going to do all I can to make sure my son knows everything about Carrick Grey. As we sit here today, I know my dad is in heaven smiling at the large gathering. He would tell us not to cry for him but to celebrate him. Let us never forget Carrick Grey." There is not a dry eye in the church as Christian walks back to his seat. Grace smiled at him as she wipes her tears. Music begins playing throughout the church
_When I get where I'm going
On the far side off the sky
The first thing that I'm gonna do
Is spread my wings and fly_
_I'm gonna land beside a lion_
_And run my fingers through his mane_
_Or I might find out what it's like_
_To ride a drop of rain_
_Yeah when I get where I'm goin_
_There'll be only happy tears_
_I will she'd the sins and struggles_
_I have carried all these years_
_And I'll leave my heart wide open_
_I will love and have no fear_
_Yeah when I get where I'm going_
_Don't cry for me down here_
_I'm gonna walk with my grand daddy_
_And he'll match me step for step_
_And I'll tell him how I missed him_
_Every minute since he left_
_Then I'll hug his neck_
_Yeah when I get where I'm_ _goin_
_There'll be only happy tears_
_I will she'd the sins and struggles_
_I have carried all these years_
_And I'll leave my heart wide open_
_I will love and have no fear
Yeah when I get where I'm going
Don't cry for me down here_
_So much pain and so much darkness_
_In this world we stumble through
All these questions I can't answer
So much work to do_
_But when I get where I'm going_
_And I see my maker's face_
_I'll stand forever in the light_
_Of his amazing grace_
_Yeah when I get where I'm goin_
_Oh When I get where I'm goin_
_There'll be only happy tears_
_Hallelujah_
_I will love and have no fear_
_When I get where I'm going_
_Yeah when I get where I'm going_
* * *
When the funeral is over, we drive to the cemetary where Carrick is buried. Each member of the family puts a rose on the casket before we say one final goodbye. As we walk back to the car, Elliot approaches us.
"Hey, look. I don't think I'm going back to the house. I really don't want to be around a lot of people. All I really want is to grab a beer and just relax.", he tells Christian.
"Elliot, you should be at the house with the rest of the family. The last thing we need right now is to separate from one another. Dad would want us united."
"Whatever. You guys can do whatever you want, but I'm doing what I want. You're not my boss.", he snaps as he begins walking away.
"Elliot! Don't walk away from me!", Christian shouts as Elliot turns around to face his younger brother. "Do you think the way you're acting is the best way to deal with Dad's death?"
"Screw you Christian! We all have our own way of dealing with things. You of all people should know that.", Elliot yells.
"What the fuck does that mean?"
"Your playroom Christian." Christian face is filled with shock that Elliot mentioned the Red Room of Pain. So, why don't you go do whatever you do in there while I deal with things my way." With that Elliot gets into his car. Kate looks at us and shrugs. She reluctantly gets into the car with him.
"How did he know about the playroom?", Christian asks as he looks at me. Elliot told me that he knew about the playroom, but I never told Christian.
"He told me he knew about it.", I respond as Christian waits for me to continue. "It was the day that you told me you loved me for the first time. He found the key one day when you weren't home and went in there."
"Fuck. Why didn't you tell me this Ana?"
"Right after he told me, you came in and took me to the beach. I was so caught up being told that you loved me that it slipped my mind."
"My brother probably thinks I take you in there and beat you. What the hell."
"I'm sorry. I should have told you. Elliot knows you don't do that."
"It's ok. I'm not mad at you. Let's go to the house and get some food. I'll deal with Elliot later."
**The song featured in the chapter is "When I Get Where I'm Going" by Brad Paisley and Dolly Parton
**
73. Chapter 73
"Damn woman you're ravenous", Christian laughs as he props himself up on his elbow following our second lovemaking session of the night.
"Are you complaining?"
"Not at all. In fact, I think I want you again, and again, and again." He stares at me with lust in his eyes and begins kissing my neck. "I love these pregnancy hormones of yours. Maybe we should have another baby as soon as we can after Teddy."
"Are you serious? Teddy isn't here yet, and you're already talking about baby number two.", I laugh.
"I love you, and I love our life. There is nothing that I want more than to have a house full of kids."
"I like that idea as well . Have you heard from Elliot?"
"Not in a few days.", Christian replies sadly.
It's been a month since Carrick's funeral and Elliot's refusal to join the family at the house. Christian talked to Elliot briefly the following day, but their conversation was short. Elliot accepted a job bid in Tacoma and has been out of town. Maybe some time away will put things in perspective for him. I know that Christian misses Carrick every day, and now he misses Elliot. Teddy will be here soon, and I want him to meet his Uncle Elliot. I think Teddy's arrival will be a ray of light for the family.
When I wake the next morning, Christian is downstairs cooking breakfast since Gail is visiting her sister in Denver. Even though his first attempt at cooking breakfast was a fail, his culinary skills are improving. I am in awe of him as he cooks his omelet to perfection.
"Good job .", I giggle as I make my way to the counter. I notice there is a stack of pancakes, and toast at the table. "Are those for me?"
"Yes. I know how you crave pancakes. In fact, you crave them almost as much as you crave me." In an instant, he steps away from the stove and places his lips on mine. I do indeed crave him. "I have to go to Portland today, but I won't be too late getting home." Even though I had planned on working until Teddy's arrival, I decided to lighten my work load and have only been working part time.
"Ok. I think I'm going to do some things around here and rest."
As we sit down to eat, the doorbell rings. Christian gets up from his seat to see who could be at the house so early. When he returns to the kitchen, he is followed by Elliot. Christian looks happy to see his brother, and the feeling appears to be mutual.
"I'm sorry for showing up here unannounced.", Elliott say through weary eyes. "I got home last night and couldn't sleep. Hell, I haven't slept in weeks. I guess I thought going out of town for work would help, but it didn't. Christian, I'm sorry for being an ass. The one thing I always wanted was for Dad to be proud of me. Here you are this big time CEO, and I can't compete with that. Mia went to culinary skill in Europe and was the apple of Dad's eye. I'm nothing compared to you two. I failed Dad, simple as that."
"Elliot, Dad was proud of you. He told me one day that he wished he had the creativity that you have. After you finished the renovation of our house, Dad said your work should be put on a magazine.", Christian explains as Elliot starts crying.
"I didn't know that. I thought I could handle his death on my own. When I was out of town, I realized that you were right. We need to stick together. The only reason why I didn't tell you sooner was because of my pride."
"You're here now, and that's all that matters. Now, are you going to finish that nursery for us?", Christian laugh.
"Yeah. There isn't a lot of work left, and I could get it done today."
"Great. I'll be here today so I can help you if needed.", I chime in.
* * *
After Christian and Taylor leave, I decide to rest for a while. Elliot is busy in the nursery doing some touch ups to where he painted. While I'm on the sofa, I begin having sharp pains in my stomach. Maybe it's just braxton hicks contractions. Finally, it subsides, and I'm relieved. Since I didn't sleep well last night, I close my eyes for a few minutes. Before I can fall asleep, the pain comes again. It's becoming more constant and painful. After coming to the conclusion that I'm going into labor, I walk to the nursery. Just as I come into the room, another contraction comes, and I grab hold of the doorknob. Elliot's face turns pale as he sees me and realizes what's happening.
"Ana, are you? Is it time?", he asks with panick in his face.
"I believe so. I think Luke is outside. Could you get him to drive us to the hospital. I'll call Christian and tell him." Elliot frantically runs to find Luke as I call Christian.
"Hey baby. I was just about to call you. How are you feeling?"
"Considering I'm in labor, great.", I respond as I take deep breaths.
"What? Ok, I will be there as soon as I can. This is it Ana. We're having a baby." I can hear the excitement is his voice as I begin crying. Teddy is on his way.
Elliot and Luke come into the house as I grab my bag. Never in a million years did I think Elliot would be the one holding my hand during labor, but he will have to do until Christian gets here. Elliot helps me into the SUV as we make our way to the hospital. He calls Grace Mia, and my parents. The drive to the hospital isn't long since Luke sped the entire time. As we arrive, we're met by who I called before we left. I'm taken to a room and hooked up to monitors. The contractions are excruciating.
"Ok, Ana, I don't think it will take long for your baby to arrive. He seems anxious to get out." It would figure that Teddy would be impatient just like his dad.
"Elliot, could I hold your hand during the contractions? Ahhh!" He takes my hand as the contraction rips through my body.
"Breathe Ana, just breathe. It's going to be ok. Breathe.", he coaches as I tighten my grip on his hand, causing him to wince. "Fuck, that hurt."
"Hurt? Are you kidding me?! Stop with the "breathe Ana" crap, and quit looking at me with your eyes!" I can't believe my outburst. Elliot looks shocked and scared. "I'm sorry Elliot."
"It's ok. You didn't scare me, well not a lot.", he laughs. "Christian will be here soon Ana."
I'm determined to have a natural childbirth, but the pain is unreal.
"Ana!", Christian yells as he comes into the room. "I got here as soon as I could. Elliot, thank you for being here for her."
"That's what family is for. I'm going to go to the waiting room. Good luck guys.", he smiles as he hugs us.
"How is the pain?"
"Did you really just ask me that? Here comes another one." When the contraction is over, I notice the fetal monitor beeping. rushes in to see what's going on. "What is it? The baby is ok, right?"
"Ana,the baby appears to be in distress. We need to do a c-section now." I can't believe what I'm hearing. Teddy has to be ok. Christian leans over to me.
"It's going to be ok. When it's over, we'll have our sweet baby boy. I love you."
A few minutes later, I am wheeled into the OR and given a spinal block. Christian is by my side in scrubs as a surgical drape is put up. I keep my eyes focused on him throughout the procedure. He shifts his eyes back and forth from me to the doctor. Dear god, what if he passes out? The thought of Christian Grey, badass CEO/former domme, passed out in the OR is kind of hilarious. My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of crying.
"We did it Ana.", he beams as Dr. Greene holds Teddy up for me to see. Christian is every bit the proud father as he cuts the umbilical cord.
"Look at him. He has your hair. A mini Christian Grey.", I say.
"It's amazing what love can do."
74. Chapter 74
It's been a week since our lives were changed by the birth of Teddy. Feedings, diaper changes, and sleepless nights are our new routine, and I wouldn't change it for anything in the world. My heart melts every time I see Christian with Teddy. Family and friends have visited regularly as we get settled. My parents arrived in Seattle a few hours after he was born. While my dad returned home yesterday, my mom is staying a bit longer. I'm thankful that she's here to help out since I'm limited due to my c-section. Christian also insisted that he work from home so he can be here for me and Teddy.
As the sun filters into the bedroom, I slowly open my eyes which immediately land on Christian who is sitting in chair next to the bed. Teddy is sound asleep in his arms. It's the most beautiful sight that I've ever seen.
"Good morning.", I whisper as I slowly raise myself up.
"Good morning baby.", he smiles as he looks up from Teddy. "He just went back to sleep."
"He's getting so big."
"Ana, he's only a week old."
"I know, but time flies by so fast. Before we know it he will get his first tooth and be crawling.", I pout.
"How is it possible to be this happy? Never in a million years did I think my life would be as perfect as it is in this moment."
"Easy, it's because of our love. We've been through so much, but our love always brings us through at the end." Christian nods as he walks over to the bassinet and gently places Teddy down. He is at my side in an instant as I ease myself out of the bed.
"I think your mom and Gail cooked breakfast. Hungry?"
"Yeah. Let me check on Teddy before I go downstairs. Once I've admired my sleeping prince for a few minutes, Christian and I head to the kitchen where my mom and Gail are setting the table.
"Good morning sweetie. How did you sleep last night?", my mom asks.
"Thanks to my wonderful husband, I slept pretty well." Christian gives me a wink as he pours his coffee. Whenever Teddy wakes up, we take turns getting him, but Christian took most of the rounds last night.
"You need your rest, and I love getting up with Teddy. It's our male bonding time."
"Isn't your mother supposed to stop by today?" Grace has held up remarkably well since Carrick's death, and Teddy has been a light for her. She has bought him so many gifts
"Yeah. I think she's stopping by sometime this morning. She said she has a gift for Teddy."
"Another one. He is so spoiled.", I laugh. A few minutes later, I hear Teddy crying through the baby monitor and head up to feed him. I've been fortunate that he latches on easily.
"He's a hungry little guy.", Christian says as he leans in the doorway.
"Yeah, he sure is.", I laugh. When Teddy is fed and burped, I notice that his diaper needs changed.
"I got it.", Christian smiles. Who would think that Christian Grey would jump at the chance to change a diaper. His diaper changing skills are meticulous.
"Ana, Christian.", my mom says as she comes into the bedroom. "Grace and Elliot are here."
Grace and Elliot are sitting on the sofa when Christian and I come into the living room. Both of them stand and hug us. There has been a lot of hugging in the past few months, both from good and bad experiences.
"Where's Teddy?", Grace asks.
"He's upstairs in the bassinet, asleep.", I reply.
"I brought him something. This is actually something that Carrick was going to give him." Grace wipes away her tears as she hands me a small wrapped box. When I open it, I see small toy train. Christian looks as if he is about to cry when he sees the train. "Carrick always loved trains. When the boys were younger, he introduced them to his passion. I remember he would always have to look at the toy trains when we were in a toy store. He was like a big kid. After you told us that you were having a baby, Carrick said, "I don't care if the baby is a boy or a girl. I'm going to make sure he or she loves trains.", she laughs. "He picked that train up that same day."
"Thank you Mom. I know Dad is watching over us and Teddy."
"I wish he were here to see Teddy."
"He sees him Mom.", Elliot interjects. "Dad is here with us in spirit."
"Elliot, we've decided that we want you to be Teddy's godfather.", Christian announces.
"Are you serious? You're not pulling my leg are you?", he asks as Christian and I nod in unison. "Godfather? Wow. I have to say you've made me an offer I can't refuse."
"Easy there Vito Corleone, this is a serious matter.", I giggle.
"I understand guys. You won't be be disappointed." I notice that Grace is quite. It seems there is something on her mind.
"Grace, are you ok?"
"I'm fine. I was just thinking about how lucky I am to have all of you in my life. This family keeps getting stronger."
"That's because we're Greys.", Christian declares.
75. Chapter 75
"Oh my god.", Kate groans as Teddy spits up on her. "I'm going to be sick." She gently passes Teddy over to me.
"Kate, relax. Think of all of those times that you vomited on me while you were drunk.", I laugh as Teddy coos in my arms. "Aunt Kate is being silly, isn't she Teddy Bear?"
"Sorry. It's just I've never been around babies so this is new to me."
"Just wait until you and Elliot have a baby. All of those feelings go out the window. You'll fall in love with Elliot all over again when ypu see him holding your baby." My thoughts shift to Christian who has been incredible since Teddy's arrival.
"I don't know about that. From the way things are going, Elliot and I are going to be stuck in this stage forever.", she frowns. I know that she wants to marry Elliot, but he yet to ask. Before I met Christian, I thought Kate would get married and have a family first.
"You're not stuck. These last few months have been difficult for everyone, but Elliot loves you. I know the two of you will get married.", I assure her.
"I hope you're right. The idea that I've put this much time into our relationship and have it not move towards marriage is nerve-wracking.
After Kate leaves, I put Teddy down in the bassinet and head into the kitchen. Christian has gone to Grace's for a bit, and my mom left yesterday to go back home. It was nice having her here to help with Teddy.
"Ana, how does chicken marsala sound for dinner?", Gail asks.
"Sounds good.", I smile.
"Sounds good to me as well.", Christian laughs as he comes into the kitchen. "Hey baby."
"Hey. I didn't expect you home so soon."
"I missed you and Teddy.", he smiles as he sits down next to me.
"You should have seen Kate when Teddy spit up on her."
"Damn, I bet she was not happy."
"She was telling me how she wishes Elliot would hurry up and propose." I see Christian's eyes shift to the floor, and I know something is going on. "I know you well enough to know something is up. Spill."
"It's nothing Ana."
"No, something is going on. Is Elliot planning on proposing?"
"Ana, please don't push me on this.", he responds. Now I know something is going on, and it's not good.
"Ok. Teddy is due for a feeling." I get up to walk upstairs, and Christian is right behind me. "You don't have to come with me."
"I know, but I want to."
Once we've finished dinner, Christian and I sit on the sofa to relax. I haven't mentioned the Elliot thing again, but it's still in the back of my mind. Suddenly, we hear a car door slam and the door bell ring.
"I'll get it.", Christian sighs as he gets up. A few seconds later, Kate comes barging into the living room with anger in her eyes. "Kate, what's wrong?"
"Don't act like you didn't know Christian.", she snaps. "I know Elliot told you."
"Told him what?", I ask as it seems I'm the odd man out. "Christian, what's she talking about?"
"When Elliot was in Tacoma for work, he slept with another woman." I look at Kate who looks both sad and angry. She was worried about Elliot not wanting to marry her, and now she's dealing with him cheating. The room is silent for several minutes until Elliot opens the door.
"Kate, we weren't finished talking, and you just left.", he says.
"We were done Elliot. We are dont.", she hisses.
"No, we're not. You need to hear me out. I was in a dark place after my dad died and was barely aware of what was going on around me."
"That's no excuse to have sex with someone else.", Kate responds. Christian looks at me and then towards the stairs. I know he is thinking the same thing as I am, their arguing might wake Teddy.
"Could you guys keep it down ok? Teddy is asleep."
"I suppose you condone what he did?", Kate asks Christian who shakes his head.
"I don't agree with Elliot cheating Kate, but you two need to talk, preferably in a place where you can raise your voices all you want. The last thing I want is for my living room to be turned into the fucking Jerry Springer show while my son's upstairs asleep."
"You're right, and I'm sorry. I'm going home Elliot, and you're not going with me. Bye Ana, Christian." Kate walks out as Elliot is left standing with us.
"I should go too. Sorry for showing up like this." He hugs Christian and I and leaves.
"You knew?"
"He told me when I was at my Mom's. I didn't think it was our place to get involved."
"I know Elliot has struggled but to cheat?"
"I know. I couldn't believe when he told me."
"Just when things were getting better.", I say as he pulls me into his arms.
76. Chapter 76
It's hard to come to terms with the fact that Elliot cheated on Kate. While he was in a dark place after Carrick's death, infidelity is not an acceptable way of dealing with loss. My mind goes back to last night when Kate was in our living room. I should have stepped up and been more of a friend to her, instead of pushing her to the side. Elliot may be my brother-in-law, but Kate is my best friend. She needed me, and I let her down. Somehow, I need to make things right. Since Christian is downstairs with Teddy, I take a quick shower and dress so I can go to Kate's.
"Hey.", Christian smiles as he hold Teddy is his arms in the living room. "You look gorgeous this morning ."
"Thanks. Can you watch Teddy while I go out?"
"Sure. It would do you good to get out since you've been cooped up here. Where are you headed?", he asks as he burps Teddy.
"To see Kate. I shouldn't have let her leave like that last night. When I woke up this morning, I had a clearer head, and I need to be there for her."
"I understand. Why don't you get Taylor to take you?"
"Ok. You be good for daddy Teddy Bear.", I say as I lean over and kiss him. "And you be good as well Mr. Grey." I kiss Christian as a smirk crosses his face.
"I'm always good.", he responds with an arched brow.
When I arrive at Kate's, I notice a pile of boxes in the living room marked "Elliot's Crap." Despite being in the middle of packing his things, Kate seems to be in good spirits on the outside. I know she is hurting on the inside though.
"Excuse the mess."
"Have you talked to Elliot?" She turns to me and crosses her arms while shaking her head. "Kate, I should have been more of a friend to you last night. I'm sorry."
"It's fine. I get that you're busy with Teddy." She moves over to a stack of dvds and tosses them into a box along before sitting down on the sofa.
"Just because I'm a mom now doesn't mean that I should toss our friendship to the side. You've been there for me countless times so I'm here for you."
"I worried about Elliot when his dad died. The last thing I wanted was for him to go off the deep end, but he did. He began pushing me away, but I tried to be there for him. When he was in Tacoma, I was even more concerned about him. I kept telling myself maybe time alone was what he needed. It was during that time alone that he slept with someone else."
"Who was she?", I ask as I sit down next to her.
"Some girl he met at a bar on the last night he was in Tacoma. The bastard said he was drunk and didn't even remember the sex, just waking up naked beside her. What am I going to do Ana? I love him, and that's not going to go away any time soon. The thought of him with someone else haunts my dreams though." Kate has never been much of a crier, but heartbreak changes you. I grab a tissue for her as her tears fall freely down her face.
"I wish I could tell you what to do, but I can't. Only you and your heart know the answer. Maybe you just need some "Kate" time so you can regroup and figure things out."
* * *
Arriving home, I see Elliot's truck parked in the driveway. Now that I've had time to think about his betrayal, I feel like I need to let him know how he messed up the best thing he had.
"Ana, hey.", Elliot grins as I come into the living room. He's sitting on the sofa with popcorn is his lap as he watched tv.
"Hi.", I mumble as I place my purse down on the coffee table. "Where's Christian?"
"He's upstairs with Teddy. When I got here, he told me that you went to see Kate."
"I did." My eyes focus on Christian who comes down the stairs with a smile on his face.
"Teddy is asleep."
"How is Kate?", Elliot asks as he drops popcorn on the sofa.
"How do you think she is Elliot? You slept with someone else so she's not exactly Miss Sunshine. Don't make a mess.", I snap.
"Woah. Relax. Ana, I know I messed up, and I miss her."
"You should have thought about that while you were fucking some girl you met at the bar."
"Ana, calm down.", Christian says as he comes over to me.
"Please don't defend him. I get that Elliot was struggling after Carrick's death, but that is no excuse to cheat. Here I was worried about how you would deal with your dad's death, but Elliot's the one who fucked up."
"I'm not defending him. He fucked up big time."
"If I could take back meeting Nina Barnes I would." I notice Christian's eyes widen at Elliot's words. He looks like a deer in headlights. "I don't remember sleeping with her, but it doesn't justify my actions. I will spend the rest of my life making it up to Kate and proving that I'm sorry. I told Mom I would stop by. See you guys." Elliot leaves with his head down. Christian remains silent as he goes into the kitchen. I'm right behind him with questions that need to be answered.
"Why did your entire attitude change when Elliot said the name Nina Barnes?", I ask as Christian's entire body tenses. "Christian?"
"Because I know her.", he answers softly.
"Know her how?" He lifts his eyes from the spot on the floor that held his gaze. Realization hits me as to how he knows Nina Barnes.
"From my old life. It was before I met you, before you changed me."
"You're telling me that Elliot's one night stand was one of your subs? Isn't that lovely.", I say sarcastically.
"Ana, she is a part of my past."
"Who is also part of your brother's present."
"Look at me." Christian lifts my chin with his hand and stares into my eyes. "I don't give a damn that she's the girl Elliot cheated with. She was nothing to me but a way have control, that's it. You're the one who is my more."
77. Chapter 77
**Thank you to Missreadingfool for your suggestion,lol. Nina arrives! Enjoy!**
Christian and Elliot have polar opposite personalities. While Christian is serious and focused, Elliot is more laid back and easy going. One thing the two Grey brother have in common is Nina Barnes. Not only is she the woman who Elliot cheated on Kate with, but she is also one of Christian's former subs. I know that Christian's domme days are behind him, but I have a feeling we haven't heard the last of Nina Barnes.
It's been a week since I found out about Nina. Christian went back to work Monday even though I could tell he didn't want to. Today, I've decided to take Teddy on his first visit to GEH. When Luke and I arrive, I take Teddy in his carrier while Luke carries the diaper bag. Andrea looks up from her paperwork when she sees us step off the elevator.
"Hello Mrs. Grey. Congratulations on the baby. He is so adorable.", she says, admiring Teddy who is sound asleep.
"Thank you. Is Christian busy?"
"No. His brother is in there." Entering his office, I see Christian at his desk talking to Elliot who is seated in the chair across from him.
"Hey baby. Hey Teddy Bear.", he grins while standing up and walking to me. He leans in and kisses me before taking the carrier from me. "Did you want to see where Daddy works." Hearing Christian talk to Teddy is music to my ears.
"Hi. I thought we would get out of the house for a bit and see you."
"I'm glad you're here.", he says as he sits Teddy's carrier on the desk and pulls a chair next to him for me.
"Hey Ana. Teddy, how are you lil man.", Elliot laughs as he looks at Teddy who is still asleep. "Have you talked to Kate?"
"I talked to her yesterday Elliot."
"I miss her more than anything.", he says. "I came by to see Christian. With Dad gone and Kate not talking to me, I get lonely." A few seconds later, Andrea knocks on the door.
"Mr. Grey, there is a Nina Barnes here to see you." Christian looks at me and then Elliot who looks confused. Elliot hasn't been filled in on Christian's past with Nina since he doesn't want to tell him Nina was his sub.
"Just a minute.", Christian responds, taking my hand in his.
"Why would Nina Barnes be here to see you?", Elliot asks.
"Nina was an acquaintance a few years ago.", Christian answers. Elliot sits still for a minute until Christian's admission registers with him.
"Wow. Unfuckingbelievable."
"My thoughts exactly.", I chime in. Questions as to Nina Barnes is here to see Christian flood my head. "Let's see what she wants." Christian gives me a brief smile before pushing the intercom.
"Send her in." In walks a gorgeous brunette, dressed in a red dress and red heels. Her outfit seems like an ode to the Red Room of Pain.
"Christian Grey.", she purrs. A grin is splashed on her face, but it drops when she sees me and Elliot.
"Miss Barnes.", he answers. Our hands remain entwined as she looks me over.
"You don't have to call me that anymore since I no longer work for you. Just call me Nina." I have a few names that I would like to call her, and Nina is not on the list. "This is my wife Anastasia.", he replies.
"Hello.", is all I say.
"I've been told you know my brother Elliot."
"Elliot?", she asks. "I knew you said your last name was Grey, but I had no idea you're Christian's brother. Small world. I bet Christian is the _big_ brother." I feel Christian's hold tighten, probably to keep me from clawing her eyes out. How dare she talk to my husband like that, right in front of me.
"Hello Nina.", he answers, keeping his eyes glued to the ground. "What are you doing here?"
"I just moved back to Seattle and thought I would say hi to an old friend.", she says. "Aww, who is the sweet baby?"
"_Our_ son.", I reply.
"He's a cutie. The Greys certainly make beautiful babies." I look at Elliot who looks like he is about to fall out of his chair in response to her comment. Is she hinting around at something?
"Yes, _Christian and I_ are blessed. Even though this world is full of so much ugliness, none of that matters when I look at _our_ son." I see Christian smile proudly at my comment. Nina continues looking at us before checking her watch.
"Look at the time. I have to go, but I hope to see you all again soon. Bye." In an instant, she is gone.
"Well, that was interesting.", he sighs.
"Elliot, what exactly happened with the two of you that night?", Christian asks.
"I was at the bar, and she came up to me. We had a bit of small talk and ordered some drinks. She began running her hand up my leg and told me pretty much she wanted to fuck me. I asked her what her name was,but she said she didn't want to give names, just have sex. At first, I was against it, but I was tired of feeling lost. I kept drinking and thinking about what she wanted before finally agreeing. A lot of details are fuzzy from the time we left the bar to the next morning. I remember waking up naked in the bed with her. She smiled and said she felt bad for not telling me her name. So, she said her name was Nina Barnes, and I gave her my name."
"I think it's odd that your one night stand is a past acquaintance of Christian's."
"That's what I'm thinking too Ana.", Christian adds. "And now, she shows up here."
"What the fuck was that comment about babies? Do you think she may be you know?", Elliot asks.
"I don't know, but I think Nina Barnes is up to something.", I say.
* * *
When Christian arrives home, he comes upstairs as I'm laying Teddy down. His arms snake around my waist just before his lips are on mine.
"I know I saw you earlier at the office, but I missed you."
"I missed you too. Gail made a pot roast and macaroni and cheese for dinner.", I smile.
"Macaroni and cheese, my favorite."
"I bet it's delicious, but I'm going to have a salad instead."
"Why? You like Gail's pot roast." I turn away from him so he can't see the tears in my eyes. I know Christian is not interested in anyone but me, but seeing Nina today, looking slim and gorgeous, has me feeling self-conscious. "Ana, baby what's wrong?"
"I'm fat.", I sob.
"No, you're not.", he says as he turns me around.
"Come on. I'm a cow compared to Nina."
"What? You're not. You are one sexy as hell woman. The only woman I saw in that office today was you. Nina is a nobody."
"I think she wants you."
"She can want all she wants, but she's not getting me. I belong to you.", he says.
The next day is Saturday, and Christian is watching Teddy while I go to lunch with Kate and Mia. Both of them have been through trying times, but they are tough and will pull through. Arriving at Mondello, we sit at a table in the front.
"I'm so glad we decided to do this today.", Mia smiles.
"Me too. We need more girl time.", I say as Kate nods.
"Girls rule, boys drool.", she giggles. I know she is still hurting, but it's good to see her laugh. After the waitress takes our order, I see Nina walk in. She is dressed in a yellow wrap dress and matching shoes. Kate notices that my attention is on Nina, and looks puzzled. "Ana, who is that?"
"That's Nina Barnes."
"Nina Barnes?", Kate asks before getting up and heading to the restroom. Before I can follow her, Nina has walked up to our table.
"Anastasia, hi." Mia sets her water down while inspecting Nina. Even though she knows Elliot cheated on Kate, she too is unaware of Nina's involvement with Christian.
"Nina? From your outfit, I thought your name would be Big Bird.", Mia laughs as Nina's eyes turn red.
"I don't know who you think you are but..." Mia holds her hand up, signaling Nina to stop.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Mia Grey, and you're nothing more than the skank my brother slept with. Now I could go on and on, but talk is cheap, and so are you."
"Which brother are you referring to? I know both of them well.", Nina smirks. Mia's jaw drops.
"Nina, why don't you just walk away.", I say.
"Skank alert! Ladies, hide your husbands and boyfriends. Nina is in the house!", Mia practically shouts.
"You're a rude little thing."
"And you're nothing but trash so start walking to the curb.", I smile. It feels good to tell her off.
"Tell Christian I said hi." She saunters to a table at the back of the restaurant as I get up to go look for Kate, but she is already on her way back.
"I couldn't be here with her.", she says. "I saw her walking away. What did she say?"
"Apparently, she was with Christian too.", Mia answers. Kate looks at me in disbelief.
"It was a few years ago, and it didn't mean anything. There is something off about her, and I'm going to find out."
"No, we're going to find out.", Mia says, gestering to the three of us. "Skankzilla is going down."
78. Chapter 78
Arriving back at the house after lunch, Mia immediately begins planning "Operation Take Down Skankzilla". I can sense Kate is unsure about the idea, but she hasn't said no.
"Kate, you don't have to help with this if you don't want to.", I say as we sit in the living room.
"I want to. Ever since Elliot told me that he slept with some girl names Nina Barnes, I've wondered what she looks like. Is she prettier than me? Is she better in bed than me? Now that I've seen her, I know she's nothing but trouble. Things with Elliot and I may be beyond repair, but I'll be damned if I let some slut try and come between you and Christian."
"Guys, this is going to be epic. I can see it now, the Grey's Angels, exposing Nina's evil plans. My friends Shanda and Gwen have a boutique, and I'm sure I can get them to print us some shirts with "Grey's Angels on them.", Mia exclaims. "We can have Luke be Bosley."
"Do I even want to know what the three of you are plotting?", Christian asks as he sits down next to me.
"We're the Grey's Angels, and we're taking down Skankzilla Nina.", Mia answers with pride. "Oh, and Luke is Bosley."
"As long as I can have conjugal visits with Ana in prison, have fun.", he laughs. Even though he is laughing, I know he's serious. "How was lunch?" Mia, Kate, and I exchange glances and prepare to him tell Christian about our unwelcome visitor at lunch.
"It was fine until Nina showed up.", I answer as I try to keep my anger in check.
"Nina is a real bitch Christian. How in the hell did you get with her?", Mia asks. Christian looks stunned at her question. "She not so casually let it slip that she has been with both of my brothers."
"It was a long time ago Mia, and I was not in a good place. It meant nothing."
"And she said to tell you hello.", I say in an irritated tone. Christian takes my hand in his hand and mouths "only you" to me.
"Don't worry, we'll find out what she's up to.", he adds.
After Mia and Kate are gone, Christian and I are upstairs with Teddy. All of the problems with Nina are forgotten as we enjoy our own little world. Teddy is cooing in as Christian holds him while in sitting in the rocking chair.
"He's so perfect.", Christian smiles as Teddy's yawns. "Even his yawns are adorable."
"Yes they are. You're amazing with him."
"I can't believe I was nervous about being a dad. When I wake up in the morning, I look over at you and then at Teddy, and I feel complete. Thank you."
"For what?"
"For being you and making me a better person. God Ana, I know I sound like a broken record when I say it, but you have made my life feel like a completed puzzle. It's like all the pieces were scattered before you came along. When you tripped in my office, those pieces started slowly fitting together. And with Teddy's birth, the puzzle feels complete." I can see tears in eyes as he stares at Teddy who has fallen asleep.
"You made me a better person too. You've shown me what love is and how to be a strong person. I owe it all to you."
* * *
Two days later, Christian arrives home from work, and it's evident from his face that he's had a bad day.
"Hey, how was work?" He takes a deep breath and places his coat on the bed.
"Hell. I met with Welch a few days ago and asked him to find out what Nina has been doing in the three years since she left Seattle. He found out she has worked as an interior decorator."
"Ok, but that's not what has you in a foul mood. What else is it?" He picks up his coat and pulls a photo from his pocket. I can feel the steam coming out of my ears as I look at the photo. It's Nina, naked with a whip in her hands.
"That bitch!", I shout before realizing Teddy is in his bassinet. "Sorry baby boy."
"Turn it over.", Christian tells me. Turning it over, I see written, _Think of all the good times we used to have. We can have that again, Nina._
"I'm going to beat the hell out of her." I start walking to the door, but he grabs my arm.
"Ana, don't. We'll take care of her. Just don't do something irrational. That's what she wants."
"Watch Teddy.", I say as I move past him and head downstairs. Luke is outside talking to Taylor as I open the door. "Taylor, where you in the office today when Christian met with Welch?"
"Yes, why?", he asks in confusion.
"Did you hear her address?" He nods at me as Christian opens the door, remaining in the doorway.
"Ana, please stay here."
"No. That woman is trying to mess with us, and I won't have it."
"Wait, there's something else that Welch found out about her. You walked out before I had a chance to tell you."
"What?"
"Nina's family had a falling out years ago, and they didn't talk for a long time. About a year ago, Nina made contact with her dad's sister. They stayed in touch until her aunt's death."
"And?" I have a feeling I'm not going to like what he has to say.
"Her aunt was Elena Lincoln." I'm even more determined to confront Nina now. Christian looks at me and then Taylor. "Sawyer, Teddy is asleep. Will you ask Gail to watch him?"
"Yes sir.", he answers.
"Let's go Mrs. Grey.", Christian laughs as he takes my hand and helps me into the SUV. We're soon on our way to Nina's house. Once we arrive, I'm out of the vehicle in record time. "No hitting." Christian knocks on the door as I remain behind him. It doesn't take long for Nina to open the door.
"Christian, I knew once you got the photo you would come running. We can pick up where we left off three years ago.", she says seductively. It's obvious she can't see me so I step forward.
"I don't think so Nina.", he smiles.
"The only thing that's going to be "picked up" will be your teeth if you don't stay the hell away from my family, especially my husband."
"Your husband can't be satisfied by you. Look at you.", she teases. "Maybe if you lost a few pounds, you would be ok."
"My wife just gave birth, and that's one of the most incredible things in the world. Perhaps your mom should have used birth control so she wouldn't be stuck with such a spiteful bitch.", Christian snaps.
"Your brother may not remember our night together, but I know you can't forget those nights we had in your playroom."
"That's where you're wrong because I don't remember. You meant nothing to me, and our time together meant nothing to me."
"We know Elena was your aunt.", I say
"Aunt Elena told me that I need to go after what I want most in this world, and that's you Christian."
"You are one crazy bitch. Leave us alone or you'll be sorry. Come on Ana."
"Having a good evening.", I laugh as we walk back to the SUV. Nina is left fuming on her doorstep.
"Feel better?", Christian asks.
"A bit.", I giggle.
79. Chapter 79
It took every restraint in me not to knock Nina all the way into next week. I kept telling myself that violence was not the answer even though she made a play for Christian right in front of me. Seeing Christian stand up for me was a huge turn on. The time for the doctor to release me can't come fast enough.
It's the day after the "mini smack down" at Nina's, and I'm helping Gail make cookies in the kitchen. Teddy is in his seat that's placed on the table.
"We'll add just a few more chocolate chips to the batter. Your daddy likes the extra chocolate chips Teddy Bear.", I laugh as my three week old is oblivious to what's going on.
"Jason is a sucker for oatmeal raisin.", Gail adds while she stirs the batter for the oatmeal raisin cookies." A few minutes later, the cookies are in the oven and our two guys are walking in. Jason winks at Gail who starts blushing in embarrassment as Christian kisses me. He then takes Teddy from his seat.
"Aunt Gail and Mommy are making cookies for their guys.", he says in his best baby voice. "When you get older, I bet there will be a girl that steals your heart, and she will probably make you cookies Teddy Bear."
"Don't mention dating to him please.", I pout. "How was work?"
"It was ok. I talked to Elliot earlier, and he's going to stop by on his way home from work." Teddy begins to get fussy in Christian's arms as I clean up the mess Gail and I made. "I think someone needs a diaper change." I can't hold back my laughter at the sight of Christian Grey, dressed in a designer suit, on the way to change a dirty diaper. While he's upstairs with Teddy, I hear Elliot drive up.
"Hey Ana.", he smiles.
"Hey. Christian is upstairs with Teddy. Have a seat." Elliot settles down on the sofa, looking around the room. His eyes lock on a photo of the Grey family that's displayed on the end table. It was taken the week Christian and I arrived back from our honeymoon. Elliot gets up and picks up the photo. From my chair, I can see Elliot tracing the photo finger. He stops on Carrick who has a huge grin on his face.
"This seems like ages ago. Look at my dad. I remember that day. Mia was being bossy in telling everyone where to stand.", he laughs. "All I ever wanted was for my dad to be proud of me, and I thought I had done that."
"Elliot, Carrick was proud of you. Don't doubt that for a second."
"If I hadn't met Nina, I wouldn't have lost Kate, and Nina wouldn't be causing problems for you and Christian."
"Lelliot, don't blame yourself.", Christian interrupts. He gives his brother a sympathetic look as he sits in the chair beside me. "Nina is trouble, and we're going to find a way to stop her games."
"Thinking back, I'm not even sure if I really slept with her. She could have set me up." He places the photo back on the table and sits back down on the sofa.
"That's my theory.", I add. "Nina doesn't like me, plain and simple. However, I think I can push her buttons and get her to reveal the truth about really happened." Christian looks at me with questioning eyes. "Let's not forget who coerced Parker into confessing."
"All right Veronica Mars, before you go cuffing someone to the bed again, let's talk it over.", Christian says as he looks at Elliot who appears to be daydreaming. "Elliot?"
"Sorry, I was just visualizing something.", he grins. The sound of a car pulling up outside interrupts us. As I pull the curtain back, I see that it's Kate, Mia, and Ethan.
"Guys come in." Kate looks at Elliot for a brief moment and gives him a slight smile. Maybe they will be able to work things out. I notice that Ethan has a bag in his hand, and I have an idea what's in it.
"Hi Kate.", Elliot says.
"Hi."
"What's in the bag Ethan?", Christian asks. Ethan hands the bag to Mia who pulls out three pink tee-shirts with "Grey's Angels" printed on them. To top it off, she then pulls out three black tee-shirts with "Operation Skankzilla" displayed on the front.
"I went ahead and had the guys shirts made as well.", she giggles.
"Mia, I'm not wearing this.", Christian scoffs as Mia attempts to hand him a shirt.
"Please. Just do it. Kate and Ana are wearing theirs as is Ethan his. Oh, and Elliot, you're wearing it as well."
"You're helping?", he asks Kate who nods.
"I started out doing it for Ana and Christian, but I started thinking about how I want Nina to pay. Elliot, Ana and I talked about the theory that Nina may have slipped you something in your drink. Two of the girls I work with, Sue and Paula, told me that I need to find out for sure what happened before I completely throw us away. They also said that I need to kick Nina's skanky ass.", she grins. "This doesn't mean I forgive you."
"Understood. So, what do we do?"
"I honestly don't know.", Mia replies. "I got as far as getting the shirts, but that's all I got."
"All right. It's getting late. Why don't we think about this overnight and talk again tomorrow?", Elliot asks. Everyone nods in agreement. Soon, Christian and I are alone. His mind seems to be a million miles away.
"Christian, what is it?" He turns his in my direction, and I can pain in his eyes.
"I heard Elliot say that everything is his fault but it's my fault. I was the one who was with Nina first. My past keeps destroying things."
"Stop. I'm not about to let you blame yourself for this. You have a past, that's true, but you've moved on. Nina is the one who is stuck in the past."
"I'm just tired of my past causing us problems. You deserve better than that."
"Let's focus on the present and future. Fuck the past." Christian looks stunned at my use of the word fuck.
"I think my bad language is rubbing off on you.", he smirks.
* * *
Two days later, we still don't have a set plan on exposing Nina. Luckily, she hasn't shown her ugly face, and things have been calm. With Christian at work, I'm busy doing things around the house and taking car of Teddy. Gail is in the kitchen making a spaghetti for lunch when she notices that she needs more noodles.
"I'll run to the store to get some.", says Luke who was pouring some coffee.
"Would you?"
"Sure. I'll be back in a bit."
Just a few minutes after Luke leaves, I hear a car. Gail walks to the window with concern in her eyes.
"Ana, there is a woman coming up to the house. She looks angry."
"It's Nina.", I breathe." Gail, go upstairs with Teddy and lock the door. Don't come down until I say.", Gail gives a brief nod before heading upstairs. I hurry into the kitchen and grab a knife, holding it against my side as I make my way to the door. This ends now, one way or the other. Opening the door, I see the woman who has put this family through hell. "Nina."
"Ana, hello." The knife in my hand catches her eyes and she begins laughing like a crazy woman. "What is that for? Do you think I'm here to hurt you? I came to talk."
"What do you want to talk about?" We're still standing at the door, and I'm not about to invite her inside my home.
"Your son. If you give up Christian, I won't hurt that sweet baby." The knife falls from my hand as my hand makes contact with the side of her face. She shakes her head at me and grins.
"Don't you threaten my son, you fucking bitch.", I hiss.
"So the claws come out, huh?"
"They've been out since you started messing with my family."
"I have to say it was easy messing with your family. I saw Elliot in Tacoma at the bar one night and knew who he was. One of the guys who worked at the bat said Elliot was in town for work. He was a routine customer at the bar. So, I put my plan in motion."
"What plan?"
"I chatted him up and slipped a little something in his drink. Then, we went to the hotel. He could barely stand when we got there and passed out soon after. I undressed him and watched him sleep."
"You didn't have sex with him?"
"Hell no, but he thought we did. I was hoping he would spill his guts to Christian"
"You're a manipulative bitch." She takes a step towards me with a menacing look on her face, but she is stopped by my fist in her face. Blood starts gushing from her nose, and she looks pissed. Before she can hit me back, Luke starts up the driveway. Nina looks panicked and takes off running. Luke jumps from the car and chases her, but she is gone.
"Ana? Are you ok?"
"Yeah, but she's not done yet."
80. Chapter 80
"I failed you.", Christian frets as he paces the floor in his study. I'm surprised he hasn't made a hole from the constant back and forth assault on the hardwood. As soon as he arrived home after learning about Nina he has been like this, frazzled and despondent. "Fuck, I hired two new security members this morning, but told them to wait until tomorrow to start. Sawyer shouldn't have been the only security here."
"Up until today, Nina has never made any physical threats." My stomach churns at the memory of Nina threatening Teddy. Teddy is my world, and I will lay my life on the line for him. "At least she wasn't armed."
"We don't know that. She could have been. A restraining order is officially in place against her, but I'm not sure that will stop her." Finally, he stops and sits down in the chair by his desk. "This is all my fault. My past keeps rearing its ugly head."
"How many times do I have to tell you that it's not your fault." I hope my words get through to him, but they seem to have fallen on deaf ears as he once again begins pacing.
"Ana, I love you, but you think I walk on water. You're telling me that none of this is my fault while deep down you know I had a hand in this. Hasn't the thought crossed you mind that none of this shit would have happened if I hadn't been a domme."
"I'm tired of you blaming yourself.", I respond.
"It's getting late, and you look exhausted.", he says, changing the subject.
"You're right. Are you coming?" For a brief second, I think that he's about to relax and head to bed.
"No, I'm actually not too tired.", he lies. His body says otherwise, looking like he hasn't slept in ages. "I have to call Welch and finish some paperwork. Why don't you go on up and give before heading upstairs.
After feeding Teddy, he falls asleep in record time. Something tells me that I won't be as lucky in falling asleep so fast. Once I'm in bed, I stare at the empty spot in the bed. Maybe Christian will come to bed soon, but I have doubts. Thoughts of the day cloud my mind as I struggle to fall asleep. I pray that Nina goes away soon.
"Let me know when you find out more.", Christian says, talking on his Blackberry, as he walks into the kitchen. "Good morning."
"Let me guess, that was Welch?"
"Yeah." He seems even more distant today than yesterday. His demeanor tells me that something happened. "Has he found out anything?"
"It seems when Nina was in Tacoma she dated a guy named Brad Morgan. He was married to a woman named Rachel. The relationship with Brad was off and on until his wife found out. After that, Brad ended things with Nina, but she was determined to stay in his life. Brad and his wife worked things out, but Nina would call him and harass them."
"That's awful. What is it about this woman and men who aren't available."
"There was a car accident, and both Brad and Rachel died."
"Nina was a suspect?", I ask.
"The police said they think the brakes just went out, but Brad's brother thinks Nina had a hand in it. They died the same week Nina saw Elliot in the bar." The one positive thing that came out of the day before is that Nina confessed to setting Elliot up. After I told him and Kate the news, they went out to talk. There are still issues to work on, but I know they will get back to where they belong.
"I knew that bitch was trouble. So, what are we going to do?"
"We're not going to do anything. You're going to visit your dad.", he says.
"My dad is out of town, remember?" Ray is with my mom in Georgia for Bob's trial that starts tomorrow. Hopefully when his fate is sealed, that chapter of our lives will be over. My mom is now living in Montesano, but she and Ray are still taking things slow.
"I forgot. Well, we need to find somewhere for you to go. I won't have you here with Nina lurking around." I take a deep sigh as I prepare to stand my ground.
"What? No, I'm not leaving my home."
"The two new guards are meeting with Taylor. One of them is a well-trained woman named Prescott. Pick a place and take her and Sawyer with you and Teddy."
"You're asking me to leave?"
"No. I'm telling you to.", he answers.
"Telling me? Where in the hell do you get off telling me that I'm to leave my own home?", I snap as I look him square in the eye, blue to gray.
"Calm down. It's the best thing for you and Teddy.", he says, trying to calm me down.
"The best? I'm not going."
"Yes, you are Anastasia. I already packed for you and Teddy."
"Screw you." His eyes widen at my words. I know deep down he means well, but I don't want to leave him.
"Ana, baby, look at me." He takes my chin in his hand as tears trickle down his face. "I love you and Teddy more than anything, but I need you safe. It's not safe here. Please, take Teddy and leave."
"What about you? She's after you. I can't lose you.", I sob.
"I'm a tough guy and can take care of myself. Will you do this for me?" Reluctantly, I nod as he pulls me into his arms. We stand in silence for what feels like eternity. I don't want to let go. I want Christian.
"Sir, are things in place?"
"Yes. My mom is going with you.", he smiles. "Where do you want to go?"
"Portland."
Thirty minutes later, a woman ,who appears to be in her late thirties, comes into the living room with Luke.
"This is Prescott.", Christian says. Prescott extends her hand to me, smiling.
"Hello Mrs. Grey."
"Hi. So, is Grace meeting us here?" I hear the sound of a car door and have my answer. Grace comes into the house with a hint of a smile. She has had good days and bad days since Carrick's death. Maybe this trip to Portland will be good for her. I know she was not too thrilled when she was finally filled in about Nina. Just like me, Grace is protective of her kids.
"We're going to have a good trip Ana.", she says.
"When can I come home?", I ask Christian who gives Sawyer a suspicious look. Why do i have the feeling that they're holding something back from me?
"Soon." We make our way to the SUV where Grace straps in Teddy.
"Ok, I guess that's it.", I mumble. Christian gives a brief smile before kissing me as if it's the last time he will ever touch my lips.
"Remember everything that I do is for you.", he whispers.
Arriving in Portland, we check into the Heathman. Looking around, I remember first night that I spent here. It was the night that I slept with Christian for the first time. It's a memory that will stay with me forever.
"Come here Teddy", Grace laughs. She takes Teddy from his seat and checks his diaper while I decide to call Christian and let him know we arrived.
"Hey baby, are you all settled?"
"Yeah, and I miss you. Teddy misses you."
"I miss the two of you also. This will be over soon, promise." His tone sounds ominous, causing me to worry.
"Christian, is something going on?"
"What do you mean?"
"Don't do anything stupid.", I answer.
"Baby, Taylor just walked in. Love you." He hangs before I can even respond. Now I know something is going on. As I walk back into the bedroom, Grace is still holding Teddy.
"Grace, I have a headache. Would you watch Teddy while I see if they have something down stairs?"
"Sure. We'll be right here."
"I love you baby boy." I see Saywer sitting on the sofa in the suite. He's talking to someone, and I have a feeling that it's Christian or Taylor. His coat is on the table by the door. I slowly tip toe over and reach into the pocket. Bingo. The keys. Prescott is coming from her bedroom as I slowly open the door. Before I'm spotted, I rush out and get into the car. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I call Christian, but it goes to voicemail.
I begin driving back to Seattle with worry that whatever plan Christian has is going to backfire. My phone buzzes from the console where it's place. Slowly turning my head, I see that it's Christian. I pull off the road to answer.
"Ana, where in the hell are you."
"What do you have planned?"
"Nothing. I told you that. Why can't you just listen to me and stay in Portland?"
"Because you're lying to me. I thought our marriage was based on honesty, but I guess I was wrong." This time I'm the one who hangs up first.
* * *
Finally, I arrive back in Seattle, but I'm met by an empty house. Christian's absence has me on edge. Calling him, I get the voicemail. I decide to call Elliot to see if he's heard from him, but he doesn't answer. Kate may know what's going on.
"Hey Ana. Elliot said you went to Portland. How is it?", Kate asks as she answers.
"Long story, but I'm back home. Have you seen or heard from Christian?" There is a long pause before she finally answers.
"Elliot talked to him earlier, I think, and he was saying something about taking care of Nina. He also told Elliot to run.
"Kate, what do you mean he's taking care of Nina. Did Christian say anything else to Elliot about the errand?"
"Something about Escala.", she answers. Before she can say anything else, I slam the phone down. My mind races with thoughts about why Christian could be at Escala. And with Nina. I sink to the floor as the answer comes barreling at me, the Red Room Of Pain. Christian would never do that to me.
I rush to Escala, hoping to prevent Christian from doing something foolish. When I arrive, Taylor greets me at the elevator. He puts his finger to his mouth, motioning for me not to say a word. I slowly walk into the living room and wonder where Christian is. As I make my way into the living room, I see Christian. He looks around before scurrying over to me.
"Ana, what the hell?"
"Were you going to take her into the playroom?"
"No, hell no. Look, I called her after you left and asked to meet her here. She's in the bathroom right now. Please be quite and invisible.", he begs. I agree to stay silent and hurry to the study. Leaving the door cracked open slightly, I see Nina come into the room.
"Are you ready to play sir?", she asks.
"In a minute. You really are a determined little thing aren't you?" I realize tha Christian is taking a page out of my playbook with the Parker thing, minus the cuffs.
"For you, always." I can see her stare at him with lust.
"Do you always get what you want?"
"Always.", she breathes.
"Have you been with anyone since me?" Nina gives him a confused look. "I know you didn't sleep with Eliot. For my sake, I need to know if you've been with many guys since me."
"Only one, and that ended badly. You remind me of him, both married to boring women."
"What happened with him?"
"He was in a car accident with his wife, and they both died.", she laughs.
"Why are you laughing? If you cared about him so much, you would be mourning."
"I miss him but not her. It was his usual day off and he wasn't supposed to be in the car."
I see Christian nod towards Taylor who slowly walks up to Nina with his gun drawn.
"What's going on?"
"Did you really think I was going to take you into the playroom? That part of my life has been over since I met Ana."
"That bitch of a wife?",Nina sneers. She looks at Taylor who still has the gun pointed at her.
Christian pulls out a pair of handcuffs from his pocket and grabs Nina's hands. After she's cuffed, she giggles.
"See, you ended up cuffing me after all." I can't hold in my anger anymore and come running out of the study.
"You are going to rot in prison, you whore." She has the nerve to spit on me. I once again slap her with all I have. Taylor takes Nina to the elevator where he waits for the police.
"I wonder how my mom is doing with Teddy."
"I'm sure she's managing."
"I love you Mr. Grey.
"And I love you Mrs. Grey."
81. Chapter 81
A week has passed since psycho skanzilla Nina was arrested. After she was taken into custody, she broke down and confessed to sabatoging her ex Brad's car and causing the death of him and his wife Rachel. The names of past boyfriends who she had stalked rolled off her tongue, but only Brad and Rachel were the ones who suffered fatally. Maybe things can get back to normal. Elliot and Kate made up, and seem to be happier than ever.
"My mom wants us to come over tonight for dinner.", Christian says as he finishes his breakfast while I feed Teddy. "I think everyone is going to be there."
"Sounds good. Teddy wants to see everyone. Don't you Teddy Bear?" Teddy is more focused on eating than me. Christian has stopped eating and has his eyes trained on me. "And what are you looking at Mr. Grey?"
"Just admiring my beautiful wife and child." Getting up from his seat, he walks over to me and places kisses me before placing a kiss on Teddy's forehead. "Daddy has to go, but you be good for Mommy." I see Taylor standing in the doorway, trying not to laugh at Christian's baby voice, but it's a losing battle. The laughter is contagious as soon both Christian and I are laughing. "I'll see you tonight baby." After one more kiss for me and one more for Teddy, Christian and Taylor leave.
Following breakfast, I help Gail do some housework. Even though she insisted she didn't need any help, I want to. After a load of laundry is finished, I see Mia coming up the driveway.
"Mia, hey. Come in." Mia was a big help during the Nina fiasco, and I am grateful for her support.
"Hey.", she smiles. Her eyes land on Teddy before she walks over to his seat. "Hey lil man."
"Do you want something to drink?"
"No, I'm fine. I was on my way to see Ethan at his work, and thought I would stop by and see you." I sense that something is bothering her.
"What's wrong?"
"Ethan and I were talking last night about our future. Ana, he proposed.", she says. While that's a good thing, her face doesn't reflect it.
"What did you say?"
"I said yes." Teddy begins fussing so I take him out of his seat and walk back over to the sofa with him in my arms. "I'm scared though." She watches Teddy as he finally calms down. The realization hits me that this is about the miscarriage.
"Why are you scared me?", I ask, already knowing the answer.
"After I said yes, Ethan started talking about how he can't wait for us to have kids, but I'm scared of going through that hell again. I don't think my heart can handle it."
"Oh, Mia. I'm sorry. Do you want kids?"
"Of course. My doctor said that he didn't see any reason why I can't carry a baby full, but what if I get pregnant and lose it?" She wipes the tears that are in the corner of her eyes.
"I know that losing the baby was hard for you. You went through a something that no one should ever have to experience, but you shouldn't focus on the "what ifs", I say as I see her relaxing.
"I know. I love Ethan so much, and I want to have babies with him.", she smiles.
"You're going to be a great mom when the time comes."
"Thanks. We're going to tell everyone tonight at dinner about the engagement."
"Let me guess, you want me to keep it from Christian.", I giggle. I know that Christian is going to be happy for Mia. They've always had a strong bond, but it has grown in the last few months.
"Please?"
"Ok."
* * *
After Christian arrives home from work, he showers and changes into a white dress shirt and black pants, causing my heart to skip a beat. I end up choosing an emerald colored dress that shows off my new curves.
"Baby, you look hot.", he says as he finishes dressing Teddy. "Mommy looks good, doesn't she Teddy?"
"You're looking good yourself Mr. Grey."
"How much longer until we can get back in action?", he asks. I know exactly what he's getting at with his question.
"About two more weeks."
"I can't wait.
Arriving at Grace's, we're met by Grace who immediately scoops Teddy out of his seat. Elliot,Kate, Mia, and Ethan are already in the living room.
"Before we have dinner, there is something that I wanted to announce.", Ethan says while holding Mia's hand. "I've asked Mia to marry me, and she said yes." The room erupts as everyone begins congratulating them. Both Mia and Ethan are beaming at their happy news. Mia looks over at me and gives a small grin. Looking on, Christian sees it and turns to me.
"Did my little sister tell you this beforehand?"
"Yeah. She came over today and talked. Please tell me that you're happy for her?"
"Of course I am. Look at her. She's happier than she's ever been."
Grace has tears in her eyes as she watches the family that has been through so much celebrate this milestone. "I know Carrick's looking down on us right now and smiling."
"Another wedding for the Grey family.", Christian smiles.
"Actually, there's something that you guys need to know.", Elliot says. I pray that he is not about to tell us about another drunken night. "I asked Kate to marry me last night, and she said yes."
"We were going to tell everyone tonight.", Kate says.
"Two weddings, wow.", Grace laughs.
"The Greys family keeps growing.", Christian exclaims.
82. Chapter 82
"One more week baby.", Christian whispers in my ear as he passes me on the way to refill his coffee before heading to work.
"I can't wait." Both of us are looking forward to getting the green light on sex. Next week will be go time. "How about lunch today? I can see if your mom can watch Teddy."
"Sounds good. Make sure Sawyer is with you." Since things with Nina are over, I don't see the need of having Sawyer drive me around.
"Why? I'm capable of driving myself. I don't need a babysitter." He turns to me, and I see irritation in his face. Gail, who's been standing at the stove looks uncomfortable and walks into the living room.
"Ana, Sawyer goes with you, and that's final." His tone is harsh.
"No. I don't need him."
"Why do you always have to defy me?", he asks, pulling at his hair in frustration.
"I don't know. I guess it's just part of my charm."
"I don't find it charming at the moment Anastasia.", he snaps.
"Christian, I love you, but you need to loosen the reigns some. Nina is in jail now, and there's no need for me to have round the clock security. I will always have security with me when Teddy is around, but I don't need a guard just going to lunch with you." He doesn't look like he's going to give in so I decide to call his bluff. "If I have to have Sawyer with me, then forget lunch. I'm not going to be controlled by you." My attitude hardens just like his. Two can play this game. Standing from my chair, I stare at him with my hands on my hips.
"Maybe that's the thing. Maybe I don't have enough control." I can see he instantly regrets his words as soon as they are out of his mouth. "Ana, I didn't mean that." Seeing Taylor appear in the doorway, I decide now is not the best time to finish this.
"Go to work Christian. I'll see you tonight." I walk over to him and give him a quick kiss. It's evident that this is not going to get settled until we've both cooled off. He looks at me for a second before finally leaving. Something tells me that there is more going on, but I'll let him come to me when he's ready.
"Ana, how about Chicken Primavera for dinner?", Gail asks as she comes back into the kitchen.
"That sounds good. I'm going to check on Teddy." Seeing Teddy's sweet face always makes me feel better. When I walk into our bedroom, he's looking up at me from his bassinet. "I love you Teddy Bear, and I love your Daddy even when he makes me mad."
After Teddy is fed, I sit down to read a book while debating whether I should call Christian. If I do, I'm giving in. If I don't, I'm being stubborn. Just when I decide to call him, the phone rings, causing me to smile when I see his face on the screen.
"Hey.", I answer.
"Hey. I was just calling to see if you had changed your mind about lunch?" His voice sounds hopeful, and I want to say yes.
"I don't know."
"Think about it, please? There's a meeting in New York next week, but I've decided to not to go. Ros is going in my place."
"Why aren't you going? Is it because you can't exert control over me from there."
"Ana, that's not why. I don't want to leave you and Teddy. It's hard enough being away from the two of you when I'm at work." Oh. I suddenly feel like the biggest idiot in the world for how I acted.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry about everything." I try not to cry, but it fails.
"Baby, don't cry. How about I come home for lunch and we can talk?"
"Ok, that sounds good."
"I have to go, but I will see you at lunch. I love you."
"I love you too."
At noon, I hear Christian and Taylor arrive home. With Teddy in my arms, I walk over to Christian who immediately puts his arm around me.
"I'm sorry about earlier. I know that you are only looking out for me." He brings his lips down to mine as we share a tender kiss.
"Ana, I didn't mean what I said about not having control. You're my equal, and I don't want you to think otherwise." Sincerity flows through his voice as he takes Teddy from my arms. "I will spend every day of my life protecting the two of you." Now, I'm more convinced something is wrong, and I'm not going to wait on him to tell me. I need to know.
"Something's going on. What is it?" His eyes remain locked on Teddy, but he doesn't say anything. "Christian?" Finally, he looks up at me.
"I got a letter yesterday. It was from Jack Hyde."
"Jack? He's in prison."
"I know, but he sent a letter. He may just be messing with my head, but it got me worried. I'm going to find out what he's up to. Baby, that's why I was so insistent about Sawyer being with you. Jack is in prison and not going out. Still, I don't want to take any chances.
"What was in the letter?" I see his jaw tighten and his body tense.
"Tell Ana hi for me."
83. Chapter 83
Jack Hyde is someone who I had prayed was out of our lives forever. So much has happened since he has been in prison. I'm not the same person that I was before. Now, I'm a wife and a mother, and that makes me more concerned with his return. All he has done so far is send a letter to Christian that read, Tell Ana hi. Three days have passed, and there hasn't been any more communication from Jack. Maybe the one letter was as far as his game goes, but Christian isn't taking any chances.
"Hey, I brought you some coffee.", I smile as I walk into the study. Christian's eyes are tired from lack of sleep. He hasn't shaved in a few days, but the stubble on his chin is sexy. I place his coffee on the desk as he rubs his eyes.
"Why does this shit keep happening?"
"I don't know, but we'll get through it. Since Jack has been silent, maybe he was just trying to get a rise out of you."
"It worked. The first time the fucker was in our lives was bad enough Ana. I was scared to death when he had you in that parking garage. Hell, he shot Sawyer. Now, we have more to lose.", he says.
"Now there's Teddy. Since Jack has been locked away, maybe he doesn't know about Teddy."
"You're not going anyway without Sawyer and Prescott, understood?"
"Yes sir." He motions for me to come to his chair which he rolls back so I can sit in his lap. "Am I hurting you?", I laugh as he nuzzles his head in my hair.
"Not at all baby. Why would you think such a thing?"
"I'm not exactly at my pre-baby weight."
"You're beautiful Ana. In just three more days, I can worship your body all over."
"I can't wait." We sit there for a few more moments before I get up. Christian takes my hand and tries to pull me back down to him, but I relent. "It's time to feed Teddy."
"In that case, I'll come with you."
When we walk into the bedroom, Teddy is wide awake and looking around. I dressed him in a light blue one piece that has a hood on it that looks like bear ears. Christian picks him up and kisses him on the forehead.
"Hi Teddy Bear. Daddy is going to make sure that you and Mommy are safe. The two of you the best things that have ever happened to me." I feel tears coming to my eyes at the sight before me and the words he said. If Jack Hyde was only trying to get Christian riled up, it's working.
Once Teddy is fed and down for a nap, I hear my phone ring and see that it's Mia.
"Mia, hi."
"Hey Ana. I was wondering if you wanted to join me and Kate for a late lunch. Things have been hectic lately with everyone so I thought we could catch up." Any other time, I would love to have lunch with Mia, but I don't want to leave Christian. He's standing by the bed with his eyes on me. Maybe she and Kate can come for lunch here.
"Mia, I really don't want to get too far away from Teddy and Christian has some things going on so he can't watch him." Christian's eyes go wide at my comment. "How about you and Kate come over, and I can make lunch?"
"I don't want you to have to go to the trouble.", she replies.
"No, it's fine."
"All right. I'll call Kate and tell her that we're going to your house instead. See you soon."
After hanging up, I look at Christian who seems curious about the conversation with Mia.
"Mia wanted me to meet up with her and Kate, but I didn't want to leave you."
"Baby, I can take care of myself. If you want to go out with them, it's fine. Just take Sawyer and Prescott with you." Truthfully, I really don't feel like getting out of the house.
"I don't really feel like getting out. Besides, I want to try that new pasta recipe that I found, and having them over will give me a chance to cook it." He walks over to me, kissing me gently before pulling away.
"I know the pasta will turn out delicious because you're cooking it. You do everything well." Just as he's about to kiss me again, his Blackberry buzzes. "Hold that thought." While he's talking to the person on the other end, I look at the photos that line the bedside table. Most of them are of Teddy. It's hard to believe how much he's changed since the day he was born. I turn my head and look at Christian who has a blank face. Ending the call, he remains frozen in place. I wonder what the call was about.
"Christian, what's wrong?"
"That was Welch. He's been keeping an eye on the Jack situation."
"What did he have to say?" I dread hearing what he has to say. Fears of what Jack is up to now run through my body.
"Jack's dead.", he says. At first, I think that I heard wrong, but he repeats himself. "Jack Hyde is dead." Jack Hyde's death should make me happy, but the question of how he died pops into my head.
"How did he die?", I ask.
"There was a fight in the courtyard between him and another guy. Jack was stabbed."
"It's over?" He nods slowly. 'Jack's dead?"
"Yeah. He can't hurt us anymore."
84. Chapter 84
When Christian told me yesterday that Jack Hyde was dead, I was relieved. He's gone and can longer hurt us. A fellow inmate stabbed Jack in the prison courtyard, but I wonder if there's more to it. I feel like we won't truly be able to move on unless we know the all the details.
"Good morning baby boy.", I smile at Teddy as I pick him up from his crib. I walk over to the changing table to change his diaper as he looks around the room. Christian had an early meeting with Ros so he's already left. Once Teddy is changed, I walk downstairs with him to feed him.
"Good morning Ana.", Gail says.
"Morning Gail." I place Teddy in his seat while I get his bottle ready. "How was your night last night?" She told me yesterday that Taylor was going to take her to dinner for a much needed night out. Both of them work hard in helping me and Christian.
"It was nice. Jason took me out for sushi. Afterwards, we went to a movie. How about your night?"
"It was good.", I answer, picking Teddy back up and placing him in my lap to feed him.
"Is everything ok? You seem distracted this morning."
"Yeah, I'm fine.", I lie. Thoughts about Jack's death are clouding my mind.
"How about some pancakes for breakfast?"
"Sound good Gail. Thank you." Teddy's eyes are on me the entire time he's eating. The boy has an appetite. "Teddy Bear is a hungry little man this morning."
Once Teddy is fed and I've had breakfast, I decide to call Christian to see how his morning is going so far. His phone rings a few times before he answers it.
"Good morning baby.", he answers.
"Good morning. Are you busy? I can call back if you are."
"No. I'm never too busy for you. How are my two loves?" I can hear the happiness in his voice.
"We're good. Your son is staring at me right now from his swing. I think he knows I'm on the phone with you." Teddy's eyes are glued on me the entire time.
"Tell him Daddy loves him."
"I will. Have you heard anything else about Jack's death?" I can hear him take a deep breath on the other end.
"No. Welch is still looking into it, but I could care less about what he finds. That fucker is dead."
"I'm glad that he's dead too, but I just thought you might want to know the details."
"I do, but I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. Baby, I'm going to have to let you go. Ros just walked in. I'll see you tonight."
"All right. I love you."
"I love you too. Give Teddy Bear a kiss for me."
* * *
After Teddy has had his lunch, Grace calls and asks if we want to come over for a visit. Teddy has helped her a lot since Carrick's death. Sawyer drives us over where she is already waiting for us at the door.
"Ana, sweetheart. How are you?", she asks as I take Teddy seats from the SUV.
"I'm good. How are you doing Grace?"
"Better now that you're here." She leads us into the living room where I take Teddy from his seat. I see her eyes brighten as I hand him to her.
"Hi there Teddy Bear. He's getting so big."
"I know. It kind of makes me sad. He'll be crawling before we know it." I sit down in one of the leather armchairs while she takes a seat on the sofa with Teddy.
"Mia was over earlier. She's in full wedding mode."
"She said they have a few dates that they're considering."
"Yes. Even though she's got a lot of details planned already, she still can't decide on the date. I think part of it is because of Carrick not being here." Tears form in her eyes as she gently runs her hand over Teddy's hair.
"It's going to be hard not having him here."
"The other day, I saw a shirt in the department store, and I thought to myself Carrick would look good in that. I then started crying. I miss him so much." I stand from my seat and sit down next to her, placing my hand on her shoulder. "He would love Teddy so much."
"I know. He's looking down on us. The other night, I heard Christian telling Teddy about Carrick. He was talking about how Carrick used to take hin fishing."
"Those were good times. Mia went once with the boys. She was so excited that she caught a fish, but Elliot then tried to throw it on her. The poor girl hasn't been fishing since.", she laughs.
"Maybe when Teddy gets older, you can go with him and Christian fishing." The look on her face is priceless.
"I would like that very much."
When Christian arrives home from work, I'm sitting on the sofa catching up on some reading while Teddy is asleep.
"Hey baby. Where's Teddy?", he asks as he takes his jacket off.
"Sleeping. How was work?"
"Long. I missed you." He pulls me up from my seat and into his arms. "You know what tomorrow is."
"I know." It's the day that we can make love again, and we're both looking forward to it.
"Welch is supposed to call me in a bit with an update about Hyde."
"I want all of this behind us, but I don't think it will be until we know all the details about what happened in that courtyard." I do think that it's odd that Jack turned up dead after sending that letter. There could be a connection between the two. Suddenly, I begin wondering if it's possible that Christian has more information about Jack's death than he's let on. What if he had a hand in it? No,he couldn't have. Could he?
"What are you thinking about?"
"I need to ask you something, and I hope that you don't get angry." Here goes nothing. "Is it possible that you know more about Jack's death than you're telling?
"What do you mean? Are you asking if I played a part in what happened?"
"I just think there's more going on. You said that you would do anything to protect me and Teddy. I wasn't sure how far you would go to ensure that we were ok.
"Ana, I'm thrilled that Jack Hyde is dead. Fuck, I want to give the guy who killed him a trophy for putting an end to that bastard, but I had nothing to do with his death."
"I'm sorry. I just needed to know.", I say as he shakes his head in disbelief.
"I need to be alone for a bit.", he says. Before I can say anything, he walks towards the study, slamming the door when he enters.
After debating whether to go after him, I go to his study. He's on the phone with his back to me when I enter. I stand by the door and watch him. He turns around and looks at me with a blank face. I hate arguing with him.
"Find out more and let me know.", he says before ending the call.
"Christian, please don't be mad at me."
"I'm not mad at you. I was at first, but then I started thinking. The circumstances of what happened are odd. The timing of the letter and Jack's death are suspicious, but I didn't have anything to do with what happened. I promise you Ana."
"I believe you.", I smile. He walks over to me and kisses me before pulling away.
"Welch has the name of the inmate who killed Jack. His name is Victor Rodriguez."
"Rodriguez?" That's Jose's last name. "Any relation to Jose?" Jose left town after he found out about Elena's relationship with Christian.
"His cousin."
85. Chapter 85
"Jose's cousin?", I ask Christian after being told that Jack was killed by the cousin of my friend. It has to be more than a coincidence.
"Yeah. Victor is serving time for armed robbery and assault, but now murder has been added to his record. I know what you're thinking. You're wondering if Jose had anything to do with it."
"None of this makes sense. Jose knew about Jack tormenting us, but why would he be involved in his death? I haven't seen or heard from him since he found out about the relationship between you and Elena." My head is full of questions that are screaming for answers. Is Jose back in town? If so, did he have something to do with Jack's death and why?
"Baby, I wish I knew. Welch is looking to see if he can find out where Jose is now. Hopefully once we find him we can get answers." He walks over and wraps me in his arms. His lips touch mine as my hands begin running through his hair. The kiss starts out slow but soon becomes more heated. The sound of Teddy crying breaks us apart.
"Our son needs my attention.", I smile, pulling away from him.
"I'll come with you." As we're about to go up the stairs, he stops me and looks into my eyes with those grays of his. "I'm sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have walked away from you like that."
"You already apologized. All is forgiven. Oh, and Mr. Grey?"
"Yes?"
"Tomorrow's the big day.", I say with a raised brow.
"Baby, I know. I can't wait."
After Christian leaves for work the next morning,I change and feed Teddy. Gail is watching him for me while I go to my appointment with Dr. Greene. I shower and dress in a blue blouse and black dress pants. My body has changed so much since giving birth, but I love my new curves, as does Christian. I hear my phone ringing from its spot on the dresser. It's Kate.
"Hi Kate."
"Hey Ana. How are you?"
"Good. How about you?", I ask.
"I'm great. I've almost got the colors for the wedding picked out. Once I have a set color, we can look at dresses. So, Ana, will you be my maid of honor?"
"Of course I will." Kate and I don't get to see each other much since I'm a wife and mother, but she's still my best friend. I'm honored that she wants me to stand by her side on her wedding day.
"Great. I have to run, but I will talk to you later." Once the call ends, I pick Teddy up from his crib and kiss him on the forehead. I could hold him all day.
"You be good for Miss Gail.", I say as I walk downstairs with him. "Mommy loves you." Gail is coming from the kitchen when she sees me. "Thanks for watching him."
"It's my pleasure Ana. Teddy is such a good baby." I gently hand him to her. His eyes look back at me. "You mommy is going out for a bit Teddy, but she will be back soon."
"One more kiss for my baby boy." I lean down and place one last kiss, taking in that baby smell that I love so much. Luke is waiting on me by the door. "Bye you two."
"Say bye Mommy.", Gail laughs as Teddy smiles at me.
My appointment with Dr. Greene doesn't take as long as I thought so I decide to stop by GEH to see Christian before going home. Getting out of the SUV, my phone begins ringing. Ironically, it's Christian.
"Guess where I am?", I ask.
"Where are you baby?"
"At GEH. I came here to see you. Are you busy?"
"No. I was actually calling to see if you could stop by here. I have news about Jose. Are you on the way up now?" Luke and I walk inside the building and head to the elevator.
"Yeah, I'll be up in just a minute." I wonder what he needs to tell me about Jose.
As we step out of the elevator on to Christian's floor, we're greeted by Andrea who flashes a smile at us, but her eyes seem more focused on Sawyer. The door to Christian's office opens and out comes my loving husband.
"There you are.", he grins. Taking my hand, he leads me into his office where we take a seat on the white leather sofa.
"You said that you have news on Jose?"
"We found out that he's been back in Seattle for a while now. Taylor has gone to his apartment to see if he will come and talk to us. I'm eager to get this shit sorted out." A few minutes later, there's a knock at the door. "Come in." Taylor walks in and is followed by Jose who looks like he's aged ten years since I last saw him. His eyes look tired, and he's lost weight.
"Sir, Mr. Rodriguez." Jose's eyes look past Christian and directly at me. Christian stands up and nods, giving Taylor the ok to leave the room.
"Thank you Taylor." Taylor leaves the room as Jose stands awkwardly by the door. "Jose, have a seat." Christian motions to the chair against the right wall of the office. "It's been a while."
"Yes, it has been.", Jose mumbles.
"I suppose Taylor gave you a summary about why I asked you to come.", Christian says while remaining in his spot by the sofa.
"He told me about Jack Hyde being killed in prison. I had no idea that it had happened until today."
"Your cousin Victor is the one who's responsible for it. I need to know everything you know about what happened because I have a feeling that there's more to the story."
"All right, I'll tell you what I know, but I first want to say that I heard about the wedding and the baby. Congratulations."
"Thank you Jose.", I say. He gives me a slight smile. "A lot has happened since you left. I never really got the chance to tell you that I'm sorry about how you found out about Elena and Christian."
"Ana, you don't have to apologize for something that wasn't your fault. I fell for Elena and was happy with her. When I found out about her past, I realized that I didn't know her as well as I thought. The fact that she could do what she did disgusted me. I felt like a fool. That's why I left town. I needed to get my life back on track, and Seattle was not the place for it."
"How long have you been back in town?", Christian asks. He sits back down next to me and takes my hand in his.
"About a month ago. I wanted to come and see the two of you, but I heard about the baby and figured you were too busy with your new life. So, I decided to stay away."
"About Victor...", I say. Jose's face tenses when I say his cousins' name. "Please tell us what happened."
"Victor and I were close growing up, but he always stayed in trouble. When I came back to Seattle, I found out he was in prison so I went to visit him. On the second visit, he told me about how this guy was talking about getting revenge on the great Christian Grey and his wife. My ears shot up at that." Christian takes a deep breath and tightens the grip on my hand.
"Go on.", Christian says.
"I told Victor that I knew the two of you, and that you were nice people. He said that Jack seemed set on breaking out and going after you. On the next visit, I asked Victor if he could possibly scare Jack, just scare. I didn't ask him to kill Jack. One thing about Victor though is his temper. He had gotten better with it so I assumed he wouldn't take it too far."
"You assumed wrong. Your cousin did more than scare Jack. He killed him."
"I know, and I feel awful about that. Ana has always been a good friend, and I'm glad that she met you. You're good for her. The last thing that I wanted was for Jack to harm you so I did what I thought was best."
"I'm thankful to your cousin for putting an end to Jack. He was coming after my family, but your cousin stopped him.", Christian says.
"I think I should go to the police and tell them what happened. I never meant for Jack to die, but like you Christian, I'm glad he's dead."
* * *
After the meeting with Jose, Luke and I head back home. Gail is changing Teddy's diaper upstairs when I walk in.
"How was my baby boy?"
"He was good, but he missed his mommy." She finishes putting on his new diaper and hands him to me.
"Did you miss Mommy?", I ask as he coos. "Mommy missed you Teddy Bear. Yes, I did. Daddy will be home soon, and he will give you lots of kisses." I take Teddy downstairs and hold him in my arms. I still can't believe how lucky I've been in finding the man of my dreams and having the sweetest baby. While I'm sitting with Teddy, I hear a car outside the house. A few seconds later, Christian and Taylor walk in.
"Hey.", Christian smiles.
"You said you'd be home soon, but I had no idea it would be this soon."
"I didn't have a lot of work left so I called it a day early. I missed the two of you." He leans down and kisses me and then Teddy.
"Go to Daddy." I gently place Teddy in his arms.
"Hi Teddy Bear. Daddy missed you. He's perfect."
"I know. That boy is the mirror image of you."
"He's a mirror image of our love.", he says. Be still my heart.
Once dinner is over and Teddy is asleep in his nurse, I make my way to the bathroom and change into a white silk gown. I step into the bedroom where Christian is standing by the bed in just his boxers. Biting my lip, I slowly move over to him.
"Hi.", I whisper.
"Hi. You are so beautiful." He begins placing feather kisses on my neck. My hands trail the sides of his toned arms. As our mouths find each other, he slowly slides the straps of my gown off my shoulders. Moisture erupts in my panties. Panting with need, I push my gown down the rest of the way and step out of it. I stroke the bulge in his boxers through the fabric.
"I've missed this.", I say as I tug his boxers off, freeing his rock hard erection. I hear a gasp escape from him while I continue running my hands over him.
"I missed you too. I want you so bad." He takes my hand and leads me to the bed. Laying next to me, he begins kissing me passionately. He shifts his body to where he's now hovering over me. Moving his lips away from mine, he blows on my nipples. Oh, the feeling.
"Christian." His hands start slowly moving down to my sex. "I need you."
"You have me baby, always." Those magical hands of his begin massaging my sex through my panties. They are drenched. After pushing my panties down and tossing them to the floor, he slowly slips two fingers in me. I feel his fingers swirl inside me at a slow pace as I can't control the moans coming from my mouth. He then moves his fingers around faster.
"Oh God." I feel myself getting close. Our lips meet in a feverish kiss as my release hits.
"Are you ready?", he asks. Nodding, I pull him back down to me and kiss him harder than I've ever kissed him. "I want to see you." Our eyes remain fixed on each other as he positions himself at my entrance, teasing me a bit. Slowly, he enters me. He begins moving in and out of me at a steady pace.
"Christian, please.", I beg. He gradually begins picking up the pace, going faster and deeper. "Oh." I feel my second release coming.
"Come for me baby." The walls of my body shake as I come a second time. Christian continues thrusting a few more times until I see in his eyes that he's about to come. "Fuck." His body shakes as he comes. He kisses me again for several minutes before pulling out of me and rolling over to his side of the bed. "Have I told you how much I love you?"
"Yeah, all the time.", I giggle.
"I love you baby."
"Love you too."
86. Chapter 86
**A/N: Sorry for the delay in this chapter. I've been focusing on my other stories and also hit a bit of writer's block with this one. We're nearing the end of this story. There's only a few chapters left. Thank you all so much for reading. It means a lot. Enjoy!**
It's been two months since the death of Jack Hyde, and life is once again peaceful. Even though Jose was going to the police to tell them about his involvement in Jack's demise, Christian stopped him by saying that no good would come out of it. He said that Jose was only looking out for our family but never intended for Jack to die. Although Jack was in prison, a part of me always worried about him getting out and coming after us, but that's not possible now.
"Good morning baby.", Christian says as he stands in the doorway of Teddy's nursery. "I didn't hear you get up." He walks over to the rocking chair where I'm holding and feeding Teddy.
"You looked so peaceful so I didn't want to wake you." Teddy's eyes look from me to Christian who smiles at his son's recognition of him. "Do you see your Daddy?"
"Hey baby boy.", Christian whispers while bending down and touching Teddy's face. "When are your parents arriving?"
"Sometime this evening. I can't wait for them to see how much this little guy has grown." My mom's divorce from Bob is final, and she and my dad are officially dating. When I talked to her the other day, she sounded like a teenager in love. I'm happy for them and their second chance at love.
Once I'm finished feeding Teddy, I dress him in pair of jeans and a blue tee-shirt that has the words I Love My Daddy on it. Christian watches his mini-me while I dress for work. Even though I was hesitant at first about returning to work, I went back a month ago. I decide on a deep green wrap dress and black heels.
"Baby, you look beautiful.", Christian smiles when I walk into the living room where he's holding Teddy. "Doesn't Mommy look pretty Teddy Bear?"
"Mommy has to go to work so you be good for Miss Gail today, ok?" Christian and I talked about hiring a nanny for Teddy, but Gail said that she would be more than happy watching him while I was at work. It's a great comfort knowing that he's in the hands of someone who cares a lot about him.
* * *
When Sawyer and I arrive at work, I'm immediately met by a stack of paperwork that need to be dealt with as soon as possible. It doesn't take long for me to get wrapped up in the reports and files . I know if I concentrate and stay busy, both the stack and the day will diminish at a quick rate.
"Ana, here's one more file for you.", Hannah says as she hands me a manilla folder that holds the finance report for last month. I look at the clock and see that it's almost noon.
"Thanks Hannah. I'm going to call and check on Teddy and then grab some lunch. Can I get you something?"
"Thanks, but I'm meeting my sister for lunch.", she smiles. Picking my cell phone up, I call Gail to see how Teddy's doing.
"Hi Gail, how's Teddy?", I ask.
"He's been a perfect baby. I gave him a bottle thirty minutes ago, and now he's in his swing." I can hear the sweet sound of him cooing in the background. I wish I could reach through the phone and kiss his little cheeks.
"Tell him that his mommy loves him. I should be home a little after five. My parents are arriving this evening, and I'm going to make dinner so you can take the night off. Maybe you and Taylor can have a date night."
"Thank you. I'll have to check in with Jason, but I'm sure he'll be able to go. Have a great rest of the day."
After Sawyer and I pick up our lunch from the deli across the street, I see Kate heading our way. She looks carefree in her red sundress and heels.
"Ana, hey.", she grins. "I was on my way to see you in your office."
"Hey. We just went and grabbed lunch, but we're on our way back to the office. Come on." She follows Sawyer and me into the building and on to the elevator. When we arrive on my floor, Sawyer opens the office door for us and I motion for her to sit down in one of the chairs. "Do you want some of my sandwich?"
"I just had lunch with Elliot. Speaking of which, he showed me a photo on his phone of you and Teddy that Christian sent him. I try and think about what kind of photo that Christian could have sent Elliot. "You were holding Teddy on the sofa and both of you were asleep."
"I was asleep? I bet I looked awful."
"No, you didn't. You looked great. The caption on the photo was My Life." I feel like crying at her words.
"What can I say, I've got a good one. How's the wedding planning going?"
"We're nearing the home stretch. I don't remember you being too stressed when you were planning your wedding."
"That's because I wasn't. I think everyone around me was more stressed than I was.", I giggle. "Of course in the end, we had a last minute wedding. I think Mia is almost as stressed with her wedding."
"Oh she is definitely stressed. Elliot talked to Grace last night, and it seems the bridal store ordered the wrong dress and the florist fell through. Mia was having a meltdown."
"Poor thing. I know she's been working hard on it. You know the four of you could always have a joint ceremony. It would be a lot easier." From the look on her face, I can see that Kate doesn't agree with my idea. "Just a thought."
"Mia and I have different tastes."
I'm relieved when the work day is finally over so I can go home and see Teddy and Christian. Arriving home, I see Gail holding Teddy in the rocking chair in the living room. His eyes dart to mine as I pick him up.
"Mommy missed you Teddy Bear.", I say while kissing him. "Thank you for watching him Gail."
"It's a pleasure. He's a good baby. What time are your parents arriving?" Just as I'm about to answer her, I hear a car in the driveway and soon the ringing of the doorbell. "I'll get it." A few seconds later, I see my parents step inside the living room.
"Hi Annie.", Ray grins. "I know we're early."
"It's fine. I'm so glad to see the two of you." After we hug, my mom takes Teddy and begins fussing over Teddy." My dad takes their bags upstairs into the guest room.
"Where's Christian?", she asks.
"He'll be home soon. I noticed how Dad was holding your hand when you walked in. The two of you look like two lovesick teenagers.
"Ana, none of us knows what the future holds, but I do know that I want to spent as much time with your father as possible."
"I'm happy for the two of you Mom. Even before everything happened with Bob I could see that you had lost your smile. Dad brings out the best in you.", I say as Teddy smiles.
"He's getting so big."
"I know. It won't be long until he starts crawling and getting into things."
"As I recall a certain someone used was quite mischievous once she began crawling.", my mom laughs.
"I don't know what you're talking about." As we begin laughing, Christian walks into the room with a mad at the world look. "Christian, what's wrong?"
"Mia.", he answers.
"What about her?"
"She and Ethan eloped."
End file.
| fanfiction |
Can anyone help me with this question on vibrational modes of free base porphyrin (C20H14N4)?
>
> **4 a.** The structure of free-base porphyrin $(\ce{H2P}$, chemical formula: $\ce{C20H14N4})$ is shown below. Given that this molecule belongs to the $D\_\mathrm{2h}$ point group (character table given above) identify the symmetries (*irreps*) for all the vibrational modes of this planar polyatomic molecule;
>
>
> [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/WRmK7.png)
>
>
> (i) Identify the number of vibrational modes in $\ce{H2P}$. *[3 marks]*
>
> (ii) Work out the reducible representation for the vibrational modes. *[6 marks]*
>
> (iii) Use the reduction formula to identify the (*irreps*) for all the vibrational modes. *[6 marks]*
>
> (iv) Identify which of the vibrational modes are Raman-active and which are IR-active. *[4 marks]*
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>
>
In particular I'm getting stuck with figuring out the unmoved atoms when applying symmetry operations. I know i need to calculate gamma vib in order to use the reduction formula but I cannot picture how to apply the symmetry operations to calculate unmoved atoms for each symmetry class (aside from E) because it is a more complicated structure than I'm used to dealing with (h20, benzene etc)
If you rotate the molecule by $45^\circ$, the rotation axes will fall on the cartesian axes $x, y, x$, and the mirror planes will be at $xy, yz, xz$.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/t7BTrs.jpg)
Now, you can see that the NH groups are unaffected by rotation about $y$ or reflection on $yz$, the deprotonated N groups by rotation about $x$ or reflection on $xz$, and all the atoms by reflection on $xy$. You can ignore the position of the double bonds because it is an aromatic system.
Whenever an atoms lies on a mirror plane or a pure rotation axis, its position will be unaffected by the symmetry operation.
| stackexchange/chemistry |
Ranma 1. Prolouge
The night Pandora opened her box was the worst night of human history, she brought darkness into the world, a darkness that corrupted all to be touched by it and none were spared from its dark touch but that wasn't all that came from the box.
For within the box was an entire dimension, a twilight zone, a place where darkness thrives and demons rule, demons that when the box was opened were allowed to crossover into the human world and were free to corrupt it and shape it to their desire. That box slowly released one element of what humans would consider hell after another and would continue until the world of humanity was gone, not even a memory and only darkness and monsters remained.
Pandora opened the box out of curiosity, plain and simple only when she did she was the first to be corrupted, by the soul of a demon.
A girl of long black hair by the name of Pandora held the small box, a geyser of darkness erupting from it and filling the sky, spreading like wild fire, her fingers dipped into the darkness as her grip on the box increased. The soul of a demon was absorbed into her flesh and quickly spread throughout her being, corrupting her.
Her once cyan blue eyes turned scarlet, her canines sharpened into deadly fangs, her beautiful tanned skin turned deathly pale, her non-existent nails sharpened into claws, her bodies curves grew, her once near flat chest expanding outwards to a size of double Ds, her muscles grew a small amount but even she could feel as she slipped away she could feel that her body had been endowed with incredible power.
Within minutes the girl known as Pandora faded, imprisoned within her own body and forced to become dormant as the demon took control and thus Pandora became the first vampire.
She glanced down at the box, her gaze narrowing, she removed her thumbs from the geyser before forcing the lid to close, preventing any further darkness to infiltrate the human realm. She slipped the box into her clothing.
'_This foolish girl has allowed me to enter this world, I will enjoy making this world my own while discovering which of my fellow demon brethren were able to crossover before I sealed the portal'_ she mused to herself.
Thus that day demons were brought into the world, bringing a small piece of the realm of darkness with them, nightmares entered the world, no longer myths and illusions but flesh and blood, true monsters now walked the earth, preying on the humans, seeking to create an empire.
A/N Just a short prologue, plz review and as always I am open to suggestions.
2. Darkness Comes To Nerima
Present Day…
A shadowy figure stood on the outskirts of Nerima, solitary, hidden beneath a dark cloak, mostly hidden by the shadows of night, a hood hiding his head and his face, a part from his eyes, those scarlet eyes the glowed in the darkness.
The figure began his decent into Nerima, having called in a favour from his mother and requiring permission to use her estate in Nerima. Having already a place to shelter from the sun all he had to do now was find some unsuspecting human to do his bidding while he hid within the darkness.
Meanwhile…
A girl with raven hair wearing a short black skirt that that only covered the half the distance to her knees and highlight her lower curves, with a low cut shirt that revealed an ample amount of cleavage. She leaned against a street corner, merely waiting for the inevitable.
'_One more tonight and then I'll be able to pay Nabiki back and then I can go home to my apartment and rest up for tomorrow'_ she inwardly sighed, gritting her teeth so not to curse the middle Tendo for fear of been caught by her or one of her goons.
Her gaze drifted over the street, watching as respectable businessmen headed home, occasionally glancing at her wearing an expression of disgust while the less respectable ones headed off with her 'co-workers' her gaze stopped on a cloaked figure standing on the opposite side of the street, just staring at her.
The figure crossed over and soon stood before her, towering over her by a head, she narrowed her eyes slightly and made out the figures clear blue eyes, they seemed to draw her in, she had never seen eyes so beautiful before.
'_She lives alone, working two part-time jobs, one at a local market, another at a fast food restaurant and now prostitution and all to pay off a local vampire along with her bills and so she can stay in school…guess it takes quite a bit of cash to get an orphan with no name into school, especially one without a last name and considered ronin'_ the figure mused, scanning her mind and briefly her history by staring into her eyes.
"Hey there big boy see something you like?" she teased as she took a couple step towards him.
"I guess you could say that, what's your name?" he asked.
"I don't think names are appropriate to give out in this line of work" she replied.
"Understandable, what do you say we take this back to my place?" he proposed.
"Sure" she replied, desperate to get this experience over with.
The cloaked figure extended his hand, out of the cloak, revealing his muscular build, the girl was hesitant at first but then took his hand and allowed him to lead her through the streets.
It didn't take long for them to arrive the small house, the cloaked man quickly unlocked the door and entered the house, holding the door open for the woman, the duo glanced round to see it was a traditional style home.
"So you gonna remove the cloak?" she questioned, the man gripped the sides of his hood before throwing it back and removing the dark cloak, tossing aside onto the banister before turning to face the girl.
Her eyes widened when she saw him, his face had a near angelic bone structure, his hair tied into a pigtail, his eyes a cyan blue, so deep they drew her in, mesmerizing her. He wore a pair of dark navy jeans with a black, sleeveless shirt.
The girls cheeks tinged red, from what she could see he wasn't much older than her, she been seventeen and he looked to be in her early twenties, her stomach felt uneasy and her heartbeat increased.
"You're beautiful" she gasped, her voice barley a whisper, her blush deepened as she realized what she said, glancing towards the floor, lowering her head, until he gripped her chin with his thumb and forefinger and tilted her face upwards until they made eye contact.
"As are you" he replied, he began to inch closer before engaging her in a small kiss.
The girl's eyes widened at the sudden action, but even more so when she felt how cold his lips were, like ice and yet she wasn't repelled by them and found herself deepening the kiss, he slipped his tongue into her mouth, letting their tongues duel for a while before dominating hers.
They pulled apart and headed upstairs and straight to the master bedroom, the minute they were in there she pounced on him, he allowed her to push him onto the bed, she gripped his arms and lowered her face onto his, they kissed, their tongues darting into each other's mouths, not wasting any time.
'_His arms are so cold'_ she thought after a moment, they parted, he gripped her arms and rolled on top of her.
'_How can anybody be so cold…no human is this cold, his skin is like ice…and yet it feels nice…but if he isn't human…then what is...hold on no body heat, near angelic appearance, that could only mean…'_ her thoughts drifted off, as her eyes widened in realization.
"You're…a…vampire" she gasped out.
"Yeah" he replied.
"Are you gonna kill me or turn me?" she asked fairly fearful.
"No, not unless you want me too…is it a problem me been a vampire?" he asked.
'_No matter what you say it won't change a thing I will form this bond and you'll love every second of it'_ he inwardly swore, she hesitated before replying.
"No" she breathed out, almost dazed as she made eye contact and found herself been consumed by his eyes once again.
He engaged her in another kiss before removing her top with incredible speed before removing his own, she gasped at his speed only to let out a small moan straight after as he cupped her breasts, his grip had been gentle and yet firm, he rubbed his thumbs over her hardening nipples, she let out another moan, her moans only continued as he began to lightly massage them.
He released one of her breasts and dipped it into her skirt and lightly traced her lower lips with his index finger, she inhaled sharply as the sensation travelled throughout her entire body, he repeated this several times before dipping his fingers inside her pussy, one by one, her moans getting higher and higher pitched with each one. He released her other breast and removed skirt and pulling out his finger, coated in the girl's cum, he brought it to her face, she grabbed his hand, pulling his fingers into her mouth and licking them clean, he removed his pants and his boxers, now both naked he inserted his erect dick into her.
She gasped out in pleasure, ignoring the pain as she was exposed to the large size. _'I know he isn't human but that…that is ridiculous'_ she inwardly screamed, lust filling her eyes, they made love deep into the night, forming the bond that he sought.
A/N Sorry it's short and for the poor quality lemon, looks like I'm out of practise, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, I haven't done much planning for this fic so help would be greatly appreciated and I am open to requests, not sure on the pairing, could become a multi but not sure.
3. The Bond
Her eyes drifted open, her gaze moved around the room she was in.
'_Hold on this isn't my room'_ she mentally muttered, she felt a shifting of weight beside her, she slowly turned to see just what was in bed with her, at the sight of the handsome man beside her she didn't know whether to scream or melt, that's when the memories of the night before hit her, memories of what they did, her hand went up to her neck, she found two small holes in her neck.
Flashback…
Both she and the vampire were unclothed on the bed, his reproductive organ inserted within her pussy, her head thrown back, eyes closed, pleasure thundering throughout her body, the surge down below erupted, coating his dick in her love juice once again.
He grew a small smirk, revealing his over developed canines which soon began to grow and sharpen, his eyes began to glow scarlet, he reared his head before burying his fangs into her neck.
'_You shall now and for ever more serve me'_ his voice echoed throughout her mind as he finished forming the bond with her.
End Flashback…
Her eyes widened, she sat up in the bed, her fingertips tracing the scar from his fangs, the door opened, she turned to the door to see and elder woman around her mid-thirties enter wearing maid attire, her hair black and reaching down to the centre of her upper back, her complexion fare, she was around 5ft 6in in height, her breasts a D cup not much could be seen of her hips due to her attire . The maid looked towards her and the sleeping vampire and bowed her head.
"I apologise if I awoke you miss I simply came to greet the new master" she said, the boy stirred, his eyes snapped open, flashing crimson. He sat up, lightly rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he turned to face the maid.
"What is it?" he questioned groggily.
"Sorry master I just needed to inform you of me and my daughter been here, your mother granted us permission to live under this roof as long as we and our descendants cared for it and serve your family, my name is Sayoko" Sayoko replied, bowing her head once again.
"I see, well for now besides your usual duties could you bring me a map of Nerima showing the territories" Ranma stated.
"Of course master Ranma, I will have it with you shortly" Sayoko responded before taking her leave, Ranma turned to face his bed partner.
"Just who are you" she asked.
"My name's Ranma Saotome, you?" Ranma asked as he slipped out of bed and began to get dressed.
"Saotome?! As in Nodoka Saotome, the original vampire but that would make you…" she stammered.
"Yep, I'm an original, your name?" Ranma pressed.
"Rei…but if you're and original then why did you want me?" Rei asked.
"I'm new to the area and I need someone to keep an eye on the competition and you seemed like the perfect candidate so I formed the bond between us" Ranma stated as he buttoned up his shirt.
"Bond" Rei questioned.
"Yep, when an original like me has sexual intercourse with a human and then feeds on her, well the result is you are bound to me and will feel a desire to obey me, we are connected meaning that I feel what you feel and see what you see…you are under my protection now" Ranma stated.
"I don't know whether to be angry or relieved with that, what did you mean competition?" Rei asked.
"I came to Nerima with the sole intention of making it my territory, currently it is split up between three clans the Tendos, Kunos and Hibikis and as such I need you to keep an eye on them, so you'll obtain me information on them anyway you can while I strategize a plan in which I'll come out with all the territory" Ranma explained.
Rei's heartbeat increased as she felt determination surge through her, telling her to do whatever she could to help Ranma.
'_Must be a side effect of the bond'_ Rei mused, though she did have to admit she was drawn to him even before the 'bonded'.
"Well it shouldn't be too hard, two of the Tendos go to my school, so do two of the Hibikis and two of the Kunos" Rei replied.
'_Interesting, all rival clans attending one school and yet it isn't a warzone, must be neutral territory' _Ranma mused.
A/N Sorry I took so long and it's so short, writers block, still sort of adapting to this fic, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated and please review.
End file.
| fanfiction |
the nomad experiment was designed to search for @xmath8 appearance from neutrino oscillations in the cern wide - band neutrino beam produced by the 450 gev proton synchrotron ( sps ) .
the detector was optimized to identify efficiently electrons from @xmath9 decays and therefore could also be used to look for @xmath1 appearance in a predominantly @xmath2 beam by detecting their charged current ( cc ) interactions @xmath10 .
the main motivation for this search was the evidence for @xmath11 and @xmath0 oscillations found by the lsnd experiment @xcite . for @xmath0 oscillations with @xmath7 ev@xmath4 and with the probability of @xmath12 observed by lsnd
, a signal should be seen in the nomad data .
the sensitivity of the nomad experiment to lower values of @xmath6 is limited by its @xmath13 ratio of @xmath14 0.025 km / gev , where @xmath15 is the average source to detector distance and @xmath16 is the average neutrino energy .
preliminary results of the search for @xmath0 oscillations in nomad were presented earlier @xcite . in this paper
we report the final results of our `` blind '' analysis .
the nomad detector @xcite consisted of a large dipole magnet delivering a field of 0.4 t and housing several subdetectors , starting with an active target composed of 132 planes of drift chambers ( dc ) of 3@xmath173 m@xmath4 @xcite .
the walls of the chambers provided a low average density ( 0.1 g/@xmath18 ) target with a mass of 2.7 tons .
the density of the chambers was low enough to allow an accurate measurement of the momenta of the charged particles produced in the neutrino interactions .
the chambers were followed by nine transition radiation ( trd ) modules @xcite each consisting of a polypropylene radiator and a plane of straw tubes operated with an 80% xenon and 20% methane gas mixture .
an electromagnetic calorimeter ( ecal ) consisting of 875 lead glass blocks @xcite provided a measurement of the energies of electrons and photons with a resolution of @xmath19 .
the ecal was preceded by a lead - proportional tube preshower for better photon localization . a hadron calorimeter ( hcal )
was located just beyond the magnet coil and was followed by two muon stations consisting of large area drift chambers , the first station located after 8 , and the second one after 13 interaction lengths of iron .
two planes of scintillator counters , @xmath20 and @xmath21 , were placed before and after the trd modules .
a third scintillator plane , @xmath22 , placed upstream of the magnet , was used to veto interactions caused by incoming charged particles .
the trigger @xcite used in this analysis was @xmath23 .
the cern west area neutrino facility ( wanf ) neutrino beam @xcite was produced by impinging 450 gev protons extracted from the sps onto a target consisting of beryllium rods adding up to a total thickness of 110 cm .
the secondary particles emerging from the target were focused into a near parallel beam by two magnetic lenses ( the horn and the reflector ) providing toroidal magnetic fields . when running in neutrino mode positively charged particles were focused . when running in the antineutrino mode the polarity of the two lenses
was reversed thus focusing negatively charged particles .
the focused particles then traversed a 290 m long decay tunnel followed by an iron and earth shield .
neutrinos originating from the decay of these particles travelled on average a distance of 625 m before reaching the nomad detector .
since the oscillation search implies a direct comparison between the measured and expected ratios of the number of @xmath1 cc to @xmath2 cc interactions , an accurate prediction of the neutrino fluxes and spectra is crucial .
they are computed with a detailed monte carlo simulation of the neutrino beam , referred to as nubeam and described in ref .
this is implemented in three steps .
first , the yields of the secondary particles from the interactions of 450 gev protons with the be target are calculated with the 2000 version of fluka @xcite , a generator of hadronic interactions .
these yields are then modified in order to agree with all measurements currently available in the relevant energy and angular range , namely the spy / na56 @xcite and na20 @xcite results .
finally , the propagation of the secondary particles is described by a simulation program based on geant3 @xcite , which includes an accurate description of the magnetic field in the horn and reflector , and the modelling of reinteractions in the beam elements . and @xmath1 energy spectra at nomad , within a transverse fiducial area of @xmath24 cm@xmath4 , as predicted by the nomad simulation of the neutrino beam line . ] and @xmath1 energy spectra at nomad , within a transverse fiducial area of @xmath24 cm@xmath4 , as predicted by the nomad simulation of the neutrino beam line . ] the resulting energy spectra of @xmath2 and @xmath1 , and of their components , are shown in fig .
[ fig : neutcomp ] .
the @xmath2 flux is predominantly due to decays of @xmath26 up to 60 gev neutrino energy and to those of @xmath27 beyond this energy .
the bulk of the @xmath1 flux comes from the decays of @xmath27 , with @xmath28 contributing at the level of about 18% and @xmath29 at the level of about 14% .
the composition of the beam is shown in table [ tab : flav - cont ] .
.average energies and relative abundances of the fluxes and charged current events of the four principal neutrino flavours at nomad , within a transverse fiducial area of @xmath24 cm@xmath4 . [ cols="^,^,^,^,^,^ " , ] [ tab : qel - res ]
nomad collected data from 1995 to 1998 .
most of the running , a total exposure of @xmath30 protons on target ( pot ) , was in neutrino mode and yielded @xmath31 @xmath32 interactions in the fiducial volume of the detector .
some data , amounting to @xmath33 pot , were also collected in antineutrino mode and some , @xmath34 pot , in zero - focusing mode ( with the horn and reflector switched off ) ; these data were used mostly to check the beam simulation .
the trajectories of charged particles are reconstructed from the hits in the drift chambers and , from these trajectories , momenta are computed using the kalman filter technique @xcite , which accounts for energy loss along the trajectory . as a first step
the energy loss model used is that for pions , resulting in a momentum estimate , @xmath35 , at the beginning of the track .
particles later identified as electrons or positrons are refitted @xcite with an additional average energy loss due to bremsstrahlung , resulting in a new estimate , @xmath36 , of the momentum .
energy clusters in the ecal not associated to charged particles are assumed to be due to photons .
vertices are reconstructed from the trajectories of charged particles .
the energy of the incident neutrino , @xmath37 , is approximated by the total ( visible ) energy of an event computed from the sum of the energies of all observed primary particles and of photons .
the reconstruction efficiency for the hadronic jet was found to be overestimated by the monte carlo .
this was due mostly to reconstruction effects such as the density cut described in section [ sec : evsel ] , as well as an inadequate treatment of nuclear reinteractions ( the interactions of produced particles inside the nucleus in which the neutrino interaction occurred ) and a harder fragmentation in the monte carlo than observed in the data .
the resulting overestimate of the scale of the hadronic energy , @xmath38 , could be studied by noting that the differential cross section for charged current neutrino interactions is almost independent of @xmath39 .
this entails that the distribution of @xmath40 , the ratio of the average neutrino energy in the data to the average neutrino energy in the monte carlo , will be independent of @xmath41 if @xmath38 is correctly measured .
however , if the measured @xmath38 is systematically reduced by an amount @xmath42 with respect to the true value of @xmath38 , then the dependence of @xmath40 on @xmath41 can be described by a straight line with slope ( @xmath43 ) for small values of @xmath42 .
fitting the @xmath40 distribution as a function of @xmath41 allowed us to determine that the correction to @xmath38 is @xmath44% .
since the electron radiates bremsstrahlung photons in traversing the drift chambers , in order to have an accurate measure of its energy , these photons must be identified and their energy added to the energy of the ecal cluster at the end of the electron trajectory . because of the curvature of the electron trajectory in the magnetic field these photons are located in a vertical fan delimited , on the one hand , by the actual trajectory of the electron between the event vertex and the point of impact of the electron on the ecal and , on the other hand , by the extrapolation of the initial direction of the electron to the ecal .
the energy of photons in the ecal and of photon conversions in the dc found in this region is included , resulting in a measure of the electron energy , @xmath45 , with an average resolution of 2.1% .
the @xmath0 oscillation signal should manifest itself as an excess in the number of @xmath46 events over that expected for an intrinsic @xmath1 contamination in the beam ( about 1% of @xmath2 ) . in order to reduce systematic uncertainties associated with absolute flux predictions and selection efficiencies
, we study the ratio @xmath47 of the number of @xmath1 to @xmath2 charged current interactions . due to different energy and radial distributions of incident electron and muon neutrinos ,
the contribution of the intrinsic @xmath1 component is smaller at low @xmath1 energies , @xmath37 , where a low @xmath6 oscillation signal is expected , and at small radial distances from the beam axis , @xmath48 .
thus , the sensitivity of the search is increased by taking into account the dependence of @xmath47 on @xmath37 and @xmath48 .
the presence or absence of @xmath0 oscillations is established by comparing the measured @xmath47 with the one expected in the absence of oscillations . in order to avoid biases
, we adopted a `` blind analysis '' strategy : the comparison of the measured to the predicted @xmath47 is not made until the accuracy of the flux predictions and the robustness of the data analysis have been demonstrated and until all selection criteria are fixed .
a number of control data samples in which no oscillation contribution is expected ( charged current interactions of @xmath2 , @xmath49 and @xmath50 in neutrino mode , and of @xmath2 , @xmath49 , @xmath50 and @xmath1 in antineutrino and zero - focusing modes ) are used to verify the flux predictions and the validity of the monte carlo simulation @xcite .
it should be noted that no oscillation signal is expected to be measurable in @xmath50 since the intrinsic ratio of @xmath51 in the beam is four times smaller than the intrinsic @xmath52 ratio and the antineutrino statistics is limited .
in order to calculate @xmath47 , pure samples of @xmath46 and @xmath32 interactions are selected .
the initial data sample for @xmath46 interactions is complementary to that used in the @xmath32 selection described below , i.e. , it consists only of those events that include no muon ( identified with looser criteria than in the @xmath32 selection ) .
the basic requirement is the presence of a track associated with the neutrino interaction vertex , pointing to an energy deposition in the ecal and identified as an electron in the trd and ecal .
the identification criteria are : * pulse heights in the trd consistent with those of an electron and such that isolated charged pions are rejected by at least a factor of 1000 . * a momentum - energy match satisfying : * * @xmath53 ; * * @xmath54 ; * * no activity in hcal associated with the electron trajectory .
electrons from conversions and dalitz decays are rejected by requiring : * that the first point on the candidate track be within 15 cm of the primary vertex ; * that no positively charged track , either identified as a positron in the trd or missing the trd , when taken together with the candidate electron , results in the combination being consistent with a conversion
. the criteria used are the invariant mass and the angle between the plane containing the trajectories of the two tracks and the vertical . in order to reduce further the background from neutral current and charged
current events in which the muon was not identified , kinematic cuts are also applied using the following two variables : * @xmath55 , the angle between the electron and the hadronic jet in the plane transverse to the neutrino beam direction .
* @xmath56 , the component of the electron momentum perpendicular to the hadronic jet direction . charged pions simulating secondary electrons and conversion electrons are part of the hadronic jet , resulting in small values of these variables .
primary electrons are isolated resulting in large values of @xmath55 and @xmath56 .
these differences are evident in the @xmath55-@xmath56 plots shown in fig .
[ fig : phi_qlep ] on which the cut used is also shown .
-@xmath56 ( defined in the text ) for monte carlo @xmath32 and @xmath57 ( background ) events and for @xmath46 ( signal ) events , as well as for the nomad data .
the events to the right of the curve were selected . ] single track events , originating mostly from quasi - elastic and resonance production interactions , are treated somewhat differently because they are more prone to background arising from charged particles entering the detector without being registered in the veto counter and because no hadronic jet containing primary charged particles is present .
the criteria used to select them are : * no activity in the drift chambers upstream of the beginning of the track and consistent with having given rise to the track ; * the angle between the single electron and neutrino beam directions , @xmath58 , smaller than 150 mrad ; * @xmath59 ; * @xmath60 , with @xmath61 the mass of the electron , a cut that rejects neutrino - electron scattering events .
lastly , only events with @xmath62 gev/@xmath63 and @xmath64 gev are retained .
these selection criteria result in an efficiency for @xmath46 , estimated from the monte carlo , of 43.9% .
the surviving background contribution to the @xmath46 sample is estimated , from the monte carlo , to be 1.8% .
it consists mostly of electrons from photon conversions .
their rejection depends critically on the reconstruction of the accompanying positron and on identifying a conversion point distinct from the primary vertex .
the reconstruction of very low energy positrons and the separation of a conversion vertex from the primary vertex in a high multiplicity event could be different in the data and in the monte carlo .
as a cross - check , a class of @xmath65 events that failed the kinematic cuts or were produced far from the primary vertex , and thus consisting almost entirely of background , were selected in both the data and in the monte carlo .
the number of such events was found to be higher in the data by a factor that varied between 1.0 and 1.6 depending on @xmath37 . the monte carlo background estimate for the @xmath66 events
was therefore multiplied by this same factor , thus raising the total background estimate to 2.3% .
charged current interactions of @xmath2 are characterized by the presence of a primary muon in the final state , which had to penetrate 13 interaction lengths of absorber material to reach both muon stations in order to be identified . in addition , in order to minimize the differences between selection efficiencies of @xmath32 and @xmath46 events , we apply kinematic criteria identical to those used in the @xmath46 selection , although they are not needed for the background suppression .
the resulting @xmath32 data sample has a negligible background contamination ; the average selection efficiency is 60% .
( defined in the text ) for @xmath32 ( left ) and @xmath46 ( right ) candidates in the data ( points with error bars ) and in the monte carlo ( histogram ) . the monte carlo distribution of @xmath32 events is normalized to the number of @xmath32 events in the data ; the monte carlo distribution of @xmath46 events is normalized using the relative @xmath67 abundance predicted by our simulation .
the background contribution to the @xmath46 sample is shown in the hatched histogram . ]
( defined in the text ) for @xmath32 ( left ) and @xmath46 ( right ) candidates in the data ( points with error bars ) and in the monte carlo ( histogram ) .
the monte carlo distribution of @xmath32 events is normalized to the number of @xmath32 events in the data ; the monte carlo distribution of @xmath46 events is normalized using the relative @xmath67 abundance predicted by our simulation .
the background contribution to the @xmath46 sample is shown in the hatched histogram . ]
the geometrical and kinematical distributions of both types of events are well reproduced by the monte carlo simulation , with the exception of the distribution of interaction vertices along @xmath68 , the beam direction .
the data and monte carlo @xmath68 distributions are shown in fig .
[ fig : cc_zvtx ] for @xmath32 and @xmath46 events .
it can be seen that fewer events are present in the data than in the monte carlo at small @xmath68 especially for @xmath46 events .
the origin of this difference is due mostly to a cut introduced during the reconstruction of events : events with a very high density of hits in the drift chambers were not reconstructed due to a prohibitive reconstruction time . since the data has on average a higher density of hits than the monte carlo , the effect of this cut is different on the two samples .
furthermore , since electrons radiate photons in traversing the drift chambers and some of these photons convert , the density of hits in @xmath46 events is large thus exacerbating the effect of the density cut for these events .
the reprocessing of a sample of data and monte carlo events without this density cut resulted in @xmath68 distributions that were in much better agreement .
we therefore decided to restrict the analysis to events occurring in the 72 downstream planes of drift chambers by requiring @xmath69 cm .
this restriction resulted in a loss of about 30% of the @xmath46 events and 35% of the @xmath32 events .
it should be noted that any oscillation effects could not manifest themselves over this distance since the point of origin of the neutrinos is spread over more than 300 m. a total of 5,584 @xmath46 and 472,378 @xmath32 events were retained .
their energy spectra and radial distributions are shown in fig .
[ fig : cc_evis ] and fig .
[ fig : cc_r2 ] , respectively .
( left ) and @xmath46 ( right ) candidates .
the normalization of the monte carlo distributions is the same as in fig .
[ fig : cc_zvtx ] .
the background contribution to the @xmath46 sample is shown in the hatched histogram . ] ( left ) and @xmath46 ( right ) candidates .
the normalization of the monte carlo distributions is the same as in fig .
[ fig : cc_zvtx ] .
the background contribution to the @xmath46 sample is shown in the hatched histogram . ] , the square of the radial position of the neutrino interaction vertex with respect to the nominal beam axis , for the data ( points with error bars ) and the monte carlo ( histogram ) , for @xmath32 ( left ) and @xmath46 ( right ) candidates .
the normalization of the monte carlo distributions is the same as in the two previous plots .
the background contribution to the @xmath46 sample is shown in the hatched histogram . ] , the square of the radial position of the neutrino interaction vertex with respect to the nominal beam axis , for the data ( points with error bars ) and the monte carlo ( histogram ) , for @xmath32 ( left ) and @xmath46 ( right ) candidates .
the normalization of the monte carlo distributions is the same as in the two previous plots .
the background contribution to the @xmath46 sample is shown in the hatched histogram . ]
the single largest uncertainty in this oscillation search is the uncertainty in the prediction of the fraction and the energy spectrum of intrinsic @xmath1 present in the beam .
the computation of this uncertainty is described in detail in ref .
most of it is due to the limited knowledge of the particle production cross sections in p - be interactions . in turn
, this is due to the small number of experimental data points on @xmath26 and @xmath27 production measured by na20 and na56 , especially at non - zero values of transverse momentum .
this uncertainty is energy - dependent ; its typical fractional value at low @xmath37 is 4% .
the second largest systematic error of about 3% comes from an uncertainty in the production of @xmath28 which accounts for 18% of the @xmath1 flux .
other potential sources of errors ( such as tertiary particle yields , variations in the horn current , misalignments of the focusing devices and collimators , or inaccuracies in the simulation of the beam line elements ) have also been investigated @xcite ; their cumulative contribution is about 3% .
the overall uncertainty arising from the knowledge of the beam composition is divided into an energy - independent , or normalization , uncertainty and an energy - dependent one .
the normalization uncertainty on @xmath47 is 4.2% , while the energy - dependent uncertainty , shown in fig .
[ fig : err_ratio ] , varies from 4% to 7% . ratio . ]
the following additional sources of systematic uncertainties arising from the data selection and analysis were studied : * the correction to the background contribution . by studying the @xmath65 events used to determine this correction , the uncertainty attached to it
was found to be 15% , resulting in an uncertainty of less than 1% in @xmath47 . * the electron reconstruction and identification .
the electron reconstruction efficiency in the drift chambers ( @xmath70% ) was studied by defining electron tracks using the trd , preshower and ecal only , and then computing the frequency that a dc track is associated to the electron track .
the electron identification efficiency of the trd ( @xmath71% ) was studied using @xmath72-rays produced by isolated muons arising from a nearby test beam and traversing the nomad detector outside of the neutrino spill .
the efficiency of the momentum - energy consistency check was studied using @xmath73 from photon conversions .
taken together , the uncertainties in the reconstruction and identification efficiencies for electrons result in a 1% uncertainty in @xmath47 . * a possible relative shift between the electron and muon energy scales .
the upper limit on the absolute energy uncertainty of the ecal was 0.5% @xcite , resulting in an uncertainty of less than 1% in @xmath47 .
non - linearity corrections to the ecal energy scale have negligible effects on @xmath47 .
the muon momentum scale introduced a negligible error . *
the mixture of qel , res and dis events in the monte carlo .
cross sections for qel and res processes were varied by as much as 50% resulting in a negligible effect on @xmath47 . * the fragmentation model .
the effect on @xmath47 of the fragmentation and nuclear reinteraction model used in the monte carlo was studied by comparing the prediction for @xmath47 of two such models .
differences of up to 2% were observed and introduced as an energy - dependent systematic uncertainty . *
the kinematic ( isolation ) cuts .
this was studied by tightening and loosening the cuts in both the data and monte carlo and studying the effect on @xmath47 . since this was a blind analysis
, this study could only be made after the analysis was frozen and the electron neutrino data examined .
the effect was negligible in the relevant neutrino energy range , from 10 to 80 gev . *
the hadronic energy scale .
the 18% uncertainty on @xmath42 , the hadronic energy correction , resulted in less than a 1% uncertainty on @xmath47 throughout the neutrino energy range .
it was included as an energy - dependent uncertainty .
the uncertainty arising from the method of calculating the hadronic energy was studied using two alternative methods to calculate it
the myatt method @xcite and the double - angle method @xcite , which use both the energy and direction of the lepton and only the direction of the hadronic jet . after computing the appropriate energy correction for each of these methods ,
no systematic differences were observed between these alternative methods and the method described in section [ sec : data ] .
again , this study could only be performed after examining the electron data .
the @xmath47 distribution as a function of the visible energy obtained from the data is shown in fig . [
fig : ratio_data_mc ] , for the full radial acceptance ( left ) and in three radial bins ( right ) .
it is in good agreement with the monte carlo prediction under the no - oscillation hypothesis , also shown in the figure as @xmath74 uncertainty bands : a @xmath75 of 37.1/30 d.o.f .
is obtained when the data are analyzed and compared to the simulation in the 10 energy bins and the 3 radial bins shown in fig .
[ fig : ratio_data_mc ] ( incorporating both statistical and systematic uncertainties ) .
the best fit to @xmath0 oscillations , in the two - family approximation , gives a similar chi - squared value , @xmath76 d.o.f .
ratio as a function of the visible energy for the data ( points ) and for the monte carlo prediction assuming no oscillations ( filled bands ) , for the full radial acceptance ( left ) and in the three radial bins ( right ) .
the upper and lower boundaries of the bands correspond to the predictions with @xmath74 uncertainty , where @xmath77 includes both the normalization and energy - dependent systematic uncertainties added in quadrature.,width=359 ] ratio as a function of the visible energy for the data ( points ) and for the monte carlo prediction assuming no oscillations ( filled bands ) , for the full radial acceptance ( left ) and in the three radial bins ( right ) .
the upper and lower boundaries of the bands correspond to the predictions with @xmath74 uncertainty , where @xmath77 includes both the normalization and energy - dependent systematic uncertainties added in quadrature.,width=188 ] we use a frequentist approach @xcite to set a 90% confidence upper limit on the oscillation parameters . the resulting exclusion region is shown in fig .
[ fig : results ] , together with results of other accelerator experiments , lsnd @xcite , karmen @xcite , ccfr @xcite and nutev @xcite , and the combined limit of bugey @xcite and chooz @xcite reactor experiments .
values of @xmath78 ev@xmath4 for maximal mixing and @xmath79 for large @xmath6 are excluded . for comparison , the sensitivity @xcite of the experiment is found to be @xmath78 ev@xmath4 for maximal mixing and @xmath80 at large @xmath6 .
our result rules out the interpretation of the lsnd measurements in terms of @xmath0 oscillations with @xmath81 ev@xmath4 .
@xmath82 plane from this analysis superimposed on the results of other experiments . ]
this result is less stringent than our preliminary result @xcite because of a better understanding of the systematic uncertainties arising from the knowledge of the beam composition . in particular , our previous analysis had underestimated the uncertainty arising from the @xmath28 contribution to the @xmath1 spectrum . in addition a different split between normalization and energy - dependent errors was implemented for the uncertainty arising from mesons produced in secondary interactions .
after opening the box defined for the purpose of the blind analysis , no modifications were made either to the central value of the beam prediction or , other than the @xmath69 cm cut described above , to the event selection procedure .
we have ensured that including the events at @xmath83 cm in the analysis did not alter our limit significantly .
the results of a search for @xmath0 neutrino oscillations in the nomad experiment at cern have been presented .
the experiment looked for the appearance of @xmath1 in a predominantly @xmath2 wide - band neutrino beam at the cern sps .
no evidence for oscillations was found .
the 90% confidence limits obtained are @xmath84 ev@xmath4 for maximal mixing and @xmath5 for large @xmath6 .
this result excludes the high @xmath6 region of oscillation parameters favoured by the lsnd experiment .
the following funding agencies have contributed to this experiment : australian research council ( arc ) and department of industry , science , and resources ( disr ) , australia ; institut national de physique nuclaire et physique des particules ( in2p3 ) , commissariat lenergie atomique ( cea ) , ministre de leducation nationale , de lenseignement suprieur et de la recherche , france ; bundesministerium fr bildung und forschung ( bmbf ) , germany ; istituto nazionale di fisica nucleare ( infn ) , italy ; institute for nuclear research of the russian academy of sciences , russia ; fonds national suisse de la recherche scientifique , switzerland ; department of energy , national science foundation , the sloan and the cottrell foundations , usa . we thank the management and staff of cern and of all participating institutes for their vigorous support of the experiment .
particular thanks are due to the cern accelerator and beam - line staff for the magnificent performance of the neutrino beam .
we are especially grateful to v. falaleev , j .-
maugain and s. rangod for their invaluable contribution to the design and operation of the wanf and for their help in the simulation of the wanf beam line .
we acknowledge the help of a. ferrari for the implementation of fluka 2000 in our beam simulation .
we also thank our secretarial staff , j. barney , k. cross , j. hebb , m .- a .
huber , n. marzo , j. morton , r. phillips and m. richtering , and the following people who have worked with the collaboration on the preparation and the data collection stages of nomad : m. anfreville , m. authier , g. barichello , a. beer , v. bonaiti , a. castera , o. clou , c. dtraz , l. dumps , c. engster , g. gallay , w. huta , e. lessmann , j. mulon , j.p .
passrieux , p. petitpas , j. poinsignon , c. sobczynski , s. souli , l. visentin , p. wicht .
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Ovalbumin-conjugated linear peptide corresponding to human TDP-43 phosphorylated at serine 409 and 410.
This antibody recognizes human TDP-43 phosphorylated at serine 409 and 410.
Mori K, Weng SM, Arzberger T, May S, Rentzsch K, Kremmer E, Schmid B, Kretzschmar HA, Cruts M, Van Broeckhoven C, Haass C, Edbauer D. The C9orf72 GGGGCC repeat is translated into aggregating dipeptide-repeat proteins in FTLD/ALS. Science. 2013 Mar 15;339(6125):1335-8. Epub 2013 Feb 7 PubMed.
Dormann D, Capell A, Carlson AM, Shankaran SS, Rodde R, Neumann M, Kremmer E, Matsuwaki T, Yamanouchi K, Nishihara M, Haass C. Proteolytic processing of TAR DNA binding protein-43 by caspases produces C-terminal fragments with disease defining properties independent of progranulin. J Neurochem. 2009 Aug;110(3):1082-94. Epub 2009 Jun 9 PubMed.
Neumann M, Kwong LK, Lee EB, Kremmer E, Flatley A, Xu Y, Forman MS, Troost D, Kretzschmar HA, Trojanowski JQ, Lee VM. Phosphorylation of S409/410 of TDP-43 is a consistent feature in all sporadic and familial forms of TDP-43 proteinopathies. Acta Neuropathol. 2009 Feb;117(2):137-49. Epub 2009 Jan 6 PubMed. | slim_pajama |
What is the definition of a plasma?
I understand that the conventional definition of a plasma is that the Debye length is much smaller than the size of the plasma, however I can't seem to find what the numerical value of this ratio should be. Is it something like $10^{-3}$ or something like $10^{-9}$ or smaller yet? Cheers
There's no fixed value, and if you consider a few common examples of plasmas, the ratio $\lambda\_D/L$ takes a pretty big spectrum of values. For instance,
* $\theta$ Pinch: $\lambda\_D\approx 10^{-7}\,\mathrm{m},L\approx10^{-1}\,\mathrm{m}$.
* Tokamak: $\lambda\_D\approx 10^{-4}\,\mathrm{m},L\approx10^{0}\,\mathrm{m}$.
* Glow discharge: $\lambda\_D\approx 10^{-4}\,\mathrm{m},L\approx10^{-2}\,\mathrm{m}$.
Once the ratio becomes too large, you lose the notion of collective behavior and the approximations made become progressively bad.
In particular, computations of waves and drifts in plasmas often assume quasi-neutrality. Recall that $\lambda\_D$ is indicative of the length scale of Debye shielding (i.e. it's an indicator of the distance beyond which the field of a charged body placed in the plasma is not felt by particles of the plasma). In the limit $\lambda\_D\to L$, the field of a charged zone in one part of the plasma will be experienced by an increasing fraction of particles of the plasma, which invalidates in those regions all computations that assume quasi-neutrality.
A [plasma](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_(physics)) originally had stricter definitions based upon things like the number of particles in a [Debye sphere](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debye_length) being statistically large and that it exhibit collective behavior governed by long-range forces.
In the [solar wind](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_wind), the Debye length typically falls in the range ~4.74-13.8 meters [[*Wilson et al.*, 2021](https://doi.org/10.1029/2020RG000714)] but as the other answer pointed out, lab plasmas tend to have micron-scale Debye lengths. As I pointed out in my answer at <https://physics.stackexchange.com/a/340276/59023>, the distinction between a hot gas and a plasma can become very mirky. For instance, a normal fire is sometimes considered a plasma and other times not. The arguments in favor are that it behaves like a very dusty plasma dominated by binary collisions. The argument against is usually that the ionization ratio is too low for it to exhibit collective behavior.
Unfortunately, there is no clear cut answer here because there is no line between gas and plasma. It's a context-specific blur.
| stackexchange/physics |
What is the most acidic proton of 2-methylcyclopent-2-en-1-one?
In an acid-base reaction of $\ce{HO-}$ with 2-methylcyclopent-2-en-1-one, which is the most acidic proton?
I had assumed it was one of them coming off C-5 according to IUPAC numbering (the sp3 carbon α to the carbonyl group). However, the answer book claims it to be C-4 (γ when going in the direction of the double bond).
I assumed C-5, since it seemed it would distribute the charge due to resonance more with the $\ce{O}$ atom. What am I doing wrong?
There are two possible enolates that can be formed from your compound: the α deprotonation (left equilibrium arrow in the scheme below) and the γ deprotonation. Both protons have roughly the same $\mathrm{p}K\_\mathrm{a}$ values, so deciding which one is more acidic is non-trivial.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/knFZ5.png)
However, experimental procedures give us a hint. Usually, the α deprotonation is achieved with strong bases at low temperatures — kinetic conditions. Typically conditions such as LDA in THF at $-78~\mathrm{^\circ C}$. This leads to the conclusion, that the α deprotonation is *kinetically* favoured. This is more evident in open chain compounds and *especially* if the α carbon is a methyl group.
The γ deprotonation is generally achieved under more thermodynamic conditions: Weaker bases, warmer temperatures. I didn’t do it myself, so I cannot state conditions off the top of my head, but I would guess conditions such as $\ce{$t$BuOK}$ and $0~\mathrm{^\circ C}$. Therefore, this system must be the thermodynamically favoured one and the γ proton must be slightly more acidic. (But only a tad, or the kinetic product would not be so easily accessable.)
I cannot provide a proper explanation, but it would seem to me like the non-branched π system achieved by γ deprotonation is more stable than the branched one following α deprotonation.
| stackexchange/chemistry |
Steroisomerism in cyclic compounds [closed]
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What about stereochemistry of 1,2,3,4-tetrahdroxy cyclobutane
How will we decide the stereocentre it's eating me can anybody help.
Answer is 4 stereoisomers
In the [RULES FOR THE NOMENCLATURE OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
SECTION E: STEREOCHEMISTRY](https://www.iupac.org/publications/pac/1976/pdf/4501x0011.pdf), published in *Pure Appl. Chem.*, **1976**, *45*, 11-30, you find:
>
> **E—2.3.3.** When one substituent and one hydrogen atom
> are attached at each of more than two positions of a
> monocycle, the steric relations of the substituents are
> expressed by adding *r* (for reference substituent), followed
> by a hyphen, before the locant of the lowestnumbered
> of these substituents and *c* or *t* (as appropriate),
> followed by a hyphen, before the locants of the
> other substituents to express their relation to the reference
> substituent.
>
>
>
This means: pick one centre as a reference (*r*-1) and express the relative stereochemistry of the other centres, that is the relative orientation of the $\ce{OH}$ groups with respect to the reference, using *c* (if the substituent is on the same face of the ring) or *t* (if the substituent is on the opposite face of the ring).
From what i see...at a basic point of view...there is no carbon with 4 different functional groups...hence i guess its optically inactive...as in each carbon is bonded to 2 identical carbons which are further bonded to the same carbon ...so the functional group dosent matter...Hopefully thats it
To solve this first we number the carbons as
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/RYnjz.jpg)
Now when we consider cis form of 1 and 2 carbon there will be two stereoisomers cis and trans for 3 and 4 carbon
Now when we consider trans form of 1 and 2 carbon there will be two stereoisomers cis and trans for 3 and 4 carbon
Hence total 4 stereoisomers
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/j2tcw.jpg)
| stackexchange/chemistry |
A moving bus suddenly stops. Is its momentum destroyed?
Absolutely not but how does momentum transfer to surrounding (ground, air particles)?
It is awe inspiring to realize that when the bus stops most of the momentum is taken up by the earth.
As dmckee comments, there are two conservation laws involved in braking. The energy of the bus has to go somewhere, and the momentum too, as they are independently conserved.
Part of the energy goes to heat, in the brakes and on the contact ground/wheels. Heat means photons, so photons may take away some momentum. But most momentum through friction is transferred to the ground . [The earth moved after all](http://www.thisdayinquotes.com/2009/10/hemingways-for-whom-bell-tolls-makes.html) :).
'Suddenly' doesn't mean that a moving bus can stop within no-time(Instantly).
Bus stops in short duration,and the friction between tyre and the ground will take away the momentum (while ignoring any other friction).
A bus driving along the surface of the earth has angular momentum relative to the center of the earth. For mass $m$ and velocity $v$ it is $mvR$ where $R$ is the radius of the earth.
When it brakes, there will be a for $F$ for duration $\Delta t$ giving a change in momentum of the bus of $f\Delta t$, change in angular momentum of $F\delta t R$. That is the same angular momentum given to the earth (equal and opposite force - just as the earth applies a force to the bus, so the bus applies a force to the earth).
If a 10,000 kg bus is driving at 72 km/hr (20 m/s) along the equator, and it brakes, the change in rotation speed of the earth can be calculated as $\frac{\Delta L}{I}=10,000\cdot 20\cdot 6.3\cdot 10^6 / 8\cdot 10^{37=}1.6\cdot 10^{-36} s^{-1}$ which means a change in the length of the day of $1.4\cdot 10^{-24}$ s.
It's a big, big rock!
As for the energy: the kinetic energy change for the earth is negligible compared to the generation of heat in the brakes and tires of the bus.
| stackexchange/physics |
lattice simulations of qcd indicate that , at zero baryon number density and temperatures of the order of 150 - 170 mev , quarks and gluons become deconfined @xcite .
this novel phase of nuclear matter is commonly called quark - gluon plasma ( qgp ) .
it is believed that in nature temperatures of the order of 150 mev existed only shortly after the big bang . for more than two decades
, attempts have been made to recreate similar conditions within the collision of heavy nuclei at ultra - relativistic energies , looking for signatures of the production of the qgp , which subsequently hadronizes .
the hadronization stage has been well discussed in the literature @xcite .
after this process takes place , one assumes that a hadronic gas appears in a sizeable region of space .
hydrodynamic models were used to describe this hadronic evolution , based on the hypothesis that the fireball size is large in comparison with the mean free path of the hadrons @xcite .
one may ask whether the hydrodynamic approach needs to consider viscosity and heat conduction effects , even before the freeze - out occurs . here
, one must say that the employment of any kind of model has to be taken with caution . in the gas regime , and for temperatures
far from the system critical temperature , the relaxation times which control the chemical equilibrium of hadrons may become large compared with collision times , causing the gas to reach the chemical equilibrium at an early stage of the expansion , favoring an overpopulation of pions @xcite .
temperature and chemical potential are related to the chemical freeze - out regime . at low beam energies the chemical freeze - out of the resulting gas
may be described by low temperature and high baryonic chemical potential .
as the beam energy increases this situation reverts .
the mesons become more numerous , the temperature increases and the chemical baryonic potential decreases . for small baryonic chemical potential and high temperature
the number of baryons becomes close to the anti - baryons . within this scenario
, a qgp - hadronic matter phase transition is probably going to happen in heavy - ion collisions at very high energy , as the ones extected to take place soon at the large hadron collider ( lhc / alice ) .
hadron multiplicities are observables which can provide valuable information on the nature of the medium from which they are produced . in this way , they are natural tools to look for qgp signatures .
different models have been used to improve the understanding of the qgp - hadronic matter phase transition @xcite . the use of thermal models to describe hadronic collision spectra has also been considered @xcite .
curiously , despite the fact that no microscopic theoretical basis was given for thermalization in such collisions , these models have been quite successful . in thermal models ,
the statistical distribution is controlled basically by the temperature and the chemical potential of a free hadron - gas .
however , these ingredients alone does not suffice since without a repulsion dynamics , the gas does not expand properly .
therefore , for baryons and mesons , an excluded volume is needed in the same spirit as in a van der waals gas .
in particular , a detailed explanation of how incorporate a thermodynamically consistent excluded volume effect in a hadron gas was presented in @xcite .
the excluded volume parameters are determined according to the fits of heavy - ion collision data . to fit au - au and pb - pb hadronic ratios data @xcite
, a common hard - core for baryons and mesons suffices . in a different approach , that does not consider any correlation between baryons , an interesting work
@xcite has shown that the energy per baryon remains almost constant and equal to 1 gev in a broad range of chemical freeze - out temperatures .
more recently , studies including hadron - hadron dynamics in a sophisticated relativistic chiral su(3 ) model , have shown that the hadron ratios obtained from sis , ags , sps to rhic hadron energies are also well described @xcite .
this calculation , contrary to thermal models , takes into account in medium hadronic mass effects .
this new ingredient appears to modify substantially the temperature and the baryonic chemical potential to the freeze - out fittings .
this happens even when the su(3 ) models are undergoing a first or a second order phase transition . as a side information ,
let us remark that a first order phase transition in a hadronic model induces a dramatic decrease in the effective baryonic masses as well as a discontinuity in the entropy . in the su(3 ) model ,
both mesonic and baryonic masses are obtained with in medium effects . between the simplicity of the thermal models @xcite and the complexity of the relativistic chiral su(3 ) model @xcite
, one would ask whether well known relativistic hadronic models @xcite are able to successfully fit the mentioned chemical freeze - out hadronic ratios . in a previous study @xcite the antibaryon @xmath0 production in relativistic nuclear collisions using nonlinear models has been presented .
the authors estimated the ratio of antibaryon and baryon densities in interacting and in free systems .
it was also pointed out that the annihilation of antibaryons in surrounding matter at the final stage of the reaction may reduce their abundancy @xcite .
relativistic hadronic models are based on field theories describing nuclear matter as a strongly interacting system of baryons and mesons .
this approach is assumed to be valid below the deconfinement phase transition , and is based on the identification of the appropriate degrees of freedom at this scale .
the prototype of such theory is quantum hadrodynamics ( qhd ) @xcite , which has been shown to describe well many properties of nuclear matter , finite nuclei and neutron stars @xcite .
this theory can be extended to include many - body correlations as density - dependent meson couplings @xcite .
the successful description of nuclear properties indicates that the essential aspects of low energy strong interactions are well described by qhd . at high energy
, it can describe dynamically the evolution from the hadronic fireball starting scenario to the chemical freeze - out in which the baryons and the light mesons populate the gas .
one of the advantages of using relativistic quantum - hadronic models is that they can also describe the already mentioned qgp - hadronic matter phase transition as the chemical potential increases @xcite .
the physics of the hadronic models at high temperature is very rich and its behavior has been well investigated for zero chemical potential @xcite .
depending on their parametrization , the models can present a first or second order phase transition in the same way as the already mentioned su(3 ) model for the hadronic masses .
it is natural then to ask whether these routinely used relativistic hadronic models can describe the hadron production observed today in au - au collisions at rhic @xcite .
recently , some of these models , with and without density depend hadron - meson coupling constants , have been used in order to answer that question @xcite . in that calculation not only the baryonic octet was included but also the decuplet . a good overall description of the particle yields data was obtained and in particular for @xmath1 and @xmath2 ratios , a good improvement was achieved in comparison with the results obtained in the free gas approximation @xcite . in @xcite
it was shown that the new dynamics achieved by the models with density depend parameters makes the difference by having the best fits and that the mesons play an important role . to go further with this investigation ,
we have chosen to consider in the present work only the baryonic octet because the inclusion of the decuplet produced only a small change in the overall results . moreover ,
we take into account the different binding energies of the hyperons @xcite in obtaining the chemical freeze - out parameters .
we also restrict ourselves to one parametrization of the non - linear walecka model @xcite . in order to investigate the role played by the mesons , we have introduced , in a very crude and naive way , an
_ ad - hoc _ effective mesonic mass @xmath3 that increases in the medium and obeys a universal scaling with its bare value : @xmath4 , @xmath5 , for all mesons . using a best fitting analysis , we established a correlation between the @xmath6 per degree of freedom ( @xmath7 ) and @xmath8 , understanding the result as an indication that the increase of the in - medium meson masses introduces additional repulsion among the particles and mimics the repulsive effect obtained in other approaches , where the hadron excluded volume is taken into account @xcite .
the paper is organized as follows . in sec .
ii we present the models with a detailed discussion on chemical , strangeness and charge equilibrium . in sec .
iii , we present the parametrizations used for the couplings between hyperons and mesons . in sec .
iv , we present our results and summarize our main conclusions .
we assume that the chemical freeze - out can be described as a mixture of the lightest baryons and mesons .
we use the following lagrangian @xmath9 where @xmath10 with @xmath11 -\left(m_j - g_{\sigma j}\sigma\right)\right\}\psi_j , \label{lag21}\\ { \cal l}_m & = & \frac{1}{2}\left(\partial_\mu\sigma\partial^\mu\sigma - m^2_\sigma\sigma^2\right ) -\frac{b}{3}\left(g_{\sigma n}\sigma\right)^3 -\frac{c}{4}\left(g_{\sigma n}\sigma\right)^4 \nonumber -\frac{1}{4}\left(\partial_\mu\omega_\nu-\partial_\nu\omega_\mu \right)^2 \label{lag22}\\ & & + \frac{1}{2}m^2_\omega\omega_\mu\omega^\mu \nonumber -\frac{1}{4}\left(\partial_\mu\rho^0_\nu- \partial_\nu\rho^0_\mu\right)^2 + \frac{1}{2}m^2_\rho \rho^0_\mu \rho^{0\mu}.\end{aligned}\ ] ] mesons
@xmath12 enter lagrangian @xmath13 in ( [ lag1 ] ) as a free gas of bosons .
lagrangian ( [ lag2 ] ) has a general form commonly used in relativistic mean field models .
the sum over @xmath14 in ( [ lag21 ] ) extends over the octet of lightest baryons @xmath15 , and their antiparticles .
@xmath16 is the corresponding isospin quantum number .
the baryon and meson masses are listed in table [ masses ] .
the values for the couplings are taken from @xcite and shown in table [ param ] .
.masses used in the calculation . [ cols="^,^,^,^,^,^,^,^,^",options="header " , ] we also show , in the fourth column , the results from a non - interacting gas of baryons and mesons ( free ) , in the fifth column the results from a non - interacting gas of baryons and mesons with effective meson masses as discussed below ( free@xmath17 ) , together with the results from the thermal model of ref .
@xcite in column six ( th ) .
we can see that both set of hyperonic couplings give almost the same results for the particle ratios .
they are not very different from the model with zero coupling constants designated by free , although in this case a smaller temperature and chemical potential were obtained . as a whole
the fractions are well described , but we observe that there is a systematic deviation for the fractions involving mesons except for @xmath18 .
this reflects the naive way the mesons were included .
however , we point out that the @xmath19 and @xmath20 ratios have improved with respect to the thermal model results in accordance with our previous work @xcite and also with the chiral su(3 ) calculations @xcite .
for @xmath21 we designated all negatively charged hadrons produced , including mesons and baryons .
regarding the quality of the fit , the resulting @xmath22 for both sets are around 5.70 , showing a slight improvement of set1 over set2 .
when these values are multiplied by the seven degrees of freedom used in our fitting , @xmath6 reaches 40 , which is a high value .
this does not happen with the fits obtained by thermal models @xcite and with the chiral su(3 ) model @xcite , for which @xmath6 is around 6 .
looking now at the freeze - out temperatures , we see that they are almost the same for the two sets of hyperonic couplings considered ( @xmath23 mev ) , showing a small decrease when going from set1 to set2 .
this situation repeats for the chemical potential fitting ( @xmath24 mev ) .
it is important to mention at this point that in these models the hadronic phase transition regions occur at temperatures @xmath25 mev @xcite , higher than the freeze - out temperature we found here . in order to better understand why we obtain a high @xmath22 , we argue that the repulsion among the baryons is quite small and can not describe so well the chemical freeze - out environment
this happens because the chemical potential is too low in comparison with the temperature .
the other cited approaches certainly have sufficient built in repulsion to avoid an overpopulation of particles . in the thermal model , it is done through excluded volumes introduced in a thermodynamically consistent way . on the other hand ,
the chiral su(3 ) model includes meson - meson and meson - baryon interactions , providing effective masses for all hadrons , giving a higher kinetic energy which mimics an additional repulsion among the particles .
we think that the relativistic models themselves suffer from a lack of repulsive correlations at low densities , where the sources for the mediating meson fields are very weak .
for example , in the gm1 model with set2 , studied in this work , we have @xmath26 mev , @xmath27 mev , and @xmath28 mev .
this fact results in a system almost identical to the one described by a free gas of baryons and mesons , as we can see comparing columns 2 , 3 and 4 in table [ ratios ] .
therefore , the hadron production is not very sensitive to the hadron - meson interactions , manifested in the almost model independence of the @xmath22 obtained and also in the small dependence of the freeze - out parameters . in spite of the reduced number of models studied here , the results obtained in @xcite , where more models were considered , also reinforce this point .
this conjecture may be extended to all relativistic hadronic models commonly used in the literature .
understanding the reason underlying the lack of repulsion in the description of the chemical freeze - out regime is a relevant question . in the following , we present a crude argument for that
let us suppose , for simplicity , that baryon - baryon interaction proceeds through an attractive scalar ( @xmath29 ) and a repulsive vector ( @xmath30 ) meson - exchange potentials . in the mean field approach , at zero temperature and at normal saturated nuclear matter , the depth of @xmath31 is around @xmath32 mev .
the temperature increase in these models favors the appearance of anti - baryons .
table [ ratios ] shows that the @xmath33 ratio is around 0.67 .
however , from g - parity symmetry , the anti - baryons themselves revert the sign of the vector potential in such a way that @xmath34 @xcite .
thus , anti - baryon - baryon interactions themselves do not carry repulsion .
therefore , the baryon - baryon repulsion alone has to compensate for the large attraction among the anti - baryons , explaining the lack of repulsion in the hadronic models
. one way of implementing a repulsive content in this class of hadronic models would be by introducing an excluded volume for the particles in the system @xcite .
of course , this approach requires the recalculation of the coupling constants in order to maintain the correct normal nuclear matter properties of the original models . by doing so , however , the hadronic models would loose its strong appealing due to their theoretical basis together with the success in reproducing so many observables in several different regimes of nuclear matter .
another possibility , inspired by the su(3 ) hadronic model @xcite , is to include meson - meson self - coupling and meson - baryon couplings for the heavy mesonic sector , as @xmath35 and @xmath36 for example .
we have studied this effect in an _ ad - hoc _ and crude way . in the statistical thermal distributions of the free gas
, we have artificially assumed in - medium effective mesonic masses @xmath3 , instead of the bare ones in vacuum . in this preliminary study , we have used the same value of @xmath37 for all mesons . in figure [ m - chi2 ]
we see how @xmath22 becomes smaller as @xmath37 increases from 1 , reaches a minimum around @xmath38 , and starts to grow again . as a function of @xmath37 ( the same for all mesons ) , where @xmath39 is the meson bare mass , for a free relativistic gas of baryons and mesons ( baryon masses are mantained fixed to the experimental values of table [ masses]).,width=302 ] this shows that an increase in the effective in - medium mesonic mass goes in the right direction towards obtaining a better fit of the data .
this is confirmed looking at column 5 in table [ ratios ] , where the particle ratios for @xmath40 , close to the minimum of fig .
[ m - chi2 ] , are shown .
the increase of the in - medium meson masses would be compatible with the notion of a thermal mass which increases linearly with temperature .
this kind of behaviour can be seen in chiral effective models @xcite and also in the walecka model @xcite . including the effective meson masses in this _ ad - hoc _ way
, we automatically improve the ratios involving mesons , and reduce the fractions involving @xmath21 .
we point out , however , that in fact the uncertainty on the measured values of @xmath19 and @xmath41 are quite large .
also , the equilibrium temperatures increases more than 15% and the chemical potential 33% , coming closer to the results of the thermal model .
this finding strongly suggests that introducing an appropriate dynamic treatment of the mesons , allowing for the modification of their masses in medium , would favor the correct data ratios without the need of including excluded volumes .
however , the model dependence addressed in ref .
@xcite remains to be further investigated .
another remark regards the particle ratios in the medium as we have calculated and the ones measured .
the later comes from asymptotic particle states with vaccuum masses , i.e. , on the mass shell @xmath42 . in our model calculation
the particles are off - shell and any mechanism to bring them on - shell would modify the ratios
. however , we did not include annihilation and nonequilibrium processes which are claimed to reduce the calculated yields @xcite . summarizing , in this work we have investigated the effects of different hyperon - meson coupling constants in hadron production and chemical freeze - out parameters .
we have observed that the freeze - out temperatures and chemical potentials show a small dependence on the different parametrizations .
our results indicate that the repulsion among the baryons is quite small and the hadron production is not very sensitive to the hadron - meson interactions .
a simple _ ad hoc _ in - medium mesonic mass study shows the importance of having meson - meson interaction in the hadronic models .
this work was partially supported by cnpq ( brazil ) and feder / fct ( portugal ) under the project ptdc / fis/64707/2006 .
two of the authors ( m.c . and m.e.b .
) would like to thank prof .
marcelo munhoz for valuable discussions .
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c 47 , 200 ( 1993 ) . | arxiv |
Cloverfield
by
Drew Goddard 115016
6/8/07 1 6/8/07 CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
FROM BLACK --block letters appear
on-screen:
PROPERTY OF THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
The letters disappear, replaced by:
Then: DOCUMENT #USGX-8810-B467/DIGITAL VIDEOCASSETTE
MULTIPLE SIGHTINGS OF CASE
DESIGNATE "CLOVERFIELD"
CAMERA RETRIEVED AT INCIDENT SITE "US-447"
(AREA FORMERLY KNOWN AS CENTRAL PARK) 1.
FADE IN:
INT. BETH'S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - DAWN
WIDE ON THE CITY -- we're looking DOWN ON MANHATTAN as the
MORNING SUN breaks through the skyline.
And as the image adjusts slightly, we realize we're looking
THROUGH A VIDEO CAMERA. We hear a MAN'S VOICE. It's
whispered, quiet --
VOICE (O.S.)
Six forty-two a.m ...
His name is ROB HAWKINS. 1
As he backs away from the window, we catch a glimpse of HIS
REFLECTION in the glass. And even though the VIDEOCAMERA is obscuring most of his face, we can tell he's smiling
ROB
It's already a good day.
And as Rob SWINGS THE CAMERA AROUND we get a better look at
our surroundings -- we're in a MANHATTAN APARTMENT -- floor
to-ceiling windows; opulent but not garish. The tasteful
decor suggests a feminine touch.
CAMERA MOVES THROUGH the living room. We hear Rob's BARE
FEET quietly padding along the hardwood floors
He approaches a SIDE TABLE covered with FRAMED PHOTOGRAPHS
they're all of A GIRL (Beth) and her various friends and
family. Rob's hand reaches into frame, selects one
photograph in particular:
CONTINUED 2
3
4 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 2.
Rob and Beth at COLLEGE GRADUATION. They're both wearing cap
and gowns; they're both smiling for the camera. Rob takes the
photo, moves it in front of the other photos on the table.
CUT TO:
OMITTED
INT. BETH'S APARTMENT - MORNING - LATER 2
3
We're MOVING THROUGH THE APARTMENT, getting a better feel of
the place. Everything's still MORNING QUIET -- the silence
is peaceful, serene. We can hear Rob's footsteps, his steady
breathing, the distinctive sounds of his hands on the camera.
We turn a corner, headed down a hallway. Rob's hand pushes
open a door, leading us into --
INT. BEDROOM - MORNING
-- the apartment's bedroom. And the BLUE LIGHT of dawn is
just starting to peek through the curtains. As Rob enters
the room, he angles towards the bed, focusing in on --4
Her. She's in bed, fast asleep. (Tastefully) covered by the
sheets. And for a moment, we just HOLD ON HER.
This is BETH MCINTYRE.
As the morning-light finds her face, we can see she's half
smiling in her sleep. She looks near angelic.
Rob approaches, angling in on Beth's face. He sits down on
the side of the bed, his movement rousts her a bit. Her eyelids flutter open --
BETH
(half-asleep)
What are you doing?
ROB (O.S.)
Nothing.
Beth rubs the sleep out of her eyes, sits up a bit. Glances
at the camera, playful --
BETH
Stop it.
ROB (O.S.)
Suddenly she's shy.
CONTINUED 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
BETH
Seriously I can just see this
ending up on the internet ... 3.
She pulls the bedsheet tight around her, making sure she's safely covered.
ROB (0. S.)
Fine -- see if I care.
(beat)
I'm interested in other things ...
BETH
(rolls eyes)
Like what?
ROB
Like ... you. I want to know
everything there is to know about
Elizabeth Anne McIntyre.
BETH
You already know everything, Rob.
ROB
That's not true. After last night ...
we can still surprise each other.
She flushes a little, smiles
BETH
Fair enough.
(okay then)
What would you like to know, Robert
Hawkins?
ROB
Well, let's start with ... What do you
want to do today?
BETH
That's it? You can ask me anything
in the world and you go with "What do
you want to do today?"
ROB (0. S.)
Sure. For starters.
Beth studies him -- fine, I'll play along --
CONTINUED 5
6 6/8/07
CONTINUED (2) CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
BETH
Okay then ...
(thinks about it)
I'd like to eat breakfast. No -- I'd
like you to bring me breakfast.
Here. In bed. I think I've earned
that ...
Really?
who did ROB (0. S.)
'Cause I think I'm the one
all the work ...
She raises her eyebrows -- are you kidding me?
INT. BETH'S BEDROOM - MORNING - LATER 4.
CUT TO:
5
A little later. Beth's shifted position a bit. She's eating
strawberries out of a bowl (clearly Rob lost the breakfast in
bed argument.) We UPCUT right into their conversation --
ROB ( 0 . S . ) BETH
--I've never been. -- it's not what it used to
be.
ROB (0. S.)
I hear it's fun.
BETH
Sure. If you want to score horse.
ROB ( 0. S.)
That's not the -
(wait)
Did you just call it "horse?"
BETH
(laughing)
it's not the same Coney Island
you're thinking of --
ROB (0. S.)
that's not the point
INT. BETH'S BEDROOM - MORNING - LATER CUT TO:
6
REVERSE SHOT -- ON ROB. He's shirtless, clad only in pajama
bottoms. He leans back against the headboard, uncomfortable
being filmed
CONTINUED 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
ROB
... from the neck up. That's it.
That's the only way I consent to
this.
BETH (O.S.)
I wouldn't worry about it, Rob.
Nobody's paying for that online.
Rob glances down at his body, mock offended
ROB
People would kill for this.
BETH (0. S.)
Okay -- what else?
ROB
What do you mean?
BETH (0. S.)
Other than cotton candy and tilt-o
whirls -- what do you want to do
today? 5.
Rob stares at her with mischievous eyes for a beat. Then --
ROB
Beth ... if I answered that question
honestly, you'd probably slap me.
BETH (0. S.)
Try me.
He reaches out, playfully grabs her leg. She laughs, pushes him away, the camera shakes
ROB
Honestly -- the things I'm thinking
right now -- I may slap myself ...
BETH
(laughs)
Rob, I swear to god there's
nothing you could say that would
possibly --
And just as she says that, the VIDEO IMAGE fills with STATIC
and we ABRUPTLY CUT TO --7
8 6/8/07 CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 6.
EXT. MANHATTAN STREETS -DAY 7
HONK HONK HONK! The loud CACOPHONY of New York City TRAFFIC
jars us right out of the previous scene --
We're street level
now --as the video
camera adjusts, we
catch a glimpse of DOWNTOWN MANHATTAN in all its glory. Then
we swing around and follow --
A GIRL (mid-twenties)
as she crosses through traffic on the
busy crosswalk. She's wearing a JAPANESE SILK DRESS, her
hair is pulled back with CHOPSTICKS. This is LILY FORD.
We hear a GUY'S VOICE call after her
VOICE (O.S.)
Is the light on?
Lily glances back at the camera. Slightly exasperated -
LILY
Watch where you're
going
VOICE (O.S.)
I don't know if this is the on button
or the zoom ...
LILY
Jason --
VOICE (O.S.)
I think it's on.
LILY
(glares at him)
Perfect. Now we can have a nice
record of you getting run over.
INT. BODEGA -DAY CUT TO:
8
Lily's at the counter of a corner grocery store. She's talking over her shoulder as the CASHIER bags her food
--
LILY
... go around and get testimonials
from everyone.
VOICE (O.S.)
--this isn't a
wedding
CONTINUED 9 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
LILY
I know this isn't a wedding -- I said
like a wedding.
(to cashier)
Thank you.
VOICE (O.S.)
Why do I have to do it 7.
The CAMERA SWINGS AROUND as the person holding it looks into
the lens. We see his face for the first time
This is JASON HAWKINS -- Lily's boyfriend and Rob's older
brother. As he looks into the camera --
JASON
-- I don't even know how to work this
thing.
LILY (O.S.)
Let me ask you a question -- can you
see me through the viewfinder?
JASON
Hang on
Jason swings the camera back around to FIND LILY in front of
the counter, trying to collect her groceries --
JASON (O.S.)
Yeah. I can see you.
LILY
Good.
(beat)
Now ... can you see me trying to carry
all these bags by myself?
INT. APARTMENT BUILDING -STAIRWAY -DAY CUT TO:
9
We're looking down at Jason's legs. We see in one hand he's
carrying several grocery bags. As he raises the camera with
the other hand --
LILY
-- he's your brother. This is important. Stop trying to get out of
it --
CONTINUED 10 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
We see Lily's leading him up a flight of stairs. As they
spill out onto the landing, walk down a hallway --
JASON (O.S.)
-- it's a shit job, Lily.
LILY JASON ( 0 . S . )
No it's not. Yes it is.
LILY
(shooting him a look)
Jason.
JASON
(turning on a dime)
Okay, baby. I'll do it. 8.
INT. APARTMENT - DAY CUT TO:
10
Suddenly we're in an APARTMENT, MOVING TOWARDS A GUY hanging
a LARGE BANNER which reads "GOODBYE ROB!" --
JASON ( 0 . S . )
Hud -- I got a job for you.
The guy looks over his shoulder, sees the camera. Tenses up. This is HUDSON PLATT.
HUD
I'm already supposed to be working on
the sign ...
JASON ( 0 . S . )
Yeah. This is actually even more
important than the sign
Hud clearly doesn't like being on camera. As he shuffles
awkwardly --
JASON
You've been to a wedding, right?
HUD
(shakes head)
Not since I was a kid.
really get invited to a like that. I don't
lot of things
CONTINUED 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
JASON (O.S.)
Okay, well -- you know how at
weddings they have people give
testimonials to the videocamera?
HUD
(thinks; then)
No.
JASON ( 0 . S . )
(you're killing me)
Take this camera, go around the
party, and film everyone wishing Rob
good luck.
HUD
(deer in headlights)
That sounds like a lot of
responsibility, Jason. I don't
know ...
JASON ( 0 . S . )
It's important. We'll need you to
talk to everyone, Hud.
(beat)
We'll need you to talk to Marlena.
Hud's eyes dart towards the camera. Wait --
HUD
Marlena's gonna be here?
JASON (0.S.)
Yeah. Sure. Lily invited her. And
we need you to talk to her. You
know. For Rob.
And that's actually giving Hud pause
JASON ( 0 . S . )
But you should practice first.
Here put this around your neck
like this --9.
Jason takes the camera, loops the strap around Bud's neck -
CUT TO: 11
12
13 6/8/07 CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 10.
INT. APARTMENT - DAY 11
Testimonial. Jason looks into the camera. IN THE APARTMENT
BEHIND HIM, we see SEVERAL PEOPLE decorating the place for a
PARTY. As they move furniture, set out food, hang lights --
JASON
Rob, good luck in Japan, man. I love
you.
(beat; then)
That's it.
HUD (O.S.)
That's it?
JASON
Easy enough, right?
HUD (O.S.)
It's kind of fun, actually.
JASON
(what?)
Yeah ...
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
A COUPLE (JENN and ANTONIO) finish hanging a string of
lights. As the lights flicker to life around the room
HUD (0.S.)
Hey guys
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
Testimonial. Jenn and Antonio face the camera --
JENN
Bon voyage, Rob!
(glances at Antonio)
Or, however you say that in
Japanese ...
ANTONIO
Sayonara? CUT TO:
12
CUT TO:
13
CONTINUED 20 6/8/07
CONTINUED
OMITTED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
JENN
Sayonara Rob!
( frowns)
No, that's not right ...
ANTONIO
Sayonara Rob!
JENN
That sounds like we want to bomb
him ...
INT. APARTMENT -NIGHT 11.
CUT TO:
20
Testimonial. Lily stands in front of the camera. In the
background, we can see the party's in full swing now.
LILY
Robert Hawkins. I can't believe
you're leaving me. To take care of Jason. By myself. And this is your
fault in the first place
--if you
hadn't introduced
me to your brother,
I'd probably be married to some
handsome stock broker right now
instead of --
(glances off camera,
raises voice}
Madly in love with a buffoon.
JASON ( 0 . S . )
I'm standing right here.
LILY
(back to camera)
And I know we're not officially
family --
(looks off screen)
Yet.
JASON
(O.S.)
--It's gonna be
soon, beautiful. I
promise
LILY
(back to camera)
But I think of you as my brother and
I hope you think of me as a sister ...
CONTINUED 21 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 12.
As Lily talks, IN THE BACKGROUND behind her, the front door
opens, and A WOMAN enters the apartment
Hud's camera drifts off to the side, as he angles towards THE
WOMAN. Cutting-edge stylish, a clear air of superiority
about her. This is MARLENA DIAMOND.
Lily continues, not noticing Hud's focus is drifting --
LILY
... which means you have to check in
with me from time to time.
(getting choked up)
I know this is an ... amazing job for
you. And I know this is what you
need right now, but ... that doesn't
mean I have to like it.
Hud's starts to ZOOM IN on Marlena. Lily's barely in frame --
LILY
You'd better call us. Now that you
have this job, you can afford to call
us. So--
(notices)
Hud?
Hud swings the camera back to Lily.
HUD (O.S.)
Yeah -- sorry. You're good.
LILY
( okay then ... )
Rob -- call us. We love you and miss
you. So much.
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT CUT TO:
21
ACROSS THE ROOM, we see Lily greet Marlena. As she hugs her
hello --
HUD (0.S.)
(to himself)
Okay. You can do this ...
CONTINUED 22
23 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 13.
He starts moving through the party. TOWARDS MARLENA. But as
he approaches her, she glances up, and Hud panics at the last
minute. He swings the camera TOWARDS A GUY hanging out
nearby (CHARLIE.)
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
Testimonial. Charlie faces the camera --
CHARLIE
Rob -- this is very important. When
going to a hentai theater, you want
".Y!d.tl." Not, repeat, not "yaoi."
(beat)
"Yaoi" means "all boys."
Charlie takes a drink from his beer. Then --
CHARLIE
This advice also applies to the
internet.
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT CUT TO:
22
CUT TO:
23
Hud steels his nerve. Tries again. APPROACHES MARLENA.
HUD (O.S.)
Oh -- uh. Excuse me, um ... Marlena?
She turns, surprised to hear her name. Stares at Hud, a bit
of a "Why are you talking to me?" look on her face.
Yes? MARLENA
HUD (O.S.)
(voice wavering)
I'm supposed to be ... uh ...
(beat)
You know how Rob's going away, right?
Well, I'm supposed to be talking to
everyone ...
MARLENA
Oh -- I don't know Rob all that well.
I just stopped by to see Lily, be
polite.
CONTINUED 24
25 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
HUD (O.S.)
Okay, that's cool.
(beat)
But, um, I'm still supposed to talk
to everyone and it's like ...
(awkward pause; then)
Have you ever been to a wedding?
MARLENA
(frowns)
What?
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
Testimonial. Marlena faces the camera --
MARLENA
Rob -- let's be honest here. We've
met like three times before, and all
three of those times I was either
tanked or tranqued. Or both. So I
hope you understand if I don't get
all weepy at your goodbye.
(beat)
But ... it sounds like this is a great
opportunity for you. Vice President
of something or other, right? That's
spectacular.
(beat)
Don't worry, we'll try to keep New
York safe for you while you're gone.
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
Moments later. Marlena glances back at Hud, a thought
occurring to her --
MARLENA
Do you have a card? My agency's
having a retreat next week -- I'm
sure they'd love something like this.
HUD (O.S.)
Oh, um, I'm not a professional ...
(off her look)
I'm actually Rob and Lily's friend.
Hud. We've met several times before. 14.
CUT TO:
24
CUT TO:
25
CONTINUED 26
27 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
MARLENA
(doesn't know him)
Oh right. Of course. Sorry, you had
the camera blocking your ... face.
HUD (0.S.)
Yeah. That makes sense. No problem. 15.
She gives him a polite, dismissive smile, turns to get away
from him. As she goes --
HUD (O.S.)
If you want, though, I'll still film
your agency's ...
But she's not listening anymore.
HUD (0.S.)
Okay.
INT. APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT CUT TO:
26
Lily shuts off the lights, races through the crowd --
-- quiet
coming --LILY
everybody, quiet -- he's
People gather around the living room. A hush falls as
everyone quiets down, waits. Hud focuses on the FRONT DOOR
CLICK. It swings open. One of ROB'S FRIENDS (DAVIS) steps
into the apartment, mouths to the crowd "He's right behind
me." The crowd takes a breath in anticipation, then
Rob steps through the doorway. They flip the LIGHTS ON
CROWD
SURPRISE!
Rob jumps, legitimately surprised. Then he takes a breath,
figures out what's going on. He hangs his head -- oh, hell.
He shakes his head, moves to turn around and go back outside.
The crowd laughs. And Rob steps back into the apartment.
CUT TO:
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT - LATER 27
Everyone's hugging Rob, patting him on the back --
CONTINUED 28
29 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
ROB
When did you guys plan all this? 16.
As he glances around the party, we get the sense he's looking
for someone --
CUT TO:
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
A bit later.
crowd, a bit
tries to put Everyone's quiet; Rob
uncomfortable with all
the best face on it as 28
stands in front of the
eyes on him. But he
he addresses the party
ROB
Wow. This is ... this is a surprise.
Obviously. And ... it's very sweet.
(looks around)
Thank you Lily --
Lily calls out from the back of the crowd -
LILY
It was everyone, it was everyone
ROB
Thank you evervone.
this really means a
(then) This really ...
lot.
That's it. That's all I got.
He raises his glass in toast
ROB
Let's have some fun.
Everyone CHEERS
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
PICK UP ROB as he approaches Hud -
ROB
Hey Hud ... is, uh ...
(looks around)
Is Beth coming tonight?
HUD (0.S.)
Yeah. Of course. I mean, I'm sure
Lily invited her.
(MORE) CUT TO:
29
CONTINUED 30
31 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
HUD(CONTINUED)
(beat)
Why wouldn't she be here? 17.
And Rob doesn't answer. He just shakes his head. No reason .
. After a beat, he glances at the camera, frowns --
ROB
What are you doing, anyway?
HUD (O.S.)
Oh -- I'm in charge of going around,
getting testimonials from everyone.
ROB
(laughs)
How'd you get stuck with that job?
Silence. Rob glances at the camera, realizes
OMITTED ROB
(turning on a dime)
I mean -- that's a huge, huge --
HUD (O.S.)
(dead serious)
This is gonna be your lifeline
between there and here.
ROB
I know -- I'm thanking you. I'm
already thanking you in advance --
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT CUT TO:
30
31
Back to the testimonials. TWO GIRLS (HEATHER AND LEI) face
the camera, raise their glasses in toast --
HEATHER LEI
Congratulations, Rob! Congratulations!
HEATHER
As soon as you get settled, you
should fly us out there to visit you.
LEI
(laughs)
You are such a whore.
CONTINUED 32 6/B/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
HEATHER
I am not -- I didn't mean it like
that
LEI
How else could you mean it?
HEATHER
Not like
(looks at camera)
Rud, erase that --
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT 1B.
CUT TO:
32
Rob and Jason stand near the table where all the booze is.
Jason's laughing. We UPCUT right into their conversation --
JASON
You swear to god you didn't know?
ROB
-- I swear to god. Didn't see it
coming at all. I was completely --
And as Rob glances off-screen, his FACE FALLS. Rud follows
his gaze -- ACROSS THE ROOM -- WE FIND --
BETH.
She's stepping into the living room, hugging Lily hello. And
right by Beth's side ... is ANOTHER GUY. He smiles, shakes
hands with Lily as Beth introduces him --
Rud SWINGS THE CAMERA BACK to Rob. Who's just staring at
Beth and this guy. After a beat, Jason glances at Rob
JASON
What's the matter?
ROB
(tries to shake it off)
Nothing.
Rob steels himself, steps forward to greet Beth. Jason stays
behind, glances at Rud --
JASON
Who's that guy?
CONTINUED 33
34 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
HUD (0.8.)
I don't know.
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT 19.
CUT TO:
33
Rob approaches Beth and the guy. As Beth hugs Rob hello
BETH
-- that's ... I'm so, so
surprise -
ROB
all right --
ROB
It's fine. sorry we missed the
BETH
major cab problems
really sorry --
Rob glances at the Guy. Beth reads his look -
BETH
Sorry -- Rob, this is Travis.
Travis, this is Rob.
ROB
(shakes his hand)
Hi.
TRAVIS
It's a pleasure. I've heard a lot
about you. --I'm
Rob doesn't say anything. Just.glances at Beth. Travis
tries
to fill the ensuing silence.
TRAVIS
Congratulations, by the way. Vice
President. That's fantastic.
ROB
Thank you. Thanks.
HOLD on the awkward silence. Then --
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT CUT TO:
34
ACROSS THE PARTY -- we see Beth introducing Travis to some of
the other people. Everyone's very welcoming, friendly.
CONTINUED 35
A36 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 20.
Hud FLOATS OVER to FIND ROB on the other side of the room.
He's glancing furtively over at Beth. A slightly sullen look
on his face. Unaware Hud's filming him, Rob takes his drink,
tosses it back in a stiff gulp. Glances at Beth again. He
does not look happy.
OMITTED
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
Hud approaches Rob
HUD (O.S.)
Is everything cool?
ROB
It's fine. It's nothing.
Rob stops short as he glances at Hud, realizes --
ROB
Is that my camera?
HUD (O.S.)
Uh -- I don't know. Your brother
gave it me.
ROB
(eyes flash)
What tape is in there?
HUD (0.S.)
I don't know. Whatever was in there
before, I guess. Why? CUT TO:
35
A36
Rob doesn't say anything. He glances across the party at
Beth and Travis.
HUD (O.S.)
Rob. Why?
Rob looks at Hud. Shakes his head -
ROB
Never mind.
(beat)
It doesn't matter.
CUT TO: 36
37 6/8/07 CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
Hud approaches Beth, who's standing next to Travis.
Beth
Will HUD (O.S.)
I'm filming goodbyes
you say something?
And that seems to catch Beth off-guard.
BETH for Rob.
I ... don't know if that's a good idea
right now, Hud.
HUD (O.S.)
C'mon -- he's leaving. You may not
get a chance to talk to him for a
while. Isn't there anything you want
to say? 21.
36
Beth hesitates, then realizes Hud has a point. So she turns
to Travis. Hands him her glass.
BETH
Travis, would you mind getting me
another drink?
TRAVIS
Sure.
Travis walks off, heading towards the kitchen. Beth looks at
Hud, leads him away -- let's go over here. As Hud SWINGS THE
CAMERA AROUND, we catch a glimpse of Rob on the other side of
the party. He's still glancing at Beth.
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT CUT TO:
37
Testimonial. Beth faces the camera. She's standing in a
secluded part of the apartment. Out of earshot of everyone.
BETH
Rob ... I didn't really want to do
this on camera, but ... I haven't
exactly heard from you lately and ...
apparently you're gonna spend tonight
in the corner. Drinking
Jaegermeister. With Charlie. So ...
camera it is.
She takes a beat. Softens. Then --
CONTINUED 38-39
40
41 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 22.
BETH
I just ... I just want you to know how
happy I am for you. I know how hard
you've worked for this job and I know
how much this means to you, and ...
(voice wavers)
And ... I'm really gonna miss you.
She collects herself. Then
BETH
I don't want you to think things are
weird between us, you know? I mean
things~ weird, but ...
they don't
have to be. Whatever's going on ...
it's me. It's Beth. The girl who
held your hand when you got sick on
the Cyclone. So ... whenever you're
ready, I'll, uh, be
Beth's face falls as something off-camera catches her eye.
Hud FOLLOWS HER GAZE to find --
Rob. He's walking towards them from across the party. That
same angry expression on his face. As he approaches --
ROB
(to Beth)
Can I talk to you?
Beth nods. Rob leads her out the front door. Hud stays
where he is. He angles BACK TOWARDS THE PARTY. People watch
Rob and Beth leave -- what's going on?
OMITTED
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT CUT TO:
38-39
40
Hud moves slowly towards the front door. His hand enters
frame as he cautiously pulls the door open. Swings the
camera out INTO THE HALL
INT. APARTMENT - HALLWAY - NIGHT
DOWN THE HALL -- just around the far corner, we catch
GLIMPSES of ROB AND BETH. We can barely hear their VOICES
they're speaking in HUSHED TONES. But they seem to be engaged in a HEATED ARGUMENT.
HUD creeps towards them, trying to eavesdrop --41
CONTINUED 44
45 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 23.
ROB
-- you brought a guy to my going away
party --
BETH
--Why do you care -- I haven't even
heard from you in weeks
ROB
--that's not the point
LILY (O.S.)
What are you doing?
Hud turns to find Lily walking up beside him. Looking
pissed. Rob hears Lily's voice, sees Hud in the hallway.
Filming them.
ROB
LILY
I got it.
(grabs Hud)
C'mon. Back inside.
HUD (O.S.)
But I'm documenting.
LILY
Not this.
HUD
(whispered)
Do you know what they're fighting
about?
Lily doesn't say anything. But her face gives it away -
HUD (O.S.)
Lily --
CUT TO:
OMITTED
INT. APARTMENT - KITCHEN - NIGHT
Hud and Jason have Lily cornered in the kitchen. They're
alone; they speak in HUSHED TONES --44
45
CONTINUED 46
47
48 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
LILY
-- a couple weeks ago. Beth made me
promise not to say anything --
JASON
-- they slept together?
how could you keep that
HUD (O.S.) Lilian
quiet?
Yeah -- why didn't you tell me?
And Lily just stops. Stares at Rud in disbelief
LILY
Why didn't I tell you?
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT 24.
CUT TO:
46
Heather, Lei and another guy (MILLER) cluster around Rud.
He's filling them in --
HUD (0.S.)
Yep. Rob and Beth totally did it.
HEATHER LEI
No way -- Oh my god
Oh. This is why Lily didn't tell Rud.
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
Charlie stares at the camera. He's just APPLAUDING -
CHARLIE
Nice job, Rob. Finally. Nice job.
(keeps clapping)
That's my boy.
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
Marlena stares at the camera. Then just shrugs -
MARLENA
Well. Maybe that was her going-away
present to him. CUT TO:
47
CUT TO:
48
CONTINUED 49 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
HUD
Right.
(beat; then)
Wait -- we were supposed to get Rob
presents? 25.
WHAM -- just then, we hear the sound of a door being YANKED OPEN. Marlena jumps, looks towards the FRONT DOOR. Hud
follows her gaze --
TO FIND BETH as she storms back into the party. She's red
faced, FURIOUS. She glances around, sees everyone's STARING
AT HER. She tries to compose herself, looks over at Travis --
BETH
Travis. I'm sorry. But we have to
leave.
TRAVIS
(confused; after a beat)
Okay ...
(looks around, awkward)
Um, thank you all for --
BETH
Travis.
He sets the drinks down.
Beth steps BACK INTO THE apartment. Beth's framed
glance back down the hall Follows Beth as she turns to leave.
BETH
( fuming) HALLWAY. Hud stays in the
IN THE DOORWAY as she throws a
in Rob's direction --
Good luck in Japan, Rob.
We HEAR ROB'S VOICE yell from down the hall -
ROB (0. S.)
Good luck tonight, Travis.
Beth's jaw drops. She stares off-screen, at a complete loss
for words, then turns, storms off down the hall in the
opposite direction. Travis follows. Hud HOLDS on the empty
doorway, then SWINGS THE CAMERA back towards the party ...
And everyone's just glancing at each other. What do we do? Wow. This is uncomfortable.
OMITTED
49 50
51
52 6/8/07 CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 26.
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT 50
Hud ANGLES TOWARDS THE DOORWAY. After a quiet, tense beat,
Rob sheepishly walks back into the apartment. Sees everyone
staring at him.
HOLD ON ROB -- as he hangs his head slightly. Shit. He
looks at everyone. Takes a breath. Then --
ROB
Sorry.
(beat)
Sorry about that.
Jason makes a beeline across the room. Cutting the tension
as he takes control of the party
JASON
's all right -- first fight of the
night. And it's not even eleven yet.
That's a good party --
(hands Rob a drink)
Next fight gets twenty bucks. Who's
up for it -- Chris, Diane? C'mon -
you guys hate each other --
As the crowd laughs, starts to relax --
OMITTED
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT CUT TO:
51
52
ACROSS THE PARTY -- everyone's dancing, having a good time.
Everyone, that is, except for Rob, who's standing near the
bar, looking more or less miserable. Hud swings the camera
around to find Jason and Lily. They're watching Rob --
LILY
-- you guys have to do something --
JASON
Just give him space. It's fine.
LILY
It's not fine. He's a black hole
right now. You're his brother -
(looks to camera)
And you're his best friend. Go ... make him happy.
CONTINUED 53
54
55 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
JASON
(incredulous)
That's not what we do --
INT. APARTMENT -NIGHT 27.
CUT TO:
53
Hud and Jason make their way through the party. Jason's
FOLLOWING ROB --he's headed into
the bathroom. As Rob
enters, starts to shut the door behind him, Jason catches it
and pushes himself --
INT. BATHROOM -NIGHT 54
-- right into the bathroom with Rob. Hud follows, shutting
the door behind them. Rob looks at him --what the fuck
are
you doing?
JASON
We gotta talk.
ROB
JASON
The whole party knows you slept with
Beth.
ROB
(what?)
How does the whole
JASON
Lily told Hud.
Rob turns, glares at Hud.
HUD (0.S.)
Whoa. Hang on --
INT. APARTMENT -BATHROOM -NIGHT CUT TO:
55
A bit later. Rob's sitting on the edge of the bathtub,
shaking his head --this is not happening. We UPCUT into
their conversation
JASON
--I don't know
why you're getting so
worked up.
(MORE)
CONTINUED 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
JASON(CONTINUED)
This is a good thing, right -- you
and Beth? We should be celebrating.
HUD (O.S.)
We are celebrating.
JASON
Exactly, but instead of a "Rob's
Going Away" party this should be a
"Rob Slept With Beth" party.
HUD (O.S.)
That's a way better party.
ROB
It's not like that -- there's no
"Beth and me." It was just a ... spur
of the moment thing.
(off their looks)
We went out drinking to celebrate the
new job and then ... next thing you know ... we were in bed together. 28.
Wham wham wham there's a pounding on the bathroom door.
We hear a male voice (Charlie's) yelling from outside --
CHARLIE (0. S.)
Guys, three dudes in the bathroom is
not cool.
JASON
( ignoring him)
So, what -- it was just a one-night
stand?
ROB
Well, it sorta ... lasted all weekend.
Jason glances at Hud -- nice. He looks back to Rob --
JASON
Then what the hell happened? Why does she hate you right now?
ROB
She doesn't hate me.
JASON
I'll rephrase. Why is she dressing
like Twiggy and bringing some dude to
your party?
CONTINUED 56 6/8/07
CONTINUED (2) CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
HUD (O.S.)
Rob stopped talking to her.
ROB
How do you know about that?
JASON
You slept with Beth and then didn't
call her?
(beat)
When did you get this cool?
ROB
You know what -- can we not talk
about this?
There's MORE BANGING on the door --
CHARLIE (0. S.)
Are you guys showering in there?
JASON
Dude, I don't get it -- you've been
obsessed with Beth since college.
You finally get together and now
you're ... screaming at each other in
the hall.
ROB
We didn't get together. There's no
"together." I'm leaving. So there's
only -- her. And me. Two separate
things. It's better if we just ...
stay friends.
JASON
(studies him, then)
You're an idiot. Hud, tell him he's
an idiot. 29.
Wham wham wham -- the BANGING gets even louder -- it sounds
like several people are trying to break down the door --
JASON
EXT. FIRE ESCAPE - NIGHT CUT TO:
56
Suddenly, we're outside. Rob and Jason are drinking beers on
the fire escape.
CONTINUED 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 30.
We can hear the music from the party inside. Rob's still
good and WORKED UP we UPCUT right into their conversation -
ROB JASON
that's not what I'm
saying -- you're putting
words in my mouth ---- no no -- I understand
now. You don't need to
explain ...
JASON
You're not good enough for her.
ROB
(taking offense)
It's not that I feel like I'm not
good enough for her ...
JASON
Who said "feel like?" You're not
good enough for her -- that's a fact.
That's science.
(beat)
She's Beth McIntyre. She from this
whole other planet. Like Saturn, but with rich people. And she's
beautiful and charming and you're ...
you know ... sort of a douche bag.
(off his look)
But Japan's not gonna fix that. You
go away, become a Vice-President, and
when you come back, she's still Beth
and you're still a douche bag.
ROB
This is a good talk we're having,
Jason. Thank you.
JASON
My point is -- Beth doesn't care.
She's crazy about you. Now. As you
are. But you gotta act on that shit.
If you leave -- if you let her go -
you're never gonna forgive yourself.
ROB
It's not that simple.
It is
things Japan. JASON
that simple. I'm simplifying
for you. Stay here. Screw
Work is for assholes.
CONTINUED 6/8/07
CONTINUED (2) CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
ROB
I'm not taking life advice from you,
Jason. You can't even pay the
electric bill --
JASON
That was a
one time thing. I'm gonna
get you back for that.
ROB
--if you didn't
have Lily, you'd be
a homeless person.
JASON
But I have Lily. And you're so
worried about your goddamn future you
let Beth walk right out that door. 31.
And Rob doesn't respond. He knows Jason has a point. He
stares out at the city, shakes his head.
Jason grabs Rob by the
a brotherly gesture back of the neck look at me. It's
we get the sense he's done this sort
of thing before --
JASON
It's moments, Rob.
matters.
(beat) 'Sall that
You gotta learn to say, "Fuck the
world" and just hang on tight to the
people you love.
And just as Jason says that
SSSSSSSSHRHHHRRROOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRR/
The WHOLE WORLD seems to shake as a THUNDEROUS SOUND rips
through the city. It's DEAFENING --like nothing we've
ever
heard before. It seems to come from ALL AROUND us --
ALL THE LIGHTS IN THE CITY BLACK OUT. Hud almost drops the
camera. Jason and Rob grab hold of the FIRE ESCAPE as the
WORLD CONTINUES TO SHAKE --
THE SOUND builds
and builds WE HEAR SCREAMS from inside
the apartment --the sounds of
GLASS BREAKING
And then ... It's over. The sound dies down. The world stops
shaking. The LIGHTS come back on throughout the city.
CONTINUED 57
58
59 6/8/07
CONTINUED (3) CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 32.
Jason and Rob struggle to catch their breath. They glance at
each other, panic in their eyes
JASON
What the hell was that?
OMITTED
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
MOVING FAST into the apartment -- everyone's panicked,
talking over each other. Amidst the cacophony --
ROB
is everyone okay?
VOICE
--it was like the whole
building --
VOICE
--like an earthquake VOICE
--what was that?
VOICE
-- what was that sound CUT TO:
57
58
Jason races through the party, makes a beeline for Lily. We
see him grab her, pull her close --
JASON
You okay you okay?
She nods. Hud SWINGS THE CAMERA around -- we see some
pictures have fallen off the walls, a lamp has tipped over
and shattered --
JASON
Is anyone hurt?
Everyone quiets down. Trades glances. Shakes their heads -
we're all okay.
LILY
(scared)
Jason -- what was that?
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT CUT TO:
59
Rob's moving across the party, headed to the television. He
turns it on, flips the channel to NYl 60
61 6/8/07 CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 33.
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT 60
Hud PULLS FOCUS on the TELEVISION SCREEN. We see a BREAKING
NEWSCAST in progress --
ON THE SCREEN -- A HELICOPTER SHOT OF NEW YORK HARBOR. We
see COAST GUARD PATROL BOATS racing out to sea. We see the
NEWS BANNER: "TANKER CAPSIZES IN NEW YORK HARBOR."
NEWS ANCHOR (O.S.)
... reports of an earthquake have been
flooding emergency call centers
throughout Manhattan
As the HELICOPTER SHOT ADJUSTS, we see a CAPSIZED OIL TANKER
just below LIBERTY ISLAND. We hear a REPORTER'S VOICE -- it
sounds as though she's talking on a CELL PHONE --
REPORTER
... as I said, the Coast Guard
reported the accident at 12:06 am,
which was ten minutes before the ...
the disturbance --
WHOOSH -- INSIDE THE APARTMENT -- the windows RATTLE as a
HELICOPTER flies by overhead. Everyone in the party bristles
at the noise --
ON THE SCREEN THE NEWS SHOT widens to include THE STATUE
OF LIBERTY.
REPORTER
... unable to confirm at this point
what the disturbance was or if the
two are, in fact, connected
HUD (O.S.)
That's right out there ...
JASON
(realizing)
We can probably see it from the
roof --
INT./EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING - ROOF - NIGHT CUT TO:
61
Hud's FOLLOWING ROB as they move with a CROWD OF PARTY-GOERS
up the building's stairs. They step out through the doorway,
onto the BUILDING'S ROOF --
CONTINUED 62 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
HUD (0.S.)
-- but if it was an earthquake, what
was that noise
ROB
Yeah, I don't know, Hud ...
(looks out at the city)
I never heard anything like that
before. 34.
Hud follows his gaze. IN THE DISTANCE -- we can see glimpses
of NEW YORK HARBOR. Coast guard SEARCHLIGHTS cut streaks
through the night sky --
CUT TO:
EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING - ROOF - NIGHT 62
Hud's moved closer to the edge of the building. We hear OUR
PEOPLE talking over one another. Hud tries to ZOOM IN ON THE
HARBOR with the camera --
MARLENA (0. S.) CHARLIE (O.S.)
-- this is exactly what it
felt like before -- -- you weren't even in the
city for that --
-- but it's dark, and the harbor's TOO FAR AWAY. The image
devolves into PIXELATED LIGHTS. So Hud ZOOMS OUT
JASON (O.S.) MARLENA (O.S.)
-- had to have been an
earthquake --
LILY -- an earthquake?
Manhattan? --
-- the lights went out In
Hud gets wide, swings the camera to include Rob, Jason, and
Lily who are talking near the edge of the roof --
JASON
-- that's what I'm saying the
lights wouldn't just flicker out
ROB
It still doesn't explain what that sound w--
KAAAAA-BOOOOOOOOOOMMI JUST THEN -- a MASSIVE EXPLOSION
ERUPTS down at NEW YORK HARBOR. We catch a GLIMPSE OF IT as
the crowd SCREAMS, the CAMERA SHAKES --
CONTINUED 63
64 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 35.
Rud struggles to right himself. Swings the camera TOWARD THE
EXPLOSION. We see a HUGE FIREBALL lighting up the night sky.
CROWD
Oh my god
We see TENDRILS OF SMOKE and DEBRIS snaking up into the night
sky. The CROWD stares at it in PANICKED AWE. Hud's
FOLLOWING THE DEBRIS OVERHEAD as it's tracking across the
night sky. And it takes a moment for the crowd to realize ...
A LARGE CHUNK OF THE DEBRIS is coming right at them.
SCREAMS RIP through the crowd -- people dive out of the way a
split-second before
WHAAMM! The DEBRIS slams into the rooftop, narrowly missing
several people. MORE SCREAMS erupt from the crowd -- CHAOS
as people struggle to help one another to their feet, bolt
towards the exit -- CAMERA SHAKES as Rud follows --
AROUND THEM -- Fffft
and DEBRIS rain down Fffft --Fffft --STREAKS OF HOT ASH
As Rud RACES THROUGH the exit door --
INT. APARTMENT BUILDING - STAIRWELL - NIGHT 63
THE CAMERA JOLTS in frenzied action as everybody RACES DOWN
THE STAIRS -- and right then
BOOM.
SCREAM The ENTIRE BUILDING SHAKES around them -- People
Rob stops in his tracks, right in front of Rud
ROB
What was that?
JASON
C'mon -- GO --
INT. APARTMENT BUILDING - STAIRWELL - NIGHT
The CROWD CONTINUES to race down the stairs
JASON
--move move move 64
BOOM. THE WHOLE BUILDING SHAKES. People lose their footing,
a girl falls down -- Jason pulls her back to her feet -- the
crowd pushes forward, taking stairs two, three at a time --65
66 6/8/07 CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 36.
EXT. STREETS - NIGHT 65
The crowd spills out into the street, where HUNDREDS OF NEW
YORKERS are racing from their apartment buildings.
BOOM. It almost as though THE WHOLE CITY SHAKES. It's
CHAOS everyone desperate to figure out what's happening
DOWN THE STREET -- CRIES OF ALARM ring out from the crowd
Hud raises the camera above his head to get a better view
IN THE DISTANCE -- through the CORRIDOR OF SKYSCRAPERS -- we
see the PLUMES OF SMOKE from the EXPLOSION. HUNDREDS OF
PEOPLE are racing away from it, TOWARDS US --
BOOM. The world SHAKES AGAIN. Hud loses his balance, the
camera SWINGS DOWNWARD, and right then we HEAR --
SCCCREEEACHHH a horrible TEARING SOUND -- followed by
WHAM! The sound of something powerful STRIKING METAL
SCREAMS reverberate through the crowd -- Hud tries to right
the camera -- he swings it BACK DOWN THE STREET just as -something comes ROCKETING OUT OF THE SMOKE -- it's BIG -- it
STREAKS THROUGH THE AIR like a METEOR --
It HITS ONE OF THE SKYSCRAPERS WHAM! -- BOUNCES TOWARDS
US -- CAMERA JERKS -- people DIVE OUT OF THE WAY as the
METEOR CRASHES down in the STREET -- WHAM! -- IT CAREENS
RIGHT PAST us -- tears up CONCRETE as it COMES TO A STOP
Hud tries to steady the camera, focuses on THIS MASSIVE
OBJECT in the middle of the street. We recognize bits and
pieces the GREEN METAL -- the POINTED CROWN -- and then
all at once it SNAPS INTO FOCUS and we realize it's --
The Statue of Liberty's HEAD.
SCREAMS of OH MY GOD erupt from the crowd. CAMERA SHAKES as
Hud tries to fight the current and make his way TOWARDS HIS
FRIENDS --
EXT. MANHATTAN STREET - NIGHT
MOVING TOWARDS a group of OUR PEOPLE in the crowd. We see
Jason race out of the building, reunite with Lily. As he
grabs her and pulls her close, we hear our people yelling
over one another --66
CONTINUED 6/B/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
MARLENA 37.
ANTONIO
-- what else could it be? -- how could terrorists .ri.lL
the head off the Statue of
Liberty?
And as Hud tries to fight through the increasing FRENZY
building in the streets --
SSSSSSSSHRHHHRRROOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRI
THE THUNDEROUS SOUND rips through the city once again ALL
ACROSS THE CITY the LIGHTS BLACK OUT -- and as the sound
BUILDS AND BUILDS we realize there's something about it
that's vaguely familiar --
It's PRIMITIVE. GUTTURAL. Almost ... ANGRY.
People clutch their hands to their ears ... the noise becomes
DEAFENING. But then, just as abruptly as it began ... THE
NOISE STOPS.
And, in the aftermath, there's an eerie moment of SILENCE as
THE LIGHTS in the city come back on ... we HEAR CAR ALARMS
ringing out and then --
The SCREAMS begin. PANIC rips through the crowd -- people
start to break north, away from where the sound came from --
BOOM. The WORLD SHAKES once again. It's louder this time,
MORE VIOLENT. Nearby, we can hear Jason yelling
JASON (O.S.)
Guys -- we have to stay together -
Where are you going?
BOOM. Even louder this time. Hud nearly drops the camera.
A WAVE OF SCREAMS erupts from down the street. Hud swings
the camera back down the street, just in time to see --SOMETHING disappear behind the SKYSCRAPERS.
It happens FAST. A quick FLASH OF MOVEMENT in the distance.
But, from what we could see, it looked an awful lot like THAT
SOMETHING was ALIVE. And ENORMOUS. We can audibly hear
HUD'S BREATH catch in his throat
HUD (O.S.)
Oh my god
Hud swing the camera back towards our group. They're trying
to hold fast to one another in the surging crowd --
CONTINUED 67-68
69 6/B/07
CONTINUED (2) CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
HUD (O.S.)
Did you see that? 3B.
Just then --SSSKKRRREEEE --The air erupts with the
sickening sound of metal and concrete being TORN APART. Rud
swings the camera back down the street just as --
ONE OF THE
SKYSCRAPERS COLLAPSES.
Rud catches the tail end of it. We see the roof of the
building plummet and disappear in the CLOUD OF DEBRIS at the base. SCREAMS rip through the crowd once again as
--
IN THE DISTANCE,
down the canyon of skyscrapers, we see the
WALL OF DEBRIS from the collapse start to radiate outward
RIGHT TOWARD US. Rud angles back toward our people -
several members are
already starting to break from the group,
race away --
HUD (O.S.)
Guys --did you see
that
But Jason and Rob are focused on the debris racing towards
them. As they're backing away, momentarily stunned --
JASON
Get off the
streets ...
Rob nods. Jason grabs Lily --his eyes dart
towards a nearby
STOREFRONT. As he starts moving towards it, he yells to the
others around him --
JASON
GET OFF THE
STREETS!
BOOM. The WORLD SHAKES. Rud angles back towards the street.
We see the DEBRIS rapidly getting closer and closer --
ROB
Rud --C'MON --
Camera JERKS --as though Hud's
getting YANKED --
OMITTED
EXT. MANHATTAN STREET -NIGHT CUT TO:
67-68
69
Hud's RACING AT TOP SPEED behind Rob. They're following
Jason, Lily, and a FEW OTHERS from our party into --70 6/8/07 CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 39.
INT. BODEGA - NIGHT 70
-- the SAME BODEGA we saw Jason and Lily in earlier. As Hud
races through the front doors, the CASHIER waves him in --
CASHIER
Get inside -- get in
We see SEVERAL OTHER NEW YORKERS taking cover in the store.
A BURLY GUY waves Hud forward --
BURLY GUY
Behind the counter
BOOM. Rud nearly wipes out, slides behind the counter,
settling in next to Rob, Jason, Lily and the others. He
swings the camera BACK TOWARDS THE DOOR --
BURLY GUY TERRIFIED WOMAN
Shut the door -- Get away from the glass
The CASHIER waves ONE LAST PERSON inside and shuts the door.
HUD HOLDS on the GLASS WINDOWS -- we can hear everyone's
terrified BREATHING --
BOOM. The whole bodega SHAKES. OUTSIDE we see people
scattering, looking over their shoulders in terror
Then ... the DEBRIS starts rolling into frame. We hear Rud
trying to catch his breath. Hud angles the camera just
slightly -- we catch a glimpse of Rob in front of him,
staring forward, out the window
HUD (O.S.)
Rob -- Rob -- I saw it
THROUGH THE WINDOW -- we see the CLOUD OF DEBRIS rolling
through the streets. It gets THICKER AND THICKER -- it
BLACKS OUT the streetlights --
BOOM. The store SHAKES VIOLENTLY. The front panes of glass
start to CRACK. Everyone screams --
SCARED MAN JENN
Oh god -- What is that?
THROUGH THE WINDOW -- everything is PITCH BLACK.
HUD (0.S.)
Rob -- I saw it --
(tries to catch breath)
It was alive --
CONTINUED 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 40.
And that gets Rob's attention. He glances back at Hud -
ROB
What do you mean it was alive?
And just as he says that, THROUGH THE WINDOW behind ROB -
WHOOSH -- the DEBRIS SWIRLS -- we catch a glimpse of MOVEMENT
OUTSIDE as
BOOM! The WORLD SHAKES -- the storefront windows EXPLODE
INWARD -- as the glass shatters, debris rushes in -- amidst
the SCREAMS, we hear Jason yell --
JASON
DOWN --
And as the black cloud of debris ENVELOPS US, Hud drops the
camera to the ground -- we catch a GLIMPSE OF HUD as he ducks
to the floor -- covers his mouth with his hands --
BOOM --CAMERA BOUNCES the debris is all around us -- we
hear everyone CRYING OUT, gasping for air --
Seconds go by -- then -- BOOM --the WORLD SHAKES AGAIN.
Only ... less violently this time. As though whatever was
causing these tremors was moving further away ...
A few more seconds go by -- BOOM --we hear everyone
COUGHING, GASPING -- then we hear
LILY (O.S.)
Jason -- what are you doing?
JASON ( 0 . S . )
(though coughs)
Just stay down --
Hud picks up the camera -- he swings it towards the front of
the store
THROUGH THE HAZE -- we can see the debris outside has dissipated just a bit. Everyone inside the store is crouched
down, covering their mouths with their hands.
Jason creeps forward, steadying himself as --
BOOM --another
quake rings out. But it sounds FAR AWAY now --
LILY
Jason -- don't
JASON
Just stay there Lily
CONTINUED 71
A72 6/8/07
CONTINUED (2) CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 41.
Jason steps across the shattered glass, peeks outside. We
can see his SHOULDERS SLUMP as he takes in the sight --
ROB
Jason --
Jason steps forward
cautiously --INTO THE STREET --
ROB
Jason --goddamn it --
Rob moves to
follow his brother. After a beat, Hud follows
him. We move THROUGH THE STORE, step outside --
EXT. BODEGA -NIGHT
--and as Hud
crosses the store's threshold, he swings the
camera down the street to reveal
The entire street is DEVASTATED.
It's harrowing. The same street we saw moments ago is now
completely destroyed. The concrete's TORN APART; cars are
SMASHED, flipped on their side. ALL AROUND US --debris
hangs like fog,
litters the area --71
Hud surveys the area --the TRAIL OF DESTRUCTION continues
down the street, as far as the eye can see --we see people
who
weren't lucky enough to get indoors when the wave of
debris hit. They emerge from the debris like GHOSTS.
They're COVERED in grey soot --many of them
in DAZED SHOCK -
Hud angles towards
A WOMAN --she's covered in
soot, emerging
from the haze. As she stumbles forward, clearly in shock, it
takes Hud a second to realize he recognizes her --
HUD (O.S.)
Oh god --Marlena --
Lily turns, sees
her friend. Rushes towards her. As Marlena
glances at Lily, TEARS spring to her eyes. Lily grabs her
and holds her --
LILY
It's okay. You're
okay ...
CUT TO:
OMITTED A72 72 6/B/07 CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 42.
EXT. BODEGA - NIGHT 72
Moments later. The rest of OUR GROUP has ventured out of the
bodega.
Of the people from the party, there's only a handful of people we recognize. We UPCUT INTO THEIR CONVERSATION -
everyone's talking over one another -- we angle towards A
FRANTIC MAN who was caught outside
FRANTIC MAN
-- walked right through the
streets --
LILY
Where's everyone else
where's the rest of our group --
ROB
What could possibly do this --calm
talking JENN
down -- what are you
about -- what did you
ANTONIO
scattered as soon as the
building came down --
FRANTIC MAN
that's what I'm trying to
tell you --
As they talk, Rud angles the camera over towards Lily and
Marlena. Lily's holding her friend, trying to help clean the
soot out of her eyes.
FRANTIC MAN JENN
-- It walked right over me -- What do you mean "it?"
FRANTIC MAN
That's what that sound is -- it's
moving
He looks out at the streets, panicked
FRANTIC MAN
Those are FOOTSTEPS.
Rob glances at Rud, realizing
ROB
You said you saw it, Rud -- what did
ROB you see -
HUD (O.S.)
I-I don't know ... You said it was alive
CONTINUED 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
HUD (O.S.)
I don't know. It was huge, Rob. It
went right behind the building and
then --
(realizes)
I was filming
I have it on tape --
ROB
What?
Hud SWINGS THE
CAMERA down --we catch a
glimpse of
everyone's shoes as Hud fumbles with the buttons
HUD (O.S.)
(excited)
Here -- I can show you -- we can
rewind the --
ZZZSHHHZZ --the screen fills
with STATIC as the tape
abruptly CUTS --
INT. F TRAIN
- DAY 43.
CLOSE ON BETH. She's looking right at us. It's jarring -
it takes us
a moment to realize we're looking at footage that
was recorded on the tape earlier. Beth's in mid-conversation
with Rob. They're sitting on the subway --
BETH
-- I mean, it's a great opportunity
ROB (O.S.)
-- I barely speak the language --
BETH
Please -- how
hard can it be?
ROB (0. S.)
It's Japanese. It's Japanese-hard.
She laughs at that. After a beat
ROB (O.S.)
You really think I should go?
And Beth hesitates. Her face falls just a bit as she glances
at Rob. And in that moment --
ZZZSHHZZZ -- the screen fills with static again 74 6/8/07 CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 44.
EXT. BODEGA - NIGHT 74
We UPCUT RIGHT INTO a heated conversation. We hear RAW PANIC
in everyone's voice as they yell over one another --
ANTONIO
-- bigger than the GODDAMN
SKYSCRAPERS!
TERRIFIED WOMAN
jesus -- what is it -- what the
hell is it --
DOWN THE STREET -- we see a glimpse of the BURLY MAN running
away from us. As though what he saw on the tape made him
panic outright. As he glances over his shoulder
JENN
Nothing's that big
ANTONIO
You saw it -- you all saw the same
thing I did --
HEATHER JENN
-- it was so far away it -- right that's what I'm
saying -- all I saw was
something move --
ANTONIO JENN
-- That's all you need to
.§.§.§.. Something BIGGER THAN A
SKYSCRAPER moved ---- stop yelling at me --
ANTONIO
-- I'm not yelling at you --
ANTONIO JASON
-- shut up ...
I'm just trying to figure out what's
happening
JASON
SHUT UP. Guys -- please -- shut up
for a second --
Everyone looks at Jason, we can see his mind racing as he
composes himself, takes control
JASON
I don't know ... what that was.
But ... it's still here. So ... we
gotta go.
(MORE)
CONTINUED 75
76
77 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
JASON(CONTINUED)
(beat)
We gotta get the hell outta
Manhattan.
EXT. MANHATTAN STREET - NIGHT - LATER 45.
CUT TO:
75
Moments later. The group's starting to move down the street --
ANTONIO
-- take a straight shot to Canal,
hook over to Williamsburg
JASON
-- do you know how far that is
Brooklyn's right there
Hud approaches Lily and Marlena. Marlena's still out of it,
staring back at the trail of destruction.
Lily nods. HUD (O.S.)
We need to go.
LILY
Marlena, we're gonna get out of here.
Okay?
( then)
Marlena?
And Marlena finally turns back. Looks at them with HAUNTED
EYES. Says quietly
MARLENA
It was eating people.
(starts crying)
It was eating everyone ...
And as Lily glances at Hud -- oh jesus -- we CUT TO --
OMITTED
EXT. STREETS - NIGHT 76
77
ON THE MOVE. Further away. We see THRONGS OF PEOPLE moving
down the street. All headed in the same direction. IN FRONT
OF US, we see Lily helping Marlena forward. BESIDE US, Rob's
trying to dial HIS PHONE --
CONTINUED 78
79 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
ROB
I can't get service ...
(looks around)
Does anyone's phone work?
(glances at camera)
Hud?
HUD (O.S.)
Shit --it's in my
jacket --back at
the place
ROB
Guys? 46.
Jenn's nearby --she's checks her phone, shakes her head --
JENN
No --there's no signal.
Frustrated,
Rob tries dialing again. Hud HOLDS ON HIM.
EXT. STREETS -NIGHT CUT TO:
78
Further still.
out of the city. The streets are now thick with crowds moving
We're moving across an intersection
ON THE CORNER. An ambulance has pulled over, and EMTs have
set up a MAKESHIFT TRIAGE CENTER. We see an EMT tending to a
person with a BLEEDING HEAD WOUND --
IN THE AMBULANCE --we can hear
SOMEONE SCREAMING in pain
CUT TO:
EXT. STREETS -NIGHT 79
We're crossing the street. A POLICE OFFICER tries to wave
the crowds across. As Hud approaches him, the Officer yells
at the crowd --
POLICE OFFICER
Keep moving --everyone
the bridge --
HUD (O.S.) towards
What's happening --please sir
what was
that thing?
The Officer looks at Hud --for a split
second, we can see a
glimpse of fear in his eyes. But then he waves Hud off --
CONTINUED 80
81
82 6/8/07 CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 47.
CONTINUED
POLICE OFFICER
(trying to maintain order)
If you're not injured, KEEP MOVING
CUT TO:
OMITTED 80
EXT. STREETS - NIGHT 81
Still moving. We're near the back of the group. Hud's
focused on Marlena -- Lily's walking with her arm around her,
trying to help clean the soot out of Marlena's eyes. Hud
approaches, concerned --
HUD (O.S.)
Is she all right?
(to Marlena)
Are you all right?
But Marlena still in shock. She glances at Hud -- are you
kidding me?
MARLENA
Am I what?
LILY
Not now, Hud.
Hud stops. They continue forward. Hud holds on them.
HUD (O.S.)
(quietly)
I'm just trying to help ...
BLARING SIRENS ring out through the air. Hud looks over to
find a CONVOY of POLICE CRUISERS and FIRE ENGINES racing
through the city at top speed.
CUT TO:
EXT. PARK ROW - NIGHT 82
The CROWD'S THICKER -- people are rushing EN MASSE down the
street. Hud follows them, swinging the camera to find -
THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE. We can see its TOWERS standing tall in
the night sky.
CUT TO: 83
84 6/8/07 CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 48.
EXT. BROOKLYN BRIDGE - NIGHT 83
LOOKING DOWN the bridge -- we're UP HIGH. We can see
traffic's at a STANDSTILL below us. We see ROWS and ROWS of
gridlocked cars -- we hear HONKING -- people YELLING --
As Hud PULLS BACK, widening out, we realize he's looking down
from THE PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY that runs the length of the
bridge down the center.
Hud swings the camera forward, revealing HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE
moving EN MASSE down the walkway. We see glimpses of OUR
GROUP amidst the crowd. Hud hurries to keep up with them
EXT. BROOKLYN BRIDGE - PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY - NIGHT 84
FROM A DISTANCE -- we're looking out at New York Harbor. As
we ZOOM IN, we realize we're looking at what's left of the
Statue of Liberty. Her head has been torn clean off -- claw
marks scar her upper torso. In the Harbor beside her, we see
the FLAMING WRECKAGE OF THE OIL TANKER.
ON THE HORIZON -- we catch glimpses of COAST GUARD
SPOTLIGHTS. The boats seem to be racing right towards us.
WHOOSH -- A HELICOPTER races by overhead. It's flying low
the ROTOR WASH kicks up wind around them, people in the crowd
CRY OUT involuntarily --
Hud widens out, swings the camera around to FIND ROB in the
crowd next to him. Rob's distracted, trying his phone again.
As he glances at Hud --
ROB
Why are you still filming?
HUD (O.S.)
I don't know. People are gonna want
to know ... how this all went down.
ROB
(after a beat)
You could just tell them. After we
get out of this.
And just that hint of optimism seems to lift Hud's spirits.
HUD (O.S.)
Wouldn't work. People are gonna need
to~ this.
(beat)
And nobody ever
listens to me anyway.
CONTINUED 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 49.
Rob stops· in his tracks. Stares at his phone. Realizes he
just got through
ROB
It's ringing --
Whip-fast, he holds the phone up to his ear. Covers his
other ear with his hand
ROB
(into phone)
Beth? BETH?
Lily hears Beth's name, realizes what happening. She stops
in her tracks, yells up ahead
LILY
Jason -- wait
ROB
( into phone)
Beth -- I can't hear y--
Rob tries to move out of the crowd towards the side of the
walkway. Hud stays with him
ROB
( into phone)
Beth -- you have to -
(face falls)
What's wrong?
LILY
Jason --
WHOOSH -- the helicopter CROSSES OVERHEAD again. Rob tenses
in frustration --
JASON (O.S.)
Lily -- guys ---
Hud swings the
camera forward. DOWN THE BRIDGE -- Jason's a
good thirty yards ahead, trying to wave them forward. With
all the other noise, we can barely hear him --
JASON
C'mon -- we have to keep moving
LILY (O.S.)
Wait -- he's got Beth
CONTINUED 6/8/07
CONTINUED (2) CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 50.
Hud swings the camera BACK TOWARDS ROB, who's moved right up
to the edge of the walkway, desperate to hear his phone --
ROB
(into phone)
Beth -- calm down -- I can't
(tries to listen)
Where are you? Beth --
And Rob's listens, his face goes WHITE
ROB
(into phone)
What do you mean you can't move?
RUMBLE. Just as Rob says that, THE WHOLE BRIDGE SHAKES. His
eyes go wide with panic as he tries to keep his balance --
BELOW US -- a WAVE OF SCREAMS ERUPTS from the bottom level.
As though people can see something TERRIFYING -- Hud swings
the camera over the side, looks down. But all he can see are
PEDESTRIANS racing away in PANIC from the south side of the
bridge -- beside Hud, we can hear Lily screaming --
LILY (O.S.)
JASON --
Hud swings the camera back up -- we see Marlena -- she's
beside Lily, glancing at Hud with TERROR in her eyes --
MARLENA
Can you see it?
HUD (0.S.)
I can't see anything
RUMBLE. The whole bridge SHAKES again. SCREAMS RING OUT -
all around us -- people break into a frenzy, desperate to get
off the bridge -- It's CHAOS --
JASON ( 0 . S . )
UP AHEAD -- we see Jason fighting his way BACK THROUGH THE
CROWD towards us -- AND JUST THEN, BEHIND HIM --
JASON
LILY -- STAY THERE, I'M --
AN ENORMOUS WHITE HAND reaches up over the walkway. Jason
doesn't see it -- Lily barely has time to SCREAM --
CONTINUED 85
86 6/8/07
CONTINUED (3) CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 51.
LILY (O.S.)
JASON!
THE HAND smashes down -- WHAM -- and --
CRUSHES JASON INTO THE PAVEMENT. The hand RIPS RIGHT THROUGH THE WALKWAY, Jason's body
disappears in a flash of pulverized cement and blood --
WWWHH-CRACK -- above us -- SUSPENSION CABLES SNAP, the ground
LURCHES as the WALKWAY IS TORN IN HALF
THE SHOCKWAVE knocks Hud to the ground ALL AROUND US -- we
hear BLOOD-CURDLING SCREAMS of hysteria -- Hud struggles to
stand -- he swings the camera towards --
THE BRIDGE. There's now an ENORMOUS HOLE torn right through
the middle of it. We catch glimpses of people and cars
PLUMMETING OFF THE BRIDGE into the water below
The ground LURCHES VIOLENTLY again -- Hud turns -- camera
catches a glimpse of --
LILY. She's on the ground -- staring at the spot where Jason
used to be -- SCREAMING HER HEART OUT
As she struggles to stand, Rob's beside her, a similar look
of SHOCK and HORROR on his face --
AROUND THEM -- the FRENZIED CROWD is racing to aet off the
bridge -- Rob's holding Lily back -- pulling her away from
the chaos -- Hud moves towards them --
HUD (O.S.)
C'MON --
EXT. BROOKLYN BRIDGE - NIGHT 85
Hud RACES WITH THE CROWD away from the destruction -- MOVING
AT TOP SPEED, as fast as he can -- the ground SHAKES
VIOLENTLY -- we're in the center of a MASSIVE EARTHQUAKE
EXT. BROOKLYN BRIDGE - NIGHT 86
Still RACING AWAY -- ALL AROUND US -- the horrible SCREECH of
metal and concrete being ripped in two PEOPLE SCREAMING
we hear Hud's TERRIFIED BREATHING --87
88
89
90 6/8/07 CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 52.
EXT. STREET - NEAR BRIDGE - NIGHT
UP AHEAD -- we catch a glimpses of ROB and LILY -- they're
running for their lives, with the crowd 87
SSCCCCCRRRRR --the screech of buckling metal fills the air
Hud swings the camera around -- as he does so, we see Marlena
race by us -- TERROR on her face --
Hud angles back TOWARDS THE BRIDGE -- it's hard to get a good
view -- TERRIFIED CROWDS are racing towards us -- but rising
above them, we can see --
The Bridge's TOWER. And it's slowly TOPPLING OVER
SSCCCCRRR --it disappears out of view as it FALLS Hud
spins back around, keeps moving --
EXT. STREETS - NIGHT 88
Hud ROUNDS A CORNER, still racing at top speed. We pass
people who are standing still, staring in horror at the bridge spectacle. We get the sense we're out of immediate
danger -- but Hud keeps running --
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
89
WAY UP AHEAD -- off to the side of the street -- we see Rob,
Lily, and Marlena have stopped -- Hud's moving towards them --
EXT. STREET/ INT. ELECTRONICS STORE - NIGHT 90
[Note: the following sequence will take place in ONE SHOT.]
We're moving through the crowd, headed towards our people.
As we APPROACH, we can hear LILY'S PAINED CRIES. Rob's
holding her tight in his arms -- she's sobbing hysterically
We can hear Hud trying to catch his breath. As he gets
close, we see Lily nearly BUCKLE in Rob's arms -- it's as
though her legs give out entirely -- between SOBS --
LILY
--what was that --what was that
Marlena tries to help -- but Lily's a wreck she pushes
Marlena and Rob away -- backs against the wall behind her
holds her head in her hands -- the TEARS nearly choking her --
LILY
--please --what happened -
somebody please tell me what
happened --
CONTINUED 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 53.
Hud angles the camera towards Rob. He's taken a few steps
away. He's staring forward. Blank expression on his face.
There's something EERIE about it -- he's so deeply IN SHOCK
that he seems to have disconnected from the world entirely.
Chirp. We hear a noise. It's a quick beep, barely audible.
In fact, nobody even reacts to it.
LILY
--it just came from nowhere --he
didn't see it --he didn't even see
it - -he was there and then he was
gone --
(through sobs)
What was that? What just happened ...
Marlena crouches next to Lily
MARLENA
I don't know ... I don't know ...
Hud angles back TOWARDS ROB -- he's still standing in the
middle of the street. With THAT LOOK on his face -- it's as
though he's completely short-circuited.
HUD (0.S.)
(trying to catch his
breath)
Rob -- Rob -- I'm sorry -- I'm so
sorry --
But Rob doesn't respond. Chirp. We hear THAT SOUND again.
HUD (O.S.)
Rob -- are you okay, man? Rob?
Rob doesn't say a thing. Just stands there. Shell-shocked.
CRASH!
Hud. HUD (O.S.)
Rob?
Just then, the sound of a WINDOW SHATTERING jolts
He swings the camera --
ACROSS THE STREET -- we see SEVERAL PEOPLE kicking in the
door of a corner ELECTRONICS STORE. LOOTERS immediately
storm the place --
Hud swings the camera back to the group -- Marlena's glancing
out at the CHAOS building in the streets. She looks at Hud --
CONTINUED 6/8/07
CONTINUED (2) CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
MARLENA
We can't stay here ... 54.
Chirp. There's that sound again. Hud swings the camera back
towards Rob --
HUD (O.S.)
Rob ... we gotta get moving. It's not
safe here. We gotta --
(trying to think)
I don't know. We could go up, try
the Williamsburg ... Or try to cross
to the other side ... try the Tunnel or something -- I don't know. L
don't know --
(beat)
But she's right -- we can't stay
here -- we gotta do something ...
Chirp. Hud HOLDS ON ROB. It's not even clear if Rob's
hearing Hud right now --
HUD (O.S.)
What do we do, Rob?
AROUND THEM -- we can hear the distant sounds of people's
SCREAMS; the dull thudding of what sounds like EXPLOSIONS
Chirp. There it is again. Only this time --
Rob seems to recognize it. In fact, the sound seems to roust him slightly. He glances down, reaches into his pocket
And pulls out his phone. As he flips it open, realizes
ROB
(almost to himself)
There's a message ...
Rob hits a button on his phone, trying to playback but then -
Chirp. Rob tenses as he realizes THAT NOISE he's been
hearing is the sound of his battery dying --
ROB
No --
He tries to dial again, but -- Ch-chirp. The phone DIES
OUTRIGHT.
ROB
CONTINUED A91 6/8/07
CONTINUED (3) CLQVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
We
hear his breath catch in his throat -- PANIC
his chest as he tries to hold himself together.
dart up, glances around -- what do I do ... what
And then, suddenly, without warning
Rob turns and starts walking away.
HUD (O.S.)
Rob -- ? 55.
building in
His eyes
do I do ...
It's like he's in a trance. We can hear Rob mutter to
himself as he passes Hud
ROB
My phone's dead ...
Hud swings the camera towards Marlena and Lily. Marlena's
looking at Rob in disbelief --
MARLENA
Where are you going?
(glances at Hud)
What's he doing?
Hud turns to FOLLOW ROB. But Rob's moving fast, making a
beeline right towards the ELECTRONICS STORE. As Hud hurries
to catch up, we see LOOTERS emerging from the store --
Two guys are carrying a FLATSCREEN TELEVISION.
person is racing out with a STEREO. Rob walks
Doesn't even seem to notice.
HUD (O.S.)
Rob, what are you doing?
As they approach the entrance --
HUD (0.S.) Wait --
Uh Rob ... this store's closed. Another
right by them.
Rob walks right inside, passing looters on the way out. Hud
hesitates for a moment, then follows his friend --
INT. ELECTRONICS STORE - NIGHT A91
-- inside the store. As Rob makes his way down the aisles,
passing looters.
HUD (O.S.)
Rob -- seriously --
They pass SEVERAL TELEVISIONS mounted on the wall --
CONTINUED 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
HUD (O.S.)
We shouldn't be h--56.
And Hud stops in his tracks, angles towards the TELEVISIONS
as he realizes --
There are NEWSCASTS playing on the screens.
ON THE FIRST TELEVISION -- we see FOOTAGE of the BROOKLYN
BRIDGE. A news shot shows us a GIANT HOLE torn right through
the center of the structure.
But it's the SECOND TELEVISION that catches Hud's
attention ...
THE NEWS BANNER reads: "CREATURE ATTACKS NEW YORK." ON THE SCREEN: a helicopter shot is
through the alleys of SKYSCRAPERS.
the buildings, is --looking down on the city,
And there, behind one of
THE MONSTER.
It's hard to make it out clearly -- it's dark, we get the sense the helicopters don't want to get too close. But as
their spotlights flare across it, we see enough to know
That's a creature, all right.
big as the skyscrapers around
body scrapes against a nearby
EVERYWHERE --It's ABSOLUTELY ENORMOUS as
it, if not BIGGER. Its massive
building, sending DEBRIS
HUD (O.S.)
Oh jesus ...
RUMBLE. Hud jerks, surprised, and swings the camera towards
the front of the store --
THROUGH THE DOORS -- we can see a convoy of MILITARY HUMVEES
and TROOP TRANSPORTS racing past us down the street
Hud swings the camera back TOWARDS THE TELEVISIONS. We see A
LOOTER has stopped whatever he was doing and is now watching
the television with HUD --
On the first screen we see a FIELD REPORTER standing behind what looks like a MILITARY BLOCKADE --
On the second screen -- the helicopter's angling around,
trying to get a better vantage point of the MONSTER. Hud
reaches forward, TURNS THE VOLUME UP on both screens --
CONTINUED B91 6/8/07
CONTINUED (2) CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
SECOND SCREEN (V.O.)
confirm only that it emerged from
the waters south of Manhattan a
little over --
FIELD REPORTER
currently in
the process of
evacuating the city, hoping to
contain the creature to the
Baxter/Bayard area --
Hud glances over
at the Looter next to him --
HUD (O.S.)
That's not far --that's only like,
what,
twenty, twenty-five blocks from
here ... 57.
The Looter just glances at him, nods. As the NEWSCASTS
continue, Hud turns back towards the front doors. Curiosity
getting the best of him, he heads --
EXT. STREETS -
NIGHT
--back OUTSIDE. DOWN
THE STREET -- we see a CONVOY of
military vehicles -- they're rolling slowly towards us,
HERDING PEOPLE away from the north part of the city
A VOICE barks orders over a TRANSPORT'S LOUDSPEAKER
LOUDSPEAKER
continue south --no citizens
will be allowed north of Canal for
any reason --B91
Hud heads towards them, ducks round the corner. Angles the
camera DOWN THE STREET --
IN THE DISTANCE -- we can see the same HELICOPTER
SEARCHLIGHTS we saw on the NEWSCASTS. We recognize one of
the SKYSCRAPERS; we see the same TRAILS OF DEBRIS snaking up into the sky. We hear the faint RUMBLINGS of the buildings
shaking -- the noise has almost become commonplace --
Hud ZOOMS IN, we CATCH A GLIMPSE of movement behind the
skyscraper. It looks like the GHOSTLY WHITE SILHOUETTE of
the creature; one of the SPOTLIGHTS hits it just as
THE MONSTER'S TAIL whips up above the skyscrapers.
CONTINUED C91 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 58.
Hud GASPS. Behind him, we hear the military convoy getting
closer, the LOUDSPEAKER BLARING. Hud turns, hurries round
the corner, and back into --
INT. ELECTRONICS STORE - NIGHT C91
-- the store. DOWN THE AISLES, towards the back of the
store, we can see Rob tossing aside boxes of CELL PHONES and
ACCESSORIES as he searches for the right battery --
Rob
Dml HUD (O.S.)
we don't want to be here right
But Rob doesn't even look up -- he's intense, on a mission.
As Hud hurries down the aisle towards him --
He passes the TELEVISIONS. And a few more LOOTERS are now
watching the screens with RAPT ATTENTION. Hud can't help
himself -- he glances towards the screens
ON THE FIRST SCREEN -- the helicopter has angled a little
closer -- we see THE MONSTER'S BACK -- it's HUNCHED OVER,
seems to be rubbing its body against a building We hear a
COMMENTATOR'S VOICE. He sounds a bit flummoxed
COMMENTATOR (O.S.)
-- at this point, everything is pure
speculation --
ON THE SECOND SCREEN -- we see a MILITARY OFFICER trying to
move the FIELD REPORTER away from the BLOCKADE. She's trying
to finish her report --
FIELD REPORTER
--will not comment on the course of
action, but it's clear there's a
sizable mobilization of
Hud angles back towards the FIRST SCREEN. The HELICOPTER
SHOT has zoomed in a bit. We can see what looks like FLAKES
OF SKIN falling off the monster's back
COMMENTATOR (O.S.)
perhaps some sort of symbiotic
relationship with the creature. A
parasite, if you will --
The shot ZOOMS IN, following a flake down to the ground. And
as the flake hits the street ... it MOVES.
CONTINUED 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
ANCHOR (O.S.)
OH -- whatever it is, it's moving 59.
The image is blurry, but we can see PIXELATED MOVEMENT as the
spider-like parasite skitters across the ground. We see it
race towards the MILITARY PERIMETER --
ON THE SECOND SCREEN -- we see the camera SHAKE as GUNFIRE
rings out --
ON THE FIRST SCREEN -- the parasite LAUNCHES ITSELF at the
soldier ... WWWSSHHLLK! ! The soldier SCREAMS -- though the
image is blurry, we get the sense that something VIOLENT and
HORRIBLE is happening to him --
COMMENTATOR (O.S.)
Oh my god
And the first screen ABRUPTLY CUTS to the NEWS STUDIO. The
Anchorman, unprepared, stares back at the camera, stunned --
ANCHOR
(horrified)
Uh ...
ON THE SECOND SCREEN -- we can HEAR the FIELD REPORTER
SCREAMING, and then it also CUTS to STANDBY FOOTAGE --
MARLENA (0. S.)
What are you guys doing?
Hud swings the camera to FIND MARLENA as she pulls Lily
through the front doors --
MARLENA
We have to get out of here -- like,
now. Where's --
(sees over Hud's shoulder)
Rob!
They hurry RIGHT PAST HUD. He turns to follow them. In the
back of the store, we SEE ROB tearing open a CELL PHONE
PACKAGE. He yanks out the battery
MARLENA
Rob -- we gotta go. The military's
evacuating this whole place
Rob slams
it's good.
it's quiet. the battery into his phone. Checks the signal -
He turns, moves towards the back corner. Where
Marlena throws a glance towards Hud --
CONTINUED 6/8/07
CONTINUED (2) CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
HUD (O.S.)
Don't look at me -- I've tried --
MARLENA
Rob -- it's the army
thing's right over --and that 60.
Rob flashes Marlena a look that stops her in her tracks -
ROB
Quiet.
Rob hits a button, holds the phone to his ear. Tries to
listen. Looks frustrated -- this isn't working.
He holds the phone down, hits a button. Cranks up the
volume. We realize -- he's putting it on SPEAKERPHONE
There's a moment of silence -- Rob, Hud, Lily, and Marlena
all stare at the phone, waiting in tense anticipation, then
BEEP -- the message starts playing
And BETH'S VOICE fills the air --
BETH
(over phone)
Rob -- Rob I can't -- oh god -- I
can't move --
She sounds PANICKED, HYSTERICAL
BETH
(over phone)
Rob -- it fell -- my apartment -- the
whole wall fell on me --
Hud's ANGLING IN ON ROB as Beth's message plays --
BETH
(over phone)
I can't
can't move I'm bleeding and L
C-CRACK -- Just then, A VIOLENT SOUND rings out over the
phone -- it sounds like concrete tearing in half -- Beth
SCREAMS -- we hear her PANICKED BREATHING as she gasps --
(over
Oh god
And it CUTS OUT. BETH
phone)
Rob -- Rob -- ROB
CONTINUED 91 6/8/07
CONTINUED (3) CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 61.
We're CLOSE ON ROB as the message ends. As we HOLD ON HIM,
we can see it all play out on his face as he stares at the
phone the HORROR at what he's just heard, the building
PANIC in his chest, the overwhelming sense of HELPLESSNESS
Nobody says a word. Nobody knows what to say.
And Rob? He just stares at that phone. We see his jaw
clench, we get the sense he's fighting off tears, his
breathing becomes more and more desperate ...
But then, after a few beats ... something changes in Rob.
We see him fight it all off -- it's as though he doesn't
allow himself to panic. Right there, on the spot, he makes
up his mind. Knows what he has to do. We see it WASH OVER
HIM -- Rob sets his jaw, glances up at Hud ...
As Rob stares at us, we see COLD RESOLVE in his eyes, and --
EXT. SIDE STREET - NIGHT WE (FINALLY) CUT TO:
91
ON THE MOVE. We're FOLLOWING ROB -- he's moving fast down a
side street, out of the main flow of traffic. Marlena, Lily,
and Hud are all struggling to keep up with him. We UPCUT
right into their conversation --
HUD (O.S.)
Rob, seriously, think about this --
Rob's on his phone, not paying attention to them
ROB
(into phone)
Beth -- Beth -- as soon as you get
this, call me
HUD (O.S.)
-- Beth lives in Midtown
ROB
(into phone)
as soon as you get this.
Rob hangs up, about to dial again. We see Hud's arm enter
frame as he points to the DEBRIS RIDDEN SKYLINE --
CONTINUED 92 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
HUD (O.S.)
Midtown is that way. See what
else is that way? Horrible is that
way.
MARLENA
This is insane. We can't go near
that thing. If you saw what I saw ...
(genuinely terrified)
We're not going back into the middle
of the city.
Rob stops in his tracks
ROB
No. We're not.
(off their looks)
You guys aren't coming with me. 62.
He points down the street -- we can see the military convoy
herding crowds out of the city --
ROB
Fall in with
the crowd.
military escort you out
They'll keep you safe.
(genuine)
I'm sorry.
(beat)
But I gotta go. Let the
of here.
And with that, he turns, continues walking. Marlena looks at
Hud -- seriously -- what the fuck is he doing?
EXT. STREET -LATER -NIGHT CUT TO:
92
Moments later.
Rob's on the move. Hud's racing to catch up
with him --
HUD
Rob --c'mon
HUD MARLENA
Wait a minute --
Rob -- one of us may have to tackle
you. And that'll just be ...
unpleasant for everyone.
Rob stops again. Levels his gaze at them
CONTINUED 93 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
ROB
Guys. Look at me. This is not me
crazy. I know what I'm walking into.
You can't talk me out of it.
(beat)
Turn around. I'm not asking you to --
LILY
(quietly)
I'm coming. 63.
And that catches everyone off-guard -- Lily hasn't said a
word for quite some time. Rob looks at her, eyes softening
ROB
Lily ...
She holds Rob's gaze, her voice quiet but steady
LILY
I'm coming with you.
Rob studies her for a beat. Then nods. Turns to keep
walking. Marlena throws her arms up -- is everyone insane?
MARLENA
Guys -- you heard the message. Beth
sounded ...
(off their looks)
You heard what I heard. Even if we make it to her place, there's a
chance she might already be --
ROB
(eyes FLASH)
Don't.
And the look Rob gives Marlena stops her cold in her tracks -
CUT TO:
EXT. ALLEY/STREET - NIGHT
93
Rob and Lily are up ahead, moving quickly through a dark
alley. Hud and Marlena follow. As Marlena tries to get Hud to listen to reason
MARLENA
-- know what I'm talking about. You
.don't think this is a good idea. Try
it -- you -- look at me and tell me it's a good idea --
CONTINUED A94 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
HUD (O.S.)
Rud. My name's Rud. 64.
And that sets Marlena back on her heels. They stop as she
glances at him, embarrassed --
MARLENA
I ... I
know what your name is.
HUD (O.S.)
Okay. Good.
(beat)
Then, to answer your question ...
(beat)
No, I don't think this is a good
idea.
Yet, despite that, Rud turns, keeps following Rob anyway --
CUT TO:
EXT. STREET -NIGHT A94
As Rud and the others hurry to keep up with Rob, a middle
aged RUSSIAN MAN approaches them. He's BLEEDING from a wound
on his head --DRIED BLOOD streaks
his face
He seems DAZED, OUT OF IT. He looks at Rud with HAUNTED
EYES. Speaks to him IN RUSSIAN --
RUSSIAN MAN
(in RUSSIAN)
...
the sky fell. And I can't pull
the bodies out of the debris.
There's too many of them --
(pleads)
Please help me --there's too many
of
them
HUD (O.S.)
I'm sorry --I don't understand --
Rud looks up
ahead --to where Rob
is still rapidly moving
away --
HUD (O.S.)
Rob --WAIT --
RUSSIAN MAN
( in
RUSSIAN)
Somebody has to do something ...
CONTINUED 94
95 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 65.
HUD (O.S.)
-- I don't know what you're saying
And the Russian man relents -- it's as though he realizes
this is futile. His eyes GLASS OVER. He stares at Hud.
RUSSIAN MAN
(in RUSSIAN)
Dead.
(beat)
They're all dead.
And with that, he shakes his head, and walks off. Still in
his DAZE. For a beat, HUD HOLDS ON HIM -- should I do
something --but then swings the camera around, realizes he
has to catch up with ROB --
CUT TO:
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
Further into the city. Rob and the others crouch in the
darkness. And though she doesn't look happy about it,
Marlena's still with them.
Rob motions for them to wait. Hud angles the camera out
AROUND THE CORNER --94
Down the street -- we see a convoy of HUMVEES AND TRANSPORTS
crossing the street. Our group waits until they pass, then
hurry across the street, darting into another alleyway --
EXT. ALLEYWAY - NIGHT 95
As they move, we UPCUT into Rob and Hud's conversation --
HUD (O.S.)
... tried calling 911, see if someone
else can get there?
ROB
Yeah.
HUD (O.S.)
Police, fire department?
ROB
(nods)
Nothing. All I
beeping sound.
got their hands get is that weird
I'm guessing they've
CONTINUED 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 66.
KA-BOOM! As Rob says that -- the top floor of a building at
end of their alley EXPLODES --
Our people CRY
OUT in surprise as fragments of glass and
brick RAIN DOWN. They turn, try to race away from the blast,
down a SIDE ALLEY, but stop when they see
A MILITARY CONVOY -- TROOP TRANSPORTS and TANKS are moving
forward in formation. We see them BEGIN TO FIRE
Rob stops in his tracks, not knowing where to go KA-BOOM!
Behind us -- another explosion rings out -- it sounds like
MORTAR SHELLS detonating --
SSSSSSSSHRHHHRRROOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRJ
As we hear the monster's ANGRY ROAR, we
military is mounting its COUNTERATTACK.
caught right in the middle of it.
ROB
GET DOWN! realize -- the
And our people are
He motions for them to dive for cover. We HIT THE GROUND -
crouching down behind a car as
MORTAR SHELLS and GUNFIRE seem to RING OUT all around us. As we hear our people CRY OUT in terror, Hud angles the camera
DOWN ONE STREET from our limited vantage point on the
group, we catch glimpses of GROUND TROOPS advancing.
BOOM. There it is -- the distinctive sound of the Monster
WALKING. We hear the gunfire INTENSIFY; we hear MORTAR
BLASTS, SOLDIERS SCREAMING at one another --
BOOM. It's getting closer. The car we're hiding behind
seems to SHAKE a bit. Hud tries to scream over the CHAOS
HUD (O.S.)
We can't stay here
But the firefight is SO LOUD, it's unclear if anyone hears
him. BOOM. Hud shifts the camera a bit -- we catch a
GLIMPSE of LILY covering her ears, CRYING OUT in TERROR --
DOWN THE SECOND
STREET -- we see SMOKE and DEBRIS ROLLING
PAST. WHOOSH -- FLAME BURSTS lick the sky -- as though
SOMETHING BIG just exploded around the corner.
CONTINUED 96
97 6/8/07
CONTINUED (2) CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 67.
BOOM. The car in front of us BOUNCES -- the monster's close.
Hud shifts, sees a glimpse of Rob scanning the street behind
them -- then angles the camera
DOWN THE FIRST STREET -- as we see GROUND TROOPS racing
forward -- but as they do so
KRRR-WHAM! -- a CRUSHED TANK comes flying
though the monster just HURLED IT AT THEM
THROUGH THE CROWD, CRUSHING TROOPS --at them -- it's as
it CUTS RIGHT
Hud jolts -- we hear him CRY OUT in horror -- BOOM. The
WHOLE WORLD shakes. The firefight's DEAFENING Panicked,
Hud tries to swing the camera back towards the FIRST STREET -
realizes -- ROB'S GONE --
Hud turns around -- there's Rob -- he's pulling Lily and
Marlena with him -- looking at Hud -- SCREAMING AT HIM -
it's so loud, Hud can't hear him --
Hud gets up, HAULS ASS -- Rob's racing forward, towards -
A SUBWAY STATION. As Lily and Marlena disappear down the
stairs, Rob turns back towards Hud --
ROB
Hud -- COME ON
EXT./INT. SUBWAY STATION - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS 96
Hud races forward, the world SHAKING as the WARZONE explodes
around them -- Rob grabs him, pushes him forward -- as they dive down the stairs, Hud swings the camera around, looking
over his shoulder one last time to see --
The air CATCH FIRE above him as an EXPLOSION rolls over the
street outside. The blast knocks them down the stairs -- Rob
grabs Hud -- pulls him down into the subway station --
INT. SUBWAY PLATFORM - NIGHT
Hud and Rob race forward, spilling out onto a SUBWAY
PLATFORM. They fall forward to the ground -- we catch a
glimpse of Lily and Marlena next to them on the deck. 97
Hud's on his hands and knees -- they're all GASPING FOR AIR,
terror in their throats as they struggle to breathe ... and
breathe ... and breathe ...
CUT TO: 98
99 6/8/07 CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 68.
INT. SUBWAY PLATFORM - NIGHT 98
Later. We UPCUT into their conversation. Rob's surveying
the platform, thinking out loud --
ROB
-- cross the platform, take the
stairs, try the other side of the
street --
HUD (O.S.)
-- the other side of the street
looks like this side of the street
ROB
-- maybe make a break for it when
there's a lull
HUD (O.S.)
Rob the air caught on fire. It's
not lulling anytime soon
Rob glances at Hud, frustrated. Off his look -
HUD (O.S.)
I'm with
you, Rob. I am. But ...
listen to what's going on up there.
Lily glances at the ceiling -- we can hear the dull,
sounds of DESTRUCTION coming from the street above.
looks at Rob, sympathy in her eyes, but concurs --
LILY
We have to wait.
INT. SUBWAY PLATFORM -NIGHT violent
She
CUT TO:
99
Moments later. ON ROB -- he's boiling with frustration, just
starting to accept they're trapped there when --
Beepbeepbeep ... Rob's phone RINGS. Whip-fast, Rob reaches
into his pocket -- thinking it's Beth -- but as he looks at
the display, his face goes pale --
ROB
Oh god ...
CONTINUED 100 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
HUD (0.S.)
What?
(then)
Rob? 69.
Rob doesn't respond. Stares at the phone as it RINGS.
Glances up at Rud -- oh god, what do I do? Then, after a
beat, Rob steels himself, flips it open --
ROB
(listens, then)
Morn?
(beat)
Yeah -- Morn -- I-I'm okay, but ...
Morn -- listen to me
He tries to figure out how to tell her this. Then --
ROB
We were on the bridge, Morn. We were
on the bridge when -- yeah --
His voice wavers as he struggles with the words. All the
emotion he's been repressing starts to POUR OUT --
ROB
Morn ... Jason's dead. He was right
there when it hit and ... He's dead,
Morn.
And he can't keep it together any longer. TEARS start to
spill over --
ROB
He's dead.
INT. SUBWAY PLATFORM - NIGHT CUT TO:
100
Seconds later. Rob's a little further away. Looks like
Hud's giving him space. But he's still on the phone --
ROB
Dad Dad -- the phones keep cutting
out and I --
(beat; listens)
Yeah -- Dad -- I am -- I
Rob turns, glances at the others.
CONTINUED 101
102
103 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
ROB
Yeah. We're okay.
(then)
We're getting out of
We're with the army. the city now.
Don't worry.
He takes a beat. Considers his words. Then
ROB
Dad -- listen -- I might lose you -
(goodbye)
I love you. Yeah -- we're okay
tell Mom. Tell Mom --70.
INT. SUBWAY PLATFORM - NIGHT
Later. ACROSS THE STATION -- Rob's
himself. Lily crosses over to him. He goes weak as she holds him. CUT TO:
101
now off the phone. By
Grabs him. Hugs him.
INT. SUBWAY PLATFORM - NIGHT CUT TO:
102
Later. Rob and Lily are now sitting against the wall on the other side of the station. We can't hear what they're
saying.
Hud angles the camera -- he's sitting next to Marlena.
Somber. As Hud studies Rob across the room --
HUD (O.S.)
I don't know what to say to him.
(beat)
I should say something, but I don't
know what to say ...
After a beat, Marlena glances at Hud. Realizes he's waiting
for a response. But then she just shakes her head. There's
nothing to say ...
CUT TO:
INT. SUBWAY PLATFORM - NIGHT
103
Later. Some time has passed. Hud angles the camera towards
the ceiling. As the sounds of BOMBING continue to ring out,
we see dust and debris continue to shake loose, rain down.
CONTINUED 104 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 71.
Everyone's quiet.
sitting across the
the wall (we can't Shell-shocked.
station. Rob see at what.) We see Rob and Lily
seems to be staring off at
Boom ... The bombing gets louder. And LOUDER. BOOM. The
station shakes. Marlena cries out involuntarily. Holds her
head in her hands. Trying to keep it together. And failing.
MARLENA
I'm not even supposed to be here ...
HUD (O.S.)
You didn't have to be.
(off her look)
You had your chance back there in the
alley -- you could have left us.
Marlena thinks about that. Then answers honestly
MARLENA
I didn't want to be alone.
Hud HOLDS ON HER for a beat. Then, in the background, we see
Lily cross frame as she walks over next to Rob.
Hud drifts towards them. What the hell are they doing?
INT. SUBWAY PLATFORM - NIGHT
Hud's on his feet, approaching Rob and Lily --
HUD (O.S.)
Guys?
ROB
-- we could take the "456." CUT TO:
104
Hud ANGLES THE CAMERA to reveal Rob's staring at A MAP OF THE
NYC SUBWAY TRANSIT.
HUD (O.S.)
Yeah -- the trains aren't running
right now, Rob.
ROB
No -- we could walk. Look
He taps the location on the map
CONTINUED 105 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
ROB
Beth lives here -- 53rd and Park.
And the 456 exits just a few blocks
from there. It's a straight shot
from here ...
MARLENA
You want us to walk the tunnels? 72.
Lily stares at the map. Sees what Rob's talking about -
LILY
It would only take us about thirty
minutes ...
MARLENA
You want us to walk the tunnels?
ROB
It's either that or stay here.
A beat. We hear the pounding SOUNDS OF DESTRUCTION above.
As the group glances at each other --
INT. SUBWAY TUNNELS - NIGHT
OVER BLACK, we hear
ROB (O.S.)
It has a light on it
HUD (O.S.)
Why does this thing need so many buttons? CUT TO:
105
CLICK -- Hud finds a light on the front of the camera. It
throws a beam forward, Rob blinks, shields his eyes with his
hand. It's not much light -- just enough to see about five
feet forward.
ROB
(shrugs)
It's better than nothing.
(gestures forward)
All right, Hudson. Lead the way.
Hud swings the camera down the long, dark subway tunnel.
HUD (O.S.)
Me?
CONTINUED 106 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
He looks back at the others. Rob nods.
HUD (O.S.)
Does ... somebody else want to film
for a while? 73.
Rob and the others glance at each other, shake their heads.
INT. SUBWAY TUNNELS - NIGHT 106
We're walking slowly through the tunnels. Hud leads the way.
We UPCUT INTO CONVERSATION --
HUD (O.S.)
-- yeah, got a better look at it on
the news when we were in the store.
You were too busy, you know, stealing
merchandise ...
ROB
What did it look like?
HUD (O.S.)
I don't know -- like a giant ...
dinosaur ... or insect, but more ...
monstrous. I mean ... it had arms
and ... legs. I couldn't really see
its head ...
MARLENA
But you can confirm it has arms and
legs? Wow. Thank god you saw it.
HUD (O.S.)
You describe it then
MARLENA
I'm not even trying.
LILY
Did the news say what it was?
HUD (O.S.)
No. I mean, I don't think so. I
couldn't really hear.
(off their looks)
It was loud -- people were stealing
televisions and ... you guys were all
yelling at me. But ... I don't think
they know what it is.
(MORE)
CONTINUED 107 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
HUD(CONTINUED)
(beat)
How could they?
INT. SUBWAY TUNNELS - NIGHT
A bit later. We're further down the tunnel --
HUD (O.S.)
-- the ocean's big, dude. They found
a fish a couple years ago in
Madagascar that they thought had been
dead for centuries.
ROB
-- so it's been down there this whole
time, and, what, nobody noticed?
HUD (O.S.)
Sure. Maybe it erupted from an ocean
trench. Or a crevasse.
(off their looks)
It's a theory. For all we know -it's from another planet and flew
here ...
MARLENA
Like Superman?
HUD (O.S.)
Yeah, just like -
(beat)
You know who Superman is?
MARLENA
Oh my god. You too?
meant for each other.
everyone on the planet Superman is.
HUD (O.S.) We're totally
Oh wait -
knows who
No -- I know -- I'm just
(beat)
A lot of people get confused about
his origin and --74.
CUT TO:
107
CUT TO: 108
109
110 6/8/07 CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 75.
INT. SUBWAY TUNNELS - NIGHT 108
Later still. It seems like we've been walking for a while.
Nobody's saying much as they trek through the dark, creepy
tunnels. After a while, just to break the silence --
HUD (O.S.)
Remember a couple years ago when that
guy was lighting homeless people on
fire in the subways?
ROB
Jesus, Hud --
HUD (O.S.)
What?
ROB
Maybe not the best conversation for
down here.
HUD (O.S.)
Right.
(beat)
I just can't stop thinking how scary
it'd be if a flaming homeless guy
came out of the dark right now.
ROB
Hud -- seriously
RUMBLE --as he says that -- a MASSIVE QUAKING SOUND rings
out from the tunnels behind them. Everyone stops in their
tracks, looks behind them, tense
MARLENA
What was that?
They wait in silence. When no further sound comes --
OMITTED ROB
Let's keep moving.
INT. SUBWAY TUNNELS - NIGHT CUT TO:
109
110
A bit later.
walk up ahead. Things are a bit more SOMBER. Rob and Lily
Hud's almost EAVESDROPPING ON THEM --
CONTINUED 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
ROB
... can't stop thinking that the last
thing I said to her was "Good luck
tonight, Travis."
LILY
(quietly)
They're just words, Rob. They don't
matter.
(thinks about it)
I don't have any idea what the last
thing I said to Jason was ...
ROB
It's different.
LILY
Why?
ROB
Because Jason knows you love him. 76.
Lily holds Rob's gaze, fights off tears. Nods. Reaches out
and takes Rob's hand. As they continue walking forward, Hud
drifts back just a bit to FIND MARLENA, who's looking at her
feet, not paying attention to any of this --
MARLENA
This is disgusting.
Hud angles down to reveal Marlena is looking at
RATS. A few of them are scurrying past us down the tracks.
MARLENA
(glances at Hud)
If I get rabies, you're taking the stomach shots with me.
As Hud surveys the rats
HUD (O.S.)
Okay. It's a date.
MARLENA
It's absolutely not a date.
CUT TO: 111
112 6/8/07 CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 77.
INT. SUBWAY TUNNELS - NIGHT 111
Moments later. Everyone's stopped, looking down in disgust
as EVEN MORE RATS race past. The rats all seem to be coming
from the tunnel behind our people.
HUD (O.S.)
Look at all of them
MARLENA
It's New York. It's the subway.
This is why we take cabs.
HUD (O.S.)
They're all going the same direction.
ROB
It's like they're running away ...
LILY
From what?
Lily looks back down the tunnels behind her. As our group
glances at each other --
INT. SUBWAY TUNNELS - NIGHT CUT TO:
112
We're NOW JOGGING through the tunnels. Everyone's TENSE
We can feel PANIC starting to build
HUD (O.S.)
How much further?
ROB
I don't know -- let's hop out at the
next platform -- see where we
CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK --BEHIND THEM -- an unnatural
CLICKING SOUND echoes through the tunnels. It stops them
COLD. As they look back --
MARLENA
You guys hear that, right?
Hud angles the camera down the tunnel behind them, but the
small light makes it impossible to see more than a few feet.
CLICK CLICK CLICK it seems to be getting closer.
CONTINUED 113 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
ROB
(realizing)
Night vision. Hud
got night vision.
see ---- the camera's
See what you can
HUD (O.S.)
How do I do it?
ROB
Should be a button on the side
there -- near the "on" button --
HUD (O.S.)
Hang
on
A beat as Hud tries to find the switch. We're looking
forward, staring into darkness and then
Click. 78.
The camera switches to NIGHT VISION. Instantly, the world
becomes BRIGHT GREEN. And that CLICKING SOUND?
It's corning from the PARASITES.
There's five of them. They're on the floor, the walls,
ceiling. Less than ten feet away. Just stopped, staring at
illi· As though they've been stalking us like prey.
HUD (O.S.)
OH GOD --
As the parasites HISS and start to lunge forward, Hud swings
the camera around. We catch a glimpse of our people, looking
panicked and confused --
MARLENA
What? What is it?
HUD (O.S.)
RUN -- RUN --
ROB
Hud -- we can't see
INT. SUBWAY TUNNELS - NIGHT 113
BACK TO REGULAR VISION -- the camera light BOUNCES as Hud
races at a dead sprint down the tunnels. He's pushing the
group forward -- they're all running as fast as they can --
CONTINUED 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
HUD (O.S.)
GO GO GO
CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK --it's all around us now --79.
UP AHEAD, Lily glances back over her shoulder -- her EYES GO
WIDE -- she SCREAMS as
A parasite LAUNCHES ITSELF AT HER -- WHAM -- it hits her on
the shoulder, knocking her to the ground --
HUD (O.S.)
The camera SHAKES as Hud races towards Lily -- we get a
better look at THE PARASITE -- it's roughly the size of a
large dog, with multiple flailing legs and a mouth full of
razor teeth -- Lily SCREAMS in horror as it lunges at her --
Rob dives into
frame, tries to rip the parasite off Lily -
Hud stumbles, swings
the camera around, the light catches
MORE PARASITES. Coming right at Hud. WHAM! The lead
parasite rears up on its haunches, knocks Hud to the ground.
The camera lands next to him, pointed back down the tunnel
towards the others. We see Rob fighting with the parasite on
Lily -- Marlena dives towards the ground, lunging for
something (we don't see what)
As Hud SCREAMS, the camera is suddenly YANKED BACKWARDS, as
though the parasite's dragging Hud down the tunnel, AWAY FROM
THE OTHERS (the strap around his neck keeps the camera tied
to Hud.)
HUD (O.S.)
HELP ME!
We hear the PARASITE THRASHING --Hud CRIES OUT --but we
can't see
exactly what's happening to him as HE'S DRAGGED
AWAY. We're on the ground, looking DOWN THE TUNNEL as Lily
and the others grow smaller and smaller in frame --
VOICE
HUD --
One of the others breaks away from the fight, races towards
camera. As she approaches we realize --
It's Marlena.
CONTINUED 6/8/07
CONTINUED (2) CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 80.
And we realize what she was diving for earlier -- in her
hand, she holds a length of METAL PIPE. She charges towards
us, swings the pipe with all her might at the parasite on top
of us -- WHACK -- we hear the parasite SQUEAL IN PAIN --
Hud struggles to roll over -- as he does so -- the parasite
strikes back, charging Marlena, knocking her to the ground.
As Marlena struggles with the parasite on the ground next to
Hud -- SQUEEEE -- the parasite opens its mouth, and SINKS ITS
TEETH into Marlena's shoulder --
Marlena SCREAMS IN PAIN as BLOOD SPURTS from her shoulder,
SPLATTERING THE CAMERA LENS
Hud rolls to his feet -- we see his legs has he KICKS THE
PARASITE as hard as he can -- it squeals in pain --
Hud drags Marlena to her feet, then rights the camera -- uses
it like a flashlight so that they can see --
MARLENA
Let's go
The two of them race forward. The camera shakes as they run
as fast as they can, the parasites swarming around them --
UP AHEAD -- Rob's KICKING A PARASITE mercilessly -- a crazed
fury in his eyes as he literally CURB STOMPS the thing to
death.
Lily rolls to her feet, looking behind us in horror as we
hear MORE CLICKING SOUNDS coming up behind us. She pulls Rob
off the parasite, points us towards --
LILY
Door -- GET TO THE DOOR --
Hud angles the camera -- sees Lily's leading them towards -
A MAINTENANCE DOOR. Rob gets there first, yanks it open -
as we race towards it -- the parasites are SWARMING
EVERYWHERE --
ROB
C' MON -- C' MON
Marlena bolts through the door. Hud's right behind her -- A
parasite LAUNCHES ITSELF at them -- WHAM! -- HITS THE WALL
right beside the door just as Hud races through --114
115
116
117 6/8/07 CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard Bl.
INT. CORRIDORS - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS 114
WHAM! We're glancing back as Rob slams the door shut. WHAM!
A parasite hits the door -- the frame BUCKLES --
ROB
Go -- Hud -- go
CAMERA SHAKES as they race through the dark corridor -- UP
AHEAD we see an OPEN DOORWAY -- as we race towards it, we see
Lily on the other side of the door, waving us ahead --
LILY
GET IN --
Rob shoves Hud through the doorway -- Hud pitches forward
into the room --
We catch a glimpse of Marlena on the ground. WHAM! We hear
Lily shut the door shut behind them -- Hud falls forward, and
as the camera slams down into the ground
ZZSHZZ -- the TAPE FILLS WITH STATIC and we abruptly CUT TO --
EXT. CONEY ISLAND - DAY 115
BETH'S looking at us. Laughing. Pulling off a wisp of
cotton candy and putting it in her mouth. The image is so
fast and abrupt it's almost HAUNTING. Then the screen fills
with STATIC again and we CUT TO --
INT. SUBWAY PLATFORM - NIGHT
Hud's STARING RIGHT INTO CAMERA. It's as though he's
checking it over, making sure the thing still works. 116
He shakes his head in disbelief.
and CLEANS THE BLOOD off the lens. Then he takes his sleeve
As he works, we CUT
INT. SUBWAY PLATFORM - NIGHT
ON MARLENA -- we're looking at the BITE WOUND on her back
shoulder. Blood seeps from the multiple punctures --
MARLENA
How does it look?
HUD (O.S.)
(after a beat)
It looks like it hurts. 117
Marlena grits her teeth, nods -- that sounds about right ...
CONTINUED 118 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 82.
WHUMP -- Hud angles the camera ACROSS THE CORRIDOR, where we
see Rob kicking in the glass of a VENDING MACHINE --
CUT TO:
INT. SUBWAY PLATFORM - NIGHT - LATER 118
Moments later. Marlena's pouring BOTTLED WATER on a scrap of
fabric that looks like its been torn from Hud's shirt. She
looks ASHEN --
HUD (O.S.)
-- those things came out of nowhere --
Marlena presses the fabric to her wound. Winces.
MARLENA
Yeah.
HUD (O.S.)
When it took me down ... it was like
it was trying to drag me away.
She glances at him. Smiles despite herself
MARLENA
Maybe it liked you, Hud.
A beat. We can almost hear Hud smile behind the camera ...
Yeah.
me its HUD (O.S.)
Maybe it was trying
Queen. to make
Marlena smiles at that. Then winces again. Fuck, this
hurts ...
HUD (O.S.)
Thanks, by the way. For coming back
to help me.
And Marlena glances at him. We get the sense she's actually
hurt by that when she says --
MARLENA
You think I'm the sort of person who
wouldn't?
HUD (O.S.)
No. No, of course not.
CONTINUED 119 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 83.
And as Hud HOLDS ON HER, we realize we may have misjudged
this woman. But Hud never did
HUD (O.S.)
I'm just saying ... I'm glad you did
what you did.
Marlena looks at him, eyes softening. She nods. It's an
intimate moment. Hud just HOLDS ON HER.
CUT TO:
INT. SUBWAY PLATFORM - NIGHT - LATER 119
Later. The four of them huddle around one another. As they
tend to their various scratches and scrapes --
ROB
-- we could lay low here for a bit,
hope those things don't find their
way in ...
The others glance at each other, shake their heads.
MARLENA
Yeah. Next option.
ROB
We could keep moving, try to find a
different tunnel ...
LILY
No more tunnels.
ROB
Then ... we take our chances up top.
The four of them sit in silence, thinking it over
HUD (0.8.)
So ... just to be clear -- our choices
are "die here," ''die in the tunnels,"
or "die on the streets."
ROB
We don't even know where we §Lg_.
Let's at least go up, look around.
(beat)
See if there's anything we recognize.
CUT TO: 120
121 6/8/07 CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 84.
120 INT. CORRIDORS/PLATFORM - NIGHT
ON THE MOVE. At the end of the
peeking through a set of doors.
through the doors. Marlena and
bringing up the rear --corridor, we see faint LIGHT
Rob leads the way, steps
Lily follow, with Hud
Hud steps through the doors and finds the others, looking
slightly dumbfounded as they glance around at their
surroundings. Hud angles the camera around to reveal --
MANNEQUINS, dressed in designer clothes. They're eerily
silhouetted -- backlit by the KLEIG LIGHTING that streams in
through floor to ceiling windows across the vast space, which
is filled with racks and racks of clothing.
LILY
I recognize this.
(beat)
This is Bloomingdales.
Yep, they're in a DEPARTMENT STORE. The mazes of subway
corridors led them right into the middle of Bloomingdales
INT. DEPARTMENT STORE - NIGHT
The group cautiously makes its way through the store. 121
As HUD PULLS BACK, widening out, we see signs of the chaos
that must have hit here several hours ago -- overturned
racks, shopping bags abandoned on the ground, cash registers
knocked off the counters.
It's creepy, to say the least. The entire store is empty.
Not a person to be seen. As Hud follows Rob and Lily, he
realizes Marlena is no longer in frame --
Hud turns -- there she is. But she's just standing there. A
glazed, pale expression on her face as she stares off --
HUD (0.S.)
Marlena?
Marlena looks at the camera, seems to focus --
HUD (O.S.)
You okay?
MARLENA
Yeah -- I'm ... just a bit dizzy -
(then, clear-headed)
I'm fine.
CONTINUED 122 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 85.
As she says that, the shadows behind her seem to MOVE -
MARLENA
I'm fine. Let's go.
As she turns, THREE BEAMS OF LIGHT rake out of the darkness -
VOICE
We've got civilians!
The voice jolts Hud. He swings the camera up as THREE ARMED
SOLDIERS charge towards them -- the XENON BEAMS on their
weapons sweep the frame -- then settle on the faces of our
group as they all stop in their tracks, put up their hands
Jesus, what the hell's going on here?
The LEAD SOLDIER steps forward (and though we'll never say
his name, let's call him SERGEANT MAJOR PRYCE.)
PRYCE
Are there any more of you?
ROB
No ... it's just us ...
Pryce barks into his comm
LEAD MARINE
I've got four civilians here.
INT. DEPARTMENT STORE - NIGHT CUT TO:
122
ON THE MOVE. The soldiers lead our group through
Bloomingdales. Our group's still stunned -- not sure what's
happening here. We cut into their conversation --
ROB
(urgent)
Listen -- we need help. Our friend
she's hurt -- she's trapped in her
building -- it's just a few blocks
from here -- 53rd and Park --
PRYCE
(shakes head)
Yeah, that's not where you want to be
right now.
CONTINUED 123 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
LILY
Do you guys know what it is? Out
there -- do you what that thing is? 86.
And as Pryce leads them forward, he almost laughs, his voice
sounds HAUNTED as he says --
PRYCE
If they know, they ain't telling me.
(beat)
But whatever it is ... it's winning.
As they approach the front of the store, they notice more
soldiers. A lot more. In fact --
An entire infantrv battalion has set up an emergency field
operations station in the store. Field generators powering
LIGHTS and EQUIPMENT. It's almost ... surreal. And as Hud
angles around, we realize that they've just passed into a
makeshift TRIAGE CENTER. MEDICS tend to injured soldiers.
And one thing is instantly clear --
The soldiers have had the shit kicked out of them.
MEDIC (O.S.)
-- hey, !lQ this one needs to be in
quarantine --
Hud slows down, angles the camera toward the VOICE to see a
MEDIC step away from two soldiers wheeling a STRETCHER. As
the Medic redirects the soldiers, Hud gets just a GLIMPSE of
the stretcher -- and what lies atop it --
Whatever we're looking at, it's gruesome -- bloody meat with
one leg and a head attached ... Dear God, it's a person.
Looking almost as if ... they exploded. We HEAR Hud's breath
catch in his throat
HUD (O.S.)
Oh, don't look at that.
Hud swings the camera back -- hustles to catch up --
INT. DEPARTMENT STORE - COMMUNICATION CENTER - NIGHT 123
Hud's following the soldiers into the battalion's
COMMUNICATION CENTER: a makeshift hub of radio equipment and
computers. Rob's still pleading with Pryce, a growing sense
of URGENCY in his voice
ROB
Please --we can't stay here --
CONTINUED 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 87.
As they approach the comm center, Pryce holds up a hand to
Rob --be quiet. Hud
angles forward as an OFFICER finishes
briefing his COMMANDING OFFICER (let's call him LIEUTENANT
COLONEL GRAFF) --
OFFICER
... we got
two F-18s coming out of
Sulfridge, four more arming up, maybe
thirty minutes out.
Graff nods --good --he turns towards
the room -
GRAFF
Listen up, people
... Rack it and pack
it! I want us phantoms in fifteen --
As the soldiers start hastily packing up their equipment,
Graff glances up at Rob and the others --
GRAFF
The hell did
you find them?
PRYCE
They were in the tunnels, sir.
Graff studies our group, then calls out --
GRAFF
Medical!
ACROSS THE STORE --we see TWO
MEDICS hurry towards them.
Graff turns to Pryce, issuing orders as he moves --
GRAFF
Look 'em over, get them ready for
transport. We'll put them on the
evac choppers.
PRYCE
Yes sir.
ROB
No --wait --
Graff stops in
his tracks --I'm sorry, what?
But Rob
doesn't care. He's amped up, INTENSE --
ROB
Our friend --
she's in trouble -- we
have to get to her --
CONTINUED 124 6/8/07
CONTINUED (2) CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
GRAFF
I can't help you, Son.
(to Pryce)
Get 'em on the choppers. 88.
Pryce puts his hand on Rob's shoulder, tries to move him out
of Graff's way.
PRYCE
C'mon --
But Rob knocks Pryce's hand aside --
ROB
Don't touch me
WHOA -- the soldiers tense -- you don't talk back to these
guys. Pryce bristles, shoving Rob back. And as he does so,
Graff looks towards Rud -- pushes the camera aside --
GRAFF
Turn that goddamn camera off --
INT. DEPARTMENT STORE - NIGHT CUT TO:
124
Moments later. FROM A LOW ANGLE -- we're looking across the
store as two men in RAZ-MAT SUITS approach us. From the camera's angle, we get the sense that Rud is surreptitiously
holding the camera down by his side. We can hear Rob still
arguing with Graff. Graff sounds fucking angry --
GRAFF (
0. S . )
in the last half hour alone, I've
lost three companies of men --
As the RAZ-MAT SUITS pass by us, we see that they're carrying
something between them
It's a PARASITE. But, thankfully, it's
yellow "blood" which smears the RAZ-MAT
GRAFF (0.S.) dead. Dripping thick
SUITS.
ROB (0. S.)
there's nothing we can
do -- I'm not asking for your
help --
Rud angles the camera to follow the men as they cross toward QUARANTINE: an area cordoned off with a TRANSLUCENT PLASTIC
CURTAIN -- like a portable operating theatre. As the men
carry the parasite through the plastic curtain --
CONTINUED 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
ROB (O.S.)
-- I just need you to get out of my
way --89.
Hud (discreetly) angles the camera back. We catch a glimpse
of LILY -- she's tense, uneasy as she watches Rob argue with
Graff. The MEDICS quickly check over her wounds --
GRAFF (O.S.)
-- I'm not letting you get yourself
killed. Do you have any idea what's out there?
As Hud pans towards Rob, we pass MARLENA -- she's looking
PALE, WOOZY. Hud lingers on her for a second then --
ROB (0.S.)
I don't care what's out there.
Listen to me --
Hud angles the camera towards Rob -- and Rob's absolutely
REDLINING, desperate to get out of there
ROB
She's dying.
(beat; voice breaking)
This girl ... The girl that I love
more than anything else in this world
is DYING. And it's my fault. She
should have been with me tonight and
I let her go ...
(beat)
And I get it. You have your hands
full. I get it. But I'm going
after her. If you want to stop me,
you're gonna have to shoot me --
MARLENA
(0. S.)
Hud ... ?
Hud angles the camera back towards Marlena --
MARLENA ( 0 . S . )
Hud ... I don't feel so good.
And we hear Hud's breath catch in his throat as he realizes -
Blood is dripping from her eyes.
HUD (O.S.)
Marlena
CONTINUED 6/8/07
CONTINUED (2) CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
Everyone looks towards them. As soon as the medics see
Marlena, they go to DEFCON ONE --
MEDIC
Bite -- WE GOT A BITE!
And ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE. Marlena starts COUGHING
VIOLENTLY, blood starts pouring out her nose as well.
The two guys in Raz-Mat suits
quarantine area at top speed,
medics looks at Rud, panic in
MEDIC
Were you bit? come CHARGING out of the
racing towards Marlena.
their voices --
SECOND MEDIC
Was anyone else bit? 90.
The
The guys in Raz-Mat suits reach Marlena, grab her by the
shoulders. Start forcibly dragging her back towards the
quarantine area. She looks back at Rud, TERROR in her eyes
MARLENA
HUD
Marlena
And he's moving towards her, trying to follow --
GRAFF ( 0 . S . )
Stop him
It's CHAOS. SOLDIERS GRAB HUD -- as the camera jostles, we
catch a glimpse of Rob and Lily, also being restrained.
Medics are searching all of them, frantic --
MEDIC LILY
Were you bit? No -- it's just her
And right then, we hear Marlena START TO SCREAM. Camera
swings back towards her -- just in time to see her body start
CONVULSING -- as the RAZ-MAT guys race her into the
quarantine area, she SCREAMS and SCREAMS --
And just as they usher her through the translucent plastic -
Marlena seems to ERUPT with BLOOD. SPLASH -- the plastic is
SPLATTERED with massive amounts of BLOOD.
Hud's fighting with the soldiers, trying to get to her -
HUD
MARLENA
CONTINUED 125 6/8/07
CONTINUED (3) CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
GRAFF ( 0 . S . )
GET 'EM OUT OF HERE --91.
And as the camera shakes, we catch a glimpse of soldiers
pulling Rob and Lily away. And as they yank Hud backwards
SOLDIER
C'MON --
We catch a final glimpse of THAT PLASTIC. Covered in blood.
As Marlena's screams continue to RING OUT
INT. DEPARTMENT STORE - BACK AREA - NIGHT CUT TO:
125
Further away. The soldiers are forcibly escorting Rob, Lily,
and Hud towards the back of the store. Pryce is in the lead,
seems to be arguing with ANOTHER SOLDIER. We upcut right
into their conversation --
PRYCE
(giving orders)
go and help with the evacuation.
I got 'em from here
In the background, we can still hear Marlena SCREAMING --
SOLDIER
You sure?
And Pryce looks at our group. Rob and Lily look sufficiently
terrified right now. Pryce LOCKS EYES WITH ROB as he says --
And as
screams
Pryce. PRYCE
Yeah. They ain't gonna be any
trouble.
( to soldiers)
Go.
the other soldiers break away, we HEAR
abruptly STOP. Hud swings the camera
We hear the panic in Hud's voice --
HUD (O.S.)
Why'd she stop? Marlena's
back towards
A long beat. Then he asks again, knowing the answer -
HUD (0.S.)
Why'd she stop screaming?
CONTINUED 126 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
And we HOLD on PRYCE as he stares at us.
INT. DEPARTMENT STORE AND STORE CORRIDOR -NIGHT 92.
CUT TO:
126
Moments later. Pryce is ushering them down a CORRIDOR.
Rob's making a final desperate plea. We UPCUT into it --
ROB
trapped inside and
nobody's
gonna --
PRYCE
Shut up and
listen.
Rob stops in his tracks. Pryce levels his gaze at him --
PRYCE
Your girl --her building --it's at
53rd and
Park?
ROB
(nods)
Yeah.
PRYCE
Those blocks got hit hard. You may
get there and find there's nothing
left.
(off Rob's look)
You want to go out in this? I ain't
gonna stop you. The Government's
initiated the Icarus Protocol. Which
means they're willing to let this
area go.
ROB
You mean ... Midtown?
PRYCE
I mean Manhattan.
(off their looks)
They're gonna take one last shot at
that thing, but if that doesn't work,
they're leveling the whole goddamn
city. So --
(gestures down corridor)
Be
my guest. We got bigger problems
right now.
(glances down)
Is your watch still working?
CONTINUED 127 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
ROB
(beat, then he looks down
at his watch, confused)
Yeah ...
PRYCE
The airlifts are leaving from 57th
and Third. The last chopper's wheels
up at exactly oh-six hundred.
(then)
If you can make it there, we'll get
you out.
ROB
Thank you.
PRYCE
(shakes head)
Good luck. 93.
With that, Pryce turns and heads
Rob glances at the Lily and Hud.
just heard. Jesus. Rob glances off back the way they came.
Tries to absorb what he
at his watch.
ROB
That's not much time ...
LILY
(after a beat)
Then we should get going.
EXT. MANHATTAN STREETS - NIGHT CUT TO:
127
MOVING FAST THROUGH THE STREETS -- it's dark, all the power
in the city now completely OUT. Debris clouds the air;
papers flutter down into the street. Hud's following Rob
and Lily. Our three are pretty goddamn shell-shocked right
now. We UPCUT into their conversation --
LILY
-- I couldn't see it -- did you see
it, Hud? What happened to her?
HUD (O.S.)
-- I don't know, I don't know -- her
eyes started bleeding -- and then
they were screaming she was bitten -
and she wouldn't stop bleeding -- and then they were dragging her away --
CONTINUED 128
129 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 94.
Hud's voice breaks. It sounds like he's starting to cry -
HUD (O.S.)
They were dragging her away ...
Lily glances over her shoulder. Sees Hud. Stops with him -
LILY
Hud?
Rob stops as well. Compassion in his eyes as he glances back
at his friend. As Lily moves towards Hud --
HUD (O.S.)
(I'm not okay)
I'm okay.
(beat)
I'm okay ...
EXT. MANHATTAN STREETS - NIGHT
ON THE MOVE AGAIN.
silent. Focused. Rob's in the lead. Our people are
As we round a corner CUT TO:
128
Clop clop clop clop --A HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGE emerges from
the dark debris in front of us. As the horse races past
camera, we notice the carriage is empty. It's EERIE.
CUT TO:
EXT. MANHATTAN STREETS - NIGHT 129
As Hud keeps moving -- UP AHEAD -- his camera FINDS ROB.
Rob's standing in the middle of the intersection, staring
forward (we can't see at what.) He looks like he's in shock.
HUD (O.S.)
Rob? Rob what's the matter?
Lily's ahead of Hud -- she reaches Rob, looks down the
street, and stops right in her tracks.
HUD (O.S.)
Guys -- what is it?
-- and we catch up to Rob and Lily, and come around, behind
them. And now we see it too. A forty-story tall building,
half a block down, has been KNOCKED OFF ITS FOUNDATION -- AND
IS LEANING NOW, ACROSS PARK AVENUE, ONTO THE SKYSCRAPER ON
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE AVENUE.
CONTINUED A130 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
HUD (O.S.)
That's --that's not her
place,
right? Tell me that's not Beth's
apartment. 95.
And we come around, onto Rob, whose wide eyes stare at the
structure, in true horror -- he wants to run in there,
somehow, but is paralyzed.
Rob? HUD (O.S.)
ROB
(utter shock)
Yeah. That's her place.
CUT TO:
EXT. PARK AVENUE -NIGHT A130
We're closer to Beth's building. Circling the foundation.
The debris is HEAVY --the wreckage litters
the area, making
it difficult to get close --
HUD (O.S.)
I don't suppose she's on the ground
floor ...
ROB
(shakes head)
Thirty-ninth.
LILY
How do we even get inside?
ROB
We'll try to climb it.
Lily stares at the mound of WRECKAGE blocking the building's
entrance. Sees the snakes of TWISTED METAL and CONCRETE. In
the understatement of the year --
LILY
(quietly)
I don't know
if I can climb that.
Hud surveys the scene. building up towards the
OTHER BUILDING. And we
in Hud's head. The camera follows the canted
roof, where it LEANS AGAINST THE can almost hear the lightbulb go off
CONTINUED 130
131 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
HUD (O.S.)
Uh ... guys?
(beat)
We could go across. We climb up that
building. 5303. Then find a place
to transfer over on the roof. 96.
He points upward. They look up, see what he's talking about. They glance at each other. Huh. That might work. Hud
realizes they might actually be considering his idea --
HUD (O.S.)
You know what? Never mind. Bad
idea. Bad idea.
EXT./INT. 5303 PARK AVENUE
-NIGHT CUT TO:
130
We're looking
up at the "5303" NUMBERS -- then we TILT UP to
see that we are RIGHT BELOW THE CANTED APARTMENT BUILDING -
looking UP at
where it's leaning against the other structure.
HUD (O.S.)
(muttering)
Nobody listens to me. Ever. Now you
listen to me ...
ROB
Hud, ~' come on.
And now
we're MOVING IN to the lobby, following Rob and
Lily -- shattered GLASS and debris EVERYWHERE --
CUT TO:
INT. STAIRWELL -NIGHT 131
We're walking briskly
up the stairwell. Cracks and random
drywall debris. Everyone's out of breath --
HUD (O.S.)
Did you see the look on his face when Lily asked him about it? They really
don't know what that thing is.
(beat, realizing)
Or they're in on it. Oh my god -
has the military been doing any
nuclear testing off the coast of New
York lately?
Rob shoots Hud a look. The fuck are you talking about, Hud?
CONTINUED 132 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
HUD (O.S.)
I don't read the papers. Maybe we
made that thing.
ROB
Sure. Maybe we did. So what? Does
it really matter right now?
HUD (O.S.)
Yes. It matters. It matters because
I have to talk about something or I'm
gonna shit myself right here in this
stairwell.
ROB
Okay, but -- we have to talk about
.t!:ill.t?
HUD (O.S.)
No, no we can talk about something
else. Anything else. Oh hey, here's
a topic for debate -- did you guys
notice that we're about to transfer over into the CROOKED BUILDING OF DEATH!?! 97.
And Hud yells so loud it stops Rob and Lily in their tracks.
They glance at each other -- Oh shit. Is Hud finally losing
it? There's a beat of awkward silence, then --
LILY
Maybe ... the monster's been frozen up
in the polar ice caps all this
time ...
Rob looks at her, nods. Plays along, genuine
ROB
OMITTED Yeah. And ... maybe global warming
finally freed it.
HUD (O.S.)
(recovering)
Oh, that's good. I didn't even think
of that ...
(as he follows)
Maybe this our comeuppance
CUT TO:
132 133 6/8/07 CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 98.
INT./EXT. 5303 PARK AVENUE - HALLWAY - NIGHT 133
Hud's lagging behind. He reaches the top of the staircase,
heads down a hall, catching up with Rob and Lily.
They're at the end of the hallway, cautiously glancing out
the SHATTERED WINDOWS, where Beth's building can be seen,
RIGHT OUTSIDE, leaning towards us, against our building.
ROB
Oh god ...
And Hud aims his camera OUT THE SMASHED WINDOW -- we can
plainly see the ROOF of Beth's apartment, angled
horrifically, shattered at impact, and extending out into the
sky. They could climb down from these windows, onto the
roof, and climb UP the roof. Which is exactly what happens --
ROB
Okay. I'll go first.
HUD (O.S.)
I'll ... document it.
LILY
Careful
And Rob climbs out of the window, terrified but determined.
We watch as he lands on the debris on the roof, he turns
back, helps Lily down --
Just then a ROAR -- no, not the monster -- we PAN to the sky,
where SIX F-18's fly in LOW FORMATION, CRACKING THE HEAVENS
as they disappear overhead --
Rob and Lily wince, then look back toward Hud -
ROB
Hud -- c'mon -- put the camera down --
HUD (O.S.)
Jesus ...
Hud swings the camera around. Looks directly into the lens -
HUD
If this is the last thing you see ...
(beat)
That means I died.
CONTINUED 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
ROB (0. S.) 99.
134-135 OMITTED CUT TO:
134-135
136 136
137 INT. BETH'S BUILDING - 39TH FLOOR CORRIDOR - NIGHT
FROM BLACK -- CAMERA ADJUSTS to find Lily up ahead, racing
down a CANTED HALLWAY. We're now in Beth's building
everything's at an angle, there's debris everywhere. Rob's
nowhere to be seen.
LILY
Rob --
The camera jostles as Hud races to catch up -- WHUMP -- we
hear a
strange thumping sound -- WHUMP --
HUD (O.S.)
Rob -- wait for us --
WHUMP -- there it is again. What is that? Hud keeps moving,
stepping over shattered plaster -- WHUMP -- and rounds the
corner to find --
Rob. At the far end of the hallway. Charging forward -
WHUMP -- SLAMMING HIS SHOULDER into an apartment door. And
we realize that's what that sound is -- Rob's been trying to
break down Beth's door.
As Hud KEEPS MOVING TOWARDS HIM -- Rob sets his jaw -
INTENSE and DETERMINED as he charges the door once again
CR-CRACK -- The door splinters, Rob charges inside. Hud and
Lily are RIGHT BEHIND HIM --
INT. BETH'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
-- and we're FOLLOWING ROB THROUGH the disheveled, angled
apartment. It looks like a disaster area --
ROB
Beth! Beth! 137
-- and they arrive at the living room -- stuff thrown
EVERYWHERE -- cracked walls and cement chunks -- all things
piled against the "low end" of the apartment.
And our CAMERA SWEEPS THE ROOM -- and WE SEE, amid the
debris: BETH'S LEGS --
CONTINUED 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 100.
HUD (O.S.)
Rob -- right there!
And they're all scrambling down to her -- and they get to her
-- Rob grabbing all the debris piled upon her, throwing it
away -- Lily and Hud helping too -- and now we see her.
She's
shirt
gasps bleeding from her head, in jeans and a sleeveless T
unconscious -- Blood all around the area -- Lily
-- Rob stares --
CUT TO:
CLOSER. Hud's zoomed in -- we can now only see ROB AND BETH
in frame. Hud angles towards the REBAR -- we can see it
clearly protruding from her shoulder, her blood glistening on
the metal, pooling beneath her --
ROB
Beth -- Beth -- can you hear me?
And we're CLOSE ON ROB as he stares at her, sees she's not moving. It's as though his worst fears have been realized
oh god, she dead. His face goes WHITE; tears WELL UP in his
eyes --
ROB
Beth -- oh god -- BETH --
And as he cups her face with his hand, she GROANS. Her eyes
flutter open. She struggles to focus, as though waking from
a dream. After a beat, her eyes fix on Rob, her voice comes
out as barely a WHISPER --
BETH
Hey ...
And we're ON ROB as relief washes over him. She's alive. He
can't help himself -- TEARS start to spill over now.
ROB
Hey.
BETH
(still hazy)
Are you really here?
ROB
Yeah. I'm here.
And now Beth starts to WELL UP. Tears spilling as she smiles
and says --
CONTINUED 137 6/8/07
CONTINUED (2) CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
BETH
You came back for me.
ROB
Of course I came back for you.
(beat; then)
I'm sorry it took me so long. 101.
And it's a real moment. As Rob says that, we get the sense
he's apologizing for everything he's put her through. And
Beth reads it loud and clear
BETH
( through tears)
It's okay.
(beat)
I'm glad you made it.
And as she says that, she shifts, and the pain in her
shoulder suddenly hits her. She GASPS, cries out.
Rob snaps out of it -- goes into emergency mode. He stares down at her. ROCK SOLID as he tells her --
ROB
We're gonna get you outta here, all
right?
(forming a plan)
You're gonna be okay ...
Wider. Rob glances at the others.
ROB
We have to move fast CUT TO:
137
Lily's looking at the rebar -- her eyes say "There's no way."
Rob checks it out tries to move the rebar -- but it WON'T
BUDGE. Rob realizes what they need to do --
ROB (CONT'D)
Okay. We need to lift her up and over this
HUD (O.S.)
Rob I don't think we can --
ROB
Hud. Put the camera down and help
ill§..
CONTINUED 6/8/07
CONTINUED (3) CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 102.
Hud does as he's told. He sets the camera onto the floor -
AND THE CAMERA SLIDES DOWN, FOUR FEET OR SO, COMING TO A STOP
AT AN ANGLE THAT STILL LETS US SEE THE ACTION -- BUT WITH A
PIECE OF DEBRIS COVERING BETH.
We can still see her legs (and Rob, Lily and now HUD), but
the part of her caught in the rebar is OFF-CAMERA. Good
thing, too, because what they do next is BRUTAL. They grab
Beth by the shoulders and legs --
ROB (CONT'D)
-- this is gonna suck, I'm sorry.
(looks to the others)
Okay -- lift --
-- and the three of them LIFT BETH UP, OVER THE REBAR -- she
SCREAMS and SCREAMS in AGONY -- it's EXCRUCIATING -- but this
is the only way -- and finally she's UP and OFF THE REBAR --
Rob cradles her, sets her down. As she GASPS, tries to keep
from passing out, Rob grabs a strewn tablecloth RRRIP --
tears off a strip and begins wrapping her wound --
Hud grabs the camera -- swings it towards Rob and Beth -- as
Rob pulls the bandage tight, Beth winces in pain, but keeps
her eyes locked on Rob. It's as though she truly can't believe what she's seeing. Fresh tears well up, but this
time, it's RELIEF in her eyes
BETH
You came back for me ...
ROB
(holding her gaze)
Of course I did.
And it would be a nice moment if not for --
LILY (CONT'D)
(oh god)
Guys --
Hud SWINGS THE CAMERA towards Lily -- she's staring out the
windows at something -- Hud angles around behind her to
reveal this canted building is hovering over Park Avenue
and DOWN THE STREET, THIRTY BLOCKS AWAY, MOVING OUT FROM
BEHIND A SKYSCRAPER IS --
THE MONSTER.
fil1QM. OH MY GOD. The Monster turns down PARK AVENUE -- we
FINALLY SEE IT in ALL ITS GLORY. BOOM. Unfortunately ...
CONTINUED 138
139
140
141
142 6/8/07
CONTINUED (4) CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 103.
He's HEADING TOWARDS US,
building? Happens to be
LILY down the STREET CORRIDOR. And our
right in his FUCKING WAY.
HUD (O.S.)
Guys ... Oh god. We gotta get out of
here --
ROB
Let's go! Let's move!!!
And we now have QUICK CUTS as our foursome SCAMPERS UPHILL,
out of Beth's Apartment, through the halls
OMITTED
EXT. 5303 PARK AVENUE - APARTMENT -NIGHT 138
139
Hud swings the
camera around -- we're back in 5303 Park
Avenue. It looks like our group has just climbed through the
window. As they collect themselves, start heading down the
hall, Hud angles the camera back out the window --
And down on
the street below, we see the MONSTER'S STILL
MOVING TOWARD US. But even worse? DISTANT BOMBS GOING OFF
BEHIND IT -- approaching F-18's visible behind the creature!
ROB (0. S.)
INT. 5303 PARK AVENUE -APARTMENT -NIGHT CUT TO:
140
We're racing
through the place as BOMB SOUNDS GROW CLOSER --
INT. 5303 PARK AVENUE - STAIRWELL -NIGHT 141
Our group hurries down the stairs -- during the mayhem, the
sounds of the MONSTER and the BOMBS increasing --
CUT TO:
EXT. MANHATTAN STREETS -NIGHT
We spill out
onto the streets. DEBRIS and SMOKE now ALL
AROUND US. Over the building chaos
HUD (0.S.)
How much time?
Rob checks his watch. Shakes his head -- don't ask. 142 143
144
145
146
147 6/8/07 CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 104.
143
The sounds of destruction EXT. STREETS - NIGHT
RACING THROUGH THE STREETS.
building ... and building ...
SHAKES --BOOM ... and building ... BOOM. The WORLD
EXT. STREETS -NIGHT
Moments later --we keep running --BOOM. Hud risks a
glance, swings the camera behind him --CUT TO:
144
OVER THE
ROOFTOPS --we catch a
glimpse of THE MONSTER. It's
FOCUSED on the FIGHTERS. It lets out a PIERCING SHRIEK
swings wildly --
CRASH! It knocks
a chunk out of a nearby rooftop. SHRIEKS
again. Hud's seen enough. He turns around, keeps running --
EXT. MANHATTAN INTERSECTION -NIGHT 145
As we're RACING ACROSS AN INTERSECTION --FWWWOOSH --an F-18
streaks by
overhead. Flying LOW. Our people wince, cover
their ears. The DEBRIS is SO THICK it's difficult to get a
bearing --
LILY
Which way?
ROB
Third. Right
over there
EXT. STREET NEAR LOADING ZONE 146
WHUP WHUP WHUP WHUP --A HELICOPTER RACES BY OVERHEAD
kicking up ROTOR WASH Hud angles the camera --
DOWN THE STREET --at the intersection --we see SOLDIERS
waiting
for TRANSPORT. As the CHOPPER LANDS
EXT. INTERSECTION -NIGHT CUT TO:
147
We're now at the loading zone. Rob's in frantic conversation
with the LEAD SOLDIER. They're yelling at one another over
the rotor wash --
ROB
--said you'd get
us out of here --
CONTINUED 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
LEAD SOLDIER
-- only got room for one -- the rest
of you will have to wait for the next
one --
(yells into his radio)
-- I need another extraction
(looks at the group)
C'mon -- one of you's here. Let's
,IQ.
Our group trades glances -- wait, we have to split up?
NOBODY likes that idea. But Rob makes the call --
ROB
Beth. Get on the helicopter. 105.
Beth looks at him, caught off-guard. What? She shakes her head -- no.
ROB
Beth -- get on the helicopter.
We can hear the fear in Rob's voice. The moment's not lost
on Beth -- she stares at Rob, sees the panic in his eyes.
ROB
Please -- we'll be right behind you.
(looks to the soldier)
Take her
BETH
No --
She jerks away from the soldier. Locks eyes with Rob.
BETH
I'm not leaving you.
And that stops Rob. He HOLDS HER GAZE as the ROTOR WASH
escalates around them. The soldier interrupts the moment
LEAD SOLDIER
Hey -- I got an idea why
don't~
all stay here!
(getting
angry)
C'mon --
HUD (O.S.)
Lily -- go.
CONTINUED 148
149
150 6/8/07
CONTINUED (2) CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 106.
That snaps everyone out of it. Lily glances at the others -
what? Rob glances at Beth, realizes Hud's right. He looks
at Lily, nods.
Lily stares at them, fear in her eyes. But then she realizes
they're right. One of them has to go. So she swallows, nods.
Locks eyes with her friends. Rock-solid as she says --
LILY
I'll see you guys soon, okay?
And as soon as she says it, the Soldier starts escorting her
towards the chopper. No time for goodbyes --
PRIVATE
All right -- let's go
EXT. INTERSECTION - LOADING ZONE - NIGHT CUT TO:
148
As the helicopter starts to lift off, we catch A GLIMPSE OF
LILY -- she's pushing aside a soldier, fighting to get to the
cargo window. And as she looks out at us --
Lily puts her hand up to the glass.
IN THE FOREGROUND -- we see Rob and Beth hold up their hands:
Goodbye, Lily. Hud HOLDS ON THE HELICOPTER as it lifts into
the air. As Lily disappears from view --
CUT TO:
EXT. LOADING ZONE - NIGHT 149
Hud scans the sky -- we see LILY'S HELICOPTER, growing
smaller and smaller in the sky. He pans down the street,
finds A SECOND HELICOPTER coming in for a landing --
All the while -- we hear the sound of MISSILE STRIKES -- the world shakes
--the monster SHRIEKS --
EXT. LOADING ZONE -NIGHT
The ROTOR WASH
kicks up debris as Rob, Beth,
towards the SECOND HELICOPTER'S cargo door.
out his hand, pulls them inside --CUT TO:
150
and Hud race
A SOLDIER holds
CUT TO: 151
152 6/8/07 CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 107.
INT. HELICOPTER - NIGHT
CAMERA FINDS ROB as the Lead Soldier straps him into his
safety harness. Beth's beside him -- already strapped in
One of the PILOTS calls back to the Lead Soldier --
PILOT ONE LEAD SOLDIER
-- they've initiated the
Icarus run -- -- oh Christ --151
The Lead Soldier wastes no time. He straps Rob in, slams the
cargo door shut. Hud watches him race away through the
window. As the helicopter lifts into the air, Hud swings the
camera towards Rob and Beth. Both of them look fairly
terrified.
Rob reaches out, takes Beth's hand.
leans in, gives her a tender kiss. She glances at him. He
Just to reassure her.
INT. HELICOPTER/ EXT. CITY - NIGHT CUT TO:
152
Hud angles the camera OUT THE WINDOW. As the helicopter
rises in the air, Hud angles the camera down --
BELOW US -- DEBRIS and THICK BLACK SMOKE from the missile
strikes fills the streets --
ABOVE THE SKYSCRAPERS -- we see THE MONSTER flailing and
shrieking as the F-18s bank towards it -- the fighters LAUNCH
their MISSILES -- FWOOOOSSSSH -- they streak through the sky -- headed straight for
KA-BOOM! The missiles hit the monster DEAD CENTER in the
head -- EXPLODING in a MASSIVE FIREBALL --
HUD (0.S.)
They hit it they hit it --
The explosions are so close the HELICOPTER seems to shudder -
In the fiery aftermath, we see the monster PITCHING
BACKWARDS, disappearing behind the skyscrapers --
BOOOOOOOMI We see the city SHAKE as the monster seems to hit
the ground, KICKING UP A MASSIVE DEBRIS CLOUD --
Over the PILOT'S RADIO -- we can hear CHEERING --153
154
155 6/8/07 CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 108.
INT. HELICOPTER - NIGHT 153
The helicopter's banking. Hud's ANGLING the camera down,
trying to get a glimpse of the AFTERMATH -- but the SMOKE is
so THICK we can't see anything
We hear CHATTER over the RADIO
RADIO (V.O.)
Confirmed hit, confirmed
hit --
--Standby --RADIO (V.O.)
do we abort the run?
Hud angles the camera towards Rob and Beth. Holding hands
tightly. As they glance at each other --
RADIO (V.O.)
It's down ... it's down ...
We hear OUR PILOTS CHEER. Hud swings the camera forward, we
see one of the pilots punching the ceiling in celebration
CUT TO:
INT. HELICOPTER - DAWN 154
We're looking out over the city as THE SUNRISE breaks the
HORIZON. TENDRILS OF LIGHT hit the debris and smoke rolling
though the city, making it look like we're floating above
CLOUDS. Not too far in the distance, we see glimpses of the
lush green foliage of CENTRAL PARK peeking through the smoke.
And, despite the context, it's almost BEAUTIFUL. In fact, it
feels like this could be the ending of our movie ...
After a beat, Hud ANGLES THE CAMERA DOWN, scans the streets.
Focuses in on the CLOUD OF DEBRIS below. And just then --
THE MONSTER LEAPS OUT OF THE SMOKE.
It's launching straight up -- RIGHT AT US -- its angry JAWS
snapping as it tries to BITE OUR HELICOPTER -- we hear our
people SCREAMING as --
WHAM! THE MONSTER makes contact. THE CAMERA JERKS as the
AIRFRAME AROUND US tumbles VIOLENTLY and we ABRUPTLY CUT TO
INT. HELICOPTER - DAWN 155
A static image. We're not even sure what we're looking at,
exactly. We see BITS OF GREEN, FRAGMENTS OF METAL.
CONTINUED 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 109.
It's quiet.
is JARRING. After everything we've been through, the silence
We hold on this static image for a WHILE, then
We hear BREATHING. It's faint, labored. Wisps of BLACK
SMOKE seem to cross through frame. The breathing gets
LOUDER. And then --
The camera shifts. Not much -- just a bit to the side, but
enough to see --
We're inside the TWISTED WRECKAGE of the HELICOPTER.
BETH (0. S.)
Rob ...
(then)
Rob -- Oh god
We hear BETH'S VOICE. She sounds PANICKED. TERRIFIED. We
hear MOVEMENT -- metal scraping on metal --
BETH (O.S.)
Rob c'mon --
(voice breaking)
All the while, we're STARING at the mangled wreckage. The
BLACK SMOKE seems to get worse as it rolls through frame.
Behind us, we hear more movement
BETH (O.S.)
Hud Hud --
CAMERA SHIFTS we realize it's still strapped around Hud's
neck. We're now looking DOWN HIS BODY -- we see he's still
strapped into his harness -- we hear Hud GROAN IN PAIN --
BETH (0. S.)
Hud -- get up --
Beth's HANDS enter frame. They're SHAKING. She unbuckles
Hud's harness --
BETH
You have to help me -- I can't get
him out
Click-CLACK. She frees Hud from his harness. Camera shifts
it's still hanging around Hud's neck. And as he turns, we
hear Hud's breath CATCH IN HIS THROAT --
HUD (O.S.)
Oh my god. Oh my god Rob
CONTINUED 6/8/07
CONTINUED (2) CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
BETH
Rud -- c'mon --110.
Rud moves forward, and as he does so, camera SWINGS FORWARD
And we catch a glimpse of Rob. He looks HORRIBLE. His
body's caught in the twisted metal of the chopper.
HUD (0.S.)
Rob --
Rob GROANS. His eyes flutter as he struggles to regain
consciousness. Beth grabs Rob, tries to free him from the
metal around him; camera shifts as Rud does the same --
BETH (0.S.)
We have to pull -- Rud
YANK -- Rud pulls hard against the metal -- as he does so,
CAMERA SHIFTS again so that we can see ROB'S LEGS
And they're SOAKED WITH BLOOD.
ROB (O.S.)
(half-conscious)
You gotta get outta here ...
We can hear Beth's voice break as she tries to reassure him --
BETH (0.S.)
Rob -- Rob -- it's okay
(wavering)
We're gonna get you out of this ...
ROB
Smells like gas ...
We see HUD'S HANDS trying to free Rob. As he pulls them
back, he sees they're now COVERED IN BLOOD
HUD (O.S.)
Oh god ...
BETH (0. S.)
( taking control)
Hud -- c'mon -- PULL -- on three -
(beat)
One -- two -- THREE --
They yank on Rob's body -- we hear the METAL GIVE WAY -- Hud
falls back, pulling Rob's body with him.
CONTINUED 156 6/8/07
CONTINUED (3) CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 111.
And as Hud stumbles against the CHOPPER WRECKAGE behind him,
the camera SLAMS INTO THE WALL and we CUT TO --
EXT. CENTRAL PARK - DAWN 156
CAMERA SWINGS as Hud pulls it over his head (the movement of
which accidentally starts this shot.) It's not entirely
clear where we are -- Beth and Hud seem to have dragged Rob
out of the wreckage
BETH
Hud -- it's his leg -- you have to
stop the bleeding --
Hud pulls the camera off, DROPS IT TO THE GROUND. It lands
several feet away, framing our characters.
Rob's on his back, unconscious. Beth's cradling him in her
arms. Behind them -- we see the LUSH TREES of CENTRAL PARK
and the SMOKING WRECKAGE of the helicopter --
Hud whips off his overshirt, presses it against the wound in
Rob's leg. As Hud works, Beth grabs Rob's head, tries to
keep him conscious
BETH
Rob -- c'mon -- stay with me --
BOOM. The world around them shakes violently. Hud looks
up -- we see TERROR on his face as he glances at whatever's
happening OUT OF FRAME. We hear FIGHTERS RACING BY OVERHEAD;
the sound of the MONSTER MOVING BOOM.
BETH
HUD! STOP THE BLEEDING!
Hud snaps out of it, focuses back on Rob. BOOM. The CAMERA
BOUNCES ON THE GROUND as the world shakes yet again. In
fact, we may notice the booming is getting CLOSER.
Hud thinks fast, whips his belt off, wraps it around Rob's
leg, cinches it tight. Rob cries out -- grits his teeth --
BEHIND THEM -- WHOOSH -- we see the ground CATCH FIRE. The
flame trail streaks towards the helicopter ...
BOOM. The world shakes around them. Rob's eyes gain focus
as he glances around. Fear on his face as he realizes --
ROB
Beth ... Beth ... you have to go ...
(beat)
You have to leave me.
CONTINUED 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 112.
And she locks eyes with him. Not wavering for a second --
BETH
Never.
KA-BOOOM!
EXPLODES.
off their In the background behind them, the helicopter
The concussion from the blast knocks Beth and Hud
knees. As they struggle to right themselves --
BETH
Hud --
BOOM. BOOM.
build --just
Hud pulls the The
SOUNDS OF CHAOS AND DESTRUCTION build and
as the noise around them becomes DEAFENING. tourniquet tight once again
--
HUD
It's stopped --it's stopped
BETH
All right,
let's go -- help me --
Beth and Hud pull Rob to his feet. grits his teeth, fights through it.
Rob forward
--
BETH
We gotta move.
Hud
realizes he forgot something
HUD
Hang on Rob cries out in pain,
As Beth tries to help
He turns, races towards the camera. He picks it up, loops it
around his neck. Angles back towards Beth and Rob. And as
he does so
BOOM! The worlds goes DARK AROUND THEM -- We see Beth and
Rob's eyes go wide in TERROR
ROB
Beth SCREAMS. Whip-fast, Hud swings around, looks up towards
the sky just in time to see --
THE MONSTER
It's moving fast -- BARRELLING DOWN RIGHT TOWARDS HUD we
catch a glimpse of its SNAPPING JAWS as it BITES DOWN Hud
barely has time to SCREAM as --
CONTINUED 6/B/07
CONTINUED (2) CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
THE MONSTER EATS HUD. 113.
WH-WHAM! Camera's LOOKING DOWN HUD'S BODY as Hud's caught in
the creases of the monster's ENORMOUS TEETH -- and as Hud
SCREAMS AND SCREAMS --
Hud's BODY is RIPPED APART. It's SO FAST it's hard to
register exactly what we're seeing -- light FLASHES IN AND
OUT of the monster's mouth as it gnashes its TEETH -- ONCE TWICE -- BLOOD FLIES EVERYWHERE -- Hud's screaming ABRUPTLY
CEASES as --
The monster swings its mouth down -- we see the fragments of
Hud's body drop free -- the CAMERA SLIPS LOOSE -- and FALLS
We're in the air -- all we see is BLUE SKY -- as the camera
tumbles -- we catch a GLIMPSE OF THE MONSTER racing forwards,
snapping angrily -- the camera slowly flips around -- we see
the GREEN GRASS OF CENTRAL PARK rushing up to meet us ...
WHAM! The camera HITS THE GROUND, digging into the deep
green grass. And a split-second after that --
WHAM! HUD'S FACE hits the ground, right next to the lens.
He's staring
with blood.
quite adjust at us, eyes dead to the world, face streaked
We're SO CLOSE the camera's AUTO-FOCUS can't
-- as Hud's eyes BLUR IN AND OUT OF FOCUS --
VOICE
Hud -- HUD --
We hear A VOICE. SCREAMING in HORROR. Growing closer -
VOICE
HUD! HUD!
The voice is so PRIMAL and TORTURED it takes us a moment to
realize -- It's ROB. Screaming his heart out for his friend.
It sounds like he's racing towards us --
ROB (0. S.)
The camera jostles -- it's as though Rob just reached the
body -- and off that action WE CUT TO --157
158
159
A160 6/8/07 CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 114.
EXT. CENTRAL PARK -BRIDGE -MORNING 157
We're racing through
Central Park, headed towards a bridge.
As we do so --PZZT --the camera fritzes
again and we
EXT. CENTRAL PARK -UNDER BRIDGE -MORNING CUT TO:
158
Moments later.
We're diving beneath the bridge, CRASHING TO
THE GROUND. It's as though whoever was carrying the camera
just dropped it as they stumbled forward --
OUTSIDE --we can still
hear the RUMBLINGS from the WAR going
on between the monster and the army.
FROM THE GROUND --we catch a
glimpse of Rob. He's on the
ground, GASPING for air. We can hear Beth GASPING as well.
They both sound pained, anguished. We get the sense they've
collapsed from pure exhaustion. As they both GASP and GASP
and GASP for air --PZZT --
EXT. CENTRAL PARK -UNDER BRIDGE -MORNING CUT TO:
159
Moments later.
Camera's still on the ground, where it fell.
Rob's shifted just slightly --we still can't
see his face,
but we can see the FRESH BLOOD all over his hands --we hear
his PAINED
CRIES --his voice is
whispered, through gasps --
ROB (O.S.)
He's gone ...
(then)
They're all gone ...
PZZZT. Camera fritzes again and we --
EXT. CENTRAL PARK -UNDER BRIDGE -MORNING CUT TO:
A160
Moments later.
Rob and Beth have shifted position. We can't
see their faces, but we get the sense they've sat up, moved
closer to one another. Their voices are still PANICKED. We
UPCUT right into their conversation
BETH (O.S.)
--try to make it as far as we can --
CONTINUED Bl60
Cl60
Dl60 6/8/07
CONTINUED
PZZZT --CLOVERFIELD by Drew
Goddard
ROB (0. S.)
Make it where? There nowhere to run
to. We have to --
EXT. CENTRAL PARK -UNDER BRIDGE -MORNING 115.
CUT TO:
Bl60
Later. Camera's now moving -- it's as though Rob just picked
it up of the ground and is trying to work it. As it swings
around, we catch a glimpse of his lower body -- he's still
lying on the ground, with his back against the wall. We can
see the FRESH BLOOD all over him --
We can hear
THEIR VOICES. They sound a little less panicked.
More RESIGNED --
BETH (0. S.)
Rob, what are you doing?
ROB (0. S.)
Hud thought it was important.
And as the camera shifts
EXT. CENTRAL PARK -UNDER BRIDGE -MORNING CUT TO:
Cl60
Camera adjusts
to FIND ROB.
looks BATTERED. HAUNTED. He's looking right at us. He
SHELLSHOCKED.
We can still hear the muffled SOUND of EXPLOSIONS ringing
out the noise has become commonplace.
Rob stares at us.
fighting off tears. Prepares to speak. We get the sense he's
And LOSING.
CUT TO:
EXT. CENTRAL PARK -UNDER BRIDGE -MORNING Dl60
Moments later. STILL
CLOSE ON ROB -- he seems a bit more
composed. He stares at us, takes a breath, then
ROB
My name is Robert Hawkins. It's ...
(checks watch)
Six forty-two a.m. May 23rd.
Saturday.
(MORE)
CONTINUED El60 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
ROB(CONTINUED)
(beat)
Approximately seven hours ago ... some
thing attacked our city ...
He shakes his head -- how do I even describe it?
ROB
I don't know what it is.
(beat)
If you found this tape ... If you're
watching this right now, then you
probably know more about that thing
than I do.
He swallows, tries to hold it together.
ROB
Whatever it is ... it killed my
brother, Jason Hawkins. It killed my
friends Marlena Diamond and Hudson
Platt.
(beat)
Among others. 116.
After a beat -- KA-BOOM -- an EXPLOSION rings out, SHAKES THE
WORLD. Dust rains down on Rob. He tenses, keeps himself
composed. Stares at the camera.
ROB
We crashed here in Central Park. We
took shelter under this bridge.
(beat)
The military ... they've begun bombing
that creature.
(beat)
And we're caught in the middle.
EXT. CENTRAL PARK - UNDER BRIDGE - MORNING CUT TO:
El60
Camera's swinging around -- Rob's behind it, trying to FIND
BETH. Outside, we hear the SOUNDS OF BOMBING getting LOUDER and LOUDER. Beth's freaked out -- clearly terrified.
BETH
... I don't know what to say.
ROB (O.S.)
It's okay ... look at me.
Rob settles into a CLOSE SHOT ON BETH.
CONTINUED 160 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
ROB (0. S.)
Just tell them who you are. 117.
Beth nods -- okay. She steels herself. Stares into the
camera. Prepares to speak.
BETH
My name is Elizabeth McIntyre.
A beat. What else should I say? We see tears beginning to
well up in her eyes
BETH
I don't know why this is happening.
(beat)
But ... we're gonna wait here until
this passes.
A beat. She fights off the tears, then -
BETH
(stronger)
We're gonna wait
KA-BOOOOOM! With Beth in mid-sentence, the ENTIRE BRIDGE
COLLAPSES.
It happens FAST -- we're talking a SPLIT-SECOND here. A
MASSIVE EXPLOSION rings out -- camera JOLTS as Rob drops it -
we can hear Rob screaming --
ROB (0. S.)
BETH --
And as DEBRIS and DARKNESS ENVELOPS US -- our world TOSSING ABOUT as though we're in a MASSIVE EARTHQUAKE
PZZZZZTT -- the camera fritzes out yet again --
EXT. CENTRAL PARK - UNDER BRIDGE - DAY CUT TO:
160
Darkness. We can still hear the rumblings of BOMBS going off
around us, but they're a bit MUFFLED now.
We've been BURIED ALIVE.
We hold on this dark tableau long enough to let the SHEER
HORROR of it land, and then --
CONTINUED 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 118.
We hear a GASP. It's absolutely PANICKED. TERRIFIED. We
hear another GASP ... and then ANOTHER ... then --
ROB (O.S.)
Beth --
We HEAR ROB'S VOICE. We can hear his PANICKED BREATHING as
well ...
BETH (O.S.)
(gasping)
Rob Rob ROB - -
ROB (O.S.)
BETH --
The DEBRIS SHIFTS around us -- we get the sense someone is
TRYING TO MOVE THROUGH IT -- as the PANICKED BREATHING
continues to ring out, the MOVEMENT causes the camera to
shift JUST SLIGHTLY and we --
FIND ROB AND BETH.
We're CLOSE ON THEM -- the frame obscured by the darkness and
debris around them. But we can see JUST ENOUGH to know that
Rob's got Beth cradled in his arms. As he pulls her close --
ROB
It's okay
The world RUMBLES around them -- as though MORE BOMBING is
happening above them. Beth CRIES OUT, absolutely terrified.
ROB
Beth --we're still here.
BETH
Rob --I can't --I can't --
ROB
They're gonna find us, Beth. You
have to hang on --
The world keeps RUMBLING
ROB
They're gonna find us --
SSSHHHHOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRR
the monster's ANGRY SCREAM --outside -- we can hear
CONTINUED 161 6/8/07
CONTINUED (2) CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard 119.
BETH
Oh god --
ROB
Look at me. Beth
Rob pulls her into him
ROB
I love you.
She HOLDS HIS GAZE. They seem to forget about the world
around them for one moment
BETH
I love you.
KAAAA-BOOOOMMMM! The world SHAKES -- Beth cries out -- Rob
pulls her tight --
ZZZSSHHZZZ -- and as the EARTHQUAKE causes the camera to
shift -- our world goes dark -- the EARTHQUAKE reaches
CRESCENDO and PZZTT --
CUT TO:
EXT. CONEY ISLAND - DAY 161
We're looking out at THE hear the ROLLING WAVES.
laughing. We seem to be
POINT. And we're moving OCEAN. It's peaceful. Serene.
The distant sound of people
looking out from a HIGH VANTAGE
upward
ROB (O.S.)
I'm really gonna miss this.
BETH (O.S.)
They have ferris wheels in Japan,
Rob.
ROB (O.S.)
That's not what I'm talking about --
Rob swings the camera around, angling it back towards
himself. And we reveal --We
Rob and Beth are at Coney Island. Riding side-by-side on THE
FERRIS WHEEL. And, once again, we're looking at what used to
be on this tape.
Rob holds the camera out at arms length so they're both in
frame. As he leans in towards her --
CONTINUED 6/8/07
CONTINUED CLOVERFIELD by Drew Goddard
ROB
(playful)
C'mon -- be honest. You're gonna
miss me, aren't you?
And she smiles, matches his tone, shrugs -
BETH
Yeah, we'll see. 120.
Beep beep. We hear a sound come from the camera. As Rob
looks down at its display, the image shifts back outward --
ROB (0. S.)
(realizing)
Tape's almost out. We only have
about thirty seconds left ...
He angles the camera back towards Beth.
ROB (O.S.)
Anything else you want to say?
We HOLD ON BETH as she thinks about what she wants to say.
Behind her, we can see the SUN SETTING. Then she smiles,
looks right at us --
BETH
I had a good day.
And OFF BETH, as the tape ROLLS OUT --
CUT TO BLACK.
THE END | screenplays |
My Little Pony Naszyjnik swagu
Fluttershy obudziła się rano. Zazwyczaj się budziła rano. Wszyscy się budzili rano. Ale coś było nie tak.
-Kurwa- powiedziała zaspanym głosem żółta pegazica. Czegoś jej brakowało. Wstała i wzięła z szuflady wykrywacz swagu. Włączyła go. Ale go włączyła tek że wszystkie jej zwierząta umarły. Umarły przez samobójstwo. To było straszne. Krew była wszędzie. Nawet w toalecie.
-Kurwa- powiedziała znowu patrząc na wynik. Ale nie rzucała kurwami przez wynik. To nie był wykrywacz swagu. To był Samobójstwojator. Straszny był. Robił samobójswa. Wszystko się wyjaśniło.
-Kurwa no- dodała po chwili patrząc na wykrywacz swagu. Wykrywał mało swagu. Za mało swagu na uruchomienie swagomobila.
Potem usiadła. Usiadła na fotelu. Fotel był zajebisty. Ach, jaki on był zajebisty. Jego zajebistością można by kroić cegły. Albo kamienie. Takie duże kamienie. Aż taki był zajebisty tan fotel.
Przypomniała sobie że była na imprezie. Ach, ale to była impreza. Ostra.
-Kurwa- rzekła delikatnym niczym słuchawki z Biedronki głosem. Przypomniała sobie że tam zgubiła swój złoty naszyjnik swagu.
Wstała.
W międzyczasie urosła rozjebując sufit. Niestety z niedoboru swagu zmalała. Postanowiła polecieć do lasu.
Gdy tak leciała jebnoł ją helikopter. Taki czerwony. Przeżyła i leciała dalej. Po kilku minutach wylądowała. Na ziemi.
-Kurwa- powiedziała z ogniem w oczach. Dookoła leżało dużo butelek. Butelek po winie. A wino to się zwało Lipa z miodem. Było tyle lipy że hardcorowy koksu by stracił swag. Paczy, a tam leży złoty łańcuch.
Chwyciła go w kopyta (LOL). Nagły przypływ swagu sprawił że stała się samochodem. Ależ ona była zajebistym ferrari. Ale nagle przyszedł Angel The Rabbit i wsiadł do środka. Jebnoł bona w siedzenie i uruchomił silnik.
Dał gazu i wjebał się w drzewo. Potem umarł.
KONIEC
End file.
| fanfiction |
lascar el - usb-2-lcd automatic air temperature and humidity loggers ( http://www.lascarelectronics.com ) were used to measure air temperature ( c ) and humidity in these pilot studies .
relative humidity ( % ) and absolute humidity ( dew point , c ) are recorded by these instruments . the accompanying document assessing a population 's exposure to heat and humidity : a practical guide gives practical details on the use and deployment of these instruments .
these loggers cost approximately us$80 each , and are small battery - powered devices that can be preprogrammed via a usb port to record data at specified times that can later be downloaded for analysis . in all of these pilot studies ,
the loggers were programmed to record every 30 min , on the hour and half hour .
these studies were carried out in rural north - eastern south africa ( as shown in fig .
our first consideration , which was addressed in a pre - pilot study , was how to house the loggers either outdoors or indoors in such a way that they would not be exposed to direct sunshine or rainfall , be in well - ventilated locations , and protected from interference by humans , monkeys , and so on .
our aim was to approximate the measurement conditions afforded by a stevenson screen , while preserving the portability , security , and convenience of the loggers .
map of the area used for the study , showing the three locations of the loggers , their altitudes , and location within south africa .
locations 1 and 2 were compounds in the agincourt subdistrict ; location 3 was at the university of witwatersrand 's rural facility and skukuza is the nearest official weather station at an airport on the edge of the kruger national park .
we found that the loggers conveniently fitted into electrical conduit boxes that were easily available , white , with secure lids , and prepunched with holes on all sides for conduit fixings .
the pre - pilot study involved strapping an unprotected logger and one in a conduit box to the shaded underside of a tree branch approximately 2 m above the ground ( fig .
2 ) , and recording data for a 48-h period on 2526 january 2010 to assess comparability between the results from the protected and unprotected loggers .
unprotected and protected loggers during the pre - pilot study . for the pilot study , we located two pairs of loggers inside and outside two houses in the agincourt field study area , plus one logger outside at the university of witwatersrand 's rural facility as a slightly more distant reference point , all approximately 2 m above ground level and all situated in identical conduit boxes .
the outside loggers were strapped to the underside of convenient tree branches , and the inside ones were attached to convenient fixing points that were not near windows , nor in kitchens , and so on . both of the houses involved were constructed with cement walls and corrugated metal roofs .
these three locations , in south africa 's lowveld , are shown on a map in fig .
the straight - line distance from location 1 to location 2 is 13.6 km , from location 1 to location 3 is 33.8 km , and from location 2 to location 3 is 45.3 km .
the five loggers all recorded data synchronously every 30 min over a 9-day period from 30 january to 7 february 2010 inclusive .
data from the loggers were downloaded into microsoft foxpro and subsequently stata 10 was used for analyses .
the complete dataset in excel format ( pilot.xls ) is available as a supplementary file .
routinely recorded weather data from the nearest official weather station at skukuza airport ( 24.968s , 31.593 e , 305 m above sea level ) were obtained for the same time period ( http://www.wunderground.com ) .
gridded global temperature data were obtained from the noaa ncep / ncar dataset ( 6 ) ( http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/psd ) for the cell 22.5 to 25.0s , 30.0 to 32.5e for the same period .
in the pre - pilot study , both loggers recorded data every 30 min for 48 h ( i.e. 96 data points each ) .
the pairs of daily maximum temperatures were 32.5 , 33.5c and 27.5 , 28.0c ; minima 24.5 , 24.5c and 22.0 , 22.0c for the protected and unprotected loggers , respectively .
similarly the daily maximum relative humidities were 78.5 , 81.0% and 92.5 , 95.5% ; minima 55.0 , 55.0% and 77.0 , 71.5% .
the mean difference in temperature between the two loggers over the whole period was 0.3c and in relative humidity 0.8% , both of which are within the manufacturer 's stated measurement accuracy for the instrument ( 0.5c and 3% , respectively ) .
the 48-h period of observation happened to include times of sunshine and rainfall as is typical of the summer season in this subtropical area .
air temperature and relative humidity data as recorded by unprotected and protected dataloggers ( see fig .
2 ) over a 2-day period , 2526 january 2010 . in the pilot study ,
five loggers recorded data every 30 min for 9 days ( i.e. 432 data points each ) during a period that included some cloudy , wet weather and some hot , dry days .
4 shows the outside air temperature and relative humidity for the three locations over the whole period .
overall mean outside air temperatures by location were 25.4c at location 1 , 26.0c at location 2 , and 25.5c at location 3 .
outside air temperature and relative humidity data recorded every 30 min for three locations ( see fig .
1 ) over a period of 9 days , 30 january to 7 february 2010 .
the mean inside outside air temperature difference at location 1 was + 4.0c ( inside warmer than outside ) and location 2 was + 2.9c .
the mean humidity differences were 22.4% less humid inside at location 1 and 7.0% at location 2 .
outside differences in air temperature and relative humidity for locations 1 and 2 over the whole period .
differences between inside and outside air temperature and relative humidity data recorded every 30 min for two locations ( see fig .
1 ) over a period of 9 days , 30 january to 7 february 2010 .
temperature data from the skukuza weather station , recorded at 0800 , 1400 , and 2000 each day were obtained for the period of the pilot study and are shown in fig .
6 . in the same figure , the average temperatures every 30 min from the outside dataloggers at locations 1 , 2 , and 3 are shown for comparison , together with the 6-h temperature data from the noaa ncep / ncar reanalysis 2.5 gridded temperature data for the cell 22.5 to 25s , 30 to 32.5e .
mean outside air temperature as recorded by dataloggers every 30 min at locations 1 , 2 , and 3 together with 6-h temperature data from the noaa 2.5 global gridded model and records from skukuza airport ( 0800 , 1400 , and 2000 daily ) .
although this pilot study did not set out to establish any connections between air temperature and humidity measurements and the population in which the measurements were made , it revealed a number of practical considerations associated with making such measurements at the population level .
the pre - pilot study results confirmed the feasibility of using easily sourced boxes to secure the dataloggers , without materially affecting the data collected , both during wet and fine conditions .
although minor differences were observed between the two loggers , these were within the stated accuracy of the instruments and too small to substantially affect considerations of human heat exposure . in the pilot study , the relatively close agreement in air temperature and humidity between the three outside dataloggers ( fig .
4 ) suggests that distancing measurements by some tens of kilometres results in rather small differences , and for most purposes it is probably unnecessary to make measurements at closer intervals than 10 km .
however , in this example the altitudinal differences between the three datalogger sites were fairly small ( 115 m ) . in places with larger differences in altitude or including coastal areas , local topography needs to be considered in locating measurement sites .
when it comes to measuring air temperature and humidity inside houses , however , it seems from fig .
5 that there may be appreciable variation between houses ( although only two houses were sampled here ) .
the difference between exterior and interior humidities ( measured both as dew point and relative humidity ) varied substantially , possibly reflecting differences in the ventilation between houses .
characterising peoples ' exposure to heat indoors , therefore , may be more challenging than measuring outdoor exposure . the comparisons with the local weather station and gridded climate data ( fig .
6 ) are important and interesting , since these sources represent the main alternatives to actual measurement of air temperature and humidity in the field .
both sources have much less frequent data than the 30 min data from the dataloggers .
the skukuza airport data were available for 0800 , 1400 , and 2000 , and fig .
6 shows reasonably good agreement between the 0800 and 2000 skukuza data and the average readings of the three outdoor dataloggers .
skukuza , although not far away , lies at a substantially lower altitude than the datalogger sites , and this may be the reason for the substantially higher air temperatures recorded at 1400 . in other settings , both distance and altitude may need to be taken into account in determining locations for a group of dataloggers .
the comparison with the noaa ncep / ncar data for the same time period , also shown in fig .
these gridded data are available every 6 h ( 0200 , 0800 , 1400 , and 2000 local time ) with the data points at 1400 roughly coinciding with daily observed maxima in this location .
in addition , the relatively large size of the 2.5 grid ( in this case the cell 22.5 to 25s , 30 to 32.5e covers an approximate rectangle of 250 km west - to - east and 380 km north - to - south , with an altitudinal range from 1,810 m above sea level at the south - western corner to 115 m in the limpopo river valley to the north - east ) can be problematic .
as it happens , we are dealing with a relatively heterogeneous grid cell covering the escarpment between the highveld and lowveld areas here , and so inevitably the gridded data reflect some kind of average over this area that needs interpreting with care in terms of local air temperature and humidity .
nevertheless , there are obvious relationships between the gridded data and the other sources shown in fig .
if one had a longer series of contemporary local records , for example over a 1-year period , then one might start to model the relationship between the gridded and observed data .
the potential value in doing so could be huge in populations where demographic and epidemiological archives have been accumulated over many years but without local weather data .
if it is possible to assume that modelled relationships between current gridded and locally observed data are fairly consistent , it would then be possible to apply such models to construct post hoc local data from gridded data for past years for analyses against population data archives .
overall , we conclude that a relatively small number of automatic air temperature and humidity loggers located within a population represent an effective and cost - effective means of gathering weather data at the local level , on a current and prospective basis .
we would recommend population surveillance sites to adopt this strategy as a matter of routine to enable prospective enquiries into associations between heat exposure , changes in climate , and human health , performance , and productivity ( 7 ) .
it may also be the case that a reasonable series of contemporary weather data in a particular location will enable local estimates of past weather to be made in a relatively precise manner .
access the supplementary material to this article : a user guide and data file ( see supplementary files under reading tools online ) .
the ume centre for global health research is supported by fas , the swedish council for working life and social research ( grant no . 2006 - 1512 ) .
the mrc / wits agincourt health and sociodemographic surveillance system is funded by the wellcome trust , uk ( grant nos . 058893/z/99/a and 069683/z/02/z ) and the university of the witwatersrand and medical research council , south africa . | pubmed |
starbursts are brief episodes of intense star - formation that occur in the central - most 10@xmath1 to 10@xmath2 pc - scale regions of galaxies , and dominate the overall luminosity of the galaxy .
their star - formation rates are so high that the existing gas supply can sustain the starburst for only a small fraction of the age of the universe ( in agreement with detailed models of the observed properties of starbursts , which imply typical burst ages of - order 10@xmath3 years or less ) .
comprehensive reviews of the starburst phenomenon may be found in the volumes edited by leitherer et al ( 1991 ) and franco ( 1997 ) .
starbursts are powered by high - mass stars , which i will define to have masses greater than 8 m@xmath4 .
these stars are very luminous ( l @xmath5 few thousand l@xmath4 ) , and so ( when present in significant numbers ) they dominate the energy output of a population of stars .
they are also short - lived ( a few million to a few - tens - of - million years ) and therefore trace relatively recent star - formation .
high - mass stars dominate the heating of the interstellar medium , the gas out of which new stars form .
they are also the ` thermonuclear furnaces ' that forge most of the elements heavier than he , and then disperse these heavy elements ( hereafter ` metals ' ) back into the interstellar medium when the dying high- mass stars explode as supernovae . in the local universe ,
high - mass stars are found in both normal galaxies like our own milky way and in starburst galaxies . in normal galaxies
they are distributed in the spiral arms throughout the @xmath0 30-kpc - scale disk of the galaxy . in such galaxy disks ,
the existing supply of gas can sustain the current rate of star- formation for many gigayears , consistent with a relatively slow evolution of the star - formation rate over much of the history of the universe .
as already stated above , the high - mass stars formed in starburst galaxies are concentrated into a small region in the galaxy center ( @xmath0 100 times smaller than the galaxy - as - a - whole ) and are the consequence of a transient event with a duration @xmath6 10@xmath3 years ( i.e. @xmath6 1% the present age of the universe ) .
high - mass stars are typically very hot ( t @xmath5 25,000 k ) , and thus the luminous output of a starburst should have its peak in the vacuum - ultraviolet range ( @xmath7 @xmath0 912 to 3000 ) . on the other hand ,
starbursts are rich in interstellar gas and dust .
the effective absorption cross - section of these dust grains is a strong inverse function of wavelength ( cf .
calzetti 1997 ) .
the dust grains therefore absorb much of the space - ultraviolet starlight and are thereby heated to temperatures of - order 10 to 100 k. the grains then cool by emitting far - infrared radiation .
thus , samples of low- redshift starburst galaxies have come mostly from surveys that select galaxies with unusually bright ultraviolet or far - infrared emission ( cf .
huchra 1977 ; soifer et al 1989 ) .
first of all , starbursts are a very significant component of our present - day universe , and as - such deserve to be understood in their own right .
the most complete and well - characterized sample of starbursts is that drawn from the far - infrared iras survey ( e.g. soifer et al 1989 ) .
the rather strong inverse correlation between gas - depletion timescales and luminosity means that we may consider that starbursts dominate the set of galaxies lying above the ` knee ' in the far - infrared galaxy luminosity function ( l@xmath8 few @xmath9 l@xmath4 ) . by this reckoning
, starbursts provide about 10% of the bolometric emissivity of the local universe .
thus , starbursts are an energetically - significant phenomenon .
it is also instructive to estimate the rate of high - mass star- formation in starbursts compared to that in the disks of normal galaxies in the local universe .
high - mass stars are so hot and luminous that they are the dominant source of photons energetic enough to photoionize hydrogen in the interstellar medium . as the ionized hydrogen recombines and the captured electron cascades to the ground - state
, it emits photons .
thus , the luminosity of these hydrogen emission - lines is a measure of the total number of high- mass stars in a galaxy . since we know the lifetimes of these stars , this yields an average rate at which such stars must have formed in the recent past ( cf .
kennicutt 1983 ; leitherer & heckman 1995 ) .
of course the observed fluxes of the hydrogen emission - lines must be corrected for the effects of extinction by dust . in normal galaxies ( where the extinction due to dust is not severe )
, the optical balmer emission - lines can be used . in dusty starbursts , infrared or mm- wave lines
( which are much less affected by dust - extinction ) must be used . applying this technique to the kraan - korteweg & tammann ( 1979 ) volume - limited catalog of galaxies in the nearby universe ( d @xmath6 10 mpc )
, i find that the four most luminous circum - nuclear starbursts in the local universe ( m 82 , ngc 253 , m 83 , and ngc 4945 ) together comprise about 25% of the total high - mass star- formation in this volume , and the six most - actively - star - forming disks of normal galaxies contribute a comparable amount .
in specific terms , the rate of high - mass star - formation in the few- hundred - parsec - scale starburst in m 82 actually exceeds the rate in the entire disk of the spiral galaxy m 101 ( which has a surface area approximately four orders - of - magnitude larger than the m 82 starburst ) ! thus , both in terms of total energy production and rate of high - mass star - formation , starbursts are indeed highly significant components of the present universe . while starbursts are therefore fascinating and significant objects , they are even more important when placed in the broader context of contemporary stellar and extragalactic astrophysics .
they are ideal laboratories in which to study : 1 ) the formation and evolution of massive stars 2 ) the physics of the interstellar medium under extreme conditions 3 ) the processes involved in the formation and early evolution of galaxies 4 ) the processes likely responsible for chemically - enriching and heating the intergalactic medium .
the cosmological relevance of starbursts has been dramatically underscored by one of the most spectacular discoveries in years : the existence of a population of high - redshift ( z @xmath5 2 ) field galaxies ( cf .
steidel et al 1996 ; lowenthal et al 1997 ; pettini , this volume ) .
the number density of these galaxies implies that they almost certainly represent precursors of typical present - day galaxies in an early actively - star - forming phase .
this discovery moves the study of the star - forming history of the universe into the arena of direct observations ( cf .
madau et al 1996 ; madau , this volume ) , and gives added impetus to the quest to understand local starbursts .
it is these aspects of the starburst phenomenon - the way in which nearby starburst galaxies can used to address major issues in cosmogony - that are the subject of the rest of this contribution . before discussing starbursts in more detail ,
it is useful to briefly summarize the major lessons in extragalactic astronomy and cosmology that we have learned from the study of starbursts in the local universe . + * i ) violent , transient events play a significant role in the origin and evolution of galaxies .
* current interest in starbursts has been stimulated by ( and has helped to create ) a paradigm shift in which the importance of cataclysmic events in the evolution of galaxies has become increasingly recognized . rather than simply evolving in a steady ` clockwork ' fashion , galaxies may also evolve discontinuously through bursts of star - formation .
this is reminiscent of the concept of ` punctuated equilibrium ' for the evolution of biological systems .
+ * ii ) galaxies do not evolve as ` island universes ' or ` closed boxes . '
* there is instead two - way causal communication between galaxies and their environment : strong starbursts are triggered by the interaction or merger of two galaxies and the subsequent starbursts produce outflows of ionizing radiation and metal - enriched matter that travel into the galactic halos and possibly beyond . further pursuing the biological analogy , this might be thought of as the ` ecology ' of galaxy evolution . + * iii ) dust in galaxies drastically affects our view of star- formation in local starbursts and ( most likely ) in galaxies in the early universe .
* as noted earlier , the intrinsic spectral energy distribution of a young stellar population peaks in the vacuum - ultraviolet , just where the opacity of the interstellar dust grains that permeate the region of star - formation is maximal .
this effect is especially relevant at high - redshifts , since the visible - light observations that provide the bulk of our information about these galaxies sample the vacuum - ultraviolet portion of their rest - frame spectrum .
starburst galaxies require the presence of substantial amounts of gas within the central - most few hundred parsecs of the galaxy . the relatively low efficiency of stars for energy production ( e @xmath10 m@xmath11c@xmath1 ) , coupled with the severe energetic demands ( ranging from @xmath010@xmath12 ergs for a modest starburst like m 82 up to @xmath0 10@xmath13 ergs for an ` ultraluminous ' starburst like arp 220 ) mean that interstellar gas masses of at least 10@xmath3 to 10@xmath14 m@xmath4 are needed to ` fuel ' a starburst ( even assuming 100% efficiency for the conversion of gas into stars ) .
indeed , mm - wave interferometric maps of the molecular gas in powerful starbursts provide direct observational evidence for such material ( cf .
sanders & mirabel 1997 ) . as larson ( 1987 ) , elmegreen ( 1997 ) , and others have argued , the surface mass density of the cold interstellar matter in starburst nuclei is so high ( typically of - order 10@xmath2 m@xmath4 pc@xmath15 ) , that the growth time for gravitational instabilities that would lead to star - formation in the starburst is extremely short ( @xmath0 a million years ) .
moreover , the timescales for gas depletion in a starburst via star - formation and/or supernova - driven outflows ( see section 3.2 below ) are also short compared to the minimum time it would take gravity to move material into the starburst from the large - scale disk of the galaxy ( 10@xmath16 to 10@xmath3 years vs. 10@xmath3 to 10@xmath17 years respectively ) .
larson therefore argues that since the gas that fuels the starburst must be assembled at least as fast as it is consumed , and since the gas has a mass comparable to the entire mass of the interstellar medium in a normal galaxy , powerful starbursts can only occur when some process allows a substantial fraction of the interstellar medium of a galaxy to flow inward by at least an order - of - magnitude in radius at velocities that are comparable to the orbital velocities in the galaxy s disk . by way of illustration
, larson emphasizes that the collapse of a self - gravitating system implies a maximum infall rate of roughly 25 ( v@xmath18/50 km s@xmath19)@xmath2 m@xmath4 per year .
this can be compared to typical estimated star - formation rates of 10 to 100 m@xmath4 per year in starbursts and typical orbital velocities of roughly 150 km s@xmath19 in the ` host ' galaxy of the starburst ( e.g. lehnert & heckman 1996b ) .
to summarize , the fueling of a starburst requires a mechanism that can induce non- circular motions that are both large in amplitude and involve a substantial fraction of the interstellar medium of the galaxy .
fortunately , these theoretical or heurstic arguments are supported by observational evidence . as samples of increasingly luminous starbursts
are examined , the strength of the evidence that they are strongly interacting or merging systems also increases ( cf .
sanders & mirabel 1997 ) .
such evidence is mostly morphological : 1 ) the presence of two or more nuclei within a single distorted envelope ( consistent with a nearly - complete merger of two galaxies ) .
2 ) the presence of a second galaxy with the requisite proximity and relative brightness , together with the bridges and long linear ` tails ' that are the hallmark of tidally- interacting galactic disks ( toomre & toomre 1972 ) .
the physical picture that has emerged from the theoretical interpretation of inceasingly - sophisticated numerical simulations ( cf . mihos & hernquist 1994a , b ) is that during the close passage of two galaxies , tidal stresses act to strongly perturb the orbits of the stars and gas in the galaxy disk .
the dissipation of kinetic energy as gas collides with gas , allows the gas to become sufficiently displaced from the stars that gravitational torques act between the stars and gas to transfer significant amounts of angular momentum from the gas to the stars .
the gas can thereby fall into the center of the galaxy , where it can fuel a starburst .
if the passage of the two galaxies is slow and inter - penetrating enough , dynamical friction can transfer enough kinetic energy from the stars to the dark - matter halo to allow the two galaxies to merge into a single galaxy . such mergers or strong interactions
should take a few times the galaxy rotation period ( e.g. @xmath20 years ) , with the intense starburst phase being significantly shorter ( cf .
mihos & hernquist 1994a , b ) .
these timescales are loosely consistent with independent estimates of starburst lifetimes , and ( in any case ) are quite consistent with the transient nature of starbursts .
perhaps the most spectacular aftermath of a starburst is the ` life - changing ' event associated with a galaxy merger . as first suggested by toomre ( 1977 )
, it is now clear both observationally and theoretically that the merger between two disk galaxies is at least one avenue for producing an elliptical galaxy ( cf .
schweizer 1992 ; barnes 1995 ) .
the presence of ` kinematically - decoupled ' cores in elliptical galaxies ( central regions in which the stars have a very different angular momentum axis from the rest of the galaxy ) may be a fossil record of an merger - induced starburst in the distant past ( e.g. franx & illingworth 1988 ) .
likewise , the so- called ` e+a ' galaxies , whose spectra appear to be the sum of the stars found in normal elliptical ( e ) galaxies plus a population dominated by a stars ( stars having a lifetime of 0.1 to 1 gigayears ) , may be ` post - starbursts ' systems that are intermediate in evolutionary state between merger - driven starbursts and bona- fide elliptical galaxies ( cf .
zabludof et al 1997 ) .
another very intruiging consequence of starbursts is the ` super star cluster ' phenomemon .
meurer et al ( 1995 ) find that typically 20% of all the vacuum - ultraviolet light ( and hence @xmath020% of the high - mass stars ) in starbursts is produced by very luminous stellar clusters ( dubbed ` super star clusters ' by oconnell et al 1994 ) .
these clusters are so luminous that it is very tempting to describe them as the possible progenitors of globular clusters ( cf .
whitmore & schweizer 1995 ) . while the relationship between the super star clusters and classical globular clusters is a matter of on - going debate ( cf .
van den bergh 1995 ; meurer 1995 ) , work on the nearest such objects demonstrates that they indeed have sizes , velocity dispersions , and masses that are similar to those of typical globular clusters ( ho & filippenko 1996a , b ) .
more generally , the census of high - mass star - formation in the local universe described in section 1.2 above has an very interesting implication . adopting the ` copernican principle ' ( that is , assuming that our local piece of the present - day universe is representative of the universe elsewhere and elsewhen )
, the fact that @xmath025% of all high - mass stars are formed in starbursts would mean one of the following : + * i ) operating over the history of the universe , starbursts make about 25% of _ all _ the stars in galaxies ( not just high - mass stars ) .
* given the central location of starbursts in galaxies and the fact that the most powerful starbursts seem to be associated with the building of elliptical galaxies via mergers , the only plausible fossil record of these ancient starbursts would be the central parts of disk galaxies ( bulges and inner disks ) and elliptical galaxies .
however , bulges and ellipticals are redder and older than the average disk of a spiral galaxy , so it may be difficult to make this idea hang - together quantitatively .
that is , starbursts may have indeed produced @xmath025% of the stars in galaxies on - average integrated over the history of the universe , but could not be doing - so today or the central parts of galaxies would be too blue and too bright . + * ii ) starbursts ( unlike normal galactic disks ) make only high- mass stars and therefore leave little long - term residue .
* by this i mean that high - mass stars are short - lived ( @xmath6 few @xmath21 years ) compared to low - mass stars ( e.g. 10@xmath14 years for the sun ) .
if starbursts form only high - mass stars , then shortly after the burst is over , the starburst would fade away completely , leaving only a residue of neutron stars and black holes ( the ` chesire cat ' model ) .
leitherer ( 1997 ) reviews the evidence that starbursts may ` manufacture ' only high - mass stars ( cf .
rieke et al 1993 vs. satyapal et al 1997 ) .
in contrast , star - formation with a normal initial mass - function extending down to well below 1 m@xmath4 produces stars ( and hence starlight and stellar mass ) that remain behind essentially forever ( @xmath5 the age of the universe ) .
this is in fact how we believe the large - scale disks of normal galaxies are constructed over the course of many gyrs .
the inter - galactic medium ( ` igm ' ) represents the majority of the baryonic matter in clusters of galaxies ( cf .
donahue , this volume ) .
comparison of the total baryonic content of the universe ( cf .
turner et al 1996 ) to the baryons located inside the visible parts of galaxies implies that perhaps as much as 80 to 90% of the baryons in the universe might reside in the igm .
the source for the heating and re - ionization of the igm at high - redshifts is a puzzle , since the igm is already ionized at the time the first known qsos appear at z @xmath0 5 .
ionization due to a pre - qso phase of galaxy formation has been suggested as possibility ( cf .
madau & shull 1996 ; miralda - escude & rees 1997 ; giroux & shapiro 1996 ) . as i will argue below
, starbursts may play a vital role not only in heating the igm , but also in ` polluting ' it with the heavy elements forged by high - mass stars .
the high - mass stars in starbursts may be a copious source of photons that are energetic enough to ionize hydrogen and neutral helium in the igm .
put most simply , for star - formation with a normal initial - mass function that extends down to 0.1 m@xmath4 ( 8 m@xmath4 ) , each baryon that is incorporated into stars yields the emission of roughly 3000 ( 20000 ) photons that are capable of ionizing hydrogen .
thus , a little bit of star - formation could go a long way in photoionizing the igm ( especially during very early times before the earliest known qsos appear on the scene ) .
however , direct observations of local starburst galaxies below the lyman limit at 912 using the hopkins ultraviolet telescope show that only a small fraction of the total ionizing radiation produced by these starbursts ( as measured by the luminosity of the hydrogen recombination - lines ) escapes into the igm ( leitherer et al 1995 ; hurwitz et al 1997 ) .
giallongo et al ( 1997 ) have recently set an upper limit of 20% on the average fraction of ionizing radiation due to high - mass stars escaping from all galaxies out to z @xmath0 1 based on a comparison of the total amount of star - formation between z @xmath22 0 and z @xmath22 1.3 ( cf .
madau , this volume ) and the upper limits on the brightness of the cosmic background ionizing - radiation field in the present universe . thus , the role of starbursts ( and high - mass stars in general ) in photoionizing the igm is still unclear .
the discovery of star- forming galaxies at z @xmath5 3 in principle allows the spectral region below the lyman - break to be probed directly with the new generation of 8 and 10-meter - class telescopes , and so the relative importance of high - mass stars and qsos in photoionizing the igm can be determined for this early epoch . over the last few years
, observations have provided convincing evidence of the existence ( and even the ubiquity ) of ` superwinds ' - galactic - scale outflows of gas driven by the collective effect of multiple supernovae and stellar winds in a starburst ( cf .
heckman , lehnert , & armus 1993 ; lehnert & heckman 1996a ; veilleux , cecil , & hawthorn 1996 ) .
x - ray data have proved particularly crucial since they are the only direct probe of the hot gas that contains most of the mass and energy in the flow .
soft x - ray emission ( hot gas ) is a generic feature of the halos of the nearest starburst galaxies ( dahlem , weaver , & heckman 1997 ) .
the estimated thermal energy content of this gas represents a significant fraction of the time - integrated mechanical energy supplied by the starburst , while the soft x - ray luminosity is only a few % of the supernova heating rate .
these results mean that little of the mechanical energy supplied by supernovae and stellar winds in starbursts is radiated away .
thus , in principle superwinds may efficiently transport much of the mechanical energy supplied by high - mass stars into the igm , making such stars an important heating source for the igm ( see donahue s contribution to this volume ) .
the temperature of the hot outflowing gas in starbursts is considerably cooler ( few to ten million degrees ) than would be expected for pure thermalized supernova+stellar wind ejecta ( 10@xmath3 k ) .
given these temperatures , will this gas escape the galaxy gravitational potential , or will the gas remain bound and perhaps cool and return as a galactic fountain ? following wang ( 1995 ) ,
the ` escape temperature ' for hot gas in a galaxy potential with an escape velocity v@xmath23 is given by t@xmath23 @xmath0 4 @xmath24 10@xmath25 ( v@xmath23/600 km s@xmath26)@xmath1 k ( where i have roughly chosen parameters appropriate to a typical spiral galaxy like our own ) . the gas temperatures in superwinds are observed to be independent of the galaxy rotation speed , while t@xmath23 should scale as the square of the rotation speed ( _ modulo _ the extent of the dark matter halo ) .
thus , it appears that the x - ray emitting gas can easily escape from dwarf galaxies undergoing starbursts ( della - ceca et al 1996 ) but possibly not from the halos of the most massive starburst galaxies ( dahlem , weaver , & heckman 1997 ; wang 1995 ) .
as larson & dinerstein ( 1975 ) and many others have proposed , this selective loss of metal - enriched gas from the shallowest galaxy potential wells may be the physical mechanism that underlies the strong correlation between the metal abundance of the stellar population and the escape velocity in elliptical galaxies ( e.g. franx & illingworth 1990 ) . in this sense
, superwinds should have a particularly devastating impact on dwarf galaxies ( e.g. dekel & silk 1986 ; marlowe et al 1995 ) .
if indeed superwinds carry substantial amounts of metal - enriched gas out of starbursts , we should see the cumulative effect of these flows in the form of a metal - enriched igm and/or metal - enriched gaseous halos around galaxies .
by now it is clear that typical mgii absorption - line systems at z @xmath6 1 seen in the spectra of distant qsos arise in the metal - enriched halos of intervening galaxies ( cf .
churchill , steidel , & vogt 1996 ) .
these galaxies appear to be normal systems ( not starbursts ) , so it is unlikely that ` living , breathing ' superwinds are implicated .
nevertheless , it is plausible that the metals in these galaxy halos may trace ` fossil ' superwinds .
that is , galactic halos may be polluted primarily by the episodic eruptions associated with powerful starbursts ( heckman 1997 ) .
can we say anything about the gas _ outside _ galaxies ?
the existence of an igm in clusters of galaxies whose metal content exceeds that of all the stars in all the cluster s galaxies is one of the most remarkable phenomena in extragalactic astronomy ( see donahue , this volume ) .
recent asca x - ray spectra of this gas show super - solar abundance ratios for the @xmath27-process elements like o , ne , and si relative to fe ( mushotzky et al 1996 ) .
this implicates ` core - collapse ' supernovae ( the end product of high - mass stars ) and - by inference - superwinds as the source of the metals in the cluster igm ( loewenstein & mushotzky 1996 ) .
if most of the metals in clusters of galaxies are floating around outside galaxies , could this be true more globally in the universe ?
we do nt know the answer in the present - day universe , but the situation at high - redshift is very intruiging .
burles & tytler ( 1996 ) use the detection of ovi absorption - lines in the spectra of background qsos to estimate that the minimum metallicity of the entire gas - phase baryonic component of the universe at z @xmath0 1 is @xmath5 0.02 h solar for @xmath28 0.01 h@xmath29 .
this is a lower limit , because it assumes all the oxygen is the form of ovi and that the detected ovi absorption - lines are optically - thin . at z @xmath5 2 ,
the presence of metals in the ` ly@xmath27 forest ' ( the ` cloudy ' component of the early igm ) is certainly suggestive of the dispersal of chemically - enriched material by early superwinds ( cf .
et al 1995 ; tytler et al 1995 ; madau & shull 1996 ) . the ly@xmath27 forest material appears to have a metallicity of about 10@xmath29 solar , but a high ratio of si / c that is suggestive of core - collapse supernovae as the source of metals ( cowie et al 1995 ; giroux & shull 1997 ) . given the above indications of a metal - enriched igm at high - z , do we see any _ direct _ evidence for the outflow of metal - enriched gas from starburst galaxies in the early universe ?
we will return briefly to this in section 4.2 below .
the relatively large inferred masses of the x - ray emitting gas in local superwinds imply that we are primarily observing emission from ambient gas that has been ` mass - loaded ' in some way into the superwind ( cf .
suchkov et al 1996 ; hartquist et al 1997 ; della ceca et al 1996 ) .
that is , each supernova explosion on - average must heat and eject a few hundred m@xmath4 worth of gas up to of - order 10@xmath16 k. the large amount of mass - loading implies that the ratio of gas that is blown out of the starburst compared to the mass that is turned into stars ranges from of - order unity ( if a normal complement of low- mass stars is formed in the starburst ) to of - order ten ( if only high - mass stars are formed ) .
to the extent that local starbursts are analogs to forming galaxies , this suggests that galaxy formation may have been an inefficient process with only a minority of the initial complement of baryons being retained and converted into stars and the majority expelled into galactic halos or the igm .
observations in the vacuum - uv spectral regime ( @xmath7 @xmath0 912 to 3000 ) are crucial for both understanding local starbursts , and for relating them to galaxies at high - redshift . not only is this the energetically - dominant spectral region for the hot stars that power the starburst , this is the spectral regime where we can most clearly observe the direct spectroscopic signatures of these hot stars .
moreover , the vacuum - uv contains a wealth of spectral features including the resonance transitions of most cosmically- abundant ionic species . these give uv spectroscopy a unique capability for diagnosing the ( hot ) stellar population and the physical and dynamical state of gas in starbursts .
since ground - based optical observations of galaxies at high- redshifts sample the vacuum - uv portion of their rest - frame spectrum , we can not understand how galaxies evolved without documenting the vacuum - uv properties of galaxies in the present epoch .
in particular , a thorough understanding of how to exploit the diagnostic power of the rest - frame uv spectral properties of local starbursts will give astronomers powerful tools with which to study star - formation and galaxy - evolution in the early universe .
the vacuum - uv spectra of starbursts are characterized by strong absorption features , as seen in figure 1 .
these absorption features can have three different origins : stellar winds , stellar photospheres , and interstellar gas .
detailed analyses of hubble space telescope ( hst ) and hopkins ultraviolet telescope ( hut ) spectra of starbursts show that the resonance lines due to species with low - ionization potentials ( oi , cii , siii , feii , alii , etc . ) are primarily interstellar in origin .
in contrast , the resonance lines due to high - ionization species ( nv , siiv , civ ) can contain significant contributions from both stellar winds and interstellar gas , with the relative importance of each varying from starburst to starburst ( cf .
conti et al 1996 ; leitherer et al 1996 ; heckman & leitherer 1997 ; gonzalez - delgado et al 1997 ) .
the most unambiguous detection of stellar photospheric lines is provided by excited transitions , but these lines are usually rather weak ( cf .
heckman & leitherer 1997 ) .
10truept we ( heckman et al 1997 - hereafter h97 ) have just completed an analysis of the vacuum - uv spectroscopic properties of a large sample of starburst galaxies in the local universe using the data archives of the international ultraviolet explorer ( iue ) satellite . taken together with the results of previous studies of starbursts in the vacuum - uv , the principal lessons we have learned are as follows : + * first , dust has a profound effect on the emergent uv spectrum . * as noted above , the luminous output of a starburst should have its peak in the vacuum - ultraviolet range ( @xmath7 @xmath0 912 to 3000 ) . on the other hand ,
starbursts are rich in interstellar gas and dust , and the effective absorption cross - section of these dust grains is a strong inverse function of wavelength .
this means that the effect of dust on the vacuum - uv properties of starbursts is profound .
previous papers have established that various independent indicators of dust extinction in starbursts observed with iue correlate strongly with one another .
calzetti et al ( 1996 ) show that the spectral slope in the vacuum - uv continuum ( as parameterized by @xmath30 , where f@xmath31 ) correlates strongly with the nebular extinction measured in the optical using the balmer decrement .
meurer et al ( 1995;1997 ) show that @xmath30 correlates well with the ratio of far - ir to vacuum - uv flux : the greater the fraction of the uv that is absorbed by dust and re - radiated in the far - ir , the redder the vacuum - uv continuum .
the interpretation of these correlations with @xmath30 in terms of the effects of dust are particularly plausible because the _ intrinsic _ value for @xmath30 in a starburst is a robust quantity . figures 31 and 32 in leitherer & heckman ( 1995 ) show that @xmath30 should have a value between about -2.0 and -2.6 for the range of ages and initial mass functions appropriate for starbursts ( cf .
leitherer 1997 ) .
our detailed understanding of the above results is incomplete , since they must involve both the geometrical distribution of the dust , stars , and gas in the starburst and the vacuum - uv extinction law for the dust .
however , the available data strongly suggest that ( quite surprisingly ) much of the dust responsible for the vacuum- uv extinction is apparently distributed around the starburst in the form of a moderately inhomogeneous foreground screen or ` sheath ' surrounding the starburst ( gordon , calzetti , & witt 1997 ) .
interestingly , h97 find that the amount of vacuum - uv extinction in starbursts correlates strongly with the bolometric luminosity of the starburst : only starbursts with l@xmath32 @xmath6 few @xmath33 l@xmath4 have colors expected for an unreddened starburst and have vacuum - uv luminosities that rival their far - ir luminosities .
starbursts that lie at or above the ` knee ' in the local starburst luminosity function ( l@xmath32 @xmath5 few @xmath9 l@xmath4 - cf .
soifer et al 1987 ) have red uv continua ( @xmath34 -1 to + 0.4 ) and are dominated by far - ir emission ( l@xmath35 @xmath0 10 to 100 l@xmath36 ) .
we also find that the amount of vacuum - uv extinction in starbursts correlates well with the absolute blue magnitude and the rotation speed of the galaxy ` hosting ' the starburst : starbursts in more massive galaxies are more dust - shrouded .
+ * second , the metallicity of the starburst also strongly affects the uv spectrum . *
apart from the effects of dust , a starburst s metallicity is the single most important parameter in determining its vacuum - uv properties .
in fact , metallicity and the effects of dust are well- correlated , as shown in figure 2 . 10truept at low metallicity ( @xmath610% solar ) a significant fraction of the intrinsic vacuum - uv actually escapes the starburst ( l@xmath35/l@xmath36 @xmath0 unity ) , and the vacuum - uv colors are consistent with the intrinsic ( unreddened ) colors expected for a starburst population ( @xmath34 -2 ) .
in contrast , at high metallicities ( @xmath5 solar ) 90% to 99% of the energy emerges in the far - ir ( l@xmath35/l@xmath36 = 10 to 100 ) and the vacuum - uv colors are very red ( @xmath34 0 ) .
storchi - bergmann , calzetti , & kinney ( 1994 ) had previously noted the correlation between metallicity and uv color .
these correlations have a straightforward interpretation : the vacuum - uv radiation escaping from starbursts suffers an increasing amount of reddening and extinction as the dust - to - gas ratio in the starburst ism increases with metallicity .
this will be true provided that neither the gas column density towards the starburst , nor the fraction of interstellar metals locked into dust grains are strong inverse functions of metallicity .
the properties of the vacuum - uv absorption - lines are also strongly dependent on metallicity .
figure 1 shows that both the high - ionization ( e.g. civ@xmath71550 and siiv@xmath71400 ) and low - ionization ( e.g. cii@xmath71335 , oi@xmath71302 , and siii@xmath7@xmath71260,1304 ) resonance absorption - lines arei significantly stronger in starbursts with high metallicity .
the metallicity - dependence of the high - ionization lines ( noted previously by storchi - bergmann , calzetti , & kinney 1994 ) is not surprising , given the likely strong contribution to these lines from stellar winds .
theoretically , we expect that since stellar winds are radiatively driven , the strengths of the vacuum - uv stellar wind lines will be metallicity - dependent .
this is confirmed by available hst and hut spectra of lmc and especially smc stars ( walborn et al 1995 ; puls et al 1996 ) .
if post - main - sequence stars ( supergiants and wolf - rayet stars ) contribute significantly to the integrated light , the stellar wind properties enter in a second , indirect way .
that is , the integrated uv spectrum heavily depends on the evolutionary history of the ob population , which in turn is critically dependent on the stellar mass - loss rates , which in turn are a function of the metal abundance ( see maeder & conti 1994 ) .
figure 1 also shows a metallicity - dependence for the strengths of the uv absorption - lines that are of stellar - photospheric rather than interstellar origin ( we know they are photospheric lines because they correspond to transitions out of highly excited states ) .
such lines are generally rather weak in starburst spectra and/or blended with strong interstellar features .
they include ciii@xmath71175 , siiii@xmath71417 , ciii@xmath7@xmath71426,1428 , sv@xmath71502 , siiii@xmath71892 , and feiii@xmath371925,1960 .
the weak but statistically - significant correlation between metallicity and the strength of the low - ionization resonance lines ( which are primarily formed in the interstellar medium of the starburst ) is also unsurprising .
analyses of hst spectra ( cf .
pettini & lipman 1995 ; heckman & leitherer 1997 ; sahu & blades 1997 ; gonzalez - delgado et al 1997 ) show that the strong interstellar lines are saturated ( highly optically - thick ) . in this case , the equivalent width of the absorption - line ( w ) is only weakly dependent on the ionic column density ( n@xmath38 ) : w @xmath27 b[ln(n@xmath38/b)]@xmath39 , where b is the normal doppler line - broadening parameter . over the range that h97 sample well , the starburst metallicity increases by a factor of almost 40 ( from 0.08 to 3 solar ) , while the equivalent widths of the strong interstellar lines only increase by an average factor of about two .
this is consistent with the strong interstellar lines being quite optically - thick . + * third , the properties of the strong interstellar absorption- lines reflect the hydrodynamical consequences of the starburst , and do not straightforwardly probe the gravitational potential of the galaxy . * as noted above , analyses of hst and hut uv spectra of starbursts imply that the interstellar absorption - lines lines are optically- thick .
their strength is therefore determined to first - order by the velocity dispersion in the starburst ( see above ) .
thus , these lines offer a unique probe of the kinematics of the gas in starbursts .
the enormous strengths of the starburst interstellar lines ( equivalent widths of 3 to 6 in metal - rich starbursts ) require very large velocity dispersions in the absorbing gas ( few hundred km s@xmath19 ) . are these gas motions primarily due to gravity or to the hydrodynamical ` stirring ' produced by supernovae and stellar winds ?
both processes probably contribute to the observed line - broadening .
h97 find only a very weak ( but still statistically significant ) correlation between the strengths ( widths ) of the interstellar absorption - lines and the rotation- speed of the host galaxy .
the weakness of the correlation suggests that gravity alone is not the whole story .
moreover , for any astrophysically - plausible ionic column density , the interstellar lines are typically at least twice as broad as can be explained by optically - thick gas orbiting in the galaxy potential well .
the most direct evidence for a non - gravitational origin of the gas motions comes from analyses of hst and hut spectra , which show that the interstellar lines are often blueshifted by one - to - several - hundred km s@xmath19 with respect to the systemic velocity of the galaxy ( heckman & leitherer 1997 ; gonzalez - delgado et al 1997 ; sahu & blades 1997 ; lequeux et al 1995 ) .
this demonstrates directly that the absorbing gas is flowing outward from the starburst , probably ` feeding ' the superwinds described in section 3.2 above ) .
the results summarized in section 4.1 have a variety of interesting implications for the interpretation of the rest - frame - uv properties of galaxies at high - redshift .
powerful starbursts in the present universe emit almost all their light in the far - infrared , not in the ultraviolet .
thus , an ultraviolet census of the local universe would significantly underestimate the true star - formation - rate and would systematically under - represent the most powerful , most metal - rich starbursts occuring in the most massive galaxies .
this may also be true at high - redshift , where the current estimates of star - formation rely almost exclusively on data pertaining to the rest - frame vacuum - uv ( see madau , this volume ) .
for example , current samples might under- represent young / forming massive elliptical galaxies . using the strong correlation between the vacuum - uv color of local starbursts ( @xmath30 ) and the ratio of far - ir to vacuum - uv light emitted by local starbursts , meurer et al ( 1997 ) estimate that an average vacuum - uv - selected galaxy at high - redshift ( e.g. steidel et al 1996 ; lowenthal et al 1997 ) suffers 2 to 3 magnitudes of extinction .
the ` correct ' prescription for de - extincting the high- z galaxies in order to correctly obtain the bolometric luminosity and star - formation rate is a matter of on - going debate ( see the contributions by pettini and madau to this volume ) .
it is worth emphasizing that the purely empirical method of meurer et al bypasses the substantial uncertainties about the dust extinction law , and the initial mass function and age of the stellar population in the high - z galaxies ( it assumes only that the high - z galaxies behave like local starbursts ) . as shown recently by burigana et al ( 1997 ) ,
the existing limits on the far - ir / sub - mm cosmic background are consistent with the global star - formation rates inferred by meurer et al at z@xmath52 due to dusty starbursts unless the dust in these galaxies is quite cool ( t@xmath40 @xmath6 20 k ) compared to the dust in local starbursts ( t@xmath40 @xmath0 30 to 60 k ) .
this seems very unlikely , since the bolometric surface - brightnesses of the high - redshift galaxies are similar to local starbursts ( meurer et al 1997 ) , implying that the energy density of the radiation field that heats the grains is similar in the two types of objects ( cf . figure 5 and the relevant discussion in lehnert & heckman ( 1996b ) . in any case
, it seems fair to conclude that the history of star - formation in the universe at early times ( z @xmath5 1 ) will remain uncertain until the effects of dust extinction are better understood . the strong correlation shown in figure 2 between vacuum - uv color ( @xmath30 ) and metallicity in local starbursts -
if applied naively to high - z galaxies - would suggest a broad range in metallicity from substantially subsolar to solar or higher and a median value of 0.3 to 0.5 solar .
this is signifcantly higher than the mean metallicity in the damped ly@xmath27 systems ( the major repository of hi gas at these redshifts ) , but this may be due to selection effects : the uv - selected galaxies are the most actively star- forming regions of galaxies , while the damped ly@xmath27 systems tend to sample the outer , less - chemically - enriched parts of galaxies or perhaps proto - galactic fragments ( e.g. pettini et al 1997 )
. it would be interesting to use the correlations between absorption- line strengths and metallicity in local starbursts to ` guesstimate ' the metallicity of the high - z galaxies ( see pettini , this volume ) .
one prediction based on the local starbursts ( h97 ) is that the high - z galaxies should show a strong correlation between the strength of the uv absorption - lines ( stellar and interstellar ) and @xmath30 ( the more metal - rich local starbursts are both redder and stronger - lined ) .
as noted above , meurer et al ( 1997 ) argue that the uv - selected galaxies at high - redshift suffer substantial amounts of extinction .
if their proposed extinction - corrections are applied , the high - z galaxies have very large bolometric luminosities ( @xmath0 10@xmath41 to 10@xmath42 l@xmath4 for h@xmath43 = 75 km s@xmath19 mpc@xmath19 and q@xmath43 = 0.1 ) .
interestingly , the bolometric surface- brightnesses of the extinction - corrected high - z galaxies are very similar to the values seen in local starbursts : @xmath0 10@xmath14 to 10@xmath41 l@xmath4 kpc@xmath29 .
the high - redshift galaxies appear to be ` scaled - up ' ( larger and more luminous ) versions of the local starbursts . the physics behind this ` characteristic ' surface- brightness is unclear ( cf .
meurer et al 1997 ; lehnert & heckman 1996b ) .
however , it is intruiging that the implied average surface- mass - density of the stars within the half - light radius ( @xmath0 10@xmath1 to 10@xmath2 m@xmath4 pc@xmath29 ) is quite similar to the values in present - day elliptical galaxies .
are we witnessing the formation of elliptical and bulges ? finally , based on local starbursts -
it seems likely that the gas kinematics that are measured in the high - z galaxies using the interstellar absorption - lines are telling us a great deal about the hydrodynamical consequences of high - mass star - formation on the interstellar medium , but rather little ( at least directly ) about the gravitational potential or mass of the galaxy .
even the widths of the nebular emission - lines in local starbursts are not always reliable tracers of the galaxy potential well ( cf .
lehnert & heckman 1996b ) .
this means that it will be tricky to determine masses for the high - z galaxies without measuring real rotation- curves via spatially - resolved spectroscopy . on the brighter side ,
if the kinematics of the interstellar absorption - lines can be generically shown to arise in outflowing metal - enriched gas , we can then directly study high - redshift star- forming galaxies caught in the act of ` polluting ' the intra - cluster medium and inter - galactic medium with metals in the early universe ( see section 3.2 above ) .
in fact , there is now rather direct observational evidence that this is the case .
i will need to briefly digress to explain this evidence . as emphasized above ,
the interstellar absorption - lines are significantly blue - shifted with respect to the systemic velocity of the galaxy ( v@xmath44 ) in many local starbursts . in the high - redshift galaxies
there is rarely a good estimator of v@xmath44 ( although the weak stellar photospheric lines listed in section 4.1 above are a promising possibility in spectra with adequate signal - to - noise ) .
it is also the case in local starbursts that the true galaxy systemic velocity lies between the velocity of the uv interstellar absorption - lines and the ly@xmath27 _ emission _ line ( lequeux et al 1995 ; gonzalez - delgado et al 1997 ) .
this is due to outflowing gas that both produces the blue - shifted absorption - lines and absorbs - away the blue side of the ly@xmath27 emission - line .
thus , a purely - uv signature of outflowing gas is a blueshift of the interstellar absorption - lines with respect to the ly@xmath27 emission - line ( even though neither is at v@xmath44 ) . .
recently , franx et al ( 1997 ) have seen just this effect in a spectrum of the highest - redshift object in the universe : a gravitationally - lensed galaxy at z = 4.92 .
they find that the ly@xmath27 emission line is redshifted by about 400 km s@xmath19 relative to the siii@xmath71260 interstellar absorption - line across the entire face of the galaxy .
more generally , lowenthal et al ( 1997 ) have constructed a composite uv spectrum of 12 high - z galaxies . in figure 3
i overplot this spectrum on an hst spectrum of the local starburst iras 0833 + 6517 ( gonzalez - delgado et al 1997 ) .
the spectra have been aligned to force a coincidence in wavelength between the strong interstellar absorption - lines .
the similarity of the two spectra is striking : a strong redshifted ly@xmath27 emission- line and a weak blue - shifted ly@xmath27 _ absorption _ line .
this composite spectrum strongly suggests that the outflow of metal- enriched gas at velocities of a few hundred km s@xmath19 is a generic feature of the high - z galaxies . _
if _ the outflowing gas escapes into the igm , such flows could bring an igm with @xmath45 @xmath0 0.01 h@xmath29 up to a mean metallicity of @xmath5 10@xmath29 solar by a redshift of 2.5 ( cf .
madau & shull 1996 ) .
starbursts are defined as brief episodes ( @xmath6 10@xmath3 years ) of intense star - formation that occur in the central - most 0.1 to 1 kpc- scale regions of galaxies and dominate the integrated emission from the galaxy .
they are a significant component of the present - day universe : they provide roughly 10% of the bolometric emissivity of the local universe and are the sites of @xmath025% of the high- mass star - formation .
thus , they deserve to be understood in their own right . they also offer unique ` laboratories ' for testing our ideas about star formation , the evolution of high - mass stars , and the physics of the interstellar medium .
they serve as local analogs of the processes that were important in the origin and early evolution of galaxies and in the heating and chemical enrichment of the inter- galactic medium ( igm ) . in this contribution
i have reviewed starbursts from this broad cosmogonical perspective , stressing several key lessons we have learned from starbursts : + * i ) violent , transient events play a significant role in the origin and evolution of galaxies .
* rather than simply evolving in a steady ` clockwork ' fashion , galaxies also evolve discontinuously through powerful bursts of star - formation , triggered by galaxy interactions . + * ii ) galaxies do not evolve as ` island universes ' or ` closed boxes . ' * powerful starbursts are triggered by galaxy interactions and mergers that can create an elliptical galaxy out of two spirals .
the starbursts produce outflows of hot metal - enriched gas ( ` superwinds ' ) that pollute the inter - galactic medium .
there is now direct observational evidence for a metal - enriched igm and for the outflows at low- and high - redshift that are responsible for this enrichment .
study of superwinds in the local universe suggest that galaxy formation may have been an inefficient process with the majority of gas being ejected .
dust dramatically affects of view of high - mass star- formation in starbursts and ( probably ) in high - redshift galaxies .
* powerful starbursts in the present universe emit almost all their light in the far - infrared .
an ultraviolet census of the local universe would significantly underestimate the true star - formation- rate and could systematically under - represent the most powerful , most metal - rich starbursts occuring in the most massive galaxies . applying the empirical relations followed by local starbursts to the uv - selected galaxies at
high - redshift implies that the latter typically suffer 2 to 3 magnitudes of extinction , and that the star - formation rate in the universe need not be smaller at z@xmath0 3 than at z@xmath01 .
the high - z galaxies would then have estimated bolometric surface - brightnesses and sizes consistent with a population of forming elliptical galaxies .
+ * iv ) space - based observations are crucial in understanding starbursts .
* x - ray data ( rosat , asca , axaf , xmm ) are vital for studying the superwind phenomenon , since they directly probe the hot gas that comprises most of the mass and energy in the flow .
ultraviolet data ( iue , hst , hut , fuse ) offer detailed information about both the hot stars that power the starburst and the dynamics of the interstellar medium .
visible observations with the high - angular resolution of hst have revealed the importance of galaxy interactions and mergers at low and medium redshift and given us a tantalizing glimpse of the star - forming history of the early universe .
finally , the infrared ( iras , iso , cobe , wire , sirtf , sofia , ngst ) represents the primary channel for energy loss for the dusty , metal - rich starbursts .
such data not only document the presence of dusty starbursts in the local universe ( z @xmath46 1 ) , but also constrain their global importance at high - redshift .
i would like to thank my collaborators over the past few years ( especially d. calzetti , m. dahlem , r. della ceca , r. gonzalez- delgado , m. lehnert , c. leitherer , g. meurer , c. robert , a. suchkov , and k. weaver ) for hard work and inspiration .
special thanks to j. lowenthal for providing a composite spectrum of high- z galaxies and to m. carollo , m. dickinson , p. madau , c. martin , c. mihos , c. norman , m. pettini , c. steidel , and m. voit for stimulating discussions and constructive suggestions . this work has been partially supported by nasa grant nagw-3138 .
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sur - yivette , 283 soifer , b.t . , sanders , d. , madore , b. , neugebauer , g. , lonsdale , c. , persson , s.e . , & rice , w. 1987 , apj , 320 , 238 steidel , c. , giavalisco , m. , pettini , m. , dickinson , m. , & adelberger , k. 1996 , apj , 462 , l17 storchi - bergmann , t. , calzetti , d. & kinney , a. 1994 , apj , 429 , 572 suchkov , a. berman , v. , heckman , t. , & balsara , d. 1996 , apj , 463 , 528 toomre , a. 1977 , in the evolution of galaxies and stellar populations , ed . b. tinsley & r. larson , yale university observatory , 401 toomre , a. & toomre , j. 1972 , apj , 178 , 623 turner , m. , truran , j. , schramm , d. , & copi , c. 1996 , apj , 466 , l59 tytler , d. , et al .
1995 , in qso absorption lines , ed .
g. meylan , springer : berlin , 289 van den bergh , s. 1995 , nature , 374 , 215 veilleux , s. , cecil , g. , & bland - hawthorn , j. 1996 , sciam , 274 , 86 walborn , n. , lennon , d. , haser , s. , & kudritzki , r. 1995 , pasp , 107 , 104 wang , b. 1995 , apj , 444 , 590 whitmore , b. , & schweizer , f. 1995 , aj , 109 , 960 zabludoff , a. et al .
1996 , apj , 466 , 104 | arxiv |
Is entanglement a classical phenomena?
If I have an entangled state shared between two parties Alice and Bob
$$\frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}|00\rangle+\frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}|11\rangle....(1)$$
then the reduced density operator of Alice's side is $\frac{I}{2}$, that is Alice's qubit
is in mixed state. But being in a mixed state is a classical phenomena. By classical phenomena I mean when we write density operator for mixed state that can be in either of $\{|\psi\_i\rangle\}$ states with probability $p\_i$, we know that system is exactly one of the states but just don't know which .Such uncertainties are due to defects in device etc is a classical phenomena. So is entanglement due to the reason Alice's/Bob's reduced density operator is mixed ( which is a classical phenomena if I am not wrong )?
Sorry if I could not put this more properly in words.
In short: **No**, your reasoning is backwards. The reduced density matrix is mixed because of entanglement and not vise versa.
If two systems A and B are in an entangled state, we can no longer separate the state description and write down individual state vectors for system A and B, i.e:
$$ |\psi\rangle\_A \otimes |\psi\rangle\_A $$
Remember that a state is just a mathematical object which allows to predict the expectation values for any observable and the probabilities for any measurement outcome. The reduced state for system A (or B) is the state which allows one to calculate the value of any observable which acts solely on system A, in other words, for any measurement of the properties of system A which ignores system B. The reduced state is obtained by an operation called partial trace. After performing the partial trace, you end up with a *mixed state*, as you yourself has said. This is because some of the information of the composite system is lost during the partial trace (well, we are "tracing it out"!) and hence we end up with a mixed state as our final answer.
So really, entanglement is **not** a classical phenomenon, instead, the reduced density matrix of either Alice or Bob is a mixed state for the reasons described above.
| stackexchange/physics |
What causes multiple colored patches on a wet road?
I was going to school (after a rainy hour) when I saw some patches of shiny colours lying on road. Some small children surrounded that area and thought that it's a rainbow falling on the Earth. (For some 5-6 year old children it is a serious thing.)
I have a similar photo from Google:
It is definitely not a rainbow falling on the Earth but what is it? The road is a busy road and hence I think that's because of some pollutants, oil, or grease.
There is a thorough explanation of the phenomenon [on the Hyperphysics site](http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/phyopt/oilfilm.html).
What you are seeing is an oil film floating on the water, and the thickness of the oil film is around the wavelength of visible light i.e. around a micron. The film behaves as an [etalon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabry%E2%80%93P%C3%A9rot_interferometer) because light reflecting from the upper air-oil interface interferes with light reflecting from the lower oil-water interface.
If you were viewing the road in monochromatic light, for example under sodium street lamps, you would see a pattern of light and dark fringes. Because daylight spans a range of wavelengths from 400 to 700nm the fringes from the different wavelengths of light overlap and you get a coloured pattern.
A very thin floating layer of oxidized oil (helps it spread) captures incoming white light. If oil thickness fits a wavelength of light (or a whole number of them), it reinforces. If not, it cancels. You see a rainbow as changing thicknesses of the oil layer select for individual different wavelengths of light.
Now, the fun part! The rainbow extends into the ultraviolet and into the infrared, as do sky rainbows. It can't be a rainbow fallen to earth, for there is no pot of gold at its end. "8^>)
Experiment: Take a clean flat plane of glass and place upon it a slightly curved clean convex glass lens. Where the two slightly touch there is tiny circular rainbow. If you *very gently* press, the faint rainbow gets smaller as the distances get smaller. Two stacked clean flat plates of glass will also show broad faint color bands that dance to slight compression. Getting them apart afterward tells you about van der Waals surface interactions. NEVER try this with optical flats! They bond.
It can be interpreted by interfere of light. The thick of the oil film is around the wave length of visible light. incident light enter into oil film, light reflect from interface of water and oil interfere with incident light.Because of the different thickness of oil film, many colors you can see from the surface of the oil film.
It is observed when a thin layer of oil floats over water..(by thin I mean about a micron) light is dispersed into its constituent colours and colours appear wavy because of unstable conditions of atmosphere and liquid..it is only seen when oil layer is as thick as the wavelength of visible light..if you observe light emitted from burning hydrogen,copper or pottasium on it in a dark room you would probably observe their spectra with fringes as in two slit experiment
| stackexchange/physics |
confidence
by
Doug Jung
First Draft
March 2000
BLACK:
JAKE (V.O.)
So I'm dead...
FADE IN:
EXT. - BACK ALLEY- NIGHT (PRESENT)
Dumpsters overflow with the day's garbage. A pillar of
steam rises from an underground grate. It's the dark
place between buildings that a reasonable person avoids.
We see JAKE VIG, a guy in his late 20's whose fashionable
suit and good looks are in obvious contrast to the
surroundings-- At first glance, you'd think he could run
for Congress some day. At first glance.
Jake faces a garbage dumpster on his knees, execution
style. His face gives away nothing-- He could be kneeling
in a strawberry field.
JAKE (V.O.)
And I think it's because of this
redhead...
BUTCH (O.S.)
Know who I am, Jake?
JAKE
The Anti-Christ?
BUTCH (O.S.)
No. I'm not the Anti-Christ. Or the
Prince of Darkness. I'm just a guy
looking for some answers.
There's the LOUD UNMISTAKABLE "CLICK" of a gun being
cocked. The barrel of a gun slides gently along Jake's
ear and comes to rest at the base of his skull.
The voice and the gun belong to BUTCH (40's). With his
suit and conservative looks, you'd make him out for a
"Steve" or "Roger" more than a "Butch".
BUTCH (cont' d)
Things are probably going to end badly
for you, Jake.
JAKE
Gee... What makes you say that?
BUTCH
Your life flashing before your eyes?
JAKE
Just the last three weeks.
(CONTINUED)
2.
CONTINUED:
BUTCH
That's not a bad place to start.
CUT TO:
EXT . - BACK ALLEY- NIGHT
Title: Three Weeks Ago...
The same alley... The door of a building bursts open as
LIONEL DOLBY (late 40's), dressed in a cheap suit, stumbles
out breathing heavy. The dim light of a bare bulb glares
off the sweat on his forehead.
A moment later, Jake emerges from the same door carrying
a large black revolver.
JAKE
I lost my head. I'm... Sorry. I don't
know what happened.
LIONEL
Y-y-you fucking shot him! That's what
happened!
JAKE
I had to! That motherfucker was about
to welch! You saw what he was doing,
right? You heard him!
Lionel starts shaking his head spastically.
LIONEL
I can't be here! You understand? I
can' t--
JAKE
Listen to me! It went to shit. It
happens sometimes.
In the distance, A POLICE SIREN WAILS, growing louder.
LIONEL
Oh Jesus!
JAKE
LISTEN to me! We don't have much time.
We can still get through this but you
have to keep your head and trust me!
Jake takes a tentative step forward. Lionel sees a BLOOD
STAIN on Jake's shirt and recoils.
The SIREN GROWS LOUDER, Jake turning his head towards it.
(CONTINUED)
3.
CONTINUED:
LIONEL
What-- What do we do?
JAKE
Help me.
Jake waves Lionel back through the door they came out of.
CUT TO:
INT. - THE EUCLID BAR
A dive furnished with a few mismatched chairs and a bar.
A single overweight PATRON sits at a corner table with
face buried in his hands as he WHIMPERS. Jake and, Lionel
Dolby pass him as they emerge from a back hallway.
MILES, late 20's, wipes blood off the bar. Placed at the
edge of the bar are two briefcases, both open, both filled
with neat stacks of blood splattered money.
A DEAD GUY lies face down on the floor in a pool of blood.
Jake grabs the Dead Guy's legs as Lionel watches in
disbelief.
JAKE
Come on. Grab his arms.
Lionel stands frozen. Jake, drops the dead guy's legs
with a THUD.
JAKE
Lionel... He's dead. Yeah, maybe you
didn't pull the trigger, but you were
standing right there and watched me do
it. Help me. Grab his arms.
The POLICE SIRENS grow LOUDER.
MILES
Tick-tock...
JAKE
If you wanna help, then help. If not,
shut up.
MILES
Your mess.
JAKE
Then shut up.
MILES
My place.
(CONTINUED)
4.
CONTINUED:
Miles lets out a little chuckle; it's just enough to set
Jake off again.
Jake pulls the gun and points it at Miles.
MILES
Oh please...
Miles non-chalantly pulls a sawed off shot gun frown under
the bar.
MILES (cont' d)
You think this kinda shit hasn't happened
here before? Given it's usually on
Thursdays. And usually, I gotta tell
the cops, "No, Officer... I didn't really
get a good look at the shooters."
Usually anyway.
PATRON
(without looking up)
I didn't see nothing. And I swear if
you let me go now, I won't say-
JAKE
Relax, porkchop.
The POLICE SIRENS sound like they're right outside.
LIONEL
I can't be here!
Jake cocks his gun, never taking his stare off Miles.
JAKE
Then go.
Lionel looks at the briefcases of bloodied money.
LIONEL
What about... The money?
JAKE
What about this situation makes you
think I can answer that question right
now?
Lionel again looks at the briefcases; then the shotgun
leveled at Jake; then at the direction of the POLICE
SIRENS... He runs for the door without a second thought.
CUT T0:
5.
EXT.- THE EUCLID/CITY SIDEWALK- NIGHT
Lionel emerges up the stairs from the basement level bar
to street-level just as a POLICE CAR SCREECHES to a halt
in front of the bar, lights flashing, SIREN WAILING. On
the door is the emblem for the NEW YORK POLICE
DEPARTMENT.
Lionel does his best to look casual as TWO UNIFORMED
OFFICERS jump out of the car and rush the Euclid. One of
the Officers catches Lionel looking over his shoulder.
The last thing Lionel hears before he turns a corner--
OFFICER (O.S.)
Everybody FREEZE!
As soon as he's turned the corner, Lionel breaks into a
full sprint down the street.
CUT TO:
INT.- THE EUCLID
OFFICER WALTER SOBOZINSKI, a middle aged cop with a couple
of spare tires, stands by the front door with his gun
drawn, in a dramatic stance.
SOBOZINSKI
(yelling)
I said, freeze you motherfucking,
cocksucking, scumbags!
The second middle aged cop, OFFICER RICHARD ROTTOVICH
comes calmly down the stairs behind Sobozinski.
ROTTOVICH
We're clear.
Rottovich closes the door and locks it behind him.
SOBOZINSKI
(still yelling)
Or I'll blow off every one of your
fucking heads!
Sobozinski lets out a bellowing LAUGH.
We PAN OVER TO REVEAL Jake, Miles and BIG AL (the Patron)
sitting at the bar by the Dead Guy.
JAKE
Stop waving that thing around.
MILES
You sure we're clear?
(CONTINUED)
6.
CONTINUED:
ROTTOVICH
Guy looked like he was trying not to
shit himself.
(re: the Dead Guy)
Nice.
DEAD GUY
What took so fucking long?
The Dead Guy stirs-- GORDO, late 20's, dressed in a blood
soaked suit stands up; wiping blood off his face.
DEAD GUY/GORDO
I've been lying in this shit like half
the night.
MILES
You guys were late. We had to go to a
Mexican stand-off.
JAKE
And you know I hate guns.
Jake tosses the revolver on the bar.
SOBOZINSKI
We were fighting crime.
MILES
Keeping the city streets safe for drug
dealers and pedophiles everywhere.
Jake starts taking the money out of the briefcases. Gordo
strips out of the jacket and shirt, revealing a THIN WHITE
VEST. A wire runs from a battery pack on his belt, up
the center of the vest, ending at a scorched, bloody,
explosive squib.
Gordo drops the vest along with a plastic bag containing
fake blood. A nasty bruise on his chest marks the spot
where the squib was.
GORDO
Shit.
JAKE
I told you, use less powder.
GORDO
But you won't get that splatter effect.
Jake removes the blood stained bills from the top of the
pile.
(CONTINUED)
7.
CONTINUED:
JAKE
Then these go into your cut.
Big Al moves over to the bar.
BIG AL
Hey, Jake... When am I gonna get to
play the Inside?
JAKE
Gordo plays the inside. You're the
Shill.
BIG AL
Yeah, but come on... All I get to do is
cry and get insulted.
JAKE
What are you talking about? You should
get a fucking Academy Award for the
Shill work you do.
(off Al's smile)
We got it down cold, Al. You don't
want to jinx it by changing something
up, do you?
BIG AL
I' m gonna go get eggrolls. Anyone want
eggrolls?
Al slaps Jake on the back and exits.
Jake catches Gordo hawking over his shoulder.
JAKE
What? I can feel you looking at me.
GORDO
That's a lot of cash. He came up with
it pretty quick.
JAKE
Probably some investment banker or
convertible-bonds-broker-dickhead. Did
you see how fast he ran out of here?
It's done. He's not coming back.
GORDO
I guess. I gotta drop a dime. Did
anybody mess up the hoop?
MILES
It's clean.
Gordo disappears dawn the back hallway.
(CONTINUED)
8.
CONTINUED:
Jake rubber bands two small wads of cash and hands them
to Rottovich and Sobozinski.
JAKE
Ten percent.
SOBOZINSKI
You guys got sack, I'll give you that
much.
JAKE
Confidence. It's just confidence.
Sobozinski and Rottovich head for the door with their
newly padded pockets.
ROTTOVICH
(patting his pocket)
Feels a little light, Jake. Next time
we're in for twenty.
MILES
Twenty? My ass!
JAKE
What are you talking about? Ten's
standard.
ROTTOVICH
Yeah Well, Sobo's kid needs braces.
SOBOZINSKI
Do you have any idea what those monks
charge for that medieval torture?
JAKE
We got a good thing going here. You
want to blow it over an overbite?
ROTTOVICH
Don't get me wrong, Jake. I like you
boys. You guys are the steadiest
business in town. But what can I say?
Twenty percent's still better than
what we give to any of the other
criminals.
JAKE
All the shit we pulled with you and
you're trying to shake us down? You
guys got sack.
ROTTOVICH
Was that a threat? Did I hear a
threat?
(CONTINUED)
9.
CONTINUED:
ROTTOVICH (cont' d)
Last I remember, we were talking
economics, then this..? What happens
next time if we gotta stop and help a
little old lady cross the street? Well,
shit... Then we gotta pass the call to
someone else.
Sobozinski and Rottovich exit.
MILES
(shaking his head)
Cops...
CUT TO:
EXT. BACK ALLEY- NIGHT (PRESENT)
Butch shaking his head, still holding the gun.
BUTCH
Grifters...
JAKE
We can't all be model citizens such as
yourself.
BUTCH
It's all about the money, isn't it?
JAKE
Isn't it always?
CUT TO:
INT.- FOUR SEASONS HOTEL- NIGHT
A suite in the upscale hotel. Miles answers a KNOCK on
the door-- An expensive CALL GIRL stands at the door in
an overcoat.
JAKE (V.O.)
It's what makes us run. And despite
what they say, it can buy you love.
CALL GIRL
Are you ready for me, Ralph?
She lets the overcoat fall open, revealing her lack of
clothing.
CUT TO:
INT.- PRADA STORE- NIGHT
Gordo stands in front of a mirror trying on a new suit.
The sales people fawn over him.
(CONTINUED)
10.
CONTINUED:
JAKE (V.O.)
It can buy you a new and better you.
GORDO
I just don't know if this says, "me".
What's the fabric?
CUT TO:
INT.- BIG AL'S APARTMENT- NIGHT
Big Al has a cordless phone to his ear...
JAKE (V.O.)
It can erase all those things about you
that you wish didn't exist.
BIG AL
It's Alfonse. I want to settle up. I
haven't been ducking you. I told you
I'd get it.
Big Al picks up a CHINESE TAKE-OUT MENU and leafs through
it while on the phone.
CUT TO:
EXT.- SOHO STREET- NIGHT
Jake walks down the crowded street, passing the bars and
restaurants of SoHo. His jacket's buttoned up to hide
the blood stains.
JAKE (V.O.)
It can make you think you're on top of
the world.
Jake passes a group of well-dressed, well manicured people
waiting in line outside of a trendy bar called "Wax."
Among the hip and well dressed, he seems out of place at
the moment. An outsider.
An attractive blonde in her late twenties, LILY, bumps
into Jake.
LILY
(innocently)
Oops.
She throws Jake a smile he can't but help return. They
stand for a second facing each other before she's whisked
away by an OLDER MAN, dressed in an expensive suit.
(CONTINUED)
11.
CONTINUED:
Jake's smile fades as he watches her saunter into the
bar, but not before she throws him another glance over
her shoulder. Jake continues on into...
CUT TO:
INT.- NEIGHBORHOOD BAR- CONTINUOUS
A semi-crowded bar. Not hip and trendy like "Wax."
Jake finds an empty stool at the end of the bar and orders
a drink. He takes a second to look around at the cliques
of people talking, laughing, having a good time before he
pulls a newspaper out his coat pocket.
Jake takes a pen from the bar and opens to the crossword
section.
JAKE (V.O.)
And if you believe that money can do
all that for you, you're the perfect
mark. Jack Kerouac said that if you
own a rug, you own too much. I don't
necessarily like Kerouac and driving
cross country isn't exactly my idea of
a good time, but the guy's got a
point...
Jake sits alone with his crossword puzzle.
CUT TO:
INT.- JAKE'S APARTMENT- LATER
Jake enters a sparsely furnished loft. The skyline of
Brooklyn twinkles through dirty, picturesque windows.
Jake drops his keys on a table and hits a button on an
answering machine.
ANSWERING MACHINE
You have no new messages.
JAKE (V.O.)
If you've got nothing, you've got
nothing to lose. And when it comes to
money, finding it and losing it, you
always gotta remember how much of it's
just luck...
Jake stands his sparse little world, addressing the quiet
before he fishes for his wallet, which he can't find.
LILY (V. O. )
Oops.
(CONTINUED)
12.
CONTINUED:
The realization makes Jake smile.
Then a FLAPPING SOUND spins him around to see a PIGEON,
flapping up against the inside of a partially opened
window.
Visibly upset by the bird, Jake moves towards the window
and pushes it wide, allowing the bird to escape.
JAKE
Dumb fucking luck.
Jake stares out the window after the bird.
CUT T0:
INT.- DOLBY'S APARTMENT- NIGHT
A nicer apartment than Jake's. Lionel Dolby, the Mark
from the Euclid rushes around, haphazardly throwing
things into a suitcase. There's a KNOCK on the door that
stops Lionel dead in his tracks.
Another KNOCK. Lionel still frozen.
The door flies open with a BOOM. In the doorway, we see
HARLIN, an older mountain of a man dressed in a plain
black suit. Behind him is LUPUS (late-20's), dressed in
a sweatsuit a pilot could spot from 20,000ft.
LUPUS
Mr. Dolby. King would like a word with
you.
LIONEL
R-r-right now?
LUPUS
Please. We have a car waiting. I
apologize for the door.
CUT T0:
INT . - JAKE'S APARTMENT- MORNING
A RINGING PHONE... Jake stirs on the futon oddly placed
on the floor in the middle of the room and picks up the
phone.
JAKE
Yeah.
MILES (O.S.)
You better get over to Al's. Now.
(CONTINUED)
13.
CONTINUED:
Miles hangs up before Jake can answer.
CUT TO:
INT.- BIG AL'S- DAY
Jake stand's with Miles in the sparse living room. Big
AI's body sits reclining on a Lazy Boy chair, eyes bulging
open. An open carton of food rests in his lap. A feast
of take-out Chinese surrounds him. The TV blares an old
episode of "The Little Rascals."
There's a singed, neat bullet hole in his forehead.
MILES
I was supposed to meet him for breakfast.
He likes that new IHOP they just opened,
you know... He likes to order that thing.
The Rutti-Tutti-Fresh and Fruity thing
they got.
JAKE
Miles...
MILES
Sorry. I'm just... Look what they did
to him. Right in the middle of his egg-
foo-young.
Big Al stares up at them with those bulging, vacant eyes,
his mouth hanging open. Jake reaches down and grabs the
remote control and turns the TV off.
JAKE (V.O.)
Big Al used to send money to his Father,
some Vietnam Vet slowly losing his mind
in a VA hospital in Cleveland. Al was
like that. That's why Al never played
the Inside.
CUT TO:
INT.- DINER- DAY
Gordo enters and takes a seat in the back booth with Jake
and Miles.
GORDO
Seems Lionel Dolby came down with a
sudden case of drowning last night.
They just pulled him out of the East River.
JAKE
Well, this is just fucking great...
(CONTINUED)
14.
CONTINUED:
GORDO
It gets worse. Now I know why he was
such a good rope. X mean, cash....
That much and we never had to put him
on the "Send?" Turns out this ducking
Moe was an accountant for the King Pin.
Gordo throws Jake a hard look, letting the news sink in.
Jake can only slump back into the booth.
MILES
Who's that?
GORDO
The cash we fleeced off of him was
collection money. He was supposed to
take that money and give it to the
King earlier yesterday like he does
every Thursday. `Cept this time, he
figured he could make a little
something for himself off us and still
get the King's money back before any
body says "boo."
MILES
What's a King Pin?
Gordo looks to Jake, but can see that he's still processing
the information.
GORDO
Currently, the King Pin is a very large-
type pole stuck up our asses.
MTLES
Mob?
GORDO
Independant. Same shit, just
independant. They call him the King
Pin because he looks like that guy from
the comic book... Big. Fat. Bald.
MILES
So what? We hide, right?
GORDO
(shaking his head)
What are you? New? Let me tell you
how good this guy is. Last night, Al
calls this bookie to settle up.
Apparently he's been ducking him for
like a month. So the guy asks him where
he's got all this money all of a sudden,
right? What does Al do?
(CONTINUED)
15.
CONTINUED:
GORDO (cont'd)
Does he tell him that he cashed in a
fucking Bar Mitzvah bond? Does he tell
him he's been giving head out back for
twenty bucks a pop? No... He starts
going on about this job he just pulled
and how he fleeced some Wall Street
asshole -type... How HE fleeced.
MILES
You're pissed we didn't get credit?
GORDO
No, that was the only semi-fucking smart
thing he said! Except anybody that's
ever met Big A1 knows that the only
thing he's comfortable doing alone is
eating. This guys tells this guy, that
guy tells some other guy, eventually it
works it's way back to someone who works
for the King and--
INSERT SHOT
INT- BIG AL'S APARTMENT- NIGHT
Big Al sits on the Lazy Boy, about to take a big bite of
egg foo young. He stops as the front door is kicked open
with a CRASH.
GORDO (V.O.)
Shazaam.
Big Al's eyes grow huge as we hear a LOUD BALM!!!
BACK TO THE DINER
GORDO (coat' d)
Big Al gets whacked mid-egg foo young.
The whole thing took about two and a
half hours. That's how good he is.
MILES
We sure Big Al threw him to us?
GORDO
Come on...
All three of them turn their attention out the window.
They watch the bustle of people walking past wondering if
any one of them is looking back.
JAKE
A bird flew into my house last night.
Gordo and Miles exchange a look, unsure of how to
respond.
(CONTINUED)
16.
CONTINUED:
JAKE (cont'd)
It's bad luck.
MILES
Just an idea, but let's just fucking
split. We'll meet up anywhere. Akron
or Austin or Atlanta. Anywhere...
JAKE
He'll find us. We go talk to him.
GORDO
Whoa. What?
MILES
We're going to give him the money back?
JAKE
You know what we're doing with the money.
GORDO
And what about Big Al?
JAKE
Leave him. Someone's going to find him
eventually. Then they'll start looking
for us, too.
A WAITRESS approaches.
WAITRESS
What can I get you guys?
MILES
Coffee. And a valium.
Jake turns his attention out the window.
CUT TO:
EXT. - THE EUCLID-- DAY
A basement bar in a crummy neighborhood. There's no sign,
but everything about it says, "Condemned."
JAKE (V.O.)
The Euclid was our place.
CUT TO:
17.
INT.- THE EUCLID- DAY
Jake, Miles and Gordo sit at the bar of the run down
watering hole. Jake stands placing neat stacks of money
into a Fed-Ex box.
JAKE (V.O.)
Gordo fleeced the deed off some idiot
in a card game. We used it every now
and then for a rag, but mostly it was
our office. Our Power Point.
Gordo and Miles start unloading the same neat stacks of
money from their pockets. It's not as much as Jake put
in.
JAKE
That's it?
MILES/GORDO
Bills.../Had that thing...
Shaking his head, Jake seals the Fed--Ex box, then hands
the form to Miles and. Picks up the phone.
MILES (cont'd)
Do we want insurance?
(off their looks)
I'm just asking...
JAKE
Just mail it to the hospital.
(dialing)
Mr. King, please. It's regarding an
accounting problem. Yes... Correct...
I know where it is. That will be fine.
Thank you.
Jake hangs up the phone.
GORDO
When?
JAKE
Tonight. Just me.
MILES
Fuck that. We're going too.
GORDO
Alright, let's all put our dicks back
in our pants for a second. Is this the
best thing to do?
Jake levels a stare at Gordo for a second.
(CONTINUED)
18.
CONTINUED:
JAKE
Meet me at my place later.
MILES
How do you know the King's going to let
you walk?
JAKE
I'm getting a ride.
Jake picks up the phone and dials another number.
CUT TO:
EXT.- THE BULLDOG GYM- NIGHT
A neon sign in the shape of a boxing glove tells you what
kind of gym it is.
A police car comes to a stop in front. Rottovich and
Sobozinski in the front seats. Jake gets out of the back.
SOBOZINSKI
The King, huh? Nice going.
JAKE
I try.
ROTTOVICH
Don't dick around too long. And if he
stabs you or shoots you or causes any
other form of profuse bleeding, call a
cab because you are not getting back in
this car!
Jake nods and approaches the door where Harlin and Lupus
stand vigil. Lupus wears another loud sweatsuit.
HARLIN
We appreciate your punctuality. Mr.
King is expecting you.
Jake takes a step towards the door, but is pushed up
against The wall by Lupus who begins to roughly pat Jake
down.
HARLIN
Lupus!
LUPUS
What? You said pat him down, I'm pattin'
him down.
Harlin shakes his head and pushes Lupus out of the way.
(CONTINUED)
19.
CONTINUED:
HARLIN
It only takes a moment to be polite.
My apologies, Mr. Vig. If you wouldn't
mind?
Jake steps back and raises his arms.
JAKE
You the one that did it? You the one
that got Al?
HARLIN
Mr. King prefers to farm out for that
kind of work.
(gesturing to the
door)
Please, after you.
Harlin gives the Officers Sobozinski and Rottovich a slight
nod of acknowledgment.
CUT TO:
INT.- BULLDOG GYM- CONTINUOUS
Harlin and Lupus lead Jake through the cavernous gym.
All around them, huge, sweaty, boxers work the speed bag,
jump rope, spar, etc... There's not one that doesn't look
like he's spent some time in the State Penal Boxing League.
JAKE
(a little nervous)
Uh... Which one's the King Pin?
HARLIN
He's in the back taking a steam.
Jake nods and let's out a silent sigh of relief.
CUT TO:
INT.- STEAM BATH- CONTINUOUS
A huge room filled with steam. Harlin and Lupus stand by
the door as Jake cautiously steps in. NEW AGE MUSIC is
being played-- Could be Yanni.
Sitting in a lounge chair, wearing a white terry cloth
robe is THE KING PIN. His large body is less fat than
just big, constructed of circles and topped off with the
baldest head you've ever seen.
A MANICURIST sits next to the King Pin working on his
nails.
(CONTINUED)
20.
CONTINUED:
KING PIN
Ow! Watch the pinkie!
This isn't so bad. Jake almost has to stifle a laugh.
KING PIN (cont'd)
Every time, you get the pinkie and I
get a hang nail.
( to Jake)
You Jake?
Jake nods and the King motions for the manicurist to
leave.
KING PIN
Grifter huh? Where have you been on
the grift? Couldn't been here long
'cause I would have heard of you,
Skippy.
JAKE
Jake. You can call me Jake. Here and
there.
KING PIN
Here and there, Scooter? Here and
there like Boston, Chicago, Houston?
The bay area? Some action in London,
`til it turned nickel and dime. Or how
about that little stint down in Miami?
Heard you actually got into some
trouble with the Feds down there. You
guy's pretty good?
JAKE
I have a good crew.
KING PIN
Minus one.
Jake visibly bristles...
JAKE
Minus one.
KING PIN
You know, back in the day, grafting was
considered a gentleman's racket. Good
suits, good food... The Underworld of
the Underworld. A grifter had to survive
on his wits, his instincts... I like
that. I like the idea of that.
These days, things being what they are,
guys like me gotta stay low.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
21.
CONTINUED:
KING PIN (cont' d)
It's all take, take, take . You can' t
just be fucking witty about it.
JAKE
I guess it lacks a certain style.
KING PIN
Of course, your line of work's only as
good as the people you find.
JAKE
You can't cheat an honest man.
KING PIN
You can't cheat an honest man. But a
man like Lionel Dolby...
JAKE
I apologize for the inconvenience.
The King picks up a long, metal nail file.
KING PIN
Honest mistake. Just give me the money
back and all will be forgiven.
JAKE
I can't do that.
KING PIN
Why not?
JAKE
Let me rephrase-- I won`t do that.
KING PIN
Let me repeat-- Why not?
JAKE
Because you killed one of my crew.
KING PIN
Buddy, that was business. Besides, you
have more crew. Then there's you...
JAKE
I'll get the money back, plus interest.
I go on the grift for you. You get a
cat, I get a cut. And we get square.
KING PIN
(laughing)
Fucking grifters! I love it! You got
balls, I'll give you that much.
(CONTINUED)
22.
CONTINUED:
JAKE
No. Just confidence.
The King Pin stands up and moves over to Jake.
KING PIN
I' ll be honest with you, Kid. A
grifter comes in here with a fifteen
hundred dollar D-K-fucking-N-Y suit,
cooler than an Eskimo in winter and
tells me he wants to grift for me?
First thing I have to ask myself is,
is he playing for me or is he just
plain playing me? You tried it once.
JAKE
We got caught. So you know it won't
happen again.
With surprising speed, the King Pin grabs Jake by the
neck.
KING PIN
I know it won't happen because you're
going to feel like a Prom Queen who
just got gang fucked by the wrestling
team!
A few pained CHOKES from Jake as his knees buckle.
HARLIN
Mr. Vig arrived with an escort. NYPD.
The King loosens his grip and let's Jake fall.
KING PIN
Grifters... Always working an angle.
Alright. I can see you got some vision.
But I give you the Mark. I tell you
the who and you give me the how. Lupus
go with him.
Lupus snaps to attention.
LUPUS
What?
KING PIN
Consider him part of your crew.
Consider him a part of me.
Jake begins to speak, but is silenced with a look.
KING PIN
He goes. Now let me see your hands.
(CONTINUED)
23.
CONTINUED:
The King picks up the nail file again.
JAKE
Why?
KING PIN
You ask a lot of questions. Come on.
(motioning with nail
file)
Let me see `em.
Jake turns to find Lupus and Harlin on either side of
him. They take him by the wrists and hold his hands up
for the King.
KING PIN (cont' d)
I don't like to ask things more than
once, Junior. I want you to know how
much that irks me.
The King begins to gently trace between Jake's fingers
with the nail file.
Jake remains rigid against Lupus and Harlin as the nail
file scrapes along the soft, fleshy webbing between his
fingers.
Jake shuts his eyes... Then opens them to find the King
now gently stroking his hands-- Almost a loving caress.
KING PIN
You have incredibly soft hands. Good
cuticles . They' re like a baby's hands.
Grifters with rough hands... You know
that they're probably not that good.
Means they've had to do some hard
labor to make ends meet. But you...
Smooth... Supple.
The King continues to stroke Jake's hands with his own
meaty paws.
BUTCH (V.O.)
Are you insinuating that the King Pin
is of an alternative lifestyle?
CUT TO:
EXT. BACK ALLEY- NIGHT (PRESENT)
Jake shakes his head slowly.
JAKE
I'm not saying anything. Besides, you're
one to talk. You're the one who's got
me on my knees in a dark alley.
(CONTINUED)
24.
CONTINUED:
BUTCH
And these cops? What do they get?
CUT TO:
INT. - SQUAD CAR- NIGHT
Rottovich and Sobozinski sit staked out in front of a
small cigar/magazine store.
JAKE (V.O.)
Just a tip.
SOBOZINSKI
What are we gonna do with this stuff
anyway? Heroin? What the hell do you
do with heroin?
ROTTOVICH
You sell it.
SOBOZINSKI
To who?
ROTTOVICH
Don't be an idiot. How hard do you
think it is to sell one drug dealer's
drugs to another drug dealer? If Vig's
right, we might be looking at a hundred,
maybe a hundred fifty grand...
SOBOZINSKI
You think this is a good idea? We never
did this kinda shit before.
ROTTOVICH
What's he going to do? File a missing
drugs report? If it works out, this
guy might be good for a few more turns.
A hooded figure turns a corner onto the street, heading
for the Cigar Shop. He wears a knapsack slung over his
shoulders.
SOBOZINSKI
Hope so. Those fucking orthodontist
bills are killing me. One fifty every
time they tighten those bitches up.
One fifty! It's not even covered.
ROTTOVICH
It's cosmetic. They don't cover
cosmetic.
(CONTINUED)
25.
CONTINUED:
ROTTOVICH (cont' d)
Last year I had a tooth capped. The
dentist tells me I'm not covered for
caps. It's cosmetic.
CUT TO:
INT.- ANOTHER CAR- SAME
Parked across the street and well hidden among the other
parked cars... SPECIAL AGENT GUNTHER MOONAN, a guy in his
early 40's in the kind of suit you'd find on a "2--for-1"
rack. He sits pointing a TELESCOPE MICROPHONE out the
window, wearing headphones. He chews on gum loudly.
ROTTOVICH
(O.S. from headphones)
Bullshit it's cosmetic! My fucking
tooth was cracked in half. I made the
son of a bitch write it in as a
cavity. The department's dental is for
shit.
SOBOZINSKI
(O.S. from headphones)
Whoa, whoa... There he is.
We HEAR the SOUNDS OF CAR DOORS OPENING, then SLAMMING
SHUT.
Moonan puts down the mic and hits "STOP" on a microcassette
recorder.
MOONAN
Confessions of a poor brusher.
Moonan takes a second to remove his gum, then checks his
teeth in the rearview mirror.
CUT TO:
EXT.- STREET/BROOKLYN- SAME
Rottovich and Sobozinski walk quickly down the street.
Ahead of them, the hooded figure approaches, his hands
buried in his pockets, a knapsack slung over his shoulder.
As he gets closer, we see that he's just a KID of about
ten or eleven.
Rottovich reaches over and pulls off the Kid's hood.
SOBOZINSKI
You know who we are?
KID
The heat.
(CONTINUED)
26.
CONTINUED:
Rottovich can't help smiling.
ROTTOVICH
That's right. We're the heat.
(yelling)
STICK `EM UP!
The Kid jumps back startled and throws his hands up. The
cops share a laugh.
ROTTOVICH
Alright. Put your hands dawn.
What do you got in the bag?
KID
Something for my Pops.
ROTTOVICH
I see. Well, your Pops has been making
you carry around drugs for him. We're
going to have to take them.
The Kid hesitates for a second before handing the knapsack
over. Rottovich opens it and pulls out TWO BRICKS OF
HEROIN, wrapped in plastic. He nods to Sobozinski.
The Kid stays rooted right where he is, looking up at the
Detectives like a lost puppy.
KID
My Pops is going to be mad.
ROTTOVICH
Give the kid a twenty.
Sobozinski fishes in his pocket starts to peel off bills
for the kid who then sprints away.
SOBOZINSKI
What's the world coming to?
Everybody's on the friggin' take...
Rottovich and Sobozinski head off with the knapsack.
CUT TO:
EXT. - BACK-NIGHT (PRESENT)
Butch and Jake...
BUTCH
Keeping the Fix happy.
(CONTINUED)
27.
CONTINUED:
JAKE
You never know when you can use a crooked
cop.
BUTCH
Keep going. I want to know how you got
Lionel Dolby.
JAKE
So you want to know how to play the Big
Con.
BUTCH
In this case, you might say I want to
know how not to play the Big Con.
Butch shoves the gun a little harder into Jake's head.
CUT TO:
INT.- BAR- NIGHT
A trendy bar, dimly lit and packed. We PAN along the hip
crowd and STOP on Jake speaking with a SLICK GUY dressed
in black Armani.
JAKE (V.O.)
First thing about being on the grift....
You're only as good as your Mark. The
Roper's the guy who finds them.
Jake buys another round to the indifferent Slick.
JAKE (V.O.)
They all have money one way or
another. Some of them come from money.
THE SCENE DOESN'T CHANGE--- Slick MORPHS into a FAT TEXAS
BUSINESS MAN wearing a ten-gallon hat. He doesn't smile.
JAKE (V.O.)
There's that saying-- Show me an honest
man and I'll show you a natural born
liar. There's always that little bit
of bad no matter how much good. It's
that little itch on the back of you
neck. You may not even know it's there,
but it is.
The Fat Texan MORPHS into a WALL STREET-type suit, who
remains stoic as Jake reaches over for another round of
drinks.
(CONTINUED)
28.
CONTINUED:
JAKE (V.O.)
A good Roper knows how to scratch it--
You the outdoorsy-type? "I was just
fly fishing out in Montana". You play
the market? "I just got a tip on a
tech start-up IPO." You saw "the
'Riverdance" twice? "I had a roommate
in college who was gay." Whatever...
Wall Street MORPHS into a THIN EURO-TRASH man who takes a
drink from Jake without even a "thanks."
JAKE (V.O.)
It means that in fifteen minutes we're
on good terms. Thirty, I'm your buddy.
Euro-Trash MORPHS into an distinguished looking OLDER MAN
as he takes a sip.
JAKE (V.O.)
In an hour, I'm your best friend.
Jake punctuates some unheard point with a slap on his
knee.
JAKE (V.O.)
Give me a day and you'll let me do
your wife and daughter at the same time.
It's too late for you...
Jake looks up as the OLDER MAN MORPHS into LIONEL DOLBY,
the nervous mark from the earlier con.
JAKE (V.O.)
I have your confidence.
CLOSE-UP: Dolby's lips loosen in a wide SMILE.
Jake smiles back. He puts his drink down, then takes the
drink from Dolby. They remain talking as THE BACKGROUND--
MORPHS INTO:
EXT. - SIDEWALK-NIGHT
Under the light of a streetlamp, the two continue to
talk.
JAKE (V.O.)
I tell you the "Tale"-- It's the story
of how we're going to make easy money.
No one gets hurt. And here's the guy
who's going to help. That's when you
meet the Insideman.
(CONTINUED)
29.
CONTINUED:
Gordo approaches, dressed in a suit and looking slightly
anxious. Introductions are made.
JAKE (V.O.)
The Insideman's the one with the know-
How, the scoop, the angle. But maybe
'you' re the suspicious type . So I
give you the "Convincer." We both put
up a little and we get a little back.
Just a taste.
Gordo pulls an envelope out of his coat and gives it to
Dolby.
JAKE (V.O.)
Just enough that when I tell you we can
make more off of it, you agree.
Jake speaks quickly to Dolby who nods emphatically. He
hands the envelope back to Gordo.
JAKE (V.O. )
That`s when I put you on the "Send."
You put in -a little, you got a little.
Put in a lot... I "send" you out for
mare. As much as you can get.
CUT TO:
INT. - JAKE'S APARTMENT- NIGHT
Jake stands TALKING DIRECTLY TO CAMERA, loading a big,
black revolver with bullets.
JAKE
Doesn't matter what the con is.
Insider trading, a line we got on a
bookie club, insurance scam,
whatever... You saw the money and you
want it. More of it. Who cares if you
have to bend the rules a little? As
long as no one gets hurt.
Jake spins the gun cylinder then SLAPS it closed, pointing
it straight at the CAMERA.
JAKE (cont'd)
Then someone does...
BLAM!!!
CUT TO:
30.
INT. - THE EUGLID BAR- NIGHT
A flash of Gordo's stunned face before his chest EXPLODES
IN RED.
Jake stands holding the smoking gun. Dolby looks around
in shock.
JAKE
(turns 'to face CAMERA)
Frankie Suits always said, that what
you have to understand about any
confidence game, is that it's like
putting on a play where everyone knows
their part... The Roper, the
Insideman, the Shills... Everyone
except for the Mark.
Gordo lying in a pool of blood...
GORDO
(while playing dead)
I've been shot. Oh. The humanity.
Big Al sits cowering at a table...
BIG AL
(monotone)
God. No. Please. Don't kill me.
Miles casually washing glasses...
MILES
(indifferent)
You better hurry. The police will be
here any second.
(breaking character)
I don't really understand my
motivation with this. Why am I washing
glasses?
JAKE
(still facing camera)
Now you're an accomplice in a
homicide. Everything you thought you
were in control of just flew out the
window or is dripping down your leg.
Dolby turns to Jake, eyes wide, lips trembling in fear.
JAKE
(turning to Dolby)
You should be running out the door,
desperate to forget this ever
happened, ready to repent your greedy
ways!
(CONTINUED)
31.
CONTINUED:
Dolby eyes the briefcases of money.
DOLBY
What about... The money?
JAKE
(turns back to CAMERA)
Then there it is again... That little
itch. There's a guy holding a smoking
gun, a guy bleeding all over the floor
and still, all you can think about is
the money. You twisted fuck. So we
gotta give you the "Blow-off". We make
sure that you never, ever want to look
for us again. We get you off our backs.
Forever.
Jake stops for a second and listens... He points over his
shoulder and on cue A POLICE SIREN WAILS in the distance.
JAKE
And that's why you need the "Fix"...
Dolby bolts for the door without the money.
CUT TO:
EXT.- SIDEWALK- CONTINUOUS
Dolby tries to act casual as he walks away.
CUT TO:
INT. - THE EUCLID BAR- CONTINUOUS
Rottovich and Sabozinski enter the front door.
JAKE (V.O.)
The New York Police Department's finest.
Half as smart and twice as crooked as
the guy they just chased away.
CUT TO:
EXT - BACK ALLEY- NIGHT (PRESENT)
Butch eases the gun off Jake's head.
BUTCH
So how'd you get caught?
(CONTINUED)
32.
CONTINUED:
JAKE
Suits used to say that in any con,
sooner or later someone's going to
start asking the right questions.
Usually, it takes a little longer.
CUT TO:
INT.- JAKE'S APARPMENT--NIGHT
Empty except for Gordo, Miles, Jake and Lupus, dressed in
another of his trademark loud sweatsuits.
JAKE
We're working for the King.
MILES
(re: Lupus)
Wait a second... Who's the mope?
LUPUS
I'm the King's eyes and ears. Just in
case you decide to get cute.
MILES
So we gotta short con our way out of a
hundred and fifty grand? That could
only take like, a year.
JAKE
No. Big con. One rag. One rag and we
get out from under all this. But we
need another Shill.
MILES
What do we need another Shill for?
JAKE
Breasts.
CUT TO:
INT . - WAX--NIGHT
A crowded night...
LILY, the attractive blonde from earlier, flirts with a
well dressed, OLDER MAN who has his hand firmly planted
on her ass. She squeezes his hand and gives him a quick
peck on the cheek before walking away. She takes a look
at the man's wallet she just lifted before putting it in
her bag.
From out of nowhere, Jake bumps into her.
(CONTINUED)
33.
CONTINUED:
JAKE
(not so innocently)
Oops.
Jake takes her by the arm out to...
CUT TO:
EXT.- ALLEY/OUTSIDE BAR- NIGHT
Jake pushes Lily through the back door where she finds
Gordo, Miles and Lupus waiting. Her once flirtatious
demeanor is replaced by something harder.
LILY
What is this? You guys cops or
something?
JAKE
We're not cops.
GORDO
You gotta be kidding me. Her?
JAKE
Yes, her. Where's my wallet?
LILY
Your what?
Jake takes her bag and dumps the contents on the floor--
A few wallets, a watch, even a wedding ring. Jake picks
up one of the wallets filled with cash.
LILY (cont'd)
That's not--
JAKE
(pocketing the wallet)
You interested in a little work?
Lily scoops up her bag and finds a cigarette, eyeing them
all suspiciously.
LILY
Sorry about your wallet, but if you
think I'm going to suck dick over thirty
seven dollars, a waxed out Visa and a
bad fake I.D., you're fucking crazy.
(lighting the cigarette)
Jake.
34.
JAKE
Take a deep breath and count to ten.
It's not that kind of work. You're
Lily, right?
LILY
Says who?
JAKE
You're working Daffy's block. He was
going to break your kneecaps. Pick-
pockets can be so bitchy sometimes. I
told him you were with us, so that's
two you owe me.
Lily takes a second to look the guys over. Miles gives
her a wink. Lily slowly raises her middle finger at him.
JAKE
We have work. It pays a lot. Unless
you figure on getting rich lifting
wallets while old guys feel you up.
LILY
Oooh. Sassy. What do you care who
feels me up, Jake? Unless it kinda
gotcha going. Did it, Jake? Getcha
going?
Lily saunters to Jake with a seductive grin.
Jake may be aware that he's stopped breathing.
She puts her hands on Jake's chest and leans in a half
inch more, her lips an eyelash away from his. She
whispers...
LILY (cont' d)
Keep the wallet. We're even. Take a
deep breath... Count to ten... And go
fuck yourself.
Lily pushes past Jake and heads out of the alley.
MILES
Is it just me or is there something
really hot about a girl telling you to
go fuck yourself?
Gordo gives Jake a nod of approval and Jake takes off
after Lily.
CUT TO:
35.
EXT.- CITY SIDEWALK- NIGHT
Lily down the street, Jake giving chase.
JAKE
Alright! Hold up. You win. You got
the job.
LILY
Gee thanks. Now I don't have to find
that bridge to jump off.
Jake catches up and blocks Lily's way.
JAKE
We had to see what your deal was. I'm
just a little superstitious.
LILY
Here's my deal-- Don't waste my time.
What do you want me for anyway? You
don't even know me.
JAKE
I just have a good feeling about you.
Haven't you ever had someone say they
had a good feeling about you before?
Lily studies Jake's face for any hint of sarcasm. None.
LILY
No.
(beat)
What's my cut?
JAKE
You get an equal cut.
LILY
What do I have to do?
JAKE
Just play a part. A little acting.
Lily steps back and hails a cab.
LILY
Make a wish.
She points to a large digital clock hanging in a store
window reading "11:11p".
LILY
Eleven-eleven. If you're superstitious,
make a wish.
(CONTINUED)
36.
CONTINUED:
Lily hops into the Cab and tosses Jake's new wallet onto
the sidewalk.
LILY (cont'd)
That's twice.
The cab pulls away.
Jake looks up at the clock-- "11:12P".
CUT TO:
EXT. - BACK ALLEY- NIGHT (PRESENT)
Butch smiles...
BUTCH
I can see why you liked her.
JAKE
That was it. We had our crew. Now we
needed the Mark.
CUT TO:
INT.- THE EUCLID- DAY
Jake stands in front of the crew: Miles, Gordo, Lily and
Lupus.
JAKE
Morgan Gillette.
Gordo and Miles both do their best to contain their
disbelief.
MILES
Why?
JAKE
Because that's who the King Fin wants
us to fleece. And Gillette's perfect...
CUT TO:
INT.- CITY BANK OF MANHATTAN/BOARDROOM--DAY
A circle of BUSINESS MEN sitting at a conference table.
JAKE (V.O.)
His grandfather used to run liquor
during prohibition and his father made
a bundle in illegal importing and
exporting. That makes him a third
generation crook.
(CONTINUED)
37.
CONTINUED:
JAKE (cont' d)
He's been tied into pretty much
everything; drugs, mob, money
rinsing...
We PAN AROUND THE TABLE OF BUSINESS MEN and settle on
MORGAN GILLETTE, a man in his early fifties with the
sharp, angular features of a reptile. We STAY with
Morgan as the meeting breaks and everyone heads for the
door and into...
CUT TO:
INT. - CITY BANK OF MANHATTAN/HALLWAY-DAY
Gillette is greeted by a handful of SUITS. Butch is with
them, staying in the periphery.
JAKE (V.O.)
There's a story going around that he
helped fund the Contras back in the
eighties.
Gillette and his crew head through a large glass revolving
door to...
CUT TO:
EXT.- CITY BANK OF MANHATTAN- DAY
A busy mid-day New York sidewalk. Gillette heads towards
a waiting Town Car.
JAKE
Most of his money's clean. A lot of it
isn't. The best part is that we know
exactly where it is.
As Gillette and his crew disappear into the car, we PAN
up to see the front of the building which has a large
sign reading, "City Bank of Manhattan; A Gillette Family
Company."
CUT TO:
INT.- THE EUCLID-- RESUMING
Jake looks over the crew, who are less than convinced.
GORDO
How much we going after?
JAKE
Two million.
Miles lets out a whistle.
(CONTINUED)
38.
CONTINUED:
GORDO
We only owe the King a hundred and fifty.
JAKE
We get fifty percent. And we get clear
of the King.
Jake looks over at Lupus for confirmation.
LUPUS
That's worth it right there. You ask
me, I don't think you can do it.
MILES
I'm with Jack LaLane. That guy's
untouchable.
JAKE
That's why we don't go after him
directly.
CUT TO:
INT.- CITY BANK OF MANHATTAN/LOBBY
Empty. The marble floor spotless, the dark oak teller
windows vacant, a row of desks.
JAKE (V.O.)
We find a doable guy in Gillette's
bank... Someone about mid-level. Not
too high, not too low.
A lone man, GRANT ASHBY, MATERIALIZES behind a desk on
the empty floor and sits behind a computer terminal.
JAKE (V.O.)
We meet him with corporate papers,
inquiring about a corporate loan for
start up capital. The corporate papers
are in order, but we need things to
happen fast. Our guy fudges numbers in
the right places, moves our papers to
the top of the pile or to the bottom,
depending upon what we need.
GORDO (V.O.)
How's that? He works for Gillette.
JAKE (V.O.)
We pay better.
(CONTINUED)
39.
CONTINUED:
An envelope stuffed with cash MATERIALIZES on the desk
next to Ashby.
CUT TO:
EXT . -- CAYMEN ISLANDS--DAY
Crystal clear water gently rolls onto a white beach.
JAKE (V.O.)
Our guy gets us approved for the start
up capital. But, the money can't be
transferred to any one person. On the
given day, the money's wired into a
corporate account in an off-shore
bank.
CUT TO:
INT.- GRAND CAYMEN'S BANK- DAY
Another empty bank... A lone TELLER MATERIALIZES behind
the counter.
JAKE (V.O.)
That same day, I show up in the Caymens
with the proper I.D. and corporate papers
to make a withdrawal.
Jake MATERIALIZES on the empty bank floor, walking
confidently up to the Teller with a SILVER BRIEFCASE in
hand.
MILE5 (V.O.)
Uh...
JAKE (V.O.)
What?
MILE5 (V.O.)
I'm just thinking out loud here, but...
Two million in a briefcase?
JAKE (V.O.)
Good point.
Jake approaches the Teller, now wheeling a BLACK SUITCASE
behind him by the handle.
Jake presents the Teller with a series of papers and a
photo I.D.
JAKE (V.O.)
It's bank policy not to release this
money in cash because it's under a
corporate account.
(CONTINUED)
40.
CONTINUED:
The Teller turns to a computer printer and removes a
check. Jake signs a few documents and places the check
into his pocket.
CUT TO:
EXT.- CAYMEN ISLANDS/STREET--DAY
Lined with shops and stores, but it's as empty as the
bank. Not even a car: Jake strides out of the Grand
Caymen's Bank and walks across the street to another
building with a sign reading "BANK OF THE GRAND CAYMENS."
CUT TO:
INT.- BANK OF THE GRAND CAYMENS- DAY
Again, empty... Jake strides in and approaches the deserted
teller counter.
ANOTHER TELLER MATERIALIZES and greets him with a smile.
JAKE (V.O.)
So we cash the check at another bank.
Jake slides the suitcase and the check
over to the Teller.
CUT TO:
INT.- JFK AIRPORT/TERMINAL HALLWAY- DAY
Like the banks, empty. Jake walks with the suitcase down
the flourescent lit hall towards a series of tables under
a sign marked "Customs."
JAKE (V.O.)
Now, this is the most important part--
You can't just walk into the United
States with a suitcase full of cash
without evoking the words "cavity
search".
As we get closer to the Custom's Desk, a CUSTOMS OFFICER
wearing a white short sleeve shirt and a badge
MATERIALIZES behind it.
JAKE (V.O.)
That's why you need someone on the inside
at Customs.
Jake approaches and slides the suitcase towards him. The
Officer slides it back to Jake, revealing another envelope
stuffed with cash under it.
(CONTINUED)
41.
CONTINUED:
The Officer literally looks the other way as he pockets
the envelope and waves Jake through the gate.
CUT TO:
EXT.- JFK AIRPORT- DAY
Jake exits the terminal. Outside, the street is empty,
not a traveler, an airlines rep, a luggage handler or a
cab. Jake waits at an empty cross walk until the "walk"
signal is given.
JAKE (V.O.)
Then we disappear.
As he walks away, WE SEE some PEOPLE MATERIALIZE carrying
luggage... Then a FEW CARS... Then an AIRLINE REP...
Gradually more and more people and cars, each MATERIALIZING
into a normal scene at the airport until we lose Jake in
the crowd.
CUT TO:
INT.- THE EUCLID- RESUMING
Jake stops and gauges the crew for their reactions, which
are the same all the way around-- Slack jawed disbelief.
MILES
(breaking the silence)
This might just be me, but that is hands
down, the dumbest fucking idea I've
ever heard.
GORDO
People have tried this before, Jake.
It's never worked. Teddy Fraiser and
his crew went on vacation in Chicago
for it. Last year, Mumps got pinched
in L.A.
JAKE
It never worked before because A, they
didn't flush the bank enough; B, their
corporate papers were for shit; C,
they didn't have someone on the inside
with Customs.
MILES
Yeah, or D, it's a dumb fucking
idea...
JAKE
Then what do you want to do, Miles?
Run?
(CONTINUED)
42.
CONTINUED:
MILES
We never had a problem with that before.
JAKE
Yeah, well we never had this kind of
problem before.
MILES
What are you talking about? Yes we
have. And we would have been beautiful
about it. We would've had a bucket of
chicken delivered to the King with a
nice kiss my ass card attached to it.
Then we woulda moved on `til the next
local putz caught on.
JAKE
We're getting a little old for
running.
MILES
Yeah, well we're still a little young
for Albany State Prison. Are you pissed
about Al? I'm pissed too, but I' m not
like "twenty-five to life" pissed.
JAKE
I'm getting clear of this. If you're
not going to do it for the fucking
principle, do it for the money. Gordo?
GORDO
Yeah... Whatever, Jake.
JAKE
No, not "whatever." You're either in or
you' re out.
A silence falls over everyone.
LILY
I'm in.
Her eyes stay on Jake as a smile grows across her face.
CUT TO:
EXT.- PAY PHONE- DAY
Jake dials a number...
JAKE (V.O.)
I agreed with Miles. It was, hands down,
a dumb fucking idea.
(CONTINUED)
43.
CONTINUED:
JAKE (V.O.)
But they bought it. Now I had to deliver
and I needed help.
JAKE (into phone)
Yeah, it's Jake. How'd that tip work
out?
CUT TO:
EXT. BACK ALLEY- NIGHT (PRESENT)
Butch takes out a cigarette.
BUTCH
But there were other factors.
JAKE
Factors that weren't clear to me until
now.
CUT TO:
INT. - 16TH PRECINT/OFFICE- DAY
An office of empty chairs and desks. Through the windows
we can see the hustle and bustle of the precinct. SPECIAL
AGENT GUNTHER MOONAN, still dressed in the same shitty
suit, sits behind a desk as Rottovich and Sobozinski
enter.
MOONAN
Gentlemen? Special Agent Gunther Moonan.
Moonan quickly flashes a badge and his best Kodak smile.
ROTTOVICH
Special Agent?
MOONAN
You are Officer Richard Rottovich. And
this would be Officer Walter Sobozinski.
I'm looking for Jake Vig.
SOBOZINSKI
Who?
MOONAN
I've been looking for this Jake Vig for
some time now. Problem is, the guy's
the invisible man. A spook, a spectre,
a ghost. Then, like a gift, Jake's
good buddy and member of his crew,
Alfonse Moorely, is found the other day
with a hole in his head.
(CONTINUED)
44.
CONTINUED:
Moonan holds up crime scene photos of Big Al's body.
MOONAN (cont'd)
Preliminary forensics suggests he was.
Sitting there, bloated and purple in
his egg foo young for at least seventy
two hours. Alfonse was not a small man
and there was a lot of food ordered, so
you can imagine the smell. Bad for the
neighbors, good for me because in all
the time I've been looking for Jake,
this is only the second time I've even
gotten a whiff of him.
ROTTOVICH
Look Special Agent Moonan... We don't
know what you're talking about.
Moonan takes out a microcassette recorder and hits PLAY.
ROTTOVICH
(V.O. from tape)
Don't be an idiot. How hard do you
think it is to sell one drug dealer's
drugs to another drug dealer? If Vig's
right, we might be looking at a
hundred, maybe a hundred fifty grand.
CLICK. Moonan kills the recorder.
MOONAN
Oh yeah, I almost forgot. The two
serious looking gentlemen outside?
Internal Affairs.
The Officers look out the window to see TWO SERIOUS LOOKING
MEN in suits.
MOONAN
Do you want to know the first time I
had a line on Vig? He sent me a
birthday card.
(off their silence)
Belated, but it's the thought, right?
Oh, this prick's got a sense of humor.
But, then again you guys probably know
him better than I do. In fact, I've
only met the guy once. But now, now I
have you. The next best thing. His
partners. His "Fix."
SOBOZINSKI
What do you want?
(CONTINUED)
45.
CONTINUED:
MOONAN
You help me catch him. Whatever he's
into next, I want you to be into. And
what you're into, I'm into. If it all
goes well, those two guys from IAD will
never have to hear this tape. I'll
clear you guys of anything you've ever
done with Vig under the guise of some
cross-departmental investigation. This
prick's been on the wish list for so
long, you'll probably get gold shields
out of it.
SOBOZINSKI
What do you get out of it?
MOONAN
Peace of mind.
SOBOZINSKI
That's it?
MOONAN
Not everyone's on the take, Walter.
ROTTOVICH
If you Feds are so hot for him, why
don't we just bring him in right now?
MOONAN
I want him for something big and to do
that, we have to catch him in the act.
SOBOZINSKI
This guy must have been a real pain in
your dick.
MOONAN
Literally. It's not a bad deal,
gentleman. I get peace of mind. You
get Detective Sheilds. But this is the
best part, Walter... Walter, your
daughter will get to keep her braces
and have that winning smile. Capice?
Rottovich and Sobozinski remain silent.
MOONAN
Good. One more thing... You gotta give
up the booty. I can't have you guys
running around with heroin.
FREEZE FRAME ON MOONAN'S SMILING FACE.
(CONTINUED)
46.
CONTINUED:
JAKE (V.O.)
Let me tell you something about Moonan...
CUT TO:
EXT. - BACK ALLEY- NIGHT (PRESENT)
A serious look comes across Jake's face-- Hate. Butch
eases back with the gun for a second.
JAKE
He's just as crooked as the next guy.
You'd think he'd have more important
things to do with tax payer dollars.
BUTCH
Cue the fucking violins. Come on...
It's getting cold.
CUT TO:
INT. - THE KIEV DINER- DAY
Gordo, Miles, Jake and Lily next to him, all crammed into
a booth.
MILES
Am I the only one who feels like we
can't make a move with this guy on us?
LILY
We should ditch him.
JAKE
Just watch every thing you say around
him. Every word, every move... It all
goes back to the King Pin.
Lupus exits the restroom, heading back towards the booth.
GORDO
How's the hoop, superstar? Clean?
LUPUS
What is it with you and bathrooms?
MILES
He doesn't like using a bathroom unless
he knows it's clean.
LILY
Manly.
(CONTINUED)
47.
CONTINUED:
GORDO
You laugh now, but wait until you need
a clean place to powder. This is New
York city, Sister. Public sanitation
does not run very high on the city hall
agenda. You know what you can get off
a toilet or doorknob? Let's do the
list... Hepatitis, influenza, the
flesh eating disease-
JAKE
Here's what's going to happen. Gordo,
we need to find a guy in Gillette's
bank. Miles, we need papers, corporate,
insurance...
MILES
Is it all fugasi?
JAKE
No, the corporate papers have to be
legit. But you gotta score an I.D. A
clean one. Talk to Suits. I gotta get
us a Banker.
LILY
What about Customs?
JAKE
I'll worry about Customs.
LILY
Hey, I' m not just along for the ride,
so I don't want to hear any bullshit
later about a smaller cut.
JAKE
Take a deep breath. You sound like you
just broke up with your boyfriend or
something.
Jake rolls his eyes as Lily glares at him.
CUT TO:
INT.- BULLDOG GYM- DAY
Boxers at the bags, a jumping rope, etc...
Jake and Lily stand in front of the King Pin, who's
dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. He wears boxing gloves
and headgear. Lupus and Harlin stand vigil by the
sparring ring.
KING PIN
How much?
(CONTINUED)
48.
CONTINUED:
JAKE
I think two million.
KING PIN
What do you need from me? Permission?
Go! If you can fleece him for two
million, then do it, Kid.
JAKE
I need you to stake me.
KING PIN
Stake you?
JAKE
I need you to stake me. I can't do it
without it. It's just a couple hundred
grand. Taken out of our cut when we're
done.
King Pin eyes Jake suspiciously for a second.
KING PIN
That's more than you already owe me.
What happens if you fuck this up?
JAKE
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
KING PIN
Hey Skippy? Do I have the word "chump"
tattooed on my forehead?
LILY
Mr . King, I think---
JAKE
(w/ a look)
Hey, I got it! Take some mental notes.
You just might learn something here.
Lily just shrugs and rolls her eyes.
KING PIN
Listen, Scooter---
JAKE
No, you listen. We're partners now and
even though I'm running the show for
you, I'm still running the show. That
means I get a little respect. So I
don't want to hear anymore of this
Scooter, Buddy, Junior, Skippy, Tiger,
bullshit. It's Jake.
(beat)
(CONTINUED)
49.
CONTINUED:
JAKE
And I gotta tell you, for a guy who
spends all his time in a gym, you
could be in better shape.
A few of the BOXERS training around stop and turn. The
King Pin lowers a glare at Jake.
KING PIN
Take off your shirt.
Jake looks behind him to see Harlin looming.
JAKE
Excuse me?
KING PIN
I said take off your fucking shirt.
A few more BOXERS stop and turn. Jake notices he's being
watched. The King Pin takes a step towards Jake...
JAKE
Fine. You want me to take it off, I'll
take it off.
Jake unbuttons his shirt and stands in front of the King
Pin, arms crossed. It's getting weird.
KING PIN
Look at you, you skinny prick.
JAKE
You're not going to bust out baby oil
and start rubbing me down or anything,
are you?
The King smiles and begins to take off his shirt. Harlin
and Lupus share an uncomfortable glance.
The King strips down to the waist and reveals an incredibly
large, incredibly round stomach which he SLAPS loudly.
KING PIN
Come here. Feel this.
JAKE
No thanks. I'm good.
KING PIN
Come here!
The King grabs Jake's hand and puts it on his stomach.
It just got weirder.
Now the whole gym has stopped, everyone focused on Jake
and the King Pin.
(CONTINUED)
50.
CONTINUED:
LILY
You guys are freaking me out.
KING PIN
Shut up. Feel that? That's solid
muscle. Not an ounce of fat. Go ahead.
Punch it.
JAKE
I am not going--
The King starts to get that look again.
Jake winds up and punches the King in the stomach. He
shakes his fist in pain.
KING PIN
Come on. Harder.
JAKE
I think I just broke my hand.
KING PIN
Harder. Remember, I killed your buddy.
Jake's demeanor changes as he winds up and hits the King
as hard as he can. The King just smiles.
KING PIN (cont'd)
All muscle.
The King then hits Jake back in the gut with surprising
speed. Jake falls to his knees, but the King's right
there. With one arm he pulls Jake up and starts to pummel
him in the stomach with an unbridled visciousness.
Jake spits up blood as the King hurls him face first into
the ring.
KING PIN
Maybe it's true. Maybe you can't cheat
an honest man. Me? I'm about as
dishonest as they come and that's the
truth. But if you even think about
trying to con me they'll find fucking
pieces of you in each of the five
boroughs. Pieces of you, pieces of
her, pieces of your whole crew. Can't
be any mare honest than that. I'll
stake you, but that's three hundred
fifty you're in the hole and consider
the juice running. Now go make me proud.
Harlin and Lupus lift Jake up. Lily looks at Jake with a
pained expression.
(CONTINUED)
51.
CONTINUED:
JAKE
You get all that?
Everyone in the gym goes back to their workouts.
CUT TO:
EXT. - BACK ALLEY (PRESENT)
Butch lets out an easy laugh.
BUTCH
Nice.
JAKE
We got our stake. Now we need to find
our guy in Gillett's bank.
CUT TO:
EXT. - CITY BANK OF NEW YORK DAY
A flood of people exit the bank at the end of the day.
Jake, Lupus, Lily, Miles and Gordo wait by the side of
the building. Miles reads off a piece of paper.
JAKE (V.O.)
What you're looking for in a mark is
someone who's weakness you can exploit.
MILES
Michelle Strigo. Loan officer.
Miles points out a woman crisply dressed in a suit,
MICHELLE STRIGO. They follow her down the street.
JAKE (V.O.)
Guy like me, with people like that...
I'll tell you what you're looking for
without even meeting you. It's like a
personal ad you wear over your head.
Jake watches as she hails a cab. A MAN, also hailing a
cab goes for the same one. Michelle gets into a screaming
match with the man.
FREEZE FRAME ON MICHELLE--- A CGI SIGN appears over her
head "Single, volatile, confrontational woman seeks "man"
for economic security and house chores."
JAKE
No.
CUT TO:
52.
EXT. - CITY BANK OF NEW YORK-NEXT DAY
A flood of people exit the bank at the end of the day.
Jake, Lupus, Lily, Miles and Gordo wait by the side of
the building.
MILES
Jay Houlser. VP International finance.
Miles points out a JAY HOUSLER, a young guy in suit.
They follow him...
CUT TO:
INT.- TRENDY RESTAURANT- NIGHT
Jake and the others watch Jay standing around the bar
silently scoping the place with a group of young
tucks(dressed oddly alike).
FREEZE, FRAME ON GROUP-- A CGI SIGN appears over their
heads: "YOUNG WALL STREETERS seek acknowledgement of
monetary earning potential from Supermodel-types ages 20-
25."
JAKE
No.
CUT TO:
EXT. - CITY BANK OF NEW YORK- NEXT DAY
The same flood of people exit the bank... Jake, Lupus,
Lily, Miles and Gordo wait by the side of the building.
MILES
Alice Tanner. Finance Director.
Miles points out ALICE TANNER, a mousy looking woman in a
bad skirt. She gets to the intersection and waits for
the light to change, even as hordes of others jaywalk the
way New Yorkers do.
FREEZE FRAME ON ALICE-- A CGI SIGN appears: "Single woman
looking for opportunity. Plays by the rules and willing
to claw her way up to middle management."
JAKE
No.
CUT TO:
53.
EXT. - CITY BANK OF NEW YORK- NEXT DAY
Again the flood of people. Again Jake, Lupus, Lily, Miles
and Gordo wait.
MILES
Grant Ashby. VP of Corporate Loans.
Miles points out a GRANT ASHBY, a schlubish middle aged
balding guy walking down the street. They follow.
CUT TO:
INT.- THE BULL AND THE BEAR PUB- NIGHT
Dark oak and brass, the bar plays host to legions of
Suited Urban Professionals gathered in cliques.
Jake and the others watch as Ashby makes his way through
the crowd, taking a seat alone at the bar.
FREEZE FRAME ON ASHBY-- A CGI SIGN appears over his head:
"SINGLE MALE seeks end to safety of tedious and solitary
lifestyle. Moral and ethical constitution flexible."
JAKE (V.O.)
What you're looking for in a mark is
someone who's got nothing to lose. No
friends, no family, no life. You're
looking for a guy who doesn't own a
rug.
Jake watches as Ashby orders a drink and pulls a
newspaper from his coat. He opens it to the crossword--
Just like Jake would.
JAKE
Him.
MILES
You sure?
Jake watches Ashby do the crossword puzzle alone.
JAKE
I' m sure.
CUT TO:
INT.- GARMENT DISTRICT/WAREHOUSE- DAY
Jake, Miles, Gordo, Lily and Lupus enter a warehouse
housing racks of clothes.
(CONTINUED)
54.
CONTINUED:
JAKE
Now we had the con and the mark. We
needed to look the part...
They're greeted by FRANKIE SUITS, an ancient rake-thin
man, perfectly coiffed and exceptionally dressed.
JAKE (V.O.)
Frankie Suits was a legend in certain
circles. He. Was on the grift since
he was ten.
FRANKIE
Last of the red hot grifters.
Suits grabs Jake with a hug. It's a heartfelt one.
The others exchange greetings with Suits who moves over
to Lupus and studies his loud sweatsuit.
JAKE (V.O.)
Back in the day, Suits made money
running fight stores and the wire with
a Fix so tight it was like a legit
business. I never understood what the
point was if grifting became like a
regular job.
JAKE
We need wardrobe.
FRANKIE (re: Lupus)
So I see. In from Long Island? You
fellas take a look around.
GORDO
Hey Suits? You got anything in like a
eleven or twelve ounce Super 100 worsted?
Miles gives him a look like he's speaking latin.
Jake and Lily follow Suits into...
CUT TO:
INT.- SUITS' OFFICE- DAY
A spare little office piled high with clothes. Suits
reaches into a desk drawer and pulls out a large envelope
and slides it to Jake.
(CONTINUED)
55.
CONTINUED:
SUITS
Corporate papers with the New York State
seal, insurance documents with a proof
of bonding and some fugasi financial
records. There's also the I.D. you
asked for. Corporate papers with the
New York State seal, insurance documents
with a proof of bonding and some fugasi
financial records. There's also the
I.D. you asked for.
Jake takes out the papers and gives them the once over.
He then puts an envelope thick with cash on the desk.
JAKE
Aces, Suits.
SUITS
Not easy pickin's. Papers like these
speak to larger issues. Sorry about
Alfonse.
(off Jake's nod)
You into something big?
JAKE
Pretty much.
SUITS
In over your head?
JAKE
Pretty much. Suits eyes Lily.
SUITS
Can I speak to you in confidence?
JAKE
Huh? Oh. She's alright.
Suits gives Lily another suspicious look.
SUITS
Try and keep up... You ask for the
Advantage Goods, then you guys come in
looking to be Bean Traps. So I gotta
think you're either working the mace or
playing the Jug Mob.
JAKE
A little bit of both.
Lily watches in utter confusion.
SUITS
Hey, I been on the ramp all my life, so
I got no problem with the way you help
yourself, Jake.
(CONTINUED)
56.
CONTINUED:
SUITS (cont'd)
I saw you go up from the Knecker,
working that Grind, learning the
Barnard's Law and I thought, "the
kid's a prodigy.'" But I know that if
you're using these goods... So then I
figure, what's worth that? You're
either looking for a little history or
a retirement fund. Who's the Mark?
JAKE
Can't say.
SUITS
Then who's the Banker?
JAKE
The King.
A dead look comes over Suits.
SUITS
The King? Jake, you play the heavy
rackets like that... They put the lug
on for nothing at all.
JAKE
I can handle it.
SUITS
I don't doubt your talent. You looking
for that place in the hall of fame?
JAKE
It's not history.
SUITS
So what do you want?
JAKE
I want to get out from under all this
for good. And I want to fuck them all
doing it.
SUITS
Then I gotta say, in my opinion, you
can't get what you want.
Jake considers those words for a moment.
JAKE
Yes I can.
Suits guages the seriousness in Jake's face and nods.
The he gently rests his hands on the papers.
(CONTINUED)
57.
CONTINUED:
SUITS
Still time.
JAKE
Can't do it Suits. I can't lay down
for this one.
SUITS
Okay. Here's the thing... You fall
flat, you might not get anything short
of stiffed. Then it's Blue River Land
for everybody. Papers like these are
dangerous because papers tend to
multiply, then they start to take
shape. Usually it's the shape of an
arrow. I hate to do it, but after this,
I gotta give you the blowoff.
We Jake, Jake?
Suits holds out his hand. Jake takes it.
JAKE
We're Jake.
They shake, knowing it'll be the last time.
CUT TO:
INT.- GARMENT DISTRICT/WAREHOUSE- CONTINUOUS
We follow Lily and Jake out of Suit's office. Lily can
see that it's thrown Jake a bit.
LILY
What the hell's his problem?
JAKE
Don't worry about it.
LILY
It's just that I left my asshole decoder
ring at home, so how do I know not to
worry?
Jake stops and turns to her, looking her up and down.
JAKE
You need to get a haircut.
LILY
What?
JAKE
And some new clothes.
LILY
Why?
(CONTINUED)
58.
CONTINUED:
JAKE
We're going to rope this banker
tomorrow and you gotta at least look
classy, if not be classy. You gotta do
this thing and I don't even know if
you can.
LILY
You're just going to have to trust me.
JAKE
I don't trust anyone.
LILY
Then show me how.
CUT TO:
INT. - TIFFANY'S - NIGHT
Jake and Lily enter the store. Jake takes a quick moment
to case the place-- A few scattered CUSTOMERS, some being
helped by SALESPEOPLE. All the Customers look like the
uppercrust crowd you'd expect at Tiffany's.
JAKE
(to himself)
Oh yeah. This is good. This will do
nicely.
(to Lily)
This is about confidence. Your
confidence and their confidence. You
get their confidence by giving them
yours.
Jake leaves Lily by the front counter as he starts a slow
turn around the store.
He casually pretends to be browsing as he moves next to
MR. LEWIS, an older, distinguished looking gentleman,
being helped by a SALEGIRL, who is scribbling on an order
form.
SALESGIRL
Let me read this back. One silver
Cattier watch, engraved-- "To Carolyn,
the Attorney at Law. Happy Graduation,
Counselor. Love Mom and Dad."
MR. LEWIS
Right.
SALESGIRL
One bracelet, engraved "To Abby. Happy
25th Anniversary, Love Tom."
(CONTINUED)
59.
CONTINUED:
MR. LEWIS
Perfect.
SALESGIRL
I' ll just go put this in, Mr. Lewis.
The Salesgirl takes the order form and walks away.
A change comes over Jake. It's subtle-- Posture, facial
expressions, a slight tug of an accent-- but it's there.
JAKE
Mr. Lewis?
Mr. Lewis turns and looks at Jake. There's no real hint
of recognition, but Jake's smiling up at him like an old
friend.
JAKE
It is you. Hello!
Jake extends his hand.
MR. LEWIS
Sorry, I--
JAKE
Jake. Jake Pearson. I go to lawschool
with your daughter. Carolyn. We met
once or twice.
Mr. Lewis seems to search for second, then extends his
hand more in an effort not to appear rude.
MR. LEWIS
Of course. Jake. Nice to see you.
JAKE
Well, it certainly is a coincidence.
Here of all places! How is Mrs. Lewis?
MR. LEWIS
Great. Thank you.
The Salesgirl returns.
JAKE
Excuse me? I believe you're holding
something far me under Pearson.
SALESGIRL
Do you have a ticket?
(CONTINUED)
60.
CONTINUED:
JAKE
You know, this is kind of embarassing,
but my wallet was stolen yesterday and
I'm afraid the ticket was in it. But
the name's Pearson.
MR. LEWIS
While you're back there, could you make
sure that Carolyn is spelled with a
"y"?
The Salesgirl nods and disappears again.
MR. LEWIS (cont'd)
What brings you down from Boston, Jake?
Taking advantage of the long weekend?
JAKE
My wife and I are just taking a little
vacation.
Behind his back, Jake discreetly waves Lily over.
MR. LEWTS
Carolyn's down this weekend too.
Lily approaches. When she does, Jake pulls her close and
gives her a loving kiss on the lips. It throws Lily for
a second.
LILY
Uh... Everything okay?
JAKE
Honey, this is Mr. Lewis. Carolyn
Lewis's father. Mr. Lewis, this is my
wife, Lily.
Lily and Mr. Lewis exchange handshakes.
JAKE
I'm sorry, honey. I'm almost done.
Jake taps Lily on the back with the hand wrapped around
her waist.
LILY
It's okay. I'll be looking for
earrings.
Jake gives Lily another kiss before she leaves.
MR. LEWIS
Attractive girl.
(CONTINUED)
61.
CONTINUED:
JAKE
Thank you. Actually, it's our first
anniversary this weekend. She thinks
I'm here to pick up something for my
mother, but it's actually a gift for
her. Think I've fooled her?
MR. LEWIS
Take it from me, you never do. But
congratulations. Nice to be married,
isn't it?
JAKE
Very much so.
Jake smiles ear to ear, like the happy newlywed he's
pretending to be. The Salesgirl returns.
SALESGIRL
We have Carolyn with a "y". I'm sorry,
there's nothing under Pearson. If we
had an invoice number--
Jake's smile dissolves as he grows a little anxious.
JAKE
I told you. My wallet was stolen.
Please... Check again.
Jake takes a nervous look over at Lily, who is drying on
earrings with another Salesperson.
MR. LEWIS
Good luck. Congratulations again.
He and Jake shake hands.
JAKE
Thank you, sir. You know, I hope this
isn't too much of an inconvenience, but
if Carolyn is coming down for the
weekend, perhaps I could give you
something for her? It's a check. We
split the cost on a few books and I
haven't had the chance to pay her back
yet. Could you..?
MR. LEWIS
Sure.
Jake pulls out a checkbook and pen.
JAKE
(writing)
That'd be a great help.
(CONTINUED)
62.
CONTINUED:
The Salesgirl returns.
SALESGIRL
I'm sorry. Nothing under Pearson.
JAKE
You're sure? This is... Just a
complete disaster.
SALESGIRL
What was it?
Jake quickley scans the jewelry in the glass case.
JAKE
A ring for my wife. Alot like that
one. In fact, it was that one.
SALESGIRL
That's no problem. We have those in
stock.
JAKE
Thank you. Sorry, I'm just a little
anxious to give it to her. You take
out of state checks?
SALESGIRL
With identification.
Jake stops writing on the check and locks up.
JAKE
I understand that, but I had my wallet
stolen last night. Is there any way..?
SALESGIRL
I'm sorry.
Jake's anxious look comes back.
JAKE
I know it's policy, but...
(looking over at Lily)
The thing is... It's our first
anniversary and we're only in town for
the weekend. It's a very, very special
night for my wife and I. This ring is
my gift to her and I think she's going
to really love it. I can give you
phone numbers to call for people
who'll vouch. I can send you I.D.
later...
(CONTINUED)
63.
CONTINUED:
SALESGIRL
(sympathetic)
I'm sorry.
JAKE
(clearing his throat)
This is embarrassing.
MR. LEWIS
Jake?
Jake looks up and rips the check out from his book.
JAKE
I'm sorry, sir. Thank you very much
for doing this. And please tell Carolyn
hello for me.
Jake seems to be lost. Mr. Lewis looks over at Lily, who
gives him a friendly smile, then back to Jake.
MR. LEWIS
Why don't you let me put the ring on
the card and you can write me a check
in return?
Unseen to Mr. Lewis, one corner of Jake's lip goes up in
a grin.
CUT TO:
EXT.- TIFFANY'S/SIDEWALK--NIGHT
Jake and Lily exit the store. Jake hands Lily the
trademark colored box.
JAKE
Happy anniversary.
Lily takes the box and shakes her head, impressed. Jake
Looks up to see Mr. Lewis watching them as he tries to
hail a cab.
Jake's demeanor quickly changes as he puts on a big smile.
JAKE
Smile. You just got a present from the
man of your dreams.
Lily puts on a big smile while opening the box.
JAKE
Now we gotta give him a strong finish.
(CONTINUED)
64.
CONTINUED:
Jake pulls Lily closer and looks into her eyes. She leans
in and they kiss-- A deep, slow kiss that makes people
have to walk around them.
Mr. Lewis sees them and smiles to himself as he gets into
a cab.
Jake and Lily are still kissing as the cab pulls away.
Lily finally breaks the kiss--- Slowly.
LILY
He's gone.
JAKE
Uh-huh.
LILY
I gotta go get a haircut.
JAKE
Uh-huh.
Jake watches as Lily walks away. She looks back at Jake
once before disappearing around a corner.
CUT TO:
INT.- SIXTEENTH PRECINT- DAY
Moonan sits on a desk, ear to a phone.
JAKE (V.O.)
It was all in play. Everything...
MOONAN
It's Moonan... I'm in New York.
Listen, I got Vig. He's here and I'm
this close... Look, I understand that,
but I'm telling you this time...
Obsessive is a big word to use...
Goddamn it, Lou! I'm telling you, this
is it. Yeah... I figured you'd feel
that way. So here's the deal... Call
Kylie over at the Bureau. Tell him I
got something that might interest him.
A guy they call the King Pin. I think
there may be a corruption case brewing
here, too... That's right. So even if
I don't get Vig, you'll still have
something to show.
Rottovich and Sobozinski enter.
(CONTINUED)
65.
CONTINUED:
MOONAN (cont' d)
Good... I gotta go.
(hanging up)
So, what do you have for me?
SOBOZINSKI
Whaddya mean? We got dick.
MOONAN
You guy's are not working with me here.
I just got off the phone with my boss.
After he got done ripping me a new
Lincoln Tunnel size asshole, he let me
know exactly how little I'm welcome
back if we come up short. And now here
you guys are, WASTING MY FUCKING TIME!
Moonan kicks a chair across the floor.
ROTTOVICH
Like we told you before, we think he's
into something with the King Pin---
MOONAN
(composing himself)
Look, I'm not a confrontational person
by nature.
Moonan walks over to the fallen chair and picks it up.
MOONAN
I need answers and the only two things
you've given me are jack and shit. You
gotta do better. You gotta do better
or I swear on my sweet dead
grandmother's grave, I'm gonna make
you guys an I-A-fucking-D cautionary
tale.
Moonan kicks the chair down again, sending Rottovich and
Sobozinski back a few steps.
CUT TO:
EXT. - BACK ALLEY-NIGHT (PRESENT)
Butch takes out two cigarettes and lights both, sticking
one in Jake's mouth.
JAKE
Thanks. Did you know you shouldn't
light three cigarettes with a match?
(CONTINUED)
66.
CONTINUED:
JAKE (cont' d)
Back in WWI or WWII, one of the WW' s,
if you took the time to light three
cigarettes with one match, some Nazi
would be able to figure out where you
were. Then, well... It was the last
cigarette you and your two buddies ever
had. So three on a match is bad luck.
BUTCH
You're a superstitious fucker.
JAKE
Luck's a funny thing. Especially the
bad.
BUTCH
Like what?
JAKE
Having a gun pointed at you for one.
It's not like breaking a mirror bad
luck, but it's bad. Three on a match,
black cats... Believe it. Believe it
all.
CUT TO:
INT.- JAKE'S APARTMENT- NIGHT
Miles, Jake, Lupus and Gordo sit around in silence.
They're all dressed in new suits.
JAKE (V.O.)
(overlap below)
But if you wanna talk about bad luck...
MILES
Where the hell is she?
Just then, a KNOCK on the door. Jake opens the door to
reveal Lily, dressed in an expensive business suit and
sporting a sophisticated cut of new RED HAIR
JAKE (V.O.)
Redheads.
JAKE
FUCK!
Gordo, Lupus and Miles look up at Lily.
GORDO
Oh shit.
(CONTINUED)
67.
CONTINUED:
Lily stands at the door watching Jake freak out in
disbelief.
FREEZE FRAME ON LILY and her new red hair.
JAKE (V.O.)
Top three all-time worst red-heads...
INSERT SHOT- A RED HEADED WOMAN enters dark bedroom,
carrying an axe...
JAKE (V.O.)
Lizzie Borden... Axe murder.
INSERT SHOT- A dinner table for TWELVE MEN dressed in
flowing robes. A RED HEADED MAN leans over to whisper in
the ear of an important looking guy in the middle...
JAKE (V.O.)
Judas... Betrayer.
INSERT SHOT- A RED HEADED WOMAN, middle-aged with a bad
haircut from the 70's carrying a suitcase leans down and
tearfully kisses a SMALL BOY on the cheek.
JAKE (V.O.)
Shirley Vig... Abandoner.
BACK TO FREEZE FRAME OF LILY
The action resumes...
LILY
Nice to see you too. Why are you getting
so bent?
She takes a step into the apartment.
JAKE
You just put a mother of a jinx on us.
LILY
Lighten up.
JAKE (V.O.)
But the fucking Grand Poo-Bah of all
jinxes? A bird in your house...
Lily takes her jacket off revealing a delicate blouse,
decorated with a design of flowers and a BIRD.
FREEZE FRAME ON LILY'S BIRD BLOUSE.
CUT TO:
68.
(FLASHBACK) INT.- JAKE'S APARTMENT- NIGHT
It's the scene earlier, when Jake finds a BIRD rapping at
his window to get out.
JAKE (V.O.)
A bird enters your house...
CUT TO:
(FLASHBACK) INT.- BIG AL'S APARTMENT
Big Al's bulging, vacant eyes stare straight at us, his
mouth hanging open.
JAKE (V.O.)
It means death.
BACK TO FREEZE FRAME ON LILY'S BIRD BLOUSE.
The action resumes...
JAKE
You have no idea what you've done do
you? No idea! What is this?
Jake points to her hair.
LILY
You told me to change my hair!
JAKE
(re: the shirt)
What about this? Do you have any idea
what this means? You've killed us.
We're dead!
LILY
Did I miss something?
GORDO
The red hair... It's bad luck.
MILES
It's not like she's a real redhead,
Jake...
JAKE
Like that matters! You can't fool bad
luck! You can't get by on a
technicality! You can't trick karma!
Lily grabs her jacket and starts out the door, then turns
back around to Jake.
(CONTINUED)
69.
CONTINUED:
LILY
So much for that good feeling, huh?
Silence. Jake can feel the eyes on him.
JAKE
Anybody says a word I swear to God...
Jake takes off after her.
CUT TO:
EXT. - BACK ALLEY- NIGHT (PRESENT)
Butch cracks a big smile.
BUTCH
She had you tempting fate.
JAKE
My father used to play the same fucking
lotto numbers with these other guys in
the pharmacy. The same numbers everyday
for sixteen years. One day he gets
pissed off, tells them he's out and
plays his own numbers. They hit the
Lucky Seven for one point two million.
LILY steps out from behind Butch.
LILY
Guess he passed on that unlucky-
asshole gene.
Lily looks down at Jake and the gun pointed at his head.
There's not even a hint of sympathy.
LILY
You should have trusted me Jake.
CUT TO:
INT.- THE BULL AND THE BEAR PUB- NIGHT
Jake turns and looks at the crew, Miles, Gordo, Lupus and
Lily behind him.
Grant Ashby sits alone at the crowded bar, doing his
crossword puzzle.
Jake a smile and saunters over to the bar.
GORDO
She up for this?
(CONTINUED)
70.
CONTINUED:
JAKE
She's up for it.
ANGLE ON ASHBY AT THE BAR
Ashby sits finishing a drink. Snippets of CONVERSATION
and LAUGHTER from the cliques around him catch his
attention, but he remains alone.
BLONDE (O.S.)
Is this seat taken?
Ashby turns to see an ATTRACTIVE BLONDE pointing to the
empty seat next to him.
ASHBY
(brightening)
Uh, no. Please.
BLONDE
Thanks.
The Blonde grabs the barstool and starts to walk off with
it. A rejected look from Ashby.
LILY (O.S.)
Sorry I'm late.
Lily appears next to the Blonde. Ashby looks around to
make sure she's talking to him.
LILY
But I'm not that late. You didn't have
to give away my seat.
ASHBY
(getting it)
I wasn't sure if you'd make it.
BLONDE
Oh, I didn't know you... Here. Sorry.
Lily takes the barstool back.
LILY
No problem.
The blonde woman leaves as Lily sits down next to Ashby.
LILY
Thanks for playing along. I just have
to sit for a while.
ASHBY
Tough day?
(CONTINUED)
71.
CONTINUED:
LILY
Brutal day. They say the streets are
lined with money down here, but I guess
you have to know the secret handshake.
What are you drinking?
ASHBY
Uh, Maker's Mark. Rocks.
Lily signals the BARTENDER for two more drinks.
ASHBY
My name's Grant. Grant Ashby.
LILY
Oh god. I'm overbearing and rude.
Lily. Lily Finn.
They shake, Ashby's demeanor brightening again.
ASHBY
So, what do you do?
LILY
It's more like what aren't I doing. My
partners and I are trying to secure
start up capital for a small tech
company. We tried the venture
capitalist route in the Valley, but
then again who hasn't up there.
ASHBY
Silicon Valley?
LILY
That's right. So, brainiacs that we
are, we thought we'd be innovative and
relocate east. Try our luck with a
straight corporate loan out here.
The drinks arrive. Lily hands the bartender a twenty.
ASHBY
I can---
LILY
On me. For the seat. Cheers.
She flashes a trademark smile as they CLINK glasses.
LILY
So we've been meeting with banks all
day. It's amazing how many ways they
can say "no" without ever using the
word.
(CONTINUED)
72.
CONTINUED:
ASHBY
Well, typically, corporate loans are
relatively simple matters, but you do
need to demonstrate a capacity for gross
fund recovery.
Lily arches an eyebrow at Ashby.
LILY
Don't tell me you started a tech firm
here before us.
ASHBY
No, no. Nothing like that. I work in
a bank.
LILY
(leaning in)
Really? Wish we had met eight hours
ago.
Ashby nods and shyly looks away. He could be blushing.
Lily lets the moment play out for a beat before looking
over her shoulder.
LILY
(getting up)
My partners are here.
Ashby reverts back to schlub mode.
ASHBY
Oh. Well, thanks for the drink.
LILY
You're welcome. I was just going to
ask you if you'd like to join us. Ashby
brightens again.
CUT TO:
INT.- THE BULL AND THE BEAR PUB/TABLE- LATER
Ashby sits with the crew, a few empty glasses in front of
him. He looks remarkably relaxed, just another guy hanging
around with a group of friends.
JAKE (V.O.)
She got one leg out from under him.
Now we had to lean.
73.
GORDO
So then Miles walks straight into the
Creative Director's office and says
"The code's fine, the program's for
shit" and throws down like a thousand
pages of code on the guy's desk!
They all break out into LAUGHTER.
JAKE
So this is our boss, right? He chases
me and Miles out of his office and
he's yelling and screaming, "You're
fired! Your whole team's fired!" He
starts looking for Lily, Lupus, Gordo--
MILES
But the best part was that he couldn't
find Gordo! He was in the bathroom.
So he finally goes in there, kicks in a
stall door and starts yelling! And
there's Gordo, pants at the ankles,
holding a PC World Magazine!
More LAUGHS.
GORDO
I haven't been able to use a public
bathroom since.
LUPUS
Especially with the thing!
Lupus's non-sequitur brings the whole rhythm of the
conversation to a grinding halt.
JAKE
Uh, right... And that was it. That's
when we decided to start our own
business. No more shithead bosses.
ASHSY
I envy you guys. Taking a chance like
that.
GORDO
Masters of our own destiny.
LILY
So far, masters of our own demise.
What bank are you with?
ASHBY
City Bank of Manhattan.
(CONTINUED)
74.
CONTINUED:
GORDO
That's that Gillette guy, right?
(off Ashby's nod)
You Like him? As a boss, I mean.
ASHBY
He's . . . He's okay.
GORDO
(goading)
Come on...
ASHBY
No.
More LAUGHS.
JAKE
What do you do over at your bank,
Grant?
ASHBY
What do I do? I'm the VP of Finance.
The group exchanges Looks.
MILES
Wow. We haven't met with anyone your
level yet. VP? So that means there's
you, then the P.
ASHBY
(Confidently Yeah. That's right.
FREEZE FRAME ON ASHBY...
JAKE (V.O.)
Here's where a little research comes in
handy. Corporate banks give out VP
titles like calendars. It's a small
lie, but now we're sure he's playing.
RESUME ACTION
JAKE
Maybe you can help us understand what's
so hard about getting a corporate loan.
ASHBY
Well, typically speaking, they're not.
As long as you can demonstrate--
(CONTINUED)
75.
CONTINUED:
JAKE
A capacity for gross fund recovery.
Yeah, we got that part.
ASHBY
That's right. And tech firms... They
'tend to scare people off.
JAKE
They scare people off because most
people lack vision. Vision and balls.
Present company excluded of course.
ASHBY
Banks need to know how they're going to
get their money back.
JAKE
We know exactly how we're going to make
The money back. There in lies the
Catch-22
ASHBY
I don't follow.
An uncomfortable silence falls.
GORDO
Jake...
LILY
It's alright. Grant's one of the good
guys.
She throws Ashby a flirty smile.
LUPUS
Yeah. He's our boy.
Lupus casually punches Ashby in the arm. It's meant to
be a friendly tap, but it's hard enough to jerk Ashby's
head to the side. Ashby lets out an uncomfortable LAUGH
as he rubs his arm.
JAKE
(leaning in)
Listen, what I'm about to tell you, I'm
telling you in confidence, okay?
(off Ashby's nod)
Have you ever heard of a company called
Big.Com?
ASHBY
Big.Com. That Internet thing.
(CONTINUED)
76.
CONTINUED:
JAKE
Right. The guys who started that did
what a lot of companies in the Valley
do. They get a good idea, shop it
around, raise some capital, then sell
it off to a bigger company. Microsoft,
Intel, Oracle, whatever. The beauty of
it is, they've pretty much sold the
company before they're even real. The
bigger company is already set to buy
it, all they want to do is make sure
that the idea actually works. So they
get some start up capital, make it work,
then sell it for like five times the
initial loan.
ASHY
Sort of like a letter of intent.
JAKE
Exactly. But the Catch-22 is that you
can't tell anyone about the offer,
because if it's public, you could start
a bidding war and that's considered a
breach of etiquette. It could kill a
deal. But, wait too long and you're
not considered hot anymore.
ASHBY
And you have this letter of intent?
JAKE
(quietly)
Yes. That's why I wish there were guys
willing to take a chance and live a
little.
LILY
We're getting down to the wire.
Apparently another company has a
similar product in R&D right now. If
they beat us to it...
JAKE
Off the record, I'm this close to
cutting someone in on the action if
it'd help.
Ashby considers for a moment.
ASHBY
Should we get another round?
Jake and Lily share an almost imperceptible look.
CUT TO:
77.
TNT.- CITY STREET- NIGHT
Jake, Lupus, Miles, Gordo and Lily walking, still on a
celebratory high.
GORDO
Poor bastard never knew what hit him.
Jesus, I almost felt sorry for the guy.
MILES
I gotta work off some of this
adrenaline. I got a line on this Pawn
Shop guy over in Brooklyn. Anybody
want in?
LILY
I' m going home
GORDO
Let's go, Jake?
JAKE
Uh... No thanks. I'm not going all the
way to Brooklyn for a hundred dollar
pay-off.
GORDO
You sure?
Jake looks over at. Lily then nods. Gordo, Miles and
Lupus start to head off.
JAKE
Lupus!
Lupus turns and Jake moves closer.
JAKE (cont'd)
When this is all over, you're going to
tell me who the King put on Al.
LUPUS
You going to have the time?
JAKE
I'11 find the time.
Lupus nods and heads off. Jake watches them go.
LILY
Look at you... You want to go.
JAKE
For what? A couple hundred bucks?
(CONTINUED)
78.
CONTINUED:
LILY
I think you'd do it for free. You' re
almost drooling. You like the rush.
JAKE
It's what I do. It's my job.
LILY
Why? Your mother not breast feed you
or something?
JAKE
Are you asking me if I have something
to prove?
LILY
Do you have something to prove?
JAKE
Not in that repressed anger sort of
way.
LILY
I'm your basic underachiever. Can't
stand working and porn doesn't seem
like a good option.
JAKE
Good quality porn has it's place in the
world.
LILY
Whatever. But you... I get the feeling
you could have bullshitted your way
into anything. So why this?
JAKE
I'm good at it. Lying, cheating.
Manipulating... I'm good at it.
LILY
It's more than that.
JAKE
Intuition. It doesn't make you Yoda.
Like tonight. You killed that guy
tonight. But I knew you would.
LILY
So that was my part? Smile and shake
my ass?
JAKE
No. You have another part? You'll
know what to do.
(CONTINUED)
79.
CONTINUED:
LILY
How do you know I will?
JAKE
Intuition.
CUT TO:
INT.- LILY'S APARTMENT- NIGHT
Illuminated only by the light coming from the windows...
Jake runs a hand down the length of Lily's bare back.
She falls onto him, both of them hitting the bed locked
in a deep kiss.
Lily's hand moves down Jake's arm until it finds his hand.
LILY
You have really soft hands. Like a
baby's.
JAKE
(remembering the King)
Don't ruin this for me.
They roll off the bed onto the floor, a naked tangle of
arms and legs, their hands still entwined.
CUT TO:
EXT. - BACK ALLEY NIGHT (PRESENT)
Jake takes a deep breath, Butch and Lily behind him.
BUTCH
Is that what it was, Jake? Was it
love?
JAKE
You know when the first con was ever
played? It was when Adam fell for Eve
in the Garden of Eden.
Lily looks away, her face softening for a moment.
JAKE
Then she fucked him over with an apple.
(with a dry laugh)
Redheads...
Jake continues to LAUGH...
CUT TO:
80.
INT . - LILY'S APARTMENT--DAY
Not even the soft morning light can diffuse the reality
of this slum-pit studio apartment.
Jake lies next to Lily, kissing her neck. A spoon
RATTLES in a glass from the growing RUMBLE of a passing
subway train. The RUMBLE rises to an almost deafening
volume.
Jake's a little alarmed. Lily, oblivious.
JAKE
(drowned out by the
rumble)
How do you deal with---
LILY
(yelling)
WHAT?
JAKE
(yelling back)
SAID, HOW DO--
(the subway passes)
Deal with that?
Lily shrugs indifferently.
LILY
Do you think we can do it?
Jake resumes kissing Lily's neck, trying to rekindle some
of last night's magic.
JAKE
Maybe. Even if we don't, you'll be
alright. You're not in the hole with
the King.
Lily rolls away from Jake. Undaunted, Jake starts kissing
her back.
LILY
Who says you have to know the King to
be in a whole? I actually did have a
real job once. When I was in high
school, I worked as a candy striper.
JAKE
Sounds respectable.
LILY
Not the way I did it. I was loaded
half the time. I don't know how you
could change bedpans sober.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
81.
CONTINUED:
LILY (CONT'D)
I used to hang out with this guy,
Glenn. He was an x-ray technician or
something.
JAKE
You want to talk about an old
boyfriend right now?
Jake, kissing up the length of Lily's neck.
LILY
He wasn't my boyfriend. I had a
boyfriend at the time... What was his
name? Anyway, Glenn was like thirty.
I was only fifteen. But he was a nice
guy. Real sweet. Liked to talk. We
used to get loaded on pills from the
nurses station and then listen to
Morrisey or some stupid shit like
that.
JAKE
Yeah, the sensitive guy-thing never
worked for me.
LILY
We were friends. I trusted him. I
should have known it was weird. But,
then again I was weird.
JAKE
You guys got busted. This is a great
neck.
Jake still kissing...
LILY
No, we never got busted. We were done
with a shift one night, both a couple
of Percocets down and I was telling
Glenn about my boyfriend, about how we
were thinking about doing it, you know?
I was thinking about letting him be my
first because I loved him.
(pause)
What the hell was his name?
JAKE
Glenn talked you out of it.
LILY
Sort of. I was telling him about this
great love of my life who's name I don't
remember, and I could see... He was
getting pissed. I thought it was just
because he was worried about me, but...
(CONTINUED)
82.
CONTINUED:
LILY (cont'd)
He told me that I was stupid because
my boyfriend didn't really love me.
Jake grabs Lily and rolls her over onto her back. He
climbs on top of her.
JAKE
He was looking out for you.
LILY
Then he grabbed me and threw me down
on the floor, that really cold
linoleum tiled hospital floor and
started ripping my uniform off.
(pause)
He said he was going to "fuck some
sense into me."
Jake stops kissing Lily and looks up at her.
LILY
Shit, what was that guy's name? I really
liked him.
JAKE
Lily... Jesus Christ...
LILY
After Glenn was finished, he gave me a
couple of valiums and I went home. The
next day, I finished my shift and met
him around back, like we always did. I
stuck a number eight scalpel into his
chest. Three or four times.
Jake slides off Lily.
JAKE
Did, uh... Did you kill him?
LILY
I don't know. I packed up my shit and
ran away. To this... So unlike you, I
guess I do have something to prove, in
a repressed anger sort of way.
Jake considers for a second.
JAKE
No. You trusted him... You were just
getting square.
LILY
You know why I told you that, Jake?
(turning towards him)
Because I trust you too.
(CONTINUED)
83.
CONTINUED:
Jake tries a reassuring smile even though he's not sure
it's something he should be smiling about.
The spoon starts to RATTLE again as another subway train
RUMBLES in the distance.
CUT TO:
EXT. - BACK ALLEY-NIGHT (PRESENT)
Lily shakes her head in disbelief that Jake would tell
the story.
JAKE
Sorry, honey. But I figure if we can't
all share at a time like this...
Butch lowers the gun down and looks over at Lily.
BUTCH
You got some issues, huh?
LILY
(with a hiss)
I can take care of myself.
Butch freezes as A POLICE SIREN WAILS in the BACKGROUND,
growing CLOSER then FADING again. He puts the gun back
to Jake's head.
BUTCH
Hurry up.
CUT TO:
INT.- ASHBY'S OFFICE- DAY
Ashby sits behind a desk in front of the crew. In front
of him are the corporate papers.
JAKE (V.O.)
We had to finalize the deal.
ASHBY
Everything looks in order.
JAKE
This has to happen fast.
ASHBY
I know. It won't go unnoticed.
JAKE
There'll be red flags.
Jake slides an envelope across the desk.
(CONTINUED)
84.
CONTINUED:
ASHBY
What's this?
JAKE
You need some convincing. Consider it
a convincer.
Ashby leafs through the money in the envelope.
ASHBY
Let's just slow down for a second...
JAKE
You're worried about recouping the loan.
I already told you.
ASHBY
No, I understand that. What I mean...
What I'm trying to say... I was
actually wondering about...
Well, my cut.
ECU- A bead of sweat rolls down the back of Ashby's neck.
JAKE (V.O.)
Then there it is. Ashby gets the itch.
JAKE
The standard ten.
ASHBY
Ten percent. Of how much?
JAKE
Two million.
GORDO
We're going to make it back, Grant.
Three or four times over.
JAKE
And all you need to do for your ten
percent is put some paperwork through
and push a button tomorrow.
There's a pause before Ashby smiles, then reaches around
to scratch his neck.
CUT TO:
INT.- CITY BANK OF MANHATTAN/HALLWAY- DAY
Jake exits Ashby's office with Lupus, Gordo, Miles and
Lily. They all follow Jake down the hallway.
(CONTINUED)
85.
CONTINUED:
GORDO
You'll be there?
JAKE
Eight A.M. flight.
GORDO
Calls?
JAKE
We'll use the Euc.
They pass the glass partitioned conference room. Jake
looks inside to see Morgan Gillette holding court with a
bunch of SUITS. Butch stands behind Gillette.
For a second, Butch and Jake's eyes meet.
CUT TO:
EXT.- STREET- DAY
Jake, Lily, Miles, Gordo and Lupus... As they move through
the crowded sidewalk, Rottovich and Sobozinski appear
behind them.
ROTTOVICH
Hey Jake.
Jake turns just in time to catch Rottovich's fist square
in the face.
Jake staggers back and Sobozinski pushes him into an
alley.
JAKE
That tip not work-out for you fellas?
ROTTOVICH
Tip was fine, Jake. We were a little
more curious about the Fed.
JAKE
Hey, listen... If you guys don't pay
your taxes, that's your business.
Sobozinski punches Jake in the stomach. Miles and Gordo
lurch forward--
SOBOZINSKI
(pulling his gun)
Back up.
LUPUS
You want I should hold him down?
(CONTINUED)
86.
CONTINUED:
Gordo throws Lupus a look.
ROTTOVICH
Special Agent Gunther Moonan. Ring a
bell?
JAKE
Gunther? I think I'd remember a Gunther.
ROTTOVICH
Ring it for him, Sobo.
Sobozinski punches Jake again.
JAKE
Oh yeah. Moonan. I remember now.
Thanks.
ROTTOVICH
Well he's in town and he sure as shit
remembers you. What are we going to do
about this Jake? We can't afford to
have a Fed onto us.
JAKE
Wouldn't dream of it.
Rottovich punches Jake hard in the stomach, sending him
GASPING to the ground.
ROTTOVICH
I don't know what you're into with the
King Pin, but whatever it is we get a
piece, understand? We get a big piece.
If we find out you're keeping us out, I
may suddenly develope a conscious and
give you up to Moonan myself. Say
something stupid if we got a deal,
Jake.
JAKE
(gasping for breath)
Something stupid.
ROTTOVICH
Good boy.
SOBOZINSKI
And don't leave town!
(to Rottovich)
I always wanted to say that...
As the cops exit, Lily, Miles and Gordo rush to Jake.
(CONTINUED)
87.
CONTINUED:
LILY
People don't like you much, do they?
Jake lets out a pained GROAN as they help him up.
CUT TO:
INT.- CAR- DAY
Rottovich and Sobozinski get in the front of a squad car.
In the back, Moonan sits reading the Travel section of
the NY Times.
MOONAN
Did he buy it?
ROTTOVICH
I think so. What'd he ever do to you
anyway?
MOONAN
Let's just say he burned me once.
Moonan calmly turns the page of the paper.
LUPUS (V.O.)
Why's this guy so hard up for you?
You're not exactly a threat to
national security.
CUT TO:
INT.- THE EUCLID- DAY
Jake sits at a barstool, battered and bruised. Lily tends
to him with a towel. Miles and Gordo pour drinks. Lupus
sits at a table, watching.
JAKE
We go way back...
CUT TO:
EXT.- DOG RACETRACK- DAY
A BELL... A mechanical rabbit springs forward. Greyhounds
bolt out of the gate.
JAKE (V.O.)
About four years ago, we were working
in Miami, turf fixing for some local
goon.
CUT TO:
88.
INT.-- RACETRACK- DAY
Gordo, Miles, Big A1 and Jake watch the race with
indifference, surrounded by excited SPECTATORS.
JAKE (V.O.)
Turns out this local goon was being
watched by the Feds, which means we
were being watched by the Feds. One in
particular.
Through the crowd, we catch a glimpse of Moonan, in
sunglasses, watching the guys.
JAKE (V.O.)
Special Agent Gunther Moonan.
Jake turns and catches Moonan looking at him.
CUT TO:
EXT.- RACETRACK/PARKING LOT- DAY
Moonan walks over to a car.
JAKE (V.O.)
He didn't really have anything on us,
but I figure, maybe this guy's good
for a Fix. So I ask him out to dinner.
Moonan pulls a piece of paper off the windshield that
reads: "La Scala 2night."
CUT TO:
INT.- LA SCALA- NIGHT
An elegant restaurant. Jake sits confidently in an
expensive suit speaking to the shabbily dressed Moonan
across from him.
JAKE (V.O.)
These guys we have now, sure, give
them twenty bucks and they'll look the
other way on a parking ticket. But a
Fed... You get a guy like that as your
Fix...
Jake nonchalantly slides a fat envelope over to Moonan.
Moonan picks it up and finds a wad of cash.
JAKE (V.O.)
It was probably a stupid idea. There I
am, Armani and Rolex. There he is, JC
Penny and Timex...
(CONTINUED)
89.
CONTINUED:
Moonan smiles and slides the envelope back over to Jake
with a disappointed shake of his head.
JAKE (V.O.)
So I took a shot. But now he had me on
attempted bribery of a Federal Agent.
As Moonan stands, we see Big Al get up from the next table.
A1 "bumps" into Gordo, dressed in a waiter's white jacket.
Gordo "trips;" spilling scalding hot coffee into Moonan's
lap.
Jake casually gets up and leaves.
FREEZE FRAME ON MOONAN'S CONTORTED FACE.
JAKE (V.O.)
That's when Gordo comes in with the
Hazelnut French Roast.
RESUME-- Moonan falls to the floor, holding his crotch in
agony.
CUT TO:
EXT.- LA SCALA/PARKING LOT- NIGHT
Miles pulls up in an old Cadillac, picking up Jake at the
entrance. They pick up Gordo and Big Al from a side door
and drive off as Moonan limps out of the restaurant, still
holding his crotch.
CUT TO:
INT.- THE EUCLID- DAY (RESUMING)
Jake finishes the story to Lupus.
JAKE
And that's how Special Agent Gunther
Moonan and I became friends.
Lupus nods, satisfied.
GORDO
Moonan. Here. Shit...
LILY
So what? We just stay clear of him.
Jake gets up, hard enough to knock the chair over.
LILY
Jesus... Take it easy.
(CONTINUED)
90.
CONTINUED:
JAKE
No, I'm not going to take it easy. You
can't stay clear of this guy. He will
be on this until the end of time.
MILES
What do we do? We change the scam?
JAKE
There is no scam! I've got a fucking
sign on my back! I can't leave town
now and come back with a suitcase full
of money. You get it? It's over. We
walk.
GORDO
Jake--
JAKE
What do I always tell you guys? Don't
spend it all. Sooner or later we're
going to run into some bad luck. Save
some. Put it away, so when shit like
this happens, you're not desperate.
That's it. The gig's up.
LILY
That's it? What are you talking about?
We can still do this!
GORDO
Jake, I mean, come on--
JAKE
No, no, no! Not this time. I am doing
this for your own good! You guys have
got to learn when to stop. You with
the Armani! You with the hookers!
MILES
Escorts!
JAKE
Do you even remember Al? Do you remember
what he looked like sitting there?
LILY
You are such a raving pussy sometimes.
JAKE
Hey, we fucked once, honey. That
hardly makes you a good judge of
character. And don't think I didn't
know you were working some angle with
that either.
(CONTINUED)
91.
CONTINUED:
LILY
Everyone's working an angle, right?
JAKE
There are three people I trust-- him,
him and a guy who got killed. I don't
know who you are! You're like some
stray doq that wandered into the
house. So I'm telling you to cut loose
of this. No one's looking for you, Not
the King, not Moonan and not Gillette.
Just go wherever it is you would go.
It's over.
Lily looks around the room. No one seems to be backing
her up.
LILY
What about...
JAKE
What about what?
LILY
What about the money?
Jake stops and levels a look at Lily.
JAKE
So there it is. You got that big itch
you need to scratch. It's all about
the fucking money. What do you want,
an apology?
LILY
No, I want my cut!
JAKE
I'm going to say this one last time for
You, so take a deep breath and count to
ten. There is no cut.
Lily levels a look of utter contempt at Jake.
LILY
You're an asshole.
With that, she grabs her coat and leaves.
Lupus sits quietly, taking it all in.
GORDO
So that's it...
JAKE
That's it.
(CONTINUED)
92.
CONTINUED:
LUPUS
King ain't gonna like this.
JAKE
Don't worry, I'll settle up with your
boss. We haven't skipped town yet.
LUPUS
What I'm saying is, is that the King
ain't gonna care. See he had a real
thing with getting this Gillette guy,
If you ask me I think he's jealous.
JAKE
Of what? They're both crooks.
LUPUS
Exactly. `Cept this Gillette guy. He
gets to walk around in three piece
suits, hob knob with the Mayor, own a
bank, that kinda shit. Meanwhile, the
King sits holed up in the steam, afraid
to even take a leak without me or Harlin
watching the door.
JAKE
My fucking heart bleeds.
LUPUS
Your buddy. That fat guy. The King
couldn't wait to have that guy
whacked. He didn't even know who the
guy was, but he was so pissed off at
him, he gets him drilled. It ain't
personal. It's business.
JAKE
Point, Lupus. Give us a point.
LUPUS
Point is, you don't go through with
this, he's going to go after you next.
And he don't even like you, Jake.
Lupus stares blankly at Jake.
CUT TO:
EXT. - BACK ALLEY (PRESENT)
Butch hovering over Jake...
BUTCH
So much for honor among thieves. You
would have cut loose your friends, your
girl...
(CONTINUED)
93.
CONTINUED:
JAKE
I was doing it for them.
BUTCH
BULLSHIT! You were scared, Jake! You -
Lost your nerve! You lost your
confidence! You weren't being noble.
You weren't trying to save anybody but
yourself! Admit it.
JAKE
It's not true.
BUTCH
Yes it is Jake! Yes it is! They were
right there for you. She was right
there for you! Look at her!
Jake doesn't move. Butch grabs him by the hair and turns
him towards Lily.
BUTCH (cont'd)
She trusted you and you sold her out!
Be honest! Be a man! Tell her, Jake!
Tell her that you loved her but the
money meant more to you!
Butch kicks Jake in the gut.
BUTCH (cont'd)
Grifters... Gentleman's racket... My
ass. You're just any other lowlife
stammer-- Looking out for number one.
Jake shuts his eyes, maybe because Butch is right.
CUT TO:
INT . - JAKE'S APARTMENT-- NIGHT
Lupus and Jake sit at the table. Lupus on the phone.
LUPUS
Hey, boss. It's me. The bank's in.
It's happening tomorrow... Jake?
Lupus turns to Jake and slaps him on the shoulder good
buddy-style.
LUPUS (cont' d)
He got a little shaky there for a minute,
but we got him back in the batter's
box.
CUT TO:
94.
INT. -BULLDOG GYM - SAME
The King Pin on a cell phone. Harlin stands in front of
him, punching the King's stomach hard enough that he's
sweating. The King seems to hardly notice.
LUPUS (O.S.)
Coupla things. They got this Fed , loo
king around and the girl just split.
KING PIN
A Fed? Is he close?
LUPUS (O.S.)
I don't think so. Their Fix gave us
the heads up and Jake's got a plan
that'll probably keep him off.
BACK TO LUPUS
LUPUS
But this girl, the redhead. She knows
a lot. She could be a pain in the ass.
Jake looks up.
JAKE
No. She won't. She's not going to be
a problem.
Lupus cups the phone.
LUPU
He wants to talk to you.
(whispering)
Don't tell him I said he was jealous
of Gillette, okay?
Jake reaches over and grabs the phone.
JAKE
Uh huh... Uh huh... Okay... I understand.
Jake hangs up the phone.
LUPUS
What'd he say?
JAKE
Oh, you know... Don't fuck this up.
I'll kill you. I'll kill your family.
I'll shoot your dog... All the usual.
Then he said good luck.
(CONTINUED)
95.
CONTINUED:
A FLAPPING SOUND catches Jake and Lupus's attention. A
WHITE PIGEON sits on the frame of an open window.
JAKE
Aww, shit!
CUT TO:
EXT. BACK ALLEY- NIGHT (PRESENT)
With a shrug, Jake continues...
JAKE
We were back on.
BUTCH
After you cut her loose.
JAKE
She walked.
Lily pushes Butch aside and moves closer to Jake.
LILY
I walked? Let me tell you a story,
asshole...
CUT TO:
INT.- LILY'S APARTMENT- NIGHT
Lily stands at a hot plate in her "kitchen" frying an
egg.
HEAVY FOOTSTEPS from the hall catch her attention, growing
louder, then stopping at her door. A KNOCK.
HARLIN (0.S.)
Lily?
Lily frantically rumages through drawers. She pulls a
knife, but it's only a butter knife. She tosses it aside.
Lily moves to the door and looks out the peep hole.
HARLIN (O. S.)
.Jake sent me.
Lily moves to the closet.
LILY
Jake? Hold on. I just got out of the
shower.
More KNOCKING.
(CONTINUED)
96.
CONTINUED:
Lily rumages in the closet and a baseball bat. She hefts
the bat and takes a stance in front of the door.
More KNOCKING.
LILY
HOLD ON!
Another KNOCK. Lily slowly reaches for the doorknob.
Then the door flies open with a CRASH. Harlin fills the
doorway.
HARLIN
The King would like to have a word
with you.
Lily, wide-eyed, stands frozen with the bat still cocked..
LILY
Uh, right now?
HARLI
Please. I have a car waiting.
Lily takes a swing. Harlin easily grabs the bat and
backhands Lily. She goes flying back into the far wall,
bounces off and lands with a THUD at Harlin's feet where
she finds the butter knife.
Harlin reaches down and pulls Lily up by the hair. The
egg SIZZLES in the pan.
Lily takes a stab at Harlin, but the knife just bounces
off his coat. Harlin slaps Lily again, sending her flying
into the stove. Smoke starts to rise from the burning
egg.
Harlin steps closer, but Lily throws her hands up in
surrender.
A spoon RATTLES in a cup as the RUMBLE of a subway train
grows LOUDER.
HARLIN
(Drowned out by rumble)
I apologize for the--
LILY
(yelling)
WHAT?
HARLIN
(yelling back)
I SAID, I APOLOGIZE FOR--
(CONTINUED)
97.
CONTINUED:
Lily shakes her head and points to her ear and mouths,
"Can't hear you." Harlin moves closer and they lean into
each other.
HARLIN (cont' d)
(louder)
I SAID, I APOLOGIZE FOR--
(the subway passes)
--The door.
LILY
(Nodding)
No problem.
She grabs the smoking pan from the stove and WHACKS Harlin
across the head. The burned egg lands on the floor.
Lily watches as he sways and teeters on his feet, like a
drunk. She raises the pan again... But before she
delivers the final blow, Harlin steps on the egg, causing
his leg to shoot out from under him. He lands flat on
his back, out cold. The wood floor CREAKS with his weight.
Lily wipes the blood from her nose and turns the hot
plate off.
CUT TO:
EXT. - BACK ALLEY- NIGHT (PRESENT)
Jake, Butch and Lily...
JAKE
Sorry. I didn't know...
LILY
Your friend, Big Al? It should have
been you.
BUTCH
Alrlght, alrlght. What happened today?
JAKE
Today? Started off great...
CUT TO:
EXT.-- CAYMEN ISLANDS/BEACH- DAY
Crystal blue water gently rolls onto virgin white sand.
A jet cuts a line across the cloudless sky...
(CONTINUED)
98.
CONTINUED:
JAKE (V.O.)
Ashby was going to call us with the
exact time of the transfer. The King
was waiting on us. Just to be safe...
CUT TO:
INT.- JET- SAME
Gordo sits in first class, impeccably dressed in a Brooks
Brothers suit.
JAKE (V . O .
Gordo went down to the Caymens instead
of me. I needed Rottovich and
Sobozinski to keep Moonan off our backs
and the only way I could do that was to
stay in town and cut them in on the
deal.
CUT T0:
INT.- 16TH PRECINT- SAME
Rottovich and Sobozinski sit around the desks, as Moonan
reads the newpaper behind them.
JAKE (V.O.)
So they waited for my call while Miles
and I waited for Ashby's call.
CUT T0:
INT.- THE EUCLID- SAME
Jake sits with Miles and Lupus at a table in the otherwise
empty bar.
MILES
He should be landing in the Caymens
about now. The Custom's guy is ready
right?
Jake stares off into space, absentmindedly flipping a
penny in his hand.
JAKE
Feeling lucky today, Miles. Found a
penny-- Heads up. There was an empty
cab right outside my building. We hit
every green light.
MILES
And we got rid of the red head.
Jake considers...
(CONTINUED)
99.
CONTINUED:
JAKE
And we got rid of the red head.
MILES
Jake? Customs?
Jake just nods and continues flipping the penny. JAKE
(V.O.)
They say a good chess player can. See
up to twenty moves deep. That means
that in some games, you've calculated
every possible move in your head... The
game's over before it's even " really
started.
CUT T0:
INT.- CITY BANK OF MANHATTAN/ASHBY'S OFFICE- SAME
Ashby sits at a desk, computer terminal in front of him.
He speaks in hushed tones on the phone.
JAKE (V.O.)
Same thing with playing a con. You
have to be able to see that deep.
ASHBY
Jake? Right. Uh-huh... Uh-huh... Yeah,
it's going through--
INSERT SHOT- ECU of Ashby's finger on the "Enter" key.
ASHBY (coat' d)
Now.
Ashby hangs up and checks over his shoulder.
CUT T0:
INT. - THE EUCLID BAR- SAME
Jake hangs up and immediately dials another number.
JAKE (V.O.)
In order to ensure that we weren't going
to welch, Ashby's pay-off was to be
directly deposited into his own offshore
account which he could confirm
electronically. In this age of
ecommerce, paper currency has become "
more of a liability than a commodity.
Especially to us.
(CONTINUED)
100.
CONTINUED:
JAKE
(into phone)
Go.
CUT TO:
EXT.- CAYMEN ISLANDS/CAFE- SAME
Gordo listens into a cell phone: Without saying a word,
he gets up, wheeling a nondescript BLACK SUITCASE.
Across the street sits the Grand Caymen's Bank in all
it's pastel and brass glory.
CUT TO:
INT.-- GRAND LAYMEN'S BANK- DAY
Gordo moves across the lobby of the bank to the back of a
line at the Teller windows wheeling the black suitcase.
JAKE (V.O.)
Gordo was making the withdrawal from
the Grand Laymen's Bank.
Gordo stands in front of a Teller. She reads off a paper
then does a double take at Gordo, who smiles back.
JAKE (V. O. )
They check the papers...
Gordo slides a folder of corporate papers along with his
photo ID towards the Teller.
We follow the teller as she hands the papers to the
OFFICIOUS LOAN OFFICER.
ANGLE ON the teller window-- A check is pushed to Gordo.
JAKE (V.O.)
...They stick.
Gordo shakes the Loan Officer's hand and calmly walks
towards the door.
CUT TO:
EXT.- LAYMEN ISLANDS/STREET DAY
Gordo walks across the street with the suitcase and pulls
a cell phone from his pocket.
GORDO
First and ten.
(CONTINUED)
101.
CONTINUED:
Gordo hangs up without another word. He approaches a
building with the words "BANK OF THE CAYMENS" engraved
over the brass handled doors.
CUT TO:
INT.- BANK OF THE CAYMENS- DAY
Gordo approaches the teller window with the check in hand.
JAKE (V.O.)
Then he had to bang it out across the
street at the Bank of the Caymens...
GORDO
I'd like this cashed, please.
ANOTHER TELLER looks at the check then back up at Gordo.
GORDO (cont'd )
I also need to deduct a certain amount
and deposit it into this account number.
Gordo takes another piece of paper and slides it to the
Teller.
CUT TO:
INT.- CITY BANK OF MANHATTAN/ASHBY'S OFFICE- DAY
Ashby sits, nervously tapping his computer monitor with a
pen. MARIE, a secretary, pokes her head in.
MAR I E
Mr. Ashby? Mr. Thompson from
International with a 34R on a
corporate account.
Ashby watches the screen, as a big broad smile comes
across his face.
ASHBY
Probably just a new account marker.
(standing)
Tell him I already left for lunch and
that I'll call him later.
Ashby grabs his coat and strides confidently out.
CUT TO:
102.
INT.- BANK OF THE CAYMENS/VAULT ROOM- CONTINUOUS
A SECURITY GUARD stands in the small, windowless room.
Gordo is escorted into the room by a BANK OFFICIAL.
BANK OFFICIAL
We'll let you have a moment.
On a small table are neat piles of bundled money, shrink
wrapped in plastic. Gordo seems in awe.
JAKE (V.O.)
We called them Green Twinkies.
The Bank Official and Security Guard exit. Gordo holds
up a Green Twinkie up to his nose and takes a deep breath.
CUT TO:
EXT.- CAYMEN ISLANDS/STREET- DAY
The Security Guard holds open the door as Gordo exits,
suitcase in tow. Gordo takes his cell phone out as he
moves across the street.
GORDO
We got Twinkies.
Gordo pockets the phone and disappears into the crowd.
CUT TO:
INT.-- THE EUCLID- SAME
Jake hangs up the phone and dials another number. He
nods at Lupus.
JAKE (V.O.)
Miles was on his way to the airport to
wait for Gordo to land. I made the
call.
JAKE
Yeah, it's me. I need an escort. Not
a ride, just an escort. You wanted in,
this is in.
CUT TO:
INT.- 16TH PRECINCT/DETECTIVES' OFFICE- DAY
Sobozinski behind a desk. Sitting in a chair leafing
through a magazine is Moonan. Rottovich on the phone...
(CONTINUED)
103.
CONTINUED:
JAKE (O.S.)
Kennedy. International terminal. Gordo
with a black suitcase. You got Moonan
under control?
ROTTOVICH
Don't worry about Moonan. We got him
covered. When..?
(hanging up)
It was him. There's a shipment coming
through tonight. Kennedy.
MOONAN
Shipment of what?
(off Rottovich's shrug)
Find two cars. And change into plain
clothes.
After Rottovich and Sobozinski exit, Moonan dials a number.
MOONAN
It's Moonan. Tonight. JFK.
International terminal. Come heavy.
CUT TO:
INT.- THE EUCLID- NIGHT
Jake sits at the bar, looking at his watch. He notices
his hand is shaking.
LUPUS
So that's it, huh? You get the cops to
give you a safe ride.
JAKE
Let me ask you something... You really
think I'm going to come this close,
this fucking close and let my guard
down? I'll get square with your boss.
I'll get square with whoever did Al.
I'll get square with everybody. Then
I'm going going to cash in my chips
and be on my way to a new and better
me far away from here.
LUPUS
You're a weasal.
Lupus gets off the stool and we follow him into...
INT.- THE EUCLID/BATHROOM- CONTINUOUS
Lupus enters the small. Bathroom and pulls a cellphone.
(CONTINUED)
104.
CONTINUED:
LUPUS
Yeah... He's landing with the money at
Kennedy in a few hours. International
Terminal. You were right. He's trying
to fuck you. You want it, you gotta
get it at the airport...
CUT TO:
INT.- BULLDOG GYM/LOCKER ROOM- SAME
The King Pin closes the cell phone and looks over at
Harlin, who's hair is singed and matted down on one side.
KING PIN
He's got pigs for an escort. You
believe this guy?
HARLIN
I'll get the car.
KING PIN
Always something.
The King struggles into a pair of pants, then turns
around.
KING PIN (cont' d)
My ass look big in this?
Harlin deliberately looks away.
HARLIN
Looks fine, Boss.
CUT TO:
EXT.-- JFK AIRPORT/PARKING LOT- NIGHT
A black Lincoln Town Car rolls through the parking lot.
Behind the wheel we see Harlin with the King Pin riding
in the back.
The Town Car passes...
MILES SITTING ON THE HOOD OF A CAR LOOKING AT THE
TERMINAL.
We follow the Town Car as it passes...
ROTTOVICH AND SOBOZINSKI STAKED OUT IN AN UNMARKED POLICE
CAR A FEW SPACES PAST MILES.
(CONTINUED)
105.
CONTINUED:
The Town Car finally parks in the same row, each car,
separated only by a few spaces.
CUT TO:
INT.- UNMARKED POLICE CAR- SAME
Sobozinski and Rottovich overlook the terminal.
SOSOZINSKI
You trust this Moonan guy?
ROTTOVICH
I don't trust anybody. You see how bad
this guy wants Vig? It's like a
sickness. I say we collar Vig
ourselves. We got Vig, then we got
leverage. And we trade; Vig for that
tape. I want to see it right in front
of my face.
SOBOZINSKI
It's just insurance.
ROTTOVICH
That's what I'm talking about.
SOBOZINSKI
I'm down!
Sobozinski holds his hand up for a high five.
ROTTOVICH
What are you doing?
SOBOZINSKI
High five.
ROTTOVICH
Put your hand down. I don't high five.
There's the CRACKLE from a walkie-talkie.
MOONAN
You guys awake?
ROTTOVICH
(into walkie)
We're here.
CUT TO:
106.
INT.- JFK AIRPORT/TERMINAL- SAME
Moonan sits a safe distance away from an area marked
"Customs". Behind a large table, a few CUSTOMS OFFICERS
in white shirts mill around.
Moonan speaks into a mic hidden in his sleeve.
MOONAN
Stay sharp.
Moonan keeps his eyes on the Customs desk.
CUT TO:
INT . - JET- NIGHT
Gordo sits squashed in the window seat, next to a VERY
HEAVYSET COUPLE.
MR. HEAVYSET
Oh jeez.
Mr. Heavyset quickly gets up.
CUT TO:
INT.- THE EUCLID- SAME
Jake sits at the bar, the phone a few inches away. Lupus
pours himself a drink from the bar. The phone RINGS.
JAKE
Gordo.
CUT TO:
INT.- JET- SAME
Gordo on the Air-Phone next to MRS. HEAVYSET...
GORDO
I'm landing in about fifteen minutes.
MR. HEAVYSET returns to his seat, drying his hands on his
own shirt.
MR. HEAVYSET
Jeez... I tell ya, this airline food
goes right through me every time.
Mrs. Heavyset pats her husband's hand.
GORDO
You ever use the bathroom in Kennedy?
(CONTINUED)
107.
CONTINUED:
JAKE (O.S.)
What? No. Use the bathroom on the
plane!
Gordo eyes Mr. & Mrs. Heavyset.
GORDO
Let me just say that there is no way
I'm using the bathroom on this plane.
CUT TO:
INT.- THE EUCLID- SAME
Jake hangs up...
JAKE
He's wheeling around two million dollars
in cash and he wants to stop to use the
bathroom. You believe this?
LUPUS
Maybe he's got it right. Maybe we're
all just looking for a safe place to
shit.
JAKE
That was fucking deep.
Lupus gets up and heads for the bathroom again.
CUT TO:
INT.- TOWN CAR- SAME
A CELL PHONE RINGS with a digitized version of "Ode to
Joy". The King answers it.
KING PIN
Speak.
LUPUS (O.S.)
He's landing. He's got a suitcase on
wheels.
KING PIN
So do half the other people in this
place. How do I know which one?
LUPUS (O.S.)
I got it figured out... He's got this
thing with bathrooms. If he makes it
through Customs, he'll be heading for
the john.
(CONTINUED)
108.
CONTINUED:
KING PIN
Good. Good. Do not let Vig out of
your sight.
The King hangs up the phone and motions to Harlin to go.
CUT TO:
INT. -- THE EUCLID BAR- SAME
Jake looks up at a small digital clock sitting behind the
bar. It reads "11:11PM."
Lupus emerges from the back hallway to find Jake dialing
a number.
JAKE
What's up with you? Bladder infection?
LUPUS
Keep it up.
LILY (O.S.)
You got my cell. Leave a message.
JAKE
It's me. It's Jake. Listen... It's
happening. Gordo's landing right now.
Meet me at the Euclid... For your cut,
I mean. It's... I want you to have it.
Jake hangs up the phone.
LUPUS
You really like that bitch don't you?
I gotta tell you, I was pretty
convinced that the whole thing before
was blowing her off for her cut. You
know how it is, get her to do some
shit for you, throw her a bang to keep
her happy. But, if you're into her...
That's cool.
JAKE
That's what I like about you, Lupus.
You're a free thinker. Don't let the
King tell you different.
LIONEL
Not for nothing, Jake, but the guy who
whacked your buddy? It was me. The
King usually farms out for that kind of
stuff, but I tell ya, he was so pissed
off he couldn't wait for the regular
guy. Fucker didn't even put down his
Kung Pao Chicken.
(CONTINUED)
109.
CONTINUED:
Jake seems to be reeling with the information.
JAKE
Egg Foo Young.
(standing)
Stand up.
LUPUS
What?
JAKE
Stand up.
LUPUS
(laughing)
No offense, but I've seen you fight.
You gotta be kidding m-
Jake's sends a fist flying right into Lupus' mouth,
knocking him over.
JAKE
I said stand up.
CUT TO:
INT.- MORGAN GILLETTE'S OFFICE- NIGHT
MORGAN GILLETTE sits behind a desk in an ultra modern
office, his reptilian like face fixed straight ahead.
Butch leans against the wall behind him.
JAKE (V.O.)
This is probably about where you came
in.
GILLETTE
Wow. Now that's an exciting story.
Butch, has anyone ever tried something
like this before?
BUTCH
Not that I recall. What do you want us
to do about it?
GILLETTE
Let's see... Let's suppose he gets to
Customs and he gets caught. We get our
money back, but then we have to deal
with a criminal investigation. I don't
much like that idea. Then again, let's
suppose he actually gets through
Customs. Now, that'll be something.
We recover the money in cash and let
the insurance cover the corporate fraud.
We double our money.
(CONTINUED)
110.
CONTINUED:
BUTCH
So we go to the bar.
GILLETTE
I think so. The airport's going to be
crawling with police. Traffic will be
a nightmare. Go down to the bar. If
they pull it off, great. Have someone
deal with Ashby.
BUTCH
We'll take care of it.
GILLETTE
And how much did you say you wanted for
this... What did you call it? A finder's
fee?
REVEAL Lily sitting on the couch in front of them, cell
phone in hand.
LIL
Ten percent.
GILLETTE
Ten? That seems a little high.
BUTCH
Ten is standard, sir.
GILLETTE
Fine. But only if we recover the cash.
LILY
Only if--? No way. I want something
for this.
GILLETTE
Have a little faith in him, honey.
Butch, see if you can get him to tell
you how he did it. Or almost did it.
Sounds like a good story.
BUTCH
I' ll ask.
Gillette picks up an APPLE from a bowl in his desk... The
oldest con.
GILLETTE
Apple?
CUT TO:
111.
INT.- AIRPORT/TERMINAL HALLWAY- NIGHT
We follow Gordo as he wheels the black suitcase down the
long corridor towards the Customs Desk.
Moonan spots Gordo and speaks into his wrist.
MOONAN
I got him.
ANGLE ON THE CUSTOMS DESK
A few TRAVELERS quickly move past the desk. Gordo
approaches a CUSTOMS OFFICER.
Gordo lays the suitcase on the desk: The Customs Officer
looks nervously in both directions before waving Gordo
through.
Moonan follows at a safe distance as Gordo clears
Customs.
CUT TO:
INT.- CAR- SAME
Rottovich and Sobozinski check their guns.
MOONAN (O.S.)
He's headed towards the eastern most
exit. Do not, under any circumstances
approach. I want to follow this all
the way down to Vig.
SOBOZINSK
(into walkie)
Roger that.
ROTTOVICH
Oh yeah, we'll wait, jerk-off.
Sobozinski snorts a LAUGH as they get out of the car.
CUT TO:
INT.- JFK AIRPORT/TERMINAL- SAME
Gordo wheels the suitcase towards the exit when he spots
the MEN'S ROOM. He stops and considers for a moment before
he turns and enters.
Moonan watches a few yards back. He pulls his badge out
from under his shirt, hanging from a chain.
(CONTINUED)
112.
CONTINUED:
MOONAN
(into mic)
He just went into the crapper.
Hold your positions.
Harlin walks into the Men's Room half a minute after
Gordo.
CUT TO:
INT.- MEN'S ROOM- SAME
Gordo pads the toilet with half the roll before gingerly
setting his ass down.
Suddenly the STALL DOOR FLIES OPEN. Harlin steps in,
Gordo defenseless with his pants at his ankles.
Harlin picks him up off the toilet and throws him into
the wall repeatedly before letting him fall face first
onto the dirty floor.
CUT TO:
INT.- JFK AIRPORT/TERMINAL- CONTINUOUS
Moonan watches the door to the Men's Room as Harlin comes
out, wheeling the black suitcase behind him.
MOONAN
(into mic)
They pulled a switch. Big guy. Blue
suit. Keep on him.
CUT TO:
EXT.- JFK AIRPORT/PARKING LOT- CONTINUOUS
Rottovich turns the walkie talkie off as he and Sobozinski
fall in behind Harlin.
ANGLE ON MILES-- Who steps out of his car, watching the
little parade go by with a look of confusion.
CUT TO:
INT.- THE EUCLID- SAME
A LOUD THUMPING NOISE... Jake has Lupus by the hair as he
rams his head repeatedly into the bar. Jake then gets
him into a headlock.
Lupus snaps his head back and butts Jake in the nose,
sending him staggering back.
CUT TO:
(CONTINUED)
113.
CONTINUED:
TNT.- JFK AIRPORT/TERMINAL- SAME
Moonan taps the mic hidden in his sleeve, then checks the
walkie.
MOONAN
Hello? Can you hear me?
Moonan pulls the ear plug out and races down the hall.
CUT TO:
EXT.- JFK AIRPORT/PARKING LOT- SAME
Harlin gets to the King Pin's car and opens the back door.
As he crams the suitcase in, Rottovich and Sobozinski
come up behind him, guns drawn.
ROTTOVICH
Hey asshole.
They both grin like idiots.
CUT TO:
INT.- THE EUCLID- SAME
Jake goes flying into the bar. Lupus pushed Jake back up
against the bar and lands a series of body blows.
Jake manages to grab the phone and whips it across Lupus'
head, sending him to the ground. Jake straddles Lupus
and raises the phone for the last whack.
We HEAR A LOUD CLICK.
Jake stops and the two slowly get up. As they stand, we
can see that Lupus has the barrel of a small gun in
Jake's mouth.
Jake shuts his eyes tight, still holding the phone. Which
just then, RINGS.
Jake opens his eyes and looks at the phone. Then to Lupus,
who nods. Jake picks up the receiver and speaks, the gun
still in his mouth.
JAKE
Eww-Whoa?
CUT TO:
EXT.- JFK AIRPORT/PARKING LOT- SAME
Miles on a cell phone...
(CONTINUED)
114.
CONTINUED:
MILES
Jake! I don't know what's going on!
The King Pin... He's here and he just
got pinched. I think with the
twinkies! It looks like half the
police department's down here!
In the BACKGROUND, a whirlwind of activity-- Red and blue
flashing lights, half of the police department, Federal
Agents in blue windbreakers... The King and Harlin slumped
over the hood of the car, cuffed.
CUT TO:
INT. - THE EUCLID BAR- SAME
Jake drops the phone and looks at Lupus.
LUPUS
What happened?
JAKE
(w/ the gun still in
his mouth)
Eee Oott Auught!
LUPUS
(pulling the gun out)
Sorry. What?
JAKE
HE GOT CAUGHT! Your boss tried to pull
a switch and he got us all fucking
pinched!
Lupus picks up the phone and dials another number... No
answer.
LUPUS
Shit.
Lupus cocks the gun and crams it back into Jake's mouth.
JAKE
Aaaaiiit!!! Ooopusss!!
Lupus takes a newspaper off the bar and covers Jake's
face with it.
SLAM!!!-- Blood splatters across the front page of the
Metro Section. The paper falls away revealing Jake, wide-
eyed, the gun hanging from his mouth.
Lupus lies in a heap at the floor.
115.
CONTINUED:
Jake lets the gun fall and Looks up to see Butch, standing
at the door, gun in hand.
Lily steps out from behind him.
JAKE (V.O.)
I never thanked you for that.
CUT TO:
EXT. BACK ALLEY- NIGHT (PRESENT)
Jake runs his tongue across the front of his teeth.
BUTCH
You're welcome.
LILY
Can we please all stop being so
goddamnfucking-polite and get to the
point?
BUTCH
Right. Where's the money, Jake?
Butch presses the gun against Jake's head. Jake turns
and looks at Lily. They lock eyes.
JAKE
What do you get, Lily? Finder's Fee?
Because it is all about the money,
right?
LILY
You sold me out. You should have trusted
me like I trusted you. You fucked up.
You fucked up HUGE.
Butch taps Jake on the head with the gun.
BUTCH
Alright... Turn around. She doesn't
get shit, unless I get that money.
Where is it?
JAKE
Probably safe in the hands of the Federal
Government.
Butch buttons his coat.
BUTCH
Oh, Jake. You disappoint me. And you
just let Lily here down again.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
116.
CONTINUED:
BUTCH (cont'd)
What was it you said about playing the
big con?
JAKE
It's like putting on a play, where
everyone knows their part except for
the mark.
BUTCH
Like putting on a play... Guess some
people forgot their lines.
JAKE
Guess so.
BUTCH
So why don't you take a deep breath,
Jake, and I'll count to ten. One.
Two. Three...
As Butch continues to count, Jake slowly turns his head
and looks at Lily.
Butch, still counting, smiles at Lily's obvious contempt
then slides the gun along the back of Jake's head.
JAKE
I do trust you, Lily.
Butch turns back to Lily to see her reaching into her
bag...
BUTCH
Wha-
Butch spins and aims at her.
Lily pulls out a gun and... BLAM!!!
CUT TO:
INT.- JFK AIRPORT/BATHROOM- SAME
Gordo stirs on the floor of the stall, slowly getting up.
Pieces of toilet paper are stuck to his face.
JAKE (V.O.)
Trust...
CUT TO:
INT.- CAR- SAME
Miles gets back in the car and SCREECHES out of his parking
space.
(CONTINUED)
117.
CONTINUED:
JAKE (V.O.)
It should be a four letter word.
CUT TO:
EXT. - BACK ALLEY- NIGHT (PRESENT)
Lily drops the gun and breaks down in tears
BUTCH
Jesus Christ! Tell me before you do
something like that!
Jake lies face down in a puddle, the collected pool of
water growing red with blood.
POLICE SIRENS WAIL in the distance, growing closer.
BUTCH
You should leave.
Butch disappears down the dark alley.
Lily stands for a moment and takes a final look at Jake's
body. She then turns and runs back into the bar.
JAKE (V.O.)
So I'm dead...
EXT.- JFK AIRPORT/PARKING LOT- NIGHT
POLICE OFFICERS and FEDERAL AGENTS in windbreakers swarm
all over the parking lot.
The King and Harlin are bent over the hood of the car,
cuffed.
One Federal Agent pulls the black suitcase out of the
car.
JAKE (V . O . )
But maybe I can't blame Lily. Maybe I
just should have just trusted her to
play her part. Because playing the big
con is like putting on a play. A play
where everyone knows their part except
for the Mark...
CUT TO:
(FLASHBACK) INT.- DINER
Jake sits with Lily, Miles and Gordo crammed into a
booth.
(CONTINUED)
118.
CONTINUED:
JAKE
Just watch everything you say around
him. Every word, every move... It all
goes back to the King Pin. Get it?
CUT TO:
(FLASHBACK) INT.- JAKE'S APARTMENT
Lily with her new red hair and the bird blouse. The crew
watches Jake slowly flip out.
JAKE
You have no idea what you've done do
you? No idea! What is this?
Jake points to her hair.
Lupus quietly watches, taking it all in...
CUT TO:
(FLASHBACK) INT.-- THE EUCLID- DAY
Jake and Lily squaring off...
JAKE (V.O.)
You tell them the "Tale".
JAKE
What do you want? An apology?
LILY
No, I want my cut!
Lupus watches quietly, taking it all in...
CUT TO:
(FLASHBACK) INT.- THE EUCLID/BATHROOM
Lupus on the cellphone to the King...
JAKE (V.O.)
And like in a game of chess, you've
played every possible move in your
head...
LUPUS
You were right. He's trying to fuck
you. You want it, you gotta get it at
the airport...
CUT TO:
119.
EXT.- JFK AIRPORT/PARKING LOT- NIGHT
POLICE OFFICERS and FEDERAL AGENTS in windbreakers swarm
around the King Pin's car.
JAKE (V.O.)
Then you give them the "Blow-off". You
get them off your back. Forever.
The King Pin and Harlin are bent over the hood handcuffed.
Rottovich and Sobozinski lie on the ground, face down,
their hands behind their heads.
ROTTOVICH
We're on the job! We're active in the
one-six.
Next to them, a Federal Agent opens the suitcase. Coffee
beans spill out on the asphalt, followed by the two bricks
of heroin.
The TWO INTERNAL AFFAIRS officers from before emerge from
the crowd.
IA OFFICER#1
Officers Rottovich and Sobozinski?
The second Internal Affairs officer holds up a
MICROCASSETTE.
SOBOZINSKI
Fuck me...
CUT TO:
(FLASHBACK) INT.- LA SCALA
Jake slides a thick envelope of money to Moonan, seated
across from him.
JAKE (V.O.)
But most of all, you need the "Fix".
This time, Moonan TAKES IT.
CUT TO:
(FLASHBACK) INT.- THE EUCLID
Jake finishing the Moonan story...
JAKE
That's how Special Agent Gunther Moonan
and I became friends.
(CONTINUED)
120.
CONTINUED:
Lupus nods, satisfied.
CUT TO:
(FLASHBACK) INT.- CUSTOMS DESK
Gordo hoists the suitcase onto the desk. The Customs
Officer looks around nervously. We see he's looking at
Moonan in the B.G., who gives him a nod.
JAKE (V.O.)
Like Suits said, sooner or later
someone's going to start asking the
right questions.
The Custom Officer waves Gordo through. Gordo reaches
down and picks up an IDENTICAL BLACK suitcase already
lying on the table next to his and leaves.
JAKE (V.O.)
Rottovich and Sobozinski would ask how
the drugs got in that suitcase. The
King and Gillette would ask where the
money really went.
Moonan walks over to the Customs Desk and takes the
original black suitcase. He nods to the Customs Officer.
Moonan turns and walks TOWARDS CAMERA, wheeling the
suitcase behind him.
JAKE (V.O.)
And all of them would ask what agency
Special Agent Gunther Moonan worked
for.
We CLOSE-IN ON THE BADGE hanging from Moonan's neck. On
it is a number and the single word, "CUSTOMS".
CUT TO:
EXT. BACK ALLEY- NIGHT (PRESENT)
RIPPING SOUNDS...
JAKE (V.O.)
But what do I care? I'm dead...
A THIN, WHITE VEST, splattered with blood and wired with
squibs falls to the ground.
POLICE SIRENS WAIL just around the corner.
CUT TO:
(CONTINUED)
121.
CONTINUED:
Jake emerges from .the back alley, his shirt ripped and
splattered with fake blood.
JAKE (V.O.)
No one's going to ask me:
A black car comes to a stop n front of him. The tinted
glass slides down and Jake leans in.
JAKE
Drop something?
Inside we see Moonan and Lily riding in the back, Miles
and Gordo up front.
LILY
(innocently)
Oops.
She smiles that smile.
JAKE (V.O.)
Redheads...
Jake gets in and the car pulls away, followed seconds
later by two Police Cars SCREECHING to a stop in front of
the Euclid.
FADE TO BLACK:
THE END.
Confidence
Writers : Doug Jung
Genres : Crime Drama
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Thermodynamics of photochemical reactions
Suppose I have a photochemical reaction in gas phase, such as
$$
\ce{CO2 + {$h\nu$} -> CO + O}.
$$
I would like to work through the thermodynamics of such a reaction and understand the meaning of every term.
For a non-photochemical reaction, such as $\ce{CO + O -> CO2}$, I have a good understanding of how the change in Gibbs energy breaks down into enthalpy, internal entropy and a log-concentration term corresponding to the entropy of mixing. If I ignore the photon in the first reaction above, I can regard it as simply the reverse of this reaction, which due to its photochemical driving force is able to reduce the Gibbs energy by the same amount, $\Delta G$. All of this is unproblematic.
However, $h\nu$ itself is an energy change, which I can calculate, assuming I know the frequency $\nu$ of the absorbed light. I would like to know how to think about the thermodynamics of the whole system, including the coupling of the chemistry to the radiation field. In particular, my questions are:
1. How does the energy $h\nu$ relate to the other terms with energy units, such as $\Delta H$ and $\Delta G^0$?
2. I know that while a single photon has no internal entropy, a beam of light of a particular frequency can be thought of as having a temperature and an entropy. How should I think about the role of radiation entropy in the thermodynamics of photochemistry, and in particular, how can I do second-law calculations for photochemical reactions?
$h\nu$ is not a thermal energy so thermodynamic considerations do not apply. For example, you cannot predict the probability of being in an electronic excited state from equilibrium thermodynamics. The main reason is that the excitation is not a result of (classical) thermal energy transfer, but rather the adsorption of a photon which changes the quantum state.
With a constant light source
$$\ce{CO2} + h\nu \ce{-> CO + C}$$
will reach a steady state with constant concentrations that will be different from the thermal equilibrium concentrations. However, you can not extract a standard free energy difference by
$$ \Delta G^\circ=-RT\ln \left( \frac{p\_{\ce{CO}}p\_{\ce{O}}}{p\_{\ce{CO2}}} \right) $$
because the products and reactant are not in thermal equilibrium.
| stackexchange/chemistry |
In lithic reduction, the striking platform is the surface on the proximal portion of a lithic flake on which the detachment blow fell; this may be natural or prepared. Types of striking platforms include:
Cortex, which consists of an area of cortex used as a platform during initial reduction;
Single-faceted, consisting of a flat platform at right angles to the dorsal surface of the flake and most often associated with conchoidal fractures;
Double-faceted, a variety of multifaceted, prepared platform, also characteristically flat and associated with conchoidal fractures;
Multifaceted, with three or more facets to the platform;
Lipped, a platform type resulting from soft hammer biface reduction; and
Crushed, which occurs when the platform was crushed beyond easy recognition by the detachment blow.
Notes
Category:Lithics | wikipedia |
Doctor Who 1. Holding Hands
_Even if I ship this on my own for all of eternity I'm going to write this fanfic in hopes that maybe someone else's OTP is Eight/Sam, too. Please note I've only read up to 'Seeing I', I'm on 'Placebo Effect' now._
""
**1 – Holding Hands**
It happens all the time, really. Holding hands with the Doctor shouldn't feel special or anything. They mainly do it during their many adventures whilst 'not getting involved' (pfft, yeah _right_!) in the affairs of other times, planets, places or species – or all four. His grip is usually tight, at times like that. Especially when they're running; sometimes she can feel her fingers cramping up and her palms beginning to sweat, and when they finally stop she has to massage the pain away. He always seems to be unaffected.
Tonight they have stopped off on some planet in the Lyra constellation. God knows what the name is; she stopped trying to remember planet names ages ago. There are too many to go to, too many to see. They all blur in to one big ball of confusing triple-lettered words and _what on Earth is an 'A' pronounced like an 'L' for_? Some of them are simple, but this one can't have been because – as I said – she can't remember it. But she wishes she could because it's _beautiful_.
It's an unspoilt planet inhabited by a born civilisation that have only just learnt to craft shelter, so there's not a skyscraper or flicker of electricity in sight. There had been a bit of trouble initially (of course, what do you expect when you park a 1920's Police Box in the middle of a cave man-ish settlement?) but the Doctor managed to sort it out, as usual. After nearly getting them killed. Let's just leave that bit out. Anyway, the landscape is unspoilt and beautiful – it's a mix between coral coloured grass (that's far too thick to be anything like Earth's) and sand the shade of 'duck egg blue,' as the Doctor had put it. She'd just rolled her eyes and asked him – very nicely, may I add? – To admire the view _after_ they got out of being murdered.
There's also a peak of ragged-looking cliffs, over towards the east of the horizon. They would probably give you the loveliest view of the surrounding area. Just like the sand they are that pretty shade of blue, and my God do they take your breath away. The darker shades formed by the shadows of the moonlight are fascinating, as well. Sam gazes over at them now, comparing them with Earth's cliff faces – all brown with greyish water slapping against them. The sea is green here, just as it's meant to be. She's half tempted to ask if they could swap planets.
As time passes, the natives begin moving towards the shore where they set up three camp fires. The men eventually begin singing an exotic melody whilst dancing around the flames, and Sam loses herself amongst their alien symphony, finding it both relaxing and exciting. Her head falls to rest on the Doctor's shoulder; once upon a time ago she would have been far too nervous to attempt something like this, but the school girl crush died years ago now. Samantha Jones is not the seventeen-year-old teenager he knew before. She has grown since then – she knows who she is, now, and what she wants to do with her life. She knows how to take care of herself and how to appreciate the wonderful opportunity her Time Lord _friend_ has given her. And she knows how to appreciate a good, old fashioned planet.
"What do you think it'll look like in a hundred years?" She asks idly.
"Oh, much different - they're not so intelligent now but their minds develop at ten times the rate yours do. Their evolution will be fast."
"Meaning the planet won't be so green, or blue, anymore?"
"Probably not, no..."
They lapse in to silence again, but she doesn't mind. He hasn't shrugged her off his shoulder and he seems to be relaxed – best grasp this opportunity whilst she has it, because it's not very often that he sits down and just watches things happen. Their songs change in length, pitch and emotion as the night progresses. Sometimes they are so sad she finds herself with a lump in her throat whilst others bring that excitable, giggly feeling to the pit of her stomach.
Eventually they come to what _has_ to be a love song. Now, at this point she has made the connection – something in the way they sing makes you feel whatever they intent you to, so when she feels the urge to take the Doctor's hand and press herself closer to his side begin to rise she digs her nails in to her palm. Instead, she lets the emotion flow through her, enjoying how it brings a blush to her cheeks and a smile to her lips. Her heartbeat becomes just a little bit faster and her stomach is fluttering happily. She can smell that familiar sandalwood scent of his; it sends her head all fuzzy.
His hand lifts from the grass and reaches over, taking hers with it. She turns to look at them in surprise, watching as he interlocks his fingers with her own and rests them on his knee. This is nothing like that tight, sweaty clamp of their hands during running or fighting – this is gentle. His skin feels rough and calloused against hers but she doesn't mind; it's also cooler, but the song and his touch combined have her nerves at their peak, so despite the cold she is so tingle-y that she barely feels it. Not once does he turn from the natives show, but eventually he does rest his cheek atop her head.
And nothing – _absolutely nothing_ – could wipe the stupid, loved up smile off her face.
2. Cuddling Somewhere
**2 - Cuddling Somewhere**
He's had a little bit too much to drink. She can tell from the slightly detached, airy look in his eyes, the flush of his cheeks and the fact that he's cuddling her the way a lover would.
It started after they saved yet another species from yet another alien attack - Weeping Angels, this time. They were going to leave, but then Kalra insisted that they stay for the celebration feast. Sam's stomach was growling, and she hates the TARDIS' food, so they agreed. One thing lead to another: the feast developed in to a party and the Doctor's never one to resist a good party. Sam doesn't drink, but that didn't hold _him_ back. So, here they are, laid on a hammock-like thing (she doesn't really know what the hell it is), gazing up at the holographic stars of whatever wing of the settlement they're in.
"You know, Sam. You were awfully brave today. Not that I'm saying you're not brave every day, but a lot of my former companions have been shaken by the Angels, at least..."
"If that's you trying to tell me you're impressed, then thanks. If it's you saying you underestimated me then I'm pushing you out of this thing."
He laughs at that and pulls her closer, "You'll fall with me."
"As long as you're cushioning it then that's fine."
"Are you calling me fat?" He pouts, looking down at his very not fat stomach, "My sixth self was much podgier than _this_!"
"You're definitely not fat," She retorts, tapping his stomach.
"Thank you," He sniffs.
She becomes aware of how close they are, now. If before wasn't enough then their post-conversation position definitely is. She is on her side and he is on his, arms locked around her waist as hers rest against his chest. The urge to close the miniscule distance between their lips becomes so strong that she slips her arms under his and draws herself closer, pushing her cheek against his chest instead. His arms move to rest on her back.
"I want these in the TARDIS," He murmurs.
"They'd probably let you have one," She thinks of the hammock-things, picturing one in front of the console room's fire place, "We did save their lives."
"I wasn't talking about those."
She blushes, wishing he'd say things like that when sober... Will he remember this? Probably, but he won't talk about it. She's glad he can't see the frown on her face as she tightens her grip on him. At least she can have this, if only during times like this - there's no time like the present. He definitely doesn't feel the same way about her as she does him; she has to remind herself of that as he places a kiss on the top of her head.
3. Video Games and Films
**3 - Playing Video Games/Watching Films**
"How are you _doing_ that!?" Sam yells in disbelief. Not seconds later has he got yet another headshot; her soldier drops to the ground, dead.
"Oh come on, Sam. Did you really think so little of me as to believe that I wouldn't be able to figure out something as simple as a human-made video game?"
"You said you've never played!" She argues.
"Of course I haven't, I don't exactly stop off in two thousand and fourteen and decide to try out their gaming devices. I prefer the PS28, myself."
"Now I know you're having me on, they would never call them- wait, how did you do _that_!?"
"Now, why would I-" His voice rises in excitement as he notices the red dot (indicating where her character is) getting closer, "-lie to you?" He jumps out and shoots, killing her once again, "HA!" The Doctor drops the controller and throws fists in to the air, grinning in delight, "I win!"
She should have known this was a bad idea. After wondering around Leeds city centre on Earth in 2014, Sam decided it would be fun to try some of the many gaming devices out. All she had really played was Sega and a Game Boy, so watching kids test out the quite frankly incredibly realistic games of this time fascinated her. The Doctor had agreed... She hadn't expected him to buy a PS4, X Box One and a Nintendo Wii. Thinking back, she really should have. So here they are, sat in the gaming room of the TARDIS with all three consoles plugged in to the cinema-esque television, playing Call of Duty.
"Shall we try the Wii?" He asks, to which she just nods before skulking off to refill their mugs. She makes a Darjeeling for herself and an Earl Grey for the Doctor - ensuring she adds two sugars - before returning. When she arrives he is in the middle of editing a cartoon-ish avatar to look similar to her. When he notices her approaching he almost giggles in excitement.
"I'm making you!" He beams, resulting in Sam chuckling to herself until the tea is set on a coffee table and her controller is in hand. He makes her character incredibly small - hilarious - and she puts his in the glasses she proclaims he 'wears to look smarter than he is.' He pouts at that, but soon cheers up as she elects them to play tennis.
They're both terrible at first, but Sam enjoys the motion controlled technology so much that they carry on regardless. The competitiveness of their gaming increases as they continue through each sport, reaching it's peak when they begin bowling. Now, at this point the Doctor has won at each game they've played, so despite the fact that Sam is now a 21 year old woman she can't stop herself from grabbing his arm mid-swing, resulting in the ball heading straight for the gutter. He gives her a look that reminds her of a child discovering Christmas has been cancelled.
"That's cheating!" He shouts, "Samantha Jones I never took you for a _cheat_!"
"I'm bored of losing, see if you can bowl now!"
"What, with you hanging off my arm?"
"Why not? Scared you can't?"
"No," He puffs out his chest - whether he did it consciously or not she doesn't know, but she's laughing as he takes her go. Her weight, although slight, definitely throws him off as the ball heads in to the gutter once more.
"I'm bored too," He grumbles, ignoring her 'I knew it' smirk, "Why not watch the films?"
This time the Doctor makes tea whilst Sam figures out enough about the PS4 to get the disk in and play the damn thing. When he's back in the room she is sat on the sofa with the lights dimmed and a blanket over her shoulders - she looks pleased to see he's brought popcorn and jelly babies.
They start off with the Avengers, which they both quite easily get in to. Sam grumbles that they used the Doctor's daily routine as a form of entertainment and the Doctor howls with laughter when he sees Thor and Loki, proclaiming that the real Norse Gods would be insulted at what humanity has done to them. They carry on for hours, watching so many films that Sam looses count, but not once does she get bored. She is surprised that he actually sits still and enjoys it, too.
Halfway through Love Actually he sprawls out on the sofa, ignoring the empty bowl as it falls and settling his head on Sam's lap. He looks so relaxed, smiling just slightly at the screen with half-lidded eyes. He doesn't sleep very often - maybe being normal (as opposed to being the hero) brings out the sleepiness in him? With uncertianty she begins playing with a strand of his hair; it's so soft. She wishes she could just kiss him breathless, bury her hands in it and lock herself around him. Unfortunately that's a no-no.
But he does release a happy sigh, and she realises she's started stroking his hair back. Her touch is very gentle, as though he is an animal that - if petted too hard - would flee. But he doesn't, he just slowly falls asleep, and when the film ends and he's fast on Sam smiles lovingly, then gets herself comfortable and waits for him to wake.
4. On A Date
**4 – On a Date**
There are many words that Samantha Jones could use to describe the Doctor, but one of them could not be 'ordinary'. So it should come as no surprise to her that he didn't realise that her asking to go out for a meal on the 14th February (cringe-y, she _knows_) was her asking him to go on a date with her. She enjoys it nevertheless… Until a fleet of Cybermen show up – apparently they were the reason behind the restaurant's workers mysterious disappearances. Fret not, of course the Doctor saved the day again.
And now they're back at the TARDIS and Sam's heart is heavy in her chest. He never notices her advances, he only treats her as anything more than a child (despite her now being 21) when he's drunk and whenever they find just a moment of peace danger leaps out at them. Of course she loves saving the universe, but will they never get a minute to themselves? _Though_, she wonders, _what difference will it make?_ _He'll never love me_…
It's slightly odd that he walks her through the hallways, once they're back inside. She is about to ask him if he thinks she's forgotten her way around the TARDIS; they come to a standstill outside her room and she opens her mouth to say it, but he speaks first.
"Despite the slight distraction that arose, thank you for the date. It was lovely."
"Wait," She blinks, surprised, "You actually knew? I mean, it actually registered?"
"Oh, Sam," He grins, "I'm not as absent minded as you think."
"Right, of course you're not," She raises her eyebrows and he pouts in response, earning a quiet laugh from her, "Well, thanks to you. For paying, I mean, and for the night, and for everything."
He smiles sweetly and reaches up to glide his fingers against her cheek – tucking some of her growing hair behind her ear – and then meets her eyes. There's an electric moment between them, and she's sure he's going to do it, but then he takes a step back and opens her bedroom door for her.
"Goodnight, Sam."
Ignoring the frustration in her stomach she smiles at him, "Goodnight, Doctor."
5. Kissing
**5. Kissing**
He has wanted to do this for a while, but at the right moment. Not in the seconds 'before their deaths' or after three years of being reunited – just something simple, at a time where they're just sat laughing or after a particularly nice day on a peaceful planet. But whenever a moment like that arises he always seems to back away, fearful of crossing that line… Well, he's lost so many people; does it come as a surprise that he is scared of losing any more? Especially when the feelings his past selves so easily hindered are potentially on the line; damn that violent regeneration and its repercussions.
The streets of London are positively teeming with life, this lovely summer's day. England actually has some sun for once, so many of the humans are taking full advantage of the warmth by shopping, eating out and just exploring the vast city in general. Sam and the Doctor are on their way to the Sherlock Holmes museum on Baker Street, having left the TARDIS in a quiet alley on the city's outskirts, and the Doctor feels that mood coming on again. He is not usually one to marvel at a human's physical appearance – well, he's used to it, is he not? – but Sam looks absolutely lovely, today- not that she doesn't every day, but in the sunlight her blonde hair looks highlighted, her eyes brighter and cheeks warmer. She just looks comfortable to be back on Earth again – he sees through those calm and collected facades of hers on alien worlds, so it's nice to see her genuinely at ease for once.
He doesn't catch what she says, but she turns to him to say something. But she's smiling so brightly and he's in such a unique mood today, he can't resist it. He closes the distance between them, capturing her lips with his as he brings his hands to rest on her waist. She is unresponsive for a moment – shock, most likely – but then her hands come to rest on his cheeks, and neither of them care for the nudges of people trying to pass them by because all Sam can think is _ohmygod the Doctor is kissing me_, and he just feels so _relaxed_, like this is the most natural thing in the universe. For once they are spending some time together – not saving planets, not fighting dark creatures and/or people but just doing something as simple as visiting London, and sometimes that is exactly what he needs to appreciate why he fled Gallifrey in the first place – to enjoy the little bits of the universe he would have never seen. What better way to appreciate the little things than to kiss the woman he is quite sure he loves?
End file.
| fanfiction |
The Horse Latitudes is an EP by the emo band The Promise Ring. It was released in 1997 on Jade Tree Records. The album was released between their debut album 30° Everywhere and their hit record Nothing Feels Good.
Track listing
Tracks 1-2 originally released on the Watertown Plank 7
Tracks 3-5 originally released on the Falsetto Keeps Time 7
Track 6 originally on The Promise Ring/Texas is the Reason Split 7
Tracks 7-8 never before released
Personnel
Davey von Bohlen vocals, guitar
Jason Gnewikow guitar
Scott Beschta bass guitar
Dan Didier drums
References
External links
The Horse Latitudes at YouTube streamed copy where licensed
Category:The Promise Ring albums
Category:1997 compilation albums
Category:1997 EPs
Category:Jade Tree Records EPs | wikipedia |
Confusion regarding Capacitance of Vaccum
Capacitance is given by:-
C = $\frac{Q}{V}$
$Q$ represents change in charge.
$V$ represents change in potential difference.
If the dielectric material of a capacitor is vacuum, charges will be able to move through vacuum and thus, no charge will develop on plates.
Does this mean that even if the dielectric constant of vacuum is non- zero, is its capacitance zero?
>
> If the dielectric material of a capacitor is vacuum, charges will be
> able to move through vacuum and thus, no charge will develop on
> plates.
>
>
>
Charges will not be able to move through a vacuum or an insulator (dielectric) between the capacitor plates unless the capacitor is subjected to very high voltages far above its rating causing a dielectric breakdown, or in the case of an insulator, in the form of very small leakage currents.
The breakdown field strength for a vacuum variable capacitor is in the range of 20-40 x 10$^6$V/m. It is even higher for some dielectrics (e.g., 60-170 x 10$^6$V/m for teflon)$^1$.
>
> Does this mean that even if the dielectric constant of vacuum is non-
> zero, is its capacitance zero?
>
>
>
The value of the dielectric constant, a.k.a. relative electric permittivity is always greater than or equal to one. It is one for a vacuum or free space.
In terms of its physical characteristics, the capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor having a vacuum between its plates is given by
$$C=\frac{\epsilon\_{r}\epsilon\_{o} A}{d}$$
where $A$ and $d$ is the plate area and separation, respectively, in meters, and $\epsilon\_{r} =$ is the dielectric constant or relative permittivity, and $\epsilon\_{o}=$ electrical permittivity of a vacuum or free space = 8.85 x 10$^{-12} F/m$
Hope this helps.
$^1$ Source: Wikipedia art Vacuum variable capacitor.
| stackexchange/physics |
mounting of maxillary cast is done by choosing various anterior reference points and different techniques .
axis - orbitale plane is parallel to frankfort plane , which he relates it to the upper articulator arm , that was horizontal and therefore , parallel to the frankfort plane [ figure 1 ] .
artex articulator with mounting jig gonzalez and kingery in 1968 , evaluated three plane of reference namely axis - orbital plane , maxillary residual ridge plane , occlusal plane for orienting maxillary casts on articulator and concluded that axis - orbital plane was the least variable . according to them ,
none of these planes of reference was parallel to frankfort horizontal , rather axis - orbital plane exhibits a positive anterior tilt and the mean for the perpendicular distance from the condylar axis point to the frankfort horizontal was 7.1 mm .
pitchfords recommended a method of mounting the maxillary casts , esthetics reference plane by leveling the face bow with bubble level .
pitchford also stated that neither the fh nor the axis - orbitale plane is parallel to the reference horizontal in the esthetic reference position .
the use of either plane as reference horizontal in facebow will place maxillary cast too low in articulator .
ercoli , et al . , uses the angular relationship between the occlusal plane and the condylar path to mount the maxillary cast on the articulator .
weinberg stated that if occlusal plane is not properly oriented on the articulator with any of reference planes may produce an increase or decrease of 0.2 mm of the tooth surface on the balancing side .
this error occurs mainly around the second molar region . according to sicher nasion 23 mm , another skull landmark , the nasion ,
can be approximately located in the head as the deepest part of the midline depression just below the level of the eyebrows .
the nasion guide , or positioner , of the quick mount face - bow , which is designed to be used with the whip - mix articulator , fits into this depression .
this guide can be moved in and out , but not up and down , from its attachment to the face - bow crossbar .
wilcox in 2008 evaluated the accuracy of fixed value nasion relator in facebow design through analysis of cephalometric radiographs of 114 adult patients , found a mean distance of 26.8 mm distance between nasion and orbitale with the values ranged from 15.9 mm to 39.4 mm , also he concluded that a variable value nasion relator / orbitale indicator is recommended .
the changes in inclination of occlusal plane of cast mounted on artex articulator have not been studied or compared previously . in the present study , we have compared the changes in inclination of occlusal plane , using customized nasion and fixed value nasion indicator .
when the face - bow is positioned anteriorly by the nasion guide , the crossbar will be in the approximate region of orbitale , so it is orbitale and not the nasion which serves as an anterior point of reference .
a study was conducted to evaluate and compare the variations in the inclination of occlusal plane of casts mounted on artex articulator using a facebow with a fixed value and customized nasion indicator .
in the present study , artex articulator with earpiece facebow that utilizes fixed nasion as an anterior point of reference was chosen . in artex facebow
hence the cross bar will be too low from the orbitale and can result in changes in the inclination of occlusal plane once mounted . in the present study , artex facebow with a fixed value nasion relator and a customized variable nasion relator
was used to evaluate the effect of a customized nasion relator in facebow design , by measuring the relationship of maxillary occlusal plane ( mop ) to the upper member on the articulator and the same is compared to the frankfort horizontal plane ( fhp ) on the cephalogram [ figure 2 ] .
facebow with fixed nasion and customized nasion relator in this study , a comparison of inclination of occlusal plane of cast mounted on artex articulator using a fixed value nasion indicator and customized nasion indicator were compared with occlusal plane angle on the cephalogram .
a customized nasion indicator is one in which it can be raised or lowered vertically to a distance of 10 mm above and below from the standard fixed value 35 mm , with readings marked on it .
twenty two subjects , were selected for this investigation who were having angles ideal class i relation , two maxillary impressions were made for each subject using stock tray with alginate ( zelgan , densply ) .
the impression were disinfected with 2% glutaraldehyde ( korsolex , ramen weil ) sprayed and rinsed .
dental stone was mixed in the w / p ratio 0.28 - 0.30 and vibrated in to the impression .
the face - bow used in this study was artex ( tk ) ( girrbach ) .
this face bow has a fixed nasion indicator that is used as the anterior reference point . for each of the twenty two subjects ,
the facebow records were made with , artex face - bow using a fixed value nasion indicator and customized nasion indicator .
cotton rolls were placed below the disposable bite fork so that the mandibular arch holds the bite fork against the maxillary arch firmly .
the facebow frame was placed on the patient so that the earpiece was placed in the external auditor meatus .
the earpiece was placed such that the patient did not feel the pressure . then the nasion bar was stabilized and the nasion set - screw was turned to lock .
the bite fork was attached to the facebow frame with the three dimensional universal joint with the connecting screw .
the universal joint was transferred to the transfer stand of artex - facebow system , quick - setting plaster was placed between the bite fork and transfer stand for securing the bite fork .
the base table was attached to the articulator in the place of lower mounting plate .
the base of the cast was moistened , mounting plaster ( kalabai ) was mixed to manufacturer instructions and applied to the base of the cast , the upper member of articulator was closed and the excess was removed .
all records for each subject were completed on the same day by the same operator .
the angle between the occlusal plane of upper cast and the upper articulator arm was measured to indicate the inclination of the mop .
the angle between the occlusal plane and the upper articulator arm was measured with a universal bevel protractor ( mitutoyo ) .
this instrument was modified to suit the purpose of this study . a suitable mount for this device
was constructed consisting of a flat base with a vertical extension to which the protractors holding rod is fixed .
the universal bevel protractor has a calibrated dial with reading from 0 to 90 in four quadrants .
the entire device can be placed in front of the articulator on a leveled platform .
when the glass plate touches the occlusal plane the second dial moves over the first dial and the readings can be seen on the first dial through a lens which is attached to the second dial indicating the inclination of the occlusal plane.[1522 ] cephalometric tracing were done by hand on fine acetate sheets .
the fhp , orbitale , and the soft tissue nasion points were identified on the photocopy of each cephalometric tracing .
the angle on the cephalogram that reproduced the angle measured clinically on the articulator was fhp to mop .
the fhp is a line between the machine porion and orbitale and the mop is between first molar mesiobuccal cusp and the incisor edge .
angle between fhp and mop is measured using a protractor by the same individual who did the clinical study .
the angle between the occlusal plane of upper cast and the upper articulator arm was measured to indicate the inclination of the mop . the upper articulator arm was horizontal and therefore parallel to the frankfort plane .
the angle between the occlusal plane and the upper articulator arm was measured with a universal bevel protractor ( mitutoyo ) .
this instrument was modified to suit the purpose of this study . a suitable mount for this device
was constructed consisting of a flat base with a vertical extension to which the protractors holding rod is fixed .
the universal bevel protractor has a calibrated dial with reading from 0 to 90 in four quadrants .
the entire device can be placed in front of the articulator on a leveled platform .
when the glass plate touches the occlusal plane the second dial moves over the first dial and the readings can be seen on the first dial through a lens which is attached to the second dial indicating the inclination of the occlusal plane.[1522 ]
the fhp , orbitale , and the soft tissue nasion points were identified on the photocopy of each cephalometric tracing .
the angle on the cephalogram that reproduced the angle measured clinically on the articulator was fhp to mop .
the fhp is a line between the machine porion and orbitale and the mop is between first molar mesiobuccal cusp and the incisor edge .
angle between fhp and mop is measured using a protractor by the same individual who did the clinical study .
difference in nasion to orbitale distance ( diffnasorbit ) from the fixed value 35 mm to cephalometric value in mm and their occurrence in 22 patients was measured [ table 1 ] .
when angle was measured between mop and upper member of the articulator , on the mounted cast using a customized nasion indicator and fixed value nasion indicator against the gold standard cephalometric value as a whole , it was found to be not significant [ table 2 ] .
diffnasorbit from the fixed value 35 mm to cephalometric value in mm and their occurrence in 22 patients descriptive statistics of angle measured however , if each patient were evaluated individually , there found to be the difference in the angle .
so the 22 patients were divided into nine groups , based on the number of patients that comes under one value , when making a cephalometric difference in the distance between the fixed distances of nasion to orbitale [ table 1 ] .
the results of the present study shows that there were no changes in the inclination occlusal plane when transferred to the articulator when using customized nasion indicator in at least 22.7% of patients [ table 3 ] .
it was also observed that only for 9.1% of patients , there were no changes in the inclination occlusal plane when transferred to the articulator when using a fixed value nasion indicator [ table 4 ] .
also , the angle obtained between fhp and mop was found to be more close to cephalometric value when using customized nasion indicator when the diffnasorbit was 3 mm and greater [ tables 5 and 6 ] .
likewise , all 9 groups have been calculated and totally 15 tables were tabulated in this study .
even when the customized nasion indicator was used for other diffnasorbit , it was found to be more close to cephalometric value when compared to a fixed value .
diffcustceph and their frequency in 22 patients difffixceph and their frequency in 22 patients based on diffnasorbit of 1 mm based on diffnasorbit of 3 mm in the present study , when using the fixed value nasion indicator , it was found to be close to the gold standard cephalometric value only when the diffnasorbit was around 2 mm .
there was not much difference in the angle and was within the acceptable limit , but not considered always superior to customized nasion indicator .
it was also observed that when using customized nasion indicator , it produces less error in inclination of mop .
also , it was observed that the highest variation 27.3% was observed for 2 difference when using customized nasion indicator , and 3 difference for remaining when using a fixed value nasion indicators .
this could be the reason for more flattening of occlusal plane when using a fixed value nasion indicators .
the results of this study showed that the inclination of the occlusal plane was not maintained when transferred to the articulator .
when compared to the angle on the cephalogram , occlusal plane was flattened by a minimum of 2. this variation was found when using both nasion indicators , but found to be less when using customized nasion indicator .
the selection of the anterior reference point on the triangular spatial plane , determines which plane in the head will become the plane of reference and this governs the horizontal plane of reference .
the various anterior reference points are orbitale , orbitale 7 , nasion 23 , incisal edge plus articulator midpoint to articulator axis - horizontal plane distance and ala of the nose .
the orbitale with the two posterior arbitrary hinge - axis points will define the axis - orbitale plane .
the criteria used in the selection of any of these reference planes are of ease of location , convenience and reproducibility .
variations in the occlusal plane when transferred to the articulator have also been reported by previous studies.[2325 ] malley and milosevic compared the steepness of occlusal plane in three different articulators .
they compared three different articulator system wipmix , denar and dentatus and concluded that whipmix which was closest to the gold standard of this study and flattened the occlusal plane by only 2. the results of the denar and dentatus differed significantly from those of the cephalogram as they flattened the occlusal plane by 5 and 6.5 respectively . mohammed abdullah compared the steepness of occlusal plane on whipmix and hanau - h2 and stated that the steepness of occlusal plane of the cast when mounted on whipmix was significantly greater than the cast mounted on hanau - h2 .
kyung - suk seo reported that the steepness of occlusal plane angle to frankfort plane in cast - mounted articulator is steeper than that of cephalogram .
the mean difference of occlusal plane angle between cast - mounted articulator and cephalogram was 3.3. the limitations of a lateral cephalogram image relate to comparison of three - dimensional objects with the two - dimensional cephalograph , and any mesiolateral cant of the mop is not seen on the lateral cephalograph .
none the less , the cephalometric gold standard fundamental to this study ( frankfurt horizontal / maxillary occlusal plane ( fh / mop ) ) is as reliable as many commonly accepted tracing angles .
the angle between fhp with occlusal plane ( op ) in cephalogram and op with upper member of articulator ( fh ) was compared .
the mean angles of cephalometric gold standard used by various studies were , according to gonzalez 9 , kyung - suk seo 10.4 , jaime cateno 6.1 , malley 14.6 , and ow richard 11.2 in chinese patients and 10.7 in swedish patients .
in artex facebow , the crossbar is located 35 mm below the midpoint of the nasion positioned .
wilkie has stated that relating the maxillae to orbitale plane will slightly lower the maxillary cast anteriorly . hence lowering the orbitale plane will flatten the occlusal plane on articulator .
this could be the reason for flattening of the occlusal plane of the cast when mounted on artex . according to wilcox the fixed value of the whipmix nasion relator
as measured from the top of the horizontal bar of the facebow and the center of the nasion shaft is 25.4 mm . in his study ,
hence he concluded that fixed value nasion relator was thought to be impractical and a variable value nasion relator or orbitale indicator is recommended .
a customized nasion indicator was designed which can be raised or lowered vertically to a distance of 10 mm above and below from the standard fixed value 35 mm , with readings marked on it .
this was based on the pilot study on103 patients , did by the same operator , in which linear measurements were made from orbitale to nasion at a 90 angle to fhp and the resulting values ranged from 26 mm to 43 mm [ figure 3 ] .
customized nasion indicator previous studies have also suggested that articulators that use orbital reference will position the occlusal plane too steeply in the articulator .
fraser walker used a facebow with both an orbital pointer and sprit level on dentatus articulator .
he stated that there were large significant systematic differences between the occlusal angle measured from the cephalograms and casts mounted using the orbital pointer .
he concluded that the facebow with sprit level produced considerably more accurate results [ figure 4 ] .
angle measured with universal bevel protractor on mounted maxillary cast present study shows the comparison of angle between the different nasion indicators based on individual diffnasorbit in mm . for certain individual differences ,
the number of patients under these categories were minimal and so it was not possible to compare the results .
further studies are required to confirm these results , because of the
smaller sample size.digital values are not recorded in the present study andalso , the operator error in recording the small difference in angle .
digital values are not recorded in the present study and also , the operator error in recording the small difference in angle . within the limitations of this study , it can be concluded that
a customized nasion indicator is of value when using artex facebow.variation in occlusal plane was very minimal and close to the cephalometric value when using customized nasion indicator compared to fixed value nasion indicator on the artex.when nasion to orbitale distance was 35 3 mm , the angular difference between fhp and mop was very close to the gold standard cephalometric value when customized nasion indicator was used.fixed value nasion indicator was found to be close to the gold standard cephalometric value , only when nasion to orbitale distance was 35 2 mm but not superior to the other .
variation in occlusal plane was very minimal and close to the cephalometric value when using customized nasion indicator compared to fixed value nasion indicator on the artex .
when nasion to orbitale distance was 35 3 mm , the angular difference between fhp and mop was very close to the gold standard cephalometric value when customized nasion indicator was used
. fixed value nasion indicator was found to be close to the gold standard cephalometric value , only when nasion to orbitale distance was 35 2 mm but not superior to the other .
further studies are required to confirm these results , because of the
smaller sample size.digital values are not recorded in the present study andalso , the operator error in recording the small difference in angle .
digital values are not recorded in the present study and also , the operator error in recording the small difference in angle . within the limitations of this study , it can be concluded that
a customized nasion indicator is of value when using artex facebow.variation in occlusal plane was very minimal and close to the cephalometric value when using customized nasion indicator compared to fixed value nasion indicator on the artex.when nasion to orbitale distance was 35 3 mm , the angular difference between fhp and mop was very close to the gold standard cephalometric value when customized nasion indicator was used.fixed value nasion indicator was found to be close to the gold standard cephalometric value , only when nasion to orbitale distance was 35 2 mm but not superior to the other .
variation in occlusal plane was very minimal and close to the cephalometric value when using customized nasion indicator compared to fixed value nasion indicator on the artex .
when nasion to orbitale distance was 35 3 mm , the angular difference between fhp and mop was very close to the gold standard cephalometric value when customized nasion indicator was used . fixed value nasion indicator was found to be close to the gold standard cephalometric value , only when nasion to orbitale distance was 35 2 mm but not superior to the other . | pubmed |
Digimon A Project of Love
**A/N: **Okay, this is my first Digimon fanfic, and it's kind of a mystery I think. Or I hope if comes across as that. I read somewhere that Izzy had written a love letter, and they were trying to figure out who it was for...but that it was for one of the digidestined girls. I couldn't find a detailed summary of this story thing, or the actual cd thing that it was from, so I decided to write a version of how it could have happened. I hope you like it. Please, don't flame if you don't like the Izzy with the girl I chose. I just think she fits him the best.
**A Project of Love**
**By: Yukira King**
**Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or its characters**
_My dearest love,_
_No, that sounds utterly ridiculous. I can't have her thinking I'm a hopeless romantic...I'm just a computer geek. I don't even know how to explain what I feel, but I know I should express it in a way that suits my personality...so none of this flowery, romantic stuff._
_Hmm... I highly doubt she'd understand my metaphor if I were to use computer lingo..._
_Love letters are harder than I thought..._
Izzy's mind was in turmoil. He wanted desperately, to tell his dream girl what all she meant to him, but he was petrified of rejection. He'd seen girls reject Tai many times, and he just knew he wouldn't be able to take it in the same stride as his long-time best friend.
If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't get her off of his mind long enough to turn on his computer, Izzy wouldn't have ever thought to tell her. He would have bottled everything up...and kept it bottled up, until his last breath.
But now, such a thought caused enough pain and uncertainty to be unbearable. If she were to get a boyfriend, before Izzy managed to tell her, he would be crushed.
_Being rejected won't be as bad as missing my only shot_ he reasoned.
And for this reason alone, he sat at the corner table in the school library, keeping himself hunched over the paper, ready to hide it from view were anyone to come visit him. Not that he was expecting any visitors. Quite the contrary. He was hoping he didn't have any.
None of his friends even knew that Izzy was capable of having a crush, let alone that he was head over heels in love with this girl. It would be incredibly embarrassing to have any of them discover this. He always kept to himself. He was the knowledgeable one. The guy that everyone went to for facts and statistics...not even close to the one anyone would go to for advice on social problems...or life in general. _She_ was the one that was the expert on such things. Well...any of the girls would work well in this situation. But Tai always said to go to _her._
He shook his head.
_This letter isn't going to write itself. Come on Izzy; get your head into it._
He tapped his pen on the desk, as he looked up to the ceiling, as if the answer he was looking for would be written clearly up there. He sighed, when the answer didn't become any clearer.
_Ok. Dear the object of my affection? To: the most beautiful girl in the known world? No, come on, think Izzy. You're a computer geek...that has to come through somehow. If you're going to leave this letter anonymous, you need to let your personality shine through. You need to leave clues..._
_Ah, who am I kidding? I should just writer her name at the top. It's simple enough, yet it gives a personal touch...plus, it ensures the reader that it was actually meant for her eyes alone._
_Okay, with that settled, let's start with the letter...I'll add her name later though, in case anyone happens to show up._
Just as Izzy was about to scribble down his pathetic first sentence, a voice called out to him, "And what are _you _up to?"
"Nothing," Izzy said quickly. "I'm just working on a project of mine."
"Who's it for?"
"None of your business Tai," Izzy said, staring down at his blank page.
"It's not going so well, huh?" Tai said, dropping his notebook on the table across from Izzy. "You haven't even started yet!"
"No," Izzy sighed. "I don't know how to start it. You have some homework?"
"Yep," Tai nodded. "Loads of it. I don't know how teachers expect us to get this done in one night."
"And like the good student you are," Izzy said dryly. "You waited until the last minute to do it, right?"
"You know me too well my friend," Tai said miserably. "Why do I do this to myself?"
"You're too impulsive," Izzy answered. "And are easily distracted."
"Hey," Tai defended. "That was a rhetorical question."
"Sorry," Izzy said, debating whether or not to write down his first thoughts now that Tai was sitting so close.
"Hey, do you know the answer to this?" Tai asked immediately after opening his notebook.
"I'm not doing your homework for you Tai," Izzy told him.
"Great," Tai muttered. "You aren't doing yours either."
"Mine's not homework," Izzy said. He realized his error though. If Tai had read any of it, he could have claimed it to be for an assignment. Now, he'd actually have to explain himself.
Not good.
"Whatever," Tai said rolling his eyes, "Leave it to you to give yourself a project."
Without another word, Tai buried his nose in his work. After a few minutes, Izzy decided Tai was distracted enough for him to continue working. He scribbled down everything that popped into his head. He could edit it later, but he had to at least write it down first.
"What are you guys up to?" Matt asked, coming over to the table. "You have a free period now?"
Tai groaned as way of a greeting. His homework wasn't going to do itself. No distractions were allowed.
"Yes," Izzy said, trying to casually cover up his paper. Needless to say, it wasn't working.
"What's that?" Matt asked with a smirk, grabbing the sheet out from under Izzy's arm.
"No," Izzy said, trying—and failing—to grab it back from him. He slammed his head against the table as Matt started reading it.
"Hmm, interesting," Matt said smiling. "Listen to this Tai."
"Can't," Tai said. "I've got homework."
"I guarantee that this will be worth it," Matt tempted.
"Fine, let's hear it," Tai said, giving in without much fight.
"Let's not, and say we did," Izzy tried.
"Na," Matt said laughing. "Okay, here goes. 'I'm a logical person. To the best of my knowledge, love is anything but logical. How you may ask did a logical person like myself end up succumbing to the clutches of love? I can't give you an answer. All I can tell you is that I _have_ fallen in love. I am writing you this letter, as I am not courageous. I can barely think in your presence, there is no way I'd ever be able to admit this to your face. I needed to tell you however. You are always on my mind, and I am at my wits end trying to keep you out of my thoughts. If this weren't so, I would never risk the friendship that has grown between us. I have few friends, you see, and your friendship is very important to me. I just can't ignore this issue any longer. So, I am writing to you to tell you that I love you. I sincerely mean that. It's not a joke or a hoax. I really love you. I just hope that if you don't like me back you aren't too harsh…' What do you think about that huh Tai?"
"Where did you get that?" Tai asked grinning. "That's hilarious."
"It's not that funny," Izzy protested.
"It's Izzy's," Matt said. "I can't help but wonder who it's for."
"Who what's for?" came the voice of Sora.
"Nothing," Izzy said quickly.
"This love letter," Matt said, giving his girlfriend a peck on the cheek. "It better not be for you."
"What, so no one is allowed to admire me from afar?" Sora teased.
"Not this somebody," Matt said, giving Izzy a pointed look.
"Who is it?" Sora said. "Don't tease me."
Sora grabbed the letter from Matt, and read through it.
"Izzy," Tai said with a laugh. "This stuff is hilarious, where did you come up with it?"
"It's not funny Tai," Sora defended her friend. "It's sweet and romantic."
"It's forgetting Joe," Matt said suddenly.
"What do you mean?" Izzy asked. "It's not about Joe."
"I realize that," Matt said dryly. "I just mean you mention courage, friendship, love, knowledge, sincerity and hope. Where's the reliability?"
"If you're going with that theme," Tai continued. "You really should add light in there too. Kari would be so upset if you didn't."
"I hadn't realized I was following a theme," Izzy said looking down at his twiddling thumbs.
"Maybe he left Kari out for a reason," Sora suggested.
"Huh?" Tai asked.
"What if it's for Kari," Sora elaborated.
"It's not," Izzy said quickly.
"It better not be," Tai said giving Izzy a dirty look.
"It's not," Izzy repeated, shrinking in his seat even more.
"You know," Matt spoke up. "You're slowly eliminating the options."
"What do you mean?" Tai asked. "There are hundreds of girls in school alone."
"But Izzy only has a limited number of female friends. And he says that this girl's friendship is very important to him," Matt pointed out.
"Unless he's not talking about a girl at all," Sora argued half-heartedly.
"I am," Izzy said quickly. "She's a girl."
"Can you describe her?" Sora asked with a glint in her eye.
"No," Izzy said.
"Why not?" Sora complained.
"Because there's only Mimi and Yolei left and I'm not going to eliminate any more options," Izzy said blushing.
"So it's one of the digidestined huh?" Tai said.
"I thought you'd already established that," Izzy said annoyed.
"No," Matt said with a smirk.
"We only knew she was your friend," Sora finished for him.
"Oh," Izzy said flushing a deeper shade of red. "Never mind then."
"You're not getting out of it that easy," Sora insisted. "Just tell me, I want to help."
"No," Izzy said, snatching the letter back from her. "I'm not even sending it anymore, so there's no point."
"Why not?" Tai asked confused.
"Yeah, in the letter you said that you _needed_ to send it to her, because she's on your mind all the time," Matt said snickering.
"Yeah," Izzy said averting his eyes. "But that was before you guys knew about it."
"And why should that make a difference?" Sora asked.
"Because you'll know about it if I get rejected," Izzy said quietly. "I didn't want anybody to know, hence the letter idea."
"You don't know that you'll be rejected," Matt pointed out.
"Yeah," Tai agreed.
"And neither Mimi nor Yolei would reject you harshly anyway," Sora said trying to comfort him. "If they don't like you, they'll let you down gently. You're important to them too you know."
"It doesn't really matter if she lets me down harshly or gently," Izzy sighed. "Either way just means she doesn't like me, and all of this embarrassment would have been for nothing."
"Why are you embarrassed?" Tai asked. "I talk to you about girls all the time."
"Yeah," Izzy said. "But this is kind of my first…sort of crush…"
"Oh, you poor thing," Sora said. "You've never even liked anyone before?"
"Not anyone I actually know," Izzy said. "Just scientists and stuff."
"Trust Izzy to crush on the nerdy women of the world," Matt joked.
"Hey," Izzy said. "They aren't nerdy. They are beautiful and intelligent women that deserve to be recognized."
His friends shared a laugh at that.
"I was kidding," Matt said, still laughing lightly.
"Just give the girl the letter," Tai ordered suddenly. "I'll keep my nose out of it."
"Yeah," Matt agreed. "It's none of my business."
"I want to know," Sora said. "It's totally my business."
"And how do you come to that conclusion?" Izzy asked.
"Well, for one there's a 50-50 chance that it's my best girlfriend that you like," Sora started. "And two, I was the bearer of love you know. I want to know how all of the digidestined are doing in that field."
"Great," Izzy said. "You make it sound like a science experiment."
"Isn't that all love is?" Sora said giving him a soft smile. "An experiment."
Izzy sighed. He had to admit that it made a lot of sense.
"You're right," he said quietly.
"Okay," Matt said. "Now let's see if we can't get Joe and Kari worked in there somewhere."
"I don't see why that's necessary," Izzy argued.
"It'll be a clue," Tai said.
"Yeah," Sora agreed. "It is a way to tell her that you're one of us. And based off of that, it's going to be a no-brainer to figure out that it's you."
"I don't think I want it to be that obvious," Izzy said nervously.
"Izzy, Izzy, Izzy," Tai said shaking his head. "Do you want her to know it's you or not? If she is blown away by this love letter thing, and wants to find out who the guy is 'cause she wants to date him or something, would you rather she know it's you right off, or do you want her to think it's some other guy, and date him instead?"
"Me," Izzy said quickly, wincing at the suggestion.
"Okay," Matt said. "Now let's get to work."
The four of them worked over the letter for the next twenty minutes, trying to get it to sound right, without taking away from the personality that was evident in the words. They left most of the original work the same, bouncing ideas off each other for Joe and Kari's crest inclusions. And finally, it was finished, unlike Tai's homework.
"When are you going to give it to her?" Tai asked, gathering up his unfinished work.
"Tomorrow morning," Izzy decided.
"So soon?" Matt asked. "I thought you were scared skinny."
"I want her to know," Izzy said firmly.
"That's the spirit," Sora said with a laugh.
The four of them proceeded to leave the library, and went off in search of their following classes.
* * *
><p>Izzy spent a lot of time that night trying to come up with the best way to deliver the letter. He <em>could<em> tape it to her locker. But there was a greater chance of a public confrontation if that were to happen. Plus there was the added difficulty of ensuring that no one else took the letter off the locker before she saw it.
No.
That idea was more troublesome than it was worth.
He could also leave it in her mailbox before he headed out to school in the morning. But then her parents might spot it, and with it not being marked or stamped, they could become suspicious, and read it before they gave it to her. Yes, he was being paranoid, but having her parents read it would not be fun for him.
There was only one other option. He'd have to give it to her face to face.
* * *
><p>Having the letter on his mind, he found it difficult to sleep the night before. And he tiredly made his way to her doorway. She wouldn't be leaving just yet. He was always the first of their friends to school.<p>
He gulped.
_You can do this, Izzy_.
He knocked on the door.
It wasn't long before the door opened, to reveal—to Izzy—the most beautiful girl in the world. She was holding her hairbrush, and was smiling brightly.
"Koushiro," she said happily. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"
That's another thing. She was the only one to call him by his first name. He wasn't even sure if anyone else had bothered to learn it. But it always put a goofy little smile on his face whenever she said it.
"Good morning," he said quickly, trying not to stumble over his words too badly. "I have something. Someone, uh, dropped it off at my house, but it has your name on it, see? So I uh thought I should give it to you. Yeah."
"Oh," she said flashing him a bright smile. "That was thoughtful of you. Thanks."
"No problem," he said ducking his head to hide his blush. "I uh, have to go to uh, school now. See you later."
"Okay," she called out. "Bye Koushiro."
"Uh, bye," Izzy stumbled.
He high tailed it out of there too. He wasn't about to wait to see what her reaction would be. He was too nervous for that. He kept up his fast pace until he reached the school, and made his way into the computer lab where he was greeted by three surprise visitors.
"So, did you give it to her yet?" Sora asked excitedly.
"I thought you guys said you were going to keep out of it," Izzy grumbled.
"We only said that so you'd give it to her," Tai said with a cheeky grin.
"It worked didn't it?" Matt said with a chuckle.
"Yeah," Izzy admitted reluctantly. "I gave it to her."
"Do you think she's read it yet?" Sora asked.
"I hope not," Izzy said.
"Party pooper," Tai said with a laugh. "I'm sure she'll walk through that door any second now to declare her love to you."
"Or say she isn't interested," Matt countered.
"Hey," Sora scolded. "We're supposed to be his support team."
_Support team?_ Izzy thought to himself.
"I don't want to get his hopes up too high," Matt said shrugging his shoulders. "If it turns out bad, I don't want him to have further to fall, you know?"
"I guess," Tai said with a sigh.
Two minutes went by, and all they heard was the clicking of the keys Izzy was pressing, while he worked away on the school computer.
"I'm bored," Tai complained. "Why isn't she here yet?"
"Just wait," Sora said. "Love takes time."
"Well," Tai said. "It should take less time."
"The girl's not going to just come barging into the room just because you want her to," Sora sighed.
"She should," Tai said.
And the door did open wide, to reveal Yolei.
"See, it listened," Tai said smiling.
"Stupid Tai," Sora grumbled.
"Hey Izzy," Yolei said.
"Good morning Yolei," Izzy greeted.
"Do you think you could help me with something? I can't get the program to run right, I was wondering if you could show me how to get it going," Yolei asked, sitting at the computer next to his.
"No problem," Izzy said, and the two proceeded to work away on their computers, completely oblivious as to the debate going on across the room.
"Do you think that's her?" Tai asked his brows furrowed. "He doesn't seem to be acting like he said in his letter."
"You're right," Sora noticed.
"So what," Matt shrugged. "Maybe giving her the letter gave him more confidence."
"But that doesn't explain why all she wants is to talk about a computer program," Sora pointed out.
"Yeah," Tai agreed. "You'd think she'd at least mention the letter at least once."
"Unless she's just trying to let him down easy," Matt suggested.
"That's just mean," Sora said. "If a guy goes through that much trouble, the least you can do is give him a proper answer."
"I guess," the two guys shrugged.
"Thanks, Izzy," Yolei said. "You're a real life-saver. I needed to use that program for class."
"It's not a problem," Izzy said again. "Computers are what I do."
Yolei laughed. "Right, Mr. President."
"That's me," Izzy said chuckling a little.
And that's when the door opened for the second time, revealing yet another young digidestined.
"Mimi," Sora, Matt and Tai gasped.
"H-hi," Izzy stammered, his heart beating wildly. This was it. The moment of truth.
"Hi Koushiro," Mimi said smiling. "I read that letter."
"Oh, d-did you?"
"Yes," she said, coming closer to him. "And do you know what I think?"
"W-what do you think?"
"I don't think that the mailman dropped it off at your house at all," she said. "I think it's from you. Am I right, Koushiro?"
"W-well, you see that all d-depends," Izzy said. He really hated stammering.
"Does it depend on my answer?" Mimi asked.
She was so close now that Izzy could barely breathe. There was a lump forming in his throat that he just couldn't seem to get rid of.
He could only nod.
She gave him a smile, and leaned in to kiss his cheek. "Is that a good enough answer?"
"I, uh, don't know," Izzy said, unsure of what just happened.
"You drive a hard bargain, you know," she said. With a smile, she leaned in and gave him a short kiss on the lips. "How about now?"
Again, he could only nod.
"Oh my goodness," Sora gasped.
"Wow," Tai agreed.
"I did not see that coming," Matt announced.
"Wait until Kari hears!" Yolei said, excitement bubbling. "She's been waiting for this to happen."
"Wait, she _knew_," Tai asked confused.
"Oh yeah," Yolei said with a smile. "Davis didn't think it was probable, but Kari bet him that it would happen before the year was out."
"But, you and I are the digidestined that are connected to love," Sora said perplexed.
"I know," Yolei said shrugging her shoulders. "She just has a sixth sense for these things."
"What else is she saying?" Tai asked intrigued.
"She knew Sora and Matt would get together," Yolei said. "And she figures Joe is harbouring a secret girlfriend from medical school. And…well…she says that Ken and I will get together soon too. But I don't know about that one."
"If she guessed Izzy and Mimi," Tai said taking a glance over at his little computer-geek of a friend. "I won't be second-guessing her any time soon."
The others followed his line of vision.
"Me either," they agreed, because Mimi was giggling at something Izzy had said. They had never seen Izzy so happy before, nor had they seen him actually speaking to Mimi. They supposed it was meant to happen, even if it didn't make any sense to them. After all, Izzy was right. Love isn't logical, it just has a funny way of finding you when you least expect it.
End file.
| fanfiction |
Neuter Reactants: What do they do?
So imagine a hypothetical chemical equation
$$
A + B \rightarrow C + B
$$
It is obvious from the equation that $B$ is not consumed during the reaction. If $B$ actively take part in the reaction, if it participates in the transition state and isn't just sitting there in the environment, I classify $B$ as a *Neuter Reactant*.
Under these defitions I would like to know:
**Is a Neuter Reactant always a Reaction Inhibitor or Catalyst?**
or are there instances of neuter reactants $B$ such that their reactions $A+B \rightarrow C+B$ have a similar rates to the straight reaction $A \rightarrow C$?
There are reactions similar to the one you show, which is straightforward catalysis, these are autocatalytic reactions such as $\ce{A + B\to 2B}$ or $\ce{A + 3B\to 3B}$ which lead to interesting non-linear behaviour. Of more importance is the Michaelis-Menten scheme $\ce{E + S\leftrightharpoons ES \to P + E}$ where E is an enzyme , S a substrate, ES a complex of both, and P the product.
| stackexchange/chemistry |
Wave propagation around the globe
I've been able to detect the pressure wave of the tonga volcanic eruption with the atmospheric pressure sensor here in switzerland (about 17Mm away). I've detected a swing of about +1.2hPa and -1hPa.
I think I've also detected a second wave a few hours later [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/gYGFy.png) (I'm not sure anymore if time is in UTC or UTC +1)
My first thought was: Oh yeah, that came "the other way around" but than it dawned on me that I'm basically *every possible distance between ~17Mm and ~23Mm* away from tonga. So the first wave is the shortest distance. But after that I should get some interference of waves that travelled different directions around the world.
So my question is:
How does a pressure wave traveling within the atmosphere around the globe behave?
* How long/far does the inverse square law hold true?
* as the circle of the wavefront get smaller again after going around 1/4 of the circumference, does the amplitude of the signal rise agin?
* would there be a significant "spike" detectable exactly opposite of the eruption?
PS: I know, that's more than one question, but I don't see a way to phrase it differently. Feel free, to edit to improve!
Long-range acoustic propagation in the atmosphere is a complicated subject with lots of research in it. Here are the answers to your specific questions, though:
* How long/far does the inverse square law hold true?
The inverse square law describes the geometric spreading of energy over an expanding sphere, and thus applies as long as the wave can spread out in three dimensions. The atmosphere is pretty thick, but not compared to the size of the earth. Thus, the energy will eventually start to spread in an effectively two-dimensional waveguide, and the "inverse square law" would become an "inverse law". The energy of a pressure wave is proportional to the square of the pressure, so this "inverse law" would lead to the pressure amplitude decreasing with square-root of the radius.
* As the circle of the wavefront get smaller again after going around 1/4 of the circumference, does the amplitude of the signal rise again?
* Would there be a significant "spike" detectable exactly opposite of the eruption?
All of the discussion above is for a flat world. On a sphere any sort of "inverse X law" would become rather complicated to describe, but your intuition is correct. At the antipodal point there is likely to be a pressure spike. However, this spike is not likely to be anywhere near the amplitude of the original spike for a number of reasons. First, the Earth is not perfectly smooth or spherical, and so different parts of the wavefront will be traveling different distances to reach the antipodal point. Second, the atmosphere does not have a uniform temperature (and hence wave speed), and so different parts of the wave front will propagate at different speeds, and all at different times. Third, the air is not static, and so the wavefront will be translated in space throughout its propagation and become relatively incoherent due to turbulent scattering. Fourth, the air is absorptive, and so some (or a lot) of the initial energy will have dissipated as heat.
All of these effects become less important for long-wavelength signals such as infrasound. (The importance of these effects are why you don't hear any conversations from the opposite side of the globe.) For a very rough estimate, you would expect the antipodal spike to be potentially observable if the wavelength was much larger than the largest inhomogeneity length scale of interest, which I imagine is the length scale of mountain ranges. Let's go with 100 km for that length scale. The speed of sound in air is on the order of 0.3 km/s, and so a 100 km wavelength would be associated with a signal with a period of about 300 s (about 0.003 Hz). The eruption appears to have a similar frequency, and so this (admittedly *very* rough) approximation suggests that the antipodal point likely exhibited the spike you are suggesting.
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Pterolepis is a genus of flowering plant in the family Melastomataceae. Within Melastomataceae, it forms a clade with genus Pterogastra. Pterolepis contains fourteen species, all of which are found in the Neotropical geographic realmm. Most species are concentrated in Brazil, with a few others across Central and South America.
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Category:Melastomataceae genera | wikipedia |
nonlinear open systems often produce bistabilities or dynamical phase transitions .
a nice example is the behavior of a bose - einstein condensate ( bec ) in a pumped high - finesse optical cavity , where the nonlinearity is produced by the dispersive atom - light interaction @xcite .
the weak cavity pumping causes a classical electromagnetic field to build up between the mirrors .
the atoms coupled dispersively to the radiation field detune the cavity according to the overlap of their spatial distribution with the mode function of the electric field .
consequently , the cavity resonance frequency can be shifted away from or towards the frequency of the pumping laser ; thereby a big variation in intensity can be induced merely by the spatial redistribution of the atoms . in turn
, the intensity change translates into the variation of the depth of the optical dipole potential , and so it acts back upon the atomic distribution itself . in a tiny region of the parameter settings close to the cavity resonance
two stable or metastable configurations can exist , giving rise to a dynamical phase transition .
atom - light interaction itself is a major issue in the studies of ultracold quantum gases , being the most universal tool in accessing the properties of the system either by slowing the cloud of atoms , trapping them in classical potentials , putting obstacles in their path , or finally detecting and imaging them .
moreover , recent proposals have raised the possibility of quantum state preparation of the atomic ensemble with the help of measuring the output photon signal of a pumped optical resonator @xcite .
the cornerstone of such a quantum state preparation with the help of a quantum nondemolition measurement is also the mutual backaction between the atomic and photonic degrees of freedom .
the study of correlations between atomic motion and light generated by atom - light interaction in an optical cavity is therefore of fundamental importance .
an important research area on the manifestation of light - matter interaction is optomechanics , where the radiation pressure force of a single mode fabry - prot resonator is used to manipulate the center of mass motion of a mechanical oscillator . for a short review on optomechanical systems and on their experimental realizations
@xcite , and also references therein .
the reason of popularity of optomechanical studies , besides experimental realizability , is that the theoretical description can be performed relatively simply , involving only the few modes of the cavity field and one mode for the motion of the mirror @xcite .
such a paradigmatic system is an ideal playground to test correlations between light and mesoscopic objects , to understand the underlying physics and to speculate on possible applications in quantum information processing . in recent experiments done with ultracold bosons in optical resonators
the above concepts unify nicely @xcite .
the cavity radiation field couples to a single collective motional excitation of the bose condensed atomic sample . starting the experiment with a pure bose - einstein condensate ,
other motional excitations can be safely disregarded and so a situation analogous to optomechanics can be realized without a movable mirror , but rather with the collective motion of an ensemble of atoms .
the difference between the experimental tools ( manipulation and detection methods ) of traditional optomechanical systems and those with ultracold gases nicely complement each other , while the theoretical description is very similar .
the aim of the present paper is to discuss correlations generated in a hybrid system of ultracold bosons and the radiation field , especially close to the region of parameter settings where the system shows bistability and where the optomechanical simplification can be harvested .
photons leaking out of the resonator make the cavity field noisy , which infiltrates the dynamics of atomic motion @xcite . in turn ,
quantum fluctuations of the atom field have a back - action on the photon statistics .
correlated fluctuations of the light and matter wave fields appear then , which are strongly enhanced close to the critical regime of bistability .
the study of correlations is further motivated by the need for justifying the basic assumption of the generally used mean - field theories @xcite , namely , that the atom - photon cross correlations are negligible and mean values of the light and atomic operators can be decoupled .
the paper is organized as follows .
the backbone of the paper is sec .
[ sec : model ] , where the model and the theoretical description of the system in mean - field level is presented in great detail .
many of the elements of other theoretical models , e.g. , the cavity cooling of bec excitations @xcite , spatial self - organization of a bec in the cavity @xcite , and the transient collective atomic recoil lasing @xcite will be recapitulated here to give a full account of the mean field dynamics of a bec in a cavity .
the aim , partially , is to reach the optomechanical model and discuss the assumptions and approximations to arrive there .
special attention is paid to the effect of nonlinearities : ( i ) the nonlinearity caused by atom - light interaction , responsible for the creation of a periodic optical potential and also for an effective atom - atom collective interaction , and ( ii ) the nonlinearity caused by atomic s - wave collisions . in sec .
[ sec : res ] we present first mean - field results and compare them to experimental observations , wherever applicable .
furthermore , the auto- and cross - correlations of the quantum fluctuations of the fields will be calculated in the stationary state formed by the balance of cavity loss and vacuum noise driving .
finally , a summary is given in sec .
[ sec : disc ] .
the system consists of a single mode , high - finesse optical fabry - prot resonator with a waist much smaller than the cavity length and a sample of dilute , ultracold bosonic atoms prepared to be bose - einstein condensed .
the condensate is supposed to be cigar shaped along the cavity axis , with a strong transverse confinement .
the radiation field inside the cavity is pumped through one of its mirrors by a laser with frequency @xmath0 and wavenumber @xmath1 , with @xmath2 being the speed of light . the laser frequency is far detuned from the atomic transitions , so the populations of the electronic excited states are negligible . in this limit
the atomic internal degrees of freedom are frozen ; and the atom - light interaction is purely dispersive . on the other hand ,
the cavity frequency @xmath3 lies close to the pump frequency @xmath0 : the detuning @xmath4 is comparable to @xmath5 , this latter being half of the inverse lifetime of a photon inside the cavity . in the frame co - rotating with the pumping laser field the hamiltonian of the system can be approximated as @xmath6 @xmath7 is the hamilton operator of the ground state atoms inside the cavity , given by @xmath8\psi(x ) dx,\ ] ] with @xmath9 being the mass of the atoms , @xmath10 is the external confining potential along the cavity axis and @xmath11 being the s - wave scattering constant in 1-dimension .
the term @xmath12 of the hamiltonian describes the radiation field of the empty , single - mode cavity , @xmath13 the dispersive interaction between the cavity radiation field and the atoms in this low excitation limit is given by the ac - stark shift , or light shift : @xmath14 with @xmath15 being the single atom light - shift , @xmath16 ; the unique longitudinal mode function of the single mode cavity is @xmath17 with wavenumber @xmath18 .
the part describing the coupling of the cavity field to that of the pump laser is given by @xmath19 with @xmath20 being the strength of the driving field ; and the asterisk stands for complex conjugation .
the last part of the hamiltonian , @xmath21 describes the interaction of the cavity field with the broadband reservoir of external radiation field modes via the partially transmissive mirrors
. we will give account for this interaction within the markov approximation , by means of introducing a loss rate @xmath22 and a gaussian white noise operator @xmath23 in the heisenberg equation of motion for the field operators @xcite .
the equation of motion of the photonic annihilation operator is given by [ eqs : eqmo ] @xmath24a(t)\\ + i
\eta + i\xi(t),\label{eq : eqmores}\end{gathered}\ ] ] with @xmath25 the local single atom light - shift , which is a periodic function .
its period is noticeably @xmath26 , since it contains the mode function squared .
the operator @xmath23 describes gaussian white noise with zero mean and with the only non - vanishing correlation @xmath27 it is nicely exhibited in eq .
, that the dispersive interaction between the atoms and the radiation field causes a shift in the resonator frequency proportional to the atomic density @xmath28 .
however , this frequency shift is an operator and couples the equations of motion of the radiation field to those of the atomic field operators in a nonlinear way .
the equation of motion of the atomic field operator reads @xmath29\psi(x , t).\label{eq : eqmoat}\end{gathered}\ ] ] in the atomic part of the equation of motion , in addition to the inert trap potential @xmath30 , the atom - light interaction creates a @xmath31 periodic optical potential for the atoms , proportional to the dynamical photon number operator @xmath32 . to solve the coupled nonlinear operator equations
simultaneously is a hard task .
the most convenient approximation is the mean - field approximation , when one separates first the operators into a mean value and to fluctuations around it : [ eqs : sepmf ] @xmath33 the mean values are c - numbers , defined as @xmath34 the so - called condensate wavefunction , which is normalized to unity ; and @xmath35 the coherent part of the cavity field .
consequently , the fluctuations have zero mean .
the time evolution of the mean values is obtained by substituting into the equations of motion and neglecting all terms containing fluctuations . by this way one arrives at a gross - pitaevskii like set of equations of the coupled dynamics [ eqs : gpe ] @xmath36\alpha(t)+i\eta,\label{eq : gperad}\\ i\hslash\frac{\partial}{\partial t}\varphi(x , t)&=\bigg[-\frac{\hslash^2\delta}{2m}+v_{\text{ext}}(x)+\hslash|\alpha(t)|^2u(x)\nonumber\\ & + g\,n\,|\varphi(x , t)|^2\bigg]\varphi(x , t),\label{eq : gpeat}\end{aligned}\ ] ] with the notation @xmath37 .
there is a simplification of the numerical problem due to the possible separation of time scales .
the time evolution of eq .
is governed by two characteristic frequencies , namely the detuning @xmath38 and the photon loss rate @xmath5 . in eq .
the characteristic frequency is set by the recoil frequency @xmath39 . in experiments
the latter one is usually several orders of magnitude smaller than the former ones .
for example in the esslinger group experiments @xcite , the parameters @xmath40 , while the recoil frequency is about @xmath41 .
in this situation the dynamics of the resonator field relaxes very fast compared to the dynamics of the atomic motion and therefore can be considered instantaneous with respect to the relaxation of the condensate .
one can assume for any given atomic configuration that the resonator field has already reached its steady state value , which , by eq .
, is @xmath42
this steady - state mean field provides the optical potential in eq . .
so in the end one only integrates solely eq . ,
with @xmath43 adiabatically eliminated and inserted from eq .
, instead of the coupled eqs . and
. it is worth noting that if the time scales of the resonator field and bec dynamics do not differ that much , some complex coupled solutions can exist @xcite , which need the simultaneous integration of eqs . and .
after the adiabatic elimination of the photon field @xmath44 , the most direct method to numerically calculate the steady state of the bec wavefunction @xmath45 is the one based on the imaginary - time propagation of eq . .
in real - time the steady - state solution has the time dependence : @xmath46 with @xmath47 the lowest frequency eigenvalue of the nonlinear problem . in imaginary time all fluctuations around the steady - state die out , since they propagate with higher frequencies in real time and consequently vanish faster in imaginary time than the steady - state solution .
one just has to renormalize the solution @xmath48 after some finite propagation time .
note that , since all quantities on the left hand side of eq .
are real , the condensate wavefunction @xmath45 can also be chosen real .
we also note at this point that , as we will see later , in the case of an effective blue detuning @xmath49 , the resonator field heats the atomic motion ( some excitations have positive imaginary parts ) and there is no steady - state condensate wavefunction at all .
however , due to the method of imaginary time propagation , one can find a bec wavefunction even in this case , corresponding to a dynamically unstable equilibrium situation .
having obtained the steady - state values of the bec wavefunction and the resonator field amplitude , one can look for the fluctuations of the annihilation ( and creation ) operators @xmath50 , @xmath51 ( @xmath52 , @xmath53 ) in linear order .
this linear stability analysis corresponds to the bogoliubov theory of the bec system @xcite , and also have an analogy in optomechanics , and also in other nonlinear systems , especially in hydrodynamics . inserting the separation of the field operators into eqs . and , and neglecting fluctuations higher than first order , one arrives to [ eqs : fluct ] @xmath54\delta a(t ) + n\alpha_{\text{ss}}\int \varphi(x ) u(x)\big[\delta \tilde\psi(x , t)+\delta\tilde\psi^\dagger(x , t)\big]\,dx+i\xi(t),\label{eq : fluctrad}\\ i\hslash\frac{\partial}{\partial t}\delta\tilde\psi(x , t)&=\bigg[\frac{\hslash^2\delta}{2 m } + v_{\text{ext}}(x)+\hslash|\alpha_{\text{ss}}|^2 u(x)-\mu+gn\varphi^2(x)\bigg]\delta\tilde\psi(x , t)+\hslash u(x)\varphi(x)\big[\alpha^*_{\text{ss}}\delta a(t)+\alpha_{\text{ss}}\delta a^\dagger(t)\big]\nonumber\\ & + gn\varphi^2(x)\big[\delta\tilde\psi^\dagger(x , t)+\delta\tilde\psi(x , t)\big].\label{eq : fluctat}\end{aligned}\ ] ] where the zeroth order terms cancel , since they fulfill eq . and with @xmath55 .
we have introduced @xmath56
. a closer look on eqs .
reveals that the time evolution of the annihilation operators couple to those of the creation operators .
it is a consequence of the complex nature of the photonic and particle fields . in order to diagonalize eqs .
one can choose two equivalent ways .
either one can separate the complex quantities into real and imaginary parts and study their time evolution ; this is the approach mainly used in optomechanical studies .
the other way is to diagonalize the set of equations not just containing @xmath57 and @xmath58 , but also their hermitian adjoints @xmath59 and @xmath60 ; this approach is familiar from the bogoliubov - de gennes theory of superfluidity . adopting
the bogoliubov - de gennes way we gather the fluctuations into the following column vector @xmath61 , where the superscript @xmath62 stands for transposition , and noises to the other column vector @xmath63 .
eqs . can now be cast into the closed form @xmath64 with @xmath65&\hslash^{-1}gn\varphi^2(x)\\ -\alpha_{\text{ss}}^*y(x ) & -\alpha_{\text{ss } } y(x)&-\hslash^{-1}gn\varphi^2(x)&-\hslash^{-1}[h_0+gn\varphi^2(x ) ] \end{array}\right],\label{eq : matm}\\ h_0&=-\frac{\hslash^2\delta}{2m}+v_{\text{ext}}(x)+\hslash|\alpha_{\text{ss}}(x)|^2u(x)-\mu+gn\varphi^2(x),\\ x\cdot f(x)&=\int\varphi(x)u(x)f(x)dx,\\ y(x)&=u(x)\varphi(x),\\ a&=-\dc+n\langle u\rangle - i\kappa.\end{aligned}\ ] ] since @xmath57 is not independent of @xmath59 and similarly @xmath58 is also not independent of @xmath60 , the matrix @xmath66 has an important symmetry property .
it is a consequence that the effect of hermitian conjugation of @xmath67 can be obtained with a linear transformation @xmath68 that swaps the first row with the second one and simultaneously the third one with the fourth , so @xmath69 .
it directly follows from eq . and from this symmetry property that @xmath70 in order to study the correlations of the fluctuations one has to determine the time evolution of the fluctuation operators first .
one has to introduce quasi - normal modes that diagonalize eq . and therefore have a simple time evolution .
let us denote by @xmath71 the right eigenvectors of @xmath66 , i.e. , @xmath72 with @xmath73 being the corresponding eigenvalue of @xmath66 .
the fluctuation operator @xmath67 can be expanded with the help of the eigenvectors ( if they form a complete set ) @xmath74 with @xmath75 being the operator , or expansion coefficient , of the quasi - normal mode @xmath76 .
the operator @xmath75 is given by : @xmath77 with @xmath78 is the euclidean scalar product , and @xmath79 is the left eigenvector of @xmath66 , defined as @xmath80 the left and right eigenvectors are normalized as usual : @xmath81 . with the help of eqs
. and , the normal modes obey the following uncoupled equation of motion : @xmath82 with the transformed noise operator @xmath83 . on integrating eq .
, the time dependence of the normal mode operators can be obtained : @xmath84 for a dynamically stable sytem , one needs to have eigenvalues with negative imaginary parts . in this case
fluctuations ( the normal modes ) decay to a steady - state .
the symmetry property has an important consequence on the spectrum of @xmath66 .
namely , if @xmath85 is an eigenvalue of @xmath66 , than @xmath86 is also an eigenvalue of @xmath66 .
the modes corresponding to these eigenvalues form a pair with positive and negative energies .
there is an important issue concerning the stability of the normal modes : not all of them include the radiation components .
for simplicity , assume that the external potential is even with respect to the center of the cavity .
in this case the combined external and optical potentials is also even , and parity is a symmetry of the full system . in this case
the condensate wavefunction is also even ; and the matrix @xmath66 commutes with the parity operator .
the eigenfunctions of @xmath66 can therefore be classified by their symmetry ( being odd or even ) .
if the condensate fluctuation parts ( third and fourth components ) of an eigenvector @xmath71 are odd , than the result of the operator @xmath87 acting on these components of @xmath71 is zero , since @xmath87 contains an integration on the whole cavity axis and its kernel is even . for these modes
there is no coupling term between the cavity field and the condensate part [ see the first two rows of the matrix @xmath66 in ] , and , since damping of the modes comes from the cavity decay , these modes remain undamped and just marginally stable .
consequently , if we want to describe the steady - state values of the correlations of fluctuations we have to omit those normal modes which do not couple to the radiation field ( assuming that they are initially not populated ) . for further analysis we suppose that @xmath88 , i.e. the only potential in eq
. is the periodic optical potential induced by the resonator field . in this case
the bloch functions are good candidates for the complete set of single particle wavefunctions : @xmath89 with @xmath90 being a periodic function of period @xmath31 . here
@xmath91 is the so - called band index and @xmath92 $ ] is the quasi - momentum of the particle .
@xmath93 is the constant for normalization .
if we impose the born - von karman boundary condition with @xmath94 periods ( the quantization volume is @xmath95 ) , then the normalization constant @xmath96 , and the functions @xmath97 are normalized to unity inside a period @xmath26 . for practical purposes
, we also use plane - waves as basis of the @xmath97 functions ( not depending on the quasi - momentum @xmath98 ) @xmath99 with @xmath100 .
( of course the basis is suitable to express all other @xmath101-periodic functions as fourier series . )
the field operator of the atoms are expanded as @xmath102 with @xmath103 the annihilation operator of the plane - wave state @xmath104 . here
@xmath91 goes over all integers and @xmath105 , with @xmath106 .
the equation of motion of the annihilation operators @xmath103 is obtained easily from eq .
, by inserting the field operator and using the orthogonality of the plane - wave states , @xmath107 the first term corresponds to the kinetic energy , which is diagonal for the plane wave states used .
the matrix @xmath108 appearing in the optical potential is a simple , tridiagonal matrix @xmath109.\ ] ] it is trivial that the kinetic energy is the lowest for @xmath110 .
the appearance of the optical potential makes the hamiltonian nondiagonal in plane - wave basis , however , it mixes only operators with the same quasi - momentum @xmath98 .
coupled plane waves can have indices @xmath91 differing only by @xmath111 . on the other hand ,
the s - wave scattering mixes operators with different @xmath91 and different @xmath98 momenta .
the total momentum is conserved by the @xmath112 function imposing @xmath113 , which allows for normal scattering , when @xmath114 , and @xmath115 , and also for umklapp scattering processes , where the difference of the quasi momentum in the scattering is equal to a reciprocal lattice vector : @xmath116 , and @xmath117 .
it is useful at this point to estimate the characteristic frequency corresponding to the atom - atom s - wave scattering based on the physical parameters relevant to the experimental situation in eg
the s - wave scattering length for the @xmath118 states of the @xmath119 atoms is about @xmath120 . assuming a particle number of @xmath121 atoms distributed in the cavity lattice of period @xmath122 and the cavity egg - crate potential containing @xmath123 valleys , corresponding to a cavity length of @xmath124 , and the waist of the optical potential as @xmath125 , the characteristic frequency of s - wave interaction can be around @xmath126 .
( here we have neglected any external trapping potential . )
this means that the characteristic energy of s - wave scattering is 3 orders of magnitude lower than that of the recoil energy separating the bands from each other . as a result s - wave scattering dominantly occurs only with atoms in the same band and umklapp processes
can be neglected . when incorporating the effects of the confining parabolic optical potential in ref .
@xcite , the condensate density grows roughly by a factor of 100 , and results in the ratio @xmath127 .
in this situation the contribution of umklapp processes is still small enough to expect that it does not significantly change the forthcoming results .
the mean - field equation for the condensate is obtained by the substitution @xmath128 with @xmath129 the mean value of the annihilation operators .
the @xmath130 condition for the mean - field comes from the fact that the ground state of the translationally invariant system is also invariant under discrete translation , i.e. the condensate wavefunction is periodic also with @xmath26 .
( none of the terms in eq .
violates the discrete translation of the system , and having @xmath131 would cost in kinetic energy . )
the mean - field equation reads then @xmath132 with @xmath133 given by eq . , but now with @xmath134 the steady - state components of the condensate amplitudes @xmath135 evolve as @xmath136 with @xmath137 being the chemical potential .
it can be seen from eq .
that @xmath129 can also be chosen real for all @xmath91 . since @xmath138 , and due to the symmetry of eq .
it follows that , @xmath139 , which means , that the fourier expansion of the condensate wavefunction contains only cosine terms .
the equation of motion for the fluctuations , in this representation , is given by [ eqs : fluctbw ] @xmath140\delta a(t)\\+nu_0\alpha_{\text{ss}}\sum_{n , n'}\beta_n l_{n , n'}\big(\delta \tilde b_{n',0}+\delta \tilde b_{-n',0}^\dagger)+i\xi(t),\end{gathered}\ ] ] @xmath141 with @xmath142 for a qualitative understanding of eqs .
, let us consider first the weak photon - atom coupling case , when either the photon number inside the cavity is small or @xmath15 is small .
in this situation the atomic distribution is essentially unmodified by the periodic potential and the condensate wavefunction is almost homogeneous , i.e. @xmath143 . fluctuations in the atomic density are induced from the homogeneous condensate . in linear order , the atom - light interaction excites fluctuations to bands @xmath144 with @xmath145 , while s - wave interaction populates fluctuations with arbitrary @xmath91 and @xmath98 .
however , as discussed earlier , in the limit @xmath146 , s - wave scattering induces essentially only intra - band transitions , and therefore , for a homogeneous condensate , only states with @xmath147 are populated by s - wave interaction .
figure [ fig : scattering ] depicts graphically the population of fluctuations excited from the homogeneous condensate wavefunction in leading order .
moreover , in experiments @xcite the one atom light shift is a tunable parameter , it s typical value is chosen to be on the order of the recoil frequency , i.e. @xmath148 and is also much larger than the characteristic frequency of s - wave scattering .
therefore on the time scale in which the steady - state is reached , the effect of s - wave scattering is still not significant .
when describing the steady state , one can safely neglect it as a first approximation and consider each band represented by a single state vector with @xmath145 .
note that there is an interesting complementary regime in which the relevant states are localized , wannier - type ones formed by the coherent superposition of many quasi - momentum states with @xmath149 . to describe many body effects of the atomic degree of freedom in this regime
, one can resort to a bose - hubbard model with self - consistent parameters @xcite , in which collisions play a vital role but interband transitions are usually neglected . in the experimental situation of refs .
@xcite the bec wavefunction can be considered almost homogeneous , with a condensate fraction in the @xmath150 state containing @xmath151 atoms , while the next state with @xmath152 , i.e. the atomic motional state with wavefunction @xmath153 containing only a few hundred atoms .
let us therefore restrict the hilbert space of the one - particle atomic motion into this relevant 2-dimensional subspace , containing the homogeneous single particle wavefunction and that of @xmath153 .
the atomic field operator becomes @xmath154 with the single - particle wavefunctions @xmath155 , and @xmath156 , and their corresponding annihilation operators @xmath157 and @xmath158 .
the single - particle wavefunction @xmath159 , corresponding to the antisymmetric combination of the @xmath152 states , is omitted , since this wavefunction does nt couple to the photonic field due to symmetry reasons mentioned above . in this model the atomic motion
is represented in a two - mode fock space .
the mean field expansion is @xmath160 where @xmath129 is again the representation of the condensate wavefunction in the 2-dimensional hilbert space , normalized to unity .
the presence of a bose - einstein condensate distinguishes a subspace of one single mode .
accordingly , the fluctuation operators can be expanded to a part parallel to the condensate and to one orthogonal to it : @xmath161 with @xmath162 the unit vector orthogonal to the condensate : @xmath163 .
the part , @xmath164 , parallel to the condensate can be related to the arbitrariness of the phase of the condensate , and corresponds to a zero mode .
the orthogonal part , @xmath165 is the sole degree of freedom .
therefore the fluctuations of the atomic field , similarly to the photon field , has a single degree of freedom .
the fluctuations of the combined atom - resonator field system has 2 degrees of freedom , and is analogous in many ways to cavities with a moving mirror , to the so called optomechanical systems . in order to obtain the mean - field equations and the fluctuation equations in
linear order one can start from eq . and use the truncated field operator and then the mean - field ansatz . the mean - field equations for the condensate
now read @xmath166\beta_l(t),\ ] ] with @xmath167 , the projection matrix to the subspace of @xmath168 ; the matrix representing the light - shift is given by @xmath169,\ ] ] @xmath133 given by eq .
, with @xmath170 .
( note the convention of automatic summation over repeated indices . )
the condensate wavefunction also has the time dependence of eq . , with @xmath171 chosen real .
eq . can also be solved either by imaginary time propagation or by direct algebraic means using eq . and the normalization condition : @xmath172 .
the equations of motion for the fluctuation operators can be derived analogously to the way as eqs . was obtained .
it is appropriate to separate the trivial time dependence due to the chemical potential via the definition @xmath173 . with this @xmath174 with @xmath175 , and @xmath176 the matrix @xmath177
can be thought of being the grand canonical hamiltonian of the system , and by virtue of eqs . and
@xmath178 . equations and form a linear eigenvalue problem for the fluctuations .
it is easy to check that the trial function of @xmath179 and @xmath180 is a constant solution , i.e. it is a zero mode .
it also follows from the normalization of @xmath171 that @xmath181 is antihermitian . with the decomposition
@xmath182 one can arrive at a closed set of equations between the fluctuations @xmath57 and @xmath183 and their hermitian adjoints .
[ eqs : fluctom ] @xmath184 note , that in the optomechanical model s - wave scattering can not be included in general , because it populates states with @xmath131 , which are disregarded in this model .
it is a possibility to include some remaining effects of the atom - atom collision by coupling only the two states under consideration , however , it would result in a nonlocal and unphysical interaction in coordinate space . or , in order to extend the optomechanical model ,
although still lacking the full consideration of s - wave scattering explicitly , the higher quasi - momentum states can be taken into account either by considering a ( close to , but non- ) plane wave condensate wavefunction @xcite , or in a two - fluid model @xcite .
in the following we summarize and discuss our results based on the numerical solutions of eqs . and , and compare them with those of eqs . and and to the findings of the esslinger group @xcite .
as a function of the cavity detuning @xmath38 .
the parameters are : @xmath121 , @xmath185 , @xmath186 .
the pumping strength is different on the 3 panels : @xmath187 for panels a , b , c , respectively . ] for a comparison between the full gpe solution and the optomechanical model we numerically solve the gross - pitaevskii equation on a 200 point grid with imaginary time propagation with the steady - state value of the mean radiation field amplitude and compare it to the solution of ( also in imaginary time ) .
the results for the mean photon number are plotted in fig .
[ fig : phnum ] . the bistable behavior is nicely exhibited in these figures . in panel
a ) the pumping strength @xmath188 is below a threshold value , the resonance curve gives a unique solution for all detunings @xmath38 .
notice , that in eqs . , or the effective detuning of the resonator field is @xmath189 , i.e. , the light shift further detunes the cavity . on the left side of the resonance ,
the effective detuning @xmath112 is negative , the cavity is detuned to the red .
we will see in the next subsection that this situation corresponds to cavity cooling , where the imaginary part of the fluctuation spectrum of the combined atom - photon system is negative ( or nonpositive for the many mode system ) .
fluctuations decay to zero . on the right side of the resonance , where @xmath112 is positive ,
the imaginary part of the fluctuation spectrum changes its sign .
fluctuations grow exponentially on this side of the resonance , that is , the slightly retarded cavity field dynamics heats the atomic motion instead of cooling it .
therefore the solution above the resonance ( @xmath190 ) is dynamically unstable .
it is only due to the adiabatic elimination of the photon field that the numerical method finds this solution as well .
note , that the parameters of our calculations mimics those of ref .
the agreement in the photon number with fig . 3 of ref .
@xcite is well within the systematic uncertainty of the photon number estimation of the experiments ( 25% ) . with the use of the recoil frequency for rubidium atoms , @xmath191
, we can compare the location of the resonance points to the experimental findings , too . in panel ( a )
, the resonance point is at around @xmath192 , in panel ( b ) the two instability points are at around @xmath193 and @xmath194 .
all these are within 5% of the respective experimental value . in panel
( c ) the resonance points are at around @xmath195 and @xmath196 .
this latter is only 2% higher than in the experiment , but the lower point is contrasted to the @xmath197 value ( about 10 % deviation ) . in our case
the bistable region is a bit wider than in the experiments .
this discrepancy might be attributed mainly to the uncertainty in the effective detuning @xmath112 which we obtain by an estimation of the actual atom number and overlap between the cavity potential and the atomic cloud . for @xmath198 , the threshold value of the pumping strength depending on the detuning , the cavity loss , the light shift and also the atom number , there is a region where three solutions exist for the photon number and also for the condensate wavefunction .
two of them are stable solutions for the numerical method we use .
these solutions are plotted in panels b ) and c ) for @xmath199 and @xmath200 , respectively .
the unstable solution is not plotted in the figure .
we note , however , that the upper one of the two plotted solutions corresponds to the @xmath190 , cavity heating , situation .
so this solution is also unstable , dynamically .
but since this instability is related to photon dynamics ( neglected at this level ) one can still find this solution by integrating the gpe for the atoms in imaginary time . and
@xmath201 as a functions of the detuning @xmath38 in a semi - log scale .
the parameter settings are the same as for fig .
[ fig : phnum ] . ] the fraction of condensate atoms occupying the homogeneous and the @xmath153 states are plotted on fig . [ fig : cond_comp ] .
the parameter settings are the same as for fig .
[ fig : phnum ] .
both the resonance feature and the bistabily is exhibited in the condensate component of the @xmath153 mode .
the condensate is almost homogeneous for the whole range , @xmath202 , and @xmath201 shows a very similar dependence as the photon number .
it is remarkable that a very small change in the shape of the condensate wavefunction causes a drastic increase or fall of the photon number .
this can be elucidated by the collective coupling of the atoms to the resonator field .
the detuning @xmath189 , appearing in the denominator of the steady - state value of the resonator field , can change a lot even if the variation of @xmath203 is small , because of the large number @xmath204 multiplying it .
the linear stability analysis of the mean - field solution is done with the help of the linear equations for the case of the full model , and with the help of eqs . for the optomechanical approximation .
once the condensate wavefunction and the steady - state value of the mean cavity field is known , one can construct the matrix @xmath66 and calculate its eigenvalues and eigenvectors .
in the full model , discretized on a grid with 200 sites , @xmath66 is a @xmath205 matrix , since it acts on a row vector having @xmath206 elements for the photon fluctuation operator and its hermitian adjoint , and also having @xmath207 elements for the discretized field fluctuation operator and on its hermitian adjoint .
for the optomechanical model one has a much smaller , @xmath208 matrix , since the zero mode is already separated in this case , so one has @xmath206 components for the photon fluctuations and @xmath206 components for the atomic motion orthogonal to the condensate wavefunction .
the numerical diagonalization was obtained with the help of the lapack package . note
that @xmath66 is a general complex matrix .
its eigenvalues are complex .
however , due to the symmetry relation the eigenvalues of @xmath66 come in pairs .
each element of the pair have the same imaginary part , while the real parts are just the opposite of each other .
figure [ fig : fluctspect ] shows the eigenvalues of @xmath66 for the same parameter settings as that of figs .
[ fig : phnum ] and [ fig : cond_comp ] .
the left panels show the real part @xmath209 of the @xmath76th eigenvalue , while the right panels show the modulus of the imaginary parts @xmath210 for @xmath211 . only those two eigenvalues are plotted , which are present in the optomechanical model and have positive real parts .
the other two eigenvalues of the optomechanical model can be obtained simply by changing the sign of the real parts to negative : @xmath212 . in the bistability regime ,
the excitation frequencies are presented for both mean field solutions .
again , all figures show that the optomechanical approximation very well reproduces the results of the full gpe simulation even for dynamical quantities .
the two modes are easy to be physically interpreted .
the first eigenvalue , having a bigger real part around @xmath213 and an imaginary part almost exactly at @xmath214 , corresponds to a mainly photonic mode .
note that the imaginary part of this mode remains also negative above the resonance .
the other eigenvalue , having a real part around @xmath215 corresponds mainly to atomic fluctuations . the imaginary part of this eigenvalue changes sign at resonance . below resonance
the imaginary part is negative ( fluctuations in the atomic motion are damped due to the interaction with the resonator field @xcite ) , while above resonance the imaginary part becomes positive ( fluctuations in the atomic motion are exponentially growing in time ) .
the situation is clear on panel a ) , where the resonance point can be exactly defined . on panels
b ) and c ) the coexistence of the two solutions makes the definition of the resonance point ambiguous .
nevertheless , on panels b ) and c ) the curves which continue to the left hand side of the figure correspond to the solutions with cavity cooling and those which continue to the right hand side correspond to the heating solution .
the dynamical cooling and heating effects are closely related to the same effects at the single atom level @xcite . in refs .
@xcite the coherent atomic dynamics was also studied .
the harmonic oscillator behavior of the low - energy atomic dynamics caused periodic oscillations in the output photon signal with a frequency close to @xmath216 , as reported and explained in ref .
@xcite , or close to around @xmath217 in ref .
@xcite . in our model
the dynamics of the two coupled harmonic oscillators of the resonator field and the atomic collective motion is described by eqs . .
these are linearized equations of motion around the steady - state configurations .
for very small fluctuations the semiclassical time evolution can be interpreted as orbitals around the steady - state fixed points with frequencies plotted in the left panels of fig .
[ fig : fluctspect ] . due to the imaginary parts
the trajectories spiral closer to ( for fluctuations around the cooling solution ) or farther from ( for fluctuations around the heating solution ) the corresponding fixed point . from fig .
[ fig : fluctspect ] we can see , that the frequency of atomic motion dominated fluctuations is close to @xmath215 for parameters not very close to the bistable region . in the bistable regime
two steady - state solutions exist , and correspondingly there are two fixed points in the harmonic oscillator phase space . according to fig .
[ fig : fluctspect ] the oscillation frequency for the cooling fixed point remains around @xmath215 and softens close to the endpoint , while for the heating solution the oscillation frequency grows to around @xmath218 before softening at its endpoint .
this kind of renormalization of the atomic dynamics by the interaction with radiation is often referred to as the ` optical spring effect ' .
the approximately @xmath218 angular frequency quantitatively gives back the experimentally found @xmath217 oscillation frequency of the fig .
3c inset of ref .
@xcite .
it is interesting to point out that in the bistable region even small atomic fluctuations can result in a phase - space trajectory that orbits around both of the fixed points [ see fig . 3 of ref .
@xcite ] . in this case
such a linearization strategy simply can not work because the transition between the two fixed points is necessarily a nonlinear effect .
however , if the trajectory would lie in the basin of the linear region of the corresponding fixed points everywhere except the small region of the separatrix , one could expect the oscillation to be described by the above two frequencies : when the system is in a part of the trajectory inside the attraction basin of the cooling fixed point the angular frequency would be around @xmath219 , while after crossing the separatrix it would change to around @xmath220 .
such a trajectory of coherent oscillations would also cause a periodic output photon signal but both of the frequencies would appear , i.e. the count rate peaks would come in pairs . at values corresponding to the subfigures
a ) b ) and c ) of other figures with numeric results . ]
figure [ fig : phdiag ] depicts the regions in the parameter space which represent the heating and ( cooling ) solutions , i.e. the solutions with dynamical instability ( stability ) .
the bistable region , where both a heating and a cooling solution can be found , is wedged between the two distinct regions .
the tip of the wedge corresponds to the critical point @xmath221 .
second order correlations of the fluctuations are calculated with the help of the quasi - normal modes and the noise correlations , since by virtue of eqs . and @xmath222.\end{gathered}\ ] ] for a stable system , where all the eigenvalues have negative imaginary parts , the first term on the right hand side
, corresponding to the initial condition of the fluctuations , vanishes for times much longer than the characteristic decay times of the system . for the second term one can use the noise correlation function , the definition of the vector noise @xmath223 and that of @xmath224 .
for @xmath225 it follows straightforwardly , that @xmath226 where we index the components of the row vectors @xmath67 and @xmath223 starting from 1 , and also dropped the exponential term vanishing for large times in the case of a stable system . note that the zero mode , i.e. , @xmath164 in representing the phase fluctuations of the condensate , do not contribute to this sum because its eigenfunction does not have photon component , i.e. , @xmath227 . , with a dashed line .
all parameters are the same as for fig .
[ fig : phnum ] . ] . ] . ] to be able to relate our results more explicitly to other works , let us introduce quadrature operators , according to @xmath228 , @xmath229 , @xmath230 , @xmath231 .
these quadratude operators are hermitian operators , easily expressed with the help of the field operators @xmath67 .
we assemble them into the following row vector : @xmath232 . with the quadratures being hermitian
, one can define a real correlation matrix by @xmath233 which is in the following block form @xmath234,\ ] ] with @xmath235 representing the correlations of the photonic degree of freedom , @xmath236 representing atomic fluctuations , and @xmath237 describing the cross correlations .
for example , on top of the mean field contribution @xmath238 , there is a nonclassical part of the photon number which is given by @xmath239 in an empty resonator close to zero temperature , where @xmath240 , the nonclassical part of the photon number vanishes , and the resonator field is in a pure coherent state .
the fluctuation of the quadratures are distributed equally and the heisenberg uncertainty principle is fulfilled in a sharp sense ( @xmath241 ) . however , due to atom - photon interaction , the photon fluctuations couple to those of the atomic motion . by iterative substitution of eqs .
one can simply check that @xmath242 is no longer zero in the presence of a bose - einstein condensate .
the photon field is no longer in a purely coherent state , and the correlation matrix @xmath235 is not simply half of the unit matrix . indeed , since @xmath57 couples now to @xmath59 ( through @xmath183 ) and the coupling term is proportional with @xmath243 , which is complex , the correlation matrix @xmath235 is not isotropic .
the angle of the major axis coincides with twice the phase of @xmath133 , taking the values from @xmath244 ( when the system is far from the resonance ) to zero ( at resonance ) . by performing a rotation of the correlation matrix by this angle to bring it into a diagonal form
, one of the eigenvalues will remain @xmath245 , as in the pure coherent - state case , while the other one will always become bigger than @xmath245 .
since the trace of a matrix is invariant under rotations , the nonclassical part of the photon number @xmath246 , with @xmath247 being the bigger eigenvalue of @xmath235 .
figure [ fig : phnumnonclass ] shows the nonclassical contribution to the photon number .
the classical average @xmath248 of fig .
[ fig : phnum ] is also plotted here with a dashed line for reference .
it can be seen , by comparing the two curves , that the nonclassical contribution to the photon number is very small compared to the contribution of the mean field far from the resonance .
when approaching the resonance , the nonclassical part grows faster than the mean field part , and , in the vicinity of the resonance , it even exceeds the mean field contribution .
the nonclassical contribution of the photon number is plotted only for the cavity cooling regime , where a steady state solution exists .
similarly , the number of atoms outside the condensate , i.e. , the depletion , is evaluated as @xmath249 figure [ fig : depletion ] shows the steady - state number of particles outside the condensate for the parameter settings of the earlier plots .
notice that on the right hand side of the resonance depletion is not plotted . in this regime , where the cavity heats atomic motion instead of cooling it ,
there is no steady - state condensate , and depletion grows in time exponentially .
the steady - state depletion is analogous to the quantum depletion of the ground state of a non - ideal bose gas of atoms due to collisions . in the cavity case
the interaction between the atoms is provided by the collective coupling to the photon field . however , this depletion scales completely differently than that caused by s - wave scattering and is strongly influenced by the presence of the resonance .
the diffusion of atoms out of the condensate can also be interpreted as a quantum measurement - induced back action process which stems from the dispersive atom - light interaction @xcite and occurs also even in phase contrast imaging of a condensate where the photon field is propagating in free space @xcite . in a recent paper @xcite we have shown that the depletion has a large steady - state value even in the limit of vanishing interaction strength @xmath15 . for a fixed large detuning , @xmath250 ,
the amount of non - condensed atoms was estimated by @xmath251 , and is connected to the ratio of the photon energy and the energy of motional excitations . in fig .
[ fig : depletion ] the detuning is a variable and the above condition is not fulfilled .
however , far from resonance , the same ratio determines the depletion with the effective photon energy given by the detuning @xmath252 . the amount of entanglement between the atomic motional and photonic degrees of freedom can also be calculated with the help of the correlation function assuming that the state of the system is a gaussian one . the logarithmic negativity
, @xmath253 is a useful measure of entanglement in our case , since it can be directly calculated with the help of the correlation matrix . @xmath254 where @xmath255 is the smaller symplectic eigenvalue of the two - mode gaussian state , with @xmath256 .
the state is an entangled state if and only if @xmath257 . the larger the logarithmic negativity , the larger the entanglement between the atomic motion and the photonic degree .
figure [ fig : logneg ] shows the steady - state value of the logarithmic negativity , @xmath253 as a function of @xmath38 for the three parameter settings of fig .
[ fig : phnum ] .
these results hold only for the cooling solution . in the heating regime , where there is no steady - state , the entanglement between the photonic mode and the atomic motion also grows in time .
the logarithmic negativity takes very small values in the whole range of the presented parameters except for a very small region around the instability .
apart from this narrow region , the entanglement is small even compared to the values of other optomechanical systems @xcite .
the smallness of the entanglement might be attributed to the big difference between the occupation numbers of the photonic and atomic modes , or equivalently , to the large difference in the effective energies of the decoupled subsystems . to reach higher values of entanglement either the timescales of the photonic and atomic degrees of freedom
should be closer to each other , or a much stronger driving is needed to attain high photon numbers .
in this paper we have investigated the one - dimensional dynamics of a bose - einstein condensate inside a driven optical cavity . as the dispersive atom - photon interaction couples the atomic motion to the dynamics of the photonic field in a nonlinear way
, strong correlations can appear .
the strength of this coupling is inversely proportional to the detuning of the pump frequency from the atomic transition , therefore it can be tuned in experimental implementations .
we recited and analyzed the mapping of the original system to a two mode effective model in which only the two highest populated one - particle states are kept from a plane - wave expansion of the atomic motion @xcite . by solving the coupled gross - pitaevskii equations it was possible to reproduce the bistable behavior caused by the nonlinear coupling @xcite and to provide a phase diagram of the system partitioning the whole parameter space into regions with full dynamical stability of the mean - field solution , the cooling region ; to a region with a dynamically instability attributed to cavity heating ; and to a region where both a stable and an unstable solutions can exist .
we have compared the mean - field solution and the fluctuation spectrum of the optomechanical model to that of the model not restricted to the first two highly occupied modes . in the cavity heating region ,
the unstable polariton mode can have a positive imaginary part in the order of a kilohertz giving an evaporation rate of the bose - einstein condensate in milliseconds .
such timescale is in the experimental reach .
the dispersive atom - photon interaction not just causes cavity cooling or cavity heating but also alters the statistics of the constituent subsystems . in the framework of the optomechanical model
, second order correlations were also investigated between the radiation field of the cavity and the motional mode of the bose - einstein condensate in the cavity cooling regime .
significant contributions beyond that of the mean field were found to the photon and particle numbers .
the strong depletion of the condensate shows some analogy with the excess noise in lasers @xcite , already discussed in our previous work @xcite .
it is interesting however , that the huge nonclassical contribution in the autocorrelation of the photonic and atomic operators do not manifest in the entanglement of these variables .
the lack of entanglement can be attributed to the big difference of the occupation of these modes . while the atom number was assumed to be in the order of @xmath258 , the photon number ranged in the order of unity .
the experimental progress in combining cavity qed systems with ultracold atoms promises an interesting playground to test the manifestation of light - matter interactions in the mesoscopic scale . in such systems
both the radiation and the atomic part are dynamical entities .
the better understanding of their interplay can have impact not just on our knowledge of nonequilibrium systems , but also on implementations of quantum information processing devices or quantum simulators of other systems .
the authors are grateful for andrs vukics , claudiu genes and helmut ritsch for useful discussions .
we acknowledge funding from the national scientific fund of hungary ( nf68736 , t077629 ) , and from the national office for research and technology ( erc_hu_09 optomech ) .
g. sz . acknowledges spanish mec projects toqata ( fis2008 - 00784 ) , qoit ( consolider ingenio 2010 ) , erc advanced grant quagatua and eu strep namequam . | arxiv |
colorectal cancer ( crc ) is one of health problems in the world ( 1 ) .
it was the third most common cancer with nearly 1.4 million new cases in 2012 .
about 54 percent of colorectal cancer cases occurred in more developed countries ( 2 ) .
people with a first - degree relative ( fdr ) ( parent , sibling , or offspring ) have 2 to 3-foldrisk of developing disease compared to individuals with no family history ( 3 ) . according to iranian annual of national cancer registration report ,
crc is the fourth most common cancer after skin , breast and gastric cancer and its incidence rate was estimated 6 to 7.9 in 100,000 people .
furthermore , over the last 25 years there has been a growing trend ( 4 - 9 ) .
because of family history or certain medical conditions , colorectal cancer screening should begin before age 50 .
recent data indicate that fdrs of crc patients significantly under - use colonoscopy screening . the participation rate lying between 30 and 64% ( 10 - 13 ) .
several studies showed factors such as sex , age , health status , knowledge and attitude , number of colorectal cancer affected cases in family , age and stage of diagnosis are important to refuse to participate in colonoscopy screening program .
a low socioeconomic status ( low income , unemployment , low educational level , no health insurance coverage ) has been associated with lower screening participation in many studies ( 14 - 17 ) .
one turkish study indicated fdrs of patients having a higher educational level and income had screening testing twice more than the patients having lower income ( 36% vs 18% , p < 0,001 ) ( 18 ) .
the aim of this study was investigation of the association between socioeconomic factors and participation in colonoscopy screening program among first degree relatives of colorectal cancer affected cases .
this cross sectional descriptive study was conducted on 200 first degree relatives of colorectal cancer cases .
a clustered probability design was used to select representative samples among total 400 high risk fdrs who were consulted and recommended to participate in colonoscopy screening program by physicians between 2007 and 2013 in research institute for gastroenterology and liver disease of shahid beheshti university of medical sciences , tehran , iran .
the questionnaire included first degree relatives demographic and socioeconomic status including educational level , employment , income , health insurance coverage and health status in terms of smoking , alcohol consumption , suffering from diabetes and hypertension diseases .
finally they answered to these questions have you ever undergone colonoscopy screening test ? and
would you like to participate in colonoscopy screening program ? we investigated the association between participation of fdrs in colonoscopy screening program , and socioeconomic and health status variables through using chi - square and fisher exact test by spss 19 . also , multiple logistic regression analysis used to predict for participation in colonoscopy screening program .
odds ratios ( ors ) and its 95% confidence intervals ( cis ) were obtained .
of total 200 participants , 57.5% were female , 51.5% , 50 years and older , 85% married , 87.1% living in tehran , 55.5% diploma and higher educational level , 83% were employed ( full or part time ) and 53.7% were with 10 million rials and more monthly income .
the mean of age , monthly income and body mass index ( bmi ) was 51.4 years , 16,000,000 rials and 26.4 respectively . from interviewees population ,
59% had undergone at least one colonoscopy screening test to the time of the interview .
tables 1 and 2 shows results of bivariate analysis between participation in colonoscopy screening program to time of interview and decision to participate in future with demographic , socioeconomic and health status variables .
as can be seen , in data analysis by chi - square method , there was no statistical significance between demographic , socioeconomic , health status variables and participation in colonoscopy screening program to time of interview .
but in the same analysis , there is statistical significance between educational level and monthly income with decision to participate in future .
analysis showed first degree relatives with academic educational level were more interested to participate in colonoscopy screening program ( p = 0.006 , ors = 2.7 and 95%ci = 1.3 - 5.8 ) . also , fdrs with monthly income 10 million rials and over participated more than others in this program ( p = 0.005 , ors = 2.4 and 95%ci = 1.2 - 4.5 ) . in the logistic regression analysis , high educational level ( diploma and higher ) was predictors for participating in colonoscopy screening program in first degree relatives ( p = 0.031 , ors = 2.9 and 95% ci = 1.10 - 7.67 ) .
this study examined the association between socioeconomic status ( ses ) and participation in colonoscopy screening program in first degree relatives of colorectal cancer patients .
we did not find association between demographic variables , socioeconomic status and participation in colonoscopy screening test to time of interview in bivariate chi - square analysis , whereas there was statistical significance in high level education and more income with decision to participate in same analysis . in this survey
a recent study indicated fdrs female with age below 50 underwent more than males and age 50 and older ( 19 ) .
another study indicated fdrs with higher educational level and income participated in screening program more frequently ( 18 ) .
one survey in korea showed income disparities for participating in colorectal cancer screening among both males and females ( 20 ) .
one older study in canada confirmed people in the highest - income quintile had higher odds of receiving colonoscopy screening ( adjusted or 1.50 ; 95% ci 1.48 - 1.53 ) ( 21 ) . in the current study we used multiple logistic regression for demographic and socioeconomic variables analysis to predict participation in colonoscopy screening program in fdrs .
therefore , high educational level ( diploma and university degree ) was a predictor to participate in colonoscopy screening test .
one published study in 2012 showed the frequency of screening in patients with higher educational level ( ninth class ) , below the ninth grade and none were 33% , 21% , and 17% respectively ( p = 0,017 ) .
the fdrs of patients with higher income levels ( > 1000 turkish liras , equivalent to about 700 usd at the time of the study ) had screening twice more often than the patients having lower income ( 36% vs. 18% , p < 0,001 ) ( 22 ) . as a matter of fact , socioeconomic status ( ses ) is a powerful factor to participate in colonoscopy screening test . in this study
there was not an association between participation in colonoscopy program and health insurance coverage but one study in australia notified fdrs with private insurance were at significantly greater odds of receiving colonoscopy testing ( 23 - 25 ) .
it is obvious that socioeconomic status is an important variable for participation in colonoscopy screening test .
therefore , when crc screening is planned , elderly with positive family history , low educational level and lower income should get special attention to be convinced for undergoing colonoscopy screening test .
additionally , it is necessary that people with low income be covered by appropriate health insurance to participate in colorectal cancer screening tests . these data collected through interviewing via phone and we relied to interviewees answers .
it is obvious that socioeconomic status is an important variable for participation in colonoscopy screening test .
therefore , when crc screening is planned , elderly with positive family history , low educational level and lower income should get special attention to be convinced for undergoing colonoscopy screening test .
additionally , it is necessary that people with low income be covered by appropriate health insurance to participate in colorectal cancer screening tests . these data collected through interviewing via phone and we relied to interviewees answers . | pubmed |
E Walea is the debut album by Hawaiian singer Kalani Pe'a. It was released on August 5, 2016.
Production
E Walea includes seven original Hawaiian music compositions written or co-written by Pe'a. The album was recorded in Honolulu, Hawaii, produced by Na Hoku Hanohano Award-winner Dave Tucciarone and co-produced by Kamakoa Lindsey-Asing and Allan B. Cool. The English translation of E Walea is relaxing at ease with the gentle voices of the birds. AXS wrote, Kalani Pe'a's music isn't your typical island fare; rather, the Hawaiian singer-songwriter plays with the traditional format with brazen vocals, uncommon compositions and clever reworkings of unlikely hits like You Are So Beautiful and Always and Forever. The album title came from Pe'a's nephew's name Kamaliikanekuikekaipuoluwaleaokalani.
Awards
E Walea was nominated for a Grammy Award in December 2016, and won the award in February 2017, for Best Regional Roots Music Album. Pe'a made history, becoming the first Hawaiian music recording artist to win in that category. It was the first time in the history of the category that the award had been won by a Native Hawaiian recording artist. It was also the first time since the category was created in 2011 that the award had not been won by a Louisiana-based Cajun or zydeco album. E Walea also won the 2017 Na Hoku Hanohano Award for Contemporary Album of the Year, making Pe'a the first artist to win both a Grammy Award and Na Hoku Hanohano Award for the same album.
Track listing
He Lei Aloha No Hilo 2:49
E Nā Kini 3:45
He Wehi Aloha 3:35
Hanalei I Ka Pilimoe 3:09
You Are So Beautiful 2:36
Makawalu Ke Ānuenue 3:42
Always And Forever 4:27
Noho Paipai 2:54
Eō Lononuiākea Mele Oli Aloha No Kona 1:03
Kuu Poliahu 3:43
Oli Mahalo No Maui 1:27
Nani A Maikai 2:51
References
External links
Category:2016 debut albums
Category:Kalani Pe'a albums | wikipedia |
Karen Ross is the Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, having been appointed to that post by Governor Jerry Brown on January 12, 2011. She had previously served as Chief of Staff to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, a position she accepted in 2009. From 1996 to 2009, she was president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers CAWG. She is a graduate of the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and the Nebraska Agricultural Leadership Program.
Her prior experience includes ten years as an advocate for agricultural and rural electric cooperatives at the state and national level, both in California and her native state of Nebraska, and serving as a staff member for then-United States Senator Edward Zorinsky of Nebraska from 1978 to 1985, and working on several U.S. Senate and presidential campaigns.
A major leader in California's agricultural community, she was born and reared on a family farm in western Nebraska which she and her husband co-own with her brother where her family still raises grain crops and cattle.
References
External links
Karen Ross-Secretary of CDFA-California Department of Food and Agriculture
Category:American women farmers
Category:Living people
Category:California Democrats
Category:Farmers from Nebraska
Category:State cabinet secretaries of California
Category:United States Department of Agriculture officials
Category:University of NebraskaLincoln alumni
Category:Women in California politics
Category:Year of birth missing living people | wikipedia |
tunneling provides a powerful tool to probe electronic properties of matter.@xcite its sensitivity to momentum - resolved spectral features is determined by geometrical details of the tunnel junction . for example , this sensitivity is completely lost when tunneling occurs via a point contact , whereas it is maximal for an extended , clean tunneling barrier . since the experimental study of tunneling between two separately contacted , parallel , vertically separated two - dimensional ( 2d ) electron systems became possible,@xcite electronic structure and interaction effects in low dimensions have been the subject of careful investigation . in the ideal case ,
conservation of canonical momentum in the plane of the 2d electron systems leads to sharp tunneling resonances ; allowing for exploration of electronic subband energies,@xcite mapping of the 2d fermi surface,@xcite and life - time measurements of 2d fermi - liquid quasiparticles.@xcite modification of one of the 2d layers into a superlattice of one - dimensional ( 1d ) quantum wires has been employed to measure vertical tunneling between 1d and 2d electron systems.@xcite constraints on tunneling imposed by the requirement of simultaneous conservation of energy and momentum can be tuned by the transport voltage and external magnetic fields . in certain situations,@xcite this makes it possible to observe features of the momentum - resolved single - electron spectral function directly in tunneling transport .
the method of cleaved - edge overgrowth@xcite ( ceo ) makes it possible to create long and clean quantum wires in gaas / gaalas heterostructures.@xcite using the same technique , systems of two parallel quantum wires with a high and extremely clean tunneling barrier between them have been fabricated in double - layer structures.@xcite this opens up new possibilities for studying the peculiar dynamics of electrons in interacting 1d systems@xcite using 1d
to1d tunneling.@xcite in particular , both the phase - coherence length and the elastic mean free path @xmath2 for electrons in these quantum wires usually exceed the wire length.@xcite this motivates the present work where we analyze mesoscopic effects in 1d
to1d transport . in related contexts ,
phase - coherent transport in double - wire systems was discussed in terms of device applications .
for example , a system of two parallel , identical quantum wires coupled within a spatial region of length @xmath3 via an adjustable tunneling barrier@xcite was proposed as a possible realization of a current switch.@xcite wave packets of electrons injected into one of the wires will be coherently transferred to the other one and back with frequency @xmath4 .
( here we denoted the tunnel - splitting of energy levels in the coupling region by @xmath5 . ) in steady state , this results in a coherent charge oscillation in real space with wave length @xmath6 .
modulation of @xmath7 controls the signal at the output of the injecting wire .
ideally , it is maximal ( minimal ) when the ratio of @xmath0 and @xmath8 is ( half-)integer .
in reality , output characteristics depend sensitively on details of the tunneling barrier.@xcite assuming the feasibility to engineer barrier design , coupled quantum wires were suggested@xcite as realizations of quantum logical gates .
allows tuning of kinetic vs.canonical momentum .
a voltage @xmath9 is applied uniformly to the upper ( lower ) wire , i.e. , raises the chemical potential of _ both _ left - movers _ and _ right - movers .
the parts of the wires outside the region of space where the barrier is finite are leads to ideal reservoirs . for simplicity , we assume leads of infinite length in our model description.,width=283 ] in this paper , we consider phase - coherent transport in a system of parallel quantum wires coupled via a finite tunneling barrier .
see fig .
[ fig:1 ] . charging effects in the wires caused by applied voltages influence tunneling in an important way because they determine the degree to which 1d subbands are shifted or filled .
the basic physics of this interplay is discussed in the following section .
our microscopic model for the double - wire system is introduced in the first part of sec .
[ model ] .
apart from capacitance effects , interactions are neglected within our approach , which is therefore valid only for voltages and in - plane magnetic fields probing the 1d electron systems beyond the cut - off for luttinger - liquid behavior.@xcite results from lowest - order perturbation theory are compared with the exact solution using scattering theory .
we calculate linear and differential conductances for 1d to1d tunneling transport , and discuss their features in sec .
[ discuss ] .
in the typical tunneling experiment , a voltage drop @xmath10 across the barrier drives a current .
microscopically , it is often assumed that the voltage shifts quasiparticle bands in the two subsystems by @xmath11 , respectively , as compared to the equilibrium situation where no net current flows . the external circuit is supposed to prevent charging of the subsystems.@xcite in general , however
, the applied voltage will shift the bands as well as partly fill them . as the i v curve for 1d to1d tunneling depends sensitively on the scenario of band filling vs. band shifting , we discuss this issue here in some detail . at zero temperature , the free energy ( per length ) of a 1d system
is given by its total energy ( per length ) @xmath12 which is a functional of particle density @xmath13 . in a clean quantum wire
, @xmath14 will be constant . before applying a voltage ,
the system is assumed to be charge - neutral , i.e. , the uniform electronic charge density @xmath15 is compensated by positive background and image charges .
it is useful to divide @xmath12 into two parts ; @xmath16 .
all coulombic terms ( including the hartree energy of electrons in the wire ) are collected in @xmath17 , and @xmath18 is the internal energy of the quantum wire comprising kinetic and exchange - correlation contributions . for our purposes ,
we adopt the simple model with @xmath19 where @xmath20 is the deviation from the neutralized charge density @xmath21 , and @xmath22 denotes the electrostatic capacitance per unit length of the wire.@xcite the applied voltage is assumed to lead to a uniform shift @xmath23 with respect to the equilibrium chemical potential @xmath24 of the wire.@xcite the induced change @xmath20 in the total density has to be calculated from @xmath25 in the limit of small voltages ( @xmath26 ) where linear - response theory is valid , we can use applied to a quantum wire results , in general , both in a uniform shift of the 1d subband and charging of the wire . outside the linear - response regime , the parameter @xmath27 depends on voltage . in the double - wire system ,
a self - consistent treatment of charging effects due to the voltage and tunneling is necessary unless tunneling is weak.,width=283 ] @xmath28 here , @xmath29 is the thermodynamic@xcite density of states ( dos ) defined by @xmath30 . in the linear - response limit ,
it is then possible to express @xmath20 explicitly in terms of the external voltage,@xcite @xmath31 where the parameter @xmath32 measures the relative importance of coulombic and density - of - states effects : @xmath33 we see that , for @xmath34 , a voltage will simply _ fill _ quasiparticle bands without shifting them ( band - filling limit ) . in particular , this applies in the absence of electron - electron interactions . in the opposite case @xmath35 , an applied voltage shifts the bands ( band - shifting limit )
this situation is analogous to that of a bulk metal or a single - electron transistor.@xcite to get an idea of the situation realized in our system of interest , we estimate the capacitance of a quantum wire by @xmath36 , with @xmath37 being the distance to surrounding metal gates , and @xmath38 denoting the characteristic transverse dimension of the wire .
typical values are @xmath39 f / m . with fermi energies of quantum wires ranging between @xmath40 mev , we obtain @xmath41 . hence , typical quantum wires are in the intermediate regime where both band - filling and band - shifting occurs at the same time . this case is illustrated in fig .
[ fig:2 ] .
it is important to keep in mind , however , that eqs .
( [ eq : dens ] ) and ( [ eq : zeta ] ) are only valid when @xmath42 . in experiment , voltages comparable to and larger than @xmath43 are applied to probe the full single - particle dispersion relation.@xcite then , for a quantitative comparison between theory and experiment , @xmath20 has to be found from eq .
( [ genvolt ] ) .
for example , a wire whose density was initially large enough for it to be in the band - filling limit crosses over to the band - shifting limit when it is depleted .
at this point , it is useful to make contact with results obtained for tomonaga - luttinger ( tl ) models@xcite of interacting 1d electron systems . unlike their higher - dimensional counterparts ,
1d metals can not be described within the fermi - liquid paradigm . instead , their low - energy properties are represented by effective tl models , and the phenomenology of a luttinger liquid@xcite ( ll ) applies . instead of landau parameters ,
it is the velocities of certain collective and zero - mode excitations that determine all physical quantities of a ll . in particular
, the ratio @xmath44 of the velocity @xmath45 of the charged zero mode@xcite and the bare fermi velocity enters the expression for the electrostatic capacitance per unit length of a luttinger liquid : @xmath46 . here
, @xmath47 is the 1d dos . using eq .
( [ eq : zeta ] ) , we find @xmath48 .
the non - interacting case where @xmath49 corresponds to the band - filling limit , whereas strong coulomb interactions ( @xmath50 ) recover the band - shifting limit .
we would like to remark that @xmath51 constitutes an independent parameter in the low - energy theory of any given real quasi-1d system .
it is unrelated , except in certain special cases,@xcite to the famous interaction parameter @xmath52 that enters power - law expressions for electronic correlation functions.@xcite from now on , we consider the model where @xmath53 but @xmath54 .
this approximation is valid to describe current experiments where the wires are probably not long enough for the power - law characteristics of a ll to be observable.@xcite even for infinitely long wires , however , our results apply at energies and wave vectors far enough from the fermi points where the single - particle spectral function recovers fermi - liquid - like characteristics.@xcite
we consider two quantum wires of infinite length , labeled u(pper ) and l(ower ) , that are parallel to the @xmath55 direction and located , in the @xmath56 plane , at @xmath57 and @xmath58 . the potential barrier between them is assumed to be finite and uniform in the region @xmath59 and infinite otherwise . within the standard notation of second quantization , the hamiltonian for our system is given by [ hamiltonian ] @xmath60 here , @xmath61 is the electronic dispersion relation in the upper ( lower ) wire .
modulo an unimportant phase factor , the tunneling matrix element is given by@xcite @xmath62}{p - k } = |t|\ , \sqrt{2\pi l\,\delta_{l}(p - k)}.\ ] ] the second equality in eq .
( [ tkp ] ) constitutes the definition of @xmath63 which is a finite - size realization of dirac s @xmath64-function .
tunneling occurs mainly between states with momenta satisfying @xmath65 .
perfect momentum conservation holds only in the limit @xmath66 .
we consider the case where a single ( the lowest ) 1d subband in each wire is occupied and assume a parabolic subband dispersion .
the effect of a magnetic field @xmath67 applied perpendicularly to the plane of the two wires can be included by a shift of kinetic with respect to canonical momentum.@xcite then , dispersion relations read ( @xmath68 ) @xmath69 here , @xmath70 is the effective electron mass in the semiconductor host medium , and @xmath71 denotes the energy at the bottom of the respective wire s lowest 1d subband .
the term @xmath72 takes into account the shifting of the band in the upper ( lower ) wire due to an applied voltage .
see fig .
[ fig:2 ] . for simplicity
, we neglect effects due to the mutual capacitance of the two wires , which can be included straightforwardly . in general
, the values of @xmath73 will depend on voltage .
furthermore , except in the limit of weak tunneling where @xmath74 , they have to be determined from a self - consistent treatment of charging effects resulting from tunneling and electrostatics .
while this is , in principle , straightforward to implement , we choose to focus here on the weak - tunneling limit which is more relevant for current experiment.@xcite in the linear - response regime , we have @xmath75 with @xmath76 defined for each wire in analogy to eq .
( [ eq : zeta ] ) .
absolute values of energy and the @xmath77 coordinate are irrelevant ; results depend only on the difference of subband energies , @xmath78 , and the wire separation , @xmath79 . for simplicity , we choose @xmath80 and @xmath81 in the following . also , to avoid cluttering the notation ,
we have suppressed spin quantum numbers . in typical ceo structures ,
the effect of zeeman splitting is negligible for the range of magnetic fields to be considered below.@xcite hence , electron spin leads only to factors of 2 which we include in our final formulae for tunneling current and conductances . a standard procedure@xcite for calculating the tunneling current is to perform perturbation theory in @xmath82 .
to leading order , the current flowing from the upper to the lower wire is @xmath83 \quad , \label{perturb}\end{aligned}\ ] ] with fermi functions @xmath84 $ ] .
the single - particle spectral functions for the wires are given , within the model specified above , by @xmath85 $ ] .
in the linear - response limit ( @xmath86 ) , we find the tunneling conductance @xmath87-p_{\text{b } } \right)\ , .\ ] ] here , @xmath88 and @xmath89 denote the fermi velocity and electron density of the respective wire at the equilibrium chemical potential @xmath43 .
the peak - shape function @xmath90 has been defined in eq .
( [ tkp ] ) , and the relative shift of the 1d fermi seas due to the applied magnetic field is @xmath91 . in analogy to 2d
to2d tunneling,@xcite resonances appear in the tunneling conductance @xmath92 as function of magnetic field whenever parts of the shifted fermi surfaces of the two wires overlap . as the 1d fermi surface
consists of just two points , the shape of these resonances is that of a smeared delta function of width @xmath93 .
the peak value of the tunneling conductance can be written as @xmath94 where @xmath95 is an effective length scale introduced by tunneling , and @xmath96 or @xmath97 depending on the number of overlapping fermi points at peak condition . in the dirty limit@xcite where the length @xmath0 of the tunneling barrier is larger than the mean free path @xmath2 , eq .
( [ eq : pert1 ] ) is still valid but the peak width is now given by @xmath98 .
also , the factor @xmath99 in eq .
( [ eq : peak ] ) has to be replaced by @xmath100 . in both the ballistic and diffusive cases , taking the limit of @xmath101
is unphysical : the conductance through the barrier can not exceed @xmath102 per channel . hence , the actual small parameter enabling perturbative treatment of tunneling is @xmath103 .
smallness of @xmath103 means that the time between tunneling events has to be larger than the time it takes electrons to traverse the region where the potential barrier between the wires is finite .
only then it will be possible to neglect higher - order effects due to electrons tunneling coherently back and forth between the wires .
using the exact solution developed in the next subsection , we will find indeed that the perturbative result displayed in eq .
( [ eq : pert1 ] ) is valid only as long as @xmath104 . as the model defined in eqs .
( [ hamiltonian ] ) describes two systems of noninteracting fermionic quasiparticles that are coupled via tunneling in a finite region of space , we can use scattering theory for calculating transport.@xcite to make this explicit , we rewrite the hamiltonian of our system in first - quantized notation and real - space representation . it is a @xmath105 matrix [ because wave functions are two - component spinors @xmath106 : @xmath107 the tunneling matrix element is piecewise constant : @xmath108 for @xmath59 and @xmath109 otherwise .
hence , regions with @xmath110 where the wires are independent act as leads where scattering states can be defined .
we attach labels 1 through 4 to these leads as shown in fig .
[ fig:1 ] .
the region @xmath111 where tunneling occurs acts as an effective scatterer .
the current flowing through the tunnel barrier is then given by @xmath112\quad , \ ] ] where @xmath113 denotes the transmission coefficient for electrons with energy @xmath114 that originate in lead @xmath70 and are scattered into lead @xmath13 .
we calculate the transmission coefficients by matching scattering states in the leads to the appropriate eigenstates of the hamiltonian ( [ hmat ] ) in the region @xmath59 .
as this is a straightforward exercise , and results for the most general case are lengthy , we omit explicit formulae here . due to the difference of fermi functions in eq .
( [ curr1 ] ) , only transmission coefficients @xmath115 at energies within the voltage window , i.e. , with @xmath116 $ ] , contribute . in the limit of small applied voltage , eq .
( [ curr1 ] ) yields the linear conductance ( dotted ) where @xmath117 is the fermi wave vector for zero magnetic field.,width=283 ] @xmath118 as expected , @xmath92 obtained from eq .
( [ linex ] ) deviates from the perturbative result [ eq .
( [ eq : pert1 ] ) ] for long enough barrier length @xmath0 , see fig [ fig:3 ] .
the oscillatory dependence of @xmath92 on @xmath0 can be tuned by the applied magnetic field , as seen in the inset of fig .
[ fig:3 ] .
when the effective tunnel splitting in the coupling region is much smaller than the fermi energy of the quantum wires , the following approximate formula for the linear conductance can be derived ( see the appendix for details ) : @xmath119 here , new length scales @xmath120 appear that measure the mismatch of canonical fermi momentum for pairs of fermi points from the upper ( right - mover @xmath121 , left - mover @xmath122 ) and lower ( @xmath123 analogous ) wires : @xmath124 - p_{\text{b } } } \quad .\ ] ] exact calculation of @xmath92 in the appropriate limit confirms the validity of eq .
( [ approxcond ] ) ; see fig .
[ fig:4 ] . vs. @xmath125 and @xmath126 for @xmath127 .
( here , @xmath8 and @xmath117 are the tunneling length and fermi wave vector when @xmath128 and @xmath129 . due to our gauge choice
, @xmath130 is unaffected by the external magnetic field . )
the oscillatory structure is well - described by eq .
( [ approxcond ] ) . for our choice of parameters , @xmath131 at in - resonance condition .
note that tuning the magnetic field near off - resonance maxima ( e.g. , for @xmath132 and @xmath133 ) has a strong effect on @xmath92.,width=283 ]
different regimes in the behavior of the linear 1d to1d tunneling conductance are distinguished by the interplay of the relevant length scales encountered above .
these are the length @xmath0 of the tunnel barrier , @xmath1 which is a measure of the strength of tunneling , and lengths @xmath120 which are defined for any pairing of a fermi point from the upper wire with one from the lower wire . for the following discussion , we consider only the largest @xmath120 of all possible
. comparing @xmath1 with the other lengths , a weak - tunneling regime ( @xmath134 ) can be distinguished from a strong - tunneling regime ( @xmath135 ) .
furthermore , we call the system _ in resonance _ when the fermi points of a corresponding @xmath120 are close to each other on the scale of @xmath93 , i.e. , when @xmath136 .
conversely , the off - resonance limit is reached for @xmath137 .
in the strong - tunneling regime , the linear conductance oscillates as a function of @xmath0 with wave length @xmath1 and maximum amplitude @xmath102 ( @xmath138 for identical wires ) .
previously , when the feasibility of using the double - wire system as a directional coupler was discussed , the in - resonance limit was considered only.@xcite control of directional - coupler operation is then possible only by varying @xmath1 , i.e. , essentially only by adjusting the barrier height .
here we find that , in the off - resonance limit , the device is tunable , in addition to varying @xmath139 , by an applied magnetic field or , equivalently , by adjusting the density mismatch in the two wires .
this is seen already in the inset of fig .
[ fig:3 ] and , more clearly , in fig .
[ fig:4 ] .
it is , therefore , possible to adjust the effective length scale for coherent electron transfer between the wires by applying a magnetic field .
when @xmath0 is equal to several times @xmath1 , the difference between the effective transfer length in a magnetic field and @xmath1 leads to an accumulated phase shift over many oscillations that can reach @xmath140 without concomitant loss in amplitude . in particular for ceo structures , operating the system in off - resonance mode provides a convenient alternative to any ( hardly feasible ) adjustment of the high tunnel barrier .
the weak - tunneling limit is well - suited for spectroscopic application of 1d to1d tunneling .
sharp peaks are exhibited by both the linear and differential conductances for in - resonance conditions .
measured on the scale of resonance peaks , the off - resonance conductance is orders of magnitude smaller .
we have calculated the differential conductance as a function of magnetic field and voltage whose resonance condition corresponds to a fermi point of one wire coinciding with a point on the dispersion curve of the other wire .
the exact location of these coincidences in the @xmath10@xmath141 plane depends sensitively on charging effects in the quantum wires . in the following , we focus on the limit of weakly coupled wires where the self - consistent charge profile is not importantly affected by tunneling .
furthermore , we consider the situation with symmetric bias @xmath142 . ) , shown as a logarithmic gray - scale plot in arbitrary units .
parameters used are @xmath143 and @xmath144 .
@xmath145 is the fermi wave vector of the upper wire at zero voltage .
the finite width of bright resonance features as well as the appearance of darker maxima is due to the finite length @xmath0 of the tunnel barrier .
note the symmetry with respect to voltage reversal which is a key feature of the band - filling case.,width=283 ] ) . we show a logarithmic gray - scale plot of its absolute value .
parameters and gray - scale units are the same as in fig .
[ fig:5 ] .
a characteristic feature of the band - shifting case is that the edges of the leaf - shaped structure in the voltage direction are exactly at the fermi energies of the two wires .
the differential conductance is negative on the low - magnetic - field resonance lines.,width=283 ] .
shown is its absolute value in a logarithmic gray - scale plot .
see fig .
[ fig:5 ] for a legend .
in addition to the parameters used in fig .
[ fig:5 ] , we have @xmath146 where @xmath147 is the bohr radius in the semiconductor host material.,width=283 ] figures [ fig:5 ] and [ fig:6 ] , respectively , show logarithmic gray - scale plots of the absolute value of the differential tunneling conductance for the ideal band - filling ( @xmath148 ) and band - shifting ( @xmath149 ) cases.@xcite bright lines are formed by points in the @xmath10@xmath141 plane where the above - mentioned resonance condition is fulfilled . due to the finite length of the tunnel barrier , more maxima
appear with peak values being orders of magnitude smaller than at the resonance peaks . in the band - shifting case ,
resonance lines are direct images of parts of the wires electronic dispersion curves . in particular
, the extension of the leaf - shaped structure in the positive and negative voltage direction provides a direct measure of the respective wire s fermi energy .
this is not the case for the band - filling limit , which is characterized by a resonance line running close to the voltage axis when @xmath150 .
its leaf structure is symmetric under voltage reversal , with extension in ( positive or negative ) voltage direction given by @xmath151 . in real systems , the capacitance @xmath22 is finite , and an intermediate picture will be obtained for the differential tunneling conductance .
an example is shown in fig .
[ fig:7 ] , where @xmath22 has a value such that @xmath152 at zero voltage .
depletion of one of the wires for increasing voltage leads to a cross - over to the band - shifting situation . as a result ,
the ideal band - shifting limit is not easily distinguished from the intermediate case .
quantitative comparison of the measured resonance structure in the differential conductance with results expected from an independent measurement of fermi energies , electron densities etc . will have to include the effect of the finite @xmath22 .
conversely , for known fermi - sea parameters , the value of @xmath22 can be extracted by fitting the measured resonance pattern of the differential conductance for 1d to1d tunneling .
motivated by recent experiment , we have investigated linear and differential conductances for 1d to1d transport .
our results show that effects due to phase coherence and charging of the wires are important for realistic double - wire structures .
regimes of weak and strong tunneling , as well as in and out of resonance , are distinguished and their key features discussed .
we point out new possibilities for device application of 1d
to1d tunneling and its use for electron - dispersion spectroscopy .
useful discussions with m. bttiker , g. schn , and a. yacoby are gratefully acknowledged .
this work was supported by dfg within sonderforschungsbereich 195 , graduiertenkolleg `` kollektive phnomene i m festkrper '' ( d.b . ) , and the emmy - noether - programm ( a.r . ) .
thanks the braun submicron center at the weizmann institute , israel , for hospitality during a visit sponsored by the eu lsf programme .
equations ( [ curr1 ] ) and ( [ linex ] ) express tunneling current and linear conductance in terms of transmission coefficients @xmath113 . these transmission coefficients can be obtained exactly by matching eigenstates of hamiltonian @xmath153 [ given in eq .
( [ hmat ] ) ] with eigenvalue @xmath114 in the coupling region ( @xmath59 ) to appropriate eigenstates in the leads .
for example , to calculate @xmath154 , we use the ansatz here , wave vectors @xmath156 are solutions of @xmath157 with positive ( @xmath158 ) and negative ( @xmath159 ) group velocity @xmath160 , respectively . with the energy dispersion in the coupling region given by @xmath161\pm |t| \sqrt{1+r^2}$ ] , we have @xmath162 .
the function @xmath163/2 determines the amplitudes @xmath164 , @xmath165 . requiring continuity of the wave function and current conservation at the locations
@xmath166 yields a system of linear equations from which the coefficients @xmath167 and @xmath168 are found .
transmission coefficients entering eqs .
( [ curr1 ] ) and ( [ linex ] ) are then given by latexmath:[$t_{m , n}(\epsilon)=t_{mn}\sqrt { the linear conductance is given in terms of transmission coefficients@xcite at the equilibrium chemical potential @xmath43 , as expressed in eq .
( [ linex ] ) . to derive eq .
( [ approxcond ] ) , we consider , e.g. , @xmath170 .
when the tunnel splitting @xmath171 and fermi - energy mismatch of the two wires is much smaller than their fermi energies , only amplitudes for right - moving partial waves in ansatz ( [ wfansatz ] ) are significantly different from zero . neglecting left - moving partial waves and the small density mismatch ,
the matching procedure yields @xmath172 with @xmath173 . in the regime
considered , we have @xmath174 with @xmath175 defined in eq .
( [ reslength ] ) .
similar calculations for other transmission coefficients finally yield eq .
( [ approxcond ] ) .
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kurdak , d. c. tsui , s. parihar , s. lyon , and m. shayegan , solid - state electron .
* 40 * , 233 ( 1996 ) .
parallel quantum wires have been fabricated before using a split - gate technique .
see k. j. thomas , j. t. nicholls , m. y. simmons , w. r. tribe , a. g. davies , and m. pepper , phys . rev .
b * 59 * , 12252 ( 1999 ) . in this experiment , 1d
to1d tunneling transport was not measured directly . instead
, the two - terminal conductance of the two wires _ in parallel _ was used for spectroscopy of the tunnel - split 1d subbands .
our modeling of electrostatics using the single parameter @xmath176 is a first approximation to the real situation where , e.g. , coupling to reservoirs leads to a non - uniform distribution of electron density as well as charge transfer between reservoirs and the wire .
see , e.g. , v. a. sablikov , s. v. polyakov , and m. bttiker , phys .
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m. bttiker , h. thomas , and a. prtre , phys .
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. 259 - 289 .
see , e.g. , m. a. kastner , rev .
* 64 * , 849 ( 1992 ) ; _ single charge tunneling _ , edited by h. grabert and m. h. devoret ( plenum press , new york , 1992 ) . within the language used in the literature studying single - electron effects
, the parameter @xmath32 corresponds to the ratio of charging energy to the single - particle level spacing .
the characteristic length scale above which ll effects will be important can be roughly estimated by @xmath177 .
we expect quantum wires in ceo structures to be at the borderline of this criterion ; see o. m. auslaender , a. yacoby , r. de picciotto , k. w. baldwin , l. n. pfeiffer , and k. w. west , phys .
lett . * 84 * , 1764 ( 2000 ) .
the range of magnetic fields that need to be applied to map out the interesting features in the linear , or differential , tunneling conductance implies the condition @xmath178 for safe neglect of zeeman splitting . here , @xmath179 is the land factor , @xmath180 the electron mass in vacuum , and @xmath13 the ( in general , voltage - dependent ) electron density in the wire .
typically , this condition will be violated only in the band - filling limit around the point where one of the wires is empty . | arxiv |
acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans ( a. ferrooxidans ) is a gram - negative , extremely acidophilic , mesophilic , chemolithotrophic bacterium and the most well - studied acidophilic organism which is usually found in acid environments such as acid mine drainage , . due to its bioleaching capabilities
, it is an important member of microbial consortia involved in the industrial recovery of metal under mesophilic conditions ( bioleaching or biomining ) .
recently , a. ferrooxidans has played important roles in bioleaching and harnesse environmental contamination , .
like in other acidophilic iron - oxidizing bacterium , it grows optimally at about 35 c in 9k inorganic medium at extremely low ph ( ph 1.02.0 ) and fixes both carbon and nitrogen from the atmosphere .
a. ferrooxidans derives energy from oxidizing reduced sulfur compounds and fe ions to form sulfate and fe , respectively .
dna was isolated from 1.01.5 g of cell paste using qiagen genomic 500 dna kit ( qiagen , hil - den , germany ) with a modified protocol , st / ft , for cell lysis , as described in valdes et al . .
draft genome sequence of a. ferrooxidans type strain dlc-5 was obtained in illumina hiseq2000 sequencing technology by shanghai majorbio bio - pharm technology co. , ltd .
( shanghai , china ) , using the short oligonucleotides alignment program ( soap ) denovo alignment tool ( http://soap.genomics.org.cn/ ) processes reads assemble . a library containing 300-bp inserts
was constructed . altogether , 6,372,268 paired reads ; 398,580 single reads ; total 1,079,535,272 bp bases with average coverage of 221.1 . reads were filtered to remove adapter sequences , low - quality bases ( phred score , < 20 ) , removing the 5 end that contains the bases of it is not a , g , c , t before shearing , remove reads with the containing 10% of n , giving up adapter and small fragments of length less than 25 bp after qualitative pruning .
the reads were assembled into 881 contigs ( > 1000 bp ; contig n50 , 102 bp ; contig n90 , 569 bp ) and 573 scaffolds ( > 1000 bp ; scaffold n50 , 71 bp ; scaffold n90 , 333 bp ) . until now , two genome sequences of a. ferrooxidans strains atcc 23270 and atcc 53993 are available in the public databases , .
these genomic data are useful for the experimental identification of unique proteins or estimation of the phylogenetic relationship among the related strains
. strain dlc-5 ( cctcc - m 2014362 ) is the type strain of a. ferrooxidans , isolated from wudalianchi in heihe of heilongjiang province , and the type species of the genus acidithiobacillus , which currently contains five species .
the draft genome sequences of strain dlc-5 have great importance to provide more explicit information for the physiology and metabolic potential of a. ferrooxidans .
further analysis of the genome sequence via gene engineering might improve the oxidation of fe efficiency by strain dlc-5 .
the genome includes two plasmids , for a total size of 3,142,890 bp , with one circular chromosome of 1,832,305 bp ( 58.3% gc content ) . for the main chromosome , 4299 bp genes
3250 bp of protein coding genes were assigned to a putative function with the remaining annotated as hypothetical proteins
. the properties and the statistics of the genome are summarized in table 1 . the distribution of genes into cogs functional categories is presented in table 2 .
extremely acidophilic bacteria and archaea with special emphasis on bioleaching microorganisms are widely distributed in the extreme acidic environment . in this study
, we analyzed the genome sequence of a. ferrooxidans dlc-5 , which was isolated from acid mine drainage in northeast china .
it may contribute to further studies on important process for bioleaching and acid mine drainage production , such as biofilm formation , energy resources utilization and quorum sensing that could play a role in a possible interrelationship of bioleaching heaps and other acidic environments .
in addition , combining with genomes of other members in acidithiobacillus , will make an important advance in understanding of the ecological roles that acidithiobacillus species play in those acidic environments and their relationships with other extremely acidophilic microorganisms .
the sequence of a. ferrooxidans dlc-5 under this whole genome shotgun project has been deposited at ddbj / embl / genbank under the accession jnnh00000000.1 . | pubmed |
Baldur's Gate 1. Chapter 1
_A/N: This is a story I started writing in the winter of Year 2011, simply as a writing exercise after a long hiatus from fan fiction. It was something of a warm-up before starting to write my Dragon Age based stories. Only now, two and a half years later, I happened to find this still sitting on my hard drive and after lengthy deliberations, I've decided to just post it for the hell of it. I wrote eight chapters of it before moving on to other stuff, but if there's any interest in BG fiction these days at all, I might very well come back to this story at some point later._
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**Chapter 1 **
Everything was silent, except for the occasional and very distant clanging of chains or heavy steps of the guardian golems. From one of the cages at the back of the room, green slanted eyes of an imprisoned half-elven female keenly observed the all too familiar surroundings, awaiting the inevitable turn of the events that was about to occur.
Jaheira's worried stare was focused on her young charge, sitting in a similar cage to her own, but in the very centre of the hall that was their prison. Leah, foster child of her dear friend Gorion and one of the Sorlyn, the title by which the priesthood of Milil were known as, sat there numbly, like Jaheira awaiting the arrival of their gruesome captor.
All her senses regarding the passage of time having eroded long ago, the only points of reference left were the visits of their captor, accompanied by several golems, one to bring them meagre servings of rations, just enough to barely sustain them, another one to open the doors to Leah's cage and remove the struggling girl and carry her away, their twisted captor following like a dark, menacing shadow.
The druidess cast another look at the young woman in the other cage, her heart filling with sorrow and bitter anger. Leah's lovely chestnut brown hair had lost all of its sheen, now a shapeless tangle, filled with crusted grime and blood. The tattered rags revealed more reasons to worry, the girl had been a little on the thin side as it was, but now the way her ribs nearly protruded through her skin was frightening. Jaheira herself felt incredibly filthy and weak as a result of malnourishment, but at least she had been spared something that Leah hadn't, the frequent treatment in the hands of her captor.
Countless scars and burns, many untreated wounds covered the young woman's body, Leah herself had healed some of them, but lately she had begun growing apathetic and didn't seem to care about erasing the awful scarring because their captor would simply give her new ones every time he took her away. Jaheira had tried to pray to Silvanus, but had found it increasingly difficult, their connection growing weaker with every passing day. Leah still kept the habit of praying every time after she had regained her senses from the drawn out torture sessions.
But now it was that time again. The dreaded footsteps approached, doors were flung open as the golems strode in, overseen by the tall man in the leather mask, their mysterious captor. Bowl with some revolting substance in it was thrown through the bars of her cage, but she paid no attention to it, her stare chained to the gruesome scene before her as the other golem pried Leah's cage open and reached out to grab her. For the first time since their imprisonment, the young priestess showed absolutely no sign of trying to resist, in quiet acceptance she even reached out and allowed herself to be scooped up easily.
Had Leah finally given up? Panic rushed through Jaheira's frame. "Do NOT give in, Leah, do you hear me?" she shouted, but the girl remained impassive in the golem's tight grasp. "Do not surrender to him, I beg you!"
For a moment their captor spared her a quick notice, the freezing chill of blue eyes penetrating through the leather mask taking her aback, but he immediately turned away and she could feel his humiliating dismissal of her as completely insignificant, less that of a fly on a wall.
"Monster!" she screamed in a shrill voice that she could barely recognize as her own, her throat parched and dry. "Leave her! Take me instead! Take me... I beg you! I order you!" she pulled the bars frantically while screaming, but they would not budge, silently laughing at her pathetic, tired efforts. If only she could share some of Leah's pain, if only she could make it easier for the young woman to survive through this ordeal... but no, she did not have the same unique heritage, and no doubt that was the reason why their sadistic captor found Leah so interesting.
Jaheira sagged against the bars, feeling empty and deflated. Her eyes turned to the only other cage in the room that wasn't empty. A massive giant of a man sat inside, his bald head covered by purple tattoos. With his arms wrapped around his knees, he just sat there, unmoving. "You!" Jaheira hissed. "Can't you do something, you big lummox? Leah is losing the fight, we need to help her!" The big man did not react. "Minsc! Snap out of it!" she shouted.
The large ranger slowly turned his head to face her. His mournful eyes told Jaheira all she needed to know, the giant would be of no help to her in escaping. The death of Dynaheir, his travelling companion and a witch of Rashemen, seemed to be replaying before Minsc's eyes over and over again, putting him into a near catatonic state.
Brave, foolish Dynaheir. Not long after their imprisonment, she had managed to break free from her cage and nearly succeeded in freeing them all. Their captor had intervened just as she was about to let Minsc out of his cage, suddenly appearing behind her and then using his unparalleled array of magic to slaughter her right in front of the raging Minsc, her blood and body parts staining the floor of his cage and all across the room. The captor had not even sent anyone to clean up the mess, preferring to let the gruesomely mutilated corpse to lie there as a warning, and the smell of rotting flesh, together with the stench of urine and excrements had made their conditions maddening.
Soon enough, the first cry of pain reached her from far away, somewhere in the bowels of this accursed dungeon. Each and every following desperate cry stabbed at her heart as she cursed herself, hating her helplessness. She was failing her promise to Gorion, the promise to keep Leah safe, and she was too weak to do anything about it.
She couldn't help but wonder what exactly did their captor hope to achieve by torturing the young woman so harshly. Sometimes, when speaking at her through the bars of the cage, she could hear him muttering something about unlocking Leah's potential. No doubt he had meant the Bhaal taint. Did by torturing her he tried to force her accursed essence into somehow manifesting itself? If that was so, the need to put a stop to all this was even greater, everything that eroded Leah's resistance to the taint was undesirable. She was a kind, gentle soul, her measured compassion often putting Jaheira to shame, Bhaal's hold on her was unnoticeable as of yet. If her captor would strip it all away...
Jaheira shuddered, her thoughts turning in another direction, one even more frightening to her than what was currently being done to her young charge. Her slender fingers traced the outline of her wedding ring, thoughts racing to the fate of her missing husband, Khalid. The fact that he wasn't being held here with the rest of them was ominous and she felt a knot tightening at the pit of her stomach every time it occurred to her. Why would their captor take him elsewhere, when Khalid couldn't have held any special interest to the masked man?
She could only recall vague memories of that night outside Baldur's Gate when their group came under attack from an overwhelming force of assassins and what seemed like more terrifying creatures of the night, ones they were ill prepared to handle, powerful as they were. They had targeted her and Leah first, aiming to disable the healers and she remembered being stabbed in her left side just as someone smashed her head from behind, knocking her on the ground. As she lay there, slowly losing her consciousness, somewhere she thought she had heard Khalid's cry, a dim outline of an assassin appearing behind him and stabbing him in the back with great force.
If that vision wasn't just a figment of her imagination, would the lackeys of their captor bother with healing Khalid's grave injuries? Or attempt to resurrect him? She shuddered at that last thought, shaking her head as if to remove such thoughts. And yet, sometimes she could feel a strange coldness pass through her, telling her that he was no longer among the world of living. And yet sometimes hope prevailed and she dreamed of him imprisoned in a cage just like hers, waiting patiently to be reunited with her...
Sparing a glance at the still apathetic Minsc, she was certain of one thing. Regardless of Khalid's fate, she would not allow herself to withdraw like that. She still had her duty, her obligation to keep Leah safe, and she would do anything to fulfil her promise to Gorion. She would keep the girls safe.
Girls... indeed, her thoughts shifted again, this time to another young woman, an impish pink-haired rogue and Leah's best friend Imoen, someone who had been absent since their capture just like Khalid. However, distressingly, sometimes when Leah was back in her cage, trying to recover from a bout of torture or experiments as their captor liked to term his horrendous treatment of her, Jaheira could often hear pained screams of another victim, someone that seemed to be a young woman. Was it Imoen, Jaheira was not certain, but there was good chance of it. But why would this madman torture HER? She did not carry any taint within her, what did he hope to achieve by torturing this innocent child?
Sometime during her ponderings, she realized that Leah's screaming had stopped. Few minutes later, there were the heavy footsteps again and shortly after, the guardian golem dropped the young woman like a sack of potatoes in her cage. Fresh blood stained her forehead as she groaned weakly, a sight that never failed to fill Jaheira with murderous rage, but all she could do was to try and pull at the bars of her cage and scream obscenities at the masked man who ignored her as usual.
Something was different this time, though. Their captor suddenly turned away from watching Leah's desperate attempts to recover, something else attracting his attention. Jaheira tried to sharpen her hearing as much as she could. Yes, there was something akin to... explosions in the distance? What could it mean?
"They act sooner than I had anticipated," the man said in his customary cold, precise voice. "No matter, they will only prove a slight delay." He then turned around and left, the golem trailing after him.
Faint glimmer of hope rose somewhere deep within Jaheira's chest. Someone was trying to invade this dungeon, take battle to their captor, and no matter if they were a friend or foe, she could not imagine that anything could be worse than this monster in whose care they had been stuck for too long. _But first, the attackers need to succeed,_ she realized, watching Leah slowly get up from the floor of her cage and sit on her knees, readying herself for prayer, like she did after every torture session.
Leah's voice, smooth like velvet, rich and soothing, no matter what atrocities had been performed on her, broke the disheartening silence, as always her prayers to Milil taking a shape of a song.
_"This rust covered cage,"_ she sang, sounding more haunted than ever. _"Is home now for me." _
_"But my home is the Heartlands. And always will be..."_ Images of the Sword Coast swam up before Jaheira's eyes, the mighty forests of Cloakwood, the rocky edges of the Cloud Peaks, the stormy waves of the Sea of Swords washing against the cliffs on which Candlekeep stood proudly. Tears welled up in her eyes as the memories of nature's beauty that had been taken from the druidess overwhelmed her.
_"Someday you'll return to me... your valleys and your farms,"_ suddenly Leah's voice broke as she collapsed on her knees, shaking in a fit of quiet sobs.
"Silvanus..." Jaheira whispered, tears streaking down her grime covered cheeks, her grip on the bars tightening. Another explosion went off, this one far closer than the others, rocking their cages slightly. The invaders were advancing, it seemed.
_I will find you, Khalid. We will lead the girls out of here alive, this I swear,_ she swore solemnly. _And then... then I will find our captor and he will pay for all he has done to Leah. My wrath will be terrible indeed._
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_A/N: Leah's song is based on the lyrics of 'Brothers In Arms' by Mark Knopfler of the Dire Straits. _
2. Chapter 2
**Chapter 2**
Leah sat on the stone tiles of the floor, ponderously staring at the swirly surface of the portal ahead of her. She absentmindedly twirled a lock of her hair, noting with disgust how it stuck to her fingers, full of sweat and dirt, a sticky, revolting mess. Earlier, while escaping their prison, they had encounter a genie, possibly trapped like they were, and the sadistic creature had tormented her with riddles. Leah had been unable to focus on anything the genie had asked, her attention captivated by the crystalline cave in which the genie resided, and more specifically, on the tantalizing pools of clear water surrounding the cave.
In the end, Jaheira had been the one to pull her away, and despite the urgent need for cleaning herself if just a little, she had to be thankful to the druidess for keeping her head and not giving into the temptation of removing their dirty, rotting rags and just allowing themselves to immerse into the soothing pools. To find Khalid and then to escape, that was their only goal and they could not allow themselves to be distracted by anything.
She raised her head and looked at the young woman sitting next to her, a faraway look on Imoen's usually cheerful face. She had been the one to free Leah and later help her release Minsc and Jaheira, but now, it seemed as if the young rogue was starting to slowly succumb to depression, her mental state a constant worry for Leah. Imoen had always been the one to lift her spirits when she was feeling glum, and now she needed to be strong for her best friend in return. But whatever was to happen, what Imoen had recently said in one of her more lucid moments, Leah realized those words to be very true. They could never go back to the way they were.
"Imoen?" she asked her friend. "Have you rested a little? Can we move on?"
Imoen answered with a solemn nod. Leah's worried expression must have shown, because Imoen then flashed a forced grin at her, saying "Yep, all good to go," in a too cheery voice for the occasion.
"Jaheira?" she looked at the druid, sitting a few paces away, her frame unmoving but the frantic darting of her eyes giving away her true feelings. If not for hers and Imoen's sake, Jaheira would have long rushed through the portal, hoping that Khalid's prison might lay behind it. The patience she displayed was not often a common characteristic of the stubborn druidess, but Leah was grateful for it this time.
"I am ready," came the expected reply.
"What about you Minsc? And Boo?" Leah turned to the last member of their group, smiling as she watched the giant ranger quietly conversing with his puzzling animal companion. Dynaheir's death had nearly broken his will to live, but after Leah and Imoen had managed to get him out of his cage, Minsc had slowly returned to something resembling his old self, the protective instincts to guard Leah and Imoen overcoming his personal grief.
"Minsc and Boo stand ready to face the evil portal... or whatever evil lurks behind it... even if the portal itself might not be evil... eh, Boo says I'm rambling again," the Rashemi looked a little confused, but then smiled at Leah after receiving a squeak of encouragement from his hamster.
"Very well then," Leah rose from the ground, picking up the crude club and dented buckler she had salvaged from some duergar lackey's of Irenicus. Her face twisted at the memory of the name that they had just learned, the name of their captor. "Hopefully this doesn't lead to the Underdark or some Nether plane," she added, before plunging into the swirly vortex.
After the dizzying spell had passed and her vision slowly cleared, Leah realized that she was lying at the bottom of a heavy heap of her companions piled over her, staring at the leather boots of an armed stranger, few feet away from her. Groaning, she tried to crawl out from under the pile, her eyes drifting upwards to meet the stranger's face. Curious pair of narrow, dark eyes of undoubtedly eastern origin looked down at her.
"So, there is sanity in this place after all," the man said, his lips tugging into a barely perceptible smile. "It would appear you are not in league with the evil that dwells down here. If that is so, then Yoshimo begs your assistance."
With a groan, Leah shook the pair of heavy legs likely belonging to Minsc from her back and stood up, brushing dust away from her tattered leather armor as she did so. "Yoshimo?" she asked. The name was certainly Kozakuran, matching his appearance. "Are you a fellow prisoner? How did you come to be here?"
"Ah... that is somewhat of an embarrassing tale, considering my profession," Yoshimo confessed, looking somewhat sour. "The trade of a bounty hunter usually has me springing trap on an unsuspecting victim, yet this time the roles were reversed."
Jaheira had been keeping quiet for long enough, and Leah was almost wondering when her more forceful friend would enter the conversation, but finally the druidess spoke. "And what sort of interest would our captor have in someone like you?" she peered at the bounty hunter with her customary suspicion.
"I would have liked him to explain that as well," Yoshimo winced. "I have my ideas on the matter, but time is precious. Do you truly wish to discuss the politics of Athkatla's underworld right now?"
Jaheira tapped her boot impatiently. "We will make time."
"Wait, Athkatla?" Leah intervened quickly. "Are you sure we're in Amn?"
"My last memories include going to sleep in my room in the Copper Coronet," the Kara-turan explained patiently, sensing that Jaheira would not drop the matter without sufficient explanation. "I could have been drugged and then magically transported who knows where, so I can't guarantee to you that we are still in Athkatla. As for why... in the last few months, there have been reports of many rogues in the employ of the Shadow Thieves..."
"Shadow Thieves?" suddenly Imoen piped up. "Leah and I ran into some of them down in Baldur's Gate... can't say I care much for their type. So you're one of them?"
"No, I am, what you might call a freelancer," Yoshimo said, making a small bow to Imoen. "What I was about to say was, many of the Shadow Thieves have been going missing in the past months, suspected to be either kidnapped or killed by some rival guild."
"And you believe that you were taken by this rival guild," Jaheira stated. "I suppose this... Irenicus," she almost spat the name. "Would be their leader."
"I have not been able to learn much after my capture," Yoshimo noted, with a hint of disappointment. "But I do know that the ones storming this dungeon right now are several groups of Shadow Thief assassins with a 'stab anyone who isn't a Shadow Thief' policy. They are the ones standing between us and the exit, which is why I believe a cooperation would be mutually beneficial."
"Well… he makes sense, I suppose," Leah admitted before turning towards her trusted companions of old. "What do you think?" she asked.
Imoen looked tired and didn't seem to care one way or another. "Whatever... guess it increases the odds of our escape, eh?" she finally said after Leah had prodded her.
"Boo's whiskers are twitching mightily from the sight of you, shifty little man!" Minsc offered with a cheerful yell, poking Boo almost into Yoshimo's face and making the startled rogue take a few steps back. "But Boo also says you are a warrior of no small skill! Minsc would be honoured to fight alongside you."
"If he is less honest in his motives than a bounty hunter normally would be, then perhaps leaving him to stalk behind our backs would be an even worse decision," Jaheira finally admitted, having watched Yoshimo for a while with a piercing stare. Yoshimo, to his credit, had managed to avoid flinching. "Yes, I would say let him join. But make no mistake, your every move will be watched," she warned.
"I have been told that the Great Yoshimo has such effect on the ladies, yes," the Kozakuran grinned. Imoen snickered aloud and was silenced by Jaheira's stare, while Leah escaped that particular punishment, having only allowed herself an inward chuckle.
"Welcome to the group then, Yoshimo," Leah said, shaking the man's hand firmly. "I am Leah, cleric to the Lord of Song. This is my feels-like-a-sister, Imoen, the best rogue north of Athkatla," she drew Imoen closer, affectionately ruffling her hair. "The suspicious one is Jaheira, our resident druidess and the voice of reason in this group," Jaheira just snorted at that description before allowing herself a small smile. "And those two are Minsc and Boo, the most fearsome evil butt-kicking duo to ever leave Rashemen."
"Rashemen, I thought those tattoos looked familiar," Yoshimo said, eyeing Minsc with increasing curiosity. "You are far from home, my friend."
"Minsc and Boo left on a dajemma to..." suddenly the big ranger fell silent, sharp pain flashing in his eyes. "But we failed, didn't we Boo," he added quietly.
"Our journey isn't at an end yet, Minsc. Chin up and let's move onwards," Leah tried to sound cheerful.
"Before we pass through that door," Yoshimo stepped aside, pointing to the passage behind his back. "Allow me a small warning. I have scouted the room ahead, and it is filled with great number of small fiends... I believe you call them mephits. I took note of some odd contraptions, portals that kept spawning the little beasts. It would be prudent to take care of the portals first, lest we get overwhelmed."
"Good thinking. Thankfully we have our Anti-Mephitator, otherwise called Minsc and Boo," Leah smiled at the proud looking Minsc, brandishing his new sword. Seeing the Sword of Chaos still conjured up painful memories, the images of it in Sarevok's arms, using the weapon to stab through Gorion's heart. But she could not allow these emotions to stand in the way of practicality, Minsc could use the powerfully enchanted weapon to greatly aid in their escape, so she had decided against throwing it away.
"Minsc, Yoshimo and myself should charge in and take the brunt of the mephit onslaught," Jaheira suggested. "Leah, you and Imoen focus on destroying those portals."
"Ah, my friend, I am not as comfortable on the front lines, I believe my skills would better be utilized otherwise," Yoshimo suggested, earning a frown from Jaheira.
"Very well, I will leave that up to your own discretion," the druidess said curtly, together with Minsc taking a position at the door and waiting until the others readied themselves. When they all were prepared, Jaheira threw the door open and Minsc charged in first with a loud berserker cry, immediately attracting the attention of the dozen mephits inside.
The ensuing fight was a short one, Minsc and Jaheira wading through the crowds of squeaking mephits with long-practiced efficiency, even if Jaheira time and again had to be mindful to get out of the way of Minsc's more erratic sword swings. Yoshimo chose to stay a little in the shadows, his bowstring sending out arrows with deadly precision and time from time again he switched to his katana to quickly behead a confused mephit that had just emerged from one of the portals. Leah was content to stay in her customary support role, casting blessings to strengthen the resolve of her friends while moving from one portal to another and meticulously shattering them with her wooden club. Imoen moved with her, covering Leah from attacks by some stragglers that managed to sneak by Minsc or Jaheira, not that there were many.
Soon enough, the mephits lay dead, the portals smashed and the whole room oozing with acrid, sulphuric smell. Imoen and Yoshimo, the two rogues, went over the various chests, searching for better weapons or armor to salvage. Leah slowly wandered over to the other side of the room, which looked almost like a laboratory of sorts, shelves and tables covered with jars, and the strong scent of formaldehyde overwhelming the sulphuric stench of the mephits.
Then she noticed it, on one of the tables, remains of something that had once been a man, amongst bloodied surgical implements. The man's armor and clothes had been stripped and laid out on a rickety chair next to the table, green embroidered cloak on top of the pile. _Looks just like the cloak that Jaheira bought him the last day before we left Baldur's Gate, Khalid really liked it..._ then it hit her, like the combined weight of thousand bricks. She nearly cried out aloud, feeling all colour draining from her face as she turned around, away from the grizzly scene.
The ever-observant druidess noticed her reaction immediately. "What is it, Leah, what did you find?" she strode towards her purposefully.
"No..." Leah groaned, desperately grasping Jaheira's hand and trying to prevent her from walking closer.
"Let me see," the druidess surged past her, advancing towards the table. Her last few steps echoed in the room like horrifying gongs of imminent apocalypse. There was silence after that, so long and overwhelming, the only thing Leah could hear was the sound of her own ragged breathing.
With a heavy sound, Jaheira dropped on her knees next to the table. "So it is true," she said, her voice harsh, almost alien. "You bastard! How dare you do something like this to me!" she finally gave her emotions free reign, yelling with bitter fury. "Khalid... you swore to never leave me! How could you..." then the tears finally came with a flood, Leah feeling her own cheeks becoming moist, the clenching pain in her chest making it impossible to stand and she hobbled over to where Jaheira sat on her knees, the half-elf's shoulders shaking as she was fighting sobs.
The others had joined them by now, standing around the table, silent as eerie ghosts, watching the symphony of grief playing out before their eyes. Leah reached out with her hand, about to place it on Jaheira's shoulder, when the druidess suddenly whirled around, anger in her reddened, tear-stained eyes. "Get away from me," she snarled. "I do not need your comfort! The only thing I need... is him. Can you give me that?"
Leah knew she could not. One look at the desecrated body had been enough to tell her that resurrection was practically impossible. "I am sorry... it is all because of me," she managed.
Heavy backhanded slap with the rough metal-shod gauntlets caught her completely by surprise. "You are damn right about that!" she heard Jaheira shouting, as with her tongue she tentatively probed the loose teeth in her aching left cheek. At least they hadn't been knocked out outright.
_I don't care if she beats me silly or not, it can't possibly hurt as much as she is hurting right now._ Her head lowered, she could only whisper one word. "Gorion."
Somewhere within Jaheira, the memory must have resounded with the druidess, realizing that the feeling of desperate loss, the anchor of her life itself, was not something unknown to the young priestess. Leah found herself being pulled into the embrace of the older woman, as they cried into each other's shoulders.
"Perhaps I could offer Boo to comfort them," she could hear Minsc musing aloud.
"I am not sure that is such a good idea, my large friend," and there was Yoshimo, placing his hand on Minsc's shoulder and wisely stopping him.
"I'm so sorry for your loss, Jaheira," Imoen said, sitting next to them. "I know this is hard." Leah could feel Jaheira's embrace on her tightening, Imoen's words bringing the opposite of comfort, but the druidess managed to not show any reaction. Unfortunately, Imoen took it as a sign that she should try harder. "Besides, I can tell you that Khalid didn't suffer."
Leah felt Jaheira push her away as she turned towards Imoen. "What are you babbling about, child?" her voice angry.
"I'm not a child, and I'm not babbling!" Imoen exclaimed in the completely wrong moment to rediscover her defiance. "I was there when Irenicus did all these things to him, I can tell you that Khalid was long dead when he started..."
"This is insane! You watched him do this? Why? Why would he do this?" Jaheira rose, towering over Imoen.
"I don't know," Imoen also got up to her feet, but she was now covering, starting to sob as she spoke. "But he would cut and say 'Do you see?' He forced me to watch as he just kept cutting all the time saying 'Do you see?' 'Do you see?'"
"Why are you telling me this, you fool child?" Jaheira screamed, rage and pain equal in her voice. Leah bolted to her feet, fearing that the druidess might attack Imoen. "Do you honestly believe I would find any of this comforting?"
"I... I... I just wanted to..." Imoen's face suddenly fell, as she broke into tears. Without saying anything else, she whipped around and ran out of the room, in the direction from which according to Yoshimo the Shadow Thief assassins were advancing.
"Yoshimo! Minsc! After her!" Leah barked, but Yoshimo was already on the run, Minsc closely following.
Jaheira was standing in front of her, still seething, stonily staring in the direction Imoen had ran off to. Despite her better judgment, Leah dared to place her hand on the half-elf's shoulder. "Please don't hit me again, Jaheira," she said quietly.
That seemed to register with the druidess and when she regarded Leah again, the anger from her face had evaporated. She put her hand over Leah's on her shoulder, squeezing it briefly. "Would you... like me to say a prayer?" Leah asked.
"No, thank you," Jaheira whispered. "It is something for me to do myself." With that she dropped down on her knees again.
"Sil... Silvanus guide the light to the source," she began unsteadily. "Take this man to what he justly deserves. By... nature's will, what was given is returned, what was turmoil... is now peace. Khalid of my heart, let my love... my love guide the way..." she broke down in sobs towards the end, Leah helping her back to her feet.
"We cannot linger here for much longer," Jaheira finally said, having recomposed herself.
"I know, but don't expect me to rush you in a moment like this."
"Thank you, Leah. There will be payment for what has been done here, this I swear, but it will be in a different place and on different terms," the druidess said solemnly, before turning back to the table one last time. "Just one last thing," she said, reaching out to touch her husband's cold, mutilated hand, gently slipping off the wedding ring off his finger before safely pocketing it away.
Turning away for the final time, Jaheira took the green cloak from the chair, looking at it with pain in her eyes, but somehow managing to resist crying. "He never really got to use it at all," she spoke quietly, wiping off her wet cheeks on the fabric and then tucking it behind her armor. "Come. Let us leave this place."
With heavy heart, Leah turned to follow her friend. Gorion, Dynaheir and now Khalid... so many dead already because of her damned heritage. And somehow, she could not shake off the sinking feeling that this might not be the last time she would be forced to deal with a loss...
3. Chapter 3
**Chapter 3**
Jaheira regarded the young woman silently sitting amidst the bloodstained rubble from a destroyed section of what looked to be a marketplace inside a large city. Leah hadn't showed any intention to rise to her feet and move ever since the group of cowled spellcasters had shown up and after a bloody struggle spirited themselves away, taking Irenicus and Imoen with them. The young rogue's only crime had been to cast a simple, hopeless magic missile at their captor, but somehow the cowled ones did not seem to be the sort interested in details, especially considering how many of their kin had been slaughtered by Irenicus during their short battle.
But as time went on, Jaheira's patience slowly began to wear thin. She had been willing to give the girl time to gather herself, the shock to see her friend taken again was undoubtedly paralysing, but now they had to be already focusing on planning how to get Imoen back… and how to reach Irenicus, of course.
She waded past the stray rocks and what seemed to be remains of several disintegrated Shadow Thieves. "Leah," she said sternly, attracting the girl's attention. "It is time we remove ourselves from this place. The guards are already gathering and looking at us oddly, and I do not wish to answer their questions."
Wordlessly Leah rose to her feet. "Sorry," she said. "Do we even know where we are, is this Athkatla as we thought?"
Jaheira looked around more thoroughly. The buildings did look vaguely familiar, the style of architecture reminded her a little of Tethyr, but this place... no, this place she knew, it was only the colourful circus tent nearby that was fooling her memory. "Yes, I am sure of it. This is the Promenade, the chief marketplace in Athkatla," she let her eyes wander over the scene of carnage. "It would appear that Irenicus has buried great many merchant stalls along with their customers under all this rock."
"You can really tell that this is Athkatla just by a few buildings?" Leah wondered.
"My work has taken me here quite often in the past," the druidess explained. "It must be no more than six cycles since Kha-... Khalid and I were here the last time." Leah looked about to say something, but Jaheira turned away and cast her eyes towards the clear blue sky above. "Khalid? Silvanus, let him hear my vow... if I must, I shall empty this city of all within to find his killer... so do I swear."
"You won't have to do it alone," Leah said behind her.
"Good. I had hoped you would feel this way," the druidess nodded, as they both returned to Yoshimo and Minsc standing a little aside and arguing about something.
Seeing them approach, Minsc addressed them vehemently. "Boo is faced with a horrible conundrum, even though Minsc is not sure what a conundrum is, perhaps some sort of very hard nut," that made Jaheira and Leah both smile slightly. "Minsc is prepared to chase after the evil wizard immediately! He might be leering over little Imoen as we speak! But the little shifty man here says Minsc and Boo should be patient and not rush headlong into danger like lemmings off the cliff!"
"I am sure the ladies will agree that we must exercise caution, regroup and make our plans," Yoshimo said. "This would be best achieved while laying low in some inconspicuous locale. I believe I know a place just like that."
Jaheira hesitated for a moment. She wasn't sure she trusted the rogue that much yet to let him be the one to make such decision. But she also could not see any motives he might have to wish them ill. "Very well, after we have taken care of some of the business here at the Promenade, you may take us to this hideout. Truth be told, I was not certain you would be staying with us," she added.
"I bear no love for the man, even if I have less grave reasons to hunt him than you do," Yoshimo explained, his eyes appearing genuine. "I would follow you if you would have me."
"Of course, Yoshimo," Leah said quickly, making Jaheira wondering whether the girl still worried that she would be trying to assume leadership of the party. During their travels across the Sword Coast, this had been a rather large issue constantly hanging between the two of them, but fortunately Leah's own growing competence had resolved it and the young priestess did not have to worry about the rivalry resuming. _Perhaps I should actually tell her that at some point,_ a thought occurred to the druidess.
"You mentioned some other business here, Jaheira?" the priestess asked.
"Yes, first of all, does anyone have injuries that would be best healed immediately? I think Leah and I both ran out of healing spells a long time ago."
"Minsc and Boo are ready to kick evil's buttocks, no healing for us!" the giant bellowed.
"A few light cuts and nicks, nothing that would hinder me in my task," Yoshimo smiled.
"Just generally bruised all over but I'll be fine," Leah added.
"Very well," Jaheira dropped to her knees and started sorting through their belongings. "Yoshimo, come here," the Kara-turan was quick to respond to her urgings. She handed him a sack full of mostly gems, some scrolls and weaponry they had no immediate use for. "You look to be savvy enough to handle yourself with the local merchant ilk. Try to get us a reasonable return for this. Minsc, go with him."
"And Boo?"
"...by Silvanus, Minsc **and** Boo go with Yoshimo," she sighed, ignoring Leah's chuckle.
"What about us?" the girl asked, seemingly unfazed by Jaheira's attempted glare.
"You are coming with me," Jaheira grabbed her by the hand and led her across the rubble to the closest untouched section of the grand Promenade, then up the stone steps until they reached a tiny door between the entrances to two upper class inns the services of which they could not afford yet. Before Leah had any chance to ask more questions or protest, Jaheira pushed her through the tiny doorframe into a dark and miserable looking room that held a pathetic looking shrine, an emaciated looking man in rags kneeling on a rug before it.
Jaheira dropped a few coins on the collection tray next to the shrine, and the sound of copper seemed to awaken the skeletal looking priest. "Welcome to the temple of Ilmater," he croaked, getting up from the floor. "Your kindness is appreciated. What can my gentle liege do for you?"
"She needs healing," Jaheira pointed at Leah, the girl's eyes widening.
"What? I said I'll be fine," she protested.
Jaheira stomped over to Leah and unceremoniously took the girl's chin in her hand, turning Leah's head to face her. "You are not going anywhere with that bruise," she said, lightly laying a finger on the injured cheek that by now had grown an interesting shade of purple. From the way an errant tear escaped from Leah's eye even at the lightest touch, the girl had clearly been lying when she claimed that it did not cause her any discomfort. "Do not be stubborn, you will not create the best impression when you look like some sort of barbarian that wears his scars with pride or some such nonsense."
"I will not create the best impression from not having had a bath in… probably months, and smelling like an old latrine!" Leah argued.
"Ignore her, priest," Jaheira commanded. "I want that cheek of hers healed now."
"Fine... fine, if it's that important to you," the girl finally relented.
As Jaheira silently watched the priest cast his spells on Leah, the swelling quickly diminishing and skin resuming its normal colour, she wondered if Leah truly didn't understand why she wanted the marks of this injury gone as soon as possible. _I accused her of being guilty over my husband's death and then I punched her in the face. There will... be need for apologies, even if Leah will claim she does not need them. I do. _
"Satisfied now?" Leah turned to face her again, while at the same time touching her cheek with her fingers. It was obviously no longer causing her any pain, and the girl looked relieved herself.
"I will not be satisfied until the rest of your scars are healed as well," Jaheira told her quietly, making sure the priest did not overhear. Having thanked the old man, she pulled Leah outside again. "You try to hide it, but I know that your body is covered with markings. Now, I imagine you might be uncomfortable letting this old codger work on those, but tomorrow morning you will fix as many as you can yourself, and I will help you if needed. Is that clear?"
Leah seemed taken aback by Jaheira's ferocity over the issue. "Why is that so important? Surely my healing will be more needed elsewhere."
"We both have plenty of memories from that dungeon, enough to haunt us several lifetimes. You don't need to carry with you even more reminders, ones that are in your power to erase easily."
"I hadn't thought about it like that," Leah shrugged. "But I guess I'll defer to your wisdom again. Shall we go look for Minsc and Yoshimo?"
"Minsc and Yoshimo **and** Boo," Jaheira said with irritation. "Blasted rodent."
Leah grinned before pointing in the distance. "I think I can see them there, bargaining with that... err, large woman."
"Good choice on Yoshimo's part," the druidess nodded, looking at how Yoshimo bowed and wildly gesticulated to the woman who was struggling to get in any counter argument. They waited for a while and soon enough the two men and hamster returned, Yoshimo proudly presenting her with two reasonably full sacks of coins. Jaheira simply nodded at Leah, refusing to take the money, and Yoshimo handed them over to the slightly surprised priestess. _I think she needs to feel that I still trust and rely on her. I will not let her collapse on me, she has led us this far and I will pull her onwards by her hair and screaming if she refuses to lead us now. _
"Did you learn anything else of importance while talking with the merchants?" Jaheira inquired before they turned to leave.
"It is what we thought," Yoshimo replied. "There were sightings of groups of Shadow Thieves entering the sewers leading to the dungeon. And the ones who took your friend, I'm afraid they were the Cowled Wizards."
"Cowled Wizards? I assume that means trouble?" Leah looked worried.
"Spellcasters of the highest order here in Amn, in fact, the only ones allowed to use magic in public. We just saw what happens to those who ignore that rule," Jaheira said.
"By Milil, it was just a harmless magic missile," Leah groaned in exasperation. "Do they have some representatives we can appeal to?"
"We can make inquiries later," Jaheira stated. "But I would not hold my breath. They are not closely affiliated to any branch of the government, and operate almost outside of the law. And the Council seems to prefer it that way."
"Sounds like a wonderful land, especially if you're a spellcaster," Leah grumbled.
"Oh, you have no idea. But I think we are done here," Jaheira said then. "Yoshimo, lead us to this mysterious hideout of yours."
"This way, ladies, berserkers and hamsters," Yoshimo bowed before leading the way towards the northern gate out of the Promenade. "The enchanting Slums District and the glamorous Copper Coronet awaits us!"
* * *
Several hours later, Leah led her friends out of a rundown and completely unremarkable slums dwelling that served as a hideout of one Gaelan Bayle. This Gaelan had jumped them the very moment they had entered the slums, the encounter suggesting that they had been watched ever since their exit from that accursed dungeon. In any case, Gaelan Bayle had an offer to make to Leah and her friends. For _mere_ twenty thousand gold, a powerful group of individuals that everyone already knew were the Shadow Thieves, even if Gaelan stubbornly avoided speaking their name, would bring them to Imoen and Irenicus.
Now, even though Leah did not know much about the Shadow Thieves, she was certain of one thing. Even if twenty thousand gold was a huge amount, an organization like this thieves guild didn't truly need it. It was likely simply a deception, asking for something else in order to hide their true motivations. Whether they wanted her allegiance, aid with something, at the moment it was anyone's guess, but if one took into account the bloody guild war the Shadow Thieves were currently embroiled within...
Leah believed Yoshimo, Jaheira and Bayle when they all claimed that the only organizations with enough power to help them were either the Cowled Wizards or the Shadow Thieves, and the wizards had never been known to be cooperative in such matters. So she had agreed to the deal, as for now she was not risking with anything, she had no gold to pay them yet and likely would not have enough for... Milil only knew how long. And since they hadn't been issued with Shadow Thief representative badges, Leah hoped that the other guild, whoever they were, would leave them alone in their bloody struggle to conquer the underworld of Athkatla.
Bayle had mentioned several opportunities for them to earn the required coin, amongst those a rather disturbing emergence of some cult that had most churches in Athkatla very concerned. Leah was considering asking Yoshimo or Jaheira to lead her to the Temple District right away, but then again, they had planned to go to this Copper Coronet, which was also reputed to have many job opportunities for the daring adventurer type.
In the end, Leah must have spent few moments too much during her musings, as Jaheira's snapping voice lashed at her like a whip. "So, where to now, fearless leader?"
"Eh, I'm no longer sure," Leah said, shrugging. "We were on our way to the Coronet, but now I'm wondering if maybe we shouldn't waste time and go pursue some of the leads Bayle threw at us."
"Well, you better decide soon, because we can't stand here all day and watch the grass grow while you're 'wondering'. It makes one think you were dropped as a child. Or kicked."
Leah turned her head to utter a biting retort, but then decided against it. "Well, if snapping at me makes you feel better, please do go on," she just said, turning her back to the rest of them and slowly walking off.
"Leah, please," Jaheira immediately jumped to follow her. "I was wrong to speak so at you. The stress must be getting to me, I will try to be more civil with you."
Leah turned around and smiled faintly. "Your apology is accepted. And, I think we'll go to the Copper Coronet, get something to eat, clean ourselves and have a good night's sleep before embarking on new adventures."
"Boo approves of this plan! It is much more comfortable to kick the buttocks of evil while wearing a clean loincloth!" Minsc agreed jovially.
"Err, that too," Leah smiled. "Yoshimo, lead us on please."
"We have arrived, my friend," the rogue said, pointing to his right. "This is the fabled Copper Coronet."
"What?" Leah was confused, staring at this strangest of... structures, for that was the only description that came to her mind. It was massive, taking up a whole block in the centre of the slums. Initially, it might have been a warehouse of sorts, then rebuilt or naturally evolved into something shapeless and abominable as tiny hovels and ramshackle houses had spread around it and on top of its low roof like festering boils, creating a truly unique appearance that was anything but appealing. "That is... the Copper Coronet?"
"The one and only," Yoshimo chuckled. "It has a certain charm, wouldn't you say?"
"Much like the rest of the slums, I suppose," Leah looked the other way from the Coronet at the rows of rundown houses, their squalid pallor depressing in its hopelessness, the beggars staring at them hopefully, children playing in the disgusting mud near the sewer drains... Jaheira's disdain for cities had never made much sense to Leah, but at this particular moment she was almost tempted to agree with her old friend.
Unfortunately for Leah, walking through the slums while not looking under one's feet was a dangerous undertaking. As they had nearly reached the entrance to the Coronet, Leah bumped into something small but sturdy and lost her balance, tripping over a dwarf and crashing into his large human companion.
"'ey, watch where ye be goin'," the dwarf cursed.
"Are you looking for trouble, girl?" the human seemed to have an even shorter fuse than the dwarf. "Well, either way, you've found it!" that said, he withdrew a wicked looking sword and reached out to grab her.
"Rrragh! No one harms little Leah while Minsc and Boo are around!" came the shout of rage while Leah nimbly ducked aside and out of Minsc's charge that nearly toppled his opponent.
"Now look what ye done, can't ye see dem be armed?" the dwarf shouted, picking up his axe. "Mr. F. don't like us killin' people in ta street, ye know."
"Help her with the dwarf," she heard Jaheira ordering Yoshimo, as Leah herself had to backpedal, trying to defend her kneecaps from the dwarf's vicious blows. While she was still wondering why Jaheira herself didn't wade into the fray, a column of lightning roared from the sky, striking the dwarf. Stunned, the angry thug just stood there, twitching, until Yoshimo appeared behind him, killing him with a powerful katana backstab. Finishing off Minsc's already injured opponent after that was merely a formality.
"Is drawing your weapon and trying to kill you a reasonable reaction just because someone accidentally bumped into you?" Leah wondered aloud as they were about to enter the establishment.
"No, but I'd urge you to be more careful, young lovely," Yoshimo said. _Young lovely?_ Leah's eyebrows rose at that comment. "These are the slums, a lawless place to say the least. People have been killed for much less than that."
"Try to remember that once we are inside, too," Jaheira added, being the first to step into the inn of dubious repute, Leah and Yoshimo next, followed by Minsc. "Stay here and try not to attract attention, avoid staring and just act sensibly. I will go speak with the barkeep and see about our rooms."
With that, Jaheira disappeared into the reasonably thick crowds, leaving Leah with nothing to do other than to try and survey the place, hopefully without attracting too much attention to herself. The first impression was that the Coronet was roughly the same size as the fabled Elfsong in Baldur's Gate, but far more rowdy and dirty. Elfsong had also provided more opportunities for privacy, nice secluded lounges lined around the large floor in the middle, open for dancing. Here, the tables were scattered around in chaotic patterns, groups of people crowding each one. Loud arguing and cursing was a constant background noise in contrast to the lovely bards in Elfsong, and at one of the tables several thugs were even freely throwing punches at each other. The bouncers ignored the fight at the table, too busy themselves with kicking into unconsciousness some hapless collapsed drunkard a dark corner.
As more and more time passed, Leah started to become impatient and worried, she could not see a glimpse of her friend through the thick crowd. While Jaheira could handle herself far better than Leah could, the patrons of this place seemed quite dangerous. "I'll just go see if I can spot Jaheira, I won't wander far," she told the two men, ignoring Yoshimo's worried frown before starting to carefully navigate through the crowded tables.
While the incident outside the Copper Coronet had been borne out of Leah's inattentiveness, this time the disaster that happened was not her fault. Someone deliberately stuck a foot in her path and she stumbled, losing her balance. Leah quickly felt a pair of arms seizing her and suddenly found herself pulled into the lap of some dirty looking bandit.
"What you got there, Amalas?" one of the man's equally vile looking friends asked.
"Don't know, but feels like a mighty fine catch to me," Amalas replied. She could feel his breath on the nape of her neck, the stench of cheap booze sickening her.
"Can't get a good look at her under that helmet," another thug joined in the merriment.
"Well, we better take it off then, right?" Amalas reached out to try and slip her helm off. At this point, Leah did something that was very likely unwise. She elbowed the smelly thug smack dab on the nose, then quickly jumping off his lap and trying to get away while he was still wheezing in pain. Unfortunately, his friends were quick to react, and she found herself held tightly by Amalas' two cronies while the man himself slowly got up from his chair, gingerly holding his bloody, smashed nose.
"You'll pay for this, harlot," he snarled, withdrawing a curved dagger. "I'll give you a few scars that no healer will be able to fix. Yes, when I will be done with you, no man will ever want to spare a second glance at you. Maybe then you'll be begging Amalas, but let me tell you, you proud whore, I will only laugh at you."
_This just is not my day,_ Leah thought, frantically looking around. She could see Yoshimo and Minsc trying to fight their way towards her, but as Amalas raised his dagger, she knew they would not make it in time. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for what was to come...
...only to open them again when she heard Amalas let out a surprised scream of intense pain, a heavy mace having shattered his elbow. As he slowly turned around to face his attacker, a heavily polished shield with an intricate family crest engraved on it smashed against Amalas already broken nose, knocking him on the floor severely crippled and unconscious. Leah quickly found herself falling backwards, the thugs immediately releasing her and rushing to carry their wounded leader away from the field of battle.
While Leah was still wondering what had happened, a pair of gentle, steady hands helped her back on her feet. She turned around to look into the deep brown eyes of a smiling young man, dressed in a shiny, well-maintained plate armor. "Fair lady," he said in what could only be described as a tremendously exaggerated knightly accent. "What brings you to this cesspool of corruption?"
4. Chapter 4
**Chapter 4 **
It was still early the next morning, but Jaheira had already managed to take a refreshing bath, say her prayers to Silvanus and restore her spells, and was also nearly done with bringing her unruly hair into a more presentable state. Her once wavy golden brown locks had assumed an unhealthy, bleached look and her solution was to weave them into several small braids, which did a decent job at hiding the otherwise sorry state of her hair.
She was about to finish working on her last braid, when the doors behind her opened, her roommate entering. "Morning, Jah... hey, what have you done to your hair?" Jaheira was about to glare at her friend, when Leah quickly added. "I love it! Uh, I was just... surprised, that must have taken some effort and I didn't think you to be the type to care much."
"Under different circumstances I would not, but remember, we are having talks with two potential employers over the breakfast. It would be beneficial to appear somewhat decently attired. As much as we can manage wearing that salvaged junk," she snorted, then turning to look at Leah, the girl standing there in a short green tunic, hair damp from the visit to baths. "Your own hair could do with some work," Jaheira stated matter-of-factly.
"Can I deal with that later? Weaving those braids probably takes a while and even though I like them, I don't think they're quite my style."
"Fair enough. Also, I would avoid running around the inn in such a state," Jaheira shook her head disapprovingly. "We all remember what happened yesterday." Leah just grumbled in response. "Did you... do as I asked of you with your..."
"Yes, yes, I managed to heal them all, I can be on the cover of Adventurer's Monthly again," Leah replied, impatience seeping into the girl's voice. "Well, alright, I couldn't fix a few completely, but the scars are not very pronounced."
"Show me, maybe I can help."
"Err, I uh, really don't think that's needed Jaheira," Leah's cheeks turned slightly pink. "It's, umm, a slash across my thigh, and an incision between the ribs here," she pointed at her left side. "But just small markings, not worth making a fuss about."
"Very well then," Jaheira turned back to her braid, quickly applying last few touches. "I am almost ready and you should not dawdle around either, we will be expected downstairs soon."
"How did you manage to find some promising employers amongst that filth anyway," Leah wondered, starting to dress. "Also, I am not impressed that you sneaked back downstairs after convincing me that we both would be retiring early."
"I regret having to lie to you, but you needed rest, while I could not sleep," Jaheira shrugged. _To be honest, I was afraid what my dreams would be like._ "As for whether those employers are promising, well, you'll have to judge that for yourself."
"Well fortunately I'm still allowed to make decisions for the group as a whole, even if I can't make any decisions regarding myself!" Leah laughed. "I do hope you slept at least a little."
"I did," Jaheira said, rising from the chair. "Now let's go, no time to lose."
As the two of them walked down the corridor towards the stairs leading to the common room, Leah remarked. "So, what do you think of the newest addition to our ranks? My recruiting skills are admirable, aren't they?"
"I am not sure the squire will be worth having your head nearly lopped off," Jaheira found herself scowling. "We shall see. I would have preferred someone who dabbles in magic, but perhaps your shining knight will have his uses."
"My shining knight?" Leah laughed. "Oh, you are in a funny mood this morning."
The three men of the group were already downstairs, midway through their breakfast. Yoshimo could be seen explaining something to the young squire, the bounty hunter's grin predatory while the other man was frowning slightly at the Kozakuran's words. Minsc was busy devouring his meal while watching Boo make somersaults from a large saltshaker, occasionally clapping for the hamster. Yoshimo was the first to notice them approach, and together with the squire they rose and bowed to them, Minsc merely confining himself to a customary smile and greeting while remaining seated.
"Our ladies truly look enchanting this morning after a peaceful night's rest, don't they, my good squire?" Yoshimo said, playfully elbowing the young man. Before the squire could become truly embarrassed, Jaheira decided to chase Yoshimo away to fetch some food for them as she and Leah seated themselves at the table.
"Anomen, was it?" Leah asked. "I'm afraid that yesterday was a rather... hectic day for us. Please don't be offended if your name managed to escape my notice."
"It is Anomen Delryn, my lady," the young man said with a smile. "Your memory manages to be flawless despite all adversities. But allow me to ask you something. Earlier, I was passing by the bathing chambers and heard someone singing the most... haunting, alluring song I have ever heard. Did you happen to hear it as well? Truly, it was a voice worthy of a deva."
Jaheira could not stop herself from laughing openly at the sight of Leah's face turning bright crimson. "Did I... say something untoward, ladies? If so, I apologize most profusely!"
"Peace, Anomen," Jaheira told him with a smile. "It was Leah you heard singing in the baths. She is a cleric of Milil, and the song is her way of praying." She stared at the furiously blushing girl. "Even if I have told her many times to seek a more secluded place for praying." Leah's response was to cover her face with her palms.
"Ah... please my Lady Leah, it was not my intent to make you uncomfortable. I have only the greatest respect and admiration for the exploits of the Sorlyn."
"Thank you Anomen," Leah finally managed to gather herself. "I have been told that my prayer can often cause a rather... strong reaction in those listening. I will try to avoid exposing you to it in the future."
Even if everything in Anomen's posture suggested that he wished for quite the opposite, he didn't have the opportunity to voice it, as at that moment Yoshimo returned with a tray of dishes, carrying some simple breakfast for Jaheira and Leah. They had just managed to dig into their oatmeal and hard-boiled eggs, when a young red haired woman in a blue robe appeared on the stairs, climbing down and then approaching them in a determined step.
"That would be the employer number one," Yoshimo commented on the redhead's approach.
"Will you listen to my offer now?" the young woman pleaded in an exasperated voice. "I cannot believe we have wasted a day already!"
"We were in no condition to do anything for you before we had rested, I explained that to you once already," Jaheira said, feeling her brow furrowing in annoyance. "Now, I suggest that you tell your story again, so that our esteemed leader," she nodded at Leah, "can make her decision whether we can help you or not."
"Let me fetch you a seat, young lovely," Yoshimo reacted quickly, grabbing a chair from the next table and offering it to the redhead.
"I don't have time to sit around, time is of essence!" the woman exclaimed impatiently. From the way she was unconsciously wringing her hands, it was clear that she was under a lot of stress, but her manner somehow did not yield her much sympathy with Jaheira at least.
"Well, I am intent on finishing my breakfast, so you might as well sit because this will take a while," Leah said patiently. The other woman let out a deep sigh and sat down, then glaring at Yoshimo who _accidentally_ hadn't removed his hand from the chair in time. "Now, tell me what it is you want help with."
The young woman took a deep breath before starting with her tale. "My father is the lord of a small community outside Athkatla. Four days ago, our keep suddenly found itself under heavy attack, and my father ordered me to flee the blockade and seek what help I could find for he feared they would not be able to defend the keep on their own. By the time I left, already many of our well trained guards were dead."
"There is no one else who can help you?" Leah asked. "Not that I am refusing you outright, but we are not accustomed to battle invading armies."
"Surely the Order of the Radiant Heart would..." Anomen started, but was immediately interrupted by the impatient redhead.
"By the time your Order decides to act, my father will be dead and my family keep torn down to the last stone," she spat, earning an icy look from the squire.
"More questions, Lady... what is your name, if I may ask?" Leah wondered.
"Nalia. Nalia d'Arnise," the other woman replied.
"Well, Nalia, before we agree to anything, I would need to know more about the forces we'll be facing. What will we be up against?"
"I... I don't know much," Nalia spoke ruefully. "I think I escaped before we had truly understood the extent of the danger or the nature of our attackers. Hired mercenaries, I guess?"
Jaheira felt the brief look Leah shared with her, nodding almost imperceptibly. Something was amiss here. The girl's father would not have sent his daughter away unless he knew precisely what they were facing and what the dangers were. "Any information regarding the numbers of the attacking force would be helpful. I suppose we could handle it if there were only a few dozens of those orcs," Leah said.
"Did I say they were orcs?" Nalia looked surprised. "I'm sure I didn't, for they weren't orcs."
"But you just said that you didn't know who the attackers were, so they could have been orcs," Leah pointed out. Jaheira felt her lips tugging into a smile, noticing that Yoshimo was also giving Leah a look of appreciation.
"I... err, yes, I guess they might have been orcs," Nalia stammered, thrown off-balance.
"Look girl," Jaheira decided to cut in. "I strongly advise you to be honest with us. It will pay off in the long run, trust me."
Nalia covered her face with trembling hands, her shoulders sagging. "They'll refuse, they will turn me away… they all have," she whispered. "My family keep… has been invaded by trolls," finally she admitted, struggling not to break down in tears.
Jaheira shared another look with Leah. They both knew that trolls were dangerous opponents, but on the other hand, eliminating them would also likely be worth a handsome payment and gold was of issue. Leah had apparently reached a similar conclusion. "Save your tears, Lady Nalia," she said. "For five thousand gold we will rid your family's estate from the troll filth."
Nalia removed her hands from her face, looking at Leah. "Three thousand. Five if you manage to save my father."
"Four, six if we manage to save your father. Now, do we have a deal or not?"
"Fine," Nalia snapped. "An exorbitant amount, and what you do is nothing but extortion, however, I am out of options," she added with her best 'filthy money-grubbing mercenaries of dubious morals' stare directed at their whole group. Jaheira could see Leah chewing on her lip, pondering a biting retort, but finally patience prevailed.
"I understand that time is of issue, but we will need most of this day to prepare ourselves for the trip, we lack some of the basic travelling supplies like tents and rations," Leah explained. "We should be ready to move out in the afternoon."
"I suppose that is acceptable," Nalia said, sounding a little resigned. "Do you wish me to travel with you? It would save having to explain directions, also, I have some skill with magic and lockpicking." Yoshimo's eyebrows rose slightly at those words.
"We have been looking for a mage," Leah admitted. "Your skills would surely come in handy to put those trolls down for good. Tell me, have you the permission of those wizards to cast spells while in the city?"
"You must mean the magic license," the redheaded mage said. "I'm afraid no, it costs a fortune to procure and I would have never been able to ask my father for such amount of gold… not for this purpose anyway... and he is probably the only person aside from my tutor who even knows I am knowledgeable in the Art."
"Well, I just thought I'd ask," Leah shrugged. "Tell you what, once we're done here, we will be taking a trip over to the Promenade... Adventurer's Mart, that was the place, right Jaheira?" having received the nod, Leah continued. "Shopping shouldn't take us too long and after we are done with it, we can start marching towards your family lands. How long is the journey?"
"On feet, it shouldn't be more than a day," Nalia replied. "I think now that everything is settled, I will return upstairs and gather my things." With that she rose and all but ran back upstairs, no doubt relieved to have secured the help, despite whatever her objections to the price of such aid might be.
"You didn't handle that too badly," Jaheira admitted, giving Leah a pat on the shoulder. "And I doubt I would have been as patient with that brat."
"The lessons in restraint are purely for your benefit, my dear friend," the priestess grinned at her, incorrigible as ever.
"So she fancies herself to have some skill in thievery, does she?" Yoshimo grinned. "This should be interesting to see."
"Bah! I doubt the fool girl even asked the Order for help," Anomen was fuming. "I refuse to believe my fellow knights and squires would refuse an opportunity to administer justice to creatures as wicked as trolls."
"Minsc is just happy to have plenty of troll buttocks being lined up for kicking," the big ranger sounded delighted at the prospect of bloody battle. "Also, Boo says that you can buy a lot of nuts for six thousand gold. Oh... err, Boo says that was not meant for you all to hear."
While Leah was busy coughing up the bits of oatmeal she had swallowed while laughing, suddenly a garishly dressed individual emerged from the gathering of people at the bar and approached them, a haughty looking noble, carrying himself with confidence and disdain for his current surroundings. The black haired middle-aged man headed straight for their table and without an invitation took the chair vacated by Nalia.
"I have an offer, if you are willing to listen," he started, in a voice that somehow felt persuasive and used to commanding. "My name is Lord Jierdan Firkraag, and I have need for ones such as you. My lands near the Windspear Hills have fallen under attack of vile ogres and orcs, and I require the aid of capable adventurers to clear them out."
"Mr. F.," Leah observed after a moment's pause. "You should keep your thugs on a shorter leash, my Lord. If they are so full of energy to pick fights with those that accidentally bump into them, perhaps you should have unleashed them on those ogres." For a moment, Jaheira was afraid her mouth was left hanging open from the surprise of hearing Leah speak so bluntly with the noble who clearly was of the type to not take kindly to dissent. But her respect for the younger woman had risen by a massive leap. It was good for Leah to be more forceful and standing up for herself.
"I noticed their bloody corpses outside," Lord Firkraag said, smiling thinly. "Regrettable, and I must apologize if they caused any trouble. But back to my offer… I am willing to pay ten thousand gold for successful completion of this task."
"Ten thousand?" Leah sounded incredulous. "You could have hired a small army with such a sum. Why choose us?"
"Because I don't want an army, I want you specifically," Firkraag answered.
"How and what do you know of me?" Leah pressed, looking uncomfortable. Clearly, while Yoshimo and Anomen knew nothing of her past exploits, this Firkraag seemed to have her at a disadvantage.
"Perhaps many here would choose to forget our recent troubles with Baldur's Gate, but not me. Your adventures along the Sword Coast are well known to me," Firkraag explained. "I know what you're capable of, and the gold I'm offering is the price I deem adequate for your skill."
"Is there a timetable for this task?" Leah asked. "Also, we will need directions."
"There is no specific deadline, but the sooner the better. This map here has all the information you'll need to arrive at my lands safely," he threw a piece of parchment on the table, before rising from his chair. "I hope to hear from you soon."
As the haughty nobleman retreated, the group exchanged glances between them. "Ten thousand gold is a great deal for simple monster slaying," Leah finally noted, finishing off the last remnants of her breakfast.
"I do not know what to make of this offer, and that worries me," Jaheira expressed her concerns. "It would be good to get out of the city, but..."
"Such occurrences are not uncommon in the more unruly regions of Amn," Anomen explained. "This Firkraag likely possesses coffers full of gold. If that is the only thing you're interested in, then I am sure a noble like him will deliver. For now, though, I find myself more curious about your role in the events mentioned by Lord Firkraag." Yoshimo could be seen nodding in assent to that.
"The road to Lady Nalia's keep should present us with ample opportunities to chat, Anomen," Leah answered. "I will try to satisfy your curiosity as we travel."
"Trolls or ogres or orcs, Minsc is having trouble deciding which buttocks of evil would be more deserving to be kicked," the bald ranger added. "But Boo liked the little girl much better than the shifty noble, just look, his whiskers are still twitching! We should help her first!"
"Minsc... Boo's whiskers are _always_ twitching... it is natural for hamsters," Jaheira sighed.
"No sir! This is no simple twitching, it is a Twitch of Distrust, followed by Scratching of Duplicity!"
"Your point is well taken, Minsc," Leah smiled, patting the ranger's hand. "We will help Nalia first, as agreed. Also, looks like we are all done here, so let's get our things and be on our way."
"Aye, my lady, glory and adventure await us," Anomen said, beaming a knightly smile at Leah. _Hmm, there might be an interest developing. I will have to watch this,_ Jaheira thought to herself.
"Go ahead Leah, I will catch up with you after I have paid for our rooms," Jaheira ushered the girl away from the table before walking over to the fat barkeep, idly and pointlessly polishing the horribly stained surface of the counter.
"Greetings, Bernard," she said quietly. The man answered with a curt nod. She withdrew her money pouch and counted several coins leaving them on the counter, and as the man reached to take them, Jaheira quickly slipped a piece of parchment into his hand. "Account of my... adventures over the past four months," she whispered. "I am sure someone will find them interesting. Also, tell our friends that I will be gone from the city for a few days, in case anyone tries to make contact."
Bernard nimbly pocketed the piece of paper. "Will do, Jaheira," he said. "We thought we had lost you."
"No, you did not lose me," she answered, turning around, feeling tears starting to well in her eyes. "But you did lose someone."
5. Chapter 5
**Chapter 5 **
Having finished admiring herself in the mirror, Leah finally left one of the Promenade's barbershops and slowly started climbing down the stone steps to the lower levels where the Adventurer's Mart expanded amongst the many smaller shops. She felt strange, having done away with her once beautiful long hair, but it had been ruined beyond repair, and now she had to settle for a much shorter, almost tomboyish haircut, accompanied with a tiny, stubborn looking ponytail on her back. It made her look a lot more businesslike, at least, and less of a naive daydreamer that Jaheira sometimes suggested she was.
Her companions were likely still busy purchasing travelling supplies, a task that Jaheira was always happy to take on and Leah was glad for it, not feeling terribly rushed to rejoin her friends. Instead, her feet led her all the way to the centre of the Promenade, where the large yellow circus tent loomed, surrounded by cages of trained animals, carts of supplies and several tents housing the staff and the performers. Leah rather enjoyed the bustle of the circus, as sometimes it presented her with an opportunity to pick off a new song from some performing bard, like during their visit to the faire in Nashkel. Curious, she traversed the path between supply carts, arriving at the entrance to the largest of the tents, before finding her further advance barred by a worried looking guard.
"I'm sorry miss, but the circus has been closed off until further notice," the guard, young man in his early twenties, explained, casting a concerned glance at the entrance behind him. "No one goes in or out until we've an idea of what's going on in there. Now, off you go."
"Why, what's wrong?" Leah inquired, trying to appear as friendly as possible.
"We don't rightly know," the guard shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "The few folks who got out spoke of some magical act going wrong or something. We've called in those wizards to sort this out..." the man seemed deeply unhappy at the mere mention of the Cowled Ones. "But they're late. Ah, surely it's ill luck to even discuss this!"
Leah stepped aside, pondering for a moment, before speaking up again. "I have been able to help out with things like these in the past," she then told the guard who stared at her sceptically. "I am a healer of no small skill, I assure you."
"I really shouldn't allow you to do that, it could be very dangerous," the guard did not relent.
"Well, look at it this way, if I manage to solve this for you, you won't have to stand here so close to all that evil magic and worry about it bringing you bad luck, right?" Leah tried.
"Hmm, now that is true..." the guard nodded after a moment's thought. "Just don't come complaining to me if you get yourself killed or worse!"
"I won't, promise," Leah grinned. "Oh, I wonder, would there be a reward for doing this?"
"I don't have the authority or the funds to issue rewards to crazy adventurers who insist on getting themselves killed," the young man said. Then a thought seemed to occur to him. "But I could put in a word with Inspector Brega, should you prove fortunate. I'm sure he can spare some coin."
"Right, thanks," as the guard stepped aside to allow her access into the tent, Leah briefly wondered if perhaps she should have brought the rest of her group with her. _But then again, how dangerous could some circus magician be? Besides, I am only going to scout around for a bit. Should things prove too dangerous, I'll just simply retreat and then return with my trusty companions._
As she closed the curtain of the entrance behind her and turned to look at the view facing her, she was quite stunned to see an elaborate marble bridge leading across to a massive dome with a cupola shaped roof, far larger in its size than the tent she had just entered. _Ah, wonderful, seems like we're actually dealing with a powerful illusionist,_ she realized. _I better call in the others for this._ With that, Leah turned around, and much to her chagrin realized that the exit had been magically sealed off, she could only see smooth wall surrounding her as far as the view stretched. _Ah... typical, I really should have seen that one coming. _
_Well… guess I'll just have to sort this out myself then,_ she decided, starting towards the bridge in a determined step, but then halting. _Of course... I'm nearly out of spells, because Jaheira forced me to mend my scars, since we weren't going to face any combat today! _She slapped her forehead in exasperation. _Okay, it's official, I'm a hapless fool of a girl._ Leah sighed inwardly, before carefully moving on across the bridge.
* * *
"Ow, ow, ow... these things sure hurt a lot for illusions," Leah complained a while later, sitting down on a fluffy Calishite carpet, that was probably also just an illusion, but at least unlike all the other illusions it wasn't actively trying to kill her.
"Heh, n-no the werewolves are the illusions," a young elven girl was crouching over her, healing a bloody gash on Leah's thigh, her own healing spells exhausted long ago. "Those shadow creatures are quite real, you can be sure of that."
"Hopefully there aren't many of them left," Leah said, getting up slowly. "If these things don't kill me, Jaheira probably will, once she learns of my stupidity," she muttered under her breath.
Navigating this maze of illusions had been a real challenge thus far. Leah had managed to find and free several of the circus staff, but only one of them had been of some usefulness to her, the girl Aerie accompanying her right now. The elf had some skill in both magical and clerical arts, a rare combination, but one that Leah was quite glad to have with her. Many of their opponents in this maze were mere illusions, and so the ability to dispel them became priceless, Leah holding them off from the petite elf and absorbing their very real feeling blows until Aerie's magic took effect.
The girl had also been able to shed some light on the events that were the cause of the whole debacle. Apparently, one of the performers, a gnome named Kalah, had grown bitter over the years due to the real or perceived mistreatment by his fellow co-workers and one day, triggered by yet another insult, this bitterness had spilled over and taken form in a bloody revenge against his tormentors. This Kalah had also taken as prisoner Aerie's uncle, who was also the owner of this circus, hence the girl's insistence to accompany her on this perilous task.
"Well, let's get a move on," Leah urged, leading the elf onwards, up another case of steps. "This Kalah can't be far off now."
"I h-hope not, I'm running out of spells," Aerie said, sounding a little less assured of their success than before.
Fortunately, Leah for once was proven right. Kalah, together with some of his conjured creatures awaited them, but now that they already knew most of them to be illusions, Aerie's dispelling magic quickly evened the field of battle. Leah, completely drained of all spells, even those granted by her dark heritage, was forced to do battle in the melee, finally succeeding in awkwardly bashing in Kalah's skull with her club. As the misguided gnome fell, everything around them, including the shadow creatures still beating on her, twisted, shimmered and then disappeared. For a moment, Leah felt like being caught in a swirling whirlpool that eventually threw her down on the sawdust covered floor of the real circus tent.
Around and above her, there was now a terrible ruckus, the circus staff and some of the visitors rushing to get out of the tent while they still could, unaware that the danger had been dealt for good. Some of them nearly trampled Leah in their frantic rushing to escape, the girl unable to stand, sharp pain jolting her somewhere in the left knee and hip whenever she tried to rise. For the lack of better ideas, she simply decided to lie there and hope that someone would eventually notice her. As she turned her head to the left, she could see the prone body of the dead illusionist lying next to her. Kalah looked so tiny, helpless and peaceful in his death. Without much thought, Leah crawled a little closer and started to rummage through his belongings, but there was not much to salvage, a few gold coins and a ring that appeared magically enchanted.
The excited and relieved shouting of the crowd slowly died down, and through it she could hear Aerie's voice, talking animatedly with a man whose high pitched squeak of a voice was indicative of a gnome. Leah briefly pondered calling for aid, getting slightly bored of simply lying around, when she suddenly heard another familiar voice. "The guard told me that someone matching her description had entered," that was Yoshimo, she could not mistake his accent for anything.
"Verily, it seems as if a great battle has been fought h-... Lady Leah!" Anomen was the first to notice her lying on the ground.
"I'm fine, just resting a bit," Leah called out to them. "Take your time. Everyone else seems to."
"She's alright. Good, that means I can strangle her for being foolishly irresponsible," that could be no one else but Jaheira.
"Somehow I knew you were going to say that," Leah chuckled weakly. The leg was starting to hurt quite a lot by know. "Could you heal me before all that strangling, though?"
"Allow me, my Lady," Anomen was quick to drop on his knees beside her. One furious chant later, she could feel the pleasant sensation of soothing chill spreading through her leg, quickly working to mend her wounds. Anomen held out his hand, helping her rise from the floor. "And if I just may add, your new haircut looks especially lovely, my Lady," he added, holding on to her hands for a lingering moment.
"Thank you, Anomen," she smiled back. "I trust you had a productive session of shopping?"
"Minsc has a new helmet with less dents than the old one!" the big ranger cheerfully announced. "Also, Boo has a new hamster wheel, and it is less squeaky too! But Minsc is sad that little Leah did not leave a single evil clown butt to be gloriously walloped."
"Don't worry, Minsc, tomorrow we'll be busy kicking trolls left and right," Leah grinned, turning to leave the tent, but finding someone insistently tugging on her sleeve. She turned around to stare into Aerie's nervously smiling face.
"Leah, could I ask you something?" she said. "You're an adventurer, right?"
"Yes... against my better judgment, it seems."
"I have been thinking and talking things over with my uncle Quayle," she pointed at the busy looking gnome, ordering around some of the performers. "He thinks it might be time for me to leave the circus behind and go see a little of the world outside it, and I... I guess the thought of it sounds appealing? So I was wondering... if you would happen to have a place in your group for a magic user like me... I would be glad to travel with you."
"Mmm, license to cast magic in the city?" Leah inquired. Aerie shook her head sadly. "Right, just give me a moment to discuss it with the others then," Aerie nodded to that, retreating back to her uncle and resuming speaking with him.
Leah quickly called Jaheira aside, breaking into a hushed conversation with the druidess. "The girl," she nodded towards the blonde elf, "wants to come with us. See the world, have a grand adventure, you know, that sort of thing." Jaheira looked sceptical. "Yes, I know, she's probably very naive and inexperienced, but she can do both arcane and divine magic."
"We hardly need more healers," Jaheira mused, still looking unconvinced. "But more magic would be useful against the trolls and I am reluctant to rely on this Nalia alone."
"Let's give her a try then, see how she performs and decide after that," Leah said, turning around and walking towards the elf. "Aerie, gather your belongings, make sure you have everything for several days outside the city," she told the girl who looked overexcited at the news.
"Just give me a few minutes!" Aerie exclaimed, dashing out of the tent before turning around. "I won't disappoint you, I promise!" she added.
"I trust you'll take care of my girl," the gnome stared up at her expectantly.
"As much as I can, though I expect everyone in my group to pull their own weight," Leah replied with a shrug. _Also, thanks for rescuing me and clearing this mess in my circus! Would you like a reward? _She added mentally.
"That is all I ask," the gnome nodded, readjusting his monocle and turning the attention back to his scattered troupe. "She's really quite bright, you know. I have no idea how I'll be able to run things here with her gone, I have grown to rely on her so much."
Leah listened for a while as Aerie's uncle continued to sing praises for the girl, before finally politely excusing her and stepping outside the large tent, where the rest of her companions waited on her. _If Aerie is so incredibly amazing, I wonder how come he's sending her away so easily,_ Leah thought. _Uncle or no, he has a business to run and it's not typical for his kind to be charitable. Then again, maybe he does care for the girl and wants what's best for her. But why would he think that her future is in adventuring, though? It can be extremely dangerous, as Nalia's task will undoubtedly prove._
Looking around, Leah noticed that the guard outside the tent had already left, no doubt very relieved about the resolution of this incident. _I wonder what are the chances he'll actually mention my involvement to that Brega person,_ Leah wondered. _Probably very slim, more likely he'll just try to steal the glory for himself and earn a promotion._
"Leah, I used some of our gold to purchase a few things aside the travel supplies we needed," Jaheira approached her. "Some of the armor we recovered in that dungeon was in poor shape, nearly disintegrating. Minsc needed a new helmet and chainmail and I bought some simple gauntlets for myself."
"Makes sense, no need to report to me for every coin spent, you know that," Leah said idly.
"Well, I also bought you this," the druidess said, handing Leah a nicely curved sword with a malachite encrusted pommel. "You are quite useless with that club, you can't hit or block anything. We need you to fight with something you are familiar with, if you are to be of any use."
"Ouch, that was a very frank appraisal!" Leah laughed, taking the sword and making a few experimental swings. "A falchion? Has a nice balance to it, I like."
"An interesting choice of weapon, my Lady," Anomen wondered. "Does Milil prefer his clerics to use bladed weapons?"
"I doubt it's the foremost in his mind when measuring the devotion of his followers," Leah smiled at her fellow healer. "I just wish people would use those blunt weapons less in general. I've healed quite a few injuries caused by flail swings, and they were... not pretty," she shuddered at the memory of some of those wounds, Minsc's shoulder smashed so badly that he could not lift a sword for a ten-day even with intensive healing, or bones in Khalid's elbow shattered so thoroughly that he had nearly lost his right hand.
Anomen looked as if he wanted to add something, but at that very moment Leah noticed Aerie emerging from one of the tents, backpack slung over her shoulder and a plain wooden staff in her hands, approaching them in a determined step. "I think we are ready to leave," Leah called out to alert everyone. "Grab your belongings, everyone! Next stop is d'Arnise Keep!"
6. Chapter 6
**Chapter 6**
It was a lovely Flamerule afternoon, sun high in the sky, but not yet blazing in the full heat of summer, instead warming their shoulders pleasantly as the group walked in a brisk pace down the road leading away from the gates of Athkatla. The farmlands surrounding the great city stretched as far as the eye could see and it was only after several hours of hard walking that more forested areas started to come into their view, Nalia referring to these lands as fox hunting grounds of the bored nobility who lacked courage to test themselves against something more challenging.
Getting through the city gates had been somewhat daunting experience, their passage delayed by crowds that had formed due to the insistence of the guards, thoroughly searching everyone entering the city, or at least continuing the search until the victim produced a suitable bribe. One good thing had come out of this delay, however, when Minsc and Boo introduced the rest of the group to a man from the nearby city of Trademeet who had come to Athkatla seeking help at the behest of the mayor of his city. It appeared as this Trademeet was under heavy attack from the wildlife inhabiting the forests next to the city, and many inclined to believe that local druids were at fault, inciting the animals into attacking, even if no one could guess their motivation for doing so. Jaheira had been quite incensed about this implication and looked determined to clear the sullied name of everything druidic, so Leah expected that her friend would insist on a trip to Trademeet very soon. Which suited her fine, since the man had mentioned that the mayor was a very wealthy man and willing to pay a large reward for this task.
So far things had been going as smoothly as Leah could have hoped, but still, success was not guaranteed in any of the missions they had chosen to undertake, and it must have been the heavy crease in her brow from all the thinking that had attracted Jaheira's attention as the druidess silently moved next to Leah to walk in step with her. "Having thoughts, oh omnipresent authority figure?" she asked, Leah smiling at what she had once thought for an extremely irritating and purposefully insulting way of address.
"Just mentally adding up the gold from the rewards of our no doubt glorious missions to be," Leah replied, then taking a mouthful of water from the flask at her hip. "Six from Nalia, ten from Firkraag, and I bet we can shake just as much from the coffers of the mayor of Trademeet. Theoretically, that would put us above what the Shadow Thieves want."
"You know it is not as simple as that," the druidess said. "We have very little in the way of enchanted weapons and armour. Look at the rags I am wearing," Jaheira pointed at her chainmail, rusted in places and having a few holes, making it worryingly vulnerable in spots, the shield on the half-elf's back also having plenty of dents and looking as if one particularly heavy blow from an ogre would shatter it easily. "We will not last long against this Irenicus, wearing this junk."
"And to buy the kind of weapons and armor we left Baldur's Gate in…" Leah sighed.
"Will cost four, if not five times more than what the Shadow Thieves are asking," Jaheira finished for her, not sounding particularly happy.
"Your reality checks never fail to depress me, you know."
"It's what I am here for," Jaheira replied, allowing herself a small hint of smile. She then looked away, across the fields, her eyes drawn to the thin dark line of the forests on the horizon. "It has been some time since I have been this far south. I recall seeing Gorion here some years ago," she stopped talking and laughed, a strange, strained chortle. "He was so out of place away from his books, but..." she looked at Leah again, misreading her thoughtful expression for one of sadness. "It seems I cannot help but speak of the dead lately. I did not wish to cause you any distress."
"What? You did nothing of the sort, " Leah shook her head vehemently. "I no longer remember Gorion with sadness, despite... despite his end. There are other… more recent losses, that plague my mind."
Jaheira nodded, her green eyes shining as she spoke her next words. "Gorion would not have wished his memory to cause pain, and I... I think the same is true for Khalid."
"I'm sure it is. We won't let the dead take us living ones with them, will we?" Leah offered her friend a sombre smile. "What was it that Gorion told me, when he spoke of those close to him he had lost... 'Shoulder not such a weight, but if you must, place it in a sturdy pack and not loose in your arms. So it would be behind you, but still with you, and would not obscure your vision.'"
Jaheira smiled in return. "That does sound like something Gorion would say. But enough of this maudlin for now," she said, clearly unwilling to indulge in the memories any longer. "Still... it is good having someone to talk with. Someone who will understand," she added quietly.
Leah reached out and briefly squeezed her friend's hand. "Anytime, Jaheira," she said. Then she looked at the rest of the group, walking ahead of them, Minsc at the front, followed by Nalia and Anomen, then Aerie and Yoshimo, the Kara-Turan relentlessly trying to impress the young elf with his fanciful tales. Leah suddenly felt the need to distract herself from the gloomy mood the memories had put her in, and she had also promised to speak to Anomen during their travels. "You wouldn't mind if I caught up with the others?" she asked, Jaheira simply shaking her head in answer.
With that Leah increased her pace, swiftly catching up with those in front. "Beautiful day, is it not?" she offered conversationally, coming into step with Nalia and Anomen.
"Aye, 'tis most suited for a walk such as this," the squire replied, looking very pleased for her sudden choice to accompany them. Nalia had been keeping quiet until now, and she continued to ignore Leah's appearance, her thoughts obviously resting with the fate of her father and the holdings of her family.
"You asked me a question earlier, and I promised you am answer," Leah started, looking at Anomen, knowing that there was no sense in delaying this talk. "If you are still interested, I could tell you a little of my travels across the Sword Coast."
"I would be delighted to hear about your adventures, my lady," Anomen said. "Perhaps afterwards, I could tell you of some of my own exploits."
"That sounds acceptable," Leah nodded. "You did hear Firkraag mentioning the near state of war between Amn and Baldur's Gate last year, did you not? A situation defused by the demise of the leaders of the Iron Throne, an organization of wealthy Sembian merchants of ill repute."
"Yes, I do remember those tales, my lady, conflicting as they were. Some of the most outrageous exaggerations placed the entire success in the hands of some shady adventurous troupe," Anomen's voice was full of purest honesty and innocence even as he uttered the words that made Leah wince inwardly. Next to them, she saw Nalia shaking her head, implying that she had been listening intently the whole time.
"Well... that part is actually true," Leah said quietly. Anomen gave her a dubious stare. "Of course, I have no idea how that story has grown with telling by the time it reached your ears. But yes, it took a great effort and heroic deeds by all of my comrades for us to defeat the leaders of the Iron Throne." As she spoke, Minsc suddenly withdrew the Sword of Chaos from his back, startling them all as he brandished it in the air proudly. "That sword..." she paused, swallowing hard. "That sword belonged to Sarevok Anchev, one of the Iron Throne leaders."
"I feel I should apologize, my lady, it seems your achievements are admirable indeed and I hope to learn more about your adventures in time," Anomen gallantly recovered from his earlier slip-up. "I do have a question, however, if I may," having received a nod from her, Anomen continued, "I know for a fact that in the coming months after the war with Baldur's Gate was averted, Amn sent their representatives to strengthen the truce, renew trade agreements and amongst all, also express gratitude to those who had been so instrumental in preserving the peace. This is known to me because a member of the Order of the Radiant Heart was a part of this delegation, however... this group of adventurers was nowhere to be found and dark tales surrounded their leave of Baldur's Gate, speaking of mysterious disappearance..."
Leah felt the colour slowly draining from her cheeks as the memory forced itself upon her. "It must have been roughly four months ago." Anomen nodded. "We... we had just left Baldur's Gate and were about to set up our camp a little south of Ulgoth's Beard. Suddenly, out of nowhere came an attack and we were captured, drugged and brought to Athkatla, locked in a dungeon under the Promenade, where we have been imprisoned for four long months, until our escape yesterday."
Anomen offered her a sympathy filled look and she continued, feeling very week in her knees. "Two of my companions perished in that accursed place," she could see Minsc's shoulders slumping at her words. "And the third was captured by the Cowled Wizards, because she sought to protect herself and all of us from the wizard that had kept us as his prisoners. Imoen was... like a sister to me. And I will not rest until I have freed her from their grasp."
"Rest assured, my lady, I will do all in my powers to aid you in this journey. A great injustice has been done to you and your friends, and I do not believe that the knights of the Order could find a more deserving task for me to undertake than this," Anomen said earnestly. _He may sound very pompous, but his heart seems to be kind and pure,_ Leah thought at that.
"Anomen is right, it is horrible, and I have no love for those oppressive wizards," Nalia spoke with determination, the persecutions against magic users undoubtedly a sensitive topic with her. "After we have saved my keep and rescued my father, I would be delighted to lend my hand to your aid, if you would have me."
"Thank you, Nalia," Leah said, looking at the young mage. "Earlier, you made objections about the size of the reward we were requesting." Nalia looked a little uneasy at these words. "Fair your concerns might be, know that I do not hoard this gold for myself. I have been made an offer by a... group of powerful individuals, who have promised to lead me to Imoen for the price of twenty thousand gold."
Nalia let out a sharp whistle, not very becoming to a noblewoman. "In that case I am not surprised, Leah," she said. "It is a worthy goal. I will see if I can spare anything beyond that which was already promised, but be aware that the attackers might be plundering my family's wealth as we speak."
"Group of powerful individuals?" Anomen asked. "Could you be more specific, my lady? I am sure that the Order would be willing to help as well, once they have heard of your predicament."
"If you believe so, I suppose there is no harm in asking," Leah said. "As for my mysterious benefactors, I am quite sure they are involved with the Shadow Thieves."
Anomen's face contorted in distaste at the mention of that name. "Shadow Thieves are not the savoury type of individuals that you should be associating with, my lady," he said, unaware of the dangerous glint in Leah's eyes, a sure sign of her annoyance with his patronizing words. "Not when there is an opportunity to enlist the aid of the greatest force for righteousness in the whole of Faerun."
"You'll have to forgive my heinous negligence, Anomen," Leah said, all too sweetly. "But until our meeting last night, I was not aware your Order even existed. Now that you have made me aware of this option, sure, let us explore it once we return to Athkatla. But I will ask you not to judge my actions when all I want is to have the one person closest to me rescued from the clutches of those awful wizards," towards the end of her speech, Leah had to exert a certain amount of self control to avoid tears spilling over her cheeks, thoughts and worries about Imoen making it hard for her to speak.
Anomen kept silent for a while before he spoke again. "Your words are wise, my lady, and I am thankful for them. If anything would happen to the one closest to my heart, I can only hope to retain as sound judgment as you have displayed ever since our meeting."
While Leah felt a little curious, it felt far too intrusive to ask whether he had meant someone particular being close to his heart. _A gallant, good-looking knight in shiny armor probably has more than a few high society ladies lusting after him,_ she mused. "Perhaps you could tell me more of your adventures, Anomen?" she asked some time later, deciding that a change of topic was in order.
"There is precious little to tell yet, although my few adventures have been glorious, indeed," Anomen started. "The path to knighthood is a long one, however, hence the need for my travels."
"Is joining a ragtag group of adventurers a commonly accepted way for a would-be knight to prove himself?" Leah wondered. "Mistake me not, I am glad to have you with us, but I was rather surprised to find someone like yourself in the Copper Coronet."
A shadow seemed to briefly pass across Anomen's handsome face. "Perhaps not a common practice, but it is tolerated, if not encouraged. Not all senior knights and paladins can be expected to tutor a squire, and there are many seeking admittance into the Order."
_I swear there must be more to this than he's telling._ "Oh, I see," she just said instead. "I apologize for interrupting, do go on."
As Anomen embarked on a long and quite fanciful tale about his nearly single-handed conquest of the orc tribes in Ommlur Hills, Leah found herself wondering if the otherwise pleasant warrior-priest's overconfidence and hubris would not prove too difficult to handle. The dream of becoming a full-fledged member of the Order seemed to be more important to him than anything else, and he was harshly defensive of anything that might cast even the tiniest doubt of his own worthiness or something that questioned the reputation of his beloved and idealized Order. It seemed that even making innocent quips about anything Order related was strongly frowned upon, Anomen's poorly developed sense of humour disappearing completely as soon as the Radiant Heart became involved. _Ah well... I can only hope that with time in our company he'll learn to relax a little,_ Leah thought, sighing inwardly.
They kept talking as the journey continued, the farmlands growing scarcer now and grassy plains with the occasional patch of trees spreading around them. The edge of the forest was growing in the distance, now not more than several hours of walk away, but the sunset was not far off either. Having spoken some more to Anomen, with Nalia's occasional interjections, Leah was about to slow her pace and rejoin Jaheira at the tail end of the group, when suddenly something occurred to her.
"Nalia, you must be well informed on Amnish nobility, all sorts of gossip and such included?" she turned to the young mage.
"Not that well... I try to avoid contact with those of my station, limiting it only to that which is absolutely necessary. I much prefer spending my time 'slumming' as Auntie calls it, trying to help those less fortunate," Nalia replied. "But I suppose I do know a little, why do you ask?"
"I was wondering if you have heard anything about Lord Jierdan Firkraag," Leah said.
Nalia pondered her answer for a long while, thoughtfully rubbing her chin. "I think he's one of those landowners from south-eastern Amn, so he doesn't really show himself in Athkatla often. I don't think anyone knows him very well. He is somewhat of a newcomer to the scene. Doesn't have the best reputation, but then again amongst the nobility, who does?"
Still walking, Leah took the backpack off her shoulders and started to rummage through it until she had found Firkraag's map. She handed it to Anomen, urging him to pass it further on to Nalia. "He mentioned marking his lands on that map, does that look about right?"
Nalia kept studying the map as she walked, her pace gradually slowing until Aerie bumped into her from the behind, the elf quickly apologizing and moving aside. "I guess it could be right, though I'm certain that the exact marking is wrong, those should be the Windspear lands," the redhead explained, the look on her face a little uncertain. "I mean... at least they used to be Windspear lands still quite recently. They owned a granite quarry at the foothills and my father dealt with the Windspear family when we needed materials to renovate parts of the inner keep fortifications."
"Perhaps Firkraag simply put the mark down in a slightly wrong spot," Leah offered. "Can't expect a noble to be a grand cartographer, I suppose!"
"Yes, I think you're right," Nalia agreed. "If Lord Firkraag has any lands to his name, they should be in the vicinity of the Windspear holdings. I'm sure you'll be able to track them down easily enough."
Leah just nodded, thanking the mage as she placed the map back into her sack again, throwing the heavy bag back on her shoulders. Somehow Nalia's words hadn't exactly reassured her of Lord Jierdan Firkraag's trustworthiness.
After several more miles of walking, Leah rejoined Jaheira at the rearguard of the group, continuing in comfortable silence, both of them slowly growing exhausted from the long day of walking. In front of them, Minsc showed no sign of stopping, while Anomen seemed to be consciously striving not to display any sign of tiredness. Yoshimo seemed annoyingly cool and well capable of walking all night, while Nalia was starting to occasionally stumble, however, her drive to rescue her father obviously forced her to ignore all that pain mounting in her legs.
Aerie was doing the worst, though, the elf beginning to suffer terribly, her boots not exactly best suited for long travels and combined with her lack of endurance, Leah could well imagine that the state of her feet was close to abysmal by now. It wasn't long before the young elf turned to her, pained expression on her face. "How much longer must we walk still? My feet are aching so badly!"
Leah looked around, it was starting to get dark but she had hoped to keep up for an hour or two more. "How bad is it?" she asked.
"I w-would really prefer if we'd stopped," Aerie said unhappily.
Leah exchanged a glance with Jaheira. "We will have to stop sooner or later," the druidess said. "But the more distance we cover today, the sooner we can reach the Keep tomorrow."
Leah turned back to Aerie. "Look, I know it's probably hurting a great deal, but every hour we gain today could save more lives tomorrow. If you tell me that your hurting feet are more important than that, then I will call for a stop immediately," she said. "If not, we'll keep walking for another hour and set up camp then."
Aerie stared at her for a bit, looking hurt. "T-there is no need to be so harsh," she sniffed. "But a-alright, I will endure."
"I'm sorry if I upset you, Aerie, but as I told you before, adventuring is not an all sunshine and rainbows. I'm afraid that you will have to toughen up very quickly," Leah said apologetically before exchanging another look with Jaheira, but the druidess merely shrugged. _Was that really so harsh of me?_ Leah wondered at herself. _I suppose, but __maybe the constant 'Jaheira-treatment' has made me so numb to harshness that I dish it out myself without realizing it!_
In the end, Aerie only lasted a little more than half an hour, and most of that was while being supported by the always-helpful Yoshimo. After the elven priestess had declared herself unable to walk a single yard further, Minsc had scooped her up in his mighty arms, the girl too tired to protest, and proceeded to carry her the rest of the way, Aerie eventually falling asleep in his arms. Having reached the edge of the forest, they quickly lit a campfire, set up tents, rolled out their sleeping bags and mere minutes later everyone was fast asleep under the watchful eyes of Minsc, taking the first guard shift.
7. Chapter 7
**Chapter 7 **
The campfire crackled merrily in the dark of the night, the first light of dawn still several hours away. Despite the peaceful mood surrounding the campsite, Jaheira was sitting on a log with a tense expression on her face, the druid's attention focused on the tent she was sharing with her young charge. Sounds of restless tossing and turning, accompanied with the occasional sob had been reaching her delicate half-elven ears for the best part of the last hour, and she was torn between waking Leah from her nightmare or maintaining the hope that it would pass and the girl would be able to get some uninterrupted sleep.
Everything had gone quiet for a brief while now and Jaheira slowly started to relax, assuming that whatever dreams had been plaguing Leah, had retreated. The reason for silence soon became apparent, however, when the young priestess crawled out of their tent, well awake. Wearing only a light tunic, Leah's forehead and bare arms shone in the light of campfire, the girl drenched in cold sweat from her nightmares. Leah smoothened out her dishevelled hair before looking up and making eye contact with the druidess.
Without a word, the girl crawled across the small clearing on all fours and perched on the log next to Jaheira. The druidess picked up a thick wool shirt she had discarded a while ago when the campfire had started to become too warm for her and placed it around Leah's shoulders, the girl looking up at her gratefully.
"Nightmares," Jaheira said a while later, having waited for Leah to calm down. "I would not try to intrude upon your memories, however, your dreams have proven to have a certain significance and impact on us all in the past."
Leah looked at the druidess again, opening her mouth to speak only to have a tremor run through the young priestess, forcing her to pause. Jaheira put her hand on the girl's shoulder. By Silvanus, she was shivering like a leaf. Without much thought, she put her arms around Leah, pulling the young woman closer. "T-thanks," Leah managed a while later. "A truly strange one this time... I... I am not sure I can make sense of it all."
"Tell me what you can," Jaheira urged gently.
"I was back in Candlekeep... or some weird, twisted version of it... Imoen was there with me," Leah paused for a moment before continuing. "And Gorion, Elminster... and Khalid," Jaheira felt her grip on the girl tightening minutely. "There was Sarevok too, as well as... the mage, Irenicus. He... he was leading me around the courtyard... telling me how my old life did not matter, repeating it again and again as he killed them all in my dream."
"Ha can't hurt you now," Jaheira whispered in the girl's ear. "It was only a dream."
"I just don't know what he meant, Jaheira... what old life am I clinging to? Did he mean that... if I accept who I am..." she pulled a little away, casting a fearful glance at the rest of their companions, but they were all sleeping soundly. "If I would just become what I was born to be, then anything I've done prior to that... I guess it would not matter."
"So, you think this dream was also fuelled by your heritage."
"I don't know..." Leah's reply, more of a strangled sob.
"I think your experiences in the care of this Irenicus would alone be reason for dreadful nightmares, your unique traits or not," Jaheira mused. "It seemed as if he was hell-bent on somehow releasing your essence, for whatever infernal purpose it might be. You might have just remembered something he was ranting at you during one of those... sessions with him."
"I... I suppose. Oh, Jaheira... and then, Imoen stared at me, her eyes so accusing when she claimed I would come too late... right before Irenicus turned her into stone and shattered it into a pile of rubble," Leah started sobbing again.
"It was your fear talking," Jaheira said, gently rocking the girl, almost like cradling a babe. "I worry about her too, though obviously the two of you are like sisters. But you must try and console yourself in the knowledge that we are doing all we can to rescue her as soon as possible."
"Are we?" Leah looked up at her. "Yes... I suppose we have been busy." She seemed to calm down then, allowing Jaheira to eventually release her. The girl sat alongside her quietly for a while. "Say, Jaheira... it just occurred to me, this isn't your guard shift, why are you even up at this hour?"
"I, ah... could not sleep," the druidess replied evasively.
"Really now," Leah looked at her a little accusingly. "You listened to me, now let me do the same for you, please."
"It is nothing, truly," she tried to downplay the subject, but of course, the girl was a stubborn one and when she had set her mind on something, rarely let go. _I do wonder from where she has gotten those traits? She was nothing like that when we just met._
"Jaheira..." there was a teasing warning in Leah's voice, one that was difficult to ignore. She did not particularly want to relive the whole experience of her own dreams again, waking up in the middle of the night with her tunic soaked in sweat and clinging to her skin, breathing slow and ragged, all of it had been incredibly unpleasant. And to have that easterner witness it made it particularly embarrassing. At least Yoshimo had the good sense not to make a single comment on it, withdrawing back into his tent when she had stated her intent to take over the guard duty from him, knowing that she would see no more sleep this night.
"It was… quite cruel, in a way," Jaheira said quietly, closing her eyes as she spoke. "I was reliving the events of the previous days, only with Khalid at my side. Silvanus, it felt so real, he said the words and did the things that I know he would do in those exact situations... and then, come evening we were about to retire together, when the realization dawned on me... he was not _truly_ there, never would be again." She shook her head adamantly. "Stupid really, I thought I was stronger than this. I should be."
"No, that was quite cruel, as you said," Leah's brown eyes were full of deep all-encompassing sadness. "You know what they say, there is no weakness in honest sorrow."
"Only in succumbing to depression over what cannot be changed," Jaheira finished. "I have heard that before, Gorion again?"
"The prophecies of Alaundo he made me read," Leah nodded.
"I learned from the same book then, it seems," Jaheira smiled. "But worry not over me, I will be fine now. Thank you."
"Oh, I doubt I will just stop worrying because you say I shouldn't," Leah shook her head resolutely. "But we can agree to just keep looking out for each other, can't we?"
"I… yes, very well, we can do as much," Jaheira finally relented. It was of course preposterous to think that she needed looking after, especially by this girl who had been through so much and of whom she honestly could not expect any more, but Leah had always insisted on giving especially when it was she who needed so much herself. But, if it put Leah's mind at ease... there was no harm in agreeing to it, after all.
They sat together in comfortable silence, until the first light of dawn appeared through the thick canopy of the forests surrounding the campsite. Leah shifted restlessly, and she caught the girl's stare. "You wish to pray," she said, no explanations between the two necessary.
"Yes, I should," Leah nodded. "I'll just retreat a little away from the camp, I do not wish to wake anyone."
"I will go with you, not the whole way, but far enough to keep an eye both on you and the camp," Jaheira said, rising from the log and stretching, limbs having gone a little stiff from the hours spent sitting.
"Thanks," Leah said, heading towards the bushes and carefully picking her way through where the canopy seemed scarcer. Jaheira set to follow the girl, until together they found a suitable spot amidst thick brambles. Having picked off a handful of berries as she watched Leah settle on the ground, Jaheira retreated halfway back to the camp, choosing to stand with her shoulder against an old birch, slowly going through the picked blackberries, wincing at the sour taste.
The song of the young Sorlyn soon reached her ears again, forcing her to pause and listen. Leah's singing always tore at her heartstrings in a way that she both hated and still could not get enough of. The girl's rich, soft voice sang words in Elven now, an ancient lullaby of the People, perhaps as old as time itself. She knew this song, even if she did not know from where. Had her own elven mother sung it to her before she had been taken away, brought to safety into the care of the druids? She could not remember, having been too young. There were only sparse details, she could remember the touch, always gentle like caress, the smell of her mother's subtle perfume, a hint of lavender and sage, and that voice, rich like Leah's but without the unyielding strength, more like a gentle, soothing whisper.
_But is that memory even true?_ She caught herself thinking. _Or is it just something I have created myself from the need to have such memories? _
She finally shook off the enthralling spell of Leah's singing, the remaining berries falling from her hand into the moss below. All this thinking that she had been doing lately, she did not need any of this, not when there was so much to do. She turned back towards the camp, seeing that by now someone else was up and stretching, the large frame suggesting Minsc. _Good,_ she thought, _we can get ready and going, doing something productive instead of this blasted soul searching._ She could hear the sounds of someone heavily pushing through the bushes behind her, Leah done with her prayers. _And it seems I am not the only one in dire need of a distraction. _
* * *
From the distance of the small mound they were standing upon, not much indicated that the keep had already fallen, or that it was indeed under attack. There was no attacking force amassed outside, the drawbridge was raised and everything inside appeared quiet and calm. However, the possibility that the attack had been repelled and the invaders had retread evaporated once they had approached closer and saw the grizzly sight outside the road leading up to the gates. Bodies of dozen if not more horribly mutilated defenders of the keep were strapped to high poles alongside the road, a sign of warning to everyone and an effective way to break the morale of the remaining guards.
Her worst fears confirmed, Nalia was difficult to console, Aerie and Leah doing their best to reassure the young mage that not all hope was lost. As Jaheira's sharp eyes scanned the exterior of the keep, she was well aware that such hope was very faint indeed, though it could not be discarded entirely. There might very well be some small pockets of resistance within the inner keep, if only there would be a way to get inside other than knocking their heads against the heavy iron shod gates.
Having left Nalia with Aerie, Leah rejoined the druidess, Anomen following in her step. The young priestess looked grim at the realization that their task had just been made that much more difficult, and the extra reward for rescuing Nalia's father seemed almost certainly unattainable. Of course, knowing Leah, she was more disturbed by the heavy losses of human lives, likely including the lord of the keep, the girl fortunately still far from the ruthless detached practicality Jaheira had developed over her many seasons as an adventurer.
"'Tis abhorrent to think that a heinous act such as this can be performed right outside Athkatla, almost under the Council's noses," Anomen fumed, his fists tightly clenched. "Sometimes I do not understand why the Order does not take direct control of the Council. When I see an injustice like this, I think the Order could do far more to turn this into a fair and equitable land, don't you think?"
Jaheira glanced at Leah, the young squire obviously searching for her approval of his esteemed Order. "Aren't you afraid that the Order itself might become corrupted by the politics you mention?" the girl asked.
"Lady Leah, you clearly underestimate the purity of our hearts and the devotion to our ideals. The paladins and knights of Radiant Heart are incorruptible, and I hope in time you will see these words to be true," Anomen replied, his face flushing from what he obviously perceived as an insult to his beliefs. "But surely, my lady, even you must think that evil can be fought with more than just a sword?"
Leah looked very tired when she turned to answer him. "I don't know the answer to that, Anomen. Yes, I suppose?"
Jaheira quickly intervened before Anomen had the chance to add more about the greatness of the Radiant Heart. "I think what Leah is saying is that it would be ignorant for her to speak on matters of which she is not well informed," the girl looked at her, nodding in agreement. "She has spent the whole of two days in Amn, not much time in which to form an opinion on how well your Council governs its lands."
"I would have hoped that the questions I posed were general enough that anyone would be able to answer with the thoughts of greater good in mind," Anomen looked unconvinced, but then his expression softened just a little and he nodded at her. "Though I suppose your words hold merit. Perhaps we can speak of it later, once you have more impressions of this fair land."
"If I may interrupt this fascinating discussion," it was Yoshimo, together with Minsc returning from a little scouting excursion. Jaheira was quite glad for the break in conversation. While Leah might have been tolerant of Anomen's constant seeking of approval, Jaheira was far less excited about the squire's attitude. "My large friend and I found some of the surviving guards, covering in a wooden palisade on the other side of the keep. Perhaps we should investigate?"
Overhearing his words, Nalia sprang to her feet suddenly, bowling Aerie over in the process. "My... my father might be there! There is a chance... let us hurry!" she spoke excitedly, rushing ahead of everyone. Jaheira led the others after her, only Yoshimo staying a little behind to help Aerie, the elf looking a little peeved at Nalia's less than subtle treatment of her.
In the end, Nalia's hopes were crushed for the second time that day for her father was not amongst those who had sought refuge at the palisade. Nine guards and their captain, a man called Arat, had been cut off on the outer walls as the invaders had breached the lines of the defenders and entered the keep itself. There was nothing left for them to do than to fight through to the breached gates and rush to safety, going after the masses that had poured into the keep would have been a suicidal attempt. So, here they had been sitting for a day and a half, their only hope for reinforcements of some kind, and even though Captain Arat clearly looked sceptical about their chances of success, still, a plan was hastily forged.
Once Nalia had recovered her wits, she remembered of the secret passage she had been using to sneak in and out of the keep. The plan would see them enter the passage, fight their way through the lower levels of the keep, stealthily sneak out into the courtyard and lower the drawbridge again, allowing Arat's forces to storm in, join Leah's group and take the attackers by surprise. Leah had wondered why all of them could not enter together, using the secret passage, but apparently the tight quarters they would be travelling through would not be suitable for a force of nearly twenty men and women.
With that decided, there was nothing left than to wish each other luck and finally set to their task.
* * *
Several hours later they had progressed well through the ground level of the keep. The troll opposition had been quite scattered, seemingly convinced that the defending forces had been routed and many trolls had fallen prey to their ambushes. One of the rare servants that they managed to rescue knew to tell that Lord d'Arnise had still been alive quite recently, taken to the cellars by the leader of the invading troll army, so it seemed that the fiercest opposition still awaited them.
The servant, Daleson, had also mentioned that Nalia's father had tried to reforge an ancient weapon in his possession, something that apparently would have been very effective against the trolls. Nalia identified the weapon as the fabled Flail of Ages, created ages ago by powerful rakshasa and due to its dark creation the weapon had been kept hidden and its parts separated, making sure any divinations of the rakshasa would never reveal its location.
Already, they had managed to find the base of the weapon with a single flail head attached, hidden in a secret room behind an old forge. Anomen had taken upon himself to wield the weapon against the trolls for no one else had any training or experience in using a flail. "Until Lord d'Arnise can use it again himself," the squire had said, proudly accepting the flail from Nalia. Jaheira could only pray that the squire's well-meant words came true, but she was not holding much hope.
As they were all slowly gathering at the heavy front gate leading out from the keep and into the courtyard, Nalia quickly explained to Leah the closest way up to the fortified walls where they would have to operate the wheel mechanism in order to lower the drawbridge. Coming out of the large kitchen storeroom to join the others, having watched Minsc torch a still twitching ice troll, Jaheira felt something in her left knee give way for some reason, and she stumbled, twisting her leg painfully.
Steadying herself against the wall, she looked around quickly, hoping that no one had noticed, only to find Leah's brown eyes locked on her. "It is nothing," she hissed as the girl approached, the druidess herself casting a light healing spell on the painful knee. "I must have picked up a strain sitting in that cold cell for months. It will take some time to get back into shape, I fear."
"I know," the girl smiled, somewhat darkly. "I notice I have been getting exhausted faster than before."
"Well, I do not have any right to complain. Whatever I suffered is not comparable to what Irenicus put you through."
"I suppose," Leah grimaced, the druidess immediately regretting having brought up all the suffering they had endured in that accursed dungeon. "You will be fine, I take it?" the young priestess asked, Jaheira simply nodding at that. "We will have to move fast, I don't want anyone to be near the doors when we lower the bridge and the trolls rush out to meet Arat's men."
"Are you trying to coddle me?" Jaheira snapped. Leah looked a little hurt at her outburst, the druidess then taking a few experimental steps, testing the knee. There was no more pain, only a lingering echo of it. "Everything is fine, see?"
Moments later, Leah and Yoshimo opened the doors and Jaheira, Minsc and Anomen charged through, quickly overpowering the few lazy looking trolls in the courtyard. Aerie's acid arrows and Nalia's fire spells quickly stopped the fallen trolls from regenerating, and together they all moved up the western wall, no more opposition between them and the wheel mechanism. Shortly after, the drawbridge was lowered and Arat's men charged in, the loud creaking of the bridge alerting the trolls inside and several more now rushed forth to meet the rejuvenated defenders of the keep, trolls followed by a group of snake-like creatures, the yuan-ti.
Sounds of battle, screams of men and hissing of the snake people erupted from below, as the group of seven slowly crawled back down from the fortifications, after it was clear that no more troll reinforcements from the keep were arriving. Yoshimo, Nalia and Aerie remained up on the wall, pelting the enemy below with arrows and spells, while the melee group now attacked the yuan-ti from behind, scoring several cheap kills before their opponents realized they had been surrounded from both sides and started panicking.
In the end, the trolls and the yuan-ti were dispatched without incurring serious losses on their side. Arat lost one more guard during the attack, his head split together with his helmet by a vicious overhead slash from one of the yuan-ti. Another guard had lost his sword arm, ripped out of its socket by a maddened troll before anyone could react, but thankfully Anomen's quick reaction in healing the bloody stump had prevented the man from bleeding to death.
"What do you propose we do now?" Leah finally asked, standing a little aside together with Nalia and Captain Arat.
"You said that Lord d'Arnise has been taken to the cellars," Arat spoke. "I suggest we do the following. Together with the guards we will clear and secure the upper floors."
"Maybe Auntie still lives," Nalia exclaimed hopefully. Arat did not seem excited about that prospect, for some reason. "You have to try and rescue her, Captain, please!"
"Very well, Miss Nalia," Arat bowed. "The rest of you should try and make it to the cellars. If you hurry, perhaps not all is lost yet..."
"Yes, Leah, let's hurry, please," Nalia urged in a pleading voice.
"As you would wish it, Nalia," Leah said, rounding everyone up and making sure they were ready, before turning to the young mage again. "Show us the way then, lady d'Arnise!"
8. Chapter 8
**Chapter 8**
_So far so good,_ Leah thought as the group readied themselves for the final push into the catacombs under the d'Arnise keep, the prison cells and rusted torture implements painfully at odds with Nalia's insistence to refer to this glum place as mere 'cellar'. They had just finished off some slightly tougher troll resistance and then thanks to Yoshimo's ingenuity, lured a group of fearsome umber hulks away from their path and into an empty prison cell. Locked up in the tight space, the terrifying creatures now awaited their eventual execution, which would have to wait until the rest of the dungeon was secured.
Closer inspection of the cell block revealed the reason for the umber hulk presence. At the back of one of the cells, there loomed a wide opening, a freshly dug large curved tunnel leading up and outside, handiwork of the umber hulks, no doubt brought here for this single purpose to give the invading army the opportunity to take the keep's defenders by surprise. After all, the gates of the keep had never been breached, as the invaders had already taken the castle from the inside.
Now, as they marched through the last set of doors and into a larger chapel, a grim sight opened to their view. Three trolls, one of them larger than any Leah had previously seen, were caught busy tearing and beating up at something that had once been a human, now nothing but a bloody pulp. Leah's thought to quickly devise a strategy while the trolls were distracted immediately shattered as Nalia recognized the blood-spattered garments of the beaten, and by all the looks by now mercifully deceased man.
"Monsters!" Nalia shouted, rushing towards the trolls, magic blazing at her fingertips as she readied a spell. "You will pay for what you have done to my home, to my father!"
"Father? You live this place?" the largest of the trolls bellowed in broken Common, ignoring the flame arrow that had knocked one of his fellows several feet backwards. "Then you die! That was deal, and you die for sure! Rocksmash pack keep deal for stronger!"
"What? What deal?" Nalia stopped in confusion, her next spell interrupted. "Someone put you up to this? Who was it? If you are just some hired muscle, tell me who put you up to it! I will make you talk, I swear!"
The ranting seemed to have distracted the trolls momentarily, and Leah quickly ordered for Minsc to get in front of Nalia, shielding her, the enraged mage having left herself in a very vulnerable position to any troll charge. Jaheira and Anomen moved to intercept the two smaller trolls, Leah choosing to stay near Minsc, realizing that he might need the most of her support against the troll leader. It wasn't long until the trolls got tired of the shouting and ran towards them, Nalia and Aerie unleashing their spells, but they didn't seem to slow the fearsome beasts down by much.
Jaheira, with all her experience, realized that she did not need to risk by going all out on the offense, she merely needed to keep her opponent occupied until the rest of them had dealt with the troll leader. So, the druidess simply sat on the defensive, easily defending against the troll's powerful but slow swings, her own plain non-magical scimitar occasionally nicking the troll, but to no great effect.
Anomen, on the other hand, showed no such patience, too eager to claim the glory of a kill. In an open exchange of blows, both the squire and his opponent had suffered many wounds, but fortunately for Anomen, the now fully assembled Flail of Ages gave him just enough advantage to prevail and to finally smash the troll's head, the flail's powerful enchantments immediately halting the troll's regenerative power and killing the beast. Anomen, exhausted from the many blows he had taken, was forced to pause and heal himself thoroughly before rejoining the fray.
The fight against the troll leader was difficult, despite their overwhelming five to one advantage in numbers. Countless times Leah tried to sneak up on the beast from behind, trying to stab it with her falchion, only to have the massive troll swirl around and lash out at her. Fortunately, she was nimble enough and always managed to dodge just in time, and Minsc exploited these openings as much as he could. Between his strikes, Yoshimo's arrows and the spells of the two mages, the large troll was gradually getting worn down, the creature's endurance shocking to say the least. When the beast finally fell, Minsc went down with it, bloody and beaten, but still a beaming smile and shout of glory on his lips, despite the pain.
Having ordered Aerie to heal their ranger friend, Leah led the others to aid Jaheira, quickly despatching her troll opponent who by now had grown extremely frustrated at the time wasting tactics of the druidess. Once Aerie had finished her healing chant to mend Minsc's injuries, the ranger once again up on his feet, silence descended upon the chapel, as Nalia sat down next to the corpse of her father, tears flowing across her cheeks. Everyone discreetly left her alone, stepping out of the chapel, as the young mage's sobbing and the occasional wail grew in strength.
"There was nothing we could have done, right?" Leah looked at Jaheira.
"No," the druidess shook her head sadly. "There was simply too much damage."
Leah turned away, struggling with her own emotions. Nalia's pain had reawakened some old wounds she thought had long since healed, and while her heart bled for the girl's loss, her mind drifted to that open field several miles outside the gates of Candlekeep where she had found Gorion, skewered by the same sword that Minsc now carried on his back. The feeling of loss and despair had stayed with her for many months after, and realizing the pain that Nalia would be going through she nearly started to cry herself.
A hand came to rest on her shoulder, comforting in its intent. Leah turned around to assure Jaheira that she would be fine, but much to her surprise, found Anomen's eyes focused on her, kind and full of compassion. Ashamed, she quickly turned away.
"We did all we could, my lady," he said gently.
"I know Anomen… thank you. It's just that... I lost Gorion... my foster father," she explained, seeing the confusion on his face. "I lost him to a similar fate not long ago. To see it happening to Nalia... it strikes a powerful chord within me."
"I am sorry to hear it, Leah. Sometimes this world can be very cruel, can it not?" something in Anomen's voice suggested he was well familiar with loss himself, but Leah did not feel it was a fitting moment to inquire. They spoke no more, until Nalia emerged from the chapel a good while later, her eyes reddened and cheeks still wet from crying.
"I think... I will be fine, now," the young mage managed bravely. "Enough. I would leave this place." With that she turned and walked away towards the stairs leading out of the dungeon.
Leah quickly motioned for the others to follow before beckoning Yoshimo to her side. "You seem like someone I could delegate to arrange a creative disposal of those umber hulks," she said quietly.
The Kara-turan grinned broadly. "I thought you would never ask. I have just the thing for the task," he produced a small vial of amber liquid. "If they don't burn well on their own, this will make sure they roast nicely."
"You can spare me the details, I think," Leah said, walking away. "As long as they're dead, I don't really care how."
Upstairs, Leah arrived in the large central hall to see Nalia discussing something with Captain Arat and an elderly noblewoman, who Leah surmised to be the Auntie Nalia had referred to earlier. The discussion seemed to grow rather heated, particularly between the two women, while the captain just looked like he wanted to be elsewhere. In the end, Arat excused himself, taking some of the surviving guards with him to the dungeon to take care of Lord d'Arnise's remains and prepare them for funeral.
After a few more high-pitched exchanges, the elder noblewoman threw her arms up in despair and stormed away, passing Leah and her friends but not sparing even a barbed glare at them, retreating upstairs. Having stood in one spot for a while, clenching her fists and trying to reign in her temper, Nalia finally let out a deep breath and rejoined them.
"My... my home. My father... what is there left for me?" the young woman looked forlorn. "Someone has done this... but who?"
"I am sorry we could not save your father," Leah said. "I wish I could help you more, but I am not sure in what capacity we could be useful. Rebuilding the keep will take time, I have no doubt, and I will need to resume my travels soon."
"Yes... yes, of course, I will see to your reward shortly," Nalia spoke, looking thoughtful. "Afterwards... well, I don't know what will happen. I wonder if you... hmm, no, I don't think so..."
"Speak up, Nalia," Leah urged her. "If there's something I can do, I will."
"It is just... you see, I am betrothed to a man I do not wish to marry. Father said he would stall as long as I wished to, but now he is gone. Aunt Delcia already reminded me of my obligations... that was the reason for our confrontation you saw just now."
_Hmm, so the old crone has a motive, perhaps?_ Leah wondered. "She did not seem too broken up about your father's death."
"What? Oh no, I hope you are not implying anything, she is devastated, she just... knows how to guard her emotions better than I do," Nalia said. "But as I was saying, I was betrothed to Isaea Roenall, a brat of a man. Coming from an influential family, now they will surely push forth with the agreement, and I will be forced into a life of quiet nobility. I should not be surprised that Auntie sees this as an opportunity to improve our standing and the fortunes of our family."
"Purely altruistic on her part, I am sure," she heard Jaheira snorting nearby, Nalia shooting an angry stare at the druidess.
"Still, I have worked so hard to distinguish myself from nobles such as the Roenall family, I could not stand to be associated with them in any way. Or indeed, see them lay claim to my father's holdings, it would... no, I do not think I can stay to witness that, it would break my heart," Nalia said, her fists clenched from the emotion. "I... I think it would be best if I left. There is little remaining for me here, and the Roenall's will soon attempt to usurp their control of the place."
Leah looked around the grand hall of the keep, her brow furrowing as she was contemplating something. Even in its current state, slightly damaged in the battle, the large castle was impressive. In a way it slightly reminded her of Candlekeep, even if the layout was completely different, this place had a heart of its own, oozing rich history. And Leah could not imagine herself ever giving up as easily on a place she called home. "I think you should stay here and try to do something to resist these Roenall's," she told the young mage.
"How dare you?" Nalia was incensed. "You know nothing of our traditions, our laws or the wealth and power of the Roenall's! If you had even the slightest idea of what you are talking about, you would see that I am completely out of options!"
"Remember, the keep never fell to the trolls, it was only because of those umber hulks that they were able to breach it from the inside. Perhaps defending it with force is not the best way, but it still is an option," Leah pointed out, ignoring Nalia's righteous fury.
"I cannot ask these soldiers to risk their lives for me again, so soon after this attack!" Nalia exclaimed, unconvinced. "It would just end with the Roenall's throwing more and more soldiers against the walls, resulting in countless lives lost, all because of my stubbornness in ignoring my obligations and because of my defiance of the traditions."
"I believe I speak for most of the guard, Miss Nalia, when I say that we would be honoured to make the effort," Captain Arat spoke up behind her. "Our loyalty to your father was unshakable, and it extends to you as well. And if not for the loyalty, or their payroll, the guard have vested interest in protecting the keep. Should this place fall to the Roenall's, all of us would be forced to leave and while as of late this has not proven to be the safest form of employment, they are all interested in remaining here."
"No… no, I don't think I can ask that of you," Nalia shook her head.
"Lady Nalia," Anomen approached her. "I have been thinking, and I believe that there is a solution that has been used several times in recent history. Lady Nalia, as an heir to your family's holdings, it is your right to choose a master of this castle. You could ask someone to become the figurehead of the keep and assume the role of a ward of sorts, yourself."
"Hmm, I suppose... but would the Roenall's truly accept such arrangement? They might want to push their claims despite everything..."
"Ah, but they would have no legal justification for doing so," Anomen explained. "Even if their influence is great, the Council simply would not stand for one noble family attacking another so openly."
"I am starting to like this idea..." Nalia mused, spark of hope in her eyes now. "And since you are of a noble background yourself, it might make the arrangement all the more convincing."
"Err, my lady, I am afraid I would not be best suited for this task..." Anomen stammered, looking very uncomfortable.
"But why would you offer such solution only to decline yourself?" Nalia looked surprised.
"I, ah... the path of the Roenall's and the Delryn's has crossed before," Anomen admitted, looking ashamed. "I must confess that my father's less than fortunate business practices have put us indebted to many, Roenall's amongst them. If they knew of my involvement, they would not hesitate to exploit it, and perhaps would also try to sabotage my aspirations regarding the Order."
Leah guessed the latter part was the greatest worry for Anomen, but declined from commenting on it. "Must the figurehead be a man?" she asked. "Perhaps..."
"No offense, Leah, but you simply do not cut a very daunting figure," Nalia said quickly, much to Leah's chagrin. "I do not believe that Yoshimo looks the part either, and your friend Minsc..."
"Minsc and Boo would like to rule the nice castle!" Minsc said excitedly, the hamster on his shoulder looking just as intrigued about the opportunity. "Boo could oversee the cheese and peanut supplies, while Minsc takes care of the less important duties!"
"Well, you heard it for yourself," Nalia sighed. "I think we're out of options here, unless you reconsider, Anomen."
"I apologize most profusely, but I fear I must decline," the squire looked guilty as he spoke.
"This is all a waste of our precious time," it seemed as Jaheira's patience had finally worn out. "We can ill afford to stand around listening how the girl lacks the backbone to do what is right and the rest of you," she glared at Anomen in particular, the squire withering under her stare. "Are simply throwing responsibility around like a hot potato! Now, decide one way or another and let us be done with it!"
While the others stood in silence, ashamed and looking at their feet, something occurred to Leah. "Nalia... are you absolutely certain that this figurehead must be a man?" she asked.
"Well, I guess if there was a woman as intimidating as..." the young mage stopped, something dawning on them all.
"What are you staring at me like that for?" Jaheira asked sharply. Then the realization dawned on her. "Oh no! Deal with your keep yourself, I am not getting involved in this nonsense!"
"But... you are forceful enough to maybe make this work. Certainly, we would need to be creative in disguising your elven ancestry, because the Roenall's would not accept that, but that should be easily done," Nalia argued. "And despite your manner, there is something about you..." she silenced herself quickly, as Jaheira glared at her fiercely.
"Jaheira, might I have a word with you?" Leah spoke up, beckoning her friend to step aside.
"Thank you Leah, this foolishness was starting to grate on my nerves," Jaheira exclaimed in relief when they had both retreated away from the group.
"Oh you misunderstand me, I want you to accept this responsibility."
"What? Why?" the druidess looked shocked. "We do not need to get involved into these affairs, what possible reason would you have for wasting our time so?"
"Practical reasons, actually. The keep is very close to Athkatla, and it has nice wide stables, if we could secure horses, it would probably be only two or three hour ride to the city," Leah started to explain. "It would also save us gold we would otherwise spend in inns, paying for our rooms... and the lodgings here would be far more comfortable than in any inn. All in all..." Leah mused, looking around. "I find this could be a very good base of operations."
Jaheira did not look utterly convinced. "I still think you are mad. You expect me to deal with some uppity nobles?"
"I expect you to send them covering from fear of getting their dainty faces bruised, actually," Leah chuckled. "But just think of what we could gain if we manage to make this plan work. Neither of us is fond of cities, especially large, dirty and intimidating ones like Athkatla."
"Hmm, you do make a decent point," the druidess looked more thoughtful now. "Very well, if you truly think this is a good idea... I will try."
"Ladies and gentlemen..." Leah spoke up as they rejoined the rest of the group. "Please bow to your new overlord, Lady Jaheira," and she did so herself, bowing deeply. Jaheira's only reaction was a groan before she buried her face in her hands.
* * *
_A/N: Well, this is the end of the old chapters that were written almost 3 years ago. I can't help but to think that these last ones were a bit dull and uninspired. The good thing is that I have the game installed again, and I have some fun ideas where to go from here. I should have a new, freshly written chapter coming up soon, if everything goes well. _
9. Chapter 9
**Chapter 9**
Yet again, Jaheira woke in the middle of the night. While for her it was nothing unusual in its own right, this time she had the strangest feeling as if she had not been awakened by her nightmares, but rather some weird explosion-like noises in the distance. However, such explanation seemed utterly ridiculous. It was perhaps only three or four hours past the midnight, the sky outside was pitch black and silence reigned all around her. Still, now that she had found herself awake, the druidess knew that this was the end of her rest this night, kicking off the soft silken bedsheets and getting out of the bed.
Nalia's keep was so large that all of them could enjoy the privacy of having separate rooms, but in a way Jaheira found it a little disconcerting, having grown used to the idea of sharing accommodations with Leah during their travels. But at least now she did not have to worry about waking the girl, Jaheira stretching lightly before leaving the room, wearing nothing but her light sleeping tunic, ending a good finger length above her knees. In truth, the druidess preferred to sleep in the nude, but she had made a concession out of respect to her travelling companions, not wanting to embarrass someone as naive as Anomen or give any wrong ideas to sly rogues like Yoshimo.
The castle and the rest of its inhabitants seemed well and truly asleep, the hallways were empty and Jaheira swiftly and quietly strode through the corridors, reaching the heavy iron shod doors that lead directly from the second floor of the keep out onto the fortifications. For a while she simply stood frozen like a statue, drawing deep breaths of the cool night air, relaxing as her head cleared and some of the stress and the tension bled away. She was about to turn around and return to the keep, when suddenly she heard a subtle creaking sound coming from somewhere a little ahead of her.
Realizing that someone was out here with her, Jaheira tensed up immediately, crouching a little and trying to detect the source of the sound. Her elven vision did help, and though it seemed as if there was nobody directly ahead of her, she heard the noise again, a screeching sound that she remembered hearing before. _The drawbridge wheel! _Jaheira suddenly realized, darting forward, cutting around the corner of the battlements and sneaking up on a figure in dark, hunched over the large wheel, struggling to turn it.
Having finally identified the one trying to lower the drawbridge, Jaheira straightened up and let out a little cough to alert the other, receiving a startled gasp as Nalia's beloved aunt turned around sharply and faced her with a surprised, yet disgusted glare. "Nice evening for a stroll, Lady Delcia?" the druidess asked casually.
"What is it to you, peasant?" Delcia spat back, quickly recovering from the surprise. "You should count yourself fortunate that your presence is even tolerated within these walls!"
"How charming," Jaheira clicked her tongue. "Would you mind explaining what are you doing out here, trying to lower the drawbridge?"
"I certainly _**would**_ mind having to explain myself!" Delcia protested. "I will not be held accountable to some lower class mongrel! It is your duty to assist your betters without questioning their actions. And right now I order you to turn this wheel!"
"I do not think that would be wise," Jaheira shook her head warningly. "In fact, I would like you to step away from the wheel, or I will have to remove you forcefully."
"Threatened in my own home?" Delcia fumed. "The very nerve of it! But you will not find me an easy prey, brute!" she withdrew a thin and sharp looking knife, making Jaheira halt her advance, not that she was truly frightened of facing an old noblewoman, armed with a letter knife.
However, things did not even escalate to an uneven physical confrontation. Lady Delcia suddenly collapsed with a heavy grunt, toppling to the ground as a dark figure appeared behind her, the newcomer revealing himself to be Yoshimo, smiling as he bowed lightly to Jaheira. "I knew that the old crone had to be watched," the rogue smirked, looking pleased with himself. "It seems as if I was not alone in my suspicions."
"Fortunately she overestimated her own physical strength and struggled to turn the wheel," Jaheira nodded, unwilling to admit that she had stumbled upon Delcia by accident. "I imagine there is a large group of Roenall soldiers waiting somewhere outside the gates."
"That would be a safe assumption, yes," Yoshimo agreed. "But still, Lady Delcia presents us with a problem," he continued. "I have a feeling that despite their heated arguments, she still holds some power over her niece. Even if young Nalia would believe us instead of her aunt, I do not think that she would dare to act against Delcia in any way."
"I see what you mean, bounty hunter," Jaheira agreed reluctantly. "While Lady Delcia remains in the keep... attempts like these might continue. It would be better if she... left."
"Since I doubt that she would be willing to simply walk away, I assume you are implying that she should leave the scene... permanently?" Yoshimo guessed, earning a sharp nod from Jaheira. "I admire your practicality, my lady," he smiled at the unimpressed looking druidess.
"She has revealed her evil intent," Jaheira shrugged simply. "Her sympathies lay with the Roenall's, and that makes her our enemy. But do make certain that the body is not found. We must do what we can to spare Nalia's feelings. She will make an attempt to find her aunt."
"Lady Delcia will never be seen or found again, I swear that on my reputation as a bounty hunter," Yoshimo spoke, bowing to the druidess.
"Very well," Jaheira nodded. "Also, did you take care of the umber hulk tunnels as I instructed you to do? Because if you have not done so, there is still a looming backdoor entrance into the keep, begging to be exploited."
"I took care of it, but not... exactly in the way you instructed me to do," Yoshimo replied, looking smug.
"Enlighten me," the half-elf demanded, crossing her arms on her chest.
"You did not hear the explosions a while ago?"
"Those were real? I thought I was merely dreaming," Jaheira confessed.
"Instead of collapsing the tunnel, I decided to fix it with several explosive traps," Yoshimo grinned broadly. "You were correct, they did try to use it again to enter the keep. I do not know how many of the Roenall soldiers now lay buried under the rock and rubble, but I would estimate between one to two dozen."
Jaheira winced, feeling rather impressed by the Kara-Turan's thinking, but obviously reluctant to hand out praise easily. "An interesting and creative solution," she finally said. "You are proving to be a dangerous man, Yoshimo."
"As I said, I have a reputation that must be maintained," the rogue replied with that disarming smile of his. "It is in my nature to think of everything."
"Except that one time when you were captured in your room at the Copper Coronet," Jaheira pointed out, watching the expression on Yoshimo's face with narrowed eyes.
For a while nobody said anything, tension palpable in the air, despite the smile still lingering on Yoshimo's lips. "Everybody is entitled to one mistake, my lady," he finally said, chuckling amiably to disperse the tension. "I am simply glad that mine did not have lethal consequences."
"I hope my one mistake will not be to trust you," Jaheira pointed out, keeping a piercing stare on Yoshimo, but it still failed to unnerve the rogue.
"I assure that I will do my utmost not to disappoint you," Yoshimo said, sounding sincere. "But now, I think you should be able to return to your interrupted rest, my lady," he added, glancing at the unconscious Lady Delcia at his feet. "I doubt you wish to accompany me on this gruesome little task."
"Your concern is appreciated, though I doubt I will be able to resume sleeping," Jaheira said, briefly looking around to see that there were still not even the slightest signs of the first light of the dawn.
"If I could make a suggestion, my lady," Yoshimo said smoothly, his eyes seemingly fixed on Jaheira's legs. "I know of several ancient Kara-Turan massage techniques that could-... but perhaps I should stop talking now," he said, feeling Jaheira's glare intensifying tenfold.
"That would be very wise," Jaheira agreed, turning around to walk back to the keep. "Now go, and take care of your task."
* * *
On the morning of the next day, Anomen sought out Leah in the keep's library, finding the priestess browsing through a book detailing collection of some local folk songs, smiling as he placed a tray of food and a mug of tea in front of the slightly startled Leah. "I did not see you at the breakfast table, my lady," he said gently. "I simply thought..."
"Oh, I did grab something from the kitchen earlier, but thank you, I really appreciate it. I was already getting hungry again," Leah smiled at him, watching the young man take a seat opposite to her.
"I must say, I actually missed not being awakened by your lovely morning prayer," Anomen said, blushing a little.
"You wouldn't have wanted to be awakened that early, Anomen," Leah kept smiling back at him. "Besides, as a fellow healer, I know that you are probably feeling very sore after all the blows you took for the good of the group yesterday. You needed the recovery."
"You are most considerate, my lady," Anomen replied, looking thankful and impressed by her kindness, hesitating a little before speaking up again. "You mentioned the name of Gorion yesterday. I understand that he was very much like a father to you. What was your relationship with him like?"
"He was... well, I always considered him to be my father in the best sense of the word, truly," Leah smiled serenely, her thoughts drifting back to what was actually relatively recent past, though right now it almost seemed like an entirely different lifetime, one where she did not have the blood of a dead god in her veins. "He was always there for me." _Even if you kept some horrible secrets from me... I know you did it to protect me, father. I will never hold it against you._
"I am glad that you had such a fond relationship with your father, though I admit also being rather jealous of you, my lady," Anomen said, something in his face changing as he spoke, making him appear bitter. "I did not have a good relationship with my father, Lord Cor. When he was not completely drunk, he would demand that I uphold the family honor, or simply told me what a worthless son I had become. He tried to discourage me from joining the Order and wanted me to help him in his mercantile business, but... I truly had no interest in that. Oh, how I would have wished for my father to be the supportive mentor I had dreamed of, but... instead, I endured his abuse until I was of the age to squire for the Order. Then, I fled as quickly as I could."
"I suppose I can understand that," Leah looked up to him sympathetically. "What about the rest of your family, though?"
"The only one left is my sister, Moira... I suppose I am telling you all this because you remind me of her a great deal," Anomen said, blushing a little as his eyes fell on Leah's face. "I miss her greatly... the only thing about my family that I miss."
"You left her with your abusive father?" Leah asked, a little surprised. "Will she be safe with him?"
"She is young and determined, and my father's ire was always reserved for me, so I do not think that she is in any kind of danger... even if I do regret abandoning her to such fate, alone with Lord Cor," Anomen admitted, looking ashamed. "But... there was little I could do. I am sure that she... never mind. Please, I do not wish to speak any further on this, Leah-" he suddenly looked about to cut her off abruptly, but then Nalia charged into the library, looking around anxiously, followed by a nervous looking Aerie and as always upbeat and proudly grinning Minsc.
"I cannot find Aunt Delcia!" Nalia announced, looking a little hysterical. "I have mobilized all the guards, and they have turned the keep upside down several times! They have combed every corner to find her, but with no result... my auntie has disappeared! I know the Roenall's are involved somehow, I just know!"
_They very well might be, just not in the way you think and hope for, Nalia, _Leah realized, Delcia's disappearance not particularly surprising to her. "Little Nalia speaks the truth," Minsc nodded excitedly. "Minsc tried to use Boo's sniffing nose to track down Nalia's aunt, but Boo's nose is not so good in sniffing out lost ladies! Though Boo did find secret food stores down in the pantry!"
"Yes, Daleson will have some explaining to do," Nalia said, looking annoyed.
"We could try to employ divination magic to locate your aunt," Aerie suggested. Then her face fell a little. "Although... I do not currently have such a spell memorized. What about you, Nalia?" The young human mage simply shook her head in reply to that.
"Perhaps she has left to meet the Roenall's with the intention to smoothen things over?" Leah then suggested something that she hoped Nalia would accept as plausible.
"That was my thought as well, but we checked her room and she had not packed and prepared for travel. It is clear that she has been abducted!" Nalia exclaimed, upset and agitated. "Not to mention that I have just received news from a messenger sent by Lord Farthington Roenall. He insists on an audience and is on his way to the keep. So Auntie Delcia could not be with the Roenall's!"
While Leah felt compelled to point out the logical flaws in Nalia's reasoning, she elected not to do so, rising from the table and pushing the barely touched tray of food away. "In that case," she said, smiling broadly. "I guess we should go and prepare a welcoming committee for the kind and considerate Lord Roenall..."
* * *
The audience with the arrogant and pompous Lord Farthington Roenall had gone pretty much according to the script that Leah had imagined. The haughty noble had ranted about how the d'Arnise keep was theirs by right, but Nalia, all credit to her, had not backed down, insisting that the old tradition regarding the guardian of the keep had to be respected. The head of the Roenall family had looked rather peeved when learning that Lady Delcia could not be found, further leading credence to Leah's conviction that Delcia had been conspiring with the wealthier family to get rid of her own brother and then marry off the niece to Farthington's repulsive looking son, Isaea.
Lord Farthington Roenall had spent a long time questioning Jaheira's worthiness to stand as Nalia's guardian, but the druidess had rebuked all of his arguments with her customary sharpness. Her elongated half-elven ears hidden by the helmet she wore, slanted, almond-shaped eyes made to look completely human-like by Nalia's creative use of makeup, all of these precautions made Lord Roenall certain that he was arguing with a human, not a half-elf. In the end, seeing that Nalia and Jaheira would not budge to his aggressive arguments, Lord Farthington Roenall had played the card that Leah had been hoping for, invoking a trial by combat with the fate of the keep at stake. Nalia and Jaheira had immediately agreed to these terms, and the whole procession had then moved to the keep's courtyard, one side of it filled by the guards of the d'Arnise Keep, Lord Roenall's entourage on the other side.
Lord Farthington was renowned in the circles of Amnish nobility as an expert swordsman, an opinion that was constantly repeated to him by all the trainers that he employed. Which also meant that while undoubtedly being quite skilled with the sword, he was also arrogant, overconfident and had not tested his skills in the field of battle, only against his many sparring partners. Jaheira had not received such extensive training with the scimitar, but her skills had been honed in countless daily battles against creatures and monsters of the very real kind. In Leah's mind, there was no question as to who truly held the edge in this contest, but still, as the two opponents stepped into the courtyard, the young priestess could not help but to feel very nervous for her old friend.
The duel started out cautiously, despite his bravado and arrogance Lord Roenall did not blindly charge in on the offensive and try to skewer the opponent with his bastard sword, first testing out Jaheira's defenses with some one-handed thrusts, looking a little surprised at how easily the agile druidess, clad in the powerfully enchanted chain mail they had found in the dungeons of Irenicus, dodged his attacks. Both opponents had agreed to forego the use of a shield, and while this allowed Lord Roenall to sometimes switch to two-handed use of his bastard sword, it was Jaheira who seemed to benefit more from the extra mobility.
The cautious, testing encounter continued for a good while, Jaheira unable to get close enough to test her scimitar against the weak points of Lord Roenall's plate armor, her opponent growing more and more frustrated with the reluctance of the druidess to engage in a tight melee scrap, always on the back foot and seeking to retreat as soon as Farthington began to push forward. As time went by, Lord Roenall's frustrations only increased. His attacks became more insistent and forceful, some had managed to nick Jaheira here and there, but not in any meaningful way. Still, it gave Farthington the confidence to continue his aggressive offense... until Jaheira allowed him to get a little closer, deflected the slash of his sword with her scimitar, and then threw a quick punch with her left hand, gauntleted fist smashing the arrogant noble's nose, breaking it and leaving his face bloodied.
Shouts and protests, accusing Jaheira of dishonorable conduct by throwing a cheap-shot, rang out from Isaea and the rest of the Roenall supporters, but they were quickly silenced by old Farthington himself, angrily waving his entourage to remain silent. He appeared well and truly enraged now, grabbing a two-handed hold of his bastard sword and coming at Jaheira with powerful overhead slashes that would have sliced the half-elf's head open, helmet or not. Still, this was just the kind of move that the druidess had been counting on, dodging and diving out of her opponent's way when Lord Roenall finally lost his balance after one particularly vicious strike.
That was all the opening that Jaheira needed, quickly recovering to unleash a precision strike with her scimitar, cutting deep into Farthington's leg, severing the tendons at the back of his knee. The arrogant lord struggled to get back to his feet, one of his legs no longer able to support his weight, and Jaheira quickly took advantage. A heavy blow with an elbow to Lord Roenall's temples nearly robbed him of his consciousness, making him woozy as he weakly slid to his knees. Without any hesitation, Jaheira pressed the tip of her scimitar into the rivet on the shoulder of his plate mail and then forced it downwards with tremendous force, the scimitar entering Farthington's body to the very pommel. Blood began to spurt from Lord Roenall's mouth and nose, the body falling forward limply and collapsing in the mud as soon as Jaheira withdrew the scimitar, blade dripping red with thick blood.
Even though Leah's first instinct was to cheer in celebration just like the rest of her group were doing, her cautious instincts made her hesitate and it proved a wise decision. She suddenly saw a man amongst the crowd of Roenall supporters withdrawing his long sword and charging at Jaheira, the druidess still standing over Farthington's corpse and oblivious as to what was going on behind her. "Jaheira!" Leah shouted, her heart clenching with anxiety. "Watch out!"
If the druidess had taken the moment to actually turn around and look at what was happening behind her, Isaea Roenall's powerful swing of the sword would have cleanly decapitated her. Fortunately, Jaheira knew better, the chemistry that they had developed fighting side by side through so many battles urging her to quickly roll aside and out of Isaea's way, the long sword slicing through air. She was up on her feet instantly, immediately being put on the defensive by Isaea's ferocious onslaught.
In the end, Isaea's undoing was the same as his father's. Having scored a few superficial nicks, the young Roenall was lured into believing that Jaheira was quickly tiring from the way that she constantly kept backing up. With all her experience, Jaheira managed to convince her opponent that she was weakening and in his arrogance Isaea happily believed her acting, probably also a part of him unable to truly accept that he could possibly be bested in combat by a woman. However, none of these slight, superficial nicks that Isaea scored or the territorial advantage he possessed, mattered. All it would take was the one strike that actually connected. Jaheira's movements in backpedalling seemed to become slower, but then as Isaea lounged forth with what he believed was the decisive strike, Jaheira's scimitar suddenly flashed through the air much faster than it should have been swung by his supposedly tiring opponent.
The courtyard was suddenly silenced by Isaea's cry of pain and dismay as he stared at the bloody stump of his sword arm, severed hand together with the sword clattering to the ground. "Help!" he yelled, turning towards the group of Roenall soldiers, trying to stop the spurting of the blood from his severed hand, pressing down on the stump. "I yield! I yield!" he whimpered pathetically. "Healer! Quickly!"
"On your knees," Jaheira spat, coming over to where Isaea whimpered in pain. Praying for his life, the young nobleman did as he was told, dropping on his knees and pleading for mercy. Jaheira simply ripped off his helmet, grabbed the dark mop of his hair and pulled his head backwards before pressing the blade of the scimitar to the man's gullet and then cutting his throat, almost casually.
"Hey!" the leader of the Roenall guard forces shouted in protest, looking enraged. "He had already surrendered, you honorless harlot!"
"He did not challenge me according to your own rules of conduct," Jaheira said simply, looking down at the two corpses, father and son. "I was under no obligation to accept his surrender."
Leah now stepped forth, taking Jaheira's side as she looked at the Roenall soldiers who still looked very hostile, some of them having already drawn swords. "So, what will it be?" she asked, staring down the leader of the soldiers. "Will you choose to fight for your dead lords and join them in death?"
Immediately, the angry muttering amongst the Roenall soldiers became slightly subdued and indecisive. "Well... when you put it like that..." the leader shrugged, looking back at his suddenly rather disinterested looking soldiers. "I suppose that would be rather pointless..."
"A wise choice," Leah nodded, pointing at the corpses on the ground. "Take these two and go. You have exactly one hour to get off the d'Arnise lands."
Wordlessly, the Roenall soldiers grabbed the corpses of their employers and dragged them away in a rather undignified manner, pulling them through the mud. Once they had left, someone on the battlements raised the drawbridge again and everyone inside the courtyard let out a deep breath of relief.
"Are we finally done with this nonsense?" Jaheira asked, sounding irritated, as Nalia came over to join her and Leah.
Nalia and Leah exchanged glances, Lady d'Arnise nodding gratefully. "Yes," the young priestess said with relief. "We are finally done here. Thank you, Jaheira."
"Forget it," the druidess said, turning around to walk away but not before throwing the bloodied scimitar away across the courtyard in disgust. "I have had just enough of this."
10. Chapter 10
**Chapter 10**
"So... what happens now?" Nalia d'Arnise asked, as Leah and her entire group had gathered downstairs in the central hall of the keep. Several hours had passed since the Roenall forces had retreated, dragging with them the corpses of their lords, effectively ending the conflict between the two families, the deaths of Lord Farthington Roenall and his son Isaea rendering all those forced agreements between them and Nalia's father null and void.
"What do you mean, Nalia?" Leah asked, looking at the young mage.
"Well... you have done me more favors than I could have reasonably expected of you," Nalia replied. "The Roenall's are no longer a threat, and you have also rid me of my... undesired engagement to Isaea. The truth is that I no longer require your services or your protection, but... you have done so much, so if there is any way that I could help you, just please do not hesitate to ask! But I'm afraid that I cannot offer any more coin, seeing as the repairs of the keep will be very costly."
"There is a way you can help, Nalia, yes," Leah nodded. "I've been thinking... perhaps you would allow us to use this keep as a headquarters of sorts, during our stay in Amn? It would be very convenient for us to have a base of operations as we plan our rescue of Imoen."
"Oh... but of course!" Nalia quickly agreed. "You can come and go as you wish, and I would be happy to accompany you on your travels should you have need of a mage! Well... after I have restored some semblance of order to the keep, that is..."
"I might very well take you up on that offer, Nalia," Leah smiled. "One more thing," she said, absentmindedly rubbing a sore spot in her lower back, the beds in Nalia's keep far softer than anything in her recent memory. "If you could find a way to secure horses for our use... that would be very much appreciated."
"Hmm... that might take some time... but I will see what I can do," Nalia nodded. "For now, you will simply have to do without horses, but I should have something for you within a tenday."
"I would like to have horses when we depart on our journeys to Trademeet or the Windspear Hills," Leah said. "But right now our path will lead back to Athkatla. I want to see about arranging some employment locally first, before you have secured those horses for us."
"Very well," Nalia said, looking pleased about being useful. "Then I will remain here and make sure you have everything you need by the time you return from Athkatla."
"Excellent," Leah smiled. "Aerie will remain here with you for the time being. She can help you in running the keep or help you in other ways. Also, make sure to compare your spellbooks. I'm certain you will find ways to broaden your array of spells."
"Did I fare poorly in battle, Leah?" Aerie asked, looking crestfallen. "I thought I did rather well..."
"Oh, you fared very well, Aerie, considering it was the first serious combat you saw," Leah smiled at the elf. "But I would rather not take you back to the city before I have secured that license from the Cowled Wizards. I don't want to run into any trouble with that group, since they are the ones keeping Imoen imprisoned."
"Ah... a-alright," Aerie nodded, looking more encouraged, then walking up to Nalia. "I'm sure I'll find ways to be useful around the keep! We will study magic together, Nalia... and we can keep looking for your aunt!"
"Of course, I have no intention of forgetting about Aunt Delcia," Nalia said with determination, Leah catching with the corner of her eye Jaheira letting out a sigh, the druidess rubbing her brow and looking a little annoyed. _I'm guessing she either knows or suspects of what has happened to Delcia, _Leah thought. _Ah, well. I'm guessing it's not an issue, anymore._
"Lady Nalia, are you truly certain about trusting the Flail of Ages in my possession?" Anomen asked, reverently holding the powerful weapon in his hands.
"I am most certain, Anomen," Nalia smiled broadly. "It will see much better use serving you in your noble quest than standing here disassembled, its parts merely gathering dust."
"I thank you for this honor, my lady," Anomen bowed deeply, looking moved.
"Alright... I guess that about wraps things up here," Leah finally said decisively, looking back at her group. "Let's get ready for the road, people! We're leaving within the hour!"
* * *
_"Life... is strength. This is not to be contested, it seems logical enough." _
That statement might have been true, however, the rest of Leah's nightmare felt less convincing. _Am I destined to be forgotten? _She thought, rubbing her aching head, running her hand through the damp strands of her hair, drenched in perspiration. _I don't think I will care whether I'm forgotten or not once I'm dead. Though of course... it is teasing me with immortality, isn't it? The taint, wearing the cruel face of my captor... so very convincing at times. _
_"You will do what you must, become what you must, or others will pay for your cowardice." _
_If only that made sense. _Leah sighed, slowly propelling herself up on her elbows. _I don't see how letting the taint take over would do anything but harm the others, those travelling with me, those I care about. Will it give me the extra strength that I need to rescue Imoen in time? Certainly... that is what it wants me to believe... but I've learned long time ago not to trust those insidious words that the taint whispers in my mind. _
Knowing that sleep would be hard to come by for the rest of the night, Leah cautiously pulled on the flap of her tent to see who was currently on the guard shift. Her eyes met with Yoshimo's alert stare, the Kara-Turan smiling at her. She released the flap of her tent to close it again, crawled out of her bedroll, got dressed and crawled out of the tent, ready to take over the watch from the Kozakuran rogue.
"You are up early," he commented as Leah sat down on her knees next to the small fireplace, reaching out with open palms to capture as much warmth as possible. "Almost by an hour." If she had made any noises in her sleep, cried or trashed during her nightmare, Yoshimo's appearance betrayed none of it, and she was glad for it.
"Couldn't sleep, so I can relieve you early," Leah shrugged. "I was supposed to take over from you anyway."
"That would be a very rude thing to do, my lady," Yoshimo smiled. "My honor would not allow me to abandon my post before the time of my watch has ended. You will simply have to endure my company for a while."
"It is not such a terrible thing to endure," Leah smiled up to him. Despite knowing Yoshimo only for a few days, he had a certain roguish charm about him that made it difficult to question his motives, even if Leah knew she could not trust the Kozakuran fully just yet.
"Perhaps this could give us an opportunity to talk," Yoshimo continued, eyeing her intently. "We are still relative strangers. I am sure that you would also like to know your companions better... as I would like to know more about the woman that I have chosen to follow."
"If you have questions, ask them," Leah said earnestly. "I will decide whether to answer them or not, but I will not hold your interest against you."
"I am curious how such a young lovely, proud and fair, would get herself dragged into adventuring," Yoshimo began, giving her a disarming smile. "It is a dangerous business, after all. Anyone of us could die at a moment's notice."
"Certainly not by choice, Yoshimo," Leah replied. "I do not think that I would have stayed in Candlekeep my entire life, but events forced me to abandon it sooner than I expected or was ready to."
"What happened?" Yoshimo asked.
"Assassins infiltrated Candlekeep, seeking to kill me," Leah explained. "My stepfather then tried to take me to a place where I would be in safety, but we were ambushed on the road. The man who had sent those assassins killed my stepfather and I barely managed to escape, left to wander the wilderness. The only choice before me was to take up the path that has led me here."
"Who was this man who sent assassins to kill you, and why did he seek your demise?" Yoshimo continued his questioning.
_How much do I tell to this relative stranger? _Leah paused, deep in thought. _Hmm, perhaps telling him the entire truth will force him to reveal his real motives for following me? Risky, but... what do I have to lose? If he was seeking my death, he would have had ample opportunities to kill me already. _
"His name was Sarevok," Leah said, watching Yoshimo's face intently, but his expression did not change in the slightest. "You have not heard of him?" Yoshimo shook his head. "He was a product of the Time of Troubles and carried the blood of a deity in his veins. Sarevok was a Bhaalspawn, son of the dead god of murder, and he sought for a way to harness and add to his divine power by murdering his siblings."
"Do you mean to say-"
"Yes," Leah nodded, noticing that for once Yoshimo was taken a little aback. Whether it was because he was genuinely shocked by the truth or by her willingness to admit it, she was not certain. "I, too, am a child of Bhaal."
"That is... most interesting," Yoshimo nodded, his eyes staring at her most intently. "I thank you for your trust in sharing this tale with me. If there are any questions you wish to ask of me, please, do not hesitate."
"Why are you still following us, Yoshimo?" Leah asked directly.
"You rescued me from that accursed dungeon," Yoshimo replied simply. "I would not have escaped from that deathtrap on my own. Helping you in return is the least I can do."
"What if I told you that your debt has been repaid and you are free to leave my company?" Leah continued, scrutinizing his expression and noticing some emotion creeping into the man's face, but it was faint and disappeared quickly. _Was it fear? Fear of what? _
"I would still prefer to follow your company, young lovely," Yoshimo quickly gathered his wits. "There is something compelling about you, Leah, something that makes me care about your fate and that of your Imoen. And if you do not believe that explanation... well, there is also profit in joining with such accomplished adventurers as your group."
"I suppose that makes sense," Leah admitted.
"Are there any other questions that you would like to ask of me, my friend?" Yoshimo asked in a friendly voice.
"No, unless there is something you wish to tell me," the young priestess shrugged.
"I cannot think of anything relevant," Yoshimo said.
"Then I will not prod," Leah smiled. "I have learned that everything that is truly important reveals itself sooner or later."
Yoshimo held her smile easily. "You are truly wise beyond your years, young lovely."
Just then, as a tense silence set in around the campsite, it was broken by a sudden cry from one of the tents, the sharp sound easing into a series of whimpers together with a string of hastily spoken and incoherent words. The sounds were coming from Jaheira's tent, and having caught Khalid's name amongst the stream of words, Leah immediately looked up at the sympathetic appearing Yoshimo. "I will see to her," she said quickly. "It would be best if you were in your tent and sleeping while I do so."
"Yes... yes, I believe that would be for the best," Yoshimo nodded swiftly, understanding the delicate situation and quickly retreating to at least pretend to be asleep not to cause the druidess additional embarrassment.
"No... Khalid! ...no... I..." Jaheira was thrashing restlessly in the sheets as Leah crawled into her tent, the flame of the fireplace illuminating the half-elf's face, covered with beads of perspiration running down her brow. Leah gently reached out and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, giving a firm, steady shake. Jaheira's hand immediately grabbed hers and squeezed down hard, making the young priestess wince in discomfort. "What... what's going on?" the druidess ground out, still struggling to understand what was happening.
"Another nightmare," Leah said softly, waiting for Jaheira to calm down and gather her thoughts, and she slowly did so, her body eventually relaxing and losing some of that steely tension. "Tell me about it," Leah insisted.
"This one... was not quite as cruel as the previous ones. Maybe... maybe I am slowly coming to terms with it," Jaheira spoke, licking her parched lips, gratefully accepting the canteen of water that Leah passed on to her. "I saw Khalid walking in the distance, but he would not come closer, and I saw no way of reaching him. He walked together with us, from a distance, smiling that I was content. And... I guess I was."
"Perhaps he was simply happy to see that you could continue with your life, your work... travelling with the group and offering your guidance," Leah suggested.
"That makes a great deal of sense, but I did not see the whole group, there were just you and I," Jaheira replied. "But that is understandable as well, you have... tried to do much for me, as of late."
"It does not feel like much, honestly," Leah shrugged.
"Yes, but I had expected to deal with this on my own, so it does feel like a great deal," Jaheira replied, gathering a spare piece of cloth and wiping her face from the perspiration. "Nevertheless, it is appreciated."
"I don't even understand why you wanted to deal with it all by yourself," Leah shook her head disapprovingly. "What I mean to say is that... you and Khalid were married for many years... you are more used to having someone to confide in."
"Don't you dare to compare yourself to Khalid," Jaheira snarled, suddenly looking angry, making Leah back off a little. "Just because I was able to share everything with him, it does not extend you with the same courtesy. Not even close."
"Charming, but I'm not trying to take Khalid's place," Leah did not relent, then blushing as she realized that her words could have been embarrassingly misinterpreted. "I mean... I'm trying to be your confidante, and nothing else. If not me, who then? Yoshimo? Minsc and Boo? Why is it so damn difficult for you to accept my offer for help? I thought we had an agreement in place..."
"That agreement does not give you the right to judge me or tell me what to do. It allows you to listen when I want to unburden myself... which, I assure you, will not happen often," Jaheira said, her tone having lost some of its previous edge.
"We shall see about that," Leah said, a challenging smile appearing on her lips. "You know, I can be as stubborn as you at times. So once I decide that you do need to unburden yourself, I am going to pester you until you do that. Or... I guess you could always shape shift into a black bear and maul me to death. In which case I solemnly promise to come back as an annoying specter and pester you even more."
Jaheira looked up at the young priestess as if she wanted to snap back in irritation, but Leah's words together with her disarming smile quickly robbed her of those intentions. Instead, she simply barked out a harsh laughter, shaking her head in a disbelief. "We are a fine pair, you and I, are we not?" she finally chuckled. "Very well, have it your way. But you better do not call me stubborn ever again. I do not understand from where the others get this false impression, but I will not see such slander continuing."
"Yes, Jaheira, of course, Jaheira," Leah bowed her head, barely holding back her laughter. "As you say, you are not stubborn at all..."
* * *
The rest of the travel back to Athkatla was largely uneventful, except for an incident at the side of the road when they were already able to see the gates of the capital of Amn. Four thugs were mercilessly beating a single man, and would have probably finished him off for good, if not for interference of Leah and her group. The thugs unwisely decided to put up a fight, which had resulted in Yoshimo collecting valuables from their still twitching corpses. As for the victim, the man had been largely incoherent, leading to Anomen crudely dismissing him as a drunk undeserving of their charity, but Leah had not missed the look the delirious man had exchanged with Jaheira, also noticing how he had tried to inconspicuously flash a brooch shaped like a little silver crescent to the druidess, holding it in his tightly clenched fist.
Before Jaheira had managed to insist upon helping the man, Renfeld as he had groggily introduced himself, Leah was already ordering Minsc to pick him up and carry to whatever location the man would provide for them, apparently some building in the Docks District. Now, Minsc walked at the head of the group, carrying the limp and helpless Harper agent who had claimed that he was poisoned by some means that were irreversible by the curative spells in their possession. In any case, Minsc seemed completely unhindered by his added burden, and Jaheira hovered nearby, making sure that her fellow Harper agent survived the journey to the docks. This left Leah walking some way behind them, next to Anomen, Yoshimo appearing here and there, and generally being roguish and illusive.
Several times, Anomen seemed to take a deep breath as if he was about to start speaking, but only on the fourth or fifth attempt he finally managed to get the words off his tongue. "My lady, I... wish to apologize for ending our conversation so abruptly, yesterday. I hope I did not offend," he said quietly.
"As I recall, we were interrupted by Nalia and the others," Leah shrugged. "In any case, there was no offense taken."
"I am glad to hear it," Anomen nodded, looking relieved. "It simply reminded me of my sister, stuck alone in the manor with my father. She wrote to me recently, and from the letter it seemed as if she was bearing up well, but knowing Moira, she might have merely tried to ease my guilt. The situation cannot be easy on her, and I wish that eventually I might be able to find a way for her to leave and go someplace where she would be happy."
"If she would even agree to leave," Leah smiled sadly. "There are many children who feel indebted to their parents so much that they could not even fathom to abandon them, even if they are being treated appallingly poorly."
"Yes... that is my fear as well. Moira insists on staying and taking care of Lord Cor even through his drunken worst," Anomen said, shaking his head ruefully. "She can be very stubborn and sometimes refuses to see what would be best for her."
"Is that why I remind you of her?" Leah grinned, winking at the young squire.
"I... well, not only because of that," Anomen blushed, trying to gallantly recover. "But since our mother died, I think Moira can hardly imagine doing anything else. I hope that the old bastard does not treat her too harshly," his fists clenched as he spoke, before he took a deep breath and relaxed. "What about you, my lady, if I may ask? You have told me of your stepfather and of this girl Imoen who was like a sister to you. Am I to understand that you have no blood relatives at all?"
Leah hesitated a little before answering, wondering if Anomen had perhaps overheard her discussion with Yoshimo last night, or maybe Minsc would have let something escape his mouth, giving away the secrets of her true ancestry. "Why do you ask, Anomen?" she spoke, turning her head to give the squire a scrutinizing stare.
"I was... merely curious," Anomen tried, but then quickly realized that he was a very poor liar. "Very well, my lady, I shall be honest with you. My sleep is usually heavy, but I was awakened last night by some noises. I did not wish to overhear, and I tried not to, yet I could not help hearing some of the words you exchanged with that Easterner scoundrel."
"His name is Yoshimo," Leah said, a little sternly. "And yes... everything I told him about my ancestry is true. I am a daughter of Bhaal, god of murder. If you feel that travelling with a Bhaalspawn could ruin your hopes of being accepted by the Order, then... I would regret you taking leave of my company, but I would understand."
"I was not considering abandoning you, my lady," Anomen looked bewildered at the mere possibility of doing so. "You have acted honorably and have been proven to be a force of righteousness so far, and as long as you stay on this road, you will have my full support and I will remain at your side and help you walk this path of light. The Order would surely see it and judge the same way if they knew of your deeds."
"I am pleased to hear that you have such high opinion of me," Leah replied with a smile.
"There is one more thing I wanted to ask of you, though, my lady," Anomen said, a little hesitantly. "If I had not overheard the discussion with... Yoshimo. When would have you revealed the truth to me?"
"I... don't really have an answer to that, Anomen. I'm sorry," Leah shrugged. "It would have likely been soon. I feel as if I can trust you. But I was a little worried that the truth of my ancestry becoming a public knowledge could have damaged your relationship with the Order. I must confess... because of that, I had considered keeping the truth hidden from you as long as I could."
"I appreciate your honesty... but I am still glad that we were able to speak of this," Anomen said, boldly taking her hand and squeezing it lightly. "I believe that things will only turn to the better if we are honest with each other. Do you not agree with that, my lady?"
"I..." Leah said, blushing a little, having not expected the gesture of Anomen taking her hand in his. "Yes... I do agree with that..."
* * *
Less than an hour later, they had managed to traverse the labyrinthine streets of Athkatla to arrive at the Docks District. Minsc was about to follow Renfeld's directions and head to the location provided, when Yoshimo suddenly appeared by Leah's side and spoke up in a warning tone of voice. "Leah... perhaps this is a good time to tell you of something" he said quietly, hoping that the rest of the group would not overhear. "Seeing as we are entering the Docks, which are the Shadow Thief territory."
"What about it?" Leah asked, rubbing her brow thoughtfully. Yoshimo had not displayed any tension or worries during their conversation with Gaelan Bayle.
"Well, the last time they caught me operating in the city, they told me to report to the head of the guild in the Docks, Renal Bloodscalp, or suffer the consequences. I have been able to learn that Renal needs the aid of an outsider in dealing with a certain problem, and my service in solving this problem could be traded for my punishment. If I fail to report to him... things might get a little messy."
"And you sought to mention this only now?" Leah raised her voice, placing her hands on her hips as she glared at the bounty hunter. "Yoshimo, the operation to rescue Imoen hinges on my relationship with the Shadow Thieves! I cannot harbor someone who is on their bad side!"
"Now, now, things are not as bad as they seem, young lovely," Yoshimo raised his hands to placate her. "In fact, this could actually be a an opportunity to do a favor for Renal and earn some goodwill with the Shadow Thieves! Not to mention that it would avoid personal complications for me later on..."
"Damnation... you better be right about this, Yoshimo, or I will be in the market for a new rogue," Leah warned, feeling rather irritated about the way the Kara-Turan had so transparently dumped his personal issues into her lap.
"I am most assuredly right about this, Leah, you will see and agree as soon as we meet with Renal," Yoshimo said, managing to look both confident and a little apologetic as well.
"Well... fine," Leah sighed in defeat. "Let's get this Renfeld lad to safety first. Then we'll go and see your fearsome Shadow Thief guild leader..."
11. Chapter 11
**Chapter 11 **
Before going to see Renal Bloodscalp at Yoshimo's sincere behest, Leah and her companions first made a detour to deliver the poisoned Harper agent, Renfeld, to the location he had specified before starting to gradually pass out from the slowly working toxin inside his bloodstream, as well as the physical exertion. Considering the man's state, Leah didn't think it would have been a wise idea to drag him through the Shadow Thief guildhall before delivering him to his Harper friends.
Once they had arrived at the _secret_ Harper base in the Docks, Leah had felt her eyebrows rise a little at the opulent and gaudy orange colored mansion that was sticking out like a sore thumb amongst the other more rundown and ramshackle buildings of the Docks. A quick glance at Jaheira revealed that the druidess was equally surprised, this kind of base feeling rather at odds with the Harper methods of operation. Nevertheless, the guard at the entrance had quickly taken Renfeld inside, then returning to reward Leah with a satchel of gold coins for their noble assistance. The guard introduced himself as Rylock, but never did reveal his affiliation to the Harpers, not even to Jaheira, and Leah was making sure to watch them both, finally concluding that they had not previously met. Of course, Leah realized that her and Jaheira's involvement would come to light in case of Renfeld's successful recovery, but she hoped that the assistance she had provided would only help her relationships with the Harpers, considering the influence of the sometimes unpredictable and mysterious organization.
However, things had become more interesting when the group of five were already back on their way to the Shadow Thief guildhouse. Along the way, they were stopped by none other than the mad Zhentarim wizard Xzar, ranting at them incoherently until Leah was finally able to comprehend his request to infiltrate the gaudy Harper base and rescue his friend, the nasty little halfling thief Montaron who had been spying on the sworn enemies of the Zhentarim. Aiding a Zhentarim agent and going against the Harper organization seemed like the worst possible career move that Leah could think of, even if Xzar promised untold riches in reward for Montaron's safe return.
That was when Xzar had dropped the name of Irenicus, immediately complicating the entire circumstance. The mad wizard claimed to have information on Irenicus, such as his location, suddenly making it very difficult for Leah to turn down his request for help. Something stirred deep within her soul, urging the young priestess to wrap her hands around Xzar's throat and simply wring the information out of him, but somehow, something made her stop at the last moment. She was about to agree to Xzar's terms, when Jaheira pulled her aside before she could utter the words, the druidess shooting her a warning glare.
"Be careful, Leah. I will understand why you would choose to ally with a Zhentarim agent for Imoen's sake, but the other Harpers will not," Jaheira said quietly. "I... might not be able to shield you from their enmity, which these actions will undoubtedly bring upon our heads."
"I said that I would do anything for Imoen's sake, and I meant it," Leah spoke sternly, staring straight ahead and avoiding Jaheira's eyes.
"This is too much of a risk, Leah, and you know it," Jaheira scowled. "Have you considered that the fool does not even have the information that he claims to possess? Or that learning of the location of this Irenicus might not bring us closer to Imoen? What if we will still lack the means of transportation to get to him? What if the Cowled Wizards imprison these deviants on another plane? This reward of information could be useless!"
"It is common knowledge that the Cowled Wizards do not hold these prisoners in Athkatla," Yoshimo subtly poked his way into the conversation. "Your druid companion raises an excellent point, Leah."
"I understand what you're both saying, but as long as there is a chance, no matter how slight, I must take it," Leah repeated stubbornly.
"Leah... if the Harpers learn that I have aided the Zhentarim in something like this, it could brand me as a traitor of the Harpers," Jaheira warned again.
"Then feel free to sit this one out," Leah shrugged, looking at her friend.
"It doesn't work like that and you know it," Jaheira hissed, becoming irritated. "You are my charge, and the Harpers know it. We only just delivered Renfeld to them together! Your actions will implicate me as well, even if I am not there... and do you know what happens to traitors of the Harpers?" Leah shook her head stiffly. "They will send one agent after another until someone succeeds in killing me. Not a single traitor has escaped their sealed fate in the long history of the organization."
"So, the chance to save Imoen comes with the price tag of your life?" Leah sighed, her shoulders slumping. "Fine. You win." She turned towards the Zhentarim mage again. "Xzar, the deal is off. Let's move on, people," the young Sorlyn added, turning around and starting to climb the steps leading up from the lower level of the docks and the piers to the upper levels where the Shadow Thief guildhouse sprawled and occupied a large part of the district.
"I am... sorry," Jaheira spoke quietly, catching up with her. "Normally, my affiliation should not be a hindrance, but..."
"Think nothing of it," Leah shrugged, trying to put the whole conversation out of her mind. "Luckily, Xzar isn't our only link to Imoen... if that was so, my decision might have been different. I would still like to know how Xzar knew about Irenicus, even if the name was all that he was truly aware of."
"He was a wizard and a Zhentarim agent," Yoshimo inserted, effortlessly slipping in to walk on the other side of Leah. "No doubt that he had connections within the Cowled Wizards, or else his kind would not be able to walk the streets openly, not even in the Docks. It is possible that he learned the name of Irenicus from his contact within the Cowled ones."
"That makes sense," Leah conceded with a sigh. "So, there's actually a good chance that he wasn't lying. But... it doesn't devaluate the points you made, Jaheira," she added hastily, noticing the guilty, downcast expression on the half-elf's face.
"Meanwhile, we have arrived," Yoshimo said, drawing their attention to the fact that they had arrived at the main entrance into the Shadow Thief guildhouse. The structure it was housed in was a peculiar one. It seemed to have once consisted from several adjacent buildings, over time fusing into one sprawling and rather ugly establishment, reminding Leah very distinctly of the thieves' guildhouse back in Baldur's Gate. She only hoped that this Renal Bloodscalp would be a more pleasant person to deal with than Alatos Ravenscar, who had sold her out to his Halruaan mage accomplice without a moment's thought.
"Is it alright for you to join us inside this Shadow Thief hive?" Leah asked, turning back to face Anomen. "We don't have to worry about some Order spy following us around and reporting on your morally questionable missteps?" she added with a cheeky smile.
"No, it is not quite that bad, my lady," Anomen replied with a smile of his own, making Leah feel relieved that he could at least take _some_ teasing with good humor. "I think I should be fine, as long as nobody does anything to force me into defending your honor, in which case I will have to follow the Order's chivalrous code of conduct."
"Yes, let's hope that the Shadow Thief leader is not of the lewd and overtly flirtatious type," Leah chuckled, the guard opening the doors for them as they approached, winking at her as if they were old acquaintances, when Leah had never even seen the man before.
Inside, the guildhall at first appeared to be very chaotically organized, thieves of every race, age and gender milling around the ground floor of the base, consisting of shelves full of contraband and stacks of barrels and boxes. A pretty half-elven lass had even set out some of the stolen merchandize on several tables in front of her, acting as a merchant, which implied that this floor of the guildhouse was accessible to a wider public than just Shadow Thief guild members. Before Leah had a chance to ask for directions, Yoshimo was already pointing at a set of stairs at the back of the cluttered main hall and without wasting more time they quickly proceeded to the second floor. Even if nobody asked them any questions or did not appear to be watching them, Leah knew they had to be under constant surveillance. Renal obviously knew that they were coming, the winking guard at the doors had been the first clue to give it away.
Renal Bloodscalp, himself a man in late forties, met them while surrounded by a group of more intense and business-like looking thugs, and Leah was reasonably certain that even more of his thieves were watching them, ready to spring into action at the first sight of trouble, not that Leah or anyone in her company intended to provoke the Shadow Thieves into hostilities. While Renal did not appear particularly physically imposing, there was something about his lean, scarred frame suggesting that while many had tried to depose him, none had ever succeeded from stopping him in rising high amongst the ranks of the Shadow Thieves and that alone was reason enough to play nice with this influential individual.
"My, my, if it isn't the freelancer, Yoshimo, come to see me at last," Renal laughed amiably, seeing them approach. "I had nearly thought that the streets had opened up and swallowed you whole, dear lad. Sometimes that tends to happen to ragtag independents infringing on our territory... I'm sure you've heard the stories, Yoshi."
"Yoshimo, if you please, sire," the Kara-Turan replied politely. "Where I come from, such a pet name is only used by... well, let us say that you and I have not become so familiar just yet, hmm?" _By Milil, I nearly called him Yoshi several times already, _Leah groaned mentally, making a note not to use that pet name. _He probably wouldn't have corrected me either, unlike with Renal... _
"Point taken," Renal nodded. "So, have you finally come to pay the debt for your recent activities, or are we simply to trade barbs until I am forced to do something hideous? But wait..." Bloodscalp's eyes left Yoshimo and turned to examine Leah in turn, the young priestess trying to maintain her calm and neutral demeanor under the old thief's scrutinizing gaze. "I thought I had a task for you, Yoshimo, but it seems that you have done something better already. Your traveling companion is of interest to me, and you have delivered her before me. Many thanks."
"As long as my companion is not brought into danger because of my debt," Yoshimo said, sounding a little uncomfortable. "It would reflect very poorly upon my honor."
"Considering that your companion is actively seeking the aid of the Shadow Thieves in another endeavor, I do not think that hostile confrontation is in the best interests of either party," Renal chuckled, turning back to Leah. "You'll have to excuse me for not recognizing you immediately. Some of the descriptions don't do you justice. I was expecting someone of more physically intimidating stature."
"Many have made that fatal mistake in underestimating me," Leah shrugged, maintaining her impassive countenance. "I'm sure that you have benefitted from the same throughout your career."
"Wisely deduced," Renal nodded, flashing a gap-toothed smile. "So, Leah, what would you say to an opportunity to both earn a greater goodwill from the Shadow Thieves as well as smoothing out the differences between the good Yoshimo and our organization?"
"I'm interested, but like they say, the devil is in the details," Leah said, crossing her arms on her chest, giving Renal her best piercing stare, but it only seemed to make the smile on the thief's lips broaden.
"Yes, the details!" he nodded, his expression then immediately becoming cold and businesslike. "How shall I put this? One of my guildhouses to the south is run by a rather ambitious fellow named Mae'Var. Good thief, but I never liked him. Now I know why. I've had some hints that he is getting too big for himself. Thinking of taking my place, I suspect, but I've had no real evidence to say that this is so. Now, you're probably thinking, why not just eliminate him? Yes, yes, I suppose I could do that."
"Murdering your underlings without proof would send the wrong kind of message throughout the organization," Leah said thoughtfully. "You would soon have a rebellion on your hands."
"Especially with that guild war that some recent rumors speak of, my lady," Anomen leaned closer to whisper in her ear. "That other guild must be posing a very serious threat to these scoundrels for them to be so desperate to turn to outsiders like us."
"Regardless of all that..." Renal said impatiently, unwilling to acknowledge even the slightest hint that the Shadow Thieves were in danger of losing some of their turf. "We have come to your part in all this. I would like you to go to Mae'Var and join his guild. I will give you the papers saying that you are being transferred by the Shadow Master. You will spy on Mae'Var from the inside and find me the evidence that I need."
"I do not see why you need a large group to infiltrate the guild of this Mae'Var," Leah shrugged. "This would be a task perfectly suited to Yoshimo alone. In fact..." her eyes fell on Minsc, smiling broadly as he absentmindedly stroked Boo's fur, and then onto Anomen, his shining and well polished armor standing out like a glowing beacon amidst the thief guildhouse. "I do not think that some of my friends are well suited for a covert mission of this sort."
"The truth is that I do not care how you accomplish this task, Leah," Renal said, a little distractedly. "You may wish to assign Yoshimo to take care of his own mess single handedly, and that is fine by me. Or you may choose to assist him. I care little, as long as I see results on the table."
Ignoring the worried stare that Yoshimo was sending in her direction, Leah continued to press on with her own questions. "You spoke of a mutually beneficial arrangement," the priestess of Milil spoke sternly. "So far I have only heard of how this all will benefit you. What do we get out of this deal?"
"The arrangement that you have struck with Gaelan Bayle," Renal said simply. Leah raised an eyebrow, waiting on him to continue. "I am aware that twenty thousand gold is not a small sum. Fulfill this task for me, and I will speak with the Shadow Master about knocking several thousand gold off that target."
"Ten thousand gold," Leah said boldly, knowing that Renal would never agree to reduce the cost so drastically.
"You jest, dear girl," Renal smiled at her. "Three thousand is the most I can promise you."
"Five?" Leah tried one more time, Yoshimo making a warning gesture to her and whispering something about never haggling with a man like Renal.
"Listen to Yoshimo. I do not hail from Amn originally, and do not view haggling as an art," Renal said simply. "In fact, it is the best way to insult me. I will let this slide because you are... so very easy on the eye, girl," he added with a wink. "Three thousand gold, and I will add some magical baubles from my own collection. This will have to satisfy, or else... your overall relationship with the Shadow Thieves will become unnecessarily sour."
"Very well, we agree," Leah finally nodded after a moment of silence, Renal rubbing his hands and looking pleased. Several minutes later, Leah and her companions found themselves standing back outside the guildhouse, Leah holding the papers that she was meant to present to Gorch, storekeep at the guildhouse of Mae'Var.
"Boo says we are going to play thieves now?" Minsc asked, looking disturbingly excited about the prospect, shaking Leah back to the harsh reality.
"Err... not right now, Minsc," she said, patting the large ranger on the arm. Then she pressed the papers in the hands of the unpleasantly surprised looking Yoshimo. "No, I don't intend to just leave you alone on this, Yoshimo," she said, smiling at the worried rogue. "But with the way we currently appear... only you could pass for someone that the Shadow Master himself would have transferred to serve Mae'Var. I suppose Jaheira and I could manage to look like half-convincing rogues with some work, but not as we are right now."
"Minsc knows how to be stealthy!" the ranger protested, looking disappointed.
"Yes, Minsc, in the forest or a swamp, but not inside a guildhouse," Leah replied with sympathetic smile. "Still, this is no reason to waste time, which is why I want you to go to Mae'Var's guildhouse immediately and get started, Yoshimo. Dig up as much information as you can, and perhaps you can think of a convincing way to get the rest of us inside the guildhouse. Or alternatively, Jaheira and I will dress up as stealthy rogues and join you later."
"Hmm, very well... I can lay down some ground work, as you wish it, Leah," Yoshimo finally acceded, agreeing with Leah's reasoning. "And what will you be doing in the meantime?"
"Visit to the Council of Six building," Leah replied, turning around to leave. "Time to sort out that magical license... or at least find out what kind of exorbitant bribe those Cowled Wizards are asking for..."
* * *
Following a rather unpleasant conversation with a Cowled Wizard representative named Corneil, Leah found herself standing in a discreet corner inside the Council of Six building and stuffing the parchment that apparently served as a license to allow arcane spellcasting within the city limits, into her now considerably lighter coin purse. "Ugh, I can't believe it took five thousand gold to acquire this," she cursed, feeling genuinely irritated. "That was all the reward from Nalia and then some. At least the license isn't made for a specific person, just one wizard traveling in my company... because I'm still not sure whether we'll be relying on Nalia or Aerie more..."
"How much have these expenses set us back, my lady?" Anomen inquired politely.
"Well... we're back down to less than hundred gold," Leah sighed. "Barely enough to cover the cost of accommodations we will need for tonight."
"Boo is prepared to make a sacrifice and pass on the double helping of nuts and berries for the good of the group, little Leah," Minsc offered kindly.
"Tell Boo that his noble sacrifice will not be forgotten, Minsc," Leah shook her head, then letting out a laugh, the jovial expression on the large ranger's face never failing to cheer her up. "I guess with the license business out of the way, we can be off again... Jaheira?" she turned to her friend, listening in on some conversation with a disgusted expression on her face.
"Do not mind me," the druidess looked back at her. "Simply overhearing the chatter between some clerks. They are rushing to see a public burning of some hapless drow. Pathetic."
"Sounds rather sickening... is this kind of thing legal here in Amn?" Leah turned towards Anomen.
"I am sure that her guilt is proven beyond doubt, my lady," the squire replied, not looking utterly convinced. "However, without knowing all the details..."
"I see... well, from everything I've seen so far here in this Council of Six building, I'm not sure that your much valued sense of justice and righteousness is appropriately honored and served within these walls," Leah said, looking around the halls, her stare lingering at the figures of Magistrate Bylanna Lanulin and Chief Inspector Brega in particular, her inquiries about Imoen's fate to them both hitting a dead end, both officials candidly admitting that the Cowled Wizards openly stonewalled them on every matter that involved magic. "I hope you don't mind if we go and see what is happening with that drow by ourselves."
"Of course not, my lady," Anomen replied proudly. "If justice is not served, it is our duty to interfere, as Helm would want it."
Leah simply nodded to that, before leading her group out of the government building and across the little park to where she could already see a large crowd forming in front of the Athkatla Prison. The short walk gave her a brief moment to reflect on a couple more job opportunities that had dropped into her lap during the visit to the Government District. First, she had been invited to talk with a Cowled Wizard named Tolgerias, a very haughty and arrogant mage, even for one of the Cowlies. Tolgerias had requested her aid in tracking down a renowned hater of mages, some nobleman named Valygar Corthala. Apparently, this man had slaughtered two of the Cowled Wizards already, so Tolgerias was naturally incensed and offered them a great amount of coins as well as magical items for their assistance.
Of course, Leah had immediately jumped on the chance to pester this Tolgerias fellow with questions about Imoen, asking the Cowled Wizard to expedite her friend's release instead of a monetary reward, but the mage had not wanted to listen to any of her demands, growing increasingly angrier until Leah had to settle for a promise that Tolgerias would look into the matter and see what he could do for Imoen's sake. The task itself, however, was a little puzzling for Leah, and since the Cowled Wizards seemed like the kind of organization that was difficult to place trust in, she resolved to be particularly careful while working on this case. It was not quite clear why the Cowled Wizards would not track this murderer down themselves, considering that they certainly had the manpower, as well as help of powerful divination tools. Also, Tolgerias' mention that he required Valygar's body, dead or alive, was more than a little strange and made Leah wonder whether the Cowled mage was a necromancer who planned to raise Valygar as a ghoul as a sadistic form of punishment for killing his mage fellows.
Tolgerias had suggested to check out Valygar's house at the docks, as well as his land property near the Umar Hills, and this coincided with the other task that Leah had stumbled across, a messenger from the town of Imnesvale in those same Umar Hills coming to seek aid with a string of mysterious murder cases that had sent the inhabitants of the countryside into a state of panic, prompting the mayor of the small community to turn to traveling adventurers for aid with the problems plaguing his town. The messenger, a young lad named Delon, begged them to travel to Imnesvale at the first opportunity and to speak with Minister Lloyd, the mayor of the town. Leah made a promise to do so, adding yet another mission to their encouragingly growing list of tasks, which hopefully also meant increasing income into the Imoen rescue fund.
By now, they had reached the thick crowd of people eagerly waiting for the drow to be burned on the stake, listening to a pair of fanatics ranting at the crowd about the inherent evil of the drow and about invoking the will of Beshaba that would apparently be pleased to see this drow suffer a most horrific death. The crowd seemed as if they didn't particularly care about the concerns of faith, but simply wanted to see the spectacle and listen to the screams of pain from the captured victim's mouth.
"Ah yes, there is the drow, my lady," Anomen spoke. Being slightly taller, he had spotted the tied up dark elf first, Leah's eyes widening in surprise as she now also could get a clear look at the captured woman, recognizing her instantly. "I had not thought the drow could be so... striking. A beautiful creature, this, if devoid of compassion as I hear," he added, making Leah glare at him instantly.
"She is not a _creature_, Anomen," she snapped angrily. "Her name is Viconia de Vir, and she is an old friend of mine." Anomen looked completely dumbstruck at that. "And by Milil, I'm not going to stand here and watch her get burned by these Beshaban fanatics! Wait here," Leah said harshly, starting to press through the crowd, Anomen seemingly frozen with hesitation while Jaheira and Minsc swiftly moved to follow Leah, not letting the girl out of their sights.
There seemed to be only two of the Beshaban faithful, running the entire show and still ranting and riling up the crowd, however, they were watched over by four of the guards from the nearby prison. Leah avoided the Beshabans for now and headed straight for the best armored of the men, assuming them for the leader of the guards, summoning a friendly smile when the burly man fixed her with a questioning stare, his hand first going for the hilt of his sword, then relaxing when he noticed that he was being approached by an attractive young woman. "Just trying to get a better place from which to watch the show," Leah offered, continuing to smile, watching how the guard relaxed instantly. "Enjoying it as well?" she asked.
"Not at all. I think everyone who comes to watch these executions is... a little sick, if you would pardon me, lass," the guard said, surprising Leah slightly. "But these Beshabans pay well, and the job of the guard doesn't really fill the coin purse as well as a man needs, if you get my meaning," he winked at the young priestess. "Besides, we are not wasting the time of the courts. Everybody wins."
"So, you just sell some prisoners to the Beshabans from time to time to fill your pockets?" Leah asked, trying to keep the rising anger from her voice as the guard nodded simply. "And this drow, has she actually... done something illegal?"
"Not that I know of," the guard shrugged. "She was detained on the suspicion of being a drow. Since nobody knows her and she is a complete stranger to the city, she was my first choice to sell to these bastards."
"I see..." Leah muttered, watching with increasing worry as the Beshabans were starting to get ready to set fire to the stake. "Tell me, you have already received your coins from them, have you not?" The guard nodded at her again. "I don't suppose I could convince you to... I don't know, perhaps head back inside the prison and forget about guarding these idiots?"
"Much as I'd love that... what would be our incentive?" the guard commander asked. "I presume you harbor violence towards them, but as despicable as they are, they provide extra income for us. What could you possibly offer to make us turn a blind eye?"
"Well... I can't bribe you, I'm afraid," Leah admitted ruefully, then grinning and winking coquettishly at the guard. "But... there might be alternative ways for me to show you my gratitude..."
The guard definitely looked very interested, even if he still appeared reluctant. "Oh, I don't know, girl, you're very easy on the eye for sure, but..."
"That drow about to be burnt on the stake... she's actually my friend. Her name is Viconia," Leah pressed home the advantage, continuing to smile seductively. "If you allow us to free her, I'm sure that she would also join me in showing you that certain kind of gratitude... and you know what they say about the drow and their knowledge of those particular arts..."
"Hmm... alright, but you better not be playing any tricks with me, because if you are, we will find you and you'll both end up on the stake, you get it?" the guard asked, clearly excited about the prospect of female companionship.
"Of course I understand... and I assure you, there are no tricks," the young priestess smiled broadly. "Stop by the Copper Coronet this evening and ask around for Leah. I will be waiting for you together with my friend, I promise."
"Well... alright," the guard leader finally nodded, turning around and ushering his slightly surprised fellows back inside the prison building, leaving the Beshabans, now working to properly set fire to the stake, without their honor guard.
"Minsc!" Leah ordered, having noticed that her friends had caught up with her by now. She pointed at the two frantically working fanatics. "Take them out, now!"
"Minsc and Boo will happily apply righteous head banging of justice to the villains who would hurt little Viconia," the ranger bellowed excitedly, picking up the two struggling fanatics by their collars and then crashing their heads together, sending them both tumbling on the ground unconscious, the crowd gasping, some already turning to run away in fear.
"Jaheira?" Leah turned to ask, then noticing that the druidess was already cutting the ropes that held Viconia tied to the stake.
"Already on it," the half-elf snapped her reply, cutting the final rope, as Viconia gracefully jumped off from the stake and approached her savior, looking grateful as she embraced Leah.
"My thanks for your timely intervention, _abbil_," she said, clearly pleased to see her old comrade with whom they had traveled all across the Sword Coast. "These _rivvin_ are mad, they were about to burn me alive simply for being a drow!"
"Well, we're going to give them a taste of their own medicine," Leah said sternly, earning an approving look from Viconia, and a slightly shocked one from Anomen as soon as she uttered her next words. "Minsc, tie them both to the stake in Viconia's place. The crowd came here to see a spectacle... I do not want them to go home unsatisfied..."
"My lady... are you certain this is a just course of action?" Anomen asked, looking hesitant. Jaheira also did not look entirely comfortable, but Minsc as always showed no reaction, gladly tying the unconscious fanatics to the stake.
"I'm not always a very nice person, Anomen," Leah replied with a fake smile. "Especially not when someone threatens my friends... not like this..."
"I... understand," Anomen bowed his head. "They have been practicing this unjust punishment for some time, it appears. Perhaps... perhaps it is only right that they suffer it themselves."
"There is a certain irony in turning the tables on them, I agree," Jaheira noted, seemingly also coming to approve of Leah's decision after some internal debating. "I suppose you will want to bring Viconia along, yes?"
"Of course little Viconia will come with us!" Minsc announced cheerfully. "She is our responsibility now! Minsc and Boo will make sure that she does not run into any more trouble!"
"What Minsc and Boo said," Leah chuckled, looking at the mildly exasperated drow. "Viconia, if you please..." she said, pointing at the stake.
"Of course, _abbil_," the drow grinned broadly, uttering a short prayer to Shar, summoning a strike of flame from the sky that quickly ignited the stake.
As the five of them walked away, the crowd behind them erupted in a grand cheer at the first cry of pain from the burning fanatics.
12. Chapter 12
_A/N: I sort of wanted to cover a bit more with this chapter, but that would have made it a bit too long. So, nothing really happens aside some conversation. Then again, I think Viconia's Beregost experiences are pretty damn important to cover. It's shocking that if you are playing a female character, you miss out on so much content that truly brings both Jaheira and Viconia to life as great characters. I'm planning to take a lot from their respective romance tracks and modify it to fit the story. _
**Chapter 12 **
With no other pressing matters to attend to other than to wait on Yoshimo's return from the docks, Leah led her group back to the slums and the Copper Coronet, the only inn in this city where they could afford lodgings. Once there, Jaheira went to secure their rooms for the night, leaving Leah and Viconia to sit down at one of the more secluded small tables in the corner of the tavern, not that it afforded them with much privacy. Anomen seemed to correctly sense that the two women wished to remain alone and catch up on things, instead joining to sit with Jaheira at another table, Minsc retreating to the room he would be sharing with the young squire and Yoshimo, announcing the intent to give Boo his regular hamster bath.
"So..." Viconia started, giving Leah an appraising stare. "I was praying for some kind of divine intervention while I was tied to that stake, but I certainly did not expect it to arrive in your shape, _abbil_. What has brought you so far from the Heartlands, Leah?"
"We got jumped soon after leaving Baldur's Gate," Leah replied, wincing at the unpleasant memory. "We were taken by complete surprise, there was no way we could have stood up to those... I don't think they were mere bounty hunters. Your instincts proved right when you decided to disappear from the Gate while the rest of us were still dealing with countless party invitations to celebrate our heroic deeds."
"Yes, you seemed to be enjoying the attention a great deal," Viconia smirked. "What made you leave the city in the first place? Let me guess... the praises and the adoration ran out, and the ungrateful _rivvin_ quickly forgot that you had saved them all?"
"Something like that, yes," Leah admitted reluctantly. To this day, she did not know who had spread those rumors about her ancestry to the people of Baldur's Gate, effectively forcing her to leave the city. Now it occurred to her that it could have very well been a part of the plan by Irenicus, or the men that he had sent to capture them. "Anyway... we ended up captured by some crazy mage who locked us into his dungeon below Athkatla for many months... experimenting on me... torturing me... I guess he was fascinated by my... nature. I think you know what I refer to."
"I do," Viconia nodded. "The undeniable, hidden power within you that makes you so appealing to follow, _abbil_. You are interesting to many... myself included."
"Well, as long as you promise not to dissect me on a table somewhere, I suppose I will tolerate this interest," Leah rolled her eyes, taking a sip of the cheap, watered down wine, the only kind they could afford right now.
"Still, you seem to have come out of that ordeal without any new scars... at least not physical ones," Viconia noted, refusing to touch the wine that probably offended her delicate senses.
"I would have preferred to keep the physical ones," Leah muttered unhappily. "And that mad mage, Irenicus... Imoen is still with him. The Cowled Wizards took them away and imprisoned both of them... and I must find out where they took them. That's... essentially my goal right now."
"Ah yes, Imoen," Viconia said, scowling a little at the memory. "Well, if you're certain that having that insufferably prattling girl back with us would improve the company you keep, who am I to judge?"
"You know perfectly well that I would never abandon her," Leah spoke with a deep frown. "She is like a sister to me, and you also grew quite fond of her during our travels together, though of course you are too proud to ever admit it."
"I would have liked her far more if she had mastered the fine art of remaining silent," Viconia grinned. "It is amusing that for you simply stating that you share a bond like siblings, implies... such devotion? To a drow stating words 'you are like a sister to me' would imply that you will plot to hasten their demise by all means possible. I had to contribute to thinning the De Vir familiar herd myself... but thankfully for you, I have spent enough time on the surface to observe these stark differences between my people and yours."
"Charming cultural clue, indeed," Leah chuckled, chugging down more of the horribly bland wine. At least the more of it she consumed, the less offending it seemed to taste. "Anyway, enough about me. What have you been up to since leaving Baldur's Gate?"
Viconia's face immediately twisted with a brief reflection of anger and she looked about to grab the bottle of cheap wine and pour some of the liquid for herself despite the offending taste, but she managed to hold herself back, her expression slowly changing back to neutral. "After everything we went through, chasing after your mad half-brother, I simply needed a place where I could... stop and rest, if for a few months," eventually the drow began to speak. "But finding a place where I would be accepted seemed impossible. Finally, I tried to purchase some land on the outskirts of Beregost, using my part of the spoils we had acquired and dropping your good name when necessary. I had also learned the important lesson to stay hooded at all times, claiming that I had suffered from magical burns that made my skin particularly sensitive to sunlight. In the end I was successful and once the deal was done, a few of the locals even helped me settle in. That was when I met my closest neighbor... Roran Midfallow, a stout, sunburned farmer."
"Judging by the way you spat out that name... I take it that the two of you did not become good friends?" Leah asked, a little jokingly.
For some reason Viconia glowered angrily back at the young human before once again calming down and continuing her story. "At first we actually formed an awkward friendship. He seemed very helpful, often bringing me supplies that I had difficulties acquiring myself. It wasn't until a few months later, when on a warm summer day I grew careless and lowered my hood, allowing him to discover my identity. Much to my surprise, he did not run back to the village to summon a crowd that would come to stone me to my death. No... he simply smiled, eyeing me appreciatively and appearing intrigued..."
"Oh god... it's not... that kind of story, is it?" Leah asked, having paled a little, mentally slapping herself for joking about it just now.
"He mentioned that his oldest son, Jiscanan, was busy making a feast and that I was invited," Viconia continued in a morbid tone of voice. "We walked to his farmhouse, where his other son, a surly oaf named Funnard, was working with a sickle in the front yard. When I reached his farmhouse, I learned Roran's true intentions. Somebody hit me in the back of my skull, and the ground rushed up to meet me. I woke up to searing pain. While unconscious, they had abused and tortured me... then tried to bury their sins. I could see nothing except for the lid of a coffin."
"That is... completely and utterly sick," Leah hissed, her cheeks burning with anger from the mere thought of someone acting so despicably. "How could you possibly managed to get out of that mess?"
"By being a drow, _abbil_," Viconia smiled thinly. "The pain of their abuse and torture stung, but it was nothing compared to what I had gone through at the mercies of the Handmaidens. They had made the mistake of not killing me, so with some effort, I clawed myself out of my grave and then set about wreaking my vengeance upon them."
"Please, I want every detail," Leah begged, hair standing on her neck from the burning need to hear about these defilers suffering horribly.
"I watched the house and waited, listening to them celebrate their victory in the midst of drunkenness. Eventually, Jiscanan, the oldest son, left to use the outhouse. I jammed a stake in the door, trapping him inside. Then I set the building aflame, much like those Beshaban cultists. Soon enough Roran came running, yelling to Funnard. As he stood helpless before the flames, I wrapped a garrote around his neck... I whispered to him of his mistake to underestimate a Drow, before tightening the wire until he breathed no more. By this time the other son, Funnard, returned with a bucket from the well to find his father's corpse and his brother a smoldering ember. He dropped to his knees in shock, which afforded me a height advantage as I caved in his head with a miner's mallet."
"Good," Leah said, emptying the rest of her cup and then pouring herself more wine with slightly shaking hands. "Good... I'm glad you had your vengeance."
"I see you are not disturbed by the grim tale," Viconia said, giving Leah an approving look. "It is good to see that you agree with my treatment of these men, _abbil_. No doubt that the others would use my actions as evidence of the innate corruption of my people."
"These men abused your trust, tortured you and buried you alive!" Leah exclaimed, then clamping a palm over her mouth when she realized that she had raised her voice, but with the overall volume of the Copper Coronet being exceedingly loud, nobody had even spared a glance in her direction. "I'm sorry... and when you said that they had abused you, it probably meant... you know..." Viconia merely nodded grimly at that. "There's... no excuse that I can think of, really. You were entitled to do as you please with those pigs. I do not begrudge you taking revenge at all, I would have wanted the same in your place."
"Those months of imprisonment and torture have changed you, _abbil_," Viconia remarked, looking at Leah thoughtfully. "You always had a... quiet, serene strength about you, but now it has been given an edge of sharp steel. I find this change most intriguing..."
"I would have preferred not to go through those particular experiences, but what's done is done," Leah shrugged. "Still, I would prefer not to be reminded of my time in that sadist's care, if you please, Viconia."
"As you would have it, Leah," Viconia said indifferently, turning to look with distaste at the other, mostly drunk patrons of the place, before speaking up again. "Tell me about the way you secured the means of my release, then. I noticed that you were conversing with the prison guards before they all returned to their barracks. How did you manage to convince them to leave?"
"I told the commander of the guard that we both would reward him with... umm, shall we say, pleasures of the flesh," Leah explained, blushing slightly as she spoke. "In fact, the man should be arriving here shortly to claim his prize."
For a moment, Viconia looked a little stunned, before letting out an amused chortle. "Very good, Leah... very good, I was almost about to ask whether you actually intended to follow through with that promise," the drow laughed. "I am glad that you have taken to my advice to use your... feminine charms, when an opportunity presents itself."
"It will never be my first tool of choice, but... I could not think of anything else at the moment," Leah admitted. "Besides, I wanted to give you the opportunity to deal as you see fit with the one who had sold you to the Beshabans."
"The sentiment is... greatly appreciated, my friend," Viconia smiled, appearing grateful. "Since you obviously have no interest in this foolish _jaluk_, what would you say if I would lead this man somewhere private once he arrives? I would make sure that he is never heard from again."
"Suits me just fine," Leah shrugged. "An accomplice to those despicable practices of Beshaba's faithful... I think that removing someone like him from the post of the captain of the prison guard would be doing this city a big service."
"You are surprisingly, but pleasantly amiable, _abbil_," Viconia's smile broadened. "I cannot recall you being quite this reasonable before." She glanced across the rows of tables and the massive fire pit in the centre of the tavern, looking on at the newcomers near the entrance. "I believe there comes the man we have been waiting for, Leah. Ah yes... he will make a fair sacrifice to the Lady of Loss..."
* * *
While Leah and Viconia were animatedly talking amongst themselves, two of their companions were sat at another table, but they had barely exchanged a few words amongst them over the past half hour. Anomen's eyes kept drifting back towards the other table where the two priestesses were talking, no matter how much he struggled to keep his curious gaze away. Next to him, Jaheira had been nursing the tankard of watered-down ale in her hands for a long while without showing any intention of actually taking a sip. The druidess seemed to be observing the surroundings indifferently, and now and then Anomen caught her looking in the direction of the corpulent barkeep of the establishment, nodding as if she wanted to beckon the man over and perhaps order something, but the barkeep seemingly ignored her.
Soon enough, Anomen began to grow restless and uncomfortable at the forced silence at their table, and when both Leah and Viconia broke out in laughter over something at the other table, he could no longer remain silent, turning towards his stony-faced companion. "Lady Jaheira... might I pose a question that has been troubling me for a good while?" he finally dared to ask. The druidess looked at him, but did not speak, Anomen taking it for a permission to continue. "This... Viconia de Vir. Lady Leah seems to know and... trust her? I have heard of Drow only as treacherous creatures, my lady... what do you make of Viconia? Can we trust her?"
"I doubt you should place particular trust in her, Anomen," Jaheira smirked. "But strangely enough, I think we can trust her as much as not to betray us. Most unexpectedly, she proved to be completely loyal to Leah during our travels across the Sword Coast. At times I was deeply concerned about her traveling with our group, fearing that she might not be the best influence for Leah, especially when Viconia had only just joined our group. But she proved to be less confrontational than I feared, and Leah managed to convince me that she was mature enough to decide for herself which of Viconia's... advice to listen to, and which to ignore."
"Then we can expect no difficulties due to her presence?" Anomen looked relieved. "I am glad to hear that. The knights at the Order would be most... perplexed to find me traveling alongside a priestess of Shar."
"Oh, I can assure you that Viconia's presence will most definitely make things more interesting," Jaheira smiled thinly. "She will not make your life easy, Anomen. Sometimes she will simply seek to bait and provoke the others. Sometimes her insults will origin in her simply being who she is, and the kind of horrible upbringing her people are exposed to. She will be hurtful simply because she doesn't know any better. The key is to not respond to her provocation... something that is not always easy..."
"I see..." Anomen's face had again darkened a little as he watched Leah and Viconia at their table. "I will attempt to control my temper if the Drow attempts anything. I thank you for these words of advice, Lady Jaheira."
"I hope you remember these words when Viconia's eyes turn on you in search of a new victim to torment," Jaheira spoke, clearly not having much faith in Anomen's ability to control his temper. Their conversation died down as the druidess turned to look at the other table, watching an armored man approaching the two women and engaging them in a brief conversation. After a while, the man departed together with Viconia, looking very excited as the two of them walked upstairs. However, Jaheira had not missed the subtle little gesture of the Drow checking the dagger at her belt as her cloak had parted for a moment.
"Some of the tales I have heard of the Drow also mention this... aspect of their behavior as well," Anomen snorted, looking disgusted. Jaheira merely smiled at his outburst, not seeing the need to correct him about Viconia's true intentions, her attention already focused back on Leah, the young priestess getting up and coming to join them at their table, having been abandoned by Viconia.
"Surely you won't mind if I join your riveting conversation, yes?" Leah sat down with a quirky smile, prompting quick assurances from Anomen, unable to quite hide his obvious delight about the young Sorlyn's presence.
"Was that the prison guard commander from earlier today?" Jaheira asked, abruptly pointing at the stairs leading to the upper floor.
"Yes," Leah confirmed quickly. "The very same that sold Viconia to those fanatics. I thought it was only fair."
"Of course," Jaheira nodded. Anomen still looked a little confused, staring inquiringly at them both in turn. "Only Viconia will be returning downstairs, Anomen," the druidess finally took pity on the squire.
"Oh," Anomen only said. While the scoundrel no doubt deserved even worse than what the Drow would do to him for his perversion of justice, the young squire still felt a little unsettled by the ruthless practicality and ease with which the two women at the table discussed it, especially if in Leah's case, this jaded rationality bore such a youthful, innocent and beautiful face.
"You know, there is something strange happening in this inn," Jaheira suddenly remarked after a bout of silence. "And before you say anything, I mean something strange beyond it simply being an incredibly filthy pit of depravity. I have noticed several patrons entering and immediately making a beeline for the back rooms. As far as I see, others are not even allowed inside, the guards are there to ensure that. Some of these patrons who enter look like they might be respectable well-off citizens, perhaps even nobles, dressed in inconspicuous rags to avoid recognition."
"I have been spending a good amount of time in this cesspool of corruption, yet I have failed to notice any of this," Anomen blinked, looking rather surprised. "Your observational skills astound me, Lady Jaheira!"
"I would say that you are too easily impressed, Anomen," Jaheira smiled. "And I have certain... experience and training to notice such things. It is nothing remarkable, I assure you."
Leah nodded at that, realizing that Jaheira subtly referred to her work as a Harper. The druidess rarely spoke about her past with the shadowy organization, and while Leah was extremely curious, certain that her friend had plenty of exciting stories to share, she had always been able to reign in her interest. "Any ideas what they could be up to in there?" the young priestess asked. "Black Lotus den?"
"That would be the least harmless possibility," Jaheira grumbled. "I am worried that it could be something worse..."
"Maybe we should take the time and poke around, see what they're up to?" Leah suggested, Jaheira nodding thoughtfully. "Right now, though, I don't want to commit to something else while we're waiting for Yoshimo to return... and speaking of Yoshimo..." she looked at the familiar face of the Kara-Turan, swiftly forcing himself through the raucous crowd of patrons, waving to the rogue, but he had obviously noticed them already, heading straight for their table, choosing to sit down between her and Anomen, ignoring the slight frown on the squire's face.
"Well... that was an interesting experience," Yoshimo finally remarked, having chugged down some of the watered-down wine to help him gather his bearings. "Unfortunately, you will not be able to use the transfer documents now that I have already made use of them, so we will need to find an alternative way to get you inside Mae'Var's guildhouse... and it so happens that I have some ideas in that regard."
"If you're certain you don't want to fly solo on this one," Leah teased.
"I'm quite certain," Yoshimo replied, looking a little uncomfortable.
"Tell us what you have learned, Yoshimo," Jaheira prompted, the first one to lose patience.
"This Mae'Var is one particularly unlikable fellow," Yoshimo began to explain. "He makes Renal appear like the friendliest thief I've ever met. Of course, Mae'Var was immediately suspicious of me and made me jump through several hoops to prove my loyalty... I will not elaborate, but I doubt that I have seen the end of these loyalty tests. Oh, and young lovely, you will not like to hear this... Mae'Var loves to spend most of his time down in his personal little dungeon. It reminded me starkly of the place where we met... he's got everything down there, torture racks, all the implements... when I was led down there to be introduced to him, Mae'Var was busy working on one of his victims... let's just say that it was very unpleasant..."
Leah's face had gone pale as she listened, hands gripping the edge of the table fiercely as she was buy trying to fight off waves of nausea. "I... perhaps it was for the best that we didn't join you, after all..." she eventually managed. "I'm not certain I could have maintained my disguise in the face of all that."
"Take heart, my lady. This villain will not hurt you, we will make sure of it," Anomen gallantly offered with a supportive smile.
"I doubt that your friend Renal is someone who would refuse to torture his enemies if it could get him what he wants," Jaheira remarked simply. "But I digress. You mentioned that you have discovered a way for us to get into the guildhouse... if you truly require our aid with gathering evidence against this Mae'Var."
"Your aid would be appreciated," Yoshimo said hopefully. "And my plan is very simple... Mae'Var's guild oversees the streetwalkers operating at the docks and the Sea's Bounty, as well as several brothels of the Docks District. I made a mention that I might be able to secure the services of several upper class courtesans for a sizable cut and one of Mae'Var's lieutenants appeared interested, asking me to bring the 'merchandize' over for inspection. So, I was wondering if..."
"If we would agree to dress up like streetwalkers, and then you could get us into the guildhouse," Leah finished with a smile.
"Surely you will not agree to submit yourself to such humiliation, my lady?" Anomen asked, looking bewildered.
"Well, I'm not going to enjoy the experience, but if it helps us get the job done then why not?" Leah shrugged. "I think we can pull it off. Jaheira, what about you?"
"I am not letting you into the lion's den with only Yoshimo watching over you," Jaheira replied sternly. "And it might surprise you, but I have no issues with this kind of deception. My... line of work has required me to act in various roles... and do not even think of asking me, because I will not elaborate."
"Too embarrassing?" Yoshimo winked cheekily.
"If you knew the truth, I might have to kill you," Jaheira warned, not looking as if she was joking, either.
"And we don't want that," Leah intervened quickly, then looking up to see Viconia descending down the stairs, the Drow grinning in smug satisfaction, looking particularly pleased. Leah decided that she didn't really care to know the specific details of what had happened with the prison guard commander, instead turning to introduce the Drow to Yoshimo, the bounty hunter already staring Viconia down with a very interested look in his eyes. "Yoshimo, please meet Viconia de Vir. She is an old friend, and she will be traveling with us from now on."
"My, my, young lovely, you attract the most charming companions to your side, I must say," Yoshimo said smoothly, moving to take Viconia's hand with the obvious intent to kiss it, but the Drow withdrew it swiftly, glaring at the rogue. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Viconia," the Kara-Turan grinned, undeterred by the cool reception.
"I'm sure," Viconia snapped, sitting down and looking at Leah. "Who is this fool _jaluk_?"
"Yoshimo handles all the rogue-related issues of the group, Viconia," Leah replied with a smile. "Now, tell me, my friend..." she beamed at the puzzled looking Drow. "How would you like to do a little dress up and infiltration of a thieves' guildhall in order to spy on them?"
"I'm sure there's a reason why I should be interested," Viconia remarked listlessly.
"Well, at least dressing up as a whore will come naturally to one of us," Jaheira said, unable to stop a little chuckle from escaping her lips. "There is just one caveat, Leah," she looked at the young priestess again. "We do not have nearly enough gold to afford us passable disguises."
"Hmm... well, I'm sure that we could find something at Renal's guildhall, some black market goods that he would be willing to donate for common cause," Leah suggested. "In fact... since the evening is still young and we have nothing better to do, why don't we head over there right now and play a little game of dressing up?"
"If you truly insist on going through with this... questionable plan, my lady, I insist on joining you," Anomen said, rising from the table together with them. "You will undoubtedly benefit from the extra protection."
"Umm, Anomen... actually, I had something else in mind for you..." Leah said uncomfortably, blushing a little. "I was going to ask whether you could return to the barracks of your Order and spend the night there. I need you to gather some information for us from your fellow squires and knights... see what you can learn about Lord Jierdan Firkraag, that mage hater Valygar Corthala, and also whether someone knows something about the Cowled Wizards and what they are doing with these so called magical deviants..."
"I... see," Anomen said, looking obviously disappointed, but still recognizing the importance of the task that was assigned to him. "In that case, I resolve to discover as much as I can while back with the Order. I will report back with my findings tomorrow morning, my lady."
"I knew I could rely on you, Anomen," Leah said, placing her hand on the young squire's shoulder, noticing how he blushed immediately. "As for the rest of us... it's back to the docks!"
End file.
| fanfiction |
the story of relic gravitational waves has revealed the character of ya .
b. zeldovich not only as a great scientist but also as a great personality .
one should remember that the beginning of the 1970 s was dominated by the belief that massless particles , such as photons , neutrinos , gravitons , can not be created by the gravitational field of a homogeneous isotropic universe .
zeldovich shared this view and was publishing papers supporting this picture .
he was enthusiastic about cosmological particle creation @xcite and contributed a lot ( together with coauthors ) to this subject .
however , he thought that something interesting and important could only happen if the early universe was highly anisotropic .
when i showed @xcite that massless gravitons ( gravitational waves ) could , in fact , be created by the gravitational field of a homogeneous isotropic universe , a considerable debate arose around this work .
i argued that the coupling of gravitons to the ` external ' gravitational field follows unambiguously from the equations of general relativity , and it differs from the coupling of other known massless particles to gravity .
in contrast to other massless fields , this specific coupling of gravitational waves allows their superadiabatic ( parametric ) amplification by the ` pumping ' gravitational field of a nonstationary universe .
( a similar coupling to gravity can be postulated for the still hypothetical massless scalar field . )
if classical gravitational waves were present before the era of amplification , they would have been amplified .
but their presense is not of necessity : even if the waves are initially in their quantum - mechanical vacuum ( ground ) state , the state will inevitably evolve into a multi - particle state .
in phenomenological language , gravitational waves are being generated from their zero - point quantum oscillations .
the intense debate has finished in a surprising and very flattering way for me .
it is common knowledge that it was virtually impossible to win a scientific bet against zeldovich - he knew practically everything about physics and had tremendous physical intuition .
but sometimes he would find a cute way of admitting that his previous thinking was not quite right , and that he also learned something from a debate . on this occasion it happened in the following manner .
after one of his rare trips to eastern europe ( as far as i remember , it was poland ) ya.b
. gave me a gift .
this was a poster showing a sophisticated , impressionist - style , lady .
the fact that this was a poster with a sophisticated lady was not really surprising - you could expect this from yakov borisovich . what was surprising and flattering for me was his hand - written note at the bottom of the poster .
in my translation from the russian , it said thank you for your goal in my net " .
ya.b . was hinting at my passion for football , and he knew that this comparison would be appreciated much better than any other .
so , this is how a great man admits a clarification of an error ; he simply says thank you for your goal in my net " .
it was clear from the very beginning of the study of relic gravitational waves that the result of amplification of a wave - field should depend on the strength and time evolution of the gravitational pump field .
we know little about the very early universe these days , even less was known at the beginning of the 70 s .
the best thing you can do is to conider plausible models .
the simplest option is to assume @xcite that the cosmological scale factor @xmath0 in the expression @xmath1\ ] ] consists of pieces of power - law evolution : @xmath2 where @xmath3 and @xmath4 are constants .
then , the perturbed einstein equations for @xmath5 simplify and can be solved in elementary functions . in particular , the intervals of power - law evolution ( [ a ] ) make tractable the effective ` potential barrier ' @xmath6 in the gravitational wave ( g.w . ) equation @xcite : @xmath7 = 0,\ ] ] where @xmath8 . using eq.([a ] ) and the unperturbed einstein equations one can also find the effective equation of state for the ` matter ' , whatever it is , which drives the intervals of @xmath0 : @xmath9 the somewhat strange form of the index @xmath10 in eq.([a ] ) was motivated by a serious concern of that time - it was necessary to prove that even a small deviation from the exceptional law of evolution @xmath11 guarantees the effect of g.w .
it is only in this exceptional case that the effective potential @xmath6 vanishes , and therefore the superadiabatic coupling of gravitational waves to the nonstationary pump field @xmath0 also vanishes .
( the analogous effective potential is absent in equations for photons , massless neutrinos , and some massless scalar particles . )
the convenience of the notation utilized in eq.([a ] ) is that it parameterises the exceptional case by @xmath12 and deviations from this case by a small @xmath4 .
indeed , it was shown @xcite that the amplitude of the generated g.w .
mode is proportional to small @xmath4 ; but it is not zero if @xmath13 . at the same time , if @xmath4 is not especially small , the amplitude of the gravitational wave @xmath14 , soon after the beginning of the superadibatic regime and while the wave is still in this regime , i.e. before any further processing of the amplitude , evaluates to @xmath15 estimate ( [ hb ] ) is approximate ( we will be discussing more accurate formulas below ) but it contains all the necessary physics .
the underlying concepts of generation and detection of primordial gravitational waves have not changed since the first calculations @xcite , and it is important for our further discussion to recall them again . to begin with , we note that eq.([hb ] ) is formulated for the dimensionless amplitude @xmath16 of a given g.w .
mode characterised by a constant dimensionless wavenumber @xmath17 .
( the @xmath18 and @xmath19 mode - functions are related by @xmath20 . )
the wavelength @xmath21 , measured in units of laboratory standards ( as zeldovich used to say , measured in centimeters ) , is related to @xmath17 by @xmath22 .
it is convenient to use ( and we will always do this ) such an @xmath23-parameterisation of @xmath0 that the present - day scale factor is @xmath24 , where @xmath25 is the present - day value of the hubble radius .
then , @xmath26 is the wavenumber of the waves whose wavelength today is equal the prsent - day hubble radius .
longer waves have smaller @xmath17 s , and shorter waves have larger @xmath17 s . expression ( [ hb ] ) is essentially a consequence of the following two assumptions .
first , it is assumed that the mode under consideration has entered the superadibatic regime in the past , and is still in this regime .
this means that the mode s frequency , instead of being much larger than the characteristic frequency of the pump field , became comparable with it at some time in the past . or , in cosmological context , the wavelength @xmath27 of the mode @xmath17 , instead of being much shorter than the instanteneous hubble radius @xmath28 , became equal to it at some moment of time @xmath29 , i.e. @xmath30 . for the scale factors of eq.([a ] ) , this condition leads to @xmath31 .
second , we assume that by the beginning of the superadiabatic regime at @xmath32 , the mode has still been in its vacuum state , rather than , say , in a strongly excited ( multi - particle ) state .
that is , in the language of classical physics , the mode s amplitude near @xmath29 was not much larger than @xmath33 , where @xmath34 is the planck length , @xmath35 .
this condition on the amplitude follows from the requirement that initially there were only the zero - point quantum oscillations of the g.w .
field , and the initial energy of the mode was @xmath36 . because of the condition @xmath30 , we can also write @xmath37 as @xmath38 .
the amplitude of the mode , after the mode s entrance to the amplifying superadiabatic regime , and as long as this regime lasts , remains at the constant level @xmath37 , i.e. @xmath39 .
this holds true instead of the adiabatic decrease of the amplitude @xmath40 that would be true in the adiabatic regime . in general , the quantity @xmath41 is different for different @xmath17 s : @xmath42 therefore , a specific dependence on @xmath17 arises in the function @xmath37 , and this is how one arrives at eq.([hb ] ) in a simple qualitative manner .
formula ( [ hb ] ) gives the evaluation of the primordial ( before further processing ) g.w .
spectrum @xmath14 . roughly speaking , the initial vacuum spectrum
@xmath43 has been transformed into the primordial spectrum @xmath44 , where @xmath45 characterizes the scale factor of the era when the transition from the adiabatic to superadiabatic regime has taken place for the given interval of wavenumbers @xmath17 .
however , the same mode @xmath17 can sooner or later leave the amplifying regime and start oscillating again .
obviously , this reverse transition from superadiabatic to adiabatic regime is being described by the same theory . the final amplitudes at some fixed moment of time ( for example , today s amplitudes ) @xmath46
are related to the @xmath14-amplitudes by @xmath47 where @xmath48 characterizes the era when the opposite transition from the superadiabatic to adiabatic regime has taken place ( this is why the minus sign arises in front of @xmath49 in the exponent ) .
the discussed amplitudes @xmath50 are in fact the root - mean - square ( @xmath51 ) amplitudes of the multi - mode field , they determine the mean - square value of the wave field @xmath16 according to the general formula @xmath52 it is necessary to say that in the beginning of the 80 s , the inflationary cosmological scenario governed by a scalar field @xcite was gaining popularity . its central element is the interval of desitter expansion , which corresponds to @xmath53 in eq.([a ] ) ( @xmath23 grows from @xmath54 , @xmath55 ) and @xmath56 in eq.([w ] ) . by the time of publication of the inflationary scenario , unusual equations of state for ` matter ' driving the very early universe , including such exotic ones as @xmath57 , had already been the subject of cosmological research , most notably in the work of a. d. sakharov @xcite . the g.w .
calculations for the special case @xmath53 were performed in a number of papers ( see for example @xcite ) . if @xmath53 , the dependence on @xmath17 vanishes in the general eq.([hb ] ) , and the primodial ( unprocessed ) spectrum @xmath14 becomes ` flat ' that is , @xmath17-independent .
ironically , the prospects of direct detection of the stochastic g.w .
background characterised by the corresponding processed ( today s ) spectrum had already been explored by that time @xcite ; the processed spectral index for this model is @xmath58 in notations of that paper .
ref.@xcite also suggested the use of cross - correlated data from two detectors and touched upon the technique of ` drag - free satellites ' that was later developed in the laser interferometer space antenna ( lisa ) .
the generality of inflationary , quasi - desitter , solutions was a serious concern for zeldovich during long time .
he kept wondering about the sensitivity of inflationary solutions to the choice of initial conditions .
nobody would take the inflationary scenario seriously if it were a very contrived or unstable solution .
however , it was shown @xcite that the inflationary - type evolutions are , in fact , attractors in the space of all possible solutions of the corresponding dynamical system . this decisive property made inflationary evolutions more plausible and appealing .
the spectrum of @xmath59 expected today is depicted in fig.1 ( for more details , see @xcite ) . almost everything in this graph
is the result of the processing of the primordial spectrum during the matter - dominated and radiation - dominated stages .
the postulated ` zeldovich s epoch ' governed by a very stiff effective equation of state , is also present in the graph , as shown by some relative increase of power at very high frequencies .
the primordial part of the spectrum survives only at frequencies below the present - day hubble frequency @xmath60 hz .
the available cmb observations determine the amplitude and spectral slope of the g.w .
spectrum at frequencies around @xmath61 , and this defines the spectrum at higher frequencies .
the numerical value of @xmath62 at frequencies around @xmath61 is determined by the numerical value of the observed quadrupole anisotropy of cmb .
as will be shown in great detail in sec.4 , it follows from the theory of cosmological perturbations that relic gravitational waves should provide a significant fraction of the observed cmb signal at very large angular scales ( barring the logical possibility that the observed anisotropies have nothing to do at all with cosmological perturbations of quantum - mechanical origin ) . in other words , the final theoretical results do not contain any dimensionless parameter which could be regulated in such a manner as to make the contribution of , say , density perturbations to the quadrupole anisotropy several orders of magnitude larger than the contribution of gravitational waves .
these contributions must be roughly equal , but the theory can not exclude that one of them will turn out to be a numerical factor 2 - 3 larger than another . assuming that relic gravitational waves provide a half of the signal , one can find from the observed @xmath63 that @xmath64 and , hence , it follows from eq.([hb ] ) that @xmath65 .
the slope of the primordial g.w .
spectrum is also taken from cmb observations .
the commonly used spectral index @xmath66 ( we denote it by a roman letter @xmath66 in order to distinguish from the wavenumber @xmath17 ) is related to the parameter @xmath4 appearing in eq.([hb ] ) by the relationship @xmath67 .
the same relationship is valid for density perturbations , to be discussed later .
the current observations @xcite give evidence for @xmath68 , which corresponds to @xmath69 .
the particular graph in fig .
1 is plotted for @xmath70 , which tallies with the cobe data @xcite .
( this spectral index @xmath71 implies that @xmath72 , according to eq.([w ] ) .
it is not difficult to imagine that such an effective equation of state could hold in the very early universe , if the recent supernovae observations hint at the validity of @xmath72 even in the present - day universe ! ) in simple words , the position and orientation of the entire piece - wise function @xmath73 is defined by the known value of the function at the point @xmath74 and the known slope of the function in the vicinity of that point .
incidentally , the initial quantum vacuum conditions for gravitational waves , at all frequencies shown in the graph , are formulated at the ` initial ' moments of time , when each wavelength of interest was appreciably longer than the planck length .
therefore , the shown results are immune to the short scale ambiguities of the so - called ` trans - planckian ' physics ( see for example @xcite ) .
it is a different matter that at some frequencies the initial state is allowed to be a somewhat excited state , rather than the pure vacuum state , without running into a conflict with the adopted approximation of small perturbations .
this exotic possibility and the corresponding modifications of the spectrum were discussed long time ago @xcite ( see also a related work @xcite ) .
the graph in fig.1 shows the piece - wise envelope of the today s spectrum .
the displayed result is quite approximate . in particular
, it completely ignores the inevitable oscillations in the spectrum , whose origin goes back to the gradual diminishing ( squeezing ) of quantum - mechanical uncertainties in the phases of the emerging waves and the macroscopic manifestation of this effect in the form of the standing - wave pattern of the generated field .
( this is also related to the concept of ` particle pair creation ' . )
we will discuss these spectral oscillations below . nevertheless , the graph in fig.1 is convenient in that it gives simple answers to the most general questions on the amplitudes and spectral slopes of relic gravitational waves in various frequency intervals .
for example , it shows the expected amplitude @xmath75 at @xmath76 hz . this is the level of the signal that we shall be dealing with in experimental programs . in terms of the parameter @xmath77 , @xmath78 it corresponds to @xmath79 at frequency @xmath76 hz and in its vicinity . where do we stand now in the attempt of direct detection of relic gravitational waves ?
the sensitivity of the presently operating ground - based interferometers is not good enough to reach the predicted level , but the experimenters are making a lot of progress . the data from the recently completed s3 run of ligo
@xcite will probably allow one to reach the astrophysically interesting level of @xmath80 , as shown in fig .
2 ( courtesy of j. romano and the stochastic backgrounds group of lsc ) . fortunately
, the projected sensitivity of the advanced ligo ( @xmath812011 ) will be sufficient to reach the required level of @xmath82 , when a month - long stretch of cross - correlated data from the two detectors is available .
the esa - nasa space - based mission lisa ( @xmath812013 ) will have a better chance to discover relic gravitational waves .
since the expected spectrum has larger amplitudes at lower frequencies , the detectability condition is potentially improving at lower frequencies . in fig .
3 we show the lisa sensitivity in frequency bins of @xmath83 hz , which corresponds to an observation time of 1 year . this observation time should make it possible to resolve the g.w .
lines from thousands of white dwarf binaries in our galaxy , radiating at frequencies larger than @xmath84 hz . by removing the contribution of the binaries from the observed records , or by using sophisticated data analysis techniques without actually removing the contaminating signals from the data , one can effectively clean up the window of instrumental sensitivity at frequencies above @xmath84 hz .
this window in the area of maximal sensitivity of lisa is shown in the graph together with the expected level of relic gravitational waves in that window .
the expected amplitudes of relic gravitational waves reach their highest level in the frequency interval of @xmath85 hz .
this is why one has very good prospects for indirect detection of relic gravitational waves through the measurements of anisotropies in the distribution over the sky of the cmb temperature and polarisation .
( for an introduction to the theoretical tools of cmb physics , see for example @xcite . )
the accurately calculated power spectrum @xmath86 is shown in fig . 5 @xcite .
the spectrum is calculated at the moment of decoupling ( recombination ) of the cmb , with the redshift of decoupling at @xmath87 .
the derivation of the spectrum takes into account the quantum - mechanical squeezing of the waves phases , which manifests itself macroscopically in the standing - wave character of the generated gravitational waves . from the viewpoint of the underlying physics ,
it is this inevitable quantum - mechanical squeezing that is responsible for the oscillations in the power spectrum .
the displayed spectrum was obtained under the assumption that @xmath88 @xmath89 , i.e. for a flat primordial spectrum .
the survived part of the primordial flat spectrum is seen on the graph as a horizontal part of the curve in the region of very small wavenumbers @xmath17 .
the normalisation of the spectrum is chosen in such a way that the induced quadrupole anisotropy of the cmb today is at the level of the actually observed quadrupole @xcite .
specifically , the temperature function @xmath90 in fig .
4 , calculated from the spectrum in fig . 5 ,
gives the required value of 960 @xmath91 at @xmath92 .
the distribution of other induced multipoles is also shown in fig .
figures 4 and 5 are placed one under another on purpose .
this placement gives a better visual description of the fact noticed and explained previously @xcite .
namely , the oscillations in the metric ( gravitational field ) power spectrum are entirely responsible for the oscillations in the angular power spectrum of the cmb temperature , with almost universal correspondence between extrema in the wavenumber space @xmath17 and extrema in the multipole moment space @xmath93
. if there is much / little power in the gravitational field perturbations of a given interval of wavelengths , one should expect much / little power in the temperature fluctuations at the corresponding angular scale .
it is the oscillations in the metric power spectrum that are responsible for the oscillations in the @xmath93-space , and not the mysterious explanations often repeated in the literature , which claim that the peaks in the function @xmath90 arise because of some waves being caught ( at the moment of decoupling ) in their maxima or minima , while others are not . to illustrate the role of standing gravitational waves and the associated power spectrum oscillations , versus traveling gravitational waves with no power spectrum oscillations , it was explicitely shown @xcite that the later hypothesis does not produce oscillations in the @xmath93-space .
incidentally , it was argued @xcite that in the case of density perturbations , the main contribution to the peaks in the temperature function @xmath90 can also be provided by oscillations in the metric power spectrum , rather than by the temperature variations accompanying sound waves in the photon - electron - baryon plasma at the last scattering surface . in the case of density perturbations ,
the metric power spectrum is mostly associated with the gravitational field of the dark matter , which dominates other matter components in terms of the gravitational field .
oscillations in the metric power spectrum in the early universe are inevitable , and for the same reason as in the g.w.case , namely , because of the standing - wave pattern of the metric perturbations that is related to their quantum - mechanical origin . therefore , the often - discussed acoustic " peaks in the @xmath93-space may well turn out to be gravitational " peaks .
it remains to be seen how this circumstance can change inferences about cosmological parameters .
we shall now turn to the cmb polarisation .
( for some important papers on cmb polarisation , see for example @xcite . )
it follows from the radiation transfer equations that the polarisation of cmb is mainly determined by the first time - derivative of the metric perturbations in the interval of time when the polarisation is mainly produced .
therefore , it is the power spectrum of the function @xmath94 that is of a primary importance . since the g.w .
field itself , including its normalisation , has been fully determined , the quantity of our interest is directly calculable . in fig .
7 we show @xcite the power spectrum @xmath95 , calculated at the time of decoupling . the induced @xmath96 and @xmath97 components of polarisation are shown in fig .
this graph was derived under the usual assumptions about the recombination history , which means , in particular , that the polarisation was primarily accumulated during a relatively short interval of time around @xmath98 .
similarly to the case of temperature anisotropies , the extrema in the graphs of fig . 7 and fig . 6
are in a good correspondence with each other .
if there is not much power in the first time - derivative of the metric , you should not expect much power in the polarisation at the corresponding angular scale .
on the other hand , the region of wavenumbers @xmath99 , where there is the first pronounced peak in fig .
7 , is fully responsible for the first pronounced peak in fig .
6 at the corresponding angular scales @xmath100 . in fig .
8 we combine together some of the expected signals from relic gravitational waves .
they are encoded in the cmb anisotropies and polarisation .
this figure includes also a possible polarisation bump , discussed previously by other authors , at very small @xmath93 s .
this feature arises because of the extended reionisation period in the relatively late universe , around @xmath101 . in agreement with the explanations given above , the amplitude and position of this bump in the @xmath93-space
are determined by the amplitude and position of the first maximum in the power spectrum @xmath102 of the function @xmath94 , calculated at @xmath103 .
the resulting graphs in fig . 6 and fig .
8 are qualitatively similar to the graphs derived by other authors before us .
however , we take the responsibility of claiming that the numerical level of , say , the @xmath97 component of polarisation shown in our graphs is what the observers should expect to see on the sky . of course , this statement assumes that the observed large - scale anisotropies of cmb are caused by cosmological perturbations of quantum - mechanical origin , and not by something else
. the true level of the @xmath97 signal can be somewhat higher or somewhat lower than the theoretical level shown in our figures .
but the signal can not be , say , several orders of magnitude lower than the one shown on our graphs .
in contrast , the inflationary literature claims that the amount of inflationary gravitational waves " vanishes in the limit of the flat primordial spectrum @xmath53 ( @xmath104 ) .
therefore , the most likely level of the @xmath97 mode signal produced by inflationary gravitational waves " is close to zero .
this would make the detection impossible in any foreseeable future .
it is a pity that many of our experimentall colleagues , being guided by the wrong theory , are accepting their defeat even before having started to build instruments aimed at detecting relic gravitational waves via the @xmath97 component of polarisation .
their logic seems to be the following : ` we would love to discover the fundamentally important relic gravitational waves , but we were told by inflationists many times that this is very unlikely to happen , so we agreed to feel satisfied even if we succeed only in putting some limits on , say , polarisation properties of dust in the surrounding cosmos ' .
the author of this contribution fears that in a complex experiment like the @xmath97-mode detection , this kind of logic can only lead to overlooking the important signal that the experiment originally targeted . concluding this section i would like to say as a witness that zeldovich suggested using the cmb polarisation as a g.w .
discriminator , as early as in the very beginning of the 80 s .
this was clearly stated in private conversations , but i am not aware of any written records .
why bother about relic gravitational waves if inflationists claim that the amount of relic gravitational waves ( inflationists and followers call them inflationary gravitational waves " ) should be zero or almost zero ?
this claim is a direct consequence of the so - called
standard inflationary result " , which is the main contribution of inflationary theorists to the subject of practical , rather than imaginary , cosmology . in the inflationary scenario ,
the ` initial ' era of the universe expansion is driven by a scalar field @xmath105 with the scalar field potential @xmath106 .
it is in this era that the initial quantum vacuum conditions for cosmological pertubations are being formulated .
the inflationary solutions for the scale factor @xmath0 are close to the desitter evolution characterised by @xmath107 in eq.([a ] ) .
the effective equation of state for the scalar field is always @xmath108 , so that for the power - law intervals of expansion driven by the scalar field , the parameter @xmath4 can only be @xmath109 , see eq.([w ] ) .
therefore , one expects the primordial spectrum of the generated metric perturbations to be almost flat , i.e. the primordial spectral index @xmath66 should be close to @xmath110 , with @xmath111 .
the beginning of the amplifying superadiabatic regime for the given mode of perturbations is often called the ` first hubble radius crossing ' , while the end of this regime for the given mode is often called the ` second hubble radius crossing ' .
the standard inflationary result " is formulated for cosmological perturbations called density perturbations ( scalar , @xmath112 , perturbations ) as opposed to the gravitational waves ( tensor , @xmath113 , perturbations ) considered in sec . 1 .
the standard inflationary result " states that the final ( second crossing , @xmath114 ) amplitudes of quantities describing density perturbations are related to the initial ( first crossing , @xmath115 ) values of @xmath105 and other quantities , according to the evaluation : @xmath116 the numerator of the last term on the r.h.s . of eq.([sir ] ) is the value of the hubble parameter taken at the moment of time when the given mode enters the superadiabatic regime .
this is the same quantity @xmath41 which defines the g.w .
( ` tensor ' ) metric amplitude , as described in sec .
since we are supposed to start with the initial vacuum quantum state for all cosmological perturbations , one would expect that the results for density perturbations should be similar to the results for gravitational waves .
one would expect that the amplitude @xmath117 of the generated ` scalar ' metric perturbations should be finite and small , and of the same order of magnitude as the amplitude @xmath118 of ` tensor ' metric perturbations .
however , according to the
standard inflationary result " , this is very far from being the case .
the denominator of the last term of eq.([sir ] ) contains a new factor : @xmath119 .
this factor goes to zero in the limit of the most interesting and observationally preferred possibility of the flat ( harrison - zeldovich - peebles ) primordial spectrum @xmath110 .
correspondingly , the amplitudes of the generated density perturbations go to infinity , according to the prediction of inflationary theorists , in the limit of the flat spectrum .
( by now , the
standard inflationary result " ( [ sir ] ) has been cited , used , praised , reformulated , popularised , etc . in hundreds of inflationary publications , so it has become ` accepted by way of repetition ' . ) as will be demonstrated below , the divergence in eq.([sir ] ) is not a violation , suddenly descending upon us from the ` blue sky ' , of the adopted approximation of small linear perturbations .
this is a manifestation of the incorrect theory . even if the spectral index @xmath66 is not very close to 1 , and you combine @xmath66 with a reasonable @xmath120 in order to obtain , for example , a small number @xmath121 for the r.h.s . of eq.([sir ] ) , this will not make your theory correct
. this will be just an acceptable number accidentally following from the wrong formula .
you will have to pay a heavy price in some other places .
an attempt to derive physical conclusions from this formula can only lead to mistakes .
the current literature is full of incorrect far - reaching physical conclusions derived from this wrong theory .
this is a kind of situation which l. d. landau used to describe sarcastically in the following words : if you assume that the derivative of the function @xmath122 is @xmath123 , rather than @xmath124 , you can make many wonderful discoveries .... " . in inflationary literature
, the ` zero in the denominator ' factor @xmath125 appears in many different dresses .
it is often written in equivalent forms , such as @xmath126 , @xmath127 , @xmath128 , @xmath129 , etc .
inflationists are routinely hiding their absurd prediction of infinitely large amplitudes of density perturbations that should take place in the limit of the flat spectrum @xmath130 .
they divide the g.w .
amplitude @xmath118 over the predicted divergent amplitude @xmath117 .
this division produces the so - called ` tensor - to - scalar ratio ' , or ` consistency relation ' : @xmath131 .
the quantity @xmath41 , common for the @xmath113 and @xmath112 perturbations , cancels out in the composed ratio , and the ` zero in the denominator ' factor is transferred to the numerator of the final expression .
it is then declared that the metric amplitude @xmath117 of density perturbations is determined by the observed cmb anisotropies , and , therefore , the inflationary ` consistency relation ' demands that the g.w .
amplitude @xmath118 must vanish in the limit of @xmath130 .
in other words , instead of being horrified by the fact that their theory predicts arbitrarily large amplitudes of density perurbations ( and , hence , the theory is in complete disagreement with observations , because the analysis of the data shows no catastrophic increase in the amplitude when the tested spectral index approaches @xmath104 ) , supporters of the inflationary approach to science systematically claim that their theory is in ` spectacular agreement ' with observations , and it is gravitational waves that should vanish .
if this were true , there would not be much sense in attempting to detect primordial gravitational waves , as the observations persistently point toward @xmath68 , including @xmath110 .
it is quite common to hear these days enthusiastic promises of inflationary believers to detect inflationary gravitational waves " in the not - so - distant future " via the measurement of @xmath97-mode polarisation of cmb .
but from other papers of the same authors it follows that there is no reason even to try .
if you trust and cite inflationary formulas , the expected amount of inflationary gravitational waves " should be very small or zero .
you can only hope to be extremely lucky if you suggest to detect them , even in the quite distant future , for example with the proposed mission called big bang observer . and nobody should be surprised if you have found nothing , because @xmath110 is in the heart of all claims , theoretical and observational .
moreover , most loyal inflationists would say that this was exactly what they had always been predicting . to demonstrate the incorrectness of inflationary conclusions ,
we shall now concentrate on the ` zero in the denominator ' factor .
we will have to recall the quantisation procedure for gravitational waves and density perturbations .
it is necessary to remind the reader that some inflationists and their supporters insisted for many years on the claim that the dramatic difference in the final numerical values of @xmath118 and @xmath117 arises not because of the initial conditions , but because of the subsequent evolution .
specifically , they claimed that the classical long - wavelength ` scalar ' metric perturbations are capable of experiencing , in contrast to gravitational waves , a
big amplification during reheating " .
( for a critical discussion , see @xcite . ) but it now looks as if the fallacy of this proposition has become clear even to its most ardent proponents .
therefore , we shall now focus on the issue of quantum mechanics and initial conditions .
the perturbed gravitational field for all three sorts of cosmological perturbations ( scalar , vector , tensor ) is described by eq.([metric ] ) . for simplicity
, we are considering spatially flat cosmologies , whose spatial curvature radius is infinite .
however , if the spatial curvature radius is finite but , say , only a factor of 10 longer than @xmath132 , very little will change in our analysis .
the metric perturbations @xmath133 can be expanded over spatial fourier harmonics labeled by the wavevector @xmath134 : @xmath135 . \end{aligned}\ ] ] the three sorts of cosmological perturbations are different in that they have three different sorts of polarisation tensors @xmath136 , and each of them has two different polarisation states @xmath137 .
the ` scalar ' and ` vector ' metric perturbations are always accompanied by perturbations in density and/or velocity of matter .
the normalisation constant @xmath138 is determined by quantum mechanics , and the derivation of its value is one of the aims of our discussion .
let us recall the procedure of quantisation of gravitational waves .
let us consider an individual g.w .
mode @xmath134 . the time - dependent mode functions @xmath139 can be written as @xmath140 for each @xmath141 and @xmath134 , the g.w .
mode functions @xmath19 satisfy the familiar equation ( [ mu ] ) .
the action for each mode has the form @xmath142 where the g.w .
lagrangian @xmath143 is given by the expression @xcite @xmath144,\ ] ] and @xmath145 the euler - lagrange equation @xmath146 for the dimensionless g.w .
variable @xmath147 brings us to the equation of motion @xmath148 which is equivalent to eq.([mu ] ) .
in order to move from 3-dimensional fourier components to the usual description in terms of an individual oscillator with frequency @xmath17 , we will be working with the quantity @xmath149 introduced according to the definition @xmath150 where @xmath151 is a constant .
this constant @xmath151 is the value of the scale factor @xmath0 at some instant of time @xmath152 where the initial conditions are being formulated , and @xmath153 . in terms of @xmath149 ,
the lagrangian ( [ lg ] ) takes the form @xmath154.\ ] ] the quantity @xmath155 is the ` position ' variable , while the canonically conjugate ` momentum ' variable @xmath156 is @xmath157 in the distant past , at times near @xmath158 , and before @xmath29 when a given mode entered superadiabatic regime , the g.w .
amplitude behaved according to the law @xmath159 the time - derivative of @xmath0 can be neglected , i.e. @xmath160 .
then , we promote @xmath161 and @xmath156 to the status of quantum - mechanical operators , denote them by bold - face letters , and write down their asymptotic expressions : @xmath162,\ ] ] @xmath163.\ ] ] the root - mean - square value of @xmath170 in the vacuum state is @xmath171 . combining this number with the definition ( [ hbar ] ) we derive @xmath172 extrapolating the initial time @xmath158 up to the boundary between the adiabatic and superadiabatic regimes at @xmath173
, we derive the estimate @xmath174 .
it is this evaluation that was used in @xcite and in sec .
more accurate calculations along these lines produce @xmath175 in expression ( [ hij ] ) for gravitational waves .
a consistent formal derivation of the total hamiltonian , including the terms describing interaction of the oscillator with external field , is presented in ref.@xcite by equations ( 19)-(24 ) there .
technically , the derivation is based on the canonical pair @xmath176 , @xmath177 .
the hamiltonian associated with the lagrangian ( [ lg2 ] ) has the form @xmath178 where the coupling to the external field is given by the function @xmath179 . in the same ref.@xcite
one can also find the heisenberg equations of motion for the heisenberg operators @xmath180 , @xmath181 , and their connection to classical equation ( [ mu ] ) .
the asymptotic expressions for the heisenberg operators , @xmath182 enter into formulas ( [ qp1 ] ) , ( [ qp2 ] ) .
clearly , the vacuum state @xmath167 , defined as @xmath183 , minimises the oscillator s energy ( [ hamgw ] ) .
a rigorous quantum - mechanical schrodinger evolution of the initial vacuum state of cosmological perturbations transforms this state into a strongly squeezed ( multi - particle ) vacuum state @xcite , but we focus here only on the initial quantum state , which defines the quantum - mechanical normalisation of our classical mode functions .
we shall now switch to density perturbations . for each mode @xmath184 of density perturbations ( s - perturbations ) ,
the mode s metric components @xmath185 entering eq.([metric ] ) can be written as @xmath186 where the spatial eigen - functions @xmath187 are @xmath188 .
therefore , the metric components associated with density perturbations are characterised by two polarisation amplitudes : @xmath18 and @xmath189 .
if the initial era is driven by an arbitrary scalar field @xmath105 , there appears a third unknown function - the amplitude @xmath190 of the scalar field perturbation : @xmath191 one often considers the so - called minimally coupled to gravity scalar field @xmath105 , with the energy - momentum tensor @xmath192.\ ] ] the coupling of scalar fields to gravity is still a matter of ambiguity , and the very possibility of quantum - mechanical generation of density perturbations relies on an extra hypothesis , but we suppose that we were lucky and the coupling was such as we need .
the three unknown functions @xmath18 , @xmath189 , @xmath190 should be found from the perturbed einstein equations augmented by the appropriate initial conditions dictated by quantum mechanics .
it is important to note that inflationary theorists are still struggling with the basic equations for density perturbations . in inflationary papers
, you will often see equations containing complicated combinations of metric perturbations mixed up with the unperturbed and/or perturbed functions of the scalar field @xmath105 and @xmath106 .
inflationists are still engaged in endless discussions on the shape of the scalar field potential @xmath106 and what it could mean for countless inflationary models . however , this state of affairs is simply a reflection of the fact that the equations have not been properly transformed and simplified .
since the underlying physics is the interaction of a cosmological harmonic oscillator with the gravitational pump field , mathematically the equations should reveal this themselves .
and indeed they do .
it was shown in paper @xcite that , for any potential @xmath106 , there exists only one second - order differential equation to be solved : @xmath193 = 0,\ ] ] where the function @xmath19 represents the single dynamical degree of freedom , describing s - perturbations .
the effective potential barrier @xmath194 depends only on @xmath0 and its derivatives , in full analogy with the g.w .
oscillator , eq.([mu ] ) .
the time - dependent function @xmath195 ( @xmath196 or @xmath197 ) is defined by @xmath198 as soon as the appropriate solution for @xmath19 is found , all three functions describing density perturbations are easily calculable : @xmath199,\ ] ] @xmath200,\ ] ] @xmath201.\ ] ] the constant @xmath202 reflects the remaining coordinate freedom within the class of synchronous coordinate systems .
( another constant comes out from the integration of the above - given equation for @xmath203 . )
the funcion @xmath204 does not depend on this remaining coordinate freedom , and the constant @xmath202 cancels out in the expression defining @xmath19 in terms of @xmath18 : @xmath205 the function @xmath206 is that part of the scalar metric amplitude @xmath18 which does not depend on the remaining coordinate freedom ( ` gauge - invariant ' metric perturbation ) . in the short - wavelength regime ,
the function @xmath204 describing density perturbations behaves as @xmath207 .
this is the same behaviour as in the case of the function @xmath204 describing gravitational waves .
this similarity between the respective functions @xmath204 ( @xmath208 and @xmath209 ) is valid only in the sense of their asymptotic @xmath23-time dependence , but not in the sense of their overall numerical normalisation ( see below ) . in the long - wavelength regime , the dominant solution to eq.([dpeq ] ) is @xmath210 .
the quantity which remains constant in this regime is @xmath211 .
it is this physically relevant variable that takes over from the analogous variable @xmath20 in the g.w . problem .
we introduce the notation @xmath212 where @xmath204 satisfies eq.([dpeq ] ) . to make contact with earlier work
, it should be mentioned that the previously introduced quantity @xmath213 where @xmath214 is bardeen s potential and @xmath215 stands for bardeen , steinhardt , turner @xcite , can be reduced to our variable @xmath216 ( [ zeta ] ) up to the numerical coefficient @xmath217 . our quantity @xmath204 for density perturbations
can also be related to the variable @xmath218 , where @xmath219 stands for chibisov , lukash , mukhanov , sasaki @xcite . in preparation for quantisation
, we should first identify the inflationary ` zero in the denominator ' factor .
the unperturbed einstein equations for the coupled system of gravitational and scalar fields require @xcite @xmath220 therefore , the ` zero in the denominator ' factor @xmath221 is expressed in the form of very small values of the dimensionless function @xmath222 . within the approximation of power - law scale factors ( [ a ] )
, the function @xmath195 reduces to a set of constants , @xmath223 the constant @xmath195 degenerates to zero in the limit of the evolution law with @xmath53 ; that is , in the limit of the gravitational pump field which is responsible for the generation of primordial cosmological perturbations with flat spectrum @xmath110 .
so , we are especially interested in the very small values of @xmath222 .
it was shown @xcite that the dynamical problem for the scalar - field - driven s - perturbations can be obtained from the dynamical problem for gravitational waves by simple substitutions : @xmath224 , @xmath225 .
( this is not a conjecture , but this is a rule whose validity was established after a thorough analysis of these two problems separately . )
each of these substitutions is valid up to an arbitrary constant factor . using these substitutions ,
one obtains the s - equation ( [ dpeq ] ) from the t - equation ( [ mu ] ) , and one obtains the physically relevant variable @xmath226 for s - perturbations from the g.w . variable @xmath227 . moving from the 3-dimensional fourier components of the field @xmath216 to an individual oscillator with frequency @xmath17 , we introduce the quantity @xmath228 according to the same rule ( [ hbar ] ) that was used when we introduced @xmath149 .
namely , we introduce @xmath229 the application of the substitutions @xmath230 , @xmath231 to the g.w .
lagrangian ( [ lg2 ] ) gives rise to the lagrangian @xmath232 for the single dynamical degree of freedom describing s - perturbations : @xmath233.\ ] ] obviously , the euler - lagrange equation @xmath234 derivable from the lagrangian ( [ ld2 ] ) in terms of the independent variable @xmath216 , is equivalent to eq.([dpeq ] ) which is the euler - lagrange equation derivable from the lagrangian ( [ ld2 ] ) in terms of the independent variable @xmath209 .
the lagrangian ( [ ld2 ] ) should be used for quantisation .
the lagrangian itself , as well as the action and the hamiltonian , does not degenerate in the limit @xmath235 , i.e. , in the limit of the most interesting background gravitational field in the form of the de - sitter metric , @xmath236 .
we shall start with the analysis of the paper @xcite which , together with ref.@xcite , is sometimes referred to as the most recent work that contains a rigorous mathematical derivation of the
standard inflationary result " .
the author of these papers uses slightly different notations , such as @xmath237 and @xmath238 . in his notation ,
the quantity @xmath239 is @xmath240 , so that the ` zero in the denominator ' factor appears as @xmath241 , where the asterisk means
the time of horizon crossing " . as a
useful example to keep in mind " for quantisation of density perturbations , the author suggests the artificial model of a test massless scalar field @xmath242 in desitter space .
but the lagrangian , classical solutions , and quantisation procedure for @xmath242 are identical to the g.w .
case that we recalled above , so that his variable @xmath242 is our @xmath16 for gravitational waves .
his lagrangian ( 2.12 ) for density perturbations coincides in structure with our lagrangian ( [ ld2 ] ) , and we discuss one and the same observable quantity @xmath216 .
it is worthwhile to quote explicitely the attempted rigorous proof @xcite : since the action ( 2.12 ) also contains a factor @xmath240 we also have to set its value to the value at horizon crossing , this factor only appears in normalizing the classical solution . in other words , near horizon crossing we set @xmath243 where @xmath242 is a canonically normalized field in de - sitter space .
this produces the well known result ... " .
and the author immediately writes down the square of the
standard inflationary result " , with the square of the factor @xmath241 in the denominator of the final expression .
let us try to traverse in practice the path to the well known result " .
( to be fair to the author , the derivation of the
standard inflationary result " does not appear to be the main purpose of his paper @xcite , so my criticism does not imply anything about other statements of that paper . )
the factor @xmath240 in ( 2.12 ) of the cited paper is our factor @xmath222 in eq.([ld2 ] ) .
it is recommended @xcite to combine the results for the g.w .
variable @xmath16 with the prescription @xmath244 .
so , instead of eq.([qp1 ] ) , we would have to write @xmath245.\ ] ] one is encouraged and tempted to think that the quantum state @xmath248 , annihilated by @xmath249 , namely @xmath250 is the vacuum state of the field @xmath216 , i.e. , the ground state of the hamiltonian associated with the lagrangian ( [ ld2 ] ) .
the calculation of the mean square value of @xmath228 at @xmath251 produces the result @xmath252 in which the ` zero in the denominator ' factor @xmath222 is manifestly present and squared , as the well known result " prescribes . in the limit of very small @xmath222
one obtains the divergence of initial amplitudes , which is in the heart of all inflationary predictions .
( in the published version @xcite of the e - paper @xcite , the road to the well known result " recommends , possibly due to a misprint , the diametrically opposite prescription @xmath253 which would send the factor @xmath195 to the numerator of the above calculation .
it looks as though the ` rigorous ' inflationary predictions fluctuate between zero and infinity . ) in inflationary literature , the power spectrum @xmath254 of curvature perturbations is usually written in the form @xmath255 where @xmath256 and @xmath257 are the mode - functions ( @xmath258 in our notations ) satisfying eq.([dpeq ] ) with the initial conditions @xmath259 as one can see from the expression for @xmath254 , in inflationary theory , which is based on the initial conditions ( [ normu ] ) , the divergence of @xmath254 in the limit of very small @xmath222 is present from the very beginning of the evolution of the perturbations . to put it differently
, the divergence takes place from the very early high - frequency regime , where by the physical meaning of the problem we were supposed to choose a minimal amplitude of the ` gauge - invariant ' metric perturbation @xmath216 ( or , in other words , a minimal amplitude of the curvature perturbation @xmath216 ) .
the crucial point of our discussion is that the temptation to interpret @xmath260 as the vacuum state for the field @xmath216 is , in fact , a grave error .
the calculation of the mean - square value of the canonically conjugate momentum @xmath261 gives @xmath262 so that the factor @xmath222 cancels out in the uncertainty relation @xmath263 the derived numbers clearly indicate that the quantum state @xmath248 is not a genuine ( ordinary ) vacuum state @xmath167 for the dynamical variable @xmath216 , but , on the contrary , is a multi - particle ( squeezed vacuum ) state .
this is why we have used the subindex @xmath141 . to show how the states @xmath167 and @xmath248 are related
, we shall first transform the operators .
let us introduce the annihilation and creation operators @xmath165 according to the bogoliubov transformation @xmath264 where @xmath265 the parameters @xmath266 and @xmath267 are called squeeze parameters .
let us assign the following values to @xmath266 and @xmath267 : @xmath268 we shall now use the substitution ( [ bog ] ) , together with eqns ( [ uv ] ) and ( [ sqp ] ) , to eqns ( [ qp1d ] ) and ( [ qp2d ] ) .
the factor @xmath269 cancels out in eq.([qp1d ] ) and the factor @xmath222 cancels out in eq.([qp2d ] ) . in terms of @xmath165 ,
the operators @xmath164 will take the final form : @xmath270,\ ] ] @xmath271.\ ] ] the genuine vacuum state for the variable @xmath216 ( i.e. the ground state of the corresponding hamiltonian ) is defined by the condition @xmath272 calculating the mean square values of @xmath170 and its canonically conjugate momentum @xmath261 , we find @xmath273 as it should be .
taking into account the definition ( [ zbar ] ) , we finally derive the initial @xmath51 value of the variable @xmath274 : @xmath275 extrapolating the initial time @xmath158 up to the boundary between the adiabatic and superadiabatic regimes at @xmath173 , we arrive at the estimate @xmath276 this evaluation , plus the constancy of the quantity @xmath277 throughout the long - wavelength regime , is the foundation of the result according to which the final ( at the end of the long - wavelength regime ) amplitudes of gravitational waves and density perturbations should be roughly equal to each other @xcite .
there is no dimensional parameter which could be regulated in such a way as to make one of the amplitudes several orders of magnitude larger than another . in terms of the ` scalar ' and ` tensor ' metric amplitudes
this means that @xmath278 for all @xmath195 s .
more accurate calculations along the same lines produce @xmath279 in expression ( [ hij ] ) for density perturbations .
certainly , the correct quantisation procedure ( [ qp1d1 ] ) , ( [ qp2d2 ] ) , as opposed to the incorrect ( inflationary ) procedure ( [ qp1d ] ) , ( [ qp2d ] ) , could be formulated from the outset of quantisation .
mathematically , the lagrangians ( [ lg2 ] ) and ( [ ld2 ] ) are alike , if in ( [ lg2 ] ) one means @xmath280 by @xmath281 , and replaces @xmath16 with @xmath216 .
the derivation of the hamiltonian for s - perturbations repeats the derivation for gravitational waves . using the canonical pair @xmath176 , @xmath177 for @xmath209
, we arrive at the hamiltonian ( compare with eq.(98 ) in ref.@xcite ) @xmath282 where the coupling to the external field is now given by the function @xmath283 .
the heisenberg equations of motion for the heisenberg operators @xmath180 , @xmath181 lead to classical equation ( [ dpeq ] ) .
the asymptotic expressions for the heisenberg operators , @xmath182 are participating in eqs .
( [ qp1d1 ] ) , ( [ qp2d2 ] ) .
clearly , the vacuum state @xmath167 , defined as @xmath183 , minimises the oscillator s energy ( [ hamdp ] ) .
since at times near @xmath158 the coefficients @xmath284 and @xmath285 are close to 1 , the equality of the initial values for @xmath62 and @xmath286 follows already from the simple comparison of the lagrangians ( [ lg2 ] ) and ( [ ld2 ] ) .
the relationship between the above - mentioned genuine vacuum state @xmath167 and the squeezed vacuum state @xmath248 is determined by the action of the squeeze operator @xmath287 on @xmath167 : @xmath288 where @xmath289.\ ] ] the mean number of quanta in the squeezed vacuum state is given by @xmath290 this is a huge and divergent number , when the ` zero in the denominator ' factor @xmath222 goes to zero .
therefore , the standard inflationary result " for s - perturbations is based on the wrong initial conditions , according to which the initial amplitude of the @xmath216-perturbations can be arbitrarily large from the very beginning of their evolution .
moreover , the initial amplitude is assumed to go to infinity in the most interesting limit of @xmath291 and @xmath130 .
if @xmath222 does not deviate from 1 too much , then the mean number of quanta in the squeezed vacuum state is acceptably small , and the wrong initial conditions give results sufficiently close to the correct ones .
however , as in the landau example mentioned above , if the wrong formula gives acceptable answers for some range of @xmath292 , this does not make the wrong theory a correct one .
( finally , if @xmath293 , then @xmath294 , @xmath295 , @xmath296
. from this model of cosmological evolution the study of relic gravitational waves has began in the first paper of ref.@xcite . ) in terms of the classical mode functions , it is the function @xmath297 that should satisfy the classical version of the initial conditions ( [ qp1d1 ] ) , and not the function @xmath298 , which is postulated by the inflationary requirement ( [ normu ] ) .
they both are so - called ` gauge - invariant ' variables , but their physical meaning is drastically different .
the original derivations of the well - known result " were guided simply by the visual analogy between the function @xmath299 in theory of density perturbations and the function @xmath204 in the theory of gravitational waves already developed by that time .
the assumption of arbitrarily large initial amplitudes of curvature perturbations or , technically speaking , the choice of the initial multi - particle squeezed vacuum state @xmath248 for @xmath216 , instead of the ordinary vacuum sate @xmath300 , is the origin of the absurd
standard inflationary result " .
certainly , this wrong assumption can not be the basis of observational predictions for cosmology .
the grossly incorrect predictions of inflationary theorists should not be the reason for doubts about the existence and expected amount of relic gravitational waves .
the generation of relic gravitational waves is based on the validity of general relativity and quantum mechanics in a safe cosmological regime where quantisation of the background gravitational field is not necessary . in our numerical evaluations
, we also assumed that the observed large - angular - scale anisotropies of cmb are caused by cosmological perturbations of quantum - mechanical origin .
this is not necessarily true , but it would be quite disastrous if it proved to be untrue .
it is quite a challenge to imagine that the natural and unavoidable quantum - mechanical generation of cosmological perturbations is less effective than anything else . in any case , if relic gravitational waves are not discovered at the ( relatively high ) level described in this contribution , the implications will be much more serious than the rejection of one inflationary model or another .
the reality of our time is such that if the proposal is not properly ` sexed - up ' , it is not very likely to be funded .
but the ultimate truth lies in the fact that the real physics of the very early universe is much more exciting than the artificial hullaballoo over popular words such as ` inflation ' or ` inflationary gravitational waves ' .
hopefully , relic gravitational waves will be discovered in experiments , which are already in the well - developed stage .
i personally would think that this is likely to happen first in dedicated ground - based observations , such as the recently approved cardiff - cambridge - oxford collaboration clover @xcite .
let us hope this will indeed be the case .
i am grateful to d. baskaran , j. romano and especially m. mensky for fruitfull discussions and help , and to p. steinhardt for calling my attention to the paper @xcite and for the accompanying intense and useful correspondence .
l. p. grishchuk , in _ gyros , clocks , interferometers : testing relativistic gravity in space _ , eds . c. lammerzahl , c. w. everitt , f. w. hehl .
lecture notes in physics 562 ( springer , 2001 ) p. 167
( gr - qc/0002035 ) | arxiv |
a soliton is a self - focusing solitary wave that maintains its shape while it travels at constant speed and arises from a balance between nonlinear and dispersive effects .
bose - einstein condensates ( becs ) constitute a best environment for studying nonlinear macroscopic excitations in quantum systems .
excitations in the form of dark solitons with repulsive interaction have been realized in @xcite one and half decade ago .
bright solitons have been observed in becs of @xmath0li in quasi - one - dimensional ( 1d ) regime @xcite .
the observation of bright solitons was therefore possible only by means of the feshbach resonance and then tuning of the interactions from repulsive to attractive during the experiments . in the experiment of strecker et__al__.@xcite
, the formation of the bright soliton trains has been interpreted as due to quantum mechanical phase fluctuations of the bosonic field operator @xcite .
bright soliton trains can be also generated in a bec embedded in a quantum degenerate fermi gas@xcite as a result of a competition between two interparticle interactions : boson - boson collisions which are effectively repulsive and boson - fermion collisions which are attractive . in this paper
we propose a novel scheme to realize bright solitons in quasi-1d atomic quantum gases .
in particular , we study the formation of bright solitons in the impurity component of bec - impurity mixture at finite temperature by employing a versatile model known as time dependent hartree - fock - bogoliubov ( tdhfb ) @xcite .
experimentally , such mixtures have been already realized with a medium composed of either bosonic @xcite or fermionic atoms @xcite .
impurities in a bose gas ( bose polarons ) have been the subject of intense theoretical @xcite studies .
an important feature of these mixtures is that when neutral impurity atoms immersed in a bec can spontaneously form a self - localize state .
this localized state , within the strong coupling approach , exhibits a solitonic behavior at both zero and finite temperatures @xcite in quasi-1d geometry .
these solitons are reminiscent of the well known optical wave solitons @xcite .
here , we have pointed out that the bright solitons can be created spontaneously in the impurity component for high anomalous density .
this latter quantifies the correlations between pairs of condensed atoms with pairs of non condensed atoms and rises with interactions strength .
it was shown that the anomalous correlations play a crucial role on the stability of bec and on the occurrence of the superfluidity @xcite .
we find that the single bright soliton decays at nonzero temperatures , with the decay rate increasing with rising temperature owing to the host - host and impurity - host interactions .
in addition , we show that bright soliton trains can be produced automatically due to the modulational instability ( mi ) of the evolving classical phase in the impurity component of a harmonically trapped bec - impurity mixture even with repulsive impurity - boson and boson - boson interactions .
these trains generate without changing the trap geometry as has been suggested in @xcite , neither using the feshbach resonance as it has been observed in @xcite , or even without imprinting the initial wave function with a fluctuating phase as is shown in @xcite . the mi pattern associated with the attractive interaction plays a key role in the formation of bright solitons in a pure bec @xcite . by investigating the time evolution of soliton trains ,
we find that the number of bright solitons is increased with increasing the impurity - boson interactions .
this paper is organized as follows . in section [ flism ]
, we briefly review the main features of our theoretical approach .
section [ sol ] is dedicated to analyze the behavior of a single soliton in the impurity component of a bec - impurity mixture where we solve analytically and numerically the generalized self - focussing nonlinear schrdinger equation .
section [ st ] presents the generation strategy of bright soliton trains in a trapped bec - impurity mixture .
we show in particular how the solitary wave formation occurs in the impurity through the mi .
section [ concl ] is devoted to conclusion .
we consider a mobile impurity of mass @xmath1 immersed in a bec of atoms of mass @xmath2 at finite temperature . the impurity - boson interaction and boson - boson interactions
have been approximated by the contact potentials @xmath3 and @xmath4 , respectively .
we neglect the mutual interactions of impurity atoms since we assume that their number and local density remains sufficiently small @xcite and hence there is no impurity fluctuation . the tdhfb equations which govern the dynamics of the condensate , the thermal cloud , the anomalous density and the impurity read @xcite [ e : td ] @xmath5\phi_b , \label{e : td1 } \\ & i\hbar \dot{\tilde{m } } = 4\left [ h_b^{sp}+g_b \left(2 g \tilde { m}+2n+\gamma n_i\right)\right]\tilde{m } , \label{e : td2}\\ & i\hbar \dot{\phi}_i = \left [ h_i^{sp } + g_{ib } ( n_b+\tilde{n})\right]\phi_i .
\label{e : td3 } \end{aligned}\ ] ] in the set ( [ e : td ] ) , @xmath6 and @xmath7 are , respectively the single particle hamiltonian for the condensate and the impurity , with @xmath8 and @xmath9 being , respectively the condensate and the impurity trap potentials .
@xmath10 is the condensate wave function , @xmath11 is the condensed density , @xmath12 is the impurity wave function , @xmath13 is the density of impurity atoms , the noncondensed density @xmath14 and the anomalous density @xmath15 are identified respectively with @xmath16 and @xmath17 , where @xmath18 and @xmath19 are the boson destruction and creation field operators , respectively .
the total density in bec is defined by @xmath20 .
the dimensionless parameters @xmath21 with @xmath22 being the renormalized coupling constant @xcite , @xmath23 and @xmath24 is the relative coupling strength . for @xmath25 ,
i.e. , @xmath26 , eq.([e : td1 ] ) reduces to the hfb - popov equation which is safe from all ultraviolet and infrared divergences and thus provides a gapless spectrum . for @xmath27 ,
@xmath28 is negative and hence , @xmath29 has a negative sign . for @xmath30 ,
@xmath28 is positive , and thus , @xmath29 becomes a positive quantity . + neglecting the mean - field interaction energy between bosons and impurity components i.e. @xmath31 and setting @xmath32 , one recovers the well known gross - pitaevskii equation describing a degenerate bose gas at zero temperature and the schrdinger equation describing a noninteracting impurity system . for further computational details ,
see refs.@xcite . in our formalism the noncondensed and the anomalous densities are not independent .
by deriving an explicit relationship between them , it is possible to eliminate @xmath33 via @xcite : @xmath34 one can easily check by direct substitution that once eq.([inv ] ) holds initially , it remains true during the dynamical evolution .
the simplified set of equations are then the coupled equations ( [ e : td ] ) with @xmath33 is replaced by the expression ( [ inv ] ) . in the uniform case , by working in the momentum space , @xmath35 @xcite , where @xmath36 is the excitation energy of bec . at zero temperature @xmath37 @xcite , and hence , eq.([inv ] ) reduces to @xmath38 .
therefore , the expression of @xmath39 clearly shows that @xmath40 is larger than @xmath33 at low temperature , so the omission of the anomalous density in this situation is principally unjustified approximation and wrong from the mathematical point of view .
importantly , the expression of @xmath39 not only renders the set ( [ e : td ] ) close but also enables us to reduce the number of equation making the numerical simulation easier .
moreover , what is important in the tdhfb approach for bose systems is that there have been no assumptions on weak interactions .
therefore , the theory is valid even for strong interactions @xcite . in addition
, the tdhfb equations ( [ e : td ] ) satisfy the total number of particles and the energy conservation law , and they provide a gapless spectrum @xcite . the stationary tdhfb equations ( [ e : td ] )
can be easily obtained within the transformations : @xmath41 and @xmath42 , where @xmath43 and @xmath44 are , respectively , chemical potentials of the condensate and the anomalous density .
if the condensed and the anomalous densities change smoothly we can apply the thomas - fermi approximation , i.e. neglect the kinetic terms in eqs .
( [ e : td1 ] ) and ( [ e : td2 ] ) . in this regime
we immediately find that @xmath45,\ ] ] @xmath46.\ ] ] the density profiles ( [ eq10 ] ) and ( [ eq11 ] ) have the form of an inverted parabola .
for @xmath47 , @xmath48 an @xmath49 reduce to their usual expressions .
it is remarkable that for @xmath50 , the anomalous density vanishes .
+ assuming now that the impurity - boson coupling is sufficiently weak . substituting eqs.([eq10 ] ) and
( [ eq11 ] ) in eq.([e : td3 ] ) , we then obtain the generalized self - focussing nonlinear schrdinger equation ( nlse ) @xmath51 where @xmath52 $ ] and @xmath53 $ ] .
+ the effective interaction potential @xmath54 is positive only when the system is strongly correlated i.e for @xmath55 or @xmath56 .
whereas it is negative for @xmath57 .
importantly , @xmath54 has a minimum at @xmath58 .
+ equation ( [ impur ] ) has never been obtained before in the literature .
it allows us to study , in useful manner , the dynamical properties of the impurity and the fluctuation effects of the impurity environment at the same time . for @xmath50 , eq.([impur ] ) reduces to the standard nlse .
let us consider now an impurity immersed in an elongated ( along the @xmath59-direction ) bec and confined in a highly anisotropic trap ( such that the longitudinal and transverse trapping frequencies are @xmath60 ) . in such a case ,
the system can be considered as quasi-1d and , hence , the coupling constants of equations ( [ e : td ] ) effectively take their 1d form , namely @xmath61 and @xmath62 , where @xmath63 and @xmath64 are the scattering lengths describing the low energy boson - boson and impurity - boson scattering processes . +
to well investigate the behavior of solitons in the impurity component , it is convenient to reformulate eq.([impur ] ) in terms of dimensionless quantities using the following parameters : @xmath65 where @xmath66 is the impurity oscillator length , @xmath67 is the ratio mass , @xmath68 , with @xmath69 being the transverse impurity confinement frequency , @xmath70 and @xmath71 .
+ equation ( [ impur ] ) turns out to be given as @xmath72 where @xmath73 , @xmath74 and @xmath75 . + the energy functional corresponding to the nlse ( [ impurt ] ) reads @xmath76dx.\ ] ] remarkably , for strong pair correlations where @xmath55 , @xmath77 , the impurity wave packet has an attractive interaction between atoms , so that the system supports automatically bright solitons . for @xmath57
, the impurity behaves as a dark soliton .
in this section , we restrict ourselves to study the properties of single bright solitons . in the static case and for @xmath78 , eq.([impurt ] ) is integrable and admits the solution @xmath79 where @xmath80 is the extended localization length .
the energy of the bright soliton is calculated through eq.([enr ] ) as @xmath81 . to analyze the time evolution of the single bright soliton in detail
, we fully solve eq.([impurt ] ) numerically employing the finite - difference splitting scheme .
( [ sol1 ] ) depicts that the soliton density decreases continuously until it reaches its minimal value for @xmath82 or equivalently @xmath83 .
this latter condition which determines the soliton stability threshold , clearly indicates that the condensate is dominated by its anomalous fluctuations . as a result ,
a stable and robust impurity bright soliton locates at the local minimum of the effective potential created by the impurity - host interaction .
the decay arises from the fact that at nonzero temperatures the condensate coexists with both a noncondensed cloud and anomalous density composed of thermally excited quasiparticles .
therefore , interactions between condensed and noncondensed atoms on the one hand and interactions of the impurity soliton with atoms of the surrounding bath on the other hand lead to dissipation , and hence the soliton loses energy .
indeed , the effect of the interaction parameter @xmath84 has considerable consequences , not only on the structure of the soliton , but also on the dynamics of the system , as we will see later on .
we investigate in this section the formation and the dynamics of bright soliton trains in the impurity component of harmonically trapped bec - impurity mixture .
let us start first by illustrating the effect of the mi on the nonlinear evolution of the impurity .
for a given stationary solution @xmath85 the nlse ( [ impurt ] ) with eigenvalue @xmath86 , the small - amplitude excitations of the system are defined through the random phase approximation ( rpa ) as @xmath87 with @xmath88 e^{-i\mu_i \tau}$ ] .
we then obtain @xmath89 where @xmath90 with @xmath91 being the chemical potential of impurity soliton , @xmath92 and @xmath93 are the quasi - particle amplitudes .
+ in the case of modulational instability analysis of homogeneous quasi-1d case , the coupled system ( [ bdg ] ) is solved with being proportional to a traveling plane wave solution of wave number @xmath94 and complex dispersion @xmath95 . thus resulting in the following dispersion relation @xmath96 for @xmath97 ,
the value of @xmath95 is always positive , whereas for @xmath98 , the frequency @xmath95 has an imaginary part and the spatially modulated perturbations grow exponentially with time , as is evident from the form of @xmath99 .
therefore , the mi occurs for repulsive coupling constant @xmath100 unlike to the case of a pure bec .
this can be attributed to the effects of the anomalous correlations which are strong enough to change the sign of the interactions .
the fastest growth occurs for the wave number @xmath101 that gives a maximum of @xmath95 .
the extremum condition @xmath102 gives @xmath103 and the maximum rate of growth is @xmath104 . in the context of the nonlinear optics , mi occurs also for any sign of nonlinearity and gvd when the electromagnetic field is polarized , the light propagation in isotropic kerr media is described by two incoherently coupled nlse which referred to as cross - phase - modulation , and thus leads to mi for any sign of the interaction strength @xcite . in the trapped case
, the dispersion relation can be obtained by taking the fourier transform of the wave number associated with each eigenmode calculated by diagonalizing the set ( [ bdg ] ) .
the dispersion spectrum @xmath95 is displayed in fig.[mi1 ] . plotting the analogous curves for the uniform case , where eq .
( [ dis ] ) provides analytical expression , we observe an excellent agreement for the real part of the spectra while a small deviation appears in the imaginary part of the spectra at larger @xmath105
. an important consequence of the mi is the formation of trains of bright solitons in the impurity component of a trapped bec - impurity mixture . to investigate the generation of these trains , we first use the above ground - state wave function ( [ statsol ] ) as an initial condition for the time - evolution of eq .
( [ impurt ] ) .
the numerical code implements again in cylindrical symmetry a finite - difference splitting method . assuming that the system is in equilibrium i.e. @xmath106 ( to avoid dissipation effects ) and increasing the strength of the coupling between bosons and impurity @xmath64 . .
parameters as in fig.[sol1].,width=8,height=377 ] figure .
[ train ] shows that at @xmath107 , the impurity cloud of @xmath108rb-@xmath109na mixture breaks into several peaks which remain spatially localized during the time evolution and thus forming soliton trains .
the number of peaks grows with the scattering length @xmath64 .
the formation of these trains can be explained as due to the strong anomalous correlations which grow themselves with increasing interactions @xcite .
note that the pairing correlations lead also to split the bright soliton into two partially coherent solitonic structures of opposite momenta in a pure bec @xcite .
furthermore , the bright soliton trains seen in fig.[train ] generate by virtue of the mi of the time - dependent wave function of the impurity , driven by imaginary bogoliubov excitations as we have mentioned above .
by using the tdhfb theory we have shown that bright solitons can be generated in the impurity component of bec - impurity mixture at finite temperature as a result of strong anomalous correlations .
we have found that these solitons decay due to the impurity - medium and medium - medium interactions .
we have shown that after a sudden increase of the impurity - boson strength a train of bright solitons is produced in the impurity component and this can be interpreted in terms of the mi of the time - dependent impurity wave function . in our case
the mi occurs even for repulsive interactions which is a salient feature in bec - impurity mixtures .
most recently , the formation of bright solitons with repulsive nonlinearity has been observed from the surface spin - wave propagating in yttrium iron garnet thin film strips @xcite .
moreover , we have pointed out that the anomalous correlations , which become more and more stronger with increasing @xmath64 , is also an important ingredient for the generation of bright soliton trains .
the number of solitons in the train is proportional to @xmath64 .
we are grateful to usama al khawaja and yuri kivshar for comments on the manuscript .
this work was supported by the algerian government under research grant no .
cnepru- b00l02un020120130004 .
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Improve reading skills by helping students learn how to set their own goals. Dr. Linda Mason helps us understand how to help students become better readers with goal setting, self-regulating, and self-assessment strategies.
Linda shares lots of practical research-based advice on helping struggling readers. I find her revelation about students with ED and the impact these strategies have on their reading and writing very exciting. We cover a lot of ground in today's episode.
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How do we start when we need to help students become better readers?
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What does the research say about this method of helping students become better readers?
The astounding impact of these methods on students with emotional struggles versus average readers?
What are some strategies for helping students become more metacognitive about reading?
What is a practical way to help students understand their reading speed and improve reading?
Dr. Linda H. Mason is a Professor of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She conducts research on Self-Regulated Strategy Development for reading comprehension and writing.
The post 3 Strategies for Students Who Struggle with Reading and Writing appeared first on Cool Cat Teacher Blog by Vicki Davis @coolcatteacher helping educators be excellent every day. Meow! | slim_pajama |
Rainbowish phenomenon outside my home [closed]
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I took a photo of an amazing sight I had never seen outside my home ( southern india ) but I could not tell if it was a rainbow type thing or an aurora borealis. Can someone tell what this is and it’s reason of occurrence 😀😀[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/zdKI6.jpg)
That is due to ice particles high in the atmosphere. It's a "rainbow type thing", but different from a rainbow caused by water droplets. The angle between the sun and the rainbow is different from a droplet rainbow. Also, the ice crystals tend to be oriented with one axis parallel or normal to the ground while suspended in the air, so the shape of the rainbow is not necessarily an arc like the standard rainbow. See <https://www.crystalinks.com/sundogs.html>.
| stackexchange/physics |
Brent Tasman Crosswell born 8 August 1950 in Launceston, Tasmania is a former Australian rules footballer who represented , and in the Victorian Football League VFL during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. A charismatic and versatile player, Crosswell is part of a select group of VFL/AFL footballers to have won premierships with two clubs.
Early life and career
The son of Darrell and Ruby Crosswell née Parsons, and cousin of Craig Davis, Crosswell was educated at Scotch College in Launceston, where he excelled both as a footballer and a high-jumper.
Recruited from Northern Tasmanian club Campbell Town, Crosswell made his VFL debut in 1968 for Carlton. A solid debut season earned him Carlton's 'best first year player' award. They won the 1968 Grand Final by three points. Crosswell was one of Carlton's best players in the famous 1970 Grand Final victory over Collingwood, and fittingly it was he who kicked the goal that put Carlton in front deep into the final quarter. He missed the 1972 premiership through illness.
In 1975 he left Carlton and went to and play a crucial role during the club's golden period, adding two more premierships to his resume. Crosswell's finals form cannot be faulted and he featured in the best players list in all his Grand Finals appearances, except in 1976 when he injured himself against Geelong in muddy conditions the previous week. Not be discounted, the selection committee at the club selected Crosswell in the 1976 Grand Final side and gave North Melbourne a needed boost, but this was only temporary as his endurance was waning and the injury prevented him to give 100 that he wanted to show. When Barassi decided to leave North Melbourne, Crosswell moved to his third club, Melbourne, in 1980 and spent his final three seasons of football there, to end a career with one of the most Grand Final appearances by a player at the time: nine VFL Grand Finals.
Crosswell is said to be the inspiration for Tasmanian footballer Geoff Hayward in David Williamson's 1977 play The Club.
Crosswell studied an arts degree at Monash University. He was outspoken in opposing the Vietnam War, taking part in the Moratorium marches. Crosswell was a leading campaigner for achieving fairer pay for athletes, advocating strike action to address the exploitative pay conditions of professional football players.
Post playing career
Since the end of his career, Crosswell has suffered from Meniere's disease. His football achievements received formal recognition when he was one of the inaugural inductees into the Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame in 2005. In July 2012, he was upgraded to Icon status.
Crosswell's son Tom Kavanagh also played in the VFL/AFL.
Footnotes
Bibliography
External links
Profile at Australian Football
Blueseum profile
Demon Wiki profile
Category:1950 births
Category:Living people
Category:Australian rules footballers from Tasmania
Category:North Melbourne Football Club players
Category:Melbourne Football Club players
Category:Carlton Football Club players
Category:Sportspeople from Launceston, Tasmania
Category:Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame inductees | wikipedia |
THE
NAKID
GUN --
....,_...,. IM1al'.... 1'111,_.. .__.. ......... .. ... ~ .-.-~ ... .. -"POLICE SQUAD!"
by
Jerry Zucker
Jim Abrahams
David Zucker
Pat Proft
Revised
December 10, 1987 1
2
3
4 "POLICE SOUADl"
IMPRESSIVE PANORAMA
Ominous MUSIC. SUPERIMPOSE: BEIRUT, LEBANON.
EXT. PALACE - DAY
Heavily guarded.
INT. PALACE - DAY l.
It's incredibly opulent. The CAMERA PUSHES IN on a
massive door guarded by several heavily-armed militia.
We can hear VOICES speaking in a foreign language on
the other side of the door.
INT. PALACE CONFERENCE-TYPE ROOM -DAY
Seated around a conference table is every hated world
leader: YASSER ARAFAT, AYATOLLAH KHOMEINI, MOAMMAR
KHADAFI, IOI AMIN and GORBACHEV. Off to the side is a
sinister-looking Iranian, MR. PAHPSEMIR, who is care
fully observing everything.
KHOMEINI
(angrily)
Killing a few hostages is not
sufficient! The Americans must be
made to suffer. We must humiliate
themt 1
A servant, in typical Arab kahfi headdress, wheels a
coffee cart into the room.
ARAFAT
We should rip their entrails out
and drag them here to Damascus
until they include us in the peace
process!
KBAOAFI
My scruffy little friend continues
alon9 his moderate lines.
Nonsense! The solution is not
bold enou9h. Wipe out Washin9ton,
New York •••
GORBACHEV
Whattl? And spoil two years of
900d public relations?! I have
the West believin9 I'm a nice
9uyl Another year I could be head
of Greenpeace •••
(CONTINtJED) l
2
3
4 4
• 2.
CONTINUED:
The bickering escalates, almost to the point of pande
monium.
CLOSEUP - FIST
It slams the table. The room goes silent. PAN UP the
arm as Khomeini rises to his feet.
KHOMEINI
Gentlemen. Gentlemen! This is
getting us nowhere. If we do
nothing else this week we must
conceive one terrorist act which
will show the West that we must be dealt with. Something that will
not go unnoticed!
In the b.g., the servant pours coffee.
KHOMEINI (cont.)
So let us not dwell so much on our
differences, but rather on what we
do agree on: that the Onited
States, the great Satan, is but a
paper tiger --
a weak nation of
weak people. A people ripe for
destruction. Cowards -- no longer
willing to fight •
ANGLE - SAMOVAR CART 4
Tea is being poured for Gorbachev. CAM.ERA PANS OP to
reveal servant is actually LIEUTENANT FRANK ORESIN of
Police Squadtl He rips off his kahfi, throws a cup of
tea in Gorbachev'• face and slugs Arafat in the mouth.
Idi Amin swings at Prank but misses, Frank grabs him by
the neck and seat of his pants and runs him up to and
out a window. Khomeini, thrown back up against a wall,
clears his head and charges back in. In the melee, his
famoua turban comes off, revealing an orange Mohawk.
Frank knocks him flat. Just in time, he looks up to
see Gorbachev charging at him with a knife. Frank
knocka it away, trapping the Premier in a headlock. Be
reaches o.s. for a rag and wipes at the scar on
Gorbachev'• forehead. It comes clean off.
FRANK
(to CAMERA)
I knew itl
He runs Gorbachev through a wall. Another punch sends
Khadafi into a bathtub full of water. Frank throws in
a radio after him. Frank leaps up onto the open window
sill and turns back to them.
(CONTINUED) 4
5
6
7
8 3 •
CONTINUED: ( 2) 4
FRANK (cont.)
••• And don't let me ever catch
you guys in Chicago!
EXT. PALACE -DAY 5
He leaps out the window, falls three stories onto a
passing camel and gallops off.
FADE TO BLACK.
FADE IN:
INT. WATER TANK - DAY
Police Squad theme MUSIC begins. CREDITS BEGIN over
obese, naked women swimming underwater in silhouette a
la "James Bond." Frank appears, wearing huge flippers,
wandering through the scenes.
CREDITS ENO.
EXT. THE DOCKS - NIGHT
CAMERA RISES OUT of water. A heavy fog lies on the bay
as a lonely spotlight from a lighthouse sweeps the
water, accompanied by FOGHORN sounds.
EXT. DOCKS, CATTLE CRATES - NIGHT
The FOGHORN sounds are actually cows. From behind a .
crate, plainclothes policeman, NORDBERG, emerges
equipped with state-of-the-art eavesdropping devices.
Be points his parabolic dish toward a nearby ship and
hears •Wheel of· Fortune• through the heavy steel walls.
Next he points it towards an apartment building and
hears "Wheel of Fortune.• Finally he points towards a
ship named •s.s. I Luv You• and hears voices.
FAT MAN (O.S.)
This completes our first shipment
of cocaine.
DEALER (O.S.)
It's 1001 pure. All 40 kilo•.
FAT MAN (0.S.)
The final shipment will be
delivered here in three days.
After it checks out, we will
expect ••• payment.
DEALER (O.S.)
Do not worry. We will take care
of it.
(CONTINUED) 6
7
8 8
(
9
10
11
12
(
_,,,,,....._ 4.
CONTINUED: 8
Nordberg has heard enough. He puts his listening appa
ratus down, and •••
INT. SHIP - NIGHT 9
Nordberg, revolver in hand, stealthfully sneaks down
the hall past doors marked "Engine Room," "Commissary," _
"Captain." Finally, he arrives at "Crew's Quarters"
and hears the drug deal going down. Be pauses momen
tarily, and then with giant karate thrust, kicks the
door.
INT. CR.Ei'J QUARTERS - NIGHT
The plotting bad guys look toward the foot dangling
through the closed door.
INT. BALL - NIGHT
Nordberg clumsily removes his foot.
INT. CREW QUARTERS - NIGHT
Nordberg's hand reaches through the hole and begins to
unlock a series of latches, dead-bolts and chain locks
as the bad guys patiently load their pistols, rifles,
mortars, etc., and wait. Nordberg finally opens the
door. Be sees a six bad guys with their guns pointing
at him. Be pulls out his badge.
NORDBERG
Police! Throw down your gunsl 10
11
12
A dumb bad guy throws down his gun. The others roll
their eyes a• the dumb one sheepishly retrieves his
revolver. The bad guys SHOOT Nordberg. Be stumbles
back, grabbing his wounded mid-section, and wickedly
crack• his head against an overhead beam. Be grimaces
and stumble• forward, breaking his momentum by putting
bia band on a hot stove. Be cries out in pai~ and
falla backward into a chair. Another grimace as he
flies out of the chair, a maasive stapler clutching his
asa. Be hops sideway• and shrieks out, lifting his
foot revealing a thumbtack, and bounces off a wall that
says, •wet Paint.• Be hops across the room, to a win
dowsill where he rest• his hand as the window crashes
down on hi• fingera. The bad guy• look on incredu
lously as he pulls his hand free, stumbling into a
wastebasket and causing him to fall face-firat into a
wedding cake. A bad guy i• splaahed with froating -
Nordberg reel• backward, aa though ha had been dunked·
in acid and back-pedals, with bride and grOOll sticking
out of his mouth, into a bear trap. B• looks up to see
several stuffed bear haada on a wall. B• staggers
backwards, out the door. 13
~
'
14
15
15A
15B EXT. SHIP'S DECK - NIGHT
Be topples over the side of the boat and into the
water. The bad guys rush to the rail to look down at
the water.
EXT. AIRPORT -DAY (STOCK FOOTAGE)
.A big plane lands on the runway.
INT. AIRPORT TERMINAL - DAY s .
Frank exits walkway into terminal carrying a small gym
bag. As he turns down the crowded hallway, he spots
something. Something he didn't expect -- he surges
forward, his heart pounding.
INT. AIRPORT TERMINAL -FRANK'S POV - DAY
A WOMAN with long blonde hair, walking briskly, twenty
feet in front of him.
INT. AIRPORT TERMINAL -BACK TO FRANK -DAY
running through the crowd, trying to catch up to her.
FRANK
(shouting)
Victoria!
She doesn't respond. Frank runs faster. Be's getting
closer, pushing through the crowd.
FRANK (cont.)
Victoria! Victoria!
Be finally reaches her, grabs her shoulders and turns
her around.
PRANK (cont.)
Victoria, please, I just •••
When she turn• around, Frank's face drops. It's the
wro119 girl.
FRANK (cont.)
Oh ••• excuse me ••• I'm sorry. I
thought you ••• you just looked
like someone I knew once.
WOMAN
Victoria?
FRANK
Yesl Did you know her?
(CONTINUED) 13
14
15
15A
15B l5B CONTINUED:
WOMAN
Ah ••• no. I heard you call out
her name seven times.
(beat)
She had long blonde hair, huh?
FRANK
No, a brunette •••
(wistfully)
.•. with a pageboy and a big
bow •.. She always wore bows, big
colorful bows .•. 6.
The woman is not sure exactly why she was mistaken for
Victoria.
FRANK (cont.)
She always wore red shoes just
like yours.
She looks down at her shoes. Yup.
WOMAN
Oh ••• I see ... Well, if you'll
excuse me, I have to leave now.
FRANK
(looking off into
space)
Bow ironic. She did the same
thing. I loved her so much. It
happened so recently -- I can
still taste her mouthwash. And
she just up and left.
Frank looks back to the blonde Woman, but she's gone.
Frank continues walking down the corridor.
FRANK (V.O.)
They told me she was no good, but
I ignored them --lSB
Be pall• a long strap out of the gym bag (which has
wheela) and places the bag on the ground, pulling it
behind him as other people are doing with larger pieces
of luggage.
FRANK (V.O.) (cont.)
I tru•t•ci her. I followed my
heart -- foolishly, it turned out.
Maybe cops and women just don't
mix. 16
,,,,.......
\
16A
17
\
,,,,,.......
\ 7.
INT. CAR - A STREET NEAR HOSPITAL - DAY
Frank is driving. 16
FRANK (V .O.)
I wasn't sure I could ever love
again ... But now I had to put all
that out of my mind. While en
route back home, I received a
simple, two-word telex:
"Nordberg's been shot."
EXT. HOSPITAL - DAY 16A
Frank pulls up to the curb, hitting the car in front of
him, causing it to roll down the hill (O.S. CRASH). He
gets out of the car and walks briskly toward the
hospital.
FRANK ( V • 0 • )
Nordberg was a good cop -- and a
friend. And I figured he could
use one now.
INT. HOSPITAL - DAY
CLOSEUP murky water. CAMERA POLLS BACK to see it pour
ing from bedpan. The bedpan is being emptied by a
nurse. Nordberg lies there, semi-conscious. His WIFE
stands by with ED HOCKEN, Frank's boss and the head of
Police Squad. Nordberg is kept alive by many tubes
inserted into him, plus life-saving machines and heart
blip monitors, etc. Bis fingers and toes are full of
splints and bandages. The DOCTOR is just finishing
bandaging Nordberg'• leg.
DOCTOR
Mrs. Nordberg, I think we can save
our husband's leg. Where would
you like it sent?
She cries. Frank enters.
ED
Oh, Frankl Glad you're here.
FRANK
Hello, Ed.
(to Wilma)
Wilma. It's good to see you •••
Cigarette?
He offers her a cigarette.
WILMA
Yea, I know.
Ed takes Frank aside for a moment.
(CONTINUED) 17 17 CONTINUED:
ED
He's alive, Frank, on life
support. The doctors say he's got
a fifty-fifty chance of living.
But there's only a ten percent
chance of that. The only thing
keeping him alive are these
machines.
FRANK
Well, let's hope.
ED
We heard about what you did in
Beirut, Frank. Good going ••• but
~ I gave you extra vacation time to,
well, relax a little bit, and
forget about •••
Don't
She's
okay. FRANK
worry, Ed. I'm past it.
out of my life now -- I'm
Where's Nordberg?
ED
He's right here, Frank.
Frank looks down to see Nordberg in front of him.
FRANK
Right.
Frank gently sits down on the bed next to Nordberg,
accidentally tripping the hydraulic mechanism, jack•
knifing the bed, so Nordberg's head winds up between
his feet.
ED
Hey, Frank.
Frank atraightens out the bed.
FRANK
(to Nordberg)
Nordberg! It's Frank. Who did
this to you?
NORDBERG
I ••• Luv ••• You •••
FRANK
Yes, Nordberg, I love you, too.
But who were they? a.
(CONTINUED) 17 17
'
' CONTINUED: ( 2)
NORDBERG
No, no. It's a ship, a boat •••
FRANK
That's right, Nordberg -- a boat!
When you get better, we'll go
sailing together on a boat, we'll
take a cruise, just like last
year •••
NORDBERG
No ••. no ••• drugs ••• drugs ...
FRANK
(looking around)
Bey, Nurse! Get some drugs tor
this man -- can't you see he's in
pain!?! Give him a shot, someone!
Quick!
NORDBERG
No ••• no ••• no •••
The Nurse injects a needle into Nordberg's arm. Be
becomes even groggier.
FRANK
Don't worry, Nordberg,
everything's gonna be okay.
NORDBERG
No, no ••• Heroin, Frank.
Frank looks around furtively.
FRANK
Well, that's a pretty tall order,
Nordberg. You'll have to give me
a couple ot days on that one. 9.
Nordberg goes unconscious. Mrs. Nordberg breaks down
again.
MRS. NORDBERG
(sobbing)
Oh, my poor Nordberg. Be was such
a good man. Be never wanted to
hurt anybody ••• Who would do such
a thing?
ED
It's ts1d to tell.
(CONTINO~) 17 17
'
' CONTINUED: (3)
FRANK
It could be some roving gang of
thugs, maybe a blackmailer, an
angry husband, a gay lover •••
This upsets Mrs. Nordberg all the more.
ED
A good cop, needlessly cut down in
an ambush by cowardly hoodlums •..
That's no way for a man to die.
Mrs. Nordberg sobs.
FRANK
You're right, Ed. It's no way for
a man to die. A parachute not
opening ••• that's a way to die •••
Getting caught in the gears of a
combine ••• Having your nuts bit off by a Laplander -- that's the
way I want to go.
Mrs. Nordberg is obviously upset. S~e .falls into
Frank's arms.
MRS. NORDBERG
(sobbing)
Oh, Frank. This is just terrible.
Now we'll never have children.
FRANK
Wilmal Please! Be's not even
dead yet. We'll talk about our
lives later.
Mrs. Nordberg separates from Frank; mucous stretche1s
ridiculously from her nose to Frank's lapel.
ED
Don't worry, Wilma. Your husband ~
is gonna be alright. There's
nothing to worry about. Just
think positively. Don't you let
any doubts ever creep into your
mind •••
Mrs. Nordberg is trying.
FRANK
Be's right, Wilma ••• But I
wouldn't wait until the last
minute to fill out those organ
donor cards ••• 10.
17
(CONTINt:JED) 17
l CONTINUED: (4)
She's.more upset. Ed gives up.
FRANK (cont.)
.•• A mind is a terrible thing to
waste.
ED
Now, Wilma, your husband's going
to be fine. And we want you to
know that as soon as he's well,
Nordberg is welcome back at Police
Squad.
FRANK
Unless he's a drooling vegetable.
But I think that's only common
sense.
She begins to cry again. Ed pats her gently on the
shoulder.
ED
(to Mrs. Nordberg)
Wilma, can you think of any reason
why your husband was at the
waterfront last night?
MRS. NORDBERG
(sobbing)
I don't know. Be was such a
devoted husband. Be was loving,
kind -- never complained about my
incontinence ••• Be even nicknamed
me "Puddles."
FRANK
You must have many fond memories
of you and your husband.
MRS. NORDBERG
Just yesterday, I was digging
around inside his drawers.
FRANK
What a man or woman does in the
confines of their bedroom is their
private business.
She takes a photograph out of her purse.
MRS. NORDBERG
I found this.
ED
A photograph. 11.
17 17A
18
-~
' 18A INSERT - PHOTOGRAPH 12.
17A
It's a picture of a cargo ship. The letters painted! on
the bow read: "I Luv You." WIDEN ANGLE.
ED
(reading)
"I Luv You" out of Caracas. A
Panamanian ship. Frank, when
Nordberg said he loved you, he was
telling you the name of the ship.
FRANK
(hurt)
I realize that ••• now.
ED
-We'd better check this out, Frank.
FRANK
I want every available man on
this, Ed.
ED
I can't spare anyone, Frank. You
know we're in charge of security
for the Queen Elizabeth's visit,
and we're shorthanded already.
FRANK
(to Wilma)
Wilma, I promise you one thing.
Whatever scum is behind this, not
a single cop on this police force
will have a minute's rest until
he's behind bars. Now let's grab
a bite to eat.
As they exit, Prank turns off a bank of lights and tlhe
BUM of the life-supporting systems winds down. Same!
red emergency lights flash.
IN'f. HALLWAY -DAY
Mr■• Nordberg follows Frank and Ed down the hallway~ as a wave of hoapital emergency personnel rush past th .m
towards Nordberg'• room.
PRANK
Don't worry, Wilma. Just be
grateful you're not the wife of
that poor bastard.
EXT. HOTEL - ESTABLISHING SHOT 18
18A 19
,
\_ lJ •
INT. HOTEL BALLROOM - OAY
It's a lavish press conference, complete with live
radio and television coverage, photographers, etc. On
the dais are numerous state and city officials. The
MAYOR is speaking.
MAYOR
.•. And, of course, we all realize
what a momentous occasion this
will be -- that due to our
extraordinary efforts, Queen
Elizabeth has included the city of
Chicago as one of the three cities
she will visit during her American
tour •. . 19
There is APPLAUSE from the audience. Flashbulbs POP.•
During the speech, CAMERA PANS the dais past the Mayot,
dignitaries, state and city officials and VICTOR
LUDWIG, prominent local businessman in his middle
fifties. There are pitchers full of water all along,
the dais. When the CAMERA gets to Frank at the end of
the dais, he's pouring the last drop from one pitcher/
and starting another, filling another glass as he :
listens intently.
MAYOR (cont.)
••• And no one deserves more
credit for this incredible turn of
events than Victor Ludwig!
Ludwig stands to acknowledge the APPLAUSE.
MAYOR (cont.)
As chairman of the Royal Welcoming
Committee, Mr. Ludwig has worked
tirelessly, taking time off from
his busy schedule as one of our
city's most respected businessmen.
In addition, he has generously
volunteered the private grounds of
his summer estate in Rolling Bills
for a gala cocktail reception on
the evening of Ber Majesty's
arrival.
More approving APPLAUSE. A REPORTER stands.
REPORTER
Mr. Mayor. Will there be any
additional security officers added
to the police force during the
Queen's visit? /
(CONTINOfD)
I 19
19A
198 CONTINUED: 14.
19
FRANK MAYOR
Because of the sensitive nature of
this event, and because the eyes of
the world will be on Chicago during
the coming week, we have placed the
Queen's security in the hands of
our elite, special division -
"POLICE SQUAD" -- represented here
today by Captain Frank Drebin.
There is scattered APPLAUSE. Be's just drained anotjher
glass of water. The second pitcher stands empty in ',
front of him.
FRANK
Thank you, Your Honor. We have •..
We hear some audience members yelling "Louder, loude11r 1"
POLICE CHIEF VARGA, sitting next to Frank, removes hlis
lapel mike and gives it to Frank. We hear Frank's ·
amplified wheezing and grunting as he struggles to
attach the clip to his lapel. Be finally does it, a~d
turns to the audience. !
FRANK (cont.)
Thank you, Your Honor. Protecting
the lives and safety of
distinguished visitors to our city
is a task gladly accepted by
Police Squad. We intend to do
everything in our power to make
the Queen's stay in the city safe
and uneventful.
MAYOR
Thank you, Captain Drebin.
Prank takes a drink of water, and descends the dais. :,
MAYOR (cont.)
we all, of course, have a stake in
seeing that this portion of the
Queen's American Goodwill tour is
completed successfully and safely.
i
Aa the Mayo~ starts to talk, Prank steps behind a wafl, 19A
entering the men's room.
PODIOM - MAYOR
MAYOR (cont.)
And we of the City of Chicago take
pride in the fact that the Queen
has chosen our city to visit. 198 19B
,,,--
19C
190
'
20
21 CONTINUED: 15.
19B
over-the P.A. system we hear a loud "ZIP."
MAYOR (cont.)
Of course, it is a reflection on
all the various committees and
boards and their members who have
worked tirelessly to make this
week a reality.
INT. BATHROOM
Frank in stall.
INT. BALLROOM -DAY
Over the loudspeaker, we begin to hear Frank RELIEVE
himself. It starts out slow, an on-and-off start.
MAYOR (cont.)
And indeed, it is the people of
Chicago, all of our citizens, from
every walk of life who will be
able to share in the celebration
and honor of this historic
occasion.
The audience listens, stunned.
It picks up momentum. It's as
ence were in the bathroom with
tinues on, bravely. i
It's a steady streami
loud as though the auri
him. The Mayor con-,
MAYOR (cont.)
Especially exciting ••• will be •••
the Queen's public appearances •••
It SOUNDS like someone is running a garden hose into
the toilet. The Mayor stops his speech completely,
unable to proceed under these circumstances. The
length and power of this pee can't be ignored. It
finally dribbles to a stop. The Mayor gets ready to
resuaa his speech. Then it starts at full force one
more. The Mayor throws up his hands and takes a seat.
Everybody waits.
INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY
A family is watching the press conference on TV. The
only SOUND is peeing. They're aghast.
INT. CAR -CLOSEUP - RADIO - DAY
All we hear is PEEING. PAN to driver. Be's dumb
founded. 19C
190
20
21 22
23
,,,,...._
\ INT. PRESS CONFERENCE
The urinating SLOWS down.
this be the finish?" No.
The Kayor is astounded. The Mayor perks up. "Could
It starts up strong again.
FRANK ( 0. S • )
(humming)
"Old man ribber, that old man,
ribber. Be just keeps rollin' •••
We hear the IMPACT of the torrent shift from water to
tile.
FRANK (O.S.) (cont.)
Whoops •••
Be sighs.
' The THUNDEROUS urination finally comes to a slow STOPt
A beat. A few dribbles more. Then it starts up stro g
for a few seconds more. Then comes to a stop. A few
final drops as Frank obviously just shook the weasel
free of any dew. Be shivers.
THE MAYOR
Bis head buried in his hands in total surrender.
INT. POLICE LAB - DAY
Ed and the head of the crime lab, TED OLSEN, are bentj
over a microscope. Frank enters.
I
I
ED
Oh, hi, Frank. Bow was the press
conference?
FRANK
Fine. I feel much better. What's
up?
ED
Olsen here, from the lab dusted
Nordberg's jacket.
TED
It.doesn't look good, Frank.
FRANK
What do you mean?
ED
Take a look for yourself. I
Frank looks through the microscope at a slide. But e
keep• putting his closed eye over the microscope. 23 \
' CONTINUED:
FRANK
I can't see it.
ED
Use your open eye, Frank.
FRANK
Oh. I see it now.
MR. OLSEN
At fi~st glance, it would appear
to be only the normal cotton
fibers. But when we focused in
closer, we discovered a fine white
powder.
Frank turns the knob too far and cracks the glass
slide, breaking it in two.
MR. OLSEN (cont.)
We tested it -- pure heroin.
Frank raises his head from the broken slide. Be tak~s
a quick look up to see if anyone noticed.· No one haf•
FRANK
It's got to be a set-up.
iD
Bow well did you know Nordberg,
Frank?
FRANK
Well enough! I say he was on to
something or somebody -- and that somebody wanted him out of the
way.
ED
I hope you're right, but we're
following standard police
procedure on this. And that means
as of right now, Nordberg is a
suspect. 7.
23
AL enters. Since he's seven feet tall, his head is OUT
OF FRAME. Se's holding a shoe box.
AL
Here's the package you wanted,
Chief.
Be sets it on the desk. 23
23A
23B CONTINUED: (2) 18.
23
ED
Thanks, Al.
Al turns to leave. Ed stops him.
ED (cont.)
Al, you're out of uniform again.
Regulation headgear only. You
know that.
Sorry, Chief, f was just trying 1
\,
something different.
He places a large Mexicans. ombrero down on the desk \and
exits. Frank looks after him, a bit puzzled. Olse9
opens the shoe box. He pulls out a man's shoe. 1
MR. OLSEN
Here's something we developed only
yesterday. To the casual
observer, an ordinary shoe. But
in actuality •••
INSERT - SHOE
A knife springs out of the toe like a switchblade.
INT. POLICE LAB - DAY
MR. OLSEN I
II
11,1
It makes quite a handy weapon... 1
. i
Now Olsen swings out more knives, various tools, scit
sors, bottles opener/screwdriver, corkscrew, etc.
MR. OLSEN (cont.) 1
1 ••• And everything a cop in the :
field would need. We call it the 1
\
Swiss Army Shoe.
Ed ia laacinated by the shoe. Be examines it more
closely.
FRANK
Good work, Ted. What else have
you got?
MR. OLSEN
Well, you see these cuff links I'm
wearing?
•
Yes. I,
(CONTINUED) 23A
23B 23B
/ ,,,,.._
24 CONTINuEO:
MR. OLSEN
Well, they're not ~usi cuff links.
Each one fires a singe pin-sized
dart that knocks out your victim
for a few minutes, but does no
permanent damage.
Be holds it up to his eye to aim.
MR. OLSEN (cont.)
Here, let me demonstrate on Ed.
Ed has not been paying attention to all this, but
up when he hears his name.
ED
Buh?
Mr. Olsen presses the little button on the cuff link.
Ed grabs his neck and falls.
ED (cont.)
Ted ... why?l
MR .. OLSEN
Don't worry, he'll be up and
around in no time. Why don't you
take a pair, Frank?
FRANK
Well ••• actually, as it happens, I
can use a pair of cuff links.
Mr. Olsen gives a pair to Frank.
MR. OLSEN
Good.· I think you'll like them.
TECHNICIAN (O.S.)
Ted, quickl We got some action
here.
Frank and Mr. Olsen walk over to a TECHNICIAN who iJ
standing at a window, looking out through binocular,.
MR. OLSEN
We're testing that new anti
grattiti wall.
TECHNICIAN
Here comes a tew customers now.
EXT. STREET 19.
23B
ks
24
Some gang types approach the wall with spray cans ad
start spraying their mindless writing on the wall. 25
26 INT. POLICE SQUAD - DAY
MR. OLSEN
It's set to react when the spray
hits the sensors.
EXT. STREET
i 20.
25
26
As the gang continues to spray, the wall suddenly s1its
back its own spray, covering the offenders in spray
paint. The gang scatters in panic. -
27 BACK TO POLICE LAB 27
Ed has come to and joined Frank and Ted.
28
28A
29 ED
Frank, I'll give you 24 hours to
find out why there was heroin on
that jacket. Otherwise, if the
press picks this up with Nordberg
still on the force -- well, it's
the last thing we want with the
Queen coming to town.
Ed looks through the binoculars.
EXT. STREET
The wall is spraying itself with a fresh coat of wh te
paint.
EXT. LUDWIG'S LUXURY APARTMENT BUILDING - DAY
INT. LUDWIG'S APARTMENT -DAY
It's quite opulent as you would expect of a man oft
Ludwig's position. The SECRETARY ushers in Pahpshm r,
who we recoqnize from the meeting in Beirut.
1
PAHPSHMIR
Mr. Ludwig?
LOOWIG
Mr. Pahpshmir. A pleasure to meet
you.
He gestures.to a chair.
LOOWIG (cont.)
Please.
They are seated.
LOOWIG (cont.)
Welcome to Chicago. Have you had
a pleasant trip?
(CONTINO 0) 28
28A
29 29
\
' CONTINUED:
PAHPSHMIR
Your country is not to my liking.
May we get down to business?
LUDWIG
Certainly. I can carry out your
request. My price is twenty
million dollars.
There is a pause.
PAHPSHMIR
The price is not a problem. But
there is some concern on the part
of those I represent, that you
will be able to ••• complete such a
difficult task.
LUDWIG
Tell me, Mr. Pahpshmir, in all the
world, who is the best assassin?
Pahpshmir thinks for· a moment.
PAHPSHMIR
Well ••• I ~ould think, anyone who
manages to conceal his identity as
an assassin.
LUDWIG
But there is even a more ideal
assassin. One who doesn't know he
is an assassin.
(pause)
Care for some tea?
PABPSBMIR
Yes, thank you.
Be pr••••• a button behind his desk. The Secretary
walks in.
LUDWIG
Service for two, Dominique.
She nods and turns to leave.
LtJDWIG
presses a button on his key ring.
TBE SECRETARY
Ber watch BEEPS. She stops dead in her tracks, holfs
her watch to her ear and listens.
I
(CONTINO~D)
I 29 29
l CONTINUED: (2)
As if ~n a trance, she turns around, opens a drawer,
takes out a pistol and points it at Pahpshmir.
SECRETARY
I must kill -- Pahpshmir. I must
kill -- Pahpshmir ... 2 2i •
. 29
She pulls the trigger. Pahpshmir jumps from his chair~
But the gun only CLICKS, it's not loaded. The Secre
tary continues to CLICK away robotically, then suddenly
turns the gun on herself and pulls the trigger.
LUDWIG AND PAHPSBMIR
exchange glances. Ludwig remains calm throughout.
Ludwig presses the button again. The Secretary snaps
out of it, immediately dropping the gun on the floor.
SECRETARY
Will that be with cream and sugar,
sir?
PABPSHMIR
(still shocked)
Cream only, thank you.
The Secretary nods, turns to leave and stops.
SECRETARY
There's a gun on the floor, sir.
LUDWIG
Just leave it there, Dominique,
it's alright. The tea, please •.
She nods and exits.
PABPSBMIR LODWIG (cont.)
Tell me, Mr. Pahpshmir, have you
ever aeen drug-induced hypnosis?
PAHPSBMIR
Very impressive. But how will you
get her near the target?
LODWIG
O~, I doubt whether it will be
her. Good secretaries are so hard
to ~ind. It seems to me ••• anyone
can be an assassin.
Be's impressed. Music STING. " JO
31 EXT. DOCK AREA -DAY 23.
30
A man is sitting on a pylon, fishing. Frank and Ed
drive up, the car hits the pylon, sending the fisher~an
into the water. Frank and Ed get out of the car.
FRANK
Where was Nordberg found, Ed?
ED
Right out there, Frank.
He points toward the water.
ED (cont.)
You want to take a dinghy?
FRANK
No, I took care of that back at
the press conference.
They look out over the water.
EXT. WATER -DAY
There is a chalk-line outline of a body floating on lthe
water. Nearby are cops in a rowboat dusting for pri~ts
and taking photos. 31
31A EXT. DOCK AREA - DAY 31A
32 ED
He was found by the night
watchman. Beats me. What would a
cop be doing down here at the docks
floating face-down in the water?
FRANK
Well, Nordberg was fond of
snorkeling. -
ED
We'd better start checking around.
I'm going to talk to the harbor
master.
FRANK
I'm going to walk around the
docks, take a snoop.
ED
I thought you took care of that.
EXT. DOCK -FOREMAN'S SHACK -DAY
Frank knocks on the door.
answers. A thuggish-looking CBARAdTER
I
(CONTINU~D) 32 32
\
,,,,,....._ CONTINUED:
FOREMAN
Yeah?
Frank displays his badge. ais fold-out credit card
organizer unfolds down to the ground.
FRANK
Lieutenant Orebin -- Police Squad.
I'd like to ask you a few
questions.
FOREMAN
Bey, look, I already told the cops
everything I know. I swear to God
__ the girl was eighteen. What was a
guy to do?
FRANK
No, no, I'm not here about that •••
FOREMAN
Oh, Christ, you guys still harpin'
about my condo across from the
Boys Academy? I told you I was
bird-watching!
FRANK
No, no, it's about the body •••
FOREMAN
Look, I didn't know she was dead.
It looked like she was sleepin'.
FRANK
No, no. It's about something
else. Does this face look
familiar to you?
Be shows hi■ the picture o.f Nordberg.
FOREMAN
I don't know, my memory ain't too
great.
FRANK
Maybe this'll refresh your memory.
Prank slips him a ten.
FOREMAN
(thinking)
I don•~ ~now ••• I don't know •••
Prank gives him a twenty. 24.
32
(CONTI~ED) 32
'
\
\ CONTINUED: (2)
(cont.) FOREMAN
Yeah, I remember him.
see him around --· Why
to know? I used to
do you want
FRANK
I'm not so sure I can tell you.
FOREMAN
Well, maybe this"ll help.
Foreman gives him a ten.
. FRANK
I really don't think I should •••
Foreman gives him a twenty.
Alright.
was a cop. FRANK (cont.)
Bis name's Nordberg.
FOREMAN Be
Be was no cop. He was dealin' B.
FRANK
What?!
FOREMAN
I'm tellin' ya, he was dirty.
Frank realizes the accusation.
FRANK
(grabbing Foreman's
collar)
Nordberg!? Why, you sniveling
SCWll
FOREMAN
Look pal, I didn't know the guy -
I just saw him a:round. Be worked
at Ludwig Shipping.
FRANK
Be worked here?
The Foreman straightens ou·t his collar.
FOREMAN
Yeah, the night :shift -- operating
heavy equipment. Some of the boys
tell me he had the biggest front
end loader on the docks. 25.
32 32
,
33
33A CONTINUED: ( 3) 26.
32
FRANK
Alright, I need all your
employment records! All the
information you have: when he
worked, which shifts, specific
assignments --everything!
FOREMAN
I got none of that here. It's all
at the main office. Why don't you
go downtown and try pushing Victor
Ludwig around?
Frank grabs him by the collar.
FRANK
I'll be glad to, you gutless
slimeball. You make me sick. Now
get out of my sight before I throw
up.
Suddenly Frank turns green and pukes.
FRANK (cont.)
(wiping his chin)
Too late.
EXT. CITY STREET - DAY
Frank's car drives past imp,ressive, upscale building.
Car comes to a stop, knocking over some trash cans.
The impact causes the air bag in his car to inflate.
INSERT -CLOSEUP -GEAR SHIFT IN NEOTRAL
Be pulls out his revolver and SHOOTS the bag, deflatlng
it. Frank exits car and starts to walk into building.
A MAN walking the other way screams at Frank.
MAN
Bey, look outl
Frank whirls around just ilt-1 time to see a car bearing
down on him. We, of course, realize it's his own car.
Be forgot to set the brake. Frank dodges away just in
time. As the car rolls past:
FRANK
Bey, watch it, buddyl
(pulls out his
badge)
Pull over. Policel
(CONTIUtJJD) 33
33A r
l JJA CONTINUED: 27.
33A
The car.keeps going. Frank pulls out his gun and gives
a warning SHOT. The car keeps going and Frank SHOOTS
it in the gas tank. It EXPLODES and scatters lots of
people, ultimately hitting a fire hydrant.
FRANK (cont.)
(to passersby)
Anyone catch the license plate?
Anyone get a look at the driver? Alright, get back, move along
everything's under control,
there's nothing to see here.
34 INT. LUDWIG'S APARTMENT - CLOSEUP - JAPANESE FIGHTING 34
FISH -DAY
swimming freely in a lush aquarium. Through the aquar~
ium we see Secretary opening apartment door and Frank
entering. A goldfish drops INTO FRAME and the fighting
fish devours it in a single deft swipe.
SECRETARY
Mr. Ludwig, this is Lieutenant
Orebin.
They shake hands.
LUDWIG
Lieutenant.
FRANK
The feeling is mutual.
Ludwig shows Frank a cigar box, offering him one.
LODWIG
Cuban?
FRANK
No. Dutch Irish. My father's
trom Wales. You 1were probably
. thrown off by my :puffy sleeves.
Ludwig i■ not quite sure what he ia dealing with here.
Be tries• different tack, noticing Frank staring at
the fish tank.
LUDWIG
The Japanese fighting fish.
Beautiful, graceful, elegant, yet single-minded of purpose and
deadly when it finds what it
wants.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED) ,,,,,,....._ 34
( CONTINUED:
LUDWIG {CONT'D)
Nature's ultimate prototype for
survival. This particular one is
valued at over $9,000. A luxury
item, to be certain, but as you
can see, I'm a man who enjoys the
finer things in life.
{displays a gold
pen)
This priceless samurai pen, for
example. A gift from Emperor
Hirohito. It is exquisite -- and
at the same time, the most deadly
-of weapons.
Be hands the pen to Frank.
FRANK
Fascinating.
Ludwig turns to take in the extraordinary vista from
his window.
LUDWIG
But I'm sure you didn't pay me
this visit to hear a lecture on
fine art, Lieutenant~ To what do
I owe the honor?
Frank is examining the pen and toying with it.
FRANK
I'm irtvestigating the attempted
murder of one of your dock
workers. 28.
34
TBWANGI The pen flips out of his hand, zings across
the room, and plops into the aquarium. Frank goes to
retrl•••- it.
FRANK (cont.)
••• a man by the name of Nordberg,
a police officer ..
ANGLE - LOOW.IG
under control, but this news has taken him by surprise.
LO10WIG
( recover i.ng)
Be'•·•• still alive, then?
Frank dips his hand into the aquarium to grab the p•n.
The fighting fish swipes at him, just missing•• Frank
removes his arm, now drenched to the elbow.
(CONTINUED) 34
\ CONTINUED: (2)
FRANK
Yes, he's in intensive care at Our
Lady of the Never Bad the Pickle.
LUDWIG
( turns to 1''"rank)
Why, that's shocking, Lieutenant
.•• but as you know, I am not the
kind of man who takes this type of
thing lightly.
Ludwig turns back to look out the window.
Frank surreptitiously goes back in for the pen. This
time he's too slow. The fish latches onto his hand.
Frank yanks his hand from the water, the fish firmly
attached.
LUDWIG (cent.)
And there's no roiom in my
organization for ,any type of
criminal activity.
Frank tries to pull the fish from his finger, behind
his back.
LUDWIG (cont.)
Look out there. A massive
industrial complex, built by me.
Do you have any idea what was out
there just five years ago? 29.
34
Frank's hands are now in front of his face as the fish
releases and grabs Frank's nose.
FRANK
Yaaaaa.
LOiltWIG
You bet you de. Orange groves.
Acres cf them. As far as the eye
could see •••
Frank yanks the fish loose and holds it at arm's
length. With his free hand he reaches into the tank
and grabs the pen. Ludwig turns to face Frank just as
Frank hides the fish and pen behind his back.
LUDWIG (cent.)
Are you alright, Lieutenant? Let
me get you a tissue.
Frank'• nose is a little red and puffy. Be tries ta
act as though all'• well. Ludwig gees through his desk
locking fer a tissue.
(CONTINUED) 34
'
34A CONTINUED: (3) 30.
34
LUDWIG (cont.)
Bas this Officer Nordberg ••. been
able to .•• tell you anything?
Frank brings his hand back in front of him, revealing a
limp, dead fighting fish sk,ewered neatly through the
head by the pen. Frank is shocked, but stays cool.
FRANK
Well .•• so far, he ••• hasn't been
able to tell us anything. But,
~h, as soon as he regains
consciousness, we'll see if he can
still play the guitar.
Frank tosses the impaled carcass into the aquarium just
as Ludwig looks up and hands him a tissue.
LU01WIG
I beg your pardon?
FM.NK
Well ••• what I'd like to do is
take a look at yc1ur employment
records, and talk to someone in
personnel. If you don't mind, of
course.
LUC>WIG
Of course.
Be presses the intercom.
LUt>WIG (cont • )
Dominique, will 1,ou please send in
Miss Spencer?
( to Frank JI
As you know, I'm quite busy making
last-minute preparations for the
Royal visit. But: I• 11 have my
assistant provide you with
anything you need.
FRANK
Thank you for yo11r cooperation,
I'll make a note of it in my
report.
IN'l'. LUDWIG'S APARTMENT -lSTAIRCASE -DAY
Suddenly, we hear a door OPENING. Frank looks up be
hind him to a large, elega1nt balcony. Dramatic MOSIC.
There, standing at the railing, is Ludwig's gorgeous
personal assistant, JANE s:PENCER.
(CONTINUED) 34A 34A ,,,,.......
'
35
\_ CONTINUED: 31.
34A
LUDWIG
Miss Spencer, this is Lieutenant
Frank Drebin, from Police Squad.
JANE
Bello. Mr. Drebin.
Bello. FRANK
(transfixed)
As the mysteriously romantic MUSIC continues, Jane be
gins to descend the curving staircase, her eyes fixed
on Frank.
CLOSEUP -JANE
Eyes fixed on Frank, she misses a step.
CLOSEUP -FRANK
Bis eyes follow Jane as we, hear her FALLING down the
flight of stairs.
CLOSEUP - JANE
She rises up INTO SHOT, unfazed and not a hair out of
place, still staring at Frank. She motions for him to
follow her.
ON FRANK
Be exits after her.
FB:ANK (V .O.)
Ber hair was thei color of gold in
old paintings.
INT. HALLWAY -DAY
CA.IIDA POLLOWS !'rank and J'ane from behind.
ON PRANK
following, checks her out.
ON JANE FB~K (V.O.)
She had a full set of curves, and
the kind of legs you'd like to
suck on for a day.
CAMERA PANS OP her legs. As we get to her head, she's
turning around to look bac:k at him, coyly.
(CONTINUED) 35 35
36
\
\ CONTINUED: 32.
35
n~NK (V .O.)
She was giving me a look I could
feel in my hip pocket.
She doesn't notice the door just in front of her.
ON FRANK
Be winces as he sees her slam into the door.
F~~NK ( V. 0 • )
This was starting to get
interesting. But I knew I had to
stop it before ••• well, before I
couldn't stop it.
INT. FILE ROOM - DAY
Jane is on a little stepladder, reaching up for a box
on the top shelf. As she reaches up, her skirt hikes
up a bit.
TBE SKIRT
It keeps going up, up, OU'l~ OF FRAME.
FRANK
looking up in wonderment.
FFlANK
Nice beaver!
ANGLE - JANE
She's holding a stuffed beaver in her arms. She's just
taken it off the top shelf.
JANE
Oh, thank you. I just had it
stuffed.
She puts the beaver aside,,
FRANK
Why don't you let me help you with
that.
JANE
Thank you.
Frank lifts the box from t:he shelf and sets it on a
small table. She hands hlm a tile.
(CONTINUED) 36 36 CONTINUED:
JANE (cont.)
This should be wha·t: you' re looking
for, Lieutenant.
FRANK
Thank you.
Be looks through the files.
JANE:
I've heard police work is
dangerous.
FRANK
It is. That's why I carry a big
gun.
JANJE:
Aren't you worried it might go off
accidentally?
FRANK
I used to have that problem.
JANE
What did you do about it?
FRANK
I just think about ~aseball. 33.
36
Be glances down at her ankle. She's wearing an ankle
bracelet. Frank admires it~.
FRANK (cont.)
That's a honey of an ankle
bracelet you got there.
JAlt-lE
( looking 1down1
surpr ise·d)
Oh, did it slip down there again?
Frank ponders this for a m.oment.
!'RANI(
Y.s ••• well ••• I'll look through
these tiles tonight and return
them ••• uh ••• wi.11 tomorrow be
okay?
JANE
That would be f!Lne, but there's no
rush. I mean ••• whenever you're
through.
(CONTINUED) 36
,---. CONTINUED: ( 2)
FR.J~K
Thank you. I wish I could repay
you for your kindness. How about
dinner? I know a little out-of
the-way place where they have
great Viking food.
JAHE
( taken ab ◄ICk)
Well, that's quite a tempting
offer, but I'm afraid I'll need my
sleep this evening, tomorrow being
Arbor Day and all.
Flt~K
Oh, yes, of cour:se. Perhaps some
other time then?
JAl~E
Perhaps. How ab,out a raincheck?
Flt!Ufl<
No, let's stick with dinner.
Well, thank you for your help,
Miss Spencer.
Frank exits. She watches as he leaves. She could
definitely go for this kind of guy.
LU:DWIG (V .O.)
Well? 34.
36
Jane turns around, surpr is,ed. Ludwig has entered the
room.
JA:NE
Oh, Mr. Ludwig! You startled me.
LUDWIG
I'm sorry.
if you got
everything I just wanted to know ~
the Lieutenant
he wanted.
JANE
Yes, I gave him copies of the
shipping and employment records
for Pier 32.
LUDWIG
Good. a~•• an intriguing fellow,
Lieutenant Drebin, don't you
think?
(CONTINUED) 36
'
37 CONTINUED: (3)
JANE
(a bit flustered)
Well, I don't know ••• I only just
met him. Be seems very nice.
LODiWIG
Jane .•. You know I rarely ask for
extra favors and I realize this is
an unusual request, but if there's
something illegal going on in this company, I need t:o know everything
about it, so we can root out any
wrongdoers. That's why I want you
to ••• well, get to know Captain
Drebin a little better ••• find out
what he knows.
JAl~E
But Mr. Ludwig, don't you think
this is best handled by the
police?
LUl:>WIG
We are letting the police handle
it.But this company needs to
know the facts quickly before
anything gets into the newspapers.
Don't forget, I have a
responsibility ti::, the
stockholders.
JANE
Well ••• I guess if you put it that
way ••• I ••• I'll try my best.
LUDWIG
That's better! I'm sure you will.
Ludwig exits.
CA.IIDA MOVES in on Jane.
She's not really convincedl.
INT. LUDWIG'S APARTMENT - DAY
Ludwig is standing over hi.a aquarium, incredulous,
holding his dead, skewered fish and priceless pen.
THOG
Yes, Mr. Ludwig'l~ 35.
36
37
(CONTINUED) 37
38
39
(
40 CONTINUED: 36.
37
-LUOWICi
(seething)
I've just had a visit from Captain
Drebin of Police Squad.
(pause)
Nordberg's alive!
THUG
But that's impossible, he ••.
LUDWIG
He's alive! And he must be
eliminated. Then we'll deal with
Drebin. Take care of it.
EXT. HOSPITAL -DAY
workers are on scaffolding, renovating the building.
Frank drives up, ramming the scaffolding. As he gets
out of the car, planks are faLlling down INTO FRAME,
followed by tools, paint buckets, workers, etc. Frank
enters the hospital.
INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - DAY
A DOCTOR, middle-aged, dressed in surgical gown, mask
around his neck, approaches 1t:he door to Nordberg's
room. A NURSE passes by.
NURS:e 11
Oh, Or. Alford, I have Mrs.
Kepley's chart if you're ready to
go over it.
DOCTOR
Of course, I'll be there after I'm
finished checking on this patient.
NURS:E 11
Yes, Doctor.
The llllr•• walks off. The Doctor enters Nordberg's
room.
INT. HOSPITAL - DAY
Frank approaches the nurses reception desk, the file
folder under his arm.
FRANK
I'm here to see Officer Nordberg.
(CONTINUED)' 38
39
40 40
,,,,,,,.-
41 CONTINUED:
NURSE 12
I'm sorry, no one is allowed •..
Frank glances down the hall at Nordberg's room.
FRAHK
Where's the polict! guard outside
of that room?
NURSE 12
Oh, a Captain Drebin called and
sent him home.
FRAl~K
(alarmed)
Captain ••• Drebin?
Squad right awayt
a 411 in progress.
The Nurse screams. Call Police
Tell 'em we got
Oh my Godt NUR:SE 12
Firet
FRANK
Not Not I mean it's a ••• 14111
NURSE 12
(terrified)
Oh my Godt A poison gas leakt
She screams again.
FRANK
(thinking fast)
Nol Nol A ••• A 14-14 •••
NURSE 12
(screaming)
Aheeeeee .••
She jumps up and plunges ou.t a window.
FUNK
(thinking)
A 12-12?
Be shrugs and rushes off dciwn the hallway.
INT. NORDBERG'S ROOM - DAY
The Doctor, as if in a trar1ce, picks up a pillow and
puts it over Nordberg' s fac:e. 3 7.
40
41
(CONTINUED) 41
42
43
44
~
,,-.... CONTINUED: 38.
41
DOC~~OR
I must kill -- No1:dberg. I must
kill ••• Nordberg •••
OMINOUS MUSIC as the Doctor presses the pillow down,
trying to suffocate the unconscious Nordberg.
INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - FR.lWK - DAY
running to within inches of Nordberg's door. However,
he hits a just-mopped spot on the floor. Signs read
"Wet Floor." Frank slips and slides past the door.
Landing o.s. with a crash.
INT. NORDBERG' S ROOM -DOCT1JR -DAY
Hearing commotion, wheels N◄:>rdberg 's bed out the door.
But he slips on the wet floor, sending Nordberg's bed
rolling out into the hallway.
INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - DA'?
His bed hits the wall.
catapult off the bed.
swings up on his heels
wall. Then falls back
FRANK The impact causes Nordberg to
His feet still planted, he
and slams face-first into the
onto his bed.
runs toward the Doctor. The Doctor throws the pillow
at Frank. Frank ducks, grabs a vase and throws it at
the Doctor, who ducks. The vase hits Nordberg's head.
The Doctor runs off down the hall. Frank takes off
after the Doctor.
DOCTOR
Knocking people out of the way. overturns a food cart.
Frank behind him. The Doct:or FIRES. Frank FIRES back.
DOC'l'OR
pushing gur~eys at Frank, t:rying to block his advance
ment.
FRANK
overturns them, sending the bedridden to the floor.
NORSE 13
(annoyed)
Alright, come on1, you guys. Take
it outside. 42
43
44 45
45A
46
47
48 EXT. HOSPITAL - DAY 39.
45
The Doctor bursts through thi! exit. Frantic to escape,
he tosses nurses, patients, and visitors aside.
FRANK
charges out the hospital doo:C's. Be's tangled in a mass
of crutches, I.V.'s, and floral arrangements, the
aftermath of some unseen o.s. collision. Be tosses
aside the crutches and rips away at the tubes and
flowers.
EXT. STREET OUTSIDE HOSPITAL - DOCTOR - DAY
runs into traffic. Cars swerve to a stop. The Doctor
throws a man out of his car, steals the car, and drives
off.
FRANK
FIRES at the car. Be looks ,around. Be jumps into the
back seat of a "Teen Driving School" car.
INT. DRIVING SCHOOL CAR - DA'!!
A STUDENT is behind the wheel. Glasses, braces,
pimples, and chubby. Four times cursed. The thin,
elderly, bald DRIVING INSTRUCTOR is in a short-sleeved,
white shirt and bad tie. A career teacher.
STUDENT FRANK
(flashing his badge)
Drebin, Police! Follow that earl
turns to the Instructor in a panic. This is only her
first time out.
INSTRUCTOR
(melodious tone)
Alright, Stephie, check your
mirrors. That's right. Signal.
Ahuh, good. Now pull away from
the curb and into traffic •••
easy ••• fine.
DRIVING SCHOOL CAR -DAY
in traffic. Nice and safe pace. Every move shows an
unsure driver is at the whee,l.
FRANK
annoyed. Be's losing the Doctor. Be throws his hands
in the air in exasperation. Suddenly, renewed hope.
(CONTINUED) 45A
46
47
48 ' ,,,.-48 CONTINUED:
FRANK'S POV
The Doctor's car has been slowed down by a detour.
FRANK
FIRES a shot out of the window.
DOCTOR
floors it. Takes a wild right.
FRANK
INSTRUCTOR FRANK
Faster!
IN:STROCTOR
Give it some gas. Good. Take a
right ..
Frank is FIRING out the window. The t>octor is
returning FIRE. Stephie has the gas to the floor. 40.
48
48A DRIVING SCHOOL CAR -IN ALI,EY -DAY 48A
49
49A It takes a wide, wild right and enters the alley.
Frank is FIRING. The Doctor is returning FIRE.
INSTRUCTOR
That was a little wide. When
coming out of the turn, don't jerk
on the wheel.
BULLETS take off a mirror. And SHATTER the windshield.
STEPHIE
" bug-eyed. Frightened. Windshield glass snowflaked
onto ber hair.
INSTRUCTOR
Now, normally you wouldn't be
going 95 down the wrong way of a
one-way street.
EXT. DOCTOR'S CAR -AT END OP ALLEY -DAY
grabs a sharp left. Exits as a truck enters the alley. 49
EXT. ALLEY -DAY 49A
Truck and driving school car are barreling head-on. 50
(
.,,-..
51
52
\ INT. DRIVING SCHOOL CAR - DAY 41.
50
A horrified Stephie looks to the Instructor for
guidance.
INST'RUCTOR
Alright, apply the brakes •
. She jams them to a stop. Stephie and Instructor lunge
forward.
INSTRUCTOR
The truck SOUNDS its horn.
INS'l~RUCTOR
Put it in reverse.
Stephanie jams it into gear.
INSirRUCTOR (cont.)
Gently press on the pedal.
She's way ahead of him. Sht!'s beating ass-backward
down the alley.
INS~rRUCTOR (cont.)
Glance over your shoulder.
EXT. STREET - DRIVING SCBOOlC. CAR -DAY
It swerves out of the alley and into the street. Just
missing the exiting truck.
TRUCKER
Assholel
INT. DRIVING SCHOOL CAR -DAY
FRANK INSTRUCTOR
Alright, gently roll down your
window. Give him, the finger.
That's it. Extend the finger
farther. Good.
spots the Doctor's car.
Therel FRANK
To the left.
INSTRUCTOR
Give it some gas ..
Stephie peels out. 51
52 (
.,,,,--.-. 52A
53
53A
54 FRANK
The G forces push him deep into the seat. His face
contorts like a test pilot on a rocket sled.
VARIOOS STREETS - DRIVING SC:HOOL CAR - DAY
The chase continues at high speeds. Doctor's car
speeding. Stephie not far behind.
FRANK
takes careful aim. Squeeze!; off a SHOT.
EXT. DOCTOR'S CAR
The bullet PUNCTURES the gas tank.
54SF1 STOCK FOOTAGE
54A
54B Gas tank EXPLODES.
FRANK
reacts •
EXT. DOCTOR'S POV - CAR
Heading towards a gas tanker.
54SF2 STOCK FOOTAGE
54C
540
54£ The gas tanker EXPLODES.
FRANK
reacts.
INT. DOCTOR'S CAR
Messed up, but somehow continuing.
En. DOCTOR'S POV -CAR
Beading towards missile trailer.
54SF3 EXPLOSION - MISSILE TRAILER (STOCK FOOTAGE)
54F FRANK
54G reacts, disbelieving. Will this end?
INT. DOCTOR'S CAR
messed up even more, but continuing. 42.
52A
53
53A
54
54SF1
54A
54B
54SF2
54C
54D
54E
54SF3
54F
S4G 54H --EXT. DOCTOR'S POV - CAR 43.
54H
heading towards building with sign which reads: "Fire-
\ works Factory."
,,,,,.-.-54SF4 EXPLOSION - FACTORY (STOCK FOOTAGE) 54SF4
54-I FRANK 54-I
54J
55
56
57 gets out of the Driving School car. He holsters his
gun.
ANGLE
A crowd has gathered to look at the fireworks display.
FRAHK
Alright, folks, step back.
Nothing to see.
INT. DRIVING INSTRUCTOR CAR
A spent Stephanie is drenched in sweat.
INSTRUCTOR
Now, tomorrow we'll work on your
parallel parking.
BUMPER CARS
Frank is driving a bumper car, getting banged around.
FRANK (V.O.)
I tried to relax the best way I
knew how. But questions kept buzzi"ng around my· head like
a bee
in a hamburg full of honey.
INT. AEROBICS CLASS -WORKOiUT CENTER
It's just Frank and a lot of incredibly gorgeous young
WOMDe
FRANK (V .O.)
What had Nordberg been doing on
the docks ••• and what was he
trying to tell me?
INT. LOCKER ROOM OF THE WORKOUT CENTER
Frank exits the shower wrapped in a towel.
ANGLE 54J
55
56
57
Be is the only male. Be's oblivious to the young naked
female bodies in the showers and at the lockers.
(CONTINUED) 57
58
59 CONTINUED: 44.
57
FRANK (V.O.)
And would I ever be able to talk
my good friend again? The
incident at the hospital had sent
Nordberg into a coma. The doctors
were doing everything they could,
but his chances weren't good. And
all the questions kept coming up
over and over again, like bubbles
in a case of club soda.
The girls spot Frank and sicream.
EXT. CITY STREETS - NIGHT 58
Frank walking.
FRANK (V .O.)
Did Ludwig lie to me? I didn't
have any proof, but somehow I
didn't entirely trust him either.
FRANK'S FEET ON THE PAVEMENT
walking.
FRANK (V .o.}
Why was the "I Luv You" not listed
in Ludwig's records?
Feet come upon a hopscotch outline. They skip through
it.
FRANK
walking. FRANK (V.O.) (cont.)
If it was, did he know about it?
FRANK (V .o.)
Who was this character in the
hospital? Why was he trying to
kill Nordberg? And tor whom?
EXT. FIELD:
Prank is literally in the middle of nowhere. Miles and
miles of flat landscape. Frank stops.
PRANK (V .O.)
And where the hell was I? 59 60
61
62 INT. HALL OUTSIDE FRANK'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Frank walking to his apartm.ent door. 45.
60
FRANK ( V. 0. )
It was almost midnight when I got
to my door. I just wanted a glass
of Bosco and then slip under my
blankets. But my night was just
about to begin.
Frank finds his door ajar. Be slams against the wall.
Takes out his gun. Waits a beat. Then dives through
the door.
INT. FRANK'S APARTMENT
Frank does the traditional rolling on the floor behind
the couch, then makes his way across the floor using
flips. Bis moves resemble an Olympic floor exercise.
Be checks out the room. Dives, and rolls into his
bedroom. No one there. Be does back-flips out of the
bedroom. Through the living room. Stopping at the
kitchen door. Be hears a SOUND from inside the door.
Be bursts through it.
INT. KITCHEN
Revealed is Jane. She's cooking. Stirring something
on the stove. She's only wearing one of Frank's
shirts. Looking seductive and gorgeous.
JANE
You're late.
FRANK
(putting his gun away)
It depends on what I'm late for.
JANIE
You said we should have dinner
sometime. Tonight became •••
sometime.
She pokes a hunk of meat iri. a pot. Shows it to Frank.
JANE (cont.)
I'm boiling a roa.at.
(suggestiv•e)
Bow hot and wet dlo you like it?
FRANK
Very hot. Awfully wet. You seem
to know your way around a kitchen. 61
62 62A
\
62B
63 ANGLE - INSERT - MILK CARTON! 46.
62A
We notice a milk carton. On it is a picture of Merv
Griffin a la the Missing Children panels.
JANE:
I'm just as handy in other rooms
of the house.
FRANK
That shirt looks familiar.
JANE:
It should, it's yours. I didn't
want to get stained or wrinkled.
At least ••• not yet.
FRANK
Mind if I slip int:o something more
comfortable?
He exits. JANE:
I'm great at undoing things.
FRMIK
Consider them ••• undone.
INT. LIVING ROOM DISSOLVE TO:
Jane has set a table in front of the fireplace. The
lights are trimmed. It's re>mantic. Frank enters.
He's just straightening his tie. He's wearing another
dark suit and dark tie.
FRANK
There. That's better.
JANE
I hope you brough1~ your appetite.
FRANK
I've brought everything.
JAN:E!
Well, then ••• dig in.
They sit. And begin to eat.
FRANK
(tasting the beef)
Interesting. Almost as
interesting as the photographs I
saw today.
(CONTINUED) 62B
63 63
(
,,,--_
' CONTINUED:
JANE
{nervous)
I was young. I needed the work.
FRANK
They were taken at Ludwig's docks.
A ship came in. A, Panamanian
ship. It wasn't on Ludwig's
records.
JANE!
Probably an oversight. How's
your ••• meat?
FRANK
You be the judge of that.
Be places a piece of meat in. her mouth. She seduc
tively sucks on his finger.
JANJS:
Mmmmmmm.
FRAHK
I've got nine mor1e.
Be takes out a photo of the "I Luv You."
FRANK {cont.)
Have you seen this ship?
JANE
I don't know. I don't think it's
one of ours, but we deal with so
many ships ••• Baa, Officer Nordberg
been able to ••• uh, tell you
anything yet?
FRANK
No, unfortunate11, there was an
attempt on his life and he's back
in a coma.
JANE
Oh, that's terrible. The world ia
such a violent place.
FRANK
If it wasn't, then I'd be out of a
job -- I'd be back on the circuit,
riding motocross. But I'd give it
all up tomorrow to live in a world
without crime. 47.
63
(CONTINUED) 63
( CONTINUED: ( 2)
JANE
That's beautiful.
She kisses him.
FRANK
This is all happening too fast.
She kisses him again.
FRANK (cont.)
I've been hurt before.
JANE
I'm sorry.
Her game is over. She's falling for this guy.
F~tANK
••• I'd known her for years. We'd
go to all the pc,lice functions
together. Oh, how I loved her. But
she had her music.
(a pause)
I think she had her music. She hung
around with the Chicago Male Chorus
and Symphony.
(a pause)
I don't recall her playing an
instrument. Or being able to carry
a tune. Yet she was on the road
three hundred days a year. In fact,
I bought her a harp for Christmas.
She asked me what it was.
Frank shakes his head, sadly.
FRANK (cont.)
It's the same old story. Boy
finds girl. Boy loses girl. Girl
finds boy. Boy forgets the girl.
Boy remembers glrl. Girl dies in
a tragic blimp accident over the
Orange Bowl on New Year's Day.
JANE
Goodyear?
FRANK
No. The worst.
JANE
Oh, you poor dear.
She 1:1ives him a hug. Teai~s well up in her eyes. 48.
63 63
64
.,,,.--CONTINUED: ( 3) 49.
63
Now, now.
you. FRANK
I didn't mean to upset
JANIE
(in tears)
No ••. no, it's no,t that. Oh, why
did you have to be so wonderful?
Frank, there's something I ought
to tell you.
He puts his finger over her lips.
FRANK
There's no need to say anything.
Whatever your past is ... it
doesn't matter anymore. We're
just two lonely souls that have
found each other.
JAN'E
(gazing at him,
lovingly)
Hey, funny face •••
She playfully tweaks his nose.
ON JANE
She unbuttons one button, her shirt falls seductively
to the floor.
ON FRANK
He unbuttons one top button. His suit peels off his
shoulders seductively and falls to the ground. Be
stares at her in wonderment.
JANE
I want you to kn01w, I practice
safe sex.
So do I.
INT. BEDROOM
Romantic MUSIC up.
They' re rolling around on t:he bed, in romantic embrace •
They are each we~ring huge body condoaa. They fit
skin-tight, their arms fitt:ing through special sleeves
as though they're going to be handling plutonium. The
faces are distorted, pulled tight as behind a stocking.
(CONTINUED) 64 64 CONTINUED: so.
64
65
66
67
68
69
70 MUSIC swells as they roll around the bed in ecstasy.
We. hear lots of SQUEAKING sounds.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. BEACH -DAY
Frank and Jane running on the beach to the Berman's
Hermits' SONG: "I'm Into Something Good."
MONTAGE
EXT. CARNIVAL - COTTON CANDY STAND - DAY
At a carnival, they watch the man make them a cotton
candy. Frank wants to try·. Be sticks his hand in the
machine. The candy is wrapped around Frank's arm.
They laugh.
INT. TATTOO PARLOR -DAY
Getting matching tattoos. They laugh.
INT. BARBER SHOP -DAY
Jane watches Frank getting a haircut. Hair covers him
and the floor. He gets out of the chair. His hair
hasn't changed.
INT. CESSNA - DAY
Flying a Cessna. Frank at the controls. He takes his
hands off the wheel. Laughs when Jane screams.
INT. SKI MOCKOP -DAY
Skiing. Frank pushes off, starting down huge ski
jump.
COT TO:
70A ABC WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS CL:IP (STOCK FOOTAGE)
70B
71 "And the Agony of Defeat."
INSERT -JANE
helping Frank up. Both laugh.
EXT. BOT DOG STAND - DAY
Eating at a hot dog stand. Prank shakes the mustard
bottle. The cap wasn't on it. Bis shaking sprays
mustard all over her dress. They laugh. 65
66
67
68
69
70
70A
70B
71 72
73
74
75
76 EXT. MOVIE MARQUEE - DAY 51.
72
A movie theatre marquee reads: "Platoon." Frank and
Jane·exit laughing.
EXT. PIER - DAY 73
Playing "Rocks, Paper, Scissors" ga~~. They laugh.
EXT. BEACH
Running in SLO MO.
Jumping in SLO MO.
BEACH AT SUNSET
Bumping into another couple running the other way in
SLO MO.
Laughing in SLO MO.
As the SONG ends, they are in a kiss.
EXT. STREET WHERE JANE LIVES - NIGHT
Frank and Jane are standing under a street lamp kissing
-- they break their embrace and begin walking hand-in
hand.
They kiss. JANE
I had a wonderful day, Frank.
FRANK
Do you mean it, Jane? Don't feel
you have to say it just because
we've exchanged bodily fluids.
JANE
No. I mean it. You're very
special. Can I in,terest you in a
nightcap?
FRANK
No thanks, I already have one.
Actually, I'm on duty tonight -
we got a stake-out. But I'll be
thinking of you. I'll call you
tomorrow.
EXT. LUDWIG'S APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT
It's one of those elegant, old, elaborately-carved
buildings from the 20's. We PAN DOWN to reveal Ed and
Frank in a car parked across the street. 74
75
76 77
....
78
79 INT. CAR 52.
77
Frank.and Ed are eating pistachio nuts. Their hands
and mouths are covered with pink dye. Frank's got
somewhat of a new hairdo. A stupid little greased curl
on his forehead. Be's in love.
FRANI<:
I tell you, the answer's up there,
Ed, in Ludwig's apartment. Call
it what you will -- a hunch,
woman's intuition -- this guy
Ludwig knows more than he's
letting on.
ED
A hunch won't stand up in court,
Frank. Where's your hard facts!?
FRANK
Look, he was the only person
outside of ourselves who knew that
Nordberg was still alive --then
the next thing, some thug tries to
knock off Nordberg in the
hospital •••
ED
That may be but breaking into
Ludwig's apartment ••• You're
taking a big chance.
FRANK
(looking around)
Damnl If I can only put my finger
on it. I feel like we're just •o
close to cracking this case.
ED
Close only counts in oral sex,
Frank.
EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT
Ludvig leaves the building, gets into his car and
drives oft.
INT. FRANK AND ED'S CAR -NIGHT
Frank starts to get out of the car.
FRANK
Trust me on this one, Ed. I know
I'm right.
ED
Okay, Frank ••• but be careful.
(CONTINUED) 78
79 79
80
Bl
82 CONTINUED: 53.
79
FRANK
(with a confident
smile)
Get yourself a good night's sleep.
I'll see you in the morning.
Be opens the car door. It's a bit of a struggle.
EXT. THE CAR - NIGHT 80
We see the problem. A huge mound of pistachio shells
has piled up against the door.
INT. LUDWIG'S APARTMENT HALLWAY - NIGHT Bl
Frank is trying to use a credit card to open the door.
It doesn't-work. Be tries another one an We see that
he's got seven or eight of them on a key ring. The
third one works and the door opens.
INT. LUDWIG'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
It's dark. The only illumination supplied by the moon
light, which streams through the large windows. Frank
quietly, carefully closes the door. Be checks out the
room. Be stealthily makes his way across the room. Be
notices his shoes are leaving deep indentations in the
plush carpet. Be decides to take his shoes off. Be
leaves them by the front door. Be can't leave a trace
the apartment has been searched. Be opens a few dra
wers. Finds nothing. Carefully closes them. Be
leaves one a crack open. Returning it exactly the way
he found it. Be looks behind books in the bookshelf.
Maybe a secret hiding place will give some clue. Noth
ing. Always so careful. So meticulous. To the desk.
Frank opens the desk drawer.
FRANK
Bingo.
Be takes a bingo card out of the drawer. Returns it.
Clo••• the drawer and returns the chair with accurate
preciaion. Be examines a shelf of crystal and vases,
behind picture frames, meticulously returning each to
its original position. Be stops at a player piano,
turns it on briefly and then manually rewinds the music
roll. Be back• up over a fox-head rug in front of the
fireplace. Nhen he steps on its neck, the teeth clamp
down on his cuff. Frank walks across to a console in
which there is a bank of buttons. Be's dragging the
fox rug along behind him.
(CONTINUED) 82 82A
82B
82C 54.
CONTINUED:
THE-CONSOLE
Be pushes the buttons which are remote controls to the
fireplace (it lights automatically), a curtain which
opens and closes, and doors which conceal a wet bar.
Be sees a table upon which is constructed a house of
cards. Just in back of this, we can see a bank of
three security TV monitors, scanning various areas of
the building. But Frank is interested in the piece of
paper under the house of cards. But how to get at
it? Be ever so carefully places his thumb and index
finger around the paper, and with one lightning-quick
pull, removes it. The cards remain in place. He looks
at the piece of paper.
INSERT -PAPER
It's a note:
BACK TO FRANK $20,000,000.00 deposited -
Omani Bank, Zurich -- upon
proof of Queen's death.
Pahpshmir
He's shocked. MUSIC sting. Be puts it in his jacket
pocket. As Frank turns to leave, he catches sight of
the fox out of the corner of his eye. Be jumps and
screams out, trying to shake the fox loose. Be stum
bles against the player piano, tripping the switch
causing the wild BONKYTONK TUNE to start up. Frank
stumbles backward against the shelf of crystal vases.
A vase topples forward and falls. Be catches it just
in time. Then another falls. Be catches it, then
another. Then another. It looks like a circus act.
Be trips on a lamp cord. The crystal goes flying. A
vase CRASHES into the console of switches, lighting the
fireplace. Prank looks up in time to see the floor
lamp start to fall toward the oil painting over the
fireplace. Prank lunges, removing the priceless paint
in9 just in the nick of time. But when he turns a
round, he stumbles over a table, skewering the painting
on a cactus plant.
FIREPLACE
one end of ·the floor lamp has fallen into the fire
place. Fire is travelling all the way to the other end
of the lamp, igniting the curtains. 82A
82B
82C
82D FRANlt 82D
grabs a tablecloth, and dishes, glasses and candelabra
go flying. Be tries to beat out the flames. Something
catches his eye on the security monitor. 82E EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING -NIGHT 55.
82E
It's Ludwig, exiting his limo and walking to the front
door·.
82EE INT. LUDWIG'S APARTMENT
82F
82G
828 Frank beats harder. But the curtains start to open and
close wildly, controlled by the console switches.
FRANK
Water starts to fall on his head. He looks up. It's
the ceiling fire sprinklers. They've gone on, drench
ing everything.
THE ROOM
Starts to smoke up. Frank opens a window. Two pigeons
fly inside.
SECURITY MONITORS - INT. LUDWIG AT BUILDING HALLWAY
- NIGHT
Ludwig is emerging from elevator, wal_ki~g down the.
hall.
82-I FRANK
82J
82K
83
83A
83B Shoos the pigeons out. Only to have six more fly in.
Frustrated, he pulls his gun and begins SHOOTING at the
pigeons, causing even more destruction.
SECURITY MONITORS -INT. LUDWIG'S APARTMEN'l' -DOOR
-NIGHT
Ludwig is at the door, turning the key •••
FRANK
looks out th• window. There's a ledge. He'll use it
to escape. Be climbs onto it.
EXT. BUILDING - FRANK ON THE LEDGE -NIGll'l'
Be closes the window. Edges himself away from the
windows. Be looks down.
PRANK'S POV
The street, twenty stories below.
EXT. ON THE LEDGE -FRANK -NIGll'l'
shuffles his way along the small ledge.
(CONTINOEt>) 82EE
82F
82G
82H
82-I
82J
82K
83
83A
83B 83B
83C
84
85 CONTINUED: 56.
83B
Be's making his way past bas relief sculptures of
various naked human figures in heroic poses. Be's
grabbing onto whatever he can to keep his balance. Be
has bi• hands on a female carving's breast. Be makes
his way holding onto breasts of the other carvings that
adorn the building. Be's reached a corner. Be reaches
around the corner.
EXT. WINDOW LEDGE - NIGHT
A woman with large breasts is combing her hair in the
opened window. Frank's hand gropes for something to
hang onto. Frank grabs onto her breast. For all he
knows, he has another carving. The woman screams.
Frank rounds the corner. The woman swings at him with
the hair brush.
Frank loses his balance. Grabs onto a male figure's
penis. It breaks off in his hand, causing Prank to
lose balance and fall backward through an opened win
dow.
INT. BEDROOM -NIGBT
Frank falls into the bedroom. It's the same woman,
hysterically dialing the police. She turns to see
Frank coming toward her holding a huge stone penis.
She screams, as we FADE TO •••
INT. MAYOR'S OFFICE - MORNING
The Mayor is reading from a sheet of paper to Ed and
Frank.
MAYOR
Entering without a search warrant,
destroying property, arson, sexual
assault with a concrete dildo??
What the hell were you doing there
in the first place?
FRANK
Yes, yes, I know and I'm sorry
about all that, Your Bonor, but
we now have reason to believe •••
that Victor Ludwig is involved in
a plot to assassinate the Queen!
MAYOR
That's ridiculous. And where i•
this evidence?
(CONTINUED) 83C
84
85 85 CONTINUED:
FRANK
I'm afraid it, uh ••• burned, uh,
in the fire.
MAYOR
Now let's get serious, gentlemen.
Victor Ludwig is a respected member of this community. And if
we are all very nice to him from
now on, he will agree not to press
charges. Besides, Police Squad is
hardly in a position to accuse
anyone while one of your own men
is suspected of drug dealing.
FRANK
But, Mr. Mayor •••
MAYOR
Do you understand what I'm saying,
gentlemen? Victor Ludwig is not a
suspect in any criminal activity.
Therefore, he is not under
investigation by the Police
Department of this city. Do I
make myself clear?
Boeken and Frank get up to leave.
ED
Yes, Your Honor, quite clear.
Good day.
They head toward the door.
MAYOR
Oh, Drebin.
Frank atopa.
MAYOR (cont.)
-I don't want any more trouble like
you had last year on the south
side ••• understand? That'• my
policy.
l'RANlt
Yeah, well, when :I see five
weirdo• dressed in toga• stabbing
a guy in the middle of a park in
full view of a hundred people, I
ahoot the baatards. That's my
policy. 57.
85
(CON'l'INOED) 85
86 CONTINUE~: ( 2) 58.
85
The Mayor's face reddens with anger.
MAYOR
It was the "Shakespeare in the
Park" Festival production of
Julius Caesar, you moron -- you
killed five actors. Good ones.
FRANK
Mr. Mayor, I •••
MAYOR
Drebin -- you're going to forget
about Victor Ludwig. That will be
all, Lieutenant.
Ed hustles Frank out before he can reply.
INT. LUDWIG'S APARTMENT -DAY
Ludwig is standing in the middle of the charred hulk
that was his apartment. We see the remnants of all his
prized possessions. Two of his THUGS are picking
through the wreckage in the b.g. Ludwig is holding a
broken shard of Ming vase in his hands.
LUDWIG
(kicks over the
table)
I want this ~uy DEAD! want him dea, ! ...
THUG tea
I
We're trying to locate •••
LUDWIG
Did I ask you what you're trying
to do ••• ???
THUG
No, Mr. Ludwig, I •••
LUDWIG
I want you to get this louse where
he breathes. I want you to find
this nancy-boy. Frank Drebin. I
want him dead. I want his family
dead. I want his house burnt to
the ground, I want to go there in
the middle of the night and piss
in the ashes. 86 87
87A
87B
' I ,f INT. HALLWAY -~ ~l ~ 'X>CP. TO FRANK I s APARTMENT 59.
87
Frank starts to put the key in the door and stops he
hears faint VOICES. Be draws his gun, kicks open the
door and FIRES his gun into the room. On the table in
the front hall, Frank's answering machine is running.
INT. FRONT BALL - FRANK'S APARTMENT 87A
ANSWERING MACHINE
(male voice)
So anyway, thanks for the tickets
Cheryl and I really enjoyed the
game. I'll talk to you next week.
'Bye.
(BEEP)
Frank puts his gun back in its holster and takes off
his coat. Be takes off his shoulder holster by
unbuttoning it in the back like a bra and hangs it with
his coat. Be walks to the answering machine (there are
bullet holes all around it,) and presses rewind/play.
INT. KITCHEN 87B
We FOLLOW Frank into the kitchen as we hear the messages
being played back.
ANSWERING MACHINE
Bello, Frank? This is Mike at
Mike's Auto. We found the
problem: it's a fifteen cent
lightbulb -- we'll replace it -
be ready in a half hour.
(BEEP)
Frank opens the refrigerator and takes out a carton of
milk and smells it: he winces and pours it out in the
sink. It com•• out in huge chunks.
ANSWERING MACHINE (cont.)
Prank? It's Mike. Looks like
you've got an electrical short in
your dash. We'll take care of it
- should be 25 bucks, max.
(BEEP)
Prank? Mike again. While•• were
under the car, we found a leak in
your transmission -- $40 ou9bt to
do it -- car'll be ready at four.
(BEEP)
Prank, we got a loaner for tb•
week for you --45 bucks a day,
we'll forget about the mileage.
Prank next removes a jar of mayonnaise fr011 another
shelf. Re looks at the label. 87C
870
---INSERT -LABEL 60.
87C
It reads: Best if used before June, 1982.
places it gingerly on the counter.
ANSWERING MACHINE
(BEEP)
Bad news, Frank -- the engine we
were putting in your car fell on
Raoul. Raoul's attorney will be
calling you shortly to straighten
this out.
(BEEP)
Hello, Mr. Drebin. This is
Hernando Escalante of Gonzales,
Fernandez, Escalante and
McCormack. I need to have a talk
with your attorney. Please call
me at 555-8595.
(BEEP)
Frank goes back into the refrigerator. Be pulls out a
deli carton from way in the back, lifts the lid, takes
a deep breath and faints. ·
ANSWERING MACHINE (cont.)
Bello, Frank? This is Bernie.
Don't worry, I won't let those
bastards get a penny of your
money!
(BEEP)
Okay, Frank, I just had lunch with
Hernando Escalante --he's not a
bad guy. Y'know, they've got a
pretty good case --we haggled tor
a while -- Raoul's got tour kids
--seems his wife cleans our house --■aall world, isn't it? Anyway,
look, we talked tor a while, we
haggled, I got him down to a
million five -- not bad for a
quad ••• 870
Frank revives, but is a little groggy, can't remember
what happened. Be open• the refrigerator door, reaches
his hand in:and ■creama --he pull• his hand out and
it's covered with green slime. Be rush•• to the sink,
leaving the refrigerator door open.
ANSWERING MACHINE (cont.)
••• There were some similar ca•••
where they gave the death penalty.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED) 870 CONTINUED: 61.
870
87E
87F ANSWERING MACHINE (CONT.)
By the way, I moved my office --
you can reach me now at Gonzales,
Fernandez, Escalante, McCormack
and Bernstein, 555-8595.
(BEEP)
INT. REFRIGERATOR
A hunk of moldy swiss cheese is crawling around by
itself.
BACK TO:
INT. KITCHEN - FRANK -DAY
He hears the SOUND of a door opening, pulls out his
gun. The kitchen door opens and ••• it's Jane.
FRANK
(surprised to see
her)
JANE
Frankl
(embraces him)
I tried to call -- your line was
busy, so I just came over. You
know, I left something here the
other night.
I know. FRANK
(huskily)
He pulls a pair of pink panties marked "'l'uesday" out of
his pocket.
JANE
No ••• It was an address book.
FRANK
Oh •••
He looks at the panties.
JANE
Whose are those?
FRANtt
Gee, must've got these out of
Forensics. Lot of confusion in
the lab lately.
(CONTINOED) 87E
87F 87F
f ,,,,...... CONTINUED:
Be quickly throws them away.
FRANK (cont.)
But that's not important right
now. There's something I have to
talk to you about.
JANE
Sure, Frank, what?
FRANK
I was at Victor Ludwig's apartment
last night.
JANE
Oh, how nice! Did he show you his
collection of priceless Ming
vases? And all those rare oil
paintings? And how about that
wonderful player piano?
She starts to hum the tune that played while Frank
destroyed the apartment. Frank is getting more and
more distressed.
FRANK
Jane ••• Janel Please just listen
to me. Ludwig isn't the
respectable businessman that
everyone thinks he is.
JANE
Frank, what are you saying?
!'RANI(
I'm saying that his business
activities aren't limited to
shipping and real estate. They
include illegal drugs and
terrorist activities •••
JANE
Frank, atop itl Victor Ludwig is
a well-respected, generous, kind
man. It's just too bad you don't
know him like I do.
!'RANK
Yeah. And how's that?
JANE
What ia that supposed to mean? 62.
87F
(CONTINUED) 87F
88
SSA CONTINUED: (2) 63.
87F
They stare at each other for a moment. Frank calms
down-.
FRANK
I'm sorry, it's just that I ... I
worry about you. I don't trust
him and I don't want to see you
mixed up in anything dangerous.
JANE
I appreciate your concern, I
really do, but you're wrong about
Victor. In fact, he wanted me to
tell you he wants to have a talk
with you -- to clear up any doubts
you may have about him.
FRANK
(suspiciously)
When?
JANE
Tonight. Be wants you to meet him
at the 7th Street stockyards, near
the 53rd Street entrance.
FRANK
All right ••• but please promise me
you'll be careful.
JANE
Of course, Funny Face. I will.
For you.
She gives him a peck on the cheek.
JANE (cont.)
I've gotta run. See you tomorrow!
She runs off. Frank is concerned.
£XT •. 7'JB STREET STOCKYARDS - HIGHT
Franll walks furtively up to a locked gate. Be pulls a
hair pin from his hair and picks the lock. The lock
opens.
CtJ'1' TO:
EXT. STOCKYARDS -HEAR BUILDING -HIGHT
Frank inside the stockyards near a large building sur
rounded by cows. Be hears a DOOR CLOSE. We see a DARK
FIGORE emerge from the building.
(CONTINUED) 88
BSA 64.
SBA CONTINUED: SSA
89 FRANK
(shouting)
Ludwig?
Drebin? THUG 2 ( V. 0. )
(shouting)
FRANK
(shouting)
Yeah, I'm -Oreb in.
THUG 2 (V .O.)
(shouting)
I have a message for you from
Victor Ludwig.
The Thug pulls a gun and FIRES a shot at Frank.
FRANK
(shouting)
I'm sorry, I didn't hear you.
Don't fire the gun when you talk.
Another SHOT zings past Frank. Be ducks, pulls his gun
and FIRES back. The Thug runs behind a herd of cows.
As they continue to exchange FIRE, cows start to drop.
As they drop, their moos sound like groans.
cow 11
Moooo oh ah.
cow 12
Ooooh oh no.
cow 13
M0000wh00000.
A cow is hit right next to Frank. She MOOS loudly.
The Thug•• gun CLICKS --he's out of bullets.~ Be runs
into the building. Frank puts his coat over the cow
and runa after him.
INT. BUILDING -NIGHT
It is a huge processing plant where the beef is ground
up and made into hot dogs. Frank enters cautiously.
The smell is very bad. Be has a determined look on his
face aa he walks-~~utiously down a long hall. The more
he walks, the worse the smell and the sicker he gets.
Suddenly he hears a somm --he can't make out what it
is --there'• lots of ECHOES. When he turn• the cor
ner, he•••• the Thug leaning over the rail of a cat
walk, sick from the smell. Prank ia getting queasy.
(CONTINTJED) 89 89
90
91
92 CONTINUED: 65.
89
Be FIRES his gun. Be misses. The Thug FIRES back.
They are both running along catwalks on either side of
the huge beef vats. Frank stops, SHOOTS three times
and vomits over the rail. The Thug tries to get off a
shot, but vomits over the side of the catwalk instead.
The two men are now much closer -- but are out of bul
_lets. They slug it out. The fight is very slow and
each punch makes them even more queasy. The fact that
each is getting punched in the stomach isn't making
things any easier. At one point, they both stop fight
ing to vomit over the rail, side by side. Finally the
Thug is so sick he can't fight back: he holds up his
hand as if to say, "en·ough," and turns towards the
rail. Everything that's left in his stomach comes up
in a huge lurching movement and he goes flying over the
rail and into the vat below.
-EXT. PLUSH EXCLUSIVE COUNTRY CLUB - NIGHT
Richly-attired guests are walking the grounds. A sign
says: "ROYAL WELCOMING COMMITTEE OFFICIAL RECEPTION."
INT. BALLROOM -CLOSEUP - A BIG CAKE
with the face of the Queen on it. A knife cuts into
the Queen's image. CAMERA PANS past formally-attired
guests, ENDING on Victor Ludwig talking to a "guest."
LUDWIG
Any news from the stockyards?
TBOG 12
Not yet. But don't worry. We've
taken care of it. You'll never- be
bothered by Prank Drebin again.
EXT. COON'l'RY CLOS -NIGBT
A police helicopter appears overhead~ as it gets
closer, it start• to BLOW the guests away. It finally
landa on the ch&mpagne tent, CRUSHING it. 90
91
92
92A EXT. 1111 BBLICOPTER - NIGHT 92A
93 Ed huatlea out of the chopper and into the main build
ing.
INT. EN'l'RY BALL -NIGBT
Ed and two plainclothesmen are in the large hallway
where all the rich and famous are gathered.
(CONTINUED) 93 93 CONTINUED:
ED
Matthews, stake out that end!
Adcock, check for anyone
suspicious-looking!
Frank enters.
ED (cont.)
Frank! Where've you been?
FRANK
(breathless)
At the stockyards -- trading shots with one of Ludwig's goons. They
must be planning to do it tonight,
Ed -- here. That's why they
were
trying to knock me off.
ED
(starting to
look around)
Right. We better be on the
lookout. 66.
93
A MATRONLY WOMAN walks by in an exotic gown decorated
with many large plastic rings.
FRANK
Excuse me, madam.
Be reaches for the woman's arm to stop her, but his
hand grabs onto one of the rings. The woman keeps
going, and Frank is left holding onto a ring -- and
half of the flimsily-constructed gown. The woman
screams.
FRANK (cont.)
Oh ••• sorry, ma'am. Rave a nice
evening.
Re !lat• down another woman and begins to frisk her
vittl a hand-held metal detector. It BEEPS wildly in
the aoat undignified places. Her RDSBAND is indignant.
HUSBAND
Heyl What's the meaning of
this?ll
Prank turns on him. Ed is standing behind the man.
FRANK
Okay, sonny, just hold it right
there, huh?
(COHTINOED) 93
94 CONTINUED: 67.
93
The JD&n tries to take his wife away. Frank grabs him.
FRANK (cont.)
C'mon, c'mon, turn around easy,
relax, nothing's gonna happen.
Frank starts to frisk him. Ed holds him closely from
behind.
HUSBAND
Hey! I didn't do anything!
FRANK
Oh, yeah -- then what're you doing
with this?
Frank pulls out a revolver from Ed's pocket, thinking
it's from the suspect. Be proceeds to pull out more
guns, a badge, a knife from a leg. Then finally a
wallet. Be examines the contents.
FRANK (cont.)
(indignantly)
Look here, Chief, he's got a
picture of your wife!
Ed sees this and slugs the guy. A crowd gathers.
FRANK (cont.)
(threatening
onlookers)
Anybody else here seeing his wife?
ED
(embarrassed)
That's okay, Frank. That's
enou9h. Let's get to the
ballroom.
INT. BALLROOM -NIGHT
A hundred tables filled with guests eating dinner. At
the podium, a WBITE-BAIRED MAN drones on about
England's rich history and the importance of the
Queen's visit. 94
94A AT LUDWIG'S-TABLE 94A
Ed and Frank enter. Ludwig is seated at a table with
Jane and other dignitaries. Prank approaches. Jane is
eating ••• 94B
94C
940 INSERT -CAKE - TBE QUEEN'S EYE
LUDWIG
(surprised)
Orebin! 68.
94B
JANE
Frank.
FRANK
You're both right. Surprised to
see me, Mr. Ludwig?
Frank is handed a piece of cake by the waiter.
INSERT - IT'S TBE QUEEN'S NOSE
The frosting around the nostril unfortunately gives the
impression that the nose is running.
LUDWIG
This is not the time and place to
talk.
FRANK
It's way past the time we tal.ked.
The gloves are off, Ludwig~ I'm
playing hardball. It's fourth and
fifteen. And you're looking at a
full court press.
INSERT - CAKE
The waiter gives Ludwig the Queen's ear.
LUDWIG
I'd be careful, Lieutenant. I can
make one phone call and you're off
the force.
FRANK
Go ahead. I'll make two phone
calls and get back on the force.
Ludwig gets up from his chair.
LUDWIG Mr. Orebin. If you have evidence,
then use it. It not, I'm warning
you to get ott my back. Or I
promise you it will cost you
dearly.
Be turns on his heel and exits.
(CONTINUED) 94C
940 940
t
94E
r---CONTINUED:
JANE
Frank, what's wrong?
Frank sits in Ludwig's seat.
FRANK
A lot of things, Sweetie Pie. A
little meeting that turned into a
peek-a-boo session with bullets.
All set up by someone who's been
playing me like a violin, at the
Annual Saps' Convention.
~ JANE
~Funny face, I don't know what
you're talking about.
FRANK
My stockyard meeting, Butterwings.
Or don't you remember setting it
up?
JANE
(confused)
Ludwig said you called the meeting
off. Believe me, I •••
FRANK
Bum me another one, Shnooky Lumps.
Be takes a bite of the Queen's nose. Be starts to
exit. Jane goes after him. Grabs him.
JANE
It's the truth!
FRANK
It's true what they say. Cops and
women don't mix. It's like eating
a spoonful of Drano. Sure, it
will clean you out. But it leaves
you hollow inside. Too bad, sugar
puff •••
(touches her cheek)
We could have been something.
Be exits. Jane is close behind.
ANOTHER PART OF BALLROOM - TABLE
JANE
I was only doing what I was told
to do. 69.
940
94E
(CONTINUED) 94E
94P CONTINUED:
FRANK
Like make love to me?
JANE
Frankl
She slaps him.
FRANK
That only makes things easier,
princess. To think I trusted you.
I made a big mistake.
JANE
But, Frank ••• You've got to let me
explain.
FRANK
Better do it while I'm still
alive, sweetheart -- It's turned
cold outside. Or did you leave
your heart open?
Be takes a garter from an inside pocket.
FRANK (cont.)
Take this back.
JANE
Whose is that?
Frank looks at it ••• throws it away.
FRANK
It doesn't matter! Take care,
baby. By the way ••• I faked every
orgasm.
Be storms off, leaving a broken Jane.
JANE
(through tears;
barely a whisper)
Punny face.
INT. BALLROOM -TBE PODIOM
A thin, middle-aged WOMAN is now speaking.
WOMAN
And now, ladies and gentlemen, it
gives me great pleasure to
introduce the man who has --
(MORE) " 70.
94E
94F
(CONTINUED) 94F
95
96 CONTINUED:
WOMAN (CONT. )
-- more than anyone, made it
possible for us to celebrate this
magnificent moment in our city's
history. The Mayor of Chicago,
the Honorable Paul z. Basta.
All rise in APPLAUSE as the Mayor approaches the
podium, and shakes the Woman's hand warmly.
INT. BALLROOM - ANOTHER AREA
Jane catches up to Ludwig and his Thug.
JANE JANE
The stockyard meeting was just a
trap, wasn't it?
LUDWIG
I understand how it may look to
you like that, but I assure you I
have no idea who tried to kill
Lieutenant Drebin.
JANE
But you told me you were going to
meet him.
I'm sorry,
detained.
there, he
have some LUDWIG
my dear, but I was
By the time I got
was gone. Now let's
champagne, shall we?
not entirely convinced.
INT. BALLROOM -TBE PODIOM
MAYOR
And to commemorate our common
heritage, the City of Chicago is
honored to present to the Royal
Family this Revolutionary War
musket, originally used during the
Battle of Deerfield.
Be opens a velvet case revealing the antique musket.
MAYOR (cont.)
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to
you now, Her Royal Majesty Queen
Elizabeth II.
All rise in APPLAOSE. 71.
94F
95
96 97 INT • BANQUET ROOM - ANO'I'S~S~\. AREA 72.
97
Frank, Ed and Al stand in front of a row of English
uniformed guards. The guards all raise trumpets and
blow out a loud FANFARE. Frank and Ed cringe and
stagger forward, covering their ears in pain.
98 INT. BANQUET ROOM - ANOTHER AREA 98
QUEEN ELIZABETH II makes a grand, pompous, Royal en
trance, accompanied by the Royal entourage.
98A ON FRANK 98A
Still groggy from the horn blast, he staggers toward
the Queen.
98B PODIUM - FRANK'S POV - LUDWIG 98B
Smiling, Ludwig lifts the musket out of its case.
BACK TO:
98C BACK TO FRANK
980 alarmed, starts to run toward the Queen.
INSERT - HANDS ON CHAMPAGNE BOTTLE
working the cork.
98E ON QUEEN
approaching end of banquet table with entourage.
98F PODIUM -ON LUDWIG
raising the rifle.
98G ON CHAMPAGNE BO'l'TLE
The cork POPS. Lots of corks are POPPING.
98B AT DRQtJET TABLE - ON FRANK
Horrified, he lunges full-speed, tackling the Queen
backwards onto the banquet table. They slide along the
tabla, crashing through candelabra, punch bowls, an ice
sculpture of Buckingham Palace and a cake shaped like
Big Ben. The applause stops as they crash through one
final candelabra. Frank is sprawled on top of the
Queen in the missionary position, his head buried in
her cleavage, her legs wrapped around his waist. 98C
980
98E
98F
98G
98B f ,-----73.
99 INT. LUDWIG'S APARTMENT - ANGLE - DOOR - NIGHT (LATER) 99
It opens slowly. It's Jane. She quietly closes the
door ·behind her and creeps stealthily over to the file
cabinet. She's looking through the files when she
hears. door OPENING.
100
100A
l00B JANE
terror-stricken, backing away. A shadow cast by the
door begins to cross her face. She turns and runs into
a closet.
DOORWAY
Ludwig and Pahpshmir enter.
PAHPSHMIR
·The baseball game?
INT. CLOSET - LUDWIG'S APARTMENT -JANE
hiding in closet, peeks through opening.
LUDWIG'S APARTMENT
LUDWIG
Can you think of a better place
for an assassination?
LUDWIG
walks toward closet.
PAHPSHMIR
When?
INT. CLOSET -JANE
tries to hide•• f•r b•ck •• •he c•n among the clothes.
!00C LODWIG'S APARTMENT
Ludwlg turns combin•tion of w•ll s•fe behind• picture.
LUDWIG
The •seventh Inning Stretch.•
With everyone st•nding up, the
••••••in will be le•• notice•ble
when he •ppro•che• the Queen.
100D INT. CLOSET -JANE -DAY
look• down to •ee • RAT! She g••P•• putting her h•nd
over her mouth to •uppre•• • •cream. The rat crawl•
over her high-heeled •hoes. She back• up a little
more. 100
l00A
l00B
l00C
1000 l00E INT. APARTMENT -DAY 74.
lOOE
PABPSHMIR (O.S.)
Clever. Just another over-zealous
fan in the stands.
l00F INT. CLOSET - DAY l00F
Jane steadies herself by resting her hand on the wall.
CLOSEUP - JANE'S HAND
Hideous BOGS crawling all over it. Jane feels tingling
sensations, looks at her hand, full of crawling in
sects. She gasps -- again, she can't scream.
l00G INT. APARTMENT -DAY l00G
LUDWIG (O.S.)
Not a fan ••• a player!
Pahpshmir is impressed.
PAHPSHMIR (O.S.)
Well done, Ludwig. It's a
brilliant plan.
l00B INT. CLOSET - DAY
Jane tries to move further back in the closet. Sudden
ly from above her and just behind, we see a huge PYTHON
drop down INTO FRAME and start to slither past her neck
and down her shoulder. She dives headfirst to the far
thest end of the closet, remarkably still somehow under
control. She stumbles, grabbing a few coats on the way
down. She falls in a heap on the floor, coming face
to-face with a framed picture of Tammy Faye Bakker in
her old makeup. Jane takes one look at this and -
it's a bloodcurdling scream.
100-I IN'l'. LODWIG'S APARTMENT -ANGLE - CLOSET DOOR - DAY
Jane bur■t• out the door and slams it behind her -- no
sip of-Ludwig or Pahpshmir. They've gone. Jane runs
out ■creaming. A beat ••• then CRASH! The head of a
hideous, drooling ALIEN MONSTER bursts through the top
half of the door.
101 INT. POLICE_SQOAD - MORNING
INSERT -NEWSPAPrt ON DESK
The headline reads: "City Disgraced." The four-column
picture is of Frank and the Queen at the end of their
slide down the table, but now Frank is a■tride her
doggie-style, both faces looking right into the cUlera,
Frank wide-eyed with shock, the Queen'• expression
could be misconstrued as one of sexual climax.
(CONTINUED) 100B
100-I
101 101
( CONTINUED:
ED
It's disgusting the way they
splash this stuff all over the
newspapers. 7 5 •
101
Ed looks down at assorted newspapers on the desk. Each
one shows Frank and the Queen in a different awkward
position.
ED (cont.)
What is journalism coming to?
You're laying on top of the Queen
with her legs wrapped around you
and they call that news? Imagine
-- treating an officer of the law
like some Presidential candidate!
It's just not fair!
Frank is putting things into a cardboard box. Be's
packing up. There are a half dozen other DETECTIVES in
the b.g., watching.
FRANK
Now, now, life isn't always
fair. Life is what happens when
you're busy making other plans.·
Be looks out the window, wistfully.
FRANK (cont.)
Just think, the next time I shoot
somebody, I could be arrested.
Frank is pulling out a long string of paper clips from
a drawer. It keeps coming and coming •. It's endless.
Al is standing next to him, his head OUT OF FRAME.
Tears are talling down INTO FRAME. Lots of them. Al
is snitfling.
FRANK (cont.)
It'• okay, Al. Don't you worry
about me. Now I can take that dog
team into the Yukon like I always
wanted to •••
Be pull• out an old document.
FRANK (cont.)
Bey, wait a minute! It's that
missing piece of evidence from the
Kelner case. By God, he!.!!
innocent.
(CONTINUED) 101 CONTINUED: ( 2)
ED
He went to the chair two years
ago, Frank.
FRANK
Well •••
Frank tosses the document away.
FRANK (cont.)
Oh, what's the use! 76.
101
In frustration, he starts smashing things on the desk.
FRANK (cont.)
What good are all these damn
citations now.
Be breaks a plaque in half, tears up some diplomas,
smashes some framed pictures. Finally, he takes out
the whole middle drawer and smashes it to pieces on top
of the desk. Al taps Frank on the shoulder.
AL
Uh, wait a minute, Frank.
Frank breaks a glass sculpture and scrapes it across
the wood finish top.
Frank
Frank AL (cont.)
Uh ••• Frank?
stops momentarily, looks up at
FRANK
What is it, Al?
AL
••• That's my desk.
looks down at what he's done.
AL (cont.)
You're over there. Al.
Be points over to Frank's desk, all neat and untouched.
FRANK
Well •••
Be picks up a photograph in a smashed frame.
FRANK (cont.)
I didn't think I recognized her.
(CONTINUED) .LOl CONTINUED: (3)
ANGLE - DOOR
Jane bursts in.
JANE
Frank!
FRANK
What are you doing here? Running
another errand for your boyfriend?
JANE
I called you all last night -- I
even came by your place. Where
were you?
FRANK
I was out walking all night.
JANE
You've got to listen to me. I
have important information for
you. Please believe me .•. Victor
Ludwig and I ••• there was never
anything between us. He likes
East German men.
FRANK
And what about you?
Jane looks Frank straight in the eye.
JANE
I like cops.
All the assembled Detectives start to take off their
coats.
DETECTIVES
(lasciviously)
Bey, ho, hubba ho hey, umunah,
umunah, umunahl
FRANK
Come on, guys, settle down, easyl
All become quiet.
FRANK (cont.)
What've you got?
JANE
You were right all along, Prank,
Ludwigis up to no good. Be'•
going to kill the Queenl 77.
101
(CON'l'INOED) 101 CONTINUED: (4)
FRANK
Where?
JANE
The baseball game -- during the
Seventh Inning Stretch. It's
going to be one of the players!
ED
Of course! You were right, Frank.
We better get there, before it's
too late.
FRANK
Listen, I've got you guys in
enough trouble already. Don't
risk it for me. I'll go alone.
ED
It this'll get you back on the
force, Frank, we're all behind
you.
DETECTIVES
Yeah, right, we're with ya; Frankl
Frank looks around, touched.
CHEERS. FRANK
Alright.
JANE
I'm going, too.
FRANK
No, this is going to be too
dangerous. We're about to go face
to face with vicious terrorist
killers. There's bound to be gun
play. Even in the best of
circumstances, we figure to lose
half these men.
In the b.g., the men are beginning to get nervous.
FRANK (cont.)
I don't want you to see bullets
rip through flesh •••
The men are starting to back away, make phone calls,
find other things to do, tiptoe out the room, etc. 78.
101
(CONTINUED) 101
102 CONTINUED: (5)
FRANK (cont.)
••• policemen writhing on the
floor, in pain, calling out for
help, begging their God to end the
suffering quickly •••
ED
Frank, we better get going.
Frank snaps out of it.
FRANK
(to Jane)
Where's Ludwig right now?
JANE
He's accompanying the Queen during
her afternoon schedule. She'll be
the guest of honor at the Veterans
of Unjust Wars Luncheon and then
the baseball game is at two P.M.
I'm supposed to be with them.
FRANK
Then do it. Stay with them. We
don't want to arouse any
suspicion.
Jane gazes into his eyes.
JANE
Frank?
FRANK
Yes?
JANE
I wanted you to know ••• now •••
I've loved you since the first day
I met you and I'll never stop.
I'm a very lucky woman.
FRANK
So am I.
Be turns to the men.
. FRANK (cont.)
Alright, let's get goingt
EXT. BASEBALL STADitJM -EN'l'RANCES -DAY
Fans are pouring in. A lot of security rings each
entrance. 79.
101
102 103
104
105
106 EXT. ROYAL BOX - BASEBALL STANDS - DAY 80.
103
The-Queen is being seated, with the Mayor at her side.
STADIUM P.A. (O.S.)
Ladies and gentlemen, before we
give you today's starting line-up,
it is our pleasure to introduce to
you our city's most distinguished
royal visitor and our special
guest for today's baseball game,
Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.
All rise in APPLAUSE. MUSIC plays "God Save the
Queen," etc.
ROYAL BOX SEATS - THE QUEEN 104
She's in the middle of passing a hot dog down the row
and money back the other way.
EXT. BALL PARK - ROYAL BOX SEATS - DAY
Ludwig is seated with Jane, near the Queen.
LUDWIG
My dear, is something bothering
you?
JANE
Why, no. Why do you ask?
LUDWIG
You haven't said a word. You
seem ••• nervous.
JANE
Oh, well, you know what an
important game this is for the
Cubs.
JANE AND LUDWIG
Jane is looking around the stadium, wondering if Frank
will appear.
EXT. CENTER FIELD BLEACHERS - DAY
Frank is looking out over the field from the first
row. Security guards stand in their usual positions to
prevent fans from getting onto the field. Frank turns
around and goes back.
INT. CORRIDOR - DRESSING ROOM -DAY
Frank rounds a corner.
(CONTINUED) 105
106 106 CONTINUED: 81.
106
Be sees an AFFAIRS COORDINATOR for the ball club
speaking to ENRICO PALLAZZO, a pompous, portly man in
his fifties. To act unsuspicious, Frank bends over to
tie his shoes. Be listens closely.
COORDINATOR
Our head usher will be here in two
minutes to take you onto the
field. You can wait in here.
ENRICO
(angry)
Why isn't he here now? I don't
like being made to wait. I want
him here nowt I don't wait for
-- him, he waits for me 1 Do you
understand?
COORDINATOR
Yes, sir. I'll send him right
over.
The Coordinator exits. Enrico enters the dressing
room. Frank waits for the Coordinator to clear the
hall. Be then walks up to the dressing room door.
Knocks. Enrico answers.
ENRICO
Yes.
FRANK
I'm the head usher. I'd like to
show you something.
Be gives him a quick hack on the neck. Enrico falls
backward, unconscious. Frank quickly enters the
dressing room. Closes door. Not a second too soon.
The BEAD OSHER TAPS on the door.
BEAD OSHER (O.S.)
Mr. Pallazzo?
Frank opens the door.
Yes.
BEAD OSHER
Would you come with me?
A MOAN is emitted by the o.s. Enrico.
FRANK
One second.
(CONTINUED) 106
107
108
109
110 CONTINUED: (2) 82.
106
He closes the door. We hear Frank give Enrico several
quick JABS to the chin. The MOANING stops. Frank
reappears.
FRANK (cont.)
Well, then •••
He gestures for the Head Usher to lead on. He follows.
EXT. OUTFIELD - DAY 107
Frank enters the outfield. A color guard surrounds
him. Frank and the color guard march to center
field. Frank is now standing at a microphone.
P.A. (O.S.)
All rise. And join in singing our
national anthem. With Metro Area
opera star Enrico Pallazzo •••
This is news to Frank.
P.A. (O.S.) (cont.)
.•• who is just about to sign a
multi-million dollar recording
deal with RCA Records •.•
EXT. STANDS - RCA REP
seated in the stands. He holds up a contract.
P.A. (O.S.)
••• making it the most lucrative
recording contract yet for any
recording artist.
EXT. OUTFIELD AT MICROPHONE -FRANK
impressed.
• P • A. ( 0. S • ) ( cont • )
Mr. Enrico Pallazzo.
Nice APPLAUSE. Frank acknowledges the response. Gives
a wink. Blows a kiss to the throng.
EXT. ROYAL BOX SEATS -QUEEN
Applauding. Ludwig thinks Pallazzo looks familiar. Be
looks out to center field •oiamond Vision.• 108
109
110 111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120 83.
EXT. OUTFIELD AT MICROPHONE - FRANK
The ORGAN begins the
throat. Then sings.
Frank is selling it.
got nothing. intro. Frank softly clears his
It sets music back a generation.
Giving it all he's got. But he's
EXT. CROWD STANDS - ED
searching the stands. See's that it's Frank singing
the national anthem. Can't believe it.
EXT. ROYAL BOX SEATS - LUDWIG
watching Frank's face filling the Diamond Vision
screen. Be's enraged. Jane winces at the sour notes.
INT. DRESSING ROOM - ENRICO
tied up with his tie. Gagged with his handkerchief.
Over a LOUDSPEAKER, he hea·rs the butchering of his good
name and talent. Be's near tears.
EXT. STANDS -RCA REP
not pleased. Thumbing through the con~ract for an out.
INFIELD - NEAR THIRD BASE - TWO PLAYERS
standing in line near third base. They look at each
other and wince.
EXT. OUTFIELD AT MICROPHONE - FRANK
really getting into it now, he's belting it out like a
pro. But he's left out the entire middle of the song,
and mangling the words.
FRANK
(singing)
••• And the rocket's red glare,
lots of bombs in the air •••
nn. DRESSING ROOM
Enrico hears Frank butchering National Anthem over a
speaker in room. Be struggles to get out of his
bonds. Revenge is in his eyes.
EXT. STANDS - RCA REP - DAY
rips up the contract.
EXT. CENTERFIELD NALL - DAY
Security personnel emerge from doors in wall and begin
to creep up behind Frank.
(CONTINUED) 112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120 I 120 CONTINUED:
FRANK
(singing)
••• gave proof through the night,
that we still had a flag ••• 84.
120
120A EXT. OUTFIELD AT MIKE -FRANK - DAY 120A
121
122
123
124 notices them behind him.
INT. DRESSING ROOM - ENRICO
Furious, finally struggles free from his bonds, races
out of the room.
EXT. OUTFIELD AT MIKE - FRANK - DAY
still singing, is edging sideways toward a door.
FRANK
••• What so proudly we hail, uh, da
da da da da dahhhh ••••
The security men charge. Frank swings at one with the
microphone stand, and karate kicks another, then
escapes through the door. The security men get up just
as the real Enrico Pallazzo appears in the doorway.
They all jump him.
INT. ANNOUNCER'S BOOTH - DAY
VIN SCULLY at the mic.
VIN
A good afternoon to everyone.
This is Vin Scully. Along with Dick Enberg and Keith Jackson •••
ANGLE - NEXT 800TB
ENBERG and JACKSON are in the booth next to Vin.
ANGLE • • • Tim
Dr. VIN
Joe Garagiola, Al Michaels,
Mccarver and Willy Mays .•• and
Joyce Brothers.
Yup, they're ther~. too.
VIN
VIN
••• bringing you this all-important
ball game. Settle back, enjoy.
We got a good one for ya. 121
122
123
124 ,,,,,........_ 125 INT. TUNNEL NEAR UMPIRES' LOCKER ROOM
Frank thinking over his next move. The umpires pass
him on their way to the field. The crew chief brings
up the rear. Frank takes him aside.
FRANK
Maybe you could help me with my
ticket. 85.
125
He reaches into his suitcoat. He gives the ump a quick
hack on the neck with the back of his hand. Frank
drags the ump into the umps' locker room.
125A INT. ANNOUNCER'S BOOTH - VIN 125A
126
127
128
129 VIN
The ball yard is packed. 45,000
fans anxiously awaiting the first
pitch. Being kept entertained by
the stadium's Diamond Vision.
Showing the crowd those fantastic
baseball plays over the years.
DIAMOND VISION
Series of great catches. Diving, over the shoulder,
reaching into the stands, scaling the wall. The bang
ing into the fences, the dugout, colliding with one
another. Breathtaking. The crowd "OOH'S" and "AAH'S"
at each highlight.
INT. UMPS' LOCKER ROOM
Frank starts undressing. A MAINTENANCE MAN enters. He
sees Frank undressing. And the ump lying across a
bench. Bis rear end in the air. Be puts two and two
together and comes up with "Love, San Francisco Style."
MAINTENANCE MAN
Sorry, fellas.
Be exits quickly. Frank continues undressing.
EXT. ROYAL BOX SEATS - QUEEN
marveling at the Diamond Vision spectacular plays.
LODWIG
tates out a radio. Jane makes note of this.
DIAMOND VISION
Shortstop goes back for a bloop fly ball. Before he
can get to it, he is hit by a car. 126
127
128
129 86.
129A Outfielder goes back, back, back to the fence. Jumps 129A
up for the ball. Bits the fence. Bis head flies over
the-wall. Blood gushes out of his neck.
130 INT. UMPIRES' LOCKER ROOM - FRANK 130
131
132
133
134
135
136 in the ump's clothes. Be has tied up the ump. Gagged
him. And puts him in his locker. Be picks up the limp·
chest protector. He starts to blow it up.
DIAMOND VISION
A runner breaks for second on a steal attempt. He
slides into second only to be pounced on by a waiting,
hungry lion.
INT. UMPIRES' LOCKER ROOM - FRANK
Be's blowing into the inflated chest protector. Going
beyond its capacity.
INT. ANNOUNCER'S BOOTH - VIN
VIN
The officials for today's game are
Bob Coney, Norm Cummings, Dan
Zola, and Nester Kunkel behind
home plate.
EXT. TUNNEL - FRANK - DAY
comes out onto the field. He looks slightly ridiculous
in his over-inflated chest protector. With the mask
over his face, he can't be recognized. A round of BOOS
greets him. Frank takes exception.
VIN (O.S.)
And now the ceremonial first
pitch.
EXT. ROYAL BOX -QUEEN
The home team CATCHER presents her with a ball. Be
stand ■ back, ready to receive the throw. The Queen
to■••• out the ball, the crowd APPLAUDS.
INT. ANNOUNCER'S BOOTB - VIN
VIN
And with that bit of royal
ceremony completed, we're ready to
play ball. And I'm sure that
group of lovely ladies would
agree. 131
132
133
134
135
136 \
,,,,,......._
' 137 EXT. GRANDSTAND -DAY 87.
137
138 A row of well-dressed players' wives seated together in
one of the front rows.
VIN
They ought to •.• those are the
players' wives, on hand to enjoy
the game with us today.
EXT. BEHIND CATCHER - FRANK - DAY
keeping an eye on the Queen.
138A ANGLE - DODGERS' DUGOUT
The home team MANAGER glares at Frank.
Well, Kunkel.
today? MANAGER
We going to do this
138B EXT. BEHIND CATCHER - DAY
Frank wakes up.
FRANK
Play ball!
l38C EXT. FIELD - DAY
139
140
141
142 The team takes the field. The crowd CHEERS. Frank
likes the feeling. He made it all happen. Be takes
his place behind the Catcher.
EXT. STANDS - ED - DAY
keeping an eye on things.
EXT. ROYAL BOX SEATS - JANE - DAY
concerned.
LtJDWIG
apprehensive.
FRANK -BEB;tND CATCHER
watching the players.
INT. ANNOUNCER'S BOOTH - VIN
VIN
Batter steps in for L.A.
Vin continues with stats, sidelights, anecdotes during
the following. 138
138A
138B
l38C
139
140
141
142 143 EXT. PLATE - VISITING TEAM SHORTSTOP - DAY 88.
143
steps up to the plate. Fidgets with his uniform. Digs
in. Fidgets some more with the uniform. Spits. Grabs
his crotch. Digs in. Takes a few swings. Steps out.
Spits. Grabs his crotch. Pulls the uniform out of his
rump. Spits. Grabs his crotch. Clears his nose.
Sticks his hand in his pants. Fumbles and adjusts the·
family jewels. Spits. Grabs his crotch. Steps in.
143A THIRD BASE COACH
is spitting. Grabbing his crotch.
143B EXT. THE MOUND - THE PITCHER - DAY
looking in for the sign, spits. Grabs his crotch.
143C EXT. DUGOUT - HOME TEAM MANAGER
144
145
146 In dugout, spits, grabs his crotch.
EXT. STANDS - THE PLAYERS' WIVES - DAY
spitting. Grabbing their crotches.
EXT. OUTFIELD WALL - ANGLE - DAY
Centerfielder is peeing against the outfield wall.
FRANK - BEHIND CATCHER
eyeing Shortstop suspiciously. Shortstop is ready.
FRANK
Good luck, pal.
Be pats him on the back.
FRANK (cont.)
That uniform on straight?
Frank's got both hands on him searching for weapons.
Shortstop is puzzled.
FRANK (cont.)
Okay, batter up.
The Pitcher- looks in for a sign. Frank crouches over
the Catcher. Bis hands start to searcb the Catcher.
The Catcher, in the midst of giving the sign, looks
back up at Frank (what the hell are you doing?l) Frank
backs off.
FRANK (cont.)
Okay, let's play balll
(CONTINUED) 143A
143B
l43C
144
145
146 I ,,,,,.--. 146 CONTINUED: 89.
146
147 The first pitch comes in. He takes it. Several beats.
Catcher and Shortstop look to Frank. Frank knows he
has a decision to make. He takes a guess.
FRANK (cont.)
Strike?
Shortstop is upset. The crowd CHEERS. Frank enjoys
the positive response. Calls it out with a more
resonant, flamboyant style.
FRANK (cont.)
Steeeeerike!
Crowd loves it. Frank swaggers a bit. Next pitch.
Shortstop~takes it. Frank leaps up, wild-eyed,
punching-the air in front of him repeatedly with both
fists.
FRANK (cont.)
Steeeeeerike!!!
The crowd CHEERS. Frank is really into it now. He
crouches for the next pitch. Shortstop takes again.
Frank whirls around, throws his fist in the air.
FRANK (cont.)
Strike three!!!
Be pulls his fist dramatically tight to his chest,
"moonwalking" back away from the plate. The crowd is
delirious.
MONTAGE
EXT. FIELD - BEHIND CATCHER -DAY
Frank umpiring and using every excuse to search the
players.
147A Frank searches batters.
147B EXT. MOOND -DAY
Frank walks out to pitcher's mound to inspect the ball
and searches the Pitcher. In his pockets he finds
sandpaper, an emery board and, finally, an electric
belt sander. Frank returns the paraphernalia to the
astonished Pitcher and starts up the game again.
147C BEHIND CATCHER
Frank flamboyantly calling balls, strikes and outs. 147
147A
147B
147C 90.
1470 Frank breaking bats, looking for cork. 1470
147E Visiting Team Runner slides into home plate, Frank 147E
pats him down.
148 EXT. STANDS - DAY 148
Crowd does the wave.
148A EXT. ROYAL BOX 148A
149
150
151
152
153
154 Queen doing the wave.
EXT. FIELD - THIRD BASE -DAY
Third baseman, camped under a high pop fly, gets
searched by Frank.
INSERT -SCOREBOARD
Scoreboard showing the innings going by, the score
changing.
EXT. HOME PLATE - DAY
Home run hitter crosses the plate, gets high fives from
players. Frank gives him five and pats him down~ pats
everyone down.
EXT. MOUND - DAY
VISITING TEAM MANAGER walks out to the mound, taps his
left elbow.
INT. ANNOUNCER'S BOOTS
VIN
••• And evidently, the visiting
team manager has seen enough. So
he goes out to the mound to try
and settle down his young pitcher.
EXT. TU MOCND -DAY
Visting Team Manager Joins Catcher and second baseman
in typical conference on the mound.
PITCHER
Look, Tommy, everybody is afraid
of giving up themselves and
just ••• being.
MANAGER
Well, if you mean that in all of
us there is an unaddressed urgency
lying at the heart of our hope for
ourselves •••
(CONTINUED) 149
150
151
152
153
154 154
155
( r'
156
157 CONTINUED:
PITCHER
No. I mean simply that we could
not exist without all three of the
dimensions that sustain us.
SHORTSTOP
Are you talking beyond the human
context?
MANAGER
Hold it, Steve. I'll ask the
fuckin' questions because I'm the
fuckin' manager.
Visiting Team Manager signals the bull pen for another
lefthander.
MANAGER (cont.)
(to Pitcher)
Look, Bowell's gonna be here in a
second. Just tell me: are you
talking about two forces, equal
opposites or an outside duality?
EXT. ROW SEATS NEAR ROYAL BOX AREA -DAY
Frank approaches the first row box seats, where Ed is
waiting.
FRANK
Edi Have you spotted anything
yet?
ED
No. And Ludwig hasn't moved.
Have you found anything yet?
FRANK
Nothing. I've searched almost
everyone. I need another couple
innings to check out the rest.
ED
Frank, we don't have time. Look
at the scoreboard.
INSERT - SCOREBOARD
It shows seventh inning, two outs.
BACK TO FRANK
FRANK
If Pahpshmir was telling the
truth, the assassin will make his
move on the next out.
(CONTINUED) 154
155
156
157 157
158
159
160
161
162
163 CONTINUED: 92.
157
ED
Right, Frank. You've got to stall
'em until we can find the killer.
INT. BOOTH 158
VIN
So, it's two outs, we're in the
top of the seventh inning with
Kenny Howell, the new pitcher,
ready to deliver.
EXT. THE MOUND - DAY
It's a perfect strike.
FRANK
Ball one.
The crowd CHEERS. The Catcher and the Pitcher are
angry. He pitches again. A perfect strike.
FRANK (cont.)
Ball two.
The crowd CHEERS.
VISITING TEAM DUGOUT - DAY
Manager is irate.
MANAGER
What?! That was right down the
middle!!
EXT. THE MOUND - DAY
The Pitcher is angry. Be winds up and pitches again.
EXT. HOME PLATE - DAY
The batter swings. It's a high pop-up over home plate.
The catcher whips off his mask and, looking straight
up, moves back and forth trying to get under the ball.
Frank also looks straight up at the ball and moves back
and forth, following it. They're bumping into each
other. The-Catcher looks at Frank, annoyed, but
bravely keeps trying to get under the ball all the
while bumping into Frank.
EXT. ROYAL BOX SEATS -LODWIG -DAY
LUDWIG
Catch itl catch itl
(CONTINUED) 159
160
161
162
163 163
164
(r"
165
166
{ CONTINUED:
Jane finds Ludwig's sudden interest in the progress of
the game noteworthy. 163
EXT.·soME.PLATE -DAY 164
Finally, frustrated, the Catcher shoves Frank OUT OF
FRAME.
FRANK
takes from his pockets two new balls in each hand and
throws them into the air.
ANGLE - THE CATCHER
Suddenly, he sees five balls coming down on him. He
doesn't know which ball to go after. In his confusion,
he misses~everything. The crowd CHEERS. The Catcher
looks down at his glove. He's caught a set of car
keys.
FRANI<
Fair ball!
The Catcher and Pitcher immediately start to protest -
but the runner on third breaks for home. The Pitcher
picks up a ball and fires it to the Catcher at the
plate. The runner slides. The Catcher is just sitting
there waiting. He's out by a mile.
FRANK (cont.)
Safe!
CATCHER
What?ll -
EXT. VISITING TEAM DOGOtJ'l' - DAY
The Visiting Team Manager is beside himself.
EXT. FIRST BASE -DAY
Suddenly the man on first takes off for second. The
catcher whip• around and throws the ball to the second
baaeman. The runner is caught in a rundown between
firat and aecond. Frank is alarmed, he runs over.
THE BASE PATH
The first baseman, second baseman and shortstop are
doing the typical round-robin rundown. The first base
ump is hovering back and forth with the action. Frank
enters alongside the ump, moving with him step-for
step. The ump is annoyed. Frank is bumping into him
every step.
(CONTINOED) 165
166 166
167
168
169
170 CONTINUED: 94.
166
Frank starts to follow after the runner directly on the
bas• path. Be reaches out and grabs the ball on one
pass and throws it back to the second baseman. Now
Frank and the second baseman have the runner in a run
down. The runner charges at Frank only to have Frank
toss him the ball. Surprised, he tosses it back to
Frank like a hot potato. The shortstop is chasing
after the ball back and forth between Frank and the
runner. It looks as though he's caught in a rundown.
The first base umpire, furious, intercepts the ball on
Frank's next throw and chases after Frank, throwing the
ball at him. He misses, the shortstop catches it, and
throws the ball back to the second baseman. They've
got the ump caught in a rundown. The first baseman
tags the umpire out. The ump angrily takes away his
glove. Frank immediately tosses him the ball. The Ump
throws it right back. The two Umpires have the runner
in a rundown while the players stand by, watching.
INT. THE ANNOUNCER'S BOOTH - DAY
VIN
I know this is hard to believe .•.
but apparently, the umpires have
got Sandberg in a rundown between
first and second.
Be looks at Garagiola and shrugs.
EXT. THE BASE PATH -DAY
The runner makes a desperate, flying headfirst slide
under the Ump into first base. Frank rushes up.
0ut l l l
FIRST BASE OMP
Be'• outll FRANK
FIRST BASE UMP
FRANK
Safel l
!'rank and the First Base Ump go nose-to-nose, arguing.
INT. THE ANNOONCER'S BOOTH - DAY
VIN
Umps ir. s heated argument. HOw
there's a sight I've never seen.
EXT. FIRST BASE -DAY
The other Umpire has now joined the argument. They're
still nose-to-nose. 167
168
169
170
( COHTIHTJED) . 170
171
172
173
174 CONTINUED:
The_First Base Omp is kicking sand on Frank's shoes.
Frank kicks sand back on the Omp. Visiting Team
Manager and the Cubs' Manager are in there, yelling,
too.
FRANK
Be's safe! You never touched him!
FIRST BASE OMP
(seething)
You idiot, he was out when he
caught the ball in the first
place.
FRANK
That's itl I've had enough!
You're outta here!
Frank makes a huge gesture, throwing the Omp out.
THIRD BASE UMP
You can't throw an umpire out of a
game!
FRANK
(yelling)
Alright, you're outta herelll
Be ejects the Third Base Ump. The crowd GOES NUTS.
INT. THE ANNOUNCER'S BOOTH -DAY
VIN
Well, I thought I'd seen
everything until this game ••• Now
the crew chief has ejected the
other two umpires. And I've got a
feeling this isn't over yet.
EXT. FIRST BASE -DAY
VISITING TEAM MANAGER
(pointing to
the scoreboard)
Lookl Even the guy who works the
scoreboard could tell he was out
and he's way up in the mezzanine!
INSERT - SCOREBOARD
It reads: •seventh Inning, Three outs.•
EXT. ROYAL BOX SEATS - LUDWIG - DAY
presses button on his radio. Jane•••• this.
BACK TO: 95.
170
171
172
173
174 175
176
177
178
( ~
179
180
181
182 EXT. FIRST BASE - DAY 96.
175
Frank sees the scoreboard. He's worried.
EXT. SECOND BASE - DAY
The Second Baseman is waiting for the decision of the
Omps, when we hear the beeping SOUND coming from his
watch. Suddenly his expression changes. Be is a de
termined zombie. Be begins walking across the field
toward where the Queen is sitting.
EXT. STANDS - ROYAL BOX - JANE - DAY
puts it all together, realizing what's happening.
JANE
Frankl Frankl It's the Second
Baseman.
EXT. FIRST BASE -DAY
FIRST BASE OMP
He's outll Be's out!
Frank sees the Second Baseman. He pulls his gun. The
Umps and Managers back off.
FIRST BASE UMP (cont.)
Alright, alright, he's safe. You
were right. Whatever you think
best. ·
EXT. STANDS - ROYAL BOX - LOOWIG - DAY
pulls his gun on Jane.
LUDWIG
Alright, just come with me quietly
and nobody's gonna get hurt.
They begin to exit.
EXT. PIELD NEAR THIRD BASE - FRANK -DAY
ruu toward the second Baseman. Before he reaches the
third base line, Frank lunges and makes• diving
tackle.
EXT. OOOGER·DOGOOT/FIELD NEAR THIRD BASE - DAY 176
177
178
179
180
181
The dugout empties. The second Baseman's enraged team
mates rush to his defense.
EXT. CHICAGO DOGOOT/FIELD NEAR THIRD BASE - DAY
The home team runs out onto the field. 182 183
184
185
186 EXT. THE THIRD BASE LINE - DAY 97.
183
A huge rhubarb erupts. At first it is just a big fist
fight. Then a couple of players get smashed over the
head with chairs and bottles. It becomes a barroom
brawl.
EXT. ROYAL BOX SEATS - THE MAYOR
Be is very embarrassed. Be looks toward the Queen with
a sheepish little smile. The crowd is CHEERING.
ANGLE - THE QUEEN
MALE (V .O.)
(screaming)
_ _Hit the fucker in the balls!
EXT. THIRD BASE LINE - THE FIGHT - DAY
It is now just a ridiculously huge pile of guys, kick
ing, clawing and punching. From the bottom of the
pile, the Second Baseman emerges, and walks toward the
stands.
ANGLE - FRANK
Be and the Catcher are face mask-to-face mask, stran
gling each other.
FRANK
Where is the Second Baseman?
CATCHER
I don't know. I swear to God, I
haven't seen himl
EXT. FRANK'S POV -DOGOO'l' ANO STANDS - DAY
out of the corner of his eye, Frank sees the Second
Baseman jump over the dugout and into the stands. 184
185
186
186A THIRD BASE LINE 186A
187
188 Frank manages to get out of the pile. Be runs toward
the dugout -- he's going to jump.
EXT. AISLE NEAR ROYAL BOX - LUDWIG ANO JANE - DAY
making their way slowly down the aisle.
EXT. AISLE NEAR ROYAL BOX - THE SECOND BASEMAN - DAY
Be is getting c!o~er to the Queen. 187
188 189
190
191
192 EXT. ROYAL BOX - TBE ROYAL PARTY - DAY
They.are unaware of the danger. They're watching the
brawl.
EXT. AISLE NEAR ROYAL BOX - FRANK - DAY
desperate. Remembers his ace in the hole. The cuff
links!
EXT. ROYAL BOX SEATS - THE SECOND BASEMAN -DAY
pulls out his gun. Aims at the Queen •••
SECOND BASEMAN
(in a trance)
I must kill -- The Queen. I must
kill ••• The Queen •••
EXT. ROYAL BOX SEATS - TBE MAYOR - DAY 98.
189
190
191
192
sees him. Opens his mouth. We hear a woman's SCREAM.
It's J'ane.
193 EXT. STANDS CLOSE TO ROYAL BOX SEATS - TBE CROWD - DAY 193
all look toward the gunman and Queen.
194
195
197 EXT. STANDS AT ROYAL BOX - FRANK - DAY
aims his cuff links and FIRES •••
SECOND BASEMAN
Be hears a whooshing SOUND, but it misses him. A MOAN
from above brings everyone's attention to the upper
deck.
EXT. STANDS -OPPER DECKS - DAY
We see the victim of Frank's cuff link shot. It's an
enormously obese woman. She's grabbing the s&de of her
neck, and tottering.
EXT. ROYAL BOX SEATS - THE SECOND BASEMAN - DAY
looks up, cringes in horror as a widening shadow
spreads over him.
ANGLE
The woman falls from the upper deck, crushing the
Second Baseman. The Queen is safe.
EXT. NEAR ROYAL BOX SEATS -FRANK - DAY 194
195
196
197
Cuff links s1110king, he blows on them. Climbs up toward
the Queen. 198
199
200
201
202
203
204
( EXT. ROYAL BOX -~-L\YOR -DAY
stands up. Points at Frank. 99.
198
MAYOR
The umpire! Be saved the Queen's
life!
Ed rushes up.
ED
That's not the umpire, Your Honor.
Frank dramatically takes off his mask, revealing him
self.
EXT. STANDS NEAR BOX - DAY 199
A FAN
It's Enrico Pallazzo!
EXT. STANDS - DAY
The crowd takes up the cheer.
CROWD
Enrico Pallazzo! Enrico Pallazzo!
Yeah! Alright!
EXT. ROYAL BOX SEATS - DAY
Ed shrugs. He tried.
Drebinl MAYOR
(incredulous)
EXT. AISLE TO TUNNEL -LUDWIG - DAY
now heading up the aisle and toward the exit tunnel,
all the time holding onto Jane, who in LONG SBOTS, is
nothing more than a rag doll, flipping and flopping
around with every one of Ludwig's moves.
JANE
Frankl Belpl (Etc.)
EXT. ROYAL BOX - FRANK -DAY
spots them,-starts to give chase.
Err. FIELD AT ~~LAND CONCOORSE -LUDWIG
Bis escape is blocked by Ed and cops. Be SBOO'rS. They
duck. Be SBOO'rS again. They all jump, the bullets
going under them. Be turns the other way.
(CONTINOED) 200
201
202
203
204 204
I ,,,..-
205 100.
CONTINUED: 204
Frank is blocking him. Ludwig points the gun at Jane,
holds her hostage.
LUDWIG
Don't come any closer, Orebin.
JANE
He's got a gun.
FRANK
I know.
LUDWIG
You ruined my life, Drebin. Now,
I'm going to ruin yours.
FRANK
Leave the girl alone.
LUDWIG
I am. I'm going to kill you.
FRANK
I see.
Ludwig FIRES. It hits Frank's chest protector.
FRANK
The chest protector slowly deflates. As it does, it
makes that balloon-deflating, farting SOUND, all
through the following:
LODWIG .
The chest protector saved you this
time, Drebin, but now I'm going to
aim for your face.
He aims the gun at Frank. Jane bites his hand. She's
wrestling with him over the gun. Frank aims the cuff
linka and FIRES. Ludwig is zapped in the neck, the gun
dropa to the floor. Frank's cuff links are smoking.
JAHB
Shaken.
LODWIG
st~ggers to his right, turns away.
INSERT
Ludwig's hand pulling keys from his pocket and pressing
the car alarm button on the key chain. It BEEPS. 205 206 EXT. TOP OF STANDS AND CONCOURSE - DAY
A FAN
(horrified) 101.
206
You killed him!
FRANK
No, it just stuns him. He'll be
okay in a couple of minutes.
Ludwig staggers back to the railing, loses his balance
and flips over.
LUDWIG
Ahhhhh!
FRANK
--Well •••
LUDWIG
falls three stories to the street below.
FRANK
looks over the edge.
206A EXT. STREET BELOW STADIUM - LUDWIG
A car, followed by a truck, then a bus run over him.
206B EXT. TOP OF STANDS AND CONCOURSE - JANE - DAY
Her watch is BEEPING.
206C EXT. STREET BELOW STADIUM -LUDWIG
A steamroller, then a marching band run over him.
206D EXT. TOP OF STANDS -AND CONCOURSE - FRANK
shields Ed's eyes.
206E EXT. STREET BELOW STADIUM -LUDWIG - DAY
A truck labeled "Brunswick" hits a bump. Dozens of
bowling balls pour out of the back of the truck, onto
Ludwig.
206P EXT. TOP OF STANDS AND CONCOURSE -FRANK
winces. Ed cries on his shoulder.
ED
Oh, Frank, it's horrible, so
horrible •••
(CONTINUED) 206A
206B
206C
2060
206E
206F 206F CONTINUED:
ON FRANK FRANK
(comforting)
I know, Ed.
ED
(crying)
••• My father went the same way.
wondering about this.
JANE
picks up Ludwig's gun, points it at Frank.
JANE
(trance-like)
I must kill -- Frank Drebin ••• I
must kill -- Frank Drebin.
206G FRANK AND ED
207 shocked. Ed and the cops raise and aim their guns at
Jane.
FRANK
Nol Don't shoot!
He looks directly into Jane's eyes.
FRANK (cont.)
~l It's met Funny face.
Jane is unmoved.
JANE
I must ••• kill -- Frank Drebin.
FRANK
But you love Frank Drebin ••• and
Frank Drebin loves you. If you
don't love me, Jane, you might as
well pull that trigger, because
without you, there'd be no reason
for• to live anyway. I've
finally found someone who I could
love. Good, clean love ••• without
utensil•. You've shown me how to
enjoy sex without pain.
EXT. GRANDSTANDS
The crowd is watching all of this on ••• 102.
206F
206G
207 207A uIAMOND VISION
208
209
210
211 They're really into it, hanging on to every word.
FRANK (V.O.)
In this topsy-turvy world, the
problems of two people may not
amount to more than a hill of
beans, but this is our hill, and
these are our beans"t
TOP OF STANDS AND CONCOURSE - FRANK LIVE
FRANK BACK TO:
Jane, since I've met you, I've
noticed things I never even knew
were there before: birds singing,
the dew glistening on a newly
formed leaf, stop lights. You've·
changed my life forever, Jane.
And you've made my dreams come
true. I'm not one of these one
night stand Johnny's. I intend to
be with you lots of nights.
You're the only girl for me, Jane,
forever. · ·
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a tiny black
box.
FRANK (cont.)
This morning I bought something
for you. It's not much, but it's
pretty good for an honest
policeman's salary.
INSERT - BOX
Be opens the box --it's a diamond ring.
EXT. TOP OP STANDS AND CONCOURSE -DAY
FRANK
It's an engagement ring. I would
have given it to you earlier, but
I wanted to wait 'til we were
alone.
EXT. GRANDSTANDS
Forty-thousand fans are watching on Diamond Vision.
Everyone is fighting back tears. 103.
207A
208
209
210
211 212
213
214
215 EXT. TOP OF STANDS ANO CONCOURSE - DIAMOND VISION -104.
212 JANE '
A tear in her eye. Frank has broken through. Lush
MUSIC score. Her hand goes limp and drops the gun.
She runs to Frank and embraces him.
JANE (V .O.)
Oh, Frank!
EXT. BALL PARK STANDS
Everyone, having found new meaning in life, embraces
teary-eyed, white, black, young, old, good, bad.·
INT. ANNOUNCERS BOOTH - DAY
Vin and Joe embrace.
VIN
(sheepishly)
I didn't mean to yell at you
yesterday.
INT. UNDER GRANDSTAND AREA - DAY
The Mayor approaches Frank.
MAYOR
Drebin, I think I have something
here that belongs to you.
He takes out Frank's badge and offers it to him. Frank
stares down at it, he can't believe it.
MAYOR (cont.)
And I want to tell you ••• I was
wrong about you. The City of
Chicago, and I guess the whole
world, owes you a debt of
gratitude.
FRANK
Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
MAYOR
And Monday morning we'll want you
back at Police Squad. With a
promotion to Captain, of cour••••·
The Mayor gives him a wink. Ed smilea, proudly.
MAYOR (cont.)
••• and a hefty salary increase,
and a new patrol car, equipped
with the new 5850 LX scanner
systBI radio.·
(CONTINUED) 213
214
215 215
216
217 CONTINUED:
ANGLE FRANK
Mr. Mayor, I •••
MAYOR
But don't thank me. There's
someone else here who wants to
thank you.
Nordberg enters in wheelchair pushed J>y Mrs. Nordberg.
FRANK
Nordberg!
NORDBERG
Frankl The doc says I'll be good
as new in a week!
FRANK
That's wonderful, Nordberg.
Be pats him on the back. Mrs. Nordberg embraces Frank, emotionally, leaving Nordberg's wheelchair facing down
the ramp.
MRS. NORDBERG
Oh, Frankl You cleared my
Nordberg's name!
As she turns, one bump sends Nordberg on his way.
Everyone is focused on Frank and Wilma.
MRS. NORDBERG (cont.)
Bow can I ever thank you?l
In the b.g., Nordberg ia rapidly disappearing down the
ramp on hia way to who knows where.
!'RANK
There'• no need to. That'• what
friends are for.
EXT, MLL PARK AT TUNNEL
Prank and Jane -•rge from the tunnel and appear
the crowd. fte crowd is on ita feet, CDERING.
ORGAN strikes up •Take Me Out To The Ballgame.•
crowd starts .to SING.
Err._ROYAL aox SEA.TS -TBE QUEEN -DAY
singing along with the Mayor. before
The
The 215
216
217 \ \ 106.
218 EXT. BALL PARK AT TUNNEL -FRANK, ~ANE ANO ED - DAY 218
Acknowledging the APPLAUSE, SINGING.
219 INSERT -THE SCOREBOARD 219
Replays of the Ludwig sequence, Frank proposing, etc.
220 FIREWORKS SHOOT OP IN SKY 220
221 EXT. ROYAL BOX SEATS - FRANK, JANE, ED, THE MAYOR ANO 221
THE QUEEN - DAY
singing together.
ALL
••• For it's one, two, three
strikes you're out at the old •••
ball ••• gaaaamet
FREEZE FRAME
On Frank, Jane, Ed, the Mayor, the Queen and about
thirty Fans around them.
We hear HERMAN'S HERMITS "I'm Into Something Good• as
ENO CREDITS ROLL.
222 EXT. THE STANDS
But behind the credits, Frank and Jane realize they can
still move, though the others are still frozen around
tnem. Delighted, they dance down the aisle and onto
the playing field, tossing a baseball back and forth
among the frozen players as we •••
FADE TO BLACK.
THE END 222 | screenplays |
wt 628 ) , the main active compound of gamboge , is an orange or brownish resin obtained from gambogehanburyi hookf ( genus garcinia , family guttiferae ) .
it has a long history of medicinal use in southeast asia , and it is also used as detoxification , homeostasis , anti - inflammatory , parasiticide medicines , and even coloring agent for thousands of years in china . in recent years
ga , as a new anticancer drug , has attracted more and more attention , and its anticancer effects are being gradually confirmed [ 35 ] . although plant - derived products have served humans as treatments of various ailments for centuries , their objective safety and molecular targets are not fully understood .
identifying the safety and their molecular targets can lead to discovering new clinical uses of such products , as in the cases of vincristine , vinblastine , and others .
as many as 70% of all drugs approved by the us food and drug administration between 1980 and 2000 for treating cancer were based on natural sources .
previous studies reported that ga activated apoptosis in many cancer cell lines and inhibited human hepatoma cells proliferation .
however , there are relatively few report on the safety and molecular mechanism in ga on human leukemia cell line k562 and bone marrow mononuclear cells ( mncs ) together . therefore , the objective of this study was to investigate the anticancer effect and related mechanisms of ga on human leukemia cell line k562 , together with the effect on mncs .
ga was purchased from biomol international lp ( plymouth meeting , pa , usa ) and dissolved in dmso ( sigma ; st .
louis , mo , usa ) at a stock concentration of 100 m , lucifugal and stored at 20c .
the human leukemia cell line k562 was donated by the blood institute in suzhou , china .
k562 cells and mncs were cultured in complete rpmi-1640 medium ( gibco , usa ) supplemented with 10% and 20% , respectively , heat - inactivated fetal bovine serum ( fbs , hyclone , usa ) , 100 g / ml penicillin ( gibco , usa ) , and 100 g / ml streptomycin ( gibco , usa ) , in a humidified incubator containing 5% co2 at 37c . all human studies were approved by the china ethics committee and performed in accordance with ethics standards .
a cell counting kit-8 ( cck-8 ) ( dojindo molecular technologies , gaithersburg , md , usa ) was used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of ga .
cells were seeded in 96-well culture plates ( costar ) at a density of 1210/ml cells and a volume of 100 l per well , added to 0 , 0.50 , 0.75 , and 1.00 m ga , respectively , followed by incubation for various periods of time . at the end of incubation
, 10 l of cck-8 reagents was added to each well and incubated at 37c for another 4 h. the number of viable cells was assessed by measurement of absorbance at 450 nm using multiskan ms ( labsystems ) .
cytotoxicity assay was calculated as the following equation : k562 cells ( about 610/well ) were incubated with 1.0 m ga for 24 h. after treatment , cells were collected and smeared .
some films were fixed with methanol and stained with giemsa to observe the morphological changes of apoptosis cells by light microscopy ( merck , darmstadt , germany ) , and others were directly examined with an olympus inverted microscope .
cells seeded in 6-well plates were exposed to 0 , 0.50 , 0.75 , and 1.00 m of ga , respectively , for 24 h. cells undergoing apoptosis were detected using an annexin v - fitc apoptosis detection kit ( keygen , nanjing , china ) .
briefly , 210 cells were digested into cell suspension with edta - free trypsin and resuspended in cold binding buffer and incubated for 15 min in the dark at room temperature following addition of 5 l of annexin v - fitc and 5 l of propidium iodide ( pi , keygen , nanjing , china ) solutions .
flow cytometry analysis was performed using an facs - calibur cytometer ( becton dickinson , san jose , ca , usa ) .
the k562 cells ( 2.510 cells / cm ) were cultured on a chamber slide , fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde , and membrane - permeabilized by exposure for 30 min to 0.1% triton x-100 in phosphate - buffered saline at room temperature . then terminal deoxy - nucleotidyl transferase - mediated dutp nick end - labeling ( tunel ) staining was performed . for 4,-6-diamidino-2-phenylindole ( dapi ) staining
, slides were incubated for 30 min at room temperature in the dark with mounting medium for fluorescence containing dapi ( vectoer laboratories , inc . , burlingame , ca
the cells were then observed through a fluorescence microscope ( leica microsystems ag , wetzlar , germany ) .
briefly , proteins were extracted from the harvested cells using ripa lysis buffer ( beyotime , jiangsu , china ) and then quantitated using the bio - rad detergent compatible protein assay kit ( keygen , nanjing , china ) . an equal amount of protein ( 50 g ) was resolved on a 100 g / l minigel by sds - polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis .
proteins were transferred to a polyvinylidene difluoride ( pvdf ) membrane ( millipore , bedford , ma ) using the multiphor novoblot electrophoresis transfer system .
membranes were blocked with 5% skim milk for 1 h and then subjected to immunoblot analysis with antibody against bcl-2 ( 1:500 , cambridge , ma , usa ) , phosphatidylinositol3-kinase ( pi3k , 1:1000 , beverly , ma , usa ) , serine - threonine kinase ( akt , 1:1000 , beverly , ma , usa ) , p - akt ( 1:1000 , beverly , ma , usa ) , c - myc ( 1:500 , beverly , ma , usa ) and nuclear factor-b ( nf-b , 1:1000 , beverly , ma , usa ) at 4c staying overnight , respectively . then the membranes were washed with 0.1% tween 20 in tris - saline three times . a horseradish peroxidase - conjugated secondary antibody ( amersham , arlington heights , il ) was used at a dilution of 1:10000 for 1 h at room temperature .
the membranes were subsequently developed using enhanced chemiluminescence ( ecl , thermo scientific , rockford , il , usa ) detection system . as a loading control , gapdh levels
were detected using 1:2000 anti - gapdh antibody ( san diego , ca , usa ) followed by 1:10000 anti - mouse secondary antibody ( jackson immuno research ) .
statistical analyses were performed with spss 15.0 software package ( spss inc , chicago , il ) .
ga was purchased from biomol international lp ( plymouth meeting , pa , usa ) and dissolved in dmso ( sigma ; st .
louis , mo , usa ) at a stock concentration of 100 m , lucifugal and stored at 20c .
the human leukemia cell line k562 was donated by the blood institute in suzhou , china .
k562 cells and mncs were cultured in complete rpmi-1640 medium ( gibco , usa ) supplemented with 10% and 20% , respectively , heat - inactivated fetal bovine serum ( fbs , hyclone , usa ) , 100 g / ml penicillin ( gibco , usa ) , and 100 g / ml streptomycin ( gibco , usa ) , in a humidified incubator containing 5% co2 at 37c .
all human studies were approved by the china ethics committee and performed in accordance with ethics standards .
a cell counting kit-8 ( cck-8 ) ( dojindo molecular technologies , gaithersburg , md , usa ) was used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of ga .
cells were seeded in 96-well culture plates ( costar ) at a density of 1210/ml cells and a volume of 100 l per well , added to 0 , 0.50 , 0.75 , and 1.00 m ga , respectively , followed by incubation for various periods of time . at the end of incubation
, 10 l of cck-8 reagents was added to each well and incubated at 37c for another 4 h. the number of viable cells was assessed by measurement of absorbance at 450 nm using multiskan ms ( labsystems ) .
k562 cells ( about 610/well ) were incubated with 1.0 m ga for 24 h. after treatment , cells were collected and smeared .
some films were fixed with methanol and stained with giemsa to observe the morphological changes of apoptosis cells by light microscopy ( merck , darmstadt , germany ) , and others were directly examined with an olympus inverted microscope .
cells seeded in 6-well plates were exposed to 0 , 0.50 , 0.75 , and 1.00 m of ga , respectively , for 24 h. cells undergoing apoptosis were detected using an annexin v - fitc apoptosis detection kit ( keygen , nanjing , china ) .
briefly , 210 cells were digested into cell suspension with edta - free trypsin and resuspended in cold binding buffer and incubated for 15 min in the dark at room temperature following addition of 5 l of annexin v - fitc and 5 l of propidium iodide ( pi , keygen , nanjing , china ) solutions .
flow cytometry analysis was performed using an facs - calibur cytometer ( becton dickinson , san jose , ca , usa ) .
the k562 cells ( 2.510 cells / cm ) were cultured on a chamber slide , fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde , and membrane - permeabilized by exposure for 30 min to 0.1% triton x-100 in phosphate - buffered saline at room temperature . then terminal deoxy - nucleotidyl transferase - mediated dutp nick end - labeling ( tunel ) staining was performed . for 4,-6-diamidino-2-phenylindole ( dapi ) staining
, slides were incubated for 30 min at room temperature in the dark with mounting medium for fluorescence containing dapi ( vectoer laboratories , inc . , burlingame , ca , usa ) .
the cells were then observed through a fluorescence microscope ( leica microsystems ag , wetzlar , germany ) .
briefly , proteins were extracted from the harvested cells using ripa lysis buffer ( beyotime , jiangsu , china ) and then quantitated using the bio - rad detergent compatible protein assay kit ( keygen , nanjing , china ) .
an equal amount of protein ( 50 g ) was resolved on a 100 g / l minigel by sds - polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis .
proteins were transferred to a polyvinylidene difluoride ( pvdf ) membrane ( millipore , bedford , ma ) using the multiphor novoblot electrophoresis transfer system .
membranes were blocked with 5% skim milk for 1 h and then subjected to immunoblot analysis with antibody against bcl-2 ( 1:500 , cambridge , ma , usa ) , phosphatidylinositol3-kinase ( pi3k , 1:1000 , beverly , ma , usa ) , serine - threonine kinase ( akt , 1:1000 , beverly , ma , usa ) , p - akt ( 1:1000 , beverly , ma , usa ) , c - myc ( 1:500 , beverly , ma , usa ) and nuclear factor-b ( nf-b , 1:1000 ,
then the membranes were washed with 0.1% tween 20 in tris - saline three times .
a horseradish peroxidase - conjugated secondary antibody ( amersham , arlington heights , il ) was used at a dilution of 1:10000 for 1 h at room temperature .
the membranes were subsequently developed using enhanced chemiluminescence ( ecl , thermo scientific , rockford , il , usa ) detection system . as a loading control , gapdh levels
were detected using 1:2000 anti - gapdh antibody ( san diego , ca , usa ) followed by 1:10000 anti - mouse secondary antibody ( jackson immuno research ) .
data from three independent experiments were expressed as mean sd . student s t test was used to assess variables in this study .
statistical analyses were performed with spss 15.0 software package ( spss inc , chicago , il ) .
as shown in figure 1a , treatment with ga resulted in a significant reduction in k562 cell proliferation and viability , and the degree of inhibition depended on both the concentration and the length of treatment . at a dose of 2.0
m and 24 h treatment on k562 cells , the inhibitory rate of ga was 63% .
it was clear that 72 h treatment of ga , even at a concentration as high as 4 m , had little cytotoxicity to the mncs .
in addition , figure 1c provided a comparison of inhibition between k562 cells and mncs with the same treatment of ga .
the inhibition of proliferation ( % ) of ga on k562 cells was significantly higher than that on mncs ( p<0.05 ) .
direct observation using an inverted microscope showed many distinct morphological changes in cells treated with ga , compared with untreated cells ( figure 2a ) .
in particular , cell shrinkage , cytoplasm condensation , and formation of cytoplasmic filaments with protuberances resulted in more of a spindle shape , membrane shrinkage .
in addition , using morphological analysis with giemsa staining , nuclei with chromatin condensation and formation of apoptotic bodies were observed in cells cultured with 1.00 m ga for 24 h. in contrast , very few were observed in the control culture ( figure 2b ) .
after k562 cells were treated with ga in different concentrations for 24 h , cell populations in both early and late apoptotic phases increased comparing with apoptotic cells in vehicle - treated control ( p<0.05 , figure 3a ) .
apoptosis was also observed in mncs but to a much less extent than in k562 cells ( p<0.05 , figure 3b ) . as displayed in figure 4 , apoptotic cells number ( dapi - stained tunel - positive cells ) of k562 cells
apoptosis determined after 24 h treatment was increased by 0.5 m ga in k562 cells , and the cell death was further increased in the presence of 0.75 m ga treatment which cause about some of apoptotic cell death itself ; this trend continues at 1.00 l ga . to investigate the apoptotic mechanisms activated by ga , we used western blotting to measure the expression of the death receptors and corresponding pro - apoptotic ligands , as well as the expression of the bcl2 .
as shown in figure 5 , the protein levels of pi3k , p - akt , c - myc and nf-b expression were markedly decreased in the ga - treated k562 cells , similarly the levels of anti - apoptotic bcl-2 expression were significantly inhibited in response to the ga treatment in a concentration - dependent manner . besides , the level of akt expression was relatively unchanged in response to ga treatment .
as shown in figure 1a , treatment with ga resulted in a significant reduction in k562 cell proliferation and viability , and the degree of inhibition depended on both the concentration and the length of treatment . at a dose of 2.0
m and 24 h treatment on k562 cells , the inhibitory rate of ga was 63% .
it was clear that 72 h treatment of ga , even at a concentration as high as 4 m , had little cytotoxicity to the mncs .
in addition , figure 1c provided a comparison of inhibition between k562 cells and mncs with the same treatment of ga .
the inhibition of proliferation ( % ) of ga on k562 cells was significantly higher than that on mncs ( p<0.05 ) .
direct observation using an inverted microscope showed many distinct morphological changes in cells treated with ga , compared with untreated cells ( figure 2a ) . in particular , cell shrinkage , cytoplasm condensation , and formation of cytoplasmic filaments with protuberances resulted in more of a spindle shape , membrane shrinkage .
in addition , using morphological analysis with giemsa staining , nuclei with chromatin condensation and formation of apoptotic bodies were observed in cells cultured with 1.00 m ga for 24 h. in contrast , very few were observed in the control culture ( figure 2b ) .
after k562 cells were treated with ga in different concentrations for 24 h , cell populations in both early and late apoptotic phases increased comparing with apoptotic cells in vehicle - treated control ( p<0.05 , figure 3a ) .
apoptosis was also observed in mncs but to a much less extent than in k562 cells ( p<0.05 , figure 3b ) . as displayed in figure 4 , apoptotic cells number ( dapi - stained tunel - positive cells ) of k562 cells
apoptosis determined after 24 h treatment was increased by 0.5 m ga in k562 cells , and the cell death was further increased in the presence of 0.75 m ga treatment which cause about some of apoptotic cell death itself ; this trend continues at 1.00 l ga .
to investigate the apoptotic mechanisms activated by ga , we used western blotting to measure the expression of the death receptors and corresponding pro - apoptotic ligands , as well as the expression of the bcl2 .
as shown in figure 5 , the protein levels of pi3k , p - akt , c - myc and nf-b expression were markedly decreased in the ga - treated k562 cells , similarly the levels of anti - apoptotic bcl-2 expression were significantly inhibited in response to the ga treatment in a concentration - dependent manner . besides , the level of akt expression was relatively unchanged in response to ga treatment .
in this study , we analyzed effects of ga on proliferation and apoptosis of the human leukemia cell line k562 and mncs .
dramatically growth inhibition of ga on k562 cells was observed by cck-8 assay and the biggest inhibitory rate was 63% ( figure 1a ) . unlike k562 cells ( p<0.05 ) ,
the significant growth inhibition mncs were not found in mncs ( figure 1b , 1c ) .
the following experiments demonstrated that cell death was partly caused by the apoptosis induction and down - regulation of pivotal proteins by ga .
discovery of novel agents with anticancer activity from natural resources has gained significant importance in cancer prevention and therapy .
ga , an active compound extracted from the gamboge resin of garcinia hanburyi , was selected for further study due to its potent antitumor activities . according to previous study
, ga has potent antitumor activities against lewis lung carcinoma , cultured human hepatocellular carcinoma cells , and human gastric adenocarcinoma .
the inhibition of ga on human gastric cancer line bgc-823 was confirmed and the result was also confirmed in vivo
. the potential role of ga to reverse docetaxel resistance though down - regulation of surviving made it an attractive new agent for the chemosensitization of cancer cells .
a recent study discussed the results of a phase ii trial of ga in solid cancer therapy , suggesting an alternative strategy to overcome imatinib resistance . in the present study , we detected whether or not ga could inhibit proliferation of human leukemia cell line k562 and mncs .
data obtained from cck-8 assay showed that ga exerted significant inhibition of the proliferation of k562 cells in dose - dependent and time - dependent manners
. however , those changes and tendency did not appear in mncs , which suggests ga could induce tumor cell death selectively with less toxicity to normal cells .
apoptosis represents a major protective mechanism against cancer , and morphologic observation indicated that ga could induce apoptosis on k562 cells ( figure 2 ) . as we all know , an early indicator of apoptosis is the rapid translocation and accumulation of the membrane phospholipid phosphatidylserine from the cytoplasmic interface of membrane to the extracellular surface .
this loss of membrane asymmetry can be detected by using the binding properties of annexin v. to identify apoptosis , we used an annexin v antibody , which was conjugated with a fluorescein isothiocyanate ( fitc ) fluorescent dye .
the results revealed that ga could accelerate the apoptosis of k562 cells , which was consistent with cellular morphological examination .
besides , ga could also promote the apoptosis of mncs , but the function was less obvious than that on k562 cells . activation of apoptosis pathways is a key mechanism by which cytotoxic drugs kill tumor cells .
the bcl-2 family is composed of both pro - apoptotic and anti - apoptotic family members .
the best characterized anti - apoptotic proteins , bcl-2 and bcl - xl , appear to directly or indirectly preserve the integrity of the outer mitochondrial membrane , thus preventing cytochrome c release and cell death initiation through the mitochondrial pathways .
moreover , the anti - apoptotic bcl2 gene is reported to be overexpressed in 65 to 70 percent of chronic lymphocytic leukemia . to further discuss the exact molecular mechanism of death induced by ga
our results showed that treatment with ga resulted in down - regulation of bcl-2 , which suggested ga might induce cell apoptosis through suppressing mitochondrial pathways .
traditional clinicopathologic factors and several interesting molecules , including phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase ( pi3k ) , oncogenes such as c - myc , and nuclear factor - kappa b ( nf-b ) have been reported to correlate to the prognosis of leukemia patients .
previous studies have also revealed numerous cellular proteins ( e.g. , c - myc , pi3k and akt ) were targeted by ga in several cell lines .
we subsequently examined the expression of pivotal genes , which are associated with cell proliferation and apoptosis . as expected , our results supported the hypothesis that the expression levels of nf-b , c - myc , pi3k and p - aktkt were all down - regulation by ga in k562 cells . in the final , we would like to discuss some weak points of our study , of which we are conscious at present .
it is also known that anti - sense targeting of survivin gene expression results in inhibition of cellular proliferation , whereas survivin over - expression promotes cell cycle entry with an accelerated s phase shift and resistance to g1 arrest .
the relationship between induction of apoptosis by ga and inhibition of the cell cycle in k562 cells were not studied .
in summary , our present findings demonstrated that ga could induce k562 cells death selectively with less toxicity to normal cells .
besides , ga induced cell death through down - regulation of nf-b , c - myc , pi3k and p - akt .
our results provide a basis for developing ga into a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of human leukemia .
yet it remains to be continued to study the mechanisms of in detail and confirmed in vivo . | pubmed |
KVEN 1450 AM, SportsRadio 1450 is a sports radio station licensed to Ventura, California, carrying the national CBS Sports Network but no locally-originated programming. It is owned by Cumulus Media and broadcasts at a power of 1,000 watts KVEN is the Ventura Radio Home of The Armstrong & Getty show on Weekday Mornings.
History
KVEN first signed on in 1948 and aired a variety of programming during its first four decades. In 1965, Carroll R. Houser sold KVEN and sister station KVEN-FM to a group consisting of Ira Laufer, Robert L. Fox, and Greater California Capital Corporation collectively doing business as KVEN Broadcasting Corporation for $500,000. The new owners instituted new programming, consisting primarily of a middle of the road music format but also including regular editorials and more time devoted to public affairs. Within one year, the station saw a significant increase in advertising revenues.
In 1980, KVEN adopted a news/talk format. A prominent on-air personality from this era was Phil Hendrie, who left KFI in August 1990 to begin hosting a weekday afternoon program. The Phil Hendrie Show presented current topics in a satirical fashion using a cast of fictional characters. One such persona was Raj Fahneen, introduced in September 1990 to defend the positions of Saddam Hussein just as tensions were rising in the Middle East in the lead-up to the Gulf War. A notable, more serious episode was broadcast November 4, 1991, the opening day of the Reagan Library, featuring a five-way on-air roundtable chat with US Presidents Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, and George H. W. Bush. Hendrie left KVEN in 1992 to take his show to several major-market stations across the country. Overall, the station was one of Southern California's top 20 rated radio stations during the 1990s.
In August 1996, Fox sold KVEN and its FM counterpart, now called KHAY, to McDonald Media Group for $12.7 million. In December 1999, McDonald Media Group sold its eight stations, including KVEN, to Cumulus Media for $41 million; this marked Cumulus' debut on the Pacific coast.
KVEN adopted the branding 1450 The Boomer in 2000 as an oldies radio station. Originally formatted by radio veteran Lee Marshall, it also aired the syndicated Wolfman Jack and Dr. Demento programs. Both were cancelled upon the switchover to ABC Radio's True Oldies Channel on June 23, 2008.
On February 1, 2011, KVEN flipped to a sports format with programming from ESPN Radio. The station became one of the first to carry the CBS Sports Radio network when it was launched January 3, 2013.
KVEN broadcasts major sporting events, most featuring Los Angeles-area teams. KVEN serves as the Ventura County home of the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball, while during the NCAA football season the station broadcasts University of Southern California Trojans football games.
References
External links
VEN
Category:Sports radio stations in the United States
Category:Radio stations established in 1948
Category:CBS Sports Radio stations
Category:Cumulus Media radio stations
Category:1948 establishments in California | wikipedia |
THUNDERHEART
Written by
John Fusco
Fourth draft
Oct. 5, 1990
A DRUM. Beating slow. And deep. Like a heart.
FADE IN:
EXT. THE GREAT PLAINS SOUTH DAKOTA - DAWN
Something is rising from the Black Hills. A sphere of light,
too red to be the sun. A sphere of contained fire, undulating
in crimson and ochre, and rising slowly, majestically, to
the pulse. To the DRUM. It is the sun. But it is a Paha Sapa
sunrise. A Black Hills sunrise. And it is spectacular.
The DRUM, pounds deeper, bigger, as the sun gets higher.
Stronger. Igniting a vast landscape of gentle slopes and
foothills; throwing shadows on the plains that look like, as
the Indians say, an old man dancing. The grass is golden.
And high. The wind moves through it, snakes through it.
Slowly.
BEGIN CREDITS.
Voices; a TRADITIONAL INDIAN SONG (Lakota), summoning Wakan
Tanka - The Great Mystery.
And now, rising up over one of the small land waves, a head
comes into view. Shoulders. A man, running in ghostly SLOW
MOTION, his long black hair trailing in the wind. The INDIAN
MAN wears only buckskin pants and a bone choker around his
neck.
Legs and arms churning, the man runs with antelope grace,
backlit by the sunrise, bounding toward us. Running... his
heart pounding. SONG RISING... DRUM POUNDING... FIVE MORE
VOICES in high-pitched tremolo join the song.
And then the runner soars, like an eagle from a bluff,
airborne, flying over a small dip, arms outstretched, and it
would be a wondrous thing if there were not a fine, crimson,
mist all around him and if slow motion was not suddenly
overtaken by LIVE SPEED, revealing the brutal force of gunfire
which has slammed the Indian into the air, throwing him.
Slamming him hard into the grass. And it is over as quickly
and violently as a deer shot dead.
LAKOTA SONG ends abruptly.
LONG SHOT - THE GREAT PLAINS
the sun burns like lava at the horizon. DRUM beats like a
heart. And Somewhere off in a distant cottonwood, an OWL.
Then Silence. Deep, disturbing stillness.
EXT. CAPITAL BELTWAY - WASHINGTON. D.C - DAY
ROCK N'ROLL shatters the silence.
Cars -- a multicolored metallic criss-cross reflecting off a
building made of mirrors -- races past an electronic billboard
that blinks in red skyhigh digital: PRUDENTIAL LIFE INSURANCE.
7:59. 73 degrees.
The D.C. Superhighway. And off behind it, in the distance,
Capital Hill holds imposing vigil, the massive cast iron
dome of The Capital, catching the sun. But everything is
soon smothered by a METRO BUS, hogging the far lane of the
Beltway, leaning on its HORN.
Good morning.
And the rock n'roll is everybody's radio, everybody's tempo.
CARBON MONOXIDE WAVE
shimmers across the beltway hugging then releasing a solitary
vehicle that we stay with... move with... A black Nissan 240
SX, hard-waxed.
INT. 240 SX - TRAVELING
Behind the wheel -- an intense young man with close-cropped
black hair, eyes hidden by sunglasses. Whatever he does for
a living, he does in a suit (not expensive but well-fit. But
we might also note that any extra suit cash has gone instead
into the silver-plated watch on his left wrist). Lean as a
rake, sallow in the cheeks, there is something insatiable
about him -- a hungry energy that won't let him go.
RAY LEVOI, late 20's, early 30's, pulls out of a threatening
traffic jam and races on the narrow right between thirty
cars and a cement girder.
EXT. T STREET - OUTSIDE WEST-CENTRAL
The black SX has jumped off an exit and has entered the light-
industrial section of Washington. It pulls up near a loading
dock behind an old gray building and several parked cars and
vans. Ray steps out, smooths his jacket, locks and SETS HIS
CAR ALARM.
Another young man -- chubby, clean-shaven; in a nicer suit
than Ray's -- steps out from a parked Miata, and approaches
Ray. CARL PODJWICK balances a coffee, a U.S.A. Today and a
black eel-skin briefcase.
CARL
Hey.
RAY
Hey. Nice tie.
CARL
Don't get too attached.
They start walking briskly toward the loading dock.
RAY
Ya got the paper?
They mount steps.
CARL
Yeah.
RAY
You're my hero, Carl.
CARL
Heroes ain't supposed to shake. I'm
shakin', man, look at me.
RAY
Breathe, Carl. Four, nice, deep ones.
They stop at the door of a service elevator and Carl breathes.
Expanding his chest, exhaling. Ray adjusts Carl's tie for
him, his collar. He speaks quietly. Quickly.
RAY
Anyone stops us going in, we're with
the Bowen-Hamilton Textile Company.
We have rug samples.
CARL
Rug samples.
RAY
We are one-dimensional, boring
peddlers of fine carpet, Carl.
Carl nods. Ray hesitates, adjusts his own collar and enters
the service elevator. Carl follows. Door closes.
BEGIN CREDITS END.
INT. GRAY BUILDING - FENCING OPERATION
Carl follows Ray into the big sparse room of unfinished
sheetrock walls. There is nothing in here but cardboard boxes,
and two people; a bearded HISPANIC MAN standing behind a
counter, writing on a clipboard. The other is a middle-aged
BLACK MAN in a purple silk shirt sitting in a chair with a
newspaper held open. He barely looks over the top of the
Wall Street Journal.
BLACK MAN
Hey, look who's here.
RAY
Louis, my man, what's happenin'?
Ray walks up to the counter. Carl lingers, fidgeting. Ray
sets his briefcase on the counter and click-clicks it open.
The Hispanic fence man looks inside, and begins pulling out
stacks of treasury checks.
FENCE MAN
Clean ones?
RAY
Immaculate.
Ray gestures to Carl and he nervously sets his briefcase on
the counter, fumbles with the first latch. The second. He
flips it open.
The fence man casts his eyes down at a neat cache of Grade A
Treasury. A lot of it. Then his eyes rise to Carl.
FENCE MAN
What ya got there, seventy-five
thousand?
CARL
A hundred and ten. Count it.
LOUIS (BLACK MAN)
Have the girl count it, we can't sit
around here countin' bonds, we got
things to do here.
The fence man pushes an intercom button and yells into a
speaker.
FENCE MAN
SALLLLY!
Carl's eyes flit to Ray. Ray's eyes flit to Carl.
Louis crushes his newspaper down and lifts a big Colt Python
from his lap just as --
A section of sheetrock kicks open and THREE FEDERAL OFFICERS
bust out, each clutching a handgun, SHOUTING inaudibly.
LOUIS
F.B.I.! Get your face on the fuckin'
floor! MOVE!
Carl startled, does an almost effeminate dip down to one
knee, but that knee is swept out from under him, slapping
him flat onto plywood where he is instantly frisked down by
the fence man who is wielding a 9 mm handgun. But the white
collar criminal is more stunned by the fact that --
Ray is walking across the floor with his hands in his pockets
over to the Mr. Coffee. He pours one, and adds some milk.
Turns and watches the bust while opening a packet of Sweet
n'Low.
RAY
Slam dunk.
LOUIS
Beauty. Beauty...
Ray rests his weight against the coffee station, takes a
careful sip. Carl is yanked to his feet by the fence man and
he stands there, looking at Ray, baffled. Completely shocked.
CARL
Jesus Christ, Larry, what the fu--
Larry. That's not even your name, is
it? What's your real name, you fucking
scumbag?
RAY
Don't have one, Carl. I have a number,
man. Just like the numbers on those
treasury checks. You stole from your
own country, Carl. Shame on you.
Coffee in hand, Ray walks briskly toward the door.
LOUIS
Sugar Ray.
Ray turns. Louis takes a few steps toward him, putting his
gun back in his waistband.
LOUIS
They want ya Home. Upstairs wants to
see ya.
Ray stands frozen, holding the door knob, and digesting what
are apparently influential words.
LOUIS
Make sure ya spell my name right.
Ray just stares for a moment. Then hurries out the door.
Carl, being arm-gripped by two agents and photographed like
a trout, gazes bewildered at the door.
CARL
(incredulous)
We just spent four months together...
I thought he was my friend... what
the fuck, man?
(even more incredulous)
He had dinner at my mother's.
CAMERA FLASHES at him, an agent on either side, striking a
natural pose.
EXT. J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING - ESTABLISHING - DAY
The huge, imposing, mausoleum-like Hoover building, bordered
by artificial turf, hemmed by cherry trees in blossom. Turning
out to be a nice day on Pennsylvania Avenue.
INT. FBI DIRECTOR'S CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY
8x10 BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOS dealt like cards onto a table,
one on top of another.
1 -- an aerial shot of some wasteland.
2 -- a closer bird's eye of the same, what looks like a NASA
photo of Mars.
3 -- a vast expanse of the Great Plains.
ROBERT F. TULLY, Number-Two-in-Command, deals a fourth photo
onto the table. He is an understated, fatherly man, well-
manicured in cotton pencil-striped shirt, white-tab collar
and tie. The photos and maps and files a foot deep on the
huge table are neatly organized.
INTERCOM
SA Levoi, Sir.
TULLY
Please.
Seated, at the far end of the table, engrossed in the deep
spread of information, SA (Special Agent) FRANK COUTURE is
about to break the record for longest single ash on the end
of a cigarette and the smoke forces his eyes into tight,
concentrating, slits. "COOCH" as they call him in the Bureau
has seen thirty years in some rough "provinces". He has
survived the Hoover era and is a legend in the Sessions era
but survival has honed an edge. An edge with a touch of ironic
cop humor.
Ray enters, walks into a firm shake.
TULLY
Ray...
RAY
Mister Tully.
TULLY
Do you want a coffee?
RAY
No. No, no. Thank you.
Ray sits nervously across from Cooch who looks up from the
photos and studies the younger man through reading glasses
and cigarette smoke, and he looks at him like he doesn't
know who the hell he is or why he's sitting there.
TULLY
Levoi, Cooch. Raymond Levoi, Criminal
Division.
COOCH
Oh, yeah -- right.
Cooch sticks his cigarette in his left hand, shakes with his
right.
TULLY
Ray this is --
RAY / TULLY
Frank Couture.
TULLY
That's right.
COUTURE
Hello, Ray.
The handshake is still locked. Cooch is still squinting at
the younger agent. Ray obviously knows something about Agent
Couture.
RAY
It's an honor.
Tully leans back in his chair, crosses his legs casually.
TULLY
Ray, we're taking you off the street.
We need you out in South Dakota.
Ray's enthusiasm suddenly deflates.
RAY
South Dakota...
(confused)
Did I do something unsatisfactory,
Sir?
COOCH
No, Ray. You're gonna have to blame
that on your grandmother.
Ray looks completely baffled now, swinging a look from Cooch
to Tully.
TULLY
Interesting bloodline you have, Ray.
(scanning file)
French, Scots-Irish, Italian, ...and
one-eighth American Indian.
COOCH
Sioux Indian, right?
RAY
I'm not that sure. Yeah, I think --
TULLY
-- yes, Teton Sioux. Father's side.
Ray nods, looks from Tully to Cooch. What's going on here?
TULLY
Ray, there's been a homicide out in
an area known as The Badlands. Indian
Reservation.
COOCH
It's not the first. There's been
several. And our field office in
Rapid City is getting a lot of heat...
none of the investigations have turned
up jack shit.
TULLY
The main problem is, Ray, these people
are extremely distrustful of
outsiders, non-Indians. Relations
have not been amicable.
COOCH
Different culture. Hard to penetrate.
The Indians don't like white cops
poking around. And that's why we're
in a position where we have to bring
in an American Indian agent.
Tully straightens the edges of a bureau memorandum.
TULLY
With an Indian representative out
there, we hope to keep hostilities
dormant; this is a COINTELPRO,
Selective Operations Unit, and it'll
be easier on Agent Couture if you
can gain the people's trust and maybe --
RAY
Woh, excuse me, Sir... I see what
you're saying... I've got a little
Indian blood, that's true. But --
(laughing)
I am not an... an Indian. I can't
just go in and --
TULLY
-- your father was part Sioux.
A beat. Ray lowers his eyes to the photos.
RAY
I didn't know him, Sir. He passed
away when I was six.
COOCH
Seven.
Ray looks up at Cooch. Another uneasy beat. Cooch lights a
cigarette as if lighting a cigarette was a science.
COOCH
Don't worry about it, Ray. As long
as the people have proof that we
sent them one of their own, no one's
gonna ask you to weave baskets or
make it rain.
Ray sits before the files and photos, looking unsure. He has
come to garner a promotion but has just been sent to The
Graveyard. Or in the FBI argot, Indian Country.
Tully pivots his leather chair in a full circle and slaps an
assignment folder down in front of the young agent.
EXT. THE GREAT PLAINS - SOUTH DAKOTA - DAWN
The very landscape from opening image. Gentle waves of land,
rolling out to touch the Black Hills. The sun rises up out
of the distant silhouette like a waking God. HEARTBEAT DRUM.
Hypnotic.
And then a car blows by, throwing up gravel and agate and
gypsum. ZOOOOM! Right by us. Gone.
When a dense screen of red dust clears, an old, bent, metal
sign at roadside becomes visible. It reads, through punched
and rusted bullet holes: "Entering Bear Creek Indian
Reservation."
HEARTBEAT DRUM calls in the high-pitched, mournful voices of
LAKOTA SINGERS. The same haunting song.
INT. LE BARON - MOVING
Cooch is at the wheel. Ray, passenger. His lap is a desk for
several folders, and he works through them as they drive.
Both agents eat a sandwich as they travel.
RAY
Eight murders in less than a year.
All of them Indian. All of them
unsolved. Is the law a non-entity
out here or what?
Cooch opens a folder that sits between them, and taking his
eyes off the road for a dangerous five seconds, locates some
photos, and hands them to Ray. Ray's expression tells us
they are not pretty.
COOCH
Those are two agents who went into a
reservation a few years ago to serve
a warrant. They were executed at
close range. That one there is a
police officer killed by the Mohawks
up in Canada more recently.
RAY
Jesus...
COOCH
The agents who have worked out here
say its like going into Nam.
Unfamiliar terrain, foreign language,
foreign customs... and you never
know when you might walk into a few
rounds. They hold a lot of old anger
for the white man out here.
Ray considers this as he looks out at the unfamiliar terrain
while on the RADIO, a D.J. speaks in LAKOTA LANGUAGE. Ray...
back at Cooch, studying his face.
RAY
Were you in Nam?
COOCH
Airborne. That's where they used to
get us agents from. Now we get 'em
from Carnegie-Melon, Ivy League.
Accountants and computer whiz-kids.
Yuppies with guns.
(lights a smoke)
That's scary shit.
Ray smiles, sets the AC on high.
RAY
Not as scary as a Hoover man with a
computer.
Cooch throws a quick look Ray's way. And a smile. He
appreciates the sting of a right off a left.
COOCH
Hey, hey, hey. J. Edgar would've
loved you. He'd love anybody who
joined the bureau to, what was it?
"To enforce the laws of my country
and protect her interests"?
RAY
You crashed my file?
COOCH
No. I consulted it. We're going into
Indian Country, I wanna know what
kind of individual is covering my
ass. Don't you?
Ray has finished his sandwich. He wipes his hands on a
kerchief while taking in the sight of chalky buttes cramming
roadside.
RAY
You've been in the bureau for thirty
years. You survived The Hoov, the
Black Panthers and Abscam. I don't
see any bullet holes. That's good
enough for me.
Cooch looks at Ray, amused. He likes this guy. And then he
notices a look of growing consternation on his partner's
face.
RAY'S POV - MOVING
as they drive through the first settlement, a little, broken
and scattered community, littered with wrecked cars on blocks,
and overpopulated with hungry dogs. HEARTBEAT DRUM softly
under.
SIX INDIAN CHILDREN with dirty but beautiful faces and long
blue black hair run alongside the car, curious. One of them
YELLS SOMETHING we don't understand.
PAST the trading post -- a white man's store -- where SIX
OGLALA SIOUX -- four men, two women sit like wax figures,
only their eyes moving to light on the freshly waxed
government car.
A little house has a tipi erected beside it. And a satellite
dish. The house beside that one has been half chopped away
to feed the wood stove.
Poverty.
EXT. BEAR CREEK COMMUNITY - RESERVATION - DAY
The federal car drives out of the community and further into
vast bluffs and strange rock formations where it is swallowed,
leaving the ramshackle village in dust.
A lone dog -- all its ribs showing -- chases, BARKING.
EXT. BADLANDS - SHORT TIME LATER
We are on the Moon. Or Israel. But not America. Not any
America we've ever seen. A thirty-mile eroded landscape of
dunes and crevices, soft rock strata and fossils. Barren.
And eerie. A LAKOTA DEATH SONG underscores the otherworldly
ambiance of this place as --
SHOES scuff through the gumbo and multi-colored stones. Two
pair of black, spit-shined, lace-ups. Three. Tripping.
Scuffing. And then a fourth pair. But they are not loafers.
They are Georgio Brutini's and they belong to --
Ray, as he and Cooch follow two Special Agents from the
regional office. SA MILES is about Cooch's age, balding. SA
SHERMAN is closer to Ray's age but instead of a suit like
the rest, he favors an army-green jacket. Neither is a South
Dakota shit-kicker but transplanted field agents. All four
shield their eyes with dark glasses, and here in the Badlands
it is wise because the sun makes dunes shimmy and craters
become faces. It plays mischief on the eye, making Ray and
Sherman nearly trip on --
A DEAD BODY
lying face down in the rainbow sand. Dried blood and horse
flies cover his blown out torso. The agents stand over him,
breathless from the rugged walk.
COOCH
Who found him?
MILES
Indian kids. Hunting fossils.
Cooch studies the body from where he stands. Sherman hands a
file over to Ray.
COOCH
Okay. I think Agent Levoi and I can
proceed from here. What are your
call signals?
SHERMAN
PX-10 and 11. Anything we can do to
help you out, just radio.
COOCH
Good. Thanks, Guys.
The agents start back through the Badlands. Ray is already
squatting a safe distance from the body, covering his nose
with a kerchief while looking in the file.
Cooch takes a bended knee on the other side of the body.
Flies buzz on and around the corpse.
RAY
Leo Fast Elk... Thirty seven...
single... Member of the Tribal
Council.
Cooch makes a note then slowly circles the body. He holds a
hand out to Ray and the younger agent turns the file over.
COOCH
Looks like Fast Elk wasn't fast enough
to outrun that load. What do you
make of the damage?
Ray gets closer, swats at Flies with the folder.
RAY
Six rounds. 357.
COOCH
That's what it looks like, doesn't
it? But that's what a ten gauge,
choke-bored, shotgun will look like
when it hits your lower back from
five feet away.
Ray looks up impressed. Cooch rises and walks off gingerly,
scanning the surroundings.
RAY
Somebody was serious about doing
this guy, that's for sure.
COOCH
Ray.
Cooch is standing ten feet away, staring at the ground. Ray
walks over, carefully. He follows Cooch's frown down at the
twisted layers of earth.
ON THE GROUND
a circle has been etched deep in the soft gumbo, and in the
center of the circle, a white eagle plume sticks straight
up, dancing in the wind.
Cooch and Ray each lower themselves to their haunches to
study the strange sight. Cooch puts his reading glasses on,
stares at it. Then lights a cigarette.
Ray hefts up a camera and begins CLICKING off shots. He starts
moving around it, taking shots at different angles. And then
the sound of a DISTANT MOTOR draws both agent's attention.
POV:
way out in the bizarre moonscape of eroded rock and earth, a
lone figure on a motorcycle bounces and grinds, born out of
a silvery heat mirage. It's fifty yards off but heading
straight for us. The HEARTBEAT DRUM.
REVERSE - RAY AND COOCH try to make the figure out.
IN THE BADLANDS
the archaic mud-caked Harley chugs and stalls, spits and
choices, and begins an incredible drive straight up the steep
side of this natural wonder. At the throttle is an imposing
figure.
WALTER CROW HORSE is a portly Indian in his late-thirties
with a black reservation hat worn low over a face that seems
to have been cast from a bust of Sitting Bull. Sitting Bull
with aviator shades. Denim jacket over checkered shirt. Faded
jeans. Well broken duct-taped boots. His hair is worn long
in tight duel braids.
The rusted bike bajas up and down slopes, finally stalling
out, twenty feet or so from the murder site. Crow Horse swings
his bulk off the bike like dismounting a horse. He looks
around suspiciously then pulls a rolled-up blanket from the
carrier rack.
LEO LITTLE SKY
lies in death. Crow Horse's boots move in stealthily, creaking
like saddle leather.
He squats and looks at the corpse... then looks around with
animal alertness. He reaches into the front pocket of his
jacket and pulls out some Bull Durham tobacco. He pinches
some and offers it to the four directions around the body.
He then unrolls the blanket, begins to move the dead man...
sense something and wheels to see Cooch standing behind him,
one hand behind his back where his gun must be, and the other
hand holding up open wallet. The sun hits his badge.
COOCH
Good morning.
Crow Horse hawks his eyes onto a big rock, a full second
before Ray steps out, his .45 drawn but held at ease.
Crow Horse slowly raises his arms as Ray moves up to him,
studying him.
COOCH
Taking ol' Leo somewhere?
CROW HORSE
Leo's been out here too long, man.
I'm taking him to ceremonial burial.
RAY
This is a restricted area.
COOCH
Check him out, Ray.
Ray frisks the Indian, finds an old leather wallet, and then
a gun. A .38.
COOCH
Nice piece. You come back here to
cover your tracks, Geronimo? What's
your name?
CROW HORSE
It ain't Geronimo.
COOCH
Who are you?
CROW HORSE
I think maybe you guys got off the
wrong exit, yeah? This is the Bear
Creek Indian Reservation.
Cooch walks around to the front of Crow Horse, and studies
him.
COOCH
I know where I am. I'm on federal
land, doing a federal investigation,
and if you don't wanna cooperate you
can take a ride in a federal car,
and spend the rest of the day in a
little room, answering federal
questions. It's your call. Who are
you?
CROW HORSE
I'm a full blood Oglala Sioux, born
and raised on this reservation.
COOCH
You're a wise-ass. Ray check his
wallet.
RAY
I did.
COOCH
Who the fuck is he?
RAY
-- a fucking cop.
A pause. A long, dead of South Dakota, Badlands pause. Cooch
turns and looks at Ray who holds up the open wallet, revealing
a badge. Like Cooch's it shines in the sun.
RAY
Walter Crow Horse. Tribal Police.
Cooch stands staring at the Indian... then takes a few steps
over to Ray and grabs the wallet. He examines it. Then looks
at Crow Horse and laughs.
COOCH
He's a fucking cop.
The Indian cop has plenty of time to get up on his own but
he kneels there, tauntingly, waiting for Ray to help him.
Ray walks over and offers a hand. Crow Horse takes it, and
pulls himself up, looking square into Ray's sunglasses.
Cooch walks over and hands the officer his wallet, and his
.23. Crow Horse takes the items, eyeing the older agent.
CROW HORSE
We got the wire ya was comin'. You're
the Indian official, yeah?
COOCH
No. No, that's Ray, here. Ray, uh...
(searching his
imagination)
Ray... Little Weasel.
Ray does a take but quickly recovers, meeting Crow Horse's
scrutinizing gaze. Crow Horse nods to Ray, and Ray nods back
in case it's the Indian thing to do. Crow Horse nods again.
Ray nods again.
CROW HORSE
Leo's gotta get to burial, Brother.
He's gotta make the journey.
COOCH
What journey?
CROW HORSE
Tell him, Ray.
Ray stares at Crow Horse, uneasy. The wind sings through the
Badlands.
RAY
Leo has to take the journey, Cooch.
COOCH
We'll have to give Leo a refund.
Because he's gotta go to the M.E. In
case you don't know, Officer,
violation of the Major Crimes Act on --
CROW HORSE
-- an Indian Reservation is within
the jurisdiction of the Federal Bureau
of Intimidation. I know that.
COOCH
Good. Thank you.
Crow Horse says something in Sioux to Ray. Ray just stares.
CROW HORSE
I said when can Leo be taken to
ceremony?
RAY
After we've completed our
investigation.
Crow Horse is staring at Ray.
CROW HORSE
That's a nice suit.
Ray looks offended. Cooch puts a hand on Crow Horse's shoulder
and walks him toward his beat-up motorcycle.
COOCH
Somebody must be doing something
somewhere in your jurisdiction,
Officer Crow Foot.
CROW HORSE
You ain't gonna cut his hands off
and send 'em to Washinton, are ya?
They done that to one of our girls
once. Leo did quillwork, he's gonna
need his hands.
Crow Horse turns and looks at Ray. Ray is quick this time.
RAY
Leo's gonna need his hands, Cooch.
He does quillwork.
COOCH
I think Leo's retired from quillwork
for the moment.
CROW HORSE
Respect the dead, Hoss. Because when --
COOCH
-- did you understand me when I said
that --
CROW HORSE
(walking away)
-- violation of the Major Crimes Act
on an Indian Reservation is within
the jurisdiction of the Federal Bureau
of Instigation. I know that.
COOCH
Goodbye.
Crow Horse appears to be getting on his bike when suddenly
he moves like a cat and lays his knife to the dead man's
head. He cuts away a patch of hair.
COOCH
What the hell you doing?!
CROW HORSE
His mother needs a piece of his hair.
It's for the Keeping of the Souls
Ceremony.
(wrapping lock of
hair)
Has to be kept for four days.
Cooch and Ray stand there, watching Crow Horse mount his
bike and push off down a nasty slope back through the
Badlands. He starts his motor. It dies. Then starts again.
COOCH
Keeping of the souls. Do they still
burn their dead or something?
RAY
Beats the hell outta me.
Ray and Cooch look off across the Badlands, as far out of
their element as they can be.
CLOSE ON - THE WHITE EAGLE PLUME
in the circle in the sand, fluttering in the wind.
The gold spit-shined Le Baron eases to a crawl, passing an
old wooden sign. "Leaving Bear Creak Indian Reservation."
And immediately pulling in front of a squat old bar with a
burned out neon Miller light. DWIGHT YOAKUM croons "Youuuuuu-
Got-Your Little-Ways" on the jukebox from inside.
The Buffalo Butte bar has several cracked and sun-bleached
buffalo skulls hanging off the edge of its flat roof and big
faded white letters painted across the front read: "No Indians
Allowed."
(This sign actually exists today in the res-line border town
of Scenic, South Dakota). The car pulls up beside a pick-up
and parks. Ray and Cooch step out, careful to walk wide around
a PITBULL in the bed of the truck.
A WHITE LOCAL walks out of the bar and looks askance at the
suits. As the two feds approach the bar, Cooch looks up at
the warning sign. Ray sees it too.
COOCH
Sorry, Ray. You're gonna have to
wait in the car. I'll bring you out
a cheeseburger.
The young agent smiles, amused, starts to enter the bar but --
VOICE (O.S.)
Hey!
Ray spins quickly, paranoid about entering. But the man
calling to them is --
An Indian himself. TRIBAL PRESIDENT OLIVER CLEAR MOON, a
small man in his late fifties who peers out at the agents
through fat bifocals. He wears a straw cowboy hat, red
windbreaker and his hair is cut short, or "bobtailed" as the
Indians say.
Clear Moon is walking away from a parked pick-up truck, toward
the white men, eyeing the two with deep curiosity.
CLEAR MOON
(heavy Indian accent)
You made it. Was-te.
Cooch discreetly peeks into a folder as he walks toward the
man
COOCH
You must be... President Clear Bone.
CLEAR MOON
Clear Moon.
(pointing to the sky)
Moon. You must be the Sioux.
He is pointing his long, skinny finger at Cooch.
COOCH
No. That's Ray here. Ray...
RAY
(quickly)
Ray Levoi, Sir. Pleasure.
Clear Moon beholds the young agent with hopeful eyes, a smile
breaking across his flaccid brown skin. He takes Ray's hand
in a respectful double-clutch and grips him tightly... almost
desperately.
CLEAR MOON
It's about time they sent us one of
our own. Was-te.
He keeps pumping Ray's hand, looking into his face with great
admiration. Cooch looks on with amusement.
CLEAR MOON
Things are no good here. It is like
war zone. We need an official who
understands what is good for the
Indian people. Who knows Indian way.
Clear Moon has not released Ray's arm as he leads them to a
string of seedy motel units across the street.
RAY
I thought we were staying on the
reservation.
CLEAR MOON
Yes. Rooms thirteen and fourteen are
on Indian land.
RAY
I see.
CLEAR MOON
Are you hungry? I have some nice raw
kidney in the truck.
RAY
Oh, I'm set, Sir. I'm set.
COOCH
He's starving, Mr. Clear Moon. Get
him some raw kidney. He hasn't had
any Indian food in days...
And Clear Moon guides them through the front door of room
13. Ray looks over his shoulder threateningly at Cooch who
winks and pats his back.
EXT. RESERVATION LINE - NIGHT
A lone headlight appears out of the black. HEARTBEAT DRUM.
But faster. Relentless. A "res" car, a dented, rusted, peeling
old station wagon, drives slowly toward the reservation.
Then suddenly, someone steps in front of the car. A BIG MAN
in cowboy boots and blue jeans.
INT. MOTEL - ROOM 13 - NIGHT
Ray lies in bed. Awake. He is hanging off the bed with a
file open on the floor and using the moon to light photos
and memorandums. And then he hears LAUGHTER outside. And
GLASS BREAK.
He gets out of bed quickly, snatching up his pants, putting
their on, and going to the window.
POV - OUT WINDOW:
SEVERAL LOCALS out in front of the bar help a middle-aged
INDIAN MAN out of the station wagon.
WHITE LOCAL
Where you goin'? Back to the res?
A young local bends down behind the Indian while another
shoves him, sending him tripping over the bent man and onto
his back in the dirt.
WHITE LOCAL
What ya doin'? You drunk?
MORE LOCALS come out from the bar, beers and drinks and
interested in what's going on.
REVERSE - RAY
at the window, observes. Cooch enters from the connecting
room, puffy-eyed but quickly buttoning his shirt. He shares
Ray's view.
COOCH
Let's take a walk.
Ray is transfixed.
EXT. BUFFALO BUTTE BAR - NIGHT
The Indian man, is pushed into a stumble, and caught by
another white man as a little game of catch takes place.
Cooch, stepping into the circle, shirt half unbuttoned, hair
a mess, looks on. Then steps in front of a big local and
catches the Indian as he comes stumbling. He holds onto him,
looking at the faces that turn his way. Ray steps up beside
him, looking tense.
COOCH
What's goin' on here?
(a beat)
I can't walk across the goddamn street
without some breed-ass fallin' all
over me?
And then Cooch shoves the Indian with all his might back
across the road. The locals resume their fun, and Cooch looks
at a local man and shares a chattering laugh that makes Ray
do a serious take.
COOCH
Watch out now, he wants a kiss, Ray,
wants a kiss --
The Indian ends up stumbling back toward Ray, and Ray catches
him this time. The man maintains a perfect vacant expression
and keeps acting as though nothing of the sort is happening.
But he is dizzy, and exhausted, and Ray keeps him from
falling.
Cooch looks at Ray. Their eyes meet. Ray shoves the man
forward. This time, instead of catching him, the local on
the receiving end, hauls off and punches him in the face.
The Indian drops.
Cooch runs in, grabs the Indian under the arms and drags him
back to his car.
COOCH
Go ahead, skin, get your ass back on
your sacred land. Get outta here.
He shoves him behind the wheel as the locals crowd around.
They don't see Cooch throw the wheel stick in drive, and
lean into the man's ear.
COOCH
Get outta here. Drive.
Cooch slams the door, and kicks it, and the vehicle lurches
forward. A beer can clanks off the rear window, and rolls
clanking into the middle of the road.
Ray stands there with the locals as they all watch the car
drive off across the reservation line. Cooch, belly sticking
out of his unbuttoned shirt, and a breathless smile on his
face, heads to the bar without breaking stride. This man has
done "underground" before.
INT. BUFFALO BUTTE BAR - NIGHT - SHORT TIME LATER
Cooch and Ray sit in a booth with DENNIS VAUGHN, a strapping
local man, ranch-raised, and gentlemanly. In fact, downright
likeable.
DENNIS
So what type of salesmen are you
gentlemen anyway?
RAY
Liquor. We heard they like their
drink on the reservation, and we
were gonna see if we couldn't unload
some surplus on the way to Nebraska.
COOCH
Now keep that between us, Dennis,
cuz I don't know what kinda Johnny
Law they got here.
DENNIS
Hey, Brooks, come over here. I want
you to meet a coupla fellas from
Denver.
BROOKS, a small, older man with a feed store cap and a clean
cowboy shirt, comes over with a beer and a pensive look on
his face. He pulls up a chair and positions himself at the
end of the booth.
DENNIS
Liquor salesmen. Be nice to them,
maybe they'll give you a sample of
some of that gin you like.
(to Ray)
He likes that Russian shit that --
BROOKS
They ain't liquor salesmen. They're
FBI.
Cooch and Ray don't flinch. Dennis does. He looks between
the two, cautiously.
COOCH
Brooks, what's a perceptive fellow
like you, doing in a joint like this?
Let me buy you a glass of some of
that Russian shit you like.
DENNIS
FBI? What you investigatin'?
COOCH
A murder. On the reservation.
DENNIS
Again. Figures, man.
BROOKS
You'll never find out who did it.
COOCH
You underestimate me, Brooks.
BROOKS
No. You underestimate these grass
niggers. They're killing each other.
That's all they do. Get drunk and
kill each other. Then cover for each
other. Who gives a damn really as
long as they stay on their
reservation. You ask me, the
government shouldn't care one
particle.
DENNIS
You know how in your big cities, you
got your niggers and you got your
Puerto Ricans? Well out here we got
Indians. That's just the way it is.
COOCH
The only good Indian is a dead Indian,
does that old adage still hold true
out here?
Cooch laughs good-naturedly. Ray smiles. But Brooks looks
offended.
BROOKS
That set-to you saw out front, was
nothin' more than a message we were
sendin' to the sonsabitches that are
divertin' water from the river.
DENNIS
We got rights. We got a ranch just
up here.
Ray catches this. Glances a look off Cooch who works on a
cold draught beer.
RAY
Did any of you gentlemen know Leo
Fast Elk?
Both men shake their heads. Get quiet.
BROOKS
You fellas are here to investigate a
Indian crime, you should keep to
Indian land, and talk to them, not
us. But you wanna drink here and
shoot stick here, that's your right,
and we respect that.
(to Dennis)
Come on, Son, we're up on the table.
DENNIS
You fellas wanna play doubles?
Cooch shakes his head, distracted, and the two locals leave,
enroute for the pool table. Ray watches them go, curious.
EXT. BUFFALO BUTTE BAR - NIGHT
Ray and Cooch, cross the street back to the motel. It is
black and chillingly still.
RAY
Water. Worth killing for out here,
I'd think.
COOCH
Get the plate numbers off everyone
of these cars.
RAY
I already did.
Cooch looks at Ray, impressed.
RAY
Couldn't sleep.
COOCH
Good.
They stop in front of their rooms and Cooch pulls a small
tape recorder from his waistband. A micro-cassette recorder
that he examines in the dim door light.
RECORDER
(locals)
-- out here we got our Indians. And
that's the way it is.
Cooch shuts it off.
COOCH
By the time you get to the main
village, sun'll be up. I want you to
fraternize. Socialize. Penetrate.
Infiltrate. Eat some raw kidney, and
get these Indians talking. I'm gonna
Powwow with Big Chief Clear Moon and
find out more about Leo.
He hands Ray the recorder.
RAY
Done.
Cooch starts for his room but in a long, exaggerated country
step as he breaks into the HANK WILLIAMS tune that has all
but driven him insane inside the joint. Ray watches him go,
and cracks a laugh.
INT. LE BARON - TRAVELING - SUNRISE
Ray's at the wheel, looks intense as he studies the vast
expanse of slopes and rock formations and the rising sphere
of flame that lights the road in strange color. He is reading
a name list that he traps against the wheel.
RAY
Hobert Standing-Buffalo-That-Walks-
Dreamer.
(a dry run)
Hello, I'm looking for Hobert Standing-
Buffalo-That-Walks... Dreamer.
Ray pulls up a long dirt drive and parks.
EXT. OLD TRAILER - ACROSS FROM BADLANDS � SUNRISE
Ray walks to the front door of a war-torn trailer that is
halfway swallowed by weeds and plants. It is static out here.
Dead still. Ray approaches the front door. There is a huge
hole in it. He knocks above the hole.
After a moment, the door opens a crack. A dark, weather-beaten
face barely shows.
RAY
Good morning. I'm looking for Hobert-
Buffalo-Dreaming...
(cheat sheet)
Hobert Standing-Buffalo-That-Walks--
The door closes. Locks.
RAY
--Dreamer.
Ray stands there for a moment then lowers himself to look
through the huge hole in the door.
RAY
Sir?
A tattered chair is pushed against the door, covering the
hole. Ray stands up, turns on the steps. And before he can
let out a flustered sigh, he spots something across the dirt
road. Something that makes him remove his shades, look again.
Whatever it is, it doesn't make him happy, and he is hurrying
across the road.
EXT. BADLANDS - DAY
A motorcycle, parked between the road and the badlands. We've
seen the ancient bike before. Ray walks past it, looking at
it.
He pushes his shades up on the bridge of his nose and looks
down into the moonscape.
Walter Crow Horse is down there, on his haunches, "feel
tracking", laying his fingers inside tracks and reading them.
He doesn't even look up at the sound of the FBI agent's
footsteps.
CROW HORSE
Ray Little Weasel. FBI. I like the
way ya sneaked up on me. Must be
Indian.
The wind whistles and moans through the Badlands as Crow
Horse continues feel tracking.
RAY
What are you --
CROW HORSE
Watch out!
Ray draws back.
RAY
What?!
CROW HORSE
You're steppin' on sign.
Crow Horse lowers his face to the ground and blows some
scattered dust out of a print. Lightly lays his fingers inside
RAY
Hey.
(ignored)
Hey, you, listen up --
CROW HORSE
-- Leo wasn't killed here. He was
dumped here. Out of a vehicle. Bald
tread. Muffler held on with baling
wire.
Crow Horse checks out another track.
CROW HORSE
The man you want... stepped outta
the car, dragged Leo out, laid him
down. Then walked over here and made
a circle in the earth with a stick.
I can't find the stick. He stuck an
eagle plume in the circle, got back
in his car, dustin' his own prints
with a pine bough for about six feet,
but he missed a print, right here,
see. He got in his car and went Hell-
bent-for-Holy-Sunday outta here. He
ditched that pine bough three miles
across the flat, in the Little Bear
River, it floated down to
Thundershield Gap. The car hit paved
road, and was outta here.
Crow Horse rises, points down the road.
CROW HORSE
The killin' was done where Leo's
mother lives. But he was driven here
into these Badlands.
Ray is frowning at the big Indian, trying to get a fix on
this
CROW HORSE
Big sonuvabuck. Based on the depth
of that print, pressure releases...
I'd say he goes two-ten, two-fifteen --
RAY
Bullshit.
CROW HORSE
-- Well, maybe two-seventeen.
RAY
You're trying to tell me you can
read all that from a track?
CROW HORSE
No. Not just a track. You gotta listen
to the trees, man. To the leaves. To
this sand, you FBI's kicked all up.
You gotta listen to the earth.
RAY
Is that right? Well, listen to this:
drag your ass. This is a restricted
area.
CROW HORSE
No, this is the home of the Oglala
Sioux and I want the dog-fucker who
killed Leo. Whether you get him or I
get him, I just want him. Shit's
been goin' on too long.
RAY
You've got no jurisdiction.
CROW HORSE
You got no know-how. About Indian
Way. Or about Jack Shit for that
matter.
RAY
Maybe you're not aware of this, Crow
Horse, but I just flew in from a
place called the Twentieth Century
where we have such things as
electrostatic tracking methods,
psycholingusitics, DNA fingerprinting;
I don't have to crawl around with
the scorpions and talk to the fucking
trees to get answers. Leo was killed
right here.
CROW HORSE
Go back to the M.E., take a look
inside Leo's exit wounds and tell me
how chicken feed got in there. Trust
me, there ain't chickens in the
Badlands. His mother's place is --
RAY
-- his mother never lived here. She
was from up in North Dakota.
CROW HORSE
I'm talkin' his spiritual mother.
Maisy Blue Legs.
RAY
His spiritual mother...
CROW HORSE
To us Indians, our spiritual relatives
are as close as family. I've got
seven mothers on this reservation.
Sisters. Brothers. You ain't one of
them.
RAY
Thank God. Now listen to me, asshole.
I'm giving you a break. But if my
partner finds out you're here, you're
gonna be reading rat tracks in Sioux
Falls Maximum Security.
CROW HORSE
Easy. Easy... I'm goin'.
Crow Horse walks back up toward the road.
Ray lets him leave then crouches where Crow Horse was, begins
looking at tracks.
CROW HORSE (O.S.)
Hey, Little Weasel.
Ray turns, and sees Crow Horse perched on a high bank -- the
one Ray came down -- and he's in a tracking stance.
CROW HORSE
You weigh one sixty-three, yeah? Not
a beer drinker. You're one of these
tofu and pilaf characters. Pack your
gun, under your coat -- left shoulder.
But you got backup; a little .32,
.38 maybe, in a ankle holster that
gives you a right foot drag, Shoes
are too tight at the toe but, man,
they look cool. And that's what
counts.
Ray just stands frozen, blown away. Crow Horse rises, dusting
off his hands, and heading to his vehicle.
RAY
Crow Horse.
The Indian turns. The wind moans. Ray scrutinizes him,
deliberating.
RAY
Fuck you.
Crow Horse grins and waves, and ambles away. DOWN IN
THE BADLANDS
Ray stands, sweating under his suit jacket, and not sure if
he's amazed or pissed off.
EXT MAISY BLUE LEGS HOUSE � BLACK TAIL DISTRICT - DAY
A trailer sits off from the river in beaten solitude. There
are two junked cars and one burned black.
Wind blows across deep bald tire tracks. Ray walks slowly
beside them, surveying, following them to a place where they
become puckers and skids next to a dilapidated outhouse.
There is a shotgun blast in the side of it. Ray studies it,
enters the outhouse. Exits, and walks the rutted gumbo earth
to where it meets rolling hills of golden grass. He stands
here, mesmerized.
CHICKENS scratch around in the dirt.
Like so many far-off res homesteads, this is a haunting place.
Made more so by a persistent SQUEAKING, a rusty, metallic
squeal coming from --
A WATER PUMP
across the yard, where MAISY BLUE LEGS, a Sioux elder, works
the handle. She wears thick bifocals and keeps her hair under
a bandanna. No water comes forth from the pump, and she tries
again and again until she breaks a sweat. And then she sees
the waal'cu standing out there.
Urgently, she turns and starts back to her trailer with an
empty coffee can.
Ray starts after her.
RAY
Mrs... Blue Legs? Can I ask you a
few questions --
MAISY
(1/3 res speed)
-- go away. Leave us alone...
RAY
Ma'am, Please --
She mounts the metal steps. Ray is losing her. He gets a
foot on the bottom step, and attempts something he does not
want to do.
RAY
Mrs. Blue Legs. I'm Indian.
Halfway through the screendoor, Maisy turns and looks at the
young man in suit and shades.
RAY
I'm Sioux.
Maisy lowers her bifocals, studies him. Then walks in, slaps
the door shut, and locks it. A towel hung as a shade folds
down.
Ray lingers at the bottom of the steps.
RAY
Yeah, right.
And he walks around the side of the trailer, looking at the
ground. In the gaping space between the trailer blocks, and
the grass, there is much junk stored, and Ray kneels to look.
He is drawn to a pair of cowboy boots, caked with dried mud.
He picks up a boot, looks at the sole, then touches the mud.
His fingers break through the hardened crust and come back
moist and blue. He looks at this sniffs it. There is a tense,
water-torture like tempo coming from the old pump where water
barely drips onto a hub cap in the dirt. Ray sets the boot
down. Goes to grab the other boot and --
a WESTERN DIAMOND BACK RATTLER coils out from the shade of
the boot, RATTLING and HISSING from white mouth and three-
inch fangs, and Ray has done a backflip and roll, slapping
his shoulder holster and pulling lead and BLAM! BLAAAM! he
unloads two, and the reptile is so dead, there's not even
enough snake left to make a truck-stop key chain.
He kneels there, flushed in the face, holding his breath and
double-clutching his gun. The SHOTS ECHO through the Badlands
like the aftermath of dynamite. From inside the trailer, he
can hear CRYING. A low moaning. Praying softly.
RAY
Shit. Mrs. Blue Legs! It's okay!
Then his RADIO CRACKS IN.
RADIO (COOCH)
X21, give me a 20.
RAY
(yelling)
Black Tail District, X22. You ready
for this? Leo wasn't killed in the
Badlands. I... I found the location.
COOCH
Maisy Blue Legs place?
RAY
How'd you know?
COOCH
I got one up on ya.
RAY
Go ahead.
COOCH
I've got the doer. I know who he is.
Ray looks relieved.
COOCH
Meet me at base. Over.
RAY
Cooch. You're my hero.
Ray looks down at the dead snake, still rushed from it, and
he hurries out of there.
IN THE SHADE OF THE TRAILER
the snake's RATTLE moves spasmodically, still kicking with
reflex.
EXT. LOOKS TWICE HOUSE - BEAR CREEK RES - NIGHT
CLOSE ON an AMERICAN FLAG, flapping in the hot night wind.
But something is wrong about the image. The flag is hung
upside lit by --
A full moon that also illuminates an overgrown field that
fronts a small, one-level house where the flag hangs. Three
old cars decorate the front yard. A busted screendoor creaks
in the wind, and somewhere off in the hills, a DOG BARKS
away his boredom.
COOCH (O.S.)
Jimmy Looks Twice.
INT. LE BARON
SA Couture and SA Levoi sit inside the car, staking out this
little place far down a dirt road on the outskirts of the
settlement.
Cooch has the suspect's file on his knee.
RAY
Who is he?
COOCH
One of the leaders of the Warriors
of All Red Nations. Militant
organization.
He hands an open file over to Ray.
CLOSE ON - FILE PHOTO: a raging fire and six long-haired,
fist-raising Indians, yelling at the camera.
COOCH (O.S.)
The progressive Indians don't like
them because they want everybody to
go back to the old Indian ways, and
the old way Indians don't like them
because they use violence to get
attention.
RAY SHUFFLES TO
PHOTO 2 -- a big Indian in a wheel chair, holding a rifle.
He is shirtless under a vest and on his muscular right
shoulder there is a clearly defined tattoo of a circle with
an eagle feather through it.
PHOTO 3 -- a Close Up of the tattoo.
PHOTO 4 -- a propaganda flyer with the letters W.A.R.N. and
the same symbol -- perfect circle, pierced by a white eagle
feather.
RAY
White eagle feather through the
circle. That's their symbol.
COOCH
That's right.
Ray shuffles through more of the same with great interest.
RAY
They obviously wanted it to be known
that they offed Leo. Some kind of
statement.
COOCH
Jimmy Looks Twice put Leo's head
through a glass door of the tribal
offices three months ago. And
threatened him several times since.
President Clear Moon and the regional
FBI feel he made good on that threat.
Cooch takes a long, tight breath then turns around in his
seat, coming up with an M-16. Ray lifts one of his own. He
looks out the car window.
RAY
I'd just like five minutes alone
with the motherfucker who hung that
flag upside down.
COOCH
Easy, Cowboy. No vendettas on my
ship. Now: remember what I told you
about Nam? Watch the grass, watch
the trees, watch the shit house, be
on your toes, and if we get committed,
don't hesitate to empty that sucker.
RAY
Alright. Alright.
Cooch whacks a top clip into the M-16. Ray slams a clip in
his.
COOCH
It's show time.
Car doors open in skillful silence.
LOOKS TWICE HOUSE - CLOSER - NIGHT
and Ray maneuver toward the house, rifles ready. Cooch gets
under the picture window, sneaks a look. Nothing. He follows
Ray around the side.
POV:
off in a backfield, lit by a hot fire, a small round hut
covered in patchwork quilts, canvas and buffalo hide. A
strange mist floats around it, and from inside, voices are
heard -- A DRUMMING AND CHANTING in LAKOTA. And EAGLE SOUNDS.
Dozens of shrill whistles. Are there birds inside this thing?
REVERSE - RAY
and Cooch, kneeling in the weeds, look dumbfounded. And more
than a little unnerved.
RAY
(whispering)
What the hell is that?
NEAR THE INIPI LODGE
An INDIAN YOUTH DOOR TENDER with shoulder length hair falling
over a T-shirt, steps out of the dark and walks to the fire.
He prods it with a broken pitch fork.
He turns to get some more wood and walks right into an M-16,
trained chest level. Ray stares him down.
RAY
On the ground.
The boy drops boot camp fast.
Cooch moves up on the sweat lodge, looking quizzically at
it, trying to figure out how to open it. He grabs a canvas
flap at the front and after a moment's hesitation and a look
at Ray, he tears the flap away.
A BLAST OF 200 DEGREE STEAM explodes forth and Cooch dances
back, throwing up his rifle.
VOICE (O.S.)
(inside lodge)
Mitakue Oyasin!
GRANDPA SAMUEL REACHES, a rail-thin Sioux elder, appears
through the steam like a vision. Bent in the tiny doorway,
he searches out the interruption.
Cooch aims the M-16 at the old man.
COOCH
This is the FBI! Come on out of there
nice and slow. Let's move it! Hands
on your head!
Grandpa Reaches crawls out first, ignoring the "Hands on
your head" order from Cooch. His eyes move back and forth
between the two agents.
FIVE MORE INDIANS, from 16-45 come out, looking confused.
Cooch makes the towel-wrapped men spread out in a line. The
old man is speaking to the others in LAKOTA, and Ray steps
up to him, cuts him off.
RAY
Hands on your head, Sir. Come on,
come on...
The archaic figure just looks through him. Starts to walk
away. Ray takes his thin arm. He locks eyes with the old
man. Slowly, he obeys, raising his hands and laying them on
his head.
From the lodge, the last man emerges. It's Crazy Horse reborn
out of the burning sage. JIMMY LOOKS TWICE is in his mid-
thirties -- big, well over two-hundred pounds. But lean. His
braids fall nearly to his hips. His face is handsome but at
the moment, twisted in a full-blood's scowl.
LOOKS TWICE
(outraged)
What are you doing?
COOCH
James Looks Twice?
LOOKS TWICE
That's right. What are you doing
here? This is a religious ceremony
you're desecrating.
Looks Twice shoots hawk-like black eyes onto Ray.
RAY
We're FBI, James. We just need to
ask you a few questions.
LOOKS TWICE
We are in the middle of a sweat lodge
ceremony. Do you drag people out of
your churches when they're in the
middle of prayer?
COOCH
Let's take a walk, Jimmy. Come on.
Cooch takes a careful step behind Jimmy and cuffs him. Looks
Twice speaks to the others in LAKOTA, and they disband,
heading to a shade arbor where their clothes hang.
As Cooch starts marching Looks Twice toward the house, Ray
keeps an eye on the departing. One of them stops halfway to
the fence and turns. Grandpa Reaches looks at Ray with eyes
that have seen one hundred and one hard years in Indian
Country.
RAY
Go ahead. You can all go home.
And he follows Cooch and the cuffed Jimmy to the house.
COOCH
We just wanna take a look around
your place, Jimmy. We're not here to
bust your balls.
AT THE BACK OF THE HOUSE
Cooch leads the half-naked suspect to the backdoor. Cooch
show: a warrant, tries the door but it is locked.
LOOKS TWICE
What's this about?
COOCH
Your good friend Leo Fast Elk.
LOOKS TWICE
You think I killed him? Cuz he was
an apple? Well, let me tell you
something about Leo, Man --
COOCH
-- don't "man" me, Jimmy. Where's
the key?
Jimmy doesn't answer. He glares with hatred into Cooch's
eyes.
COOCH
Ray, use the federal master key.
Ray steps up, gets ready to throw a frontkick at the door.
LOOKS TWICE
No. Don't do that. Don't deface the
property, man. The key's in there.
With his hands cuffed, he can only jerk his head toward a
big hole in the wall down near the foundation. Cooch quickly
drops to a knee and checks out the hole.
LOOKS TWICE
Inside... in the coffee can.
Cooch reaches in, probes.
COOCH
There's no coffee can in --
Something horrifying happens so fast, Cooch has no time to
react.
Whatever has taken his arm has done so with such force, his
body jolts like he's touched raw voltage. The South Dakota
BADGER rips through his leather jacket -- we get a glimpse
of its striped face and yellowed teeth -- through his shirt.
Through flesh, and deeper, GROWLING insanely while COOCH
HOLLERS in shock tries to pull free and --
Jimmy Looks Twice spins from the porch with a skillfully
executed back kick, knocking Ray off the step and to the
ground. The Indian bolts like a deer into the darkness.
Ray rolls in the grass, throwing his M-16 up. He hesitates.
But only for a moment before FIRING and decimating the corner
gutter, a junked car, several trees. But no sign of Jimmy.
Cooch falls back in the grass badly mauled. His arm has been
ripped open down to the bone.
COOCH
Jesus... Jesus...
Ray starts toward Cooch.
COOCH
Get him...
Ray takes off, crashing through weeds, into a stream, wading
through mud. He throws his flashlight left and right. He
crosses the river, shines the light in a field of wild sage.
Nothing. He runs like a sprinter, looking everywhere. But as
he enters an --
OPEN FIELD
all he finds is Jimmy's towel. He picks it up and looks around
the area, breathing heavily.
And then suddenly, something leaps up out of the grass. Ray
swings his M-16 up, ready to blast. But it is a DEER, taking
off into a mystical blue night. THE DRUM. Beating fast. Heavy.
TURTLESHELL RATTLE. EAGLE BONE WHISTLES.
IN THE YARD
Cooch traps his bleeding arm between his knees to stanch the
blood. He speaks quietly but firm into his radio, trying to
stay in control.
COOCH
(into radio)
Assault on federal officers. Suspect
has left the area. One officer down.
Issue a Fugitive Alert immediately.
Over.
RADIO
Has the officer been shot, X-22?
COOCH
No, the officer's been bitten by a
fucking badger, okay? Get a Fugitive
Alert fucking now! Over.
EXT. BEAR CREEK RESERVATION - LANDSCAPE - SUNRISE
A mind-blowing Aurora. Living clouds. The incredible mesa.
PULLING BACK slowly to the dirt road where a line of federal
aerials high, enter Indian Country.
HEARTBEAT DRUM. But a fast heartbeat. A relentless pulse
throughout --
AN FBI SATURATION SEARCH
FOUR AGENTS surround a little tar-paper shack, rifles up and
ready. Two go in, and flush out an OLD WOMAN, an OLD MAN,
and some TEN CHILDREN. DOGS.
A SMALL TRAILER that has thirty junked cars in its yard and
serves as a reservation parts store is crawling with FEDERAL
MARSHALS; car doors are being opened, trunks. TRACKING DOGS
run through the cars. WARPATH DRUMS...
-- A BELL UH 1-B "HUEY" HELICOPTER chutters low over the
grasslands, over the Badlands, flattening wheat. It swings
down over the main settlement. CHILDREN gather in the street
to look up at it but then run when --
-- SIX FEDERAL CARS come down the main road. They pass by --
-- THE FRONT PORCH OF THE TRADING POST where Ray stands,
talking to the elders. A few of the same from earlier but
several new ones.
He is sweat-drenched, and has shed his jacket and tie. He is
showing them photos of Jimmy but getting no response. And
then, for a little iodine on top of that, a MOTORCYCLE ENGINE,
spitting and choking and coughing comes around the corner,
Walter Crow Horse, manning the handlebars.
He pulls up to Ray and just looks at him. DRUMS FADE.
CROW HORSE
You're an easy man to track, Ray. Ya
walk like a penguin with a hard-on.
RAY
Is that right? What are the trees
saying today?
CROW HORSE
They're sayin' that nobody's gonna
talk to you cuz they don't give away
one of their own. But they did say
there's somebody way across the Little
Walking River who wants to talk to
you.
Ray soaks sweat off his forehead as he eyes the Indian on
this one. He sees himself in the polaroid shades.
CROW HORSE
He sent me to find ya. He says he's
got information.
RAY
Let's go.
Ray quickly leaves the porch.
EXT. GRANDPA SAM REACHES TRAILER - OUTSIDE SETTLEMENT - DAY
Silent. The unnerving silence of the Great Plains filled
only by FLYS, big horseflies, buzzing around drying sage
that hangs from the rafters of a shade arbor. A GOAT stands
under it, just gazing across --
the vast spread of grass and dry land where an ancient
Airstream trailer sits lop-sided. Sheets are hung as curtains.
Six old cars -- two from the early 50'a -- sit stripped to
the hubs on blocks in the overgrown grass. The air is dry
and heavy and the only sound is --
FLYS. Ray swats at them as he steps over a truck seat that
lies in the grass, stuffing and springs hanging out. Crow
Horse walk. a few steps ahead, toward the trailer.
CROW HORSE
(with reverence)
Grandpa Samuel Reaches. Heavy duty
medicine.
RAY
Medicine. As in medicine man?
Crow Horse nods slowly, looking at Ray in a very serious
manner
RAY
Why does he wanna see me?
CROW HORSE
Good question. Hardly sees anybody
anymore. Hasn't left this place in
twenty years. Did you bring some
tobacco?
Crow Horse stops walking, making Ray do the same.
CROW HORSE
When you go see an elder, you always
bring some tobacco as a gift.
Ray reaches into his shirt pocket and fishes out a pack of
Marlboro. Crow Horse glances at it, and shrug-nods. They
continue on toward the trailer.
INT. GRANDPA REACHES TRAILER
Grandpa Samuel Reaches sits in a taped and tuckered easy
chair, his alert black eyes moving from side to side. We
recognize him from the sweat lodge ceremony at Looks Twice'
although today he wears a straw cowboy hat giving him a more
youthful look despite a face like a map of the Badlands.
He wears a vest over a western shirt, baggy work slacks, old
cowboy boots.
His brown wrinkled hands run over the top of the Marlboro
pack as if he's reading braille.
Crow Horse sits across from him on a stool. Ray leans on one
of the plain green walls, looking uncomfortable. A three
foot adhesive fly strip hangs from the ceiling, thick with
dead ones. There is a black and white TV with Sesame Street
wailing, honking and guffawing through static.
Grandpa fixes his eyes on Ray for only split seconds at a
time but one gets the feeling he's doing an incredibly deep
reading of the young man. Slowly, he sits up -- focusing
intensely on Ray.
He begins to speak. A hoarse, strained, string of LAKOTA,
spoken like it used to be, gesturing toward Ray. When he
finishes, he sits back in his chair. Ray looks intrigued.
RAY
What did he say?
CROW HORSE
He wants to know if you ever watch
the Cookie Monster. He says the Cookie
Monster is not to be trusted -- a
trickster.
Ray looks puzzled. Crow Horse laughs bull-wild as Grandpa
takes up a fly swatter and takes out a big horsefly. The old
man begins speaking Indian again.
CROW HORSE
He says there's something wrong with
Big Bird -- he's crazy,
(stops laughing)
He says you stopped the Inipi ceremony
last night...?
Crow Horse turns a questioning look at Ray. Ray doesn't
flinch.
CROW HORSE
But he is not unhappy with you because
he knows you.
RAY
He knows me?
CROW HORSE
He says he saw you in a vision some
time ago.
Crow Horse stops translating suddenly even though the old
man continues speaking. Crow Horse looks concerned, and ASKS
A QUESTION IN LAKOTA. We don't know what he's asking but the
tone is absolute amazement.
This question triggers an exchange between he and Grandpa,
the old one getting angry. Grandpa wins.
CROW HORSE
I guess he had this vision some time
ago, in the Moon of the Popping Trees --
uh, back in the winter. He says you
come from Wasi'cu city in the East
but that your people... way back...
are of the Minniconjou Sioux. But
you yourself don't know that.
Ray's brow is drawn tense as he stares at the old Indian,
absorbing the translation. Grandpa speaks more fervently
now, incorporating Indian sign. Each time Grandpa does the
hard Sioux HAND SLAP, Ray blinks.
CROW HORSE
He says he knew you'd be coming to
Bear Creek. He was told. It is the
will of Tunkasilia -- the grandfather
that you come here. He says let's
smoke the caanunpa the sacred pipe,
symbol of truth. So that there will
be no lies between us.
The old man has taken a long wooden stem and a red stone
bowl from a beaded pipe bag. He joins the two together then
begins offering a pinch of tobacco to the Four Directions.
While this goes on, Ray fidgets.
RAY
What's he smoke in that?
CROW HORSE
Sacred herbs. Tobacco. Don't worry,
we don't smoke no Mexican agriculture
in The Pipe. That's a white man's
myth. This is a sacrament.
The old man is offering the pipe to Ray.
GRANDPA
Mltaku Oyasin.
Ray looks at Grandpa. The old man offers the pipe again.
CROW HORSE
You don't smoke with him, it means
you're hiding something.
Ray takes the pipe, looks at it... then passes it to Crow
Horse. The big Indian takes it from Ray, giving him a long
eye, then offering the pipe to The Directions before smoking.
Crow Horse puffs hard, eyes closed, then slowly releases
some smoke upward. Ray watches it climb and fade. The old
man then takes up an old turtle shell rattle. He speaks.
CROW HORSE
He says Wakan. Sacred. Five hundred
year old turtleshell rattle, passed
down from the Grandfathers. Heavy
duty.
He shakes the rattle very slightly, moving it in front of
Ray. He speaks just above a whisper.
CROW HORSE
He says, it is good. The Spirits are
here. The Spirits want to know what
you're doing here?
Ray smirks.
RAY
Tell him I'm trying to find the man
who murdered Leo Fast Elk. Ask him
if he knows where he is.
Crow Horse asks the old man in Lakota. No answer. The pipe
is back to grandpa, and he offers it to the Directions, to
the Earth then upward before smoking himself. He begins to
speak again.
Passionately. In long glottal Sioux sentences, adding sign,
fingers crossing, brushing an arm, a slap here and there,
He is working himself into an excited state, and Ray keeps
looking at Crow Horse, very interested in the old man's
answer.
Finally Grandpa's breath comes up short and wheezing, he
ends his oratory with a solid hand slap.
RAY
What did he say?
CROW HORSE
He said he doesn't know.
RAY
He just did the Gettysburg Address
in Sioux. What did he say?
Crow Horse ignores him. Grandpa speaks again. More hand
language.
The old man is staring at Ray while whispering to Crow Horse.
He strokes his badger claw necklace.
Crow Horse looks at Ray and seems hesitant to translate this
new piece of information.
CROW HORSE
Uh... Grandpa likes to trade; no one
stops by here without gettin' stuck
in the old Indian barter. He, uh...
he likes your shades.
Grandpa smiles toothlessly. Ray who has his driving glasses
in hand, lifts them to say "these?" but Grandpa sees it as
an accepted deal, and swiftly removes his necklace. He holds
it out.
Ray slowly, hesitantly surrenders his sunglasses, and takes
the necklace. Crow Horse bursts into laughter and so does
Grandpa, enjoying a good trade. He draws a hand through the
air in a sort of horizontal karate chop, meaning done deal.
Ray looks confused. Out of his element. And out of his shades.
Another fly gets snagged on sticky tape.
EXT. GRANDPA REACHES TRAILER
Crow Horse is hurrying toward his bike, Ray with him.
RAY
What was he saying?
CROW HORSE
Why should I tell you.
RAY
Because he was talking to me.
Crow Horse keeps walking.
RAY
Does he know something?
Crow Horse stops walking and eyes Ray, deliberating.
CROW HORSE
The old man saw an owl. Over there
in the dry wash. Last week.
RAY
And...
CROW HORSE
He saw an owl.
A silent moment. Ray tries to figure out what he's missing
here.
RAY
So what?
CROW HORSE
The owl is a messenger. When one
shows itself to a Sioux... it means
someone's gonna die. The owl told
him about Leo.
Ray stares vacantly.
RAY
The owl told him about Leo. That's
incredible. I guess we just broke
the back of this investigation, didn't
we? Evidence doesn't get any harder
than that -- not for my money. Is
there anyway we can seduce this owl
into Federal Court?
CROW HORSE
He also said "listen to the water."
RAY
Listen to the water. Listen to the
owl. He also said, don't trust the
fucking Cookie Monster.
CROW HORSE
Go back to your DNA finger-printin'.
Crow Horse KICK STARTS his bike and burns off down the drive
Ray feels the presence of the old man, standing behind the
busted screen door. Just watching.
OVER THIS, A SCREAMING. A HIGH-PITCHED, CHILLING, SCREAM
that takes us straight into --
SLACK TAIL POWWOW GROUNDS - RES - LATER
CLOSE ON A TERRIFYING FACE -- painted in blazing red and
yellow, black around the eyes. A ridge of feathers high along
the hairline, and a mouth open, tongue trilling -- SCREAMING.
A WACIPI
is going down. A Powow. Held in the center of a huge arbor.
This DANCER, a traditional Kit Fox dancer, is dressed in
authentic costume and is dancing with TEN OTHERS dressed in
various traditional garb and paints.
Under the arbor, TWO HUNDRED INDIANS in modern clothing sit
on blankets or in lawn chairs, watching the dancing. A group
of SINGERS sit around a big drum, beating on it, and wailing
the song that keeps the dancers hopping.
SIXTY CARS (res beaters) are parked off around the arbor,
less interested kids sitting on them, smoking cigarettes. A
few actually have MTV hair-cuts.
Drifting through the cars and people are Special Agents
Couture, Miles, Sherman and Levoi. They stroll through,
incongruously, checking out faces. Vehicles.
Ray slows his step and takes in --
THE POWWOW CIRCLE
as the dance ends. WEAK APPLAUSE. The POWWOW CALLER, a big
Sioux with a crew-cut and cowboy shirt, speaks through a
scratchy P.A. system.
CALLER
Was-te Yelo! Let's have five more
veterans. Five more veterans. Hoka
Hey!
An OLD-INDIAN MAN sitting in a lawn chair, removes his cowboy
hat and reaches down toward a blanket. He brings up his VFW
hat, adorned with medals and puts it on. Slowly, he rises,
and shuffles out to the center pole along with --
FOUR OTHER VETERANS who have exchanged cowboy hats for
veteran's caps. There is even a traditional dancer in there,
wearing a veteran cap. As a mournful WAR SONG is banged out
by the singers, a flag is unrolled by the veterans. An
American Flag. Unrolled, and set on the mast. And together,
all five Indian men, hoist --
THE AMERICAN FLAG
high. Slowly it climbs. Proudly. It blows in the hot South
Dakota wind.
OUTSIDE THE ARBOR
Ray stands, watching this. And then the SONG ENDS. A loud,
angry voice breaks across the P.A.
AT THE CROW'S NEST (CALLER'S BOOTH)
ANDERSON CHASING HAWK, a young Indian in ribbon shirt and
long hair has taken possession of the microphone. SIX W.A.R.N.
MEMBERS stand behind him. He speaks loud, firm, with the
sharp gestures of an old way Chief.
CHASING HAWK
What is that that you honor there,
uncles? After all the Wasi'cu country
has done to you, after all he still
does to you, you honor that flag?!
That flag has been desecrated by the
United States, because they have not
honored what that flag represents!
The veterans just stand under the flag, solemn, looking at
Chasing Hawk. The flag undulates soundlessly.
CHASING HAWK (O.S.)
To them, we are the Bank of America.
Whenever they get into a little
difficulty, they go to The Bank,
withdraw a little land, withdraw a
little oil --
OUTSIDE THE ARBOR
the four FBI agents stand, watching.
MILES
Okay. Here we go.
COOCH
Who's this guy?
SHERMAN
Anderson Chasing Hawk. Second in
command behind Jimmy.
AT THE CROW'S NEST
Chasing Hawk hands the mic over to another Warrior. MAGGIE
EAGLE BEAR would be the most beautiful woman Ray has even
seen if she was not the meanest-looking. Her thick black
hair falls over a denim jacket down below her horse-hair
belt. Her faded jeans are stuffed into worn cowboy boots.
And she is full of fire. She begins speaking in LAKOTA.
Fluently. And with hand sign, like the old man.
OUTSIDE THE ARBOR
the agents stand. Cooch is writing into a small notebook.
SHERMAN
Magedelana Eagle Bear. Eagle's claws
and a bear's balls.
MILES
She keeps an AR-15 assault rifle in
her truck. And she'll use it.
As Ray watches her, someone approaches in a less hostile
manner. It is President Clear Moon, looking very upset. He
holds the hand of a LITTLE GIRL, dressed in traditional
dancing garb.
He approaches Ray.
RAY
Mr. Clear Moon.
CLEAR MOON
Our police are afraid of them. Please
get them out of here.
Clear Moon gestures for the little girl to run off. He leans
in close to Ray.
CLEAR MOON
They're going to kill me next. That's
what I hear. These new Indians are
destroying everything. Our people
are a quiet people.
RAY
They can lead us to Jimmy. Just let
them go. We're tightening the net on
him. We know he's on the reservation.
Clear Moon is looking past Ray at the Warriors. They are
approaching the agents, and Clear Moon looks at Ray with
great concern.
CLEAR MOON
Help us.
And he slowly retreats to his lawn chair under the arbor.
Chasing Hawk, Maggie and the other Warriors strut up to the
agents. All but one who is bound to a wheelchair. We've seen
RICHARD YELLOW BIRD, the big Cheyenne who wears a Red Power
baseball cap, an earring, and thick bifocals -- in one of
the file photos. His arms are plastered with tattoos.
AGENT SHERMAN
Where's Jimmy? We thought he'd be
dancing today.
The warriors make a show of not acknowledging the FBI
presence. They have walked over here just to walk by them.
That is there statement. But Yellow Bird stops cranking the
wheels of his chair and stop: long enough to look up at Ray.
YELLOW BIRD
Are you the Washington Redskin?
Even the agents crack grins at this bit of Indian wit. All
but Ray who just stands there, arms folded across his chest,
considering the crippled activist.
AGENT MILES
Say hello to Richard Yellow Bird,
Ray.
Yellow Bird sits there, staring up at him through thick
glasses But then Maggie Eagle Bear takes the handles of Yellow
Bird's wheel chair. She looks at Ray with eyes that are choke-
cherry black, eyes that look right through him. He returns
the glare. And then she pushes Yellowbird forward and leaves
the feds alone.
Ray turns to Cooch who is lighting a cigarette, and
concentrating on the movements of this group as they wander
under the arbor, visiting people. LAKOTA SINGERS start up.
COOCH
Ray, get to Jimmy's place and keep
it tight. I'm gonna get a tail on
his Warriors.
IN THE POWWOW CENTER
the under ten year-old "fancy dance" -- TWENTY-FIVE INDIAN
CHILDREN, whirling and stomping and dancing.
JIMMY LOOKS TWICE HOUSE - NIGHT
The battered old house sits under a full moon. The upside
down flag moves slightly in the cross winds.
ACROSS THE ROAD
several junked cars. Among them a black, rusted out VW van
with a smashed windshield. A PACK OF RES DOGS sniff at its
tires.
INT. JIMMY'S VAN
In the dim light, a boot. A black cowboy boot. Up on the
dash. Bluejeans. T-shirt. Second hand leather. And a black
cowboy hat. Ray is staking out Jimmy's house.
Across the passenger seat and console is an M-16 rifle. On
his belt, a .357 Red Hawk. He yawns. From outside, he hears
a sound.
POV: down below the van, a small, patchy RES DOG with a
missing leg is looking up at him with his tongue long and
salivating.
RAY breaks off a piece of sandwich and drops it down to him
just as -- HEADLIGHTS catch his face. He slides down low,
watching an old pick-up truck creak onto the dirt road,
leading to Jimmy's.
POV: the truck parks. Someone jumps out, gracefully. Indian.
Long braid. Quick steps. Front door. Inside.
RAY lifts his radio.
RAY
X22. Read.
RADIO
Go ahead, Ray.
RAY
I have a pick-up truck. No plates.
Subject -- Indian -- entering
suspect's house. Over.
RADIO
Okay, Ray. I'm coming in. If he starts
to leave the area, move in. And hold
him. Over.
Ray sets his radio down, unclips the leather guard on his
handgun. Picks up the Big Mac.
EXT. LOOKS TWICE HOUSE - NIGHT
The front door creaks open, and the subject dashes back out.
In the dark we cannot latch onto features.
Suddenly the junker van comes alive, guns onto the dirt road,
racing toward the running Indian who gets the door of the
truck open but freezes in the van's highbeams as --
Ray leaps out, M-16 in hand.
RAY
FBI, freeze, Motherfucker -- drop
it, drop it!
Ray maneuvers in Quantico fashion, keeping the rifle on the
Indian's back. The Indian drops what he's holding. And turns
around. It's not a he. We've seen her before. At the Powwow.
Maggie Eagle Bear. Her hair is pulled back tight, braided.
Ray moves in toward her, surprised at first, but still
cautious
RAY
Turn around, put your hands on the
roof of the truck.
She does what he tells her. As Ray moves in on her, he notices
an INDIAN CHILD sitting in the passenger seat, looking out
into the highbeams, frightened.
Ray toes Maggie's legs out wider, frisks her one-handed,
pats down her boots.
MAGGIE
You're the Indian FBI.
RAY
That's right. Turn around.
Maggie turns around, looks Ray in the eye. He looks self-
conscious in the cowboy hat.
MAGGIE
The people are glad they sent you.
They usually send in guys who come
at ya with highbeams, screamin' "drop
it, Motherfucker", stick a gun in
your face, frisk ya down. Even if ya
got a child with ya. No, it's good
to have ya. It's gonna be was-te
times on the res.
Ray is looking down at what she dropped. A bundle lying in
the grass. He bends down, starts to untie it.
MAGGIE
I was gonna warn ya about messin'
with somebody's medicine bundle but
I forgot you know all about that
stuff.
IN THE BUNDLE -- an eagle skull, tobacco strings, sage, sweet
grass, and several white eagle feathers.
RAY
This Jimmy's?
MAGGIE
You're not gonna catch him. He can
shape-shift into different animals.
Bear. Elk. Porcupine.
RAY
Is that like an hereditary thing,
Magdelana, or can one take classes?
MAGGIE
Jimmy didn't kill Leo. Why do you
wanna do this?
RAY
He tried to kill him twice before.
That's a good place to start don't
ya think? Leo was on the other side,
wasn't he?
MAGGIE
-- Leo was an apple, that's right.
Red on the outside, white on the
inside. And Jimmy hated him. Kicked
his ass a coupla times. But he didn't
kill him.
RAY
Who did?
MAGGIE
You're the FBI. That's your job,
isn't it? Ya know how many of our
Warrior brothers got killed out here?
I never saw any investigating then.
Why now? What's going down here?
RAY
A Fugitive Alert for a murder suspect.
Before somebody else gets a shotgun
blast in the spine.
MAGGIE
Try the Fort Laramie Treaty. All
over again.
Ray doesn't have a clue as to what this radical bullshit is
about.
RAY
Look. You and I can stand here in a
culture clash til the sun comes up,
talking about what's right and what's
wrong. You're from the reservation.
It's a different world.
MAGGIE
I'm from Minneapolis. Fifth Street.
I did four years at Dartmouth before
I ever set foot on this res. So I
know about the other world, Ray.
If this information doesn't throw Ray, the use of his first
name does.
MAGGIE
Are you gonna keep that medicine
bundle or are you gonna respect its
power?
Ray is holding the medicine bundle. He deliberates, then
hands it over. She takes it with careful hands, casting a
somewhat surprised look up at him.
MAGGIE
Thank you.
RAY
When you see Jimmy, tell him the
sooner he turns himself back into a
human being and gives himself in...
the sooner we back off this
reservation. Okay?
Maggie gets in the truck, starts it up. She looks out at
him, studying him. Trying to figure him out. HEADLIGHTS are
coming fast from down the main road.
MAGGIE
Grandpa Reaches says you come from
heavy Indian blood. I used to think
Grandpa was gettin' senile. Now I
know he is.
RAY
Move it, Magdelana.
Maggie drives forward, turning down another little wagon
road, and bumping into the black night only moments before,
Cooch's Le Baron pulls in.
SA Miles and Sherman's vehicle pull in behind it. The regional
feds fall in behind Cooch, everyone, packing rifles.
COOCH
Ray, you alright?
Ray turns, nodding. An FBI van pulls in from the other
direction and FOUR AGENTS empty out, wearing FBI windbreakers
and heavily-armed.
AGENT SHERMAN
What do we got, Ray?
RAY
It was just Eagle Bear. I questioned
and released her.
COOCH
What'd she say?
RAY
She talks a lot of shit. We're not
doing our job. Jimmy's innocent.
"What's the FBI really doing here."
Some shit about the Fort Laramie
Treaty.
Cooch nods. The agents form a tight unit out below the upside
down flag.
RAY
She took something from the house.
What she called a medicine bundle.
Most likely Jimmy's.
COOCH
Let's see it.
RAY
I gave it back to her.
AGENT SHERMAN
Why?
RAY
If it is Jimmy's, she's taking it to
him. We'll have a runner. But I
borrowed a little mojo...
Ray reaches inside his pant leg, down around his boot and
carefully removes a white eagle feather. He gingerly tucks
it in a plastic bag.
COOCH
Way to go, Raymond. Miles, take that
to lab. Sherman, I want you to go
back to base and produce some written
material. Something that indicates
that our girl Maggie is leaking
information to us. And make sure
that material finds its way into the
hands of the Warrior Movement.
Sherman and Miles, take off. Cooch, an impressive master of
COINTELPRO, now turns to the van squad.
COOCH
You gentlemen missed that medicine
basket. Go back through the house,
and make sure you missed nothing
else. And lay some wire, too. Let's
do it.
The van squad moves toward the house, leaving Cooch and Ray
alone in the highbeams that light the yard.
COOCH
That's good goddamn work, Ray. Let
the salmon run. Let 'em run Upriver.
RAY
Why we setting Eagle Bear up as an
informant?
COOCH
Her own people start to suspect her,
it creates discord from within. The
Warriors don't know who to trust,
they start infighting, and Jimmy
loses his support.
Ray nods, impressed.
Cooch bends down near the road, touches the dirt.
COOCH
Her oil pan is shot.
RAY
Cooch. What's the Fort Laramie Treaty?
COOCH
Jesus, I don't know. You tell me.
You're the Indian.
Cooch wipes the oil on a handkerchief as he rises, smiling
playfully at Ray. He starts back toward his car. Some sort
of bird is COOING in the night.
COOCH
Get a tail on her, Ray.
Ray looks up at the upside down flag. Then watches Cooch
walking way.
RAY
Cooch.
(a quiet, tired laugh)
Where the fuck did they send us?
COOCH
A long way from home. You be careful
out there.
Cooch, standing there with his glasses on and his right arm
bandaged, looks tired, too. He gets in his car.
In the yard, Ray starts for the van, the res dog, trying to
follow. He chases it away. And then as he gets closer to the
van, he looks up to investigate the COOING SOUND.
AT THE TOP OF THE FLAG POLE
there is a shadow. What looks to be a large bird. It just
hovers. In the shadows.
DOWN BELOW
Ray looks up at the pole, watching. Then walking on.
EXT. BEAR CREEK RES - SUNRISE
Mind-blowing sunrise of airbrush red. Clusters of lodge-pole
pine. The spectacular mesa. PAINT HORSES graze in a field, a
few out in the center of the road.
AT GRANDPA REACHES TRAILER
the old man comes down the front steps in a frail walk,
carrying a paper plate. He steps down into the sage clusters
that grow just off his trailer, and offers the plate up toward
the sky.
He then stoops, and scrapes a half-eaten English muffin,
some potato chips and half a banana onto the Earth in a neat
pile.
He straightens his back the best he can, looks up again, and
prays softly.
THE BADLANDS
possess an otherworldly beauty at this magic hour, a maze of
shadows and rainbows. In the distance we cannot mistake the
frame of Walter Crow Horse. He's out there, long hair blowing
against the white bluffs. Stalking. Tracking.
ON THE VILLAGE ROAD
a puppy chases a hen in a klutzy, innocent manner then bumps
into the tire of a parked car. Taking a shot at doghood, he
hikes his leg, squirts a hubcap belonging to --
Cooch's Le Baron. Cooch leans on the hood, drinking a coffee
from a foam-plastic cup, and supervising SIX G-MEN who have
a map spread out over the hood and are discussing it.
MAGGIE EAGLE BEAR'S HOUSE
is way out in a remote corner of the res, a little home,
trailer and tipi right on the river. The river is rushing
hard this morning, catching the light of the sun. Maggie's
truck is parked in front.
Out at the river, Maggie, her hair long and unbrushed, and
wearing an extra large T-shirt and nothing else is hauling
water in buckets from the river.
THREE INDIAN CHILDREN are with her, helping her. Near the
house, an OLD WOMAN in bifocal glasses, feeds some chickens,
and a cat that gathers with the chickens and eats feed.
INT. OLD VAN � NEAR MAGGIE'S
Ray, still in his field clothes sits, training binoculars on
the distant house. He opens a carton of milk, drinks some.
Then hears a whimpering. In the passenger seat sits the three
legged res dog. Ray has taken him with him. He drinks some
milk, then opens the carton up fully and sticks it out so
the dog can lap it up. Ray laughs in disbelief, shaking his
head.
RAY
For all I know, you're Jimmy. And
you're just waiting for a shot at my
jugular. Drink, Jimmy. Milk is good
for you --
The dog is lapping the milk, desperately. And then a ROARING.
A motorcycle.
IN THE SIDE MIRROR: Crow Horse, racing up on the left of the
van. Ray pulls his hat down low, and sits back. The motorcycle
passes on the left, slowing enough so that Crow Horse can
flip Ray the middle finger. Then he races on, far down the
road.
Ray sits there, shaking his head. He'll let it go. Bullshit.
He starts the car.
EXT. TRIBAL POLICE SHOOTING RANGE - DAWN
Crow Horse guns in, sliding in dirt up to the run-down, low
budget shooting range -- six plastic milk jugs on sticks,
jammed in the mud.
A moment later, the van hammers in. Parks. Ray gets out.
He's removed his hat so as not to invite any crap from Crow
Horse.
CROW HORSE
Don't be mad. That was just an old
traditional gesture that means hello,
how are you.
RAY
I see. Forgive my cultural ignorance.
Ray executes a hard, slapping, "up your ass" gesture.
RAY
Have a nice day.
Crow Horse bursts into laughter in his raspy, staccato laugh.
He walks off a few steps, picks up a spent shell and pitches
it. His laughter simmers and he gets serious.
CROW HORSE
Jimmy didn't do it, Ray. I checked
it out. You can stop taggin' my
sister.
RAY
She's your sister?
RAY AND CROW HORSE
Spiritual sister.
RAY
Gotchya. We just nailed a genetic
match between the eagle feather left
at the murder site and one in Jimmy's
medicine bundle. It came from a white
eagle. Same bird.
Crow Horse fingers an eagle feather that hangs from his hat
band.
CROW HORSE
So did this one. Wambli is a rare
and sacred creature. When someone
finds a dead one, the feathers get
around the res. We share everything.
A lot of power in the eagle feathers.
But you think that's bullshit too,
don't --
RAY
(ala Crow Horse)
-- Leo Fast Elk was sitting in the
outhouse at Maisy Blue Legs when a
car pulled into the yard. He came
out, approached the vehicle then saw
that the man behind the wheel was
Jimmy. He tried to get back into the
trailer, but the car came highballing
at him. He started running for the
open grass. With the car moving,
Jimmy hung his shotgun out the window,
took aim -- missed once, hitting the
shitter -- fired again, and severed
Leo's spine. Leo fell, rolled, and
came to a stop in the grass. And
some chicken feed. Stale chicken
feed with four days mold.
(a beat)
Electromagnetic printing.
Crow Horse stares, a little surprised.
CROW HORSE
Was-te. 'Cept for one thing. Jimmy
Looks Twice was nowhere near there.
Ya see, when Jimmy was twelve years
old, his mother and father was killed
in a car wreck right down there near
Elk Mountain.
RAY
I don't see the connection.
CROW HORSE
The connection is, it did a head
number on him. He's petrified of
cars. Won't drive. I've known him
all my life, and he's never gotten
behind the wheel of a vehicle. He
rides passenger and he rides horses,
and that's it. The man that shot Leo
down was behind the wheel of a moving
car.
Ray absorbs this with great interest.
RAY
That's not solid.
CROW HORSE
You want solid? That one, single,
print he left in the Badlands -- the
one the FBI missed and then stepped
all over -- it belongs to a man who
walks heels first. Like a white man.
Jimmy has a serious Ind'n walk --
ball of the foot first. The man who
murdered Leo walked like a Wasi'cu.
Ray lets a pent-up sigh escape.
RAY
You're saying a white guy did it...
Crow Horse chews this over, unable to hide a nagging
frustration. He shakes his head.
CROW HORSE
When Leo was dumped out there in the
Badlands, he was dropped on his back.
Our man made an effort to turn him
over, onto his face. It's an old
Ind'n belief that if a dead man is
turned face down, his spirit won't
leave. And in the killer's case, it
won't come back and jump all over
his shit. That's an Ind'n thing a
white man wouldn't know.
The two of them stand there, thinking this over. Ray takes
out his notebook and starts writing. Crow Horse walks away,
turns to face the propped up targets.
CROW HORSE
And that's the way it is. Write it
down.
To punctuate, Crow Horse slaps leather, draws his .38, and
begins blasting at the milk bottles. He hits the bank. A
tree. One of the posts. But not a single target.
When he is done, he looks over his gun, disappointed. Starts
reloading. Ray starts laughing, looking at the missed targets
CROW HORSE
You laugh all you want, Breed. Sunset
tonight, I get my man.
Ray looks at Crow Horse, sees that he's serious, and follows
him toward his motorcycle.
RAY
Alright, Crow Horse. I'm listening.
I'm listening to the trees, to the
stones. Who is it?
Crow Horse turns toward Ray, and creates a long dramatic
pause.
CROW HORSE
Damned if I know.
And he hauls his bulk onto his motorbike.
CROW HORSE
But the Old One. He did a Yuwipi
ceremony last night.
Crow Horse winks at Ray as he slams the kickstart. To no
avail.
RAY
The old man? He's gonna tell you who
killed Leo?
CROW HORSE
Go catch Jimmy, Ray. Really. He's
gettin' away. Go ahead, go get him.
I'm late.
RAY
Hey. Hey, those are my sunglasses
you're wearing.
CROW HORSE
Grandpa traded with me.
(flips the bird)
Goodbye.
And Crow Horse nails his kick start. The BIKE ROARS alive
and the Indian works the throttle hard, leaving gravel and
black exhaust. Ray stands there, drifting between logic and
instinct. He looks at his watch, then starts at a slow,
thoughtful shuffle toward his car.
EXT. GRANDPA REACHES TRAILER - SHORT TIME LATER
The dust-buzzard broncs and bounces down Grandpa's driveway,
coming to a stop near the wrecked cars. Crow Horse dismounts
and unhooks a carton of smokes from the back.
A moment later, the junker van pulls in, bouncing and shaking.
Crow Horse stares at the approaching vehicle, his eyes hidden
behind Ray's former shades. He cracks a slow smile because --
Ray is stepping quickly from the van, and carrying two packs
of Marlboros.
INT. GRANDPA REACHES TRAILER
Grandpa sits in his chair, his black eyes moving smoothly
from side to side. Smoke enshrouds his ancient face, giving
the sense of another time and place. He speaks LAKOTA.
Crow Horse, sitting on a stool across from him, holds The
Pipe. He passes it to Ray who sits in a busted lawn chair
next to him. The room is dark as the sun sets out the window
in red and purple. Ray looks at the pipe. Grandpa will not
speak until Ray smokes. And so he does, drawing on the stem,
awkwardly.
HEARTBEAT DRUM as Grandpa speaks Indian.
CROW HORSE
He says, back behind Red Deer Table,
where the Elk-People-used-to-live...
there are strange creatures from
another world who eat stones... and
who will kill anyone who crosses
into this place.
Ray looks at Crow Horse, searching for a hint of lightness.
But there is only great reverence as he watches Ray blow
smoke upward.
CROW HORSE
He says, in the Yuwipi ceremony last
night, he saw you... going back into
the land beyond Red Deer Table. I
was with you. But that was all the
Spirits let him see so he doesn't
know if you were killed or not. But
he thinks you probably were.
Ray smirks as he passes the pipe to Grandpa. Crow Horse looks
nervous. Grandpa offers the pipe to the directions and then
disengages the bowl from the stem. He speaks again. Crow
Horse translates.
CROW HORSE
Go to the land where the Elk-People-
used-to-live and you will find the
answers you came here looking for.
But you must go as two. That is the
vision. I have spoken. And this is
so.
Grandpa leans closer to Crow Horse and whispers some Lakota.
CROW HORSE
He wants to trade.
(a beat)
He likes your watch.
Ray looks at Crow Horse, nervous.
RAY
I can't do that,
(explaining)
It's a Rolex.
CROW HORSE
A what?
And Grandpa is already holding out something to offer. It is
a cigarette. Grandpa offers it again.
RAY
I'm sorry, this is --
(loud to Grandpa)
-- this is very, very expensive.
It's --
(to Crow Horse)
Tell him this is an expensive watch.
Crow Horse tells the Old Man. Grandpa speaks Indian.
CROW HORSE
He says, you need to go on Indian
time. He says your watch is ruining
your life anyway.
Ray buries his hands in his jacket pocket. No way. Crow Horse
signs to Grandpa "no." Grandpa gets up, crosses between the
two young men, up to the TV set. He turns it on.
WHEEL OF FORTUNE
explodes in PINGS AND PONGS and a WOMAN'S SHRILL SCREAM.
EXT. GRANDPA REACHES TRAILER - DAY
Crow Horse and Ray walk down the steps. WHEEL OF FORTUNE is
heard from within.
CROW HORSE
Red Deer Table, Ray.
RAY
Don't tell me: heavy duty.
CROW HORSE
Heavy, heavy duty. Taku Wakan. Wanagi
Spirits. It's one of those few places
we'd never go to as kids. Still don't.
Some of the old people say Crazy
Horse is buried back there. We have
to go Ray. Together. Like his vision.
They step into the yard and Ray stops, turning to Crow Horse
RAY
Walter. When I fill out my 302, do I
say that evil spirits are killing
everybody on the reservation?
CROW HORSE
Ray --
RAY
-- no. No offense to the old man. I
appreciate you trying to help. But I
put my ass on the line coming out
here, man.
CROW HORSE
What'd you expect to hear?
RAY
Not Native American myths and legends.
I'm with the FBI, Walter, remember?
Not National Geographic.
CROW HORSE
What you call myths, we call our
history.
RAY
It's not real.
CROW HORSE
What's real to you? Wall Street?
Capital Hill? Now they are myths.
RAY
I can't be dicking around here. That's
all I'm saying. I don't carry
crystals, I don't wanna come back in
another life. I just wanna do my
job, and do it right, and get the
fuck outta here.
CROW HORSE
You ain't no Indian. You're a Sal
Mineo Indian.
Crow Horse drives "Indian" home with a hard finger in Ray's
chest. Ray knocks his hand away, explosively. Crow Horse is
ready.
GRANDPA (O.S.)
Knock it off!
The old man is standing at the top of the steps. Ray and
Crow Horse are YELLING OVER EACH OTHER, and hands are up.
GRANDPA
Will ya knock it off? You're actin'
like a couple of old women.
Ray stands there, one hand up in defense, another poised to
throw a punch. Bewildered, he stares at the old Indian holding
onto the porch railing.
GRANDPA
For cryin' out loud. Knock it off.
RAY
He speaks English.
CROW HORSE
Only when he's really pissed off.
GRANDPA
Come inside. Watch TV.
And Grandpa goes back in, screendoor slapping shut behind
him. Ray is just staring, his jaw dropped. Crow Horse starts
laughing. Harder than he has yet, and Ray starts walking
toward his car in fuck-this steps.
He gets into the car, closes the door and looks out the open
window at Crow Horse. The Indian moves first.
CROW HORSE
Don't accuse nothin' of not bein'
real, Little Weasel. Cuz the only
thing around here that ain't real is
you.
Ray lifts his arm off the door, and springs his middle finger
up at Crow Horse. He holds it there for a long moment just
looking at the big Indian.
RAY
Take care of yourself, Walter.
CROW HORSE
Likewise.
Ray checks the time on his watch then guns away. Crow Horse
stands there, watching him go. Eventually he shuffles back
toward the trailer.
EXT. BUFFALO BUTTE MOTEL - NIGHT
Room 14 has been transformed into a major COINTELPRO base;
four computer terminals are set up, card tables spread with
photos, boxes of files stacked on the bed, and SIX AGENTS,
manning the computers, thumbing through files.
THE CONNECTING ROOM (RAY'S ROOM)
A meeting takes place around a table of paperwork and coffee
cups, and a .45 laid atop a file. Cooch, SA Miles, SA Sherman,
TWO OTHER REGIONAL AGENTS and Ray.
SA SHERMAN
We've gotten word that Jimmy has
been trying to hook up with Maggie
Eagle Bear... but some of the Warriors
have been sending word to Jimmy that
she may be an FBI operative. So he
doesn't know where to go.
Cooch taps some ashes into an empty coffee cup. They sizzle
in cold residue.
COOCH
Bingo. It's working.
SHERMAN
He's out of room. All the reservation
exits have been watchdogged. We got
him. I give it twelve hours.
RAY
Well we better use those twelve hours
to apprehend the right man.
The agents all look at Ray. A pin can be heard falling to
the cheap carpet.
COOCH
The right man? Talk to me, Ray.
RAY
Whoever dusted Leo, dusted him from
the driver's seat of a moving car
then drove those eight miles to the
Badlands. Jimmy Looks Twice has never
been behind the wheel of a car. It's
a known fact out here that he's
petrified of driving. His parents
were killed in a car wreck.
Cooch nods, lights another smoke, intrigued.
SHERMAN
That's not very solid.
RAY
There was also a print found in the
Badlands that indicated diagetic
locomotion. Heels first. Jimmy's
walking pattern doesn't match. He
has a distinct Indian walk.
SA MILES
Indian walk? You been smoking hooch
in the peace pipe, Ray?
LAUGHTER. Except for Cooch who just stares at Ray, digesting
what he has said.
RAY
They don't smoke hooch in The Pipe,
Miles. They smoke something called
kinickinick, it's like a tobacco.
Sherman looks at Cooch.
SA SHERMAN
Well, you're right about X21 being a
Washington Redskin, that's for sure.
What else, Ray?
COOCH
You boys want a soda?
SA MILES
Oh, yeah, a Coke. You buying?
COOCH
No, Ray's buying. Sherman? Coke?
SHERMAN
Oh... no. No, Cooch, I'm working on
a coffee here. Indian walk?
Cooch nods to Ray and Ray follows, gathering up some paperwork
He looks determined as a terrier.
EXT. BUFFALO BUTTE MOTEL - NIGHT
Ray and Cooch throw long, slim shadows on their way to an
archaic Coke machine.
COOCH
Genetic ditto on evidence found at
the site with evidence you found in
his belongings. An incontrovertible
motive. And definite footprints on
Jimmy Looks Twice at Maisy Blue Legs
house.
RAY
When did we get that?
COOCH
Today. And now you -- there's a dog
in the van --
RAY
-- I know. I fed it, and I can't get
rid of --
COOCH
You weren't sent here to go off on
your own detail, Ray. You were sent
here to assist in a Selective
Operations Unit. These regional agents
are inept -- that's why they were
sent out here to The Graveyard, to
Indian Country. I need you behind
me, Ray. Not pulling against me.
RAY
I'm not trying to pull against you,
Cooch. I've just been having
nightmares about the way Leo was
killed.
COOCH
Your first homicide, that's gonna
happen, Ray...
RAY
I just wanna make sure no one else
gets done in that way because we
were in bed with the wrong doer.
COOCH
Ray. I never get into bed with
somebody unless I know for sure.
Just the way I was raised.
Ray studies him with a smile building. Cooch shrugs, sips
some soda.
RAY
Alright. Alright...
COOCH
(lightly)
Yeah, alright, alright -- fuck you --
give a yuppie a badge and he wants
to take over the world. Go get a
tail on Eagle Bear, and stay with
her. Cuz Jimmy's gonna show. And I
want you to make the collar.
Ray nods, starting for the van.
COOCH
Ray.
He turns. Cooch looks at him for a time. It is a warm look.
COOCH
I'll sleep around a little.
RAY
Thanks, Cooch.
COOCH
And get rid of the dog.
Ray gets in and pulls the dog out. The dog sits at roadside,
tilting its head at him, confused. And he pulls out. It runs
after him.
EXT. DIRT ROAD NEAR EAGLE BEAR'S - RES - NIGHT
The van sits parked down the road from Maggie's dimly-lit
home. Ray sits behind the wheel, watching the house. LOCUSTS
make a steady and unnerving sound. It is black. Black under
big sky. Ray lets his head sag out the open window and he
takes in the vastness.
POV: stars. Millions of stars. And an incredible full moon.
It hangs huge over distant fields, a perfect sphere. The top
half of the moon is yellow, the bottom half a lava red.
REVERSE - RAY
stares at it, lost in thought. From Maggie's house, he hears
someone SINGING. Singing a traditional SUNDANCE SONG while
they haul water from the creek. A WOMAN'S VOICE, trilling
out the beautiful but haunting "hey-o-hey-o-hey-o-hey-ohhhhh."
Ray just sits, listening. And then something draws his
attention to his rearview mirror.
The res dog, lying in the back seat is GROWLING. Lip curled
back, growling low.
Ray looks at him, looks out the window. Blackness. Nothing
but the sound of locusts. And a slight crosswind in the wheat
fields. The dog stops growling. And Ray fixes his gaze on
the house again, lifting a pair of binoculars and --
BOOOOOOM! The rear windshield is SHATTERED by an explosion.
Ray throws himself low across the passenger seat -- BOOOOOM!
The driver's side window and part of the door explodes.
RES ROAD NEAR EAGLE BEAR'S
The federal van is HAMMERED BY GUNFIRE. All the windows,
shattered, the metal doors splayed. Someone is going for the
kill,
THE PASSENGER DOOR
is thrown open just as its window implodes, and Ray slides
out belly first, gripping his M-16 and crawling like a dog
soldier into tall wheat at roadside as the car, the road,
the wheat, the dirt, the night are slammed by gunfire.
The res dog overtakes Ray and vanishes in the wheat. Ray
vanishes, too. It is quiet for a moment, then Ray, pops up
ten feet away, and UNLOADS THE M-16, in a left to right,
clean sweep before dropping again. He lies there, listening.
The LOCUST HAVE GONE QUIET. His breath is heavy. His heart's
got to be pounding through the dirt he lays in.
RAY
(whispering)
Motherfucker.
LONG SHOT - THE ROAD
the decimated van, aerial still high. The distant lights of
Maggie's house. And the giant Moon, hovering over it all.
HEARTBEAT DRUM into --
SAME ROAD � RES - DAWN
TWENTY FEDS comb the dirt road, the wheat fields, picking up
shells with gloved hands, scanning the vast distance.
IN THE FRONT YARD of Maggie's, FOUR INDIAN CHILDREN stand
with the Old Woman, watching.
INT. LE BARON � TRAVELING � ANOTHER DIRT ROAD
Cooch, flushed in the face, mans the wheel. He wears only a
T-shirt which indicates, a desperate rush to the scene. His
eyes scan the surrounding homes and fields.
In the passenger seat, Ray sits, drinking a coffee. He looks
haggard.
COOCH
Bastards...
RAY
All I could think of was... not here.
I don't wanna eat it on an Indian
Reservation, three thousand miles
from home.
COOCH
He's out there. He's out there playing
Sitting Bull with us. I want the
motherfucker so bad I'm getting a
bleeding ulcer.
Ray turns around in his seat, looking off across dry land.
RAY
It may have been Maggie's way of
saying "get off my ass."
COOCH
She's that subtle?
RAY
Eagle's claws and a bear's balls
that's what her profile says.
COOCH
Well, she's running now, too. These
fucking people like to run, don't --
RAY
-- Cooch. Woh. Stop.
He does. Ray is turned around in his seat, staring off into
the distance.
EXT. DIRT ROAD
The Le Baron whines backward, and off the road, into some
grass Ray steps out, keeping his gaze fixed. Cooch bails
from the driver's side, joins him.
HEARTBEAT DRUM.
RAY'S POV: Four-hundred feet across a flat area of sandstone
and grass clusters, something shimmers in the undulations of
the harsh morning sun. Something of pea green and rusty
metal... glass catches sunlight and makes prisms. A car. An
old res car, sitting in a long, chasm in barely a foot of
green water.
EXT. DRY WASH - SHORT TIME LATER - PAY
Ray and Cooch go through the car, around the car, with gloved
hands and grease pencils and plastic bags, sweating in the
hot sun.
COOCH
Tread matches. It's the car.
RAY
Yes.
Excited, Ray walks off, scanning the area.
COOCH
But this doesn't make any sense,
Ray. If it's just been sitting in
this dry wash for seven days... why
the hell didn't we find it?
Ray picks up a handful of stones, sifts them in his hands.
RAY
Because this isn't a dry wash.
Cooch watches him slosh shoes first through a rut where the
water shimmers a foot deep or less.
RAY
It's the Little Walking River.
Ray turns, shucking up mud.
RAY
And it was full of water when I drove
by here three days ago. Full. I
mean... a river.
COOCH
The Little Walking River. You're
right. This is part of it. So whoever
sunk this car didn't compensate for
drought. Goddamn.
Ray doesn't hear Cooch. He stares past the SAC at the long
wide chasm, wet in some places, arid in others, and what he
hears must be an echo in his head.
RAY
Listen to the water...
Cooch is listening to a TRANSMISSION across his radio and he
walks off a few feet, exchanging information with the
REGIONALS.
Ray stands, ankle deep in stagnant water, his face sweat-
soaked, his eyes transfixed on heat undulations.
EXT. BUFFALO BUTTE MOTEL - ROOM 13 - DAY
A flat-bed tow truck drives past the motel with the killer's
car on it. Behind the truck is a fed car which stops at the
motel, and the Le Baron which also pulls in. Miles and Sherman
get out from the first car, Ray and Cooch bail from the Le
Baron.
With RADIOS TRANSMITTING, the agents walk, dusty and tired,
into room 14. Ray hesitates, snagged by the sight of --
A motorcycle parked in front of the Buffalo Butte Bar. Parked
with pick-up trucks and station wagons. It's the mud-caked
old Barley. Parked right under the NO INDIANS sign.
He puzzles over this.
INT. BUFFALO BUTTE BAR - DAY
Dark. Even during the day. Cigarette smoke. Sawdust. On the
archaic juke box, RANDY TRAVIS sings "Old 8x10" while behind
the bar, the BAR OWNER, an old man with long white hair and
beard, busies himself with leather work. SEVERAL WHITE LOCALS
sit on the old water drum bar stools.
Heads lift, turn when Ray enters in his "fraternizing" clothes --
jeans and boots, leather jacket. He scuffs up thick sawdust
as he heads to the furthest booth back where --
Crow Horse sits, alone over a bourbon and a beer. Ray
approaches carefully, upset by the sight. He slides into the
booth and point blanks the Indian.
CROW HORSE
Agent Little Weasel, Federal Bura of
your Imagination.
RAY
Jesus Christ. You're hammered. What
are you doing?
CROW HORSE
You're right about the old man. His
power's long dried up. He's supposed
to be a medicine man but he won't go
see the people. He says we changed,
and we don't listen. Well, he don't
go out and talk no more. I haven't
had a drink in three years but I
just turned my sobriety chip into
that man behind the bar, and this
Hoss is gettin' watered.
RAY
Cut the shit. You shouldn't be in
here, Man.
CROW HORSE
Cuz I'm a skin?
RAY
Cuz you're a cop.
CROW HORSE
Not no more.
RAY
What are you talking about?
CROW HORSE
You tell me. You tell me who went to
the B.I.A. -- Bureau of Indian
Annihilation and said I was messin'
with your case, man. I don't give a
goddamn about your case.
RAY
And I don't give a goddamn about
whether you wear a badge or not,
Crow Horse, but I didn't cut you.
Crow Horse shimmers his black eyes onto Ray.
CROW HORSE
Still after Jimmy?
RAY
They found prints at Blue Legs' place.
CROW HORSE
Yeah. Jimmy's prints are there. But
they cross over Benjamin Black Star's
prints. And he wasn't there until
six o'clock the mornin' after to get
eggs from the chickens. So Jimmy
wasn't there til the next day. Follow?
Ray just looks vacantly at Crow Horse. Crow Horse resents
the vacancy.
CROW HORSE
Look, man... you better bust Jimmy
and get out before somebody shoots
up more than your car next time.
Ray glares at him.
RAY
Next time I'll be ready. You get the
word to who ever it is.
CROW HORSE
I can't, Hoss. I don't talk to FBI's.
Ray doesn't blink.
CROW HORSE
You think you was sent here cuz you're
a good cop?
RAY
No. I was sent here cuz I'm Indian.
And a good cop.
Crow Horse leans toward Ray and speaks more quietly.
CROW HORSE
You ever think that maybe you was
sent here cuz the FBI's need one
good reason to take out the entire
Warrior Movement. And what better
reason than one of their men, gettin'
blown away on the res. A low-rent,
expendable public servant sent in to
take a bullet for his country.
Ray is fuming. He can't believe what he's hearing, what's
being insinuated, but he's giving it thought and it's getting
him angry. He smashes a hand down on the table.
RAY
I'm sick of your shit --
RANCHER (O.S.)
I'm sick of the two of ya timber
niggers spewin' off.
Standing over the booth is a long, tall RANCHER'S SON. Rangey
with red curly hair tucked under a BLACK HILLS CLASSIC cap,
and arms built by tractor work. And behind him, TWO OLDER
RANCHERS fall in. And ANOTHER YOUNG MAN, grinning with
amusement.
Ray and Crow Horse look up.
CROW HORSE
Sorry, we don't speak United States.
RANCHER'S SON
Yeah, well I do. Get the Jesus up,
and get the Jesus out or I'm gonna
go out to my truck and come back
with my hardware.
RAY
Woh, hold on there, Jack, you're --
RANCHER'S SON
-- don't "jack" me, Squanto. I'll
bury your lazy ass right here.
Ray realizes now that they think he's Indian, too. Crow Horse
sees this revelation and complicates it by suddenly speaking
LAKOTA to Ray.
The rancher grabs Ray by the cheeks.
RANCHER'S SON
I'm talkin' to --
Ray decks him. Backhands him in the solar plexus then, lays
a burner of a Quantico roundhouse to his ear, knocking him
across the bar, over a mop and bucket and into sawdust.
The others start to fall at him but someone has jumped in,
holding them back, and sticking himself in the way. It is
Brooks. The old timer Ray met his first night here.
BROOKS
No! No, you butt holes! He ain't
skin! He AIN'T SKIN!
CROW HORSE
Yeah he's In'dn. Miniconjou Sioux.
The rancher's son who is coming back with a broken beer
bottle, slows his step and shifts his eyes from Brooks to
the young fed There is a lot of heavy breathing. But no
talking just yet. The young rancher eyes Ray.
RANCHER'S SON
You ain't Indian?
Ray just stands tense, staring at him. And it's strange.
Because he hasn't really looked like he has any Indian blood
up to this moment. But dressed the way he is, and his eyes
glaring, face drawing tense, he might pass for a breed
although that's probably the Italian. But Ray doesn't answer
the question. Crow Horse starts laughing. Drunkenly.
OLDER RANCHER
What's so damn funny?
CROW HORSE
Well, it's just that the cavalry
used to always threaten the Lakota.
The cavalry ain't around anymore.
The Lakota still are.
RANCHER'S SON
I got no trouble tellin' where you
come from, Fat Red.
Crow Horse rises and walks unsteadily across the floor,
leaving the bar. Brooks is whispering to the others,
apparently about who Ray is. The bar man comes up to Ray,
holding a tray, on which sits a shot and a beer. Ray looks
at it for a moment.
BAR MAN
Sorry. On the house.
Ray knocks the tray out of his hand, spilling beer and whiskey
all over the bar man and the locals around him.
And he walks out, leaving the locals confused.
INT. LE BARON - TRAVELING - RES - DAY
Ray looks strung-out as he drives. If it's not the conflict
at the Butte, it's the dangerous seed Crow Horse planted,
and it is playing with his mind. He is on his RADIO.
RAY
No plates. No registration. Serial
numbers removed. And all prints washed
off by the river. That's great. This
is turning out to be a walk in the
park, do you know that?
RADIO
(woman agent)
Come back?
RAY
Never mind.
But before he hangs the radio. IT CUTS BACK IN.
RADIO
Ray. X22.
RAY
I read, Cooch.
RADIO
Remember that upside down flag back
at Jimmy's house? Somebody took it
down.
RAY
Good.
RADIO
They took it down, set fire to it,
and threw it on the doorstep of room
13 at the Buffalo Butte Motel. Your
room.
Ray seethes quietly as he drives.
RADIO
We traced the number of the truck
that dumped it, and it belongs to
one Maggie Sanders, also known as
Maggie Eagle Bear. She's been all
over the res, riling up the
traditionals, telling them not to
break, and to keep Jimmy in hiding.
She's a problem now. And she's yours.
Get her off the reservation.
Ray keeps driving.
EXT. WOUNDED KNEE MEMORIAL - DAY
Maggie's old pick-up is parked near an arch gate of the tiny
cemetery where a tall monument is fenced off from other graves
There are tobacco offerings and other medicines hanging on
the fence and on the monument.
It is a quiet place. Still.
Maggie stands before the unkempt monument in her denim jacket,
her hair blowing across her face in the wind. She PRAYS IN
LAKOTA.
Behind her TEN CHILDREN from the Bear Creek School stand,
heads bowed respectfully. Two of them sit on the lap of
Richard Yellow Bird who looks on from his wheelchair, praying
quietly with Maggie. When Maggie completes her prayer, she
ties some tobacco to the monument then turns and faces the
children. One of them, a LITTLE GIRL -- heavy-set -- raises
a hand that we might note is deformed. As many of the children
we have seen on the res, are.
LITTLE GIRL
Are they all right under here?
MAGGIE
Two-hundred and sixty-seven men,
women, old people. And little ones
like you. Many killed running along
that road you see there.
LITTLE BOY
Where were they runnin' to?
MAGGIE
A place called The Stronghold.
(a beat)
They died for a dream. But you live.
You are their great-great
grandchildren and you live. We have
to honor their dream. Of protecting
the Mother Earth. And being proud of
being Indian.
LITTLE BOY
My mother told me that they call us
Indians cuz Columbus was lookin' for
India when he discovered our country.
Maggie smiles at the boy.
MAGGIE
Yeah, well, let me tell you something,
Henry: just be glad he wasn't looking
for Turkey.
The CHILDREN LAUGH. All but one boy, who isn't paying
attention. He is staring up at a hill, off in the distance.
MAGGIE'S POV: on the hill, a figure stands, hands in his
pockets, hair blowing in the wind. Ray.
REVERSE - MAGGIE
keeping her eyes on the Wasi'cu, but addressing Yellow Bird.
MAGGIE
Richard. Sing the Honoring Song with
them. I'll be right back.
ON THE HILL
Ray stands, watching Maggie walking into the wind, toward
him. Behind her an HONORING SONG, sung by ten children haunts
the still air.
He doesn't budge as she mounts the gentle bluff and joins
him there.
MAGGIE
We're praying at the grave. Do you
wanna join us?
A long silence. The voices carry in the wind.
RAY
No, Maggie. But you're gonna have to
join me for a ride. I'm taking you
to Rapid City.
Maggie looks at him. They lock eyes.
MAGGIE
So much power. I see it in your eyes.
This... hunger for power. Or for
what you think is power.
As if exhausted by the thought, Maggie sits down on the bluff,
looking out at the children who are still singing the song.
As she speaks, she begins digging her fingers in the earth.
Ray stands over her.
RAY
You burned an American flag today.
And left it for me...
MAGGIE
-- You desecrated it, it had to be
burned.
RAY
I desecrated it?
MAGGIE
You forced an innocent man to run
like an animal. You've tried to poison
my people's hearts against me with
your manipulation, with letters I
never wrote... you've been watching
me eat, work, raise my family...
wash myself in the river. And now
you're here, arresting me at a sacred
place.
(a beat)
In your eyes, that's power.
Maggie lifts herself onto her knees and looks down into the
small hole she's dug. She picks up a little pine cone.
MAGGIE
So I plant this tree for you. And I
take all this stuff that you've laid
on me and my people, and I put it in
this hole with this pine cone.
(she covers it)
And I bury it. Cuz ya know what it
is, Ray? Bullshit. And shit is
fertilizer.
(she stands)
And The Mother will turn your lies
into something that lives.
Maggie rises, dusting off her hands. She looks him in the
soul.
MAGGIE
That's what power is, in the Indian
way.
(holds her hands out
to be cuffed)
Take me to Rapid, Ray. I'm the enemy.
Ray just stares at her, struggling with what he's feeling,
what he's hearing. What he's supposed to be feeling. Silence
hangs between the two of them.
RAY
If I told you... that I think Jimmy's
innocent... but I'm in over my head...
would you believe me?
Maggie looks at him, considering. Then toward the long dark
silhouette of a mountain range across the plains.
MAGGIE
See those Black Hills out there,
Ray? When the people lost the land
in 1868, the government took
everything but those hills. They
allowed us to keep those Black Hills,
to live there. Signed a treaty. Until
they found gold. Then they told us
we had to leave because of National
interest. They broke that treaty.
Anyone who fought or spoke out against
it, wound up dead or in jail. And
the people wound up here. On a
reservation.
While she looks off at Paha Sapa, Ray stares at her profile.
MAGGIE
While up there, in the Black Hills...
they carved the faces of four
presidents.
She looks at Ray with an ironic smile, and she catches him
transfixed.
MAGGIE
Your relatives must've taught you
something.
RAY
NO.
(after thought)
My father never told anybody he had
Indian blood. But he still used a
few Indian words around the house.
He called me Washee. Said it meant...
good boy.
Maggie starts giggling.
RAY
What?
MAGGIE
Wa-shee is like... a dumpling. Like
tallow we put in stew. I think he
was calling you chubby boy.
RAY
Great.
Maggie is laughing as she looks back at the children who are
no longer singing. Ray reaches inside his jacket and takes
out five polaroids. He shuffles them as he ponders. He hands
one to Maggie who has caught herself opening up too much to
the Wasi'cu.
RAY
You ever see that car before?
Maggie looks at the first photo and says nothing. She hands
it back quickly. Ray won't take it.
RAY
Who's it belong to?
Maggie ignores him. Ray studies her reaction.
RAY
Help me, Maggie...
Maggie is looking away. She picks a long blade of grass and
smoothes it in her hands.
Ray looks at her a moment longer then rises, dusting off his
jeans, and standing there. He thinks for a long moment,
pinches the bridge of his nose, then looks out at the Black
Hills, pensive.
RAY
I didn't see you today, Maggie.
(a beat)
Goodbye.
Maggie watches him go. Looks away. Then watches him again.
MAGGIE
Goodbye... Wa-shee.
Ray stops. She stands on the bluff, her hair riding the wind
and her eyes searing. And then her lips do something that
might qualify as half a smile. A sense of humor rising up
through anger. Survival humor.
Ray looks at her for a long moment. And then he walks on,
leaving her there.
INT. LE BARON - PARKED AT WOUNDED KNEE - DAY
Ray sits behind the wheel, going through files on his lap,
photographs of Indians. And thinking hard.
RAY
Anyone who fought or spoke out against
it... wound up dead or in jail.
Ray looks out the window toward the monument.
RAY
(to himself, flustered)
That was 1868, Maggie...
Exhausted, Ray lays his head back on the seat, and lets a
long, constricted breath free. THUNDER ROLLS like the slow,
deep roar of some giant bear up in the hills. He opens his
eyes, looks out the window.
POV: rain is coming down, and Maggie is getting the children
into the back of her truck. She helps them get a tarp over
their heads. Then as Yellow Bird pulls himself into the cab
of the truck, she hefts the wheelchair and two boys load it
in.
She gets in, starts up, and rolls off down the sloping road.
EXT. LE BARON - WOUNDED KNEE � STRANGE TWILIGHT
Ray steps out of the car into the rain and closes the door.
He stares at the burial grounds. Then slowly, he starts toward
them as if magnetically drawn. HEARTBEAT DRUM.
A shroud of mist lays over the cemetery, growing thicker as
the rain falls harder. DRUM BEATS DEEPER. Ray is walking
toward the memorial, getting drenched. Then he hears something
strange. HOOFBEATS.
RAY'S POV:
coming down the dirt road, toward him, a HORSEMAN drives his
mount at a fast trot. The rider is only a vague image in the
mist, his face hidden. As he rides closer, we can make out a
shotgun in his hand. And he throws it up, takes aim.
REVERSE - RAY
paralyzed for a moment. And then going for his gun. But it's
not there. He's left it in the car. He breaks into a run.
But there's a shorter distance now between the horseman and
the car and Ray has no choice but to turn and flee.
His boots slap wet pavement, and his breath draws heavy and
desperate as he bounds off the road and races down a grassy
slope, looking over his shoulder, panicking.
His legs and arms churning, his face contorted. And then
someone passes him out, running just as hard. AN INDIAN WOMAN
in 1890 Winter rags, clutching a BABY to her breast and
CRYING. SCREAMING. Ray looks at her, incredulous as he runs.
But he keeps running.
The rider is right behind him. He FIRES. The GUNSHOT CRACKS
the sky like thunder. BOOOOM!
INT. LE BARON � TWILIGHT
Ray jumps awake. Cooch is POUNDING on the window. And the
three-legged dog inside is BARKING. Ray quickly rolls the
window down, letting in THUNDER.
Cooch starts to say something then takes note of Ray's peaked
face. Sweat runs down his temples, beads at his nose.
COOCH
Jesus, you alright?
RAY
Yeah. I... I fell asleep. I can't
believe it. I --
COOCH
Never turn your radio off! I thought
I was gonna find you scalped! Damn
it!
RAY
Sorry, Cooch. I lost Eagle Bear --
COOCH
-- never mind Eagle Bear. We've got
Jimmy nailed. Let's go!
And Cooch runs to his car. Ray fires the car's big engine
and takes off behind Cooch who is driving a fed Chevy. CRAZY
HEARTBEAT DRUM INTO --
EXT. GRANDPA REACHES TRATLER - LATE DAY
The rain pelts Grandpa's little Airstream trailer, wind snaps
at sheet plastic in the windows. An ancient sewing wheel
CREAKS RUSTY in the wind.
Three clean, late-model fed cars pull down the muddy drive
as two SWAT vehicles pull in from another road. The Le Baron
pulls in, and Ray bails out with the others. When he sees
where he is, he looks distraught.
Agents are running behind junked cars, positioning themselves
around the trailer.
INT. GRANDPA REACHES TRAILER � LATE DAY
The holy man is sitting in his chair, smacking Flies with a
swatter. Tonight he wears a black reservation hat and stares
vacantly at the TV where RONALD MACDONALD swings a giant
baseball bat, and falls on his face, bouncing back up. And
then BOOM!
The door is open and Cooch leads Miles, Sherman and Ray
inside. Cooch has a gun on the old man.
COOCH
HANDS ON YOUR HEAD!
The old man slowly removes his hat and hangs it on a knee.
Carefully he places his wrinkled hands on his thinning white
hair. His eyes seek out Ray who stands in the doorway, M-16
in hand, looking concerned. He stares at Ray.
Cooch storms into a back bedroom, Miles moves to a window.
Sherman stands over the old man.
SHERMAN
Where is he, Sam? Where's Jimmy?
Grandpa looks at Sherman, ignores him, looks back at Ray.
SHERMAN
He's a medicine man, Ray. The
"spiritual leader" of the Warriors.
That right, Sam?
With RADIO TRANSMISSIONS crackling through the house, Cooch
comes back down the hall, and heads to the door.
COOCH
Trailer's clean, let's go.
Ray starts to follow but he sees Sherman pick something up
from near Grandpa. The 500 year-old turtleshell rattle.
Grandpa's eyes widen slightly.
SHERMAN
You been the one making it rain like
that, out there, Sam?
RAY
Hey, put that down.
SHERMAN
Can you make Jimmy outrun an M-16,
Sam?
RAY
Sherman!
Sherman drops the turtleshell rattle on the linoleum floor.
Then drives his heel into it, CRUSHING the fragile
turtleshell.
Ray grabs him and slams him into the tin wall. Miles gets
between them, grabbing Sherman.
MILES
EASY, MEN! HEY! --
RADIO
HE'S ON THE ROOF! HE'S ON THE FUCKING
ROOF! COME ON GUYS, COME ON, GUYS!
They're out the door, leaving the old man to sit looking
down at the shattered rattle. He closes his eyes.
EXT. GRANDPA REACHES TRAILER
In a blizzard of rain, Jimmy Looks Twice in a cowboy shirt,
jeans and boots, leaps off the top of the Airstream, clutching
his medicine bundle. FLOODLIGHTS HIT him from all directions.
BULLHORNS screaming at him.
He tries to turn a corner and runs right into a fed. Ray,
having run out the back door has slammed right into him. He
has his rifle on him, and they stare each other down for a
split second before he is converged on. Guns at his back, at
his head.
He is swept off his feet, face down, and frisked. He looks
up at Ray, desperately.
LOOKS TWICE
Brother, the old man told me about
you. Listen to me: what was Leo trying
to tell me? He wanted to meet me at
Maisy --
Another fed, pushes his face into the mud, cuffs him behind
his back.
FED
Save your speeches for prison, Jimmy.
With two FIVE MAN SWAT TEAMS swarming the area, and six agents
pushing Jimmy toward a car, Cooch stands there in the pouring
rain, looking relieved. Ray stands near him, looking abhorred.
COOCH
Damn. That's one hard running Indian.
Ray watches Jimmy as he is shoved into the back of Miles and
Sherman's car and driven away. He is twisting around in his
seat to look at Ray. Desperately. The SWAT teams disband,
return to their vehicles.
COOCH
It's over, Ray. I aged five years.
But it's over. At least I'm gonna
look like I'm ready for the advisory
desk. Let's go get a beer.
Cooch heads to his car and Ray starts shuffling toward his
as if he is dared by it all. He is looking at the trailer
and there on the rickety porch is Grandpa. He comes down the
steps slowly, holding his hat on against the wind. He watches
the cars pulling out.
Ray walks over to him, looking sick.
RAY
Look... I'm not who you think I am.
(a long beat)
I'm sorry.
And after a moment of locking gazes, he starts for his car,
GRANDPA
Out back that way... is a placed
called Wounded Knee.
Ray turns.
GRANDPA
I was one years old there when our
people were shot down. My mother hid
me in the snow in a blanket. One of
those killed was a Holy Man called
Wakiyan Cante -- Thunder Heart. They
killed him while he was running for
The Stronghold. It is his blood --
the same blood that spilled on the
grass and snow at Wounded Knee --
that runs through your heart like a
buffalo.
Ray frowns, disturbed by this story.
The old man is speaking with conviction. With power.
GRANDPA
Thunder Heart has come. Sent here to
a troubled place to help his people.
That's what I am told. Maybe you're
right and I am mistaken. Your mind
is young, mine is old. If so, so be
it. Ho Hecetu Yelo. I'll speak no
more.
Ray stands, almost paralyzed, digesting this. He turns and
looks into the old man's sharp eyes. Grandpa has closed his
eyes, and as he is pulverized by the rain, he turns his face
toward it and from way down in his belly, he begins to SING
IN LAKOTA. And it is too much. Too weird. He wheels and
hurries to the car. Gets in, and beats a fast path out of
the old man's lonesome patch of land.
BLUE HEAT LIGHTNING knifes the sky. THUNDER ROLLS, and rumbles
into POOL BALLS --
EXT. BUFFALO BUTTE MOTEL AND BAR - LATE DAY
The agents have taken over both sides of the streets, gathered
in front of the bar and the motel, putting firearms into
cases, removing flak jackets.
POOL BALLS knock from inside the bar while outside, A DAKOTAN
takes a piss near a truck while his GIRLFRIEND stands at his
back, yelling at him. CHARLIE DANIELS sings country on the
juke Ray heads to room 13, starts unlocking the door. Cooch
comes up behind him.
COOCH
Buffalo burgers and cold beer,
Raymond. Don't worry about the sign
out front... you don't have to be
Indian anymore.
Cooch throws a mock punch at Ray and he mock blocks, tired.
He musters a smile. But he isn't all there.
COOCH
You have a fever. You okay?
Ray nods. Cooch lets a few agents walk past, LAUGHING. He
speaks quietly.
COOCH
Listen: when we get back tomorrow,
you're gonna find Tully laying a
promotion on you. S.A.C. He wants to
prove that his yuppie agents are
making good. He's offering you New
York. Tell him you want Atlanta.
RAY
Why?
COOCH
Cuz I want New York.
Ray tries to break a smile again. Cooch cups his arm.
RAY
Cooch. They sent us out here because
the place was being neglected. Now,
all of a sudden, there's two five
man SWAT teams out there tonight.
Bell Huey choppers flying all over
the place. Federal occupation to
catch one guy. Why, Cooch? What's
going on?
Cooch stares at Ray. The younger agent looks like he indeed
has a fever.
COOCH
National security, Ray. Get some
sleep. Tomorrow, we fly.
Cooch hurries across the rain-swept street. Ray steps inside
and closes the door.
INT. ROOM 13 - BUFFALO BUTTE MOTEL
Ray closes the door, and stands there. He seems to be having
trouble breathing. He looks down at his boots. There is
something on the floor. Something that has been slipped under
the door earlier. He just stares down at it. Then slowly
stoops.
CLOSE ON: the polaroid of the res car he gave to Maggie
earlier. She
has returned it. He turns it over. Written across the white
backing of the photo, in dark black marker is the name --
YELLOW BIRD.
Ray stares at this for a moment then hurries over to boxes
of files on the bed. He rummages like a nervous thief and
comes up with a folder. He flips through it, casting off
files and 302's and profiles and finally stopping on --
The 8x10 BLACK AND WHITE of Richard Yellow Bird seen earlier.
Sitting in his wheelchair, Red Power cap on, tattoos marring
big arms. And under it a DOUBLE MUG SHOT stamped LEAVENWORTH
PRISON. Under that ANOTHER PRISON MUG SHOT stamped SIOUX
FALLS PRISON. And under that a --
THIRD MUG SHOT stamped "PAROLED."
Ray, his eyes fixed on this one, takes a few steps and sits
on the end of the bed. He then stuffs the file back in a
box, and takes off toward the door.
EXT. RESERVATION ROAD - SUNSET
The Le Baron throws up loose rock and red dust, driving toward
a place where the sun begins a slow drop behind the Black
Hills. HORSES run out of the road. HEARTBEAT DRUM.
EXT. MULE DEER DISTRICT � RES - SUNSET
A tarpaper shack. Outhouse. Clothesline on which jerked meat
hangs. No cars. A lonely, unnerving place. Le Baron pulls
in. Ray gets out, adjusting the gun at the back of his
waistband. He starts for the shack. Ray raps a fist on the
splintered plywood door. Knocks again. He checks out a boarded-
up window. The door finally opens. Just a crack. Tiny black
eyes peer out into the fading light.
RAY
I'm looking for Richard Yellow Bird.
Ray sticks his open badge, gold eagle wings, near the crack.
The door closes. Then unlatches and opens. Yellow Bird sits
there in his wheelchair, tiny tobacco bundles in his lap.
He's been tying them.
YELLOW BIRD
The Washington Redskin. Thought you'd
be gone by now.
He pivots his chair to allow Ray room to enter.
INT. YELLOW BIRD SHACK
Yellow Bird, in a T-shirt that reveals twenty different ink
tattoos, rolls himself across the warped floorboards to a
cheese crate where his eye glasses sit. He puts the thick
bifocals on and focuses resentfully on Ray in the ochre
flicker of the dirty room.
YELLOW BIRD
What ya want?
RAY
Must be a bitch getting around in
that wheelchair. How long you been
in it?
YELLOW BIRD
Since I got a iron pipe put across
my knees, man. Fight with three
wasi'cus, ya know.
RAY
At Sioux Falls Pen?
YELLOW BIRD
No, that was Leavenworth. This --
(shows a scar)
was Sioux Falls. What ya want?
RAY
Leavenworth a tough joint?
Ray walks across the room, his eyes on a covert mission.
YELLOW BIRD
You ever try solitary confinement?
RAY
No. Can't say that I have, Richard.
Richard do you know why I'm here?
YELLOW BIRD
Washington sent ya. I know that.
RAY
Yes, Washington sent me, Richard.
They sent me here because this whole
thing has been fucked. Do you know
what I mean when I say this whole
thing has been fucked, Richard?
Yellow Bird stares at Ray.
RAY
An arrangement was made between you...
and us. Do you remember that
arrangement?
Yellow Bird looks at Ray, strangely, shaking his head. Ray
starts to look like maybe the game's not working. Like maybe
this doesn't add up. But --
YELLOW BIRD
I'm here, ain't I?
Ray lets a tense breath out.
RAY
Not for long, Richard. You got early
parole under the stipulation that
you would help us in a situation,
and you didn't deliver.
YELLOW BIRD
What the fuck you talkin' about?
Ray sits in a busted chair, reaches down to his ankle holster
and pulls out a .38. He holds it, resting it on the arm of
the chair. He strains to look out through the boarded window.
Yellow Bird fidgets in his chair.
RAY
Get up out of the chair, Richard.
YELLOW BIRD
What's with you people? Why do ya
have to fuck with my head all the
time? I came through, man.
RAY
Get up out of the chair, and walk
toward the backdoor, Richard.
YELLOW BIRD
(not moving)
I get thrown in solitary until I
don't know my own fuckin' name, and
then you people tell me I can beat
nine years if I help you. I helped
you!
RAY
Get up!
Yellow Bird stands. He takes a step forward. Limping. He's
got leg problems but he can walk. Heels first. And bowed.
But he can walk. He is shaking.
YELLOW BIRD
They said I'd never see FBI again,
and I'm livin' with you fuckers. I
don't feed ya information on the
Warriors, it's back to the pen. I
don't do this, back to the pen. Your
word against my word. Against a con
Indian's word. I really got a chance,
man, right?
RAY
They sent me here, Richard because
they said you didn't hold up your
end of the arrangement, and I have
to transport you back to Leavenworth.
YELLOW BIRD
(crying)
What the fuck, man? What do you people
want? I did what you wasi'cu's told
me to do.
RAY
Leo Fast Elk... is alive.
Yellow Bird wheels.
YELLOW BIRD
No way. No fuckin' way.
RAY
How the hell do you know?
YELLOW BIRD
I blew his back out with a buffalo
gun, that's how I know! Now you're
gonna say I didn't, so you can throw
me back in solitary?
Ray is trying hard not to reveal his horror at this
confession, at this understanding of the machinery. He sits
there with his gun, blinking away sweat that beads at his
brow. Yellow Bird is weeping in a highpitched voice that
doesn't match his great bulk.
RAY
The men who came to see you at
Leavenworth. The one's who made the
arrangement... who were they? Maybe
I can talk to them.
YELLOW BIRD
Miles. Three other suits. That's all
I know 'em as -- suits. Were you
there?
RAY
You turned Leo over on his face. But
the coyotes must've turned him back
over, man, cuz his spirit is out.
It's out, and it knows.
YELLOW BIRD
What do you know about spirits? You
ain't no In'dn.
RAY
Leo knew something heavy and was
trying to tell Jimmy. But you must
not know how serious it was or you
would have delivered. Do you realize
what Leo could have told Jimmy?! Do
you?!
YELLOW BIRD
I took him out before he got the
chance. He didn't say nothin' about
Tashka Sha. And now his spirit is in
the dirt. Forever.
RAY
What's Tashka Sha, speak English,
speak English!
YELLOW BIRD
Red Deer Table! What's with you,
man?
Ray grabs onto these words, rolls them silently on his lips
And now Yellow Bird is getting suspicious of the fed.
YELLOW BIRD
Wait a minute. Wait -- what are you
doin'? You ain't a FBI. You ain't
the law. Let me see your --
Ray snaps out his gun, straight-armed.
RAY
I'm the fucking law!
Yellow Bird jumps back, raising his hands.
RAY
Keep talking, Yellow Bird...
YELLOW BIRD
All I know... is I did what I did...
and I ain't in solitary, gettin'
pumped up with downer, gettin' beat
to shit. But I tell you what, Suit.
Take me back. Cuz I can't take this
shit no more.
And then HEADLIGHTS pierce the gaps in the boarded windows.
Yellow Bird collapses against the wall, bangs his head off
it. He lets a long, pained, cry escape from under his breath
and he begins a slow slide down the wall, to the floor.
Ray peers out the cracks in the boards.
YELLOW BIRD
Man, I don't know who the fuck I am
no more.
Ray gets up, putting his gun away and heading to the door.
He stops and looks back at the Indian, sitting on the floor,
clutching his knees, staring into the kerosene flicker.
RAY
You and me both.
Yellow Bird looks at him, his glasses foggy, his face
contorted And Ray leaves.
EXT. YELLOW BIRD'S SHACK - NIGHT
Ray steps out into the falling night. There is a car parked
there. With a high aerial. Ray raises a hand in a slight
wave, walks on. At the fed car, A REGIONAL AGENT behind the
wheel, waves a hand. Watches Ray get into the Le Baron.
Ray gets in the car and takes off.
LE BARON - TRAVELING
Ray drives like a crazy man through the dark reservation.
Through miles of open land and strange rock formations. And
he looks trapped. HEADLIGHTS flicker in his rearview. He
sees this. Slams the gas pedal.
EXT. RES ROADS - NIGHT
The Le Baron races at 85 down the dirt stretch. A moment
later a car rattles by at 90.
INT. LE BARON - TRAVELING
Ray reaches over to the passenger seat and pulls up the M-
16. He lays it across his lap. Looks in the rearview again.
Then makes a sudden sharp turn.
He pulls off the road quickly, throwing up dust into the
already foggy night, the car goes out of control.
EXT. WOUNDED KNEE MEMORIAL - NIGHT
The car that was following drives right past the narrow layby,
hidden by grassy slopes and keeps flying down the long
stretch.
INT. LE BARON
Ray skids through the dirt, trying to stop -- he can't --
and the Le Baron fishtails, smashing into a chain-link fence.
And coming to a stop.
Breathing as if he's been running not driving, Ray looks
behind him to make sure he lost the car. He did. When he
turns back to his wheel, he sees --
THROUGH THE CHAINLINK FENCE
lit by his headlights: THE WOUNDED KNEE gravesite. He is
right up on the arch, and the tall stone marker beyond it.
EXT. WOUNDED KNEE MEMORIAL - NIGHT
The Le Baron just sits parked, headlights making the night
fog crawl up from the base of the old tomb, along the fence.
The driver's door opens slowly. And Ray steps out. He walks
through the arch. Into the small fenced area. Up to the stone
which is overgrown with stubborn weeds, half-hidden in mist.
Ray studies the tomb.
POV: THE NAMES ON THE STONE ARE CHISELED VERTICALLY:
CHIEF STANDING BEAR
MR. HIGH HAWK
AFRAID OF BEAR
Weeds are grown up over the rest of the names. Ray's hands
clear them, grab at them and rip them away from more names:
PRETTY HAWK
BLUE AMERICAN
SHERMAN HORN CLOUD
With frantic abandon, Ray is ripping weeds away. He drops to
his knees, clearing weeds.
STRONG FOX
THUNDER HEART
MOVING DOWN and then suddenly back up to the name:
THUNDER HEART
REVERSE ON - RAY
kneeling in the weeds, the wind getting restless around him,
screaming the way plains winds do but only these winds are
filled with a whistling. What sounds like EAGLE BONE WHISTLES,
piping shrill.
Ray kneels before the marker, staring at the name on the
stone, his hair thrown around by the wind that drives across
the grass, whistling eagles, building to an unbearable, pitch.
Ray stares at the name as if he is looking through a small
hole into another world. A world that frightens him. He gets
up and backs away from the stone, through the gate. And gets
back in his car, quickly. He takes off.
EXT. MAGGIE EAGLE BEAR'S HOUSE - NIGHT
The little home on the river. Dark. Empty. Ray runs up the
steps, pounds at the door. No answer. Pounds again.
RAY
Maggie!
He keeps knocking. Nothing. He hurries back down the steps,
starts around the back of the house and something attacks
him, leaps at him from the dark, knocking him off his feet,
into the grass. Hits him again.
But as quickly as he falls, he rolls, throwing up his hands
and blocking a savage kick aimed for his face. He traps the
boot, twists it and drops the attacker onto his back. In a
matter of seconds, he is on top of the man, sticking his gun
in his throat. He grabs a flashlight from his jacket and
shines it in the man's face.
Crow Horse. Breathing like a wild animal.
CROW HORSE
Five-hundred year old turtleshell
rattle...
RAY
Crow Horse, listen --
CROW HORSE
Where's Maggie? Where'd ya take her.
RAY
Nowhere. I'm trying to find her.
CROW HORSE
You got Jimmy. Let her go.
RAY
Crow Horse, listen. You have to come
with me.
CROW HORSE
Why? So you can get rid of me, too?
RAY
No. So we can do what the old man
said. Red Deer Table, Walter. We
have to go.
Crow Horse lies there, breathing heavy. Ray on top of him,
still clutching his gun.
INT. LE BARON - TRAVELING - NIGHT
Ray and Crow Horse are quiet as they eat up the dirt roads.
CROW HORSE
Maybe the old man's visions are still
strong.
Ray nods, concentrating. After a time:
RAY
Do they come in dreams, these visions?
CROW HORSE
Oh yeah. Dreams. Sometimes durin'
sickness. Vision quest. Sweat Lodge.
Ya never know when.
RAY
Just before we caught Jimmy... I had
a dream that I was being chased. And
I was running with other people. Old-
fashion Indian people. I got shot in
the back. Like Leo.
When Crow Horse doesn't respond, Ray looks over and finds
him staring. He looks back to the road. And when he looks
back at Crow Horse, he is still staring at him.
CROW HORSE
Where was this?
RAY
At Wounded Knee. I mean, that's where
I was, and that's where the dream
was. Why?
CROW HORSE
You were running with the old ones.
At The Knee. Heavy duty.
RAY
Well, it was just a dream, I --
CROW HORSE
Sonuvabuck! What's with you, Man?
Who are you?
RAY
What do you mean?
CROW HORSE
Nothin'. Forget it.
Crow Horse looks out the window as if to avoid Ray who is
confused by the Indian's smoldering. After a moment, Crow
Horse looks at him.
CROW HORSE
You had a vision. You had yourself a
vision. A man waits a long time for
a vision. Might go his whole lifetime
and never get one. And along comes
some instant Indian with a Mastercard
and brand-new shoes, has himself a
vision.
RAY
Sorry.
CROW HORSE
I'm a full-blood Oglala.
RAY
We've driven a long way. Where is
this place?
CROW HORSE
Maybe it was just a dream. Ya know,
just one of them, what do ya call
'em, fitful dreams?
RAY
Yeah. Fitful dreams.
Crow Horse feels better. He looks out the window, nodding.
But it doesn't last long.
CROW HORSE
Bullshit. You had a vision. You got
sign from the old ones.
RAY
What the hell do you want me to do?!
CROW HORSE
Stop.
Ray brakes. Crow Horse is looking past him. Ray turns. The
spectacular mesa that we have admired with every sunrise,
looms massive now that we are under it. Moonlight falls on
it. And the HEARTBEAT DRUM pulses from it.
EXT. WHERE-THE-ELK-PEOPLE-USED-TO-LIVE - NIGHT
The land behind Red Deer Table is Badlands. Badlands pierced
by a few rutted old wagon roads. At a place between two
grotesque buttes, Crow Horse stops, looking uneasy.
He digs into his pocket, pulls out some loose tobacco and
spills it on the ground. Then he walks on.
Ray observes this, starting forward, then stopping long enough
to fish a cigarette out from his pocket and drop it next to
Crow Horse's offering.
THROUGH THE BADLANDS
Ray and Crow Horse walk, carefully under a full moon, scanning
the area. Crow Horse stops, checks out some tracks. Ray walks
on, looking up at the table. He shines his flashlight up and
it illuminates --
A RED RIBBON, tied on stakes on a ridge. Ten stakes. Twenty
stakes. Ribbons blowing in the wind.
RAY
What's that?
CROW HORSE
Ain't prayer flags, that's for sure.
Ray sweeps the light along, walking faster, and then something
frightening occurs. Something... some unseen thing snags him
by the leg, sucking him into the Earth with a horrible GUSHING
SOUND.
Ray is drawn into a hole up to his hips, a bluish-black slime,
oozing out around him. Crow Horse grabs him, struggling to
pull him up. He does, stumbling back and stepping into a
hole himself.
The two men are wheeling, throwing flashlight beams around,
slapping through a wet jelly, and finally getting their
bearings.
Ray touches the ground where a blue-black chemical solution
oozes out with water from the aquifer below. His flashlight
scans --
TWENTY DRILLED HOLES IN THE EARTH. A uranium strip-mining
grid laid out in a 50 x 60 pattern. The far side is fenced
by flagged stakes.
RAY
Jesus. Oil?
CROW HORSE
Uranium. Test holes. Somebody came
in from the Nebraska side, and did
some shotgun testin'. They're gettin'
ready to suck this baby dry.
RAY
1868...
CROW HORSE
What?
RAY
That's what we're doing here. National
interest. National security. Only
this time it's not gold. It's uranium.
CROW HORSE
We're standin' on broken treaty
ground, Ray. This ain't supposed to
be here. It'll poison the water.
RAY
Leo knew about it. Tried to tell
Jimmy, get the Warriors involved.
CROW HORSE
So they took care of Leo.
RAY
Listen to the water... the river
keeps goin' down then rising again.
Ray goes to another hole and sticks his arm in up to the
elbow, sniffs the solution.
CROW HORSE
They're drainin' our water table.
That's our life, man...
Ray is looking past Crow Horse at --
Something strange in the moonlight. COYOTES. Some forty yards
away, on a flat stretch of stoney ground. Six Coyotes, dancing
in the shadows of rock formations. MOVING IN ON THEM as Ray
walks forward, they circle... scatter... run back... circle
again. Look straight at Ray, eyes glowing.
And run.
REVERSE - RAY
and Crow Horse walk toward them. To the place they just left.
A place in the dirt, they were digging up. When they reach
it, they stare down into the dirt.
A BODY
lies there, face down. Denim jacket and a shock of black
hair, thrown into tangles and dirt. It was buried. Until the
coyote caught wind. Crow Horse bends down, touches the
jacket... turns the body over And almost vomits when he sees
Maggie Eagle Bear.
RAY
looks down in disbelief.
RAY
No. No...
Ray steps back, his boots squishing in solution and sealant
and soiled water. He covers his mouth, stopping himself from
getting sick. And then he explodes, YELLING.
LONG SHOT - RED DEER TABLE
in the moonlight. And RAY'S YELLING ECHOING up out of the
rocks
EXT. BEAR CREEK VILLAGE - NIGHT
The sordid little village the feds first drove through sits
sleepy on the rim of sunrise.
A DOG BARKS hollow as the Crow Horse motorcycle chutters
down and coasts up in front of one of the little homes --
rundown but it has a satellite dish and a decent car like so
many. The Le Baron pulls up behind it.
INT. LE BARON - NIGHT
Crow Horse walks over to Ray's window, his jeans and boots
muddy. No one speaks for a long moment, the night filled by
crickets. And that one dog.
RAY
This Clear Moon's house?
CROW HORSE
Yeah. It's time to beat the drum.
You better wait here. He don't trust
the white man.
Crow Horse crosses the street. Ray sits there, and he looks
almost hurt by this statement. But he is the white man. But
he is Indian. He lets a long breath escape, rubs at a temple.
He takes out a smoke. Tries to light it. His hands are shaking
too badly. But he gets it lit, and sits tense, looking in
his rearview.
INT. CLEAR MOON HOUSE - NIGHT
Oliver Clear Moon sits in a chair, his strong Indian mouth,
beginning to tighten at the jowls.
Across from him, Crow Horse sits on the edge of a couch.
MRS. CLEAR MOON, a rotund, gentle woman brings him a coffee.
A TEENAGE GIRL in a men's extra-large T-shirt stands in the
hall, looking at him.
Clear Moon in pajamas, rises, and with a coffee in hand,
starts walking in slow steps toward the kitchen. He loses
control before he gets there and hurls the cup across the
room into the sink, smashing it. He wheels and faces Crow
Horse. He SPEAKS LAKOTA. Asking questions. Crow Horse SPEAKS
LAKOTA. Answering him.
Mrs. Clear Moon, understanding, shakes her head in disbelief
and her eyes begin to well. Oliver, walking back to his chair,
sits, and thinks for a moment. MORE LAKOTA. He gets up, goes
to a drawer and rummages. He sits again, and tosses something
onto the coffee table. It is a badge. A tribal police badge.
INT. LE BARON - PARKED - CLEAR MOON'S - DAWN
Ray nervously awaits Crow Horse's words as he appears at the
window again. The Indian shows hope in his tired eyes.
CROW HORSE
Alright. Shit's comin' down. He's
callin' council fire. All the old
chiefs and the warriors, too. I gotta
be at Grandpa's place in two hours.
We need to get the tribe together.
We need to block this thing.
RAY
What we need... is Richard Yellow
Bird.
Crow Horse looks at Ray who stares dead ahead.
EXT. YELLOW BIRD'S SHACK - RES - DAWN
The shack is just as Ray left it earlier, kerosene flickers
dancing yellow through the gapped boards. Ray and Crow Horse
with guns drawn, approach the front door.
CROW HORSE
I thought it was a rare case of a
brother getting a break in the courts.
We did an honorin' song for him and
everything.
RAY
He's looking at a few hundred years
in Leavenworth. He's not gonna come
out without a fight.
Crow Horse snakes around toward the rear of the shack.
Ray knocks at the front door. It is unlatched and it creaks
open a little. Ray pushes it open and sees --
INT. YELLOW BIRD SHACK
An empty wheelchair.
EXT. YELLOW BIRD SHACK
Ray steps away from the door, looking around the vast plains
as the sun comes up out of the Black Hills. He is roadblocked,
and it shows in his eyes. It's all getting too big.
Crow Horse leans against the shack, watching Ray. And then
RADIO STATIC from inside the Le Baron. Ray pivots and stares
at it as if someone is inside the car. His call signal is
being paged. But he just stands there, looking at it.
RADIO
X21. Read. X21...
Ray reaches inside the car and lifts the handset. He takes a
breath before pressing it to his lips.
RAY
X21. Come back.
RADIO
Ray. What's your 20?
Ray looks at Crow Horse who looks equally spooked. The agent
clears his throat.
RAY
Reservation.
A long, unnerving pause. No response from the other side.
RADIO
What are you doing on the reservation?
RAY
I'm on my way back in. Over.
Ray holds the handset down at his side, looking over the top
of the car toward the Black Hills.
CROW HORSE
Ray. Ray, don't let go now, Man.
Ray...
RAY
You go to the council fire. I'm going
back in.
CROW HORSE
Ray.
Ray swings in behind the wheel, starts the car, and barrels
off recklessly down the rutted road, leaving Crow Horse
behind.
CROW HORSE
Ray!
The Le Baron is already out to where sight reaches farther
than sound and silent white dust mushrooms skyward.
EXT. BUFFALO BUTTE MOTEL - MORNING
A RAVEN is sentinel on a telephone wire that crosses the
road from the bar to motel. A few trucks remain parked in
front of the joint.
Ray approaches room 13, looking shell-shocked. His boots
leave blue mud prints all the way to the door. He unlocks
it.
INT. BUFFALO BUTTE MOTEL - ROOM
Ray has cast off his field clothes and is halfway into one
of his cleaner suits. He looks haggard but still buoyant,
his eyes piercing. The connecting door creaks open and Cooch
walks in. The SAC is freshly showered and he is fidgeting
with a Windsor knot. He studies his number two man, says
nothing for a moment but is obviously holding something down.
His face is a red hue.
COOCH
(extra casual)
Couldn't sleep, Ray?
Ray looks at Cooch. When he speaks, his voice is dry.
RAY
No...
Cooch crosses the room, and picks up Ray's jeans which look
like they went through a sandlot tackle match in a mud hole.
Ray tucks his clean shirt in; watching Cooch.
RAY
I had to finish something with Crow
Horse.
Cooch walks up to Ray slowly and takes his face in his hand,
turning it toward lamp light to study the bruise along his
left eye, a residual from a Crow Horse hook.
COOCH
That's where you were. You had to go
back and have it out with the Indian
law...
Ray nods, and Cooch slowly breaks a smile. An insecure smile
but a smile just the same. He starts to laugh.
COOCH
You fucking hot head, we can get in
trouble for that.
Cooch laughs in amusement and Ray's face crinkles into a
grin as he lowers his eyes, wiping a paper towel over his
face. And then, suddenly, Ray lunges at Cooch.
He slams the Agent in Charge against the hollow wall, and
holds him there. His eyes wild.
RAY
Why didn't you tell me what we were
doing here?
Cooch is stunned.
RAY
We're running a cover-up and you
didn't --
Cooch suddenly explodes, throwing Ray off of him and sending
him reeling back against the sink. He points a finger at his
charge.
COOCH
You ever put your hands on me again
and you'll be doing the books for a
baitshop in the fucking Everglades,
Mister.
RAY
You didn't tell me about Red Deer
Table --
COOCH
-- what the hell is Red Deer Table?
RAY
What is it? It's genocide, that's
what it is. It's a Pay Zone for some
U.S. corporation and a Dead Zone for
the people here. Uranium, Cooch.
Cooch's eyes go frighteningly cold. He can't believe what
he's hearing.
COOCH
Jesus Christ. What are you doing?
What the hell were you doing out
there?
Ray says nothing. He just stands there, against the sink,
breathing like a fighter against the turnbuckle.
COOCH
This was a Selective Operations Unit,
Agent Levoi. There is classified
information pertaining to our national
security. You don't question that,
you don't go digging into that shit --
that's insubordination. Jesus Christ --
RAY
-- if they mine uranium there, these
people will have no place left to
go...
COOCH
We were sworn in on the Constitution
to protect federal matters, Ray. I
don't know about uranium, I don't
know about Red Dog Table -- all I
know is we did our job. It's over.
RAY
We neutralized anybody with a voice.
Leo, Jimmy... Eagle Bear. Anyone who
was standing in the way of the land.
Is that it?
COOCH
No. We neutralized enemies of the
United States. Anti-American radicals
who have killed federal officers out
here!
Ray turns to the sink, turns the faucet on to get some water
on his face. The water only trickles into the basin.
COOCH
Jesus, Ray. You think I don't like
the Indians? Not true. These were
noble people but their day is gone.
They're a conquered nation. They
want all of America back but they
can't even keep the garbage out of
their own front yards. It's sad,
Ray. But it's just the way it is. We
have to function as a colonial police
force out here.
Ray leans on the sink, watching the water start to spurt
free. He shuts it off. Turns to look at Cooch. And it is
then the door opens -- some knocking after the door is already
opened -- and SA Miles enters.
MILES
You gentlemen ready -- hi, Ray.
COOCH
Yeah, we're ready.
Ray doesn't turn from the sink.
EXT. RESERVATION ROAD - TOWARD GRANDPA REACHES - MORNING
Crow Horse chugs along on his motorbike toward the council,
his long hair and eagle feather trailing in the wind.
EXT. BUFFALO BUTTE MOTEL - MORNING
Two federal vehicles are waiting in front of Cooch's Chevy
and Ray's Le Baron. One is an FBI van where Sherman helps
THREE AGENTS load file boxes and computers.
Cooch walks with Ray toward the Le Baron, looking at him as
the go. Ray looks better as he breathes the morning air. As
they pass the second fed car, the back window power glides
down, and someone looks out with a friendly smile.
CLEAR MOON
Ah, there you are. The Sioux.
Ray stops dead. Beholds the Tribal President who wears a
western cut jacket and a strained expression behind his smile.
He hole a hand out to Ray.
CLEAR MOON
You got the troublemakers off our
land. Good, Was-te.
Ray stares at him, speechless. Horrified. What is he doing
here? What about the council fire? Ray somehow nods. Then
walks on to the Le Baron. Cooch gets behind the wheel of the
car that Clear Moon sits in. Clear Moon's eyes follow Ray to
the car.
EXT. RES ROAD - TO GRANDPA REACHES
Crow Horse guns past a little shack. As he does, he looks in
his side mirror then out across the grasslands. Then quickly
IN HIS MIRROR: a car has pulled out from behind the shack.
CROW HORSE observes this. Then twists the fuel throttle hard.
INT. LE BARON
Ray gets behind the wheel, looks at his watch. He is
panicking. He starts the car, reverses, slams into drive.
RAY�S POV: swerving and reckless as he races forward. Sherman,
walking around to one of the cars has to run out of the way.
The other agents clear out, looking in confusion as Ray cuts
a hard U -- sweeps PAST THE BAR, SMASHES INTO AND THROUGH
the old hitching post -- and HEADS TOWARD the reservation
which lies vast before him.
EXT. BUFFALO BUTTE MOTEL
With agents scrambling about, looking after the car, Cooch
gets out, looking into the dust Ray left behind. HEARTBEAT
DRUM.
COOCH
RAY!
Sherman appears beside Cooch aiming a questioning look. When
Cooch quickly gets back behind the wheel, Sherman pulls his
radio up and starts yelling into it.
Cooch reaches out the window and grabs his radio arm.
COOCH
No, damn it. You call teams in and
this is gonna be a fucking media
event. Get me three cars, six agents,
block all reservation exits. It's
under control.
And Cooch squeals out with a petrified Clear Moon in the
backseat, inquiring nervously.
EXT. ROAD TO GRANDPA REACHES
Crow Horse passes by an abandoned horse trailer. When he
does, another car pulls out. And follows. The first car passes
by.
Crow Horse sees he's being followed. He cranks his throttle
and the engine grinds then dies. He heels his kickstart on
the fly, and keeps it alive. But his old horse is no match
for the big engines coming up fast behind him.
INT. LE BARON - TRAVELING
Ray is leaving little transitional developments and trailers
behind. His eyes bore into the road before him, looking for
a sign of Crow Horse, and in the rearview for a sign of his
FBI mentor.
EXT. ROAD TO GRANDPA REACHES - BADLANDS
Crow Horse has the throttle open. But the two cars are coming
up on both sides, trying to sandwich him. To his right the
Badlands loom deep, a drop into a caliche netherworld of
jagged rock.
He throws the bike right, trying to ride the thin ribbon of
shoulder.
THE FIRST CAR
floors it, and swipes him, and the bike goes over the edge,
launched into --
THE BADLANDS
where it does a violent triple flip, throwing Crow Horse
then smashing into a tent shaped dune.
A RIFLE
sticks out from a window and punches the Badlands with THREE
SHOTS.
EXT. ROAD TO GRANDPA REACHES
The Le Baron rifles past the abandoned horse trailer. Black
smoke drifts in a wind ahead.
Ray veers onto the shoulder, barely gets the car in park
before bailing and running wildly down into the Badlands.
EXT. BADLANDS
Ray runs, stumbles through the rock and gypsum, searching
the area. He runs around the burning motorcycle, looking
left and right.
RAY
Crow Horse!
CROW HORSE
lies on his back in the Badlands, eyes open, fixed unmoving
on the sky. Ray comes out of the flame-waves, running with
his .45 held high. He throws himself to his knees beside the
injured Indian.
RAY
Crow Horse!
Crow Horse rolls his eyes toward the FBI agent. He has a
gash behind his ear, and pink sand clings to the blood. He
lifts his head, tries to form words.
CROW HORSE
Ain't no Council Fire, Brother. Clear
Moon...
RAY
I know. Come on. We gotta get off
the reservation or we're dead.
CROW HORSE
Hoka Hey. It's a good day to die.
RAY
Bullshit, let's get outta here,
Ray gets an arm under the big Indian, helps him up out of a
jagged crevice.
CROW HORSE
Grandpa...
EXT. RESERVATION ROAD
Cooch's car speeds down the stretch. Followed by Sherman's.
The FBI van. All at one-hundred and five. Gravel and dirt
flies.
INT. LE BARON - TRAVELING
With Crow Horse half-passed out in the passenger seat, Ray
keeps the wheel steady. And then his RADIO STATICS.
RADIO
X21, please read. Ray. Ray. X21,
please read. This is Cooch. Please
come in, Ray. Where are you?
Ray just stares down at the radio, keeps the pedal floored.
The throws the wheel left.
EXT. GRANDPA REACHES TRAILER
The Le Baron fish-tails in a cloud of dust and Ray leaps out
of the car, runs toward the little trailer, gun in hand. The
windows are all busted, and the door is wide open. Ray runs
in. Then straight back out, shaking his head to Crow Horse.
Crow Horse hangs his head out the passenger window.
RAY
He's gone.
CROW HORSE
He hasn't left this place in twenty
years. They got him.
Ray starts to get back in then hesitates. He looks out across
the plains to see --
THREE FED CARS in the distance, fast approaching, dust rising.
Ray gets in quickly.
EXT. RESERVATION EXIT
Cooch's car is parked in a roadblock. Clear Moon stands near
him, and addresses UNIFORMED TRIBAL POLICE as they spill out
from a van, carrying rifles and shotguns.
COOCH
(into radio)
X21. Ray. Ray, please come in.
Cooch has torn his tie away, his shirt is open, and he is
sweat soaked. Miles gets out of a car that pulls up.
MILES
We have a renegade agent, Cooch? He
gets off the reservation...
COOCH
-- he's not getting off the
reservation.
And Cooch gets back in the car, drives off.
INT. LE BARON - TRAVELING
With Ray driving like a maniac, Crow Horse is turned around
in his seat, watching the federal cars spreading out, the
chopper moving in.
CROW HORSE
They got us sealed. What are we gonna
do?
RAY
We're going for The Stronghold.
Crow Horse looks at him.
RADIO
(Cooch)
Ray. Can you hear me? You are fucked.
There's no way out of this. If you
won't listen to your own laws, then
listen to this:
(static: a new voice)
This is President Clear Moon. This
nation does not want your sympathy.
You cannot use this reservation as a
sanctuary. Stop where you are now.
Ray and Crow Horse exchange a look.
RADIO
(Cooch)
Whatever you are trying to do is
futile, Raymond. You have nothing.
Nothing.
Ray picks up the mic as he cranes to keep an eye on the
rearview.
RAY
Yellow bird... is gonna sing.
RADIO
(Cooch)
Yellow Bird committed suicide at
three o'clock this morning. Some
gung-ho agent from D.C. pushed him
into a corner. You're playing a losing
game. Pull over.
Ray takes the mic and for some reason, he's putting it inside
his jacket near his shoulder where he keeps his leather.
Crow Horse looks at him, puzzled. And then the sound comes
forth, the static crackling of a micro-cassette recorder.
RECORDER
(Ray)
How the hell do you know?
(Yellow Bird)
I blew his back out with a buffalo
gun, that's how I know. And now you're
gonna say I didn't and put me back
in solitary?!
Ray keeps the tape running into the radio as he drives through
rugged Badlands. Crow Horse, stunned by the voice, eyes Ray
as the tape rolls.
INT. CHEVY - TRAVELING
Cooch and Clear Moon stare in horror at the radio.
RADIO
(Yellow Bird)
You people tol' me I could beat nine
years if I helped you. I helped you!
(rewinding)
I could beat nine years if I helped
you. I helped you!
Cooch is shaking his head in vitrified disbelief. He slams
the pedal almost through the floor.
INT. LE BARON - TRAVELING
The tape ends and Ray now lifts the mic to his mouth.
RAY
(into mic)
Fuck you.
And he too, buries the accelerator.
EXT. BADLANDS ROAD � TO THE STRONGHOLD
The Le Baron burns forward and we SWEEP UP TO A MIND-BLOWING
AERIAL VIEW of the Badlands as four fed cars spread out in
formation, following.
INT. LE BARON - TRAVELING
Crow Horse is turned around, looking at the pursuit.
RAY
Walter.
Crow Horse turns, sees what Ray is looking at.
POV: The Stronghold -- a narrow opening in hulking rock
formations. Large enough for a car to get in, and keep
followers out.
CROW HORSE
That's it. The Stronghold. Get us in
there, we got a chance.
RAY
We're in there. We're in there --
just ahead, the earth is gone. A wavering heat pond turns
out to be a crevice and they nose down into it, burying the
front end in sand and rock. WINDSHIELD SHATTERS.
EXT. THE STRONGHOLD
The Le Baron is stuck, wheels spinning out. Ray and Cooch
bail. Guns drawn, they start running for the Stronghold.
AT THE EDGE OF THE ARROYO
the caravan slides in recklessly, two of the fed cars coming
dangerously close to going over the edge. The regional
officers and six Clear Moon goons empty out, running down
the dip, rifles and shotguns ready.
Three more field agents come down from another direction,
followed by Cooch. Sherman hands a bullhorn to him.
COOCH
(via bullhorn)
FREEZE! NOW!
The sound of FIFTEEN PRIMING FIREARMS stops Ray and Crow
Horse in their tracks. Just twenty feet from The Stronghold.
Crow Horse, windless, stumbles to a knee. Ray turns slowly,
facing the small army.
COOCH
DROP IT.
Crow Horse, rises, sucking wind, and ditches his gun in the
Badlands. Ray holds onto his .45 a moment longer. Then drops
it. He stares at --
THE WALL OF MEN
Cooch, SA Miles, SA Sherman, Six regional officers, six Clear
Moon goons. And now, coming out of the backseat of Cooch's
Chevy, Oliver Clear Moon, walking tentatively, cautiously.
Cooch lowers the bullhorn. He takes the opportunity to stare
at Ray. To let Ray stare at him. The older agent looks broken.
COOCH
Crow Horse, get your face in the
dirt. Ray... come forward. Let it
go. Let's just let it go...
AT THE STRONGHOLD ENTRANCE
Crow Horse lowers himself to a knee then lies face down. Ray
just stands there, the wind against him.
COOCH (O.S.)
Come on, Ray. Come forward.
RAY
No way, Cooch.
Ray refuses to move.
COOCH
sweating, tries to keep control. All around him, hands are
on guns. Cooch is walking toward Ray.
COOCH
Ray. I'm coming to talk to you. I'm
gonna walk you out of here. And we're
gonna get the hell outta this place.
Cooch walks toward him, a gun hanging at one side, bullhorn
at the other. The agents behind him, around him, all raise
rifles, all take aim.
Sherman, looking sick, gets to a knee and sets aim. The sound
of clacking steel, all around. But Cooch seems disturbed by
the sound. Because its coming from above. He raises an eye
from the rifle sight to see --
ALONG THE EDGE OF THE BUTTE
FIFTEEN INDIANS, training rifles and shotguns down below.
SHERMAN
looks up from his rifle, bewildered. Then alarmed.
ALONG THE EDGE OF THE BUTTE
We PAN across fifteen Indians -- old people, women, kids.
Their weapons are weak but many.
And at the end of the row, Maisy Blue Legs rises, clutching
a rifle. And PAST HER, ANOTHER. TRADITIONAL PEOPLE, many
from the trading post porch, rise to the edge, armed. Silent.
Twenty, twenty-five, thirty traditionals, forming a line
along the ridge, a line that runs in a circle, broken by the
Stronghold entrance, then starting again on the next butte.
Thirty-five, forty of them. And more, standing along the
opposite craggy rock, some wearing tractor caps, some cowboy
hats, some just long hair blowing in the wind. Fifty, sixty,
SEVENTY-FIVE RESERVATION PEOPLE forming a circle on the rocks;
it's Little Big Horn revisited. A fourteen year-old boy
struggles to keep a huge shotgun at his shoulder.
DOWN BELOW
Clear Moon's mouth is as dry as Badlands soil. Cooch is
panicking, his eyes running along the high edge.
RAY
stands equally astonished, assessing the back-up.
CROW HORSE
lifts himself, stands, taking in the sight.
AT THE EDGE OF THE BUTTE
stepping stiffly but steadily through the line of armed
locals, pushing his way to the very edge so as to look down,
Grandpa Sam Reaches. The wind makes feathery tails out of
his long thinning strips of white hair.
DOWN BELOW
Ray looks up at the old man, then turns to face Cooch.
RAY
You're right, Cooch. It's over.
Cooch slowly, lets the bullhorn fall. Then the rifle. He
looks back at Sherman who does the same, and all the way
down the line, everyone dropping their arms under the threat
of a lot more guns from above. And now Ray walks forward,
collecting his gun. Anderson Chasing Hawk, one of the
Warriors, runs down to Ray, breathless.
CHASING HAWK
All the exits are blocked. There's
two more fed cars tryin' to get in.
And some press.
Ray notices that Cooch is staring at him, hard. He shakes
his head slowly. Strongly.
COOCH
Ray...
RAY
Let the press through.
Chasing Hawk takes off, running, and Cooch watches in
consternation. Ray just stands eye to eye with him, holding
his ground.
UP TO ARIEL VIEW - OVER STRONGHOLD
And along the ridge, Grandpa and the locals don't budge,
watching every move.
CLIMBING HIGHER, we rise above the circle of proud Sioux to
see, on the inside of the Stronghold, thirty old trucks and
res cars.
CLIMBING HIGHER into and through the fast-moving clouds that
the Lakota call The Grandfathers as the HEARTBEAT DRUM and
LAKOTA SINGERS takes over all sound.
SLOW DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. BEAR CREEK RESERVATION - MAIN SETTLEMENT - LATER
The HIGH WINDS of THREE MEDIA HELICOPTERS are delighting a
storm of Indian children and BARKING DOGS, running through
the streets past junked cars on blocks.
Over on a little plot of grass and dirt, a pair of hands are
digging a small hole. Ray lays a pine cone in the hole and
looks down at it for a moment... before hand-plowing the
dirt back over it and patting it flat. He rises, knocking
dirt off his knees and hands.
Crow Horse walks over, bandaged and favoring wounds, and Ray
falls in with him, walking down the middle of the village
road. His eyes are tired. But hopeful.
CROW HORSE
The people are already talkin' about
their vote for a new tribal prez.
They wanna vote for Jimmy.
Ray nods, encouraged as they walk along. His eyes follow the
helicopters.
RAY
What about the water...
CROW HORSE
You bought her some time, Kola. Ain't
never gonna be over... but you bought
her some time.
RAY
Some Indian time?
They reach the dusty, dented Le Baron and stand there, looking
at each other.
CROW HORSE
Indian time.
Crow Horse offers a hand to Ray. He takes it in a white man's
shake then follows Walter's cue into the Indian "allies"
grip and slap. They hold it there, looking into each other's
eyes.
CROW HORSE
(concerned)
Where ya gonna go, Ray?
Ray ponders for a moment.
RAY
I'll have to see what the visions
say about that one.
CROW HORSE
You didn't have another vision...
Ray shrugs. Crow Horse discreetly gestures below his belt.
CROW HORSE
Yeah, right here.
Ray cracks a smile, a long time coming.
RAY
You take care.
CROW HORSE
If you ever need a place to come
back to and listen to the trees a
little... we'll be here.
Ray stands looking at him, searching for words.
CROW HORSE
Ain't no word in Sioux for goodbye.
Ray goes to get in his car. But he sees someone sitting across
the street on the trading post porch. The old man.
Ray considers him for a moment then walks over. They lock
eyes. Grandpa stares at Ray as if he's never seen him before,
and then arcs a brow. He touches his sleeve at the wrist.
Ray rolls his sleeve back to reveal his Rolex. Grandpa smiles
and Ray strips it off. He hands it to the old man and his
face crinkles into caliche earth.
Grandpa holds the watch up in the light, admires it then
puts it in his shirt pocket. He moves a flat hand through
the air in the "done deal" sign language. Ray, a little
surprised that he gets nothing in the trade, returns the
smile and walks away.
He gets to his car and wipes away two inches of dust from
the broken windshield.
INT. LE BARON
After THREE TRIES, he gets the engine started. He pulls his
gun off his waistband, goes to lay it on the passenger seat
and finds something there.
Grandpa's sacred caanunpa. The Pipe. Symbol of truth. Ray
looks out the window at the old man who is watching him with
those sharp black eyes. Ray lifts his hand, holds it flat,
and does the Sioux done deal sign.
EXT. BEAR CREEK RESERVATION - DAY
The Le Baron eats up the dirt road at a moderate, gravel
crunching pace. It slows as it passes Maggie Eagle Bear's
quiet home on the river. Children walk with the old woman,
carrying buckets from the river.
The Le Baron slows to a crawl, then drives on.
CUT TO:
THE TRADING POST PORCH
where the elders sit, watching the dust blow.
CROW HORSE (V.O.)
(voice lingering)
We will be here.
CUT TO:
CROW HORSE walking off down the road. He stops, and looks
over his shoulder, trying to glimpse the distance.
CUT TO:
THE LE BARON driving off the res, under big sky as it ascends
a rough hill, waddles through potholes, negotiates with some
horses in the road and rolls on toward the reservation line
where the sun throws shadows that look like an old man
dancing.
AT THE PLACE IN THE ROAD
where West goes to Rapid City, and East back to Bear Creek,
Ray stops like the bullet-punched sign orders. He doesn't go
West. Doesn't go East. He sits there. Fishes a smoke out
from a pocket, clicks a lighter, and fires up. He sits there,
smoking.
Deliberating.
SUDDEN CUT TO BLACK.
And after a long silent beat, A DRUM. Like a heart.
END CREDITS.
THE END
Thunderheart
Writers : John Fusco
Genres : Crime Mystery Thriller
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the reasons for searching for and studying extrasolar giant planets ( egps ) at radio wavelengths are many .
first , to provide another means of direct detection of egps , second , if a detection with sufficient strength is made , it will provide evidence of the presence and indeed strength of the magnetic field of the egp .
many current planet - finding techniques are indirect in nature , relying on seeing the effect of the planet on the host star ( such as the doppler , transit , astrometric or microlensing methods ) . in the future , direct detection of the planet may be made using space - based interferometric techniques , or through coronographic techniques .
radio detection provides another possible means of directly observing the planet ( or the planet s near environment ) . in principle
, the detection of radio emission could also provide information on the existence of any satellites around the egp , the rotation period , and indeed provide constraints on the inclination of the egp ( though these last reasons are very speculative and will require high quality observations ) . for the time being , mere detection of egps at radio wavelengths is a sufficiently worthwhile goal .
the solar system object that leads to the expectation that egps may be detectable at radio wavelengths is jupiter ( and , to a lesser extent , the other planets that have been detected at radio wavelengths , namely the earth and the other jovian planets
see bastian , dulk & leblanc 2000 ) . at decameter wavelengths
, jupiter is an extremely bright source , detectable with very modest equipment . at these wavelengths
the sun / jupiter contrast can be @xmath2 and indeed the polarised nature of the emission from jupiter ( and we expect from egps ) will allow discrimination as to whether the emission is planetary or stellar in origin .
we shall discuss the jovian radio emission in section [ sec1p1 ] .
the radio emission from the solar system planets is related to their magnetospheres , and a radio detection of an egp will give direct evidence of a magnetosphere .
however , indirect evidence for a planetary magnetosphere has already come to light in the case of hd179949b ( shkolnik , walker & bohlender 2003 ) , where variations in the caii h and k lines seem to be phase locked with the orbit of the planet ( which has a period of 3.093 days and a mass of @xmath3 ) .
a number of other stars with short period egps were also studied in the same way with no other comparable results .
hd 179949 is more distant than the sample covered in this paper ( at a distance of @xmath4 pc ) , but because of the inferred existence of a magnetosphere we will include it in the sample discussed below
. in the magnetospheres of planets , intense radio emission can result from electron cyclotron maser radiation . in
this process kev electrons in the auroral regions of the planet radiate at the gyro - frequency of the magnetic field lines .
the radiation is emitted in a hollow cone region , and is highly structured in time and frequency .
the requirements for this process are simply a magnetic field and a source of energetic ( kev ) electrons .
the presence of a magnetic field will be extremely likely in egps , and we would expect the magnetic moment of the more massive egps to exceed that of jupiter ( section [ sec2p4p1 ] ) . the energetic electrons can be provided by a range of means ( in the case of solar system objects ) ; the solar wind , auroral processes or planet - moon magnetic coupling ( in the case of io / jupiter ) and there is no reason to expect this to be different for egps . the electron - cyclotron maser emission is seen to be very sporadic in the case of jupiter and the other planets , and the emission is 100% circularly or elliptically polarised . for a discussion of the extremely variable s - burst decametric emission and the rather more slowly varying l - type emission , see queinnec & zarka ( 2001 ) . in the case of jupiter
, the peak emission occurs at a frequency of @xmath5 mhz ( though it is seen to extend up to @xmath6 mhz ) , while for the other magnetised planets it is at correspondingly lower frequencies , in the range of @xmath7 mhz . for planets other than jupiter ,
this emission is not observable from the ground ( with the ionospheric cut - off typically in the range of @xmath8 mhz , depending on the location on earth , day or night , location in the solar cycle etc ) , and were detected by space - based instruments .
jupiter has also been detected as a radio source at higher ( ghz ) frequencies , but at a much lower level .
one further constraint , is that the local plasma frequency in the source region must be lower than the gyro - frequency , which is the case for most solar system objects .
the exception to this is probably mercury , where the local plasma frequency in the solar wind exceeds the gyro - frequency ( the surface magnetic field at the equator is @xmath9 g ) .
as discussed in section [ sec3 ] , there will also be issues with this associated with planets with stronger magnetic fields immersed in more dense stellar winds , or orbiting at very close distances to the host star .
for an overview of the emission mechanisms and the radio properties of the solar system planets see bastian et al .
( 2000 ) , and references therein .
there have been a small number of reported searches ( or related proposals for searches ) for radio emission from extrasolar planets , with no detection as yet .
the searches reported include : 1 .
winglee , dulk & bastian ( 1986 ) used the very large array ( _ vla _ ) to observe six nearby stars at 333 and 1400 mhz .
these objects are not part of the current list of egp hosts ( with the possible exception of lalande 21185 ) .
none were detected .
2 . bastian et al . ( 2000 ) reported on _ vla _ observations of a range of egp and brown dwarf candidates at 333 mhz and 1465 mhz , with a smaller number of observations at 74 mhz .
the relevant objects covered included 51 peg , ups and , 55 cnc , 47 uma , tau boo , 70 vir and lalande 21185 . these object were all observed at 333 mhz and 1465 mhz , while 47 uma was also observed at 74 mhz . of these ,
the 74 mhz observations are the most relevant and the _ rms _ noise level for the non - detection the 47 uma observation was quoted as 76 mjy for the entire observing run and 3.24 jy for a 10 sec period ( important if the emission is extremely variable , which if jupiter is anything to go by , is likely to be the case ) .
3 . farrell et al .
( 2003 ) observed tau boo with the _ vla _ at 74 mhz , with a quoted upper flux limit of 0.12 jy ( see also farrell , desch & zarka 1999 for an earlier analysis of the likely radio emission from tau boo ) .
4 . ryabov , zarka & ryabov ( 2003 ) reported on progress on observations of egps , using the utr-2 array in the ukraine .
observations of 20 nearby egps have been undertaken with no detections reported so far .
5 . while not a search as such , butler ( 2003 ) reports on the prospect of radio detection of egps with upcoming instruments such as the square kilometer array ( _ ska _ ) or the low - frequency array ( _ lofar _ ) .
we shall discuss these observational limits on the radio emission from egps , in the light of the new predictions presented here , in section [ sec4 ] .
the rest of the paper is set out as follows : in section 2 , the basic theory of radio emission from egps is introduced , including a discussion of the influence of the planetary parameters and characteristics of the stellar winds of the host star on magnetospheric radio emission from egps ; in section 3 , the results from the modelling are presented , and in section 4 , these results are discussed , along with comments on the likely observability of the radio emission from egps .
as noted by zarka et al .
( 2001 ) , following on from work by desch & kaiser ( 1984 ) and zarka ( 1992 ) , the level of planetary radio emission is proportional to the kinetic flux intercepted by the planetary magnetosphere , and , as a consequence of the frozen - in field condition , also proportional to the incident magnetic energy flux .
bastian et al .
( 2000 ) have also reported on results based on this relationship , termed the `` radiometric bode s law '' for the solar system .
if the incident solar wind kinetic flux on the planetary magnetosphere is @xmath10 and the incident magnetic energy flux on the magnetosphere is @xmath11 , and the emitted radio power from the planet is @xmath12 , then this relationship states that : @xmath13 with @xmath14 an efficiency parameter , with @xmath15 , and @xmath16 with @xmath17 another efficiency parameter , with @xmath18 . the similar form of these relationships is a consequence of the azimuthal component of the magnetic field in the solar wind scaling as @xmath19 where @xmath20 is the distance from the star , and so that the magnetic energy flux scales as @xmath21 .
the kinetic flux scales as @xmath22 ( with @xmath23 the wind density and @xmath24 the wind velocity ) . for a spherical and constant velocity wind
then this scales as @xmath21 as well . as noted by zarka et al .
( 2001 ) , the high apparent efficiency of conversion of magnetic energy density into radio power might suggest that the conversion of incident magnetic energy , via reconnection , into particle acceleration ( resulting in particles following the magnetic field lines towards the planet ) is the process that actually leads to the radio emission . based on this relationship
we will generalise the expected radio power from solar system planets for arbitrary planetary and stellar parameters . in order to investigate the expected properties of known egps we shall concentrate on the nearest egps , where we will have the greatest possibility of detection , and where the x - ray fluxes for a reasonable fraction of the host stars are known .
the nexxus database is the most comprehensive database of x - ray data on nearby stars and contains data on stars out to a distance of 25 pc ( see section [ sec2p5p1 ] for a fuller discussion of the use of this database ) .
we will concentrate on those egps that lie within 20 pc , and provide estimates of the relevant stellar and planetary parameters and from these infer likely radio properties . in table 1 and table 2
we list the details of the host stars and the egps that lie within 20 pc of the earth , and in the following sections we shall describe the derivation of the values in these tables .
we shall also include results for hd179949 , which although lying outside of 20 pc , has been inferred to have a magnetosphere via other means ( shkolnik et al .
2003 ) . in order to have a description of the expected radio power from the magnetospheres of exoplanets we need to describe the properties of the host star ( stellar wind properties such as mass - loss rate and velocity and magnetic field strength ) , and the properties of the exoplanets ( planetary mass , radius , magnetic moment and orbital parameters ) .
we also need to introduce two important frequencies that will enter into the discussion of the expected radio emission .
the first is the characteristic frequency of a plasma ( referred to as the plasma frequency ) : @xmath25 with the electron density @xmath26 in @xmath27 .
the plasma frequency provides a lower frequency limit for the propogation of electromagnetic radiation ; that is radiation with a frequency lower than the local plasma frequency will be screened out by the plasma .
the second is the electron gyro - frequency ( or electron cyclotron frequency ) : @xmath28 with the magnetic field strength @xmath29 in gauss .
the gyro - frequency is important as it relates to the frequency of the peak radio emission ( see section [ sec2p4 ] ) .
the plasma frequency will also be important as it sets a lower limit on the frequency , whereby waves with a frequency below the plasma frequency will be screened out .
this will be important in the context of egps in very close orbits or with stars with high mass - loss rates . for the basic stellar properties of the host star
, we assume that we have a star of mass @xmath30 , radius @xmath31 , effective temperature @xmath32 and equatorial magnetic field @xmath33 , which is located at a distance @xmath34 from the earth .
we shall consider the situation in a very general manner , though in practice we shall mostly concentrate on the stellar types of stars with known egps , namely main - sequence f , g , k and m - stars , which will have coronally driven winds , similar to that of the sun .
we shall assume that the stellar wind of the star has a mass - loss rate of @xmath35 and a wind velocity of @xmath24 ( in the case of short - period planets the wind velocity will not be the terminal velocity , see section [ sec3 ] ) .
of course , mass - loss from stars tends not to be isotropic , and this is certainly true of the sun and probably true of most stars . however , for simplicity ( and for the order of magnitude arguments being employed here ) we shall stick with spherically symmetric winds . except in the inner regions of the heliosphere , the magnetic field
is dominated by the azimuthal component , and so that if the surface magnetic field is @xmath33 , stellar radius is @xmath31 , and the angular frequency of the stellar rotation is @xmath36 , then the magnetic field at a radius @xmath20 is given by @xmath37 and so that the magnetic energy ( @xmath38 ) scales as @xmath21 .
this will not be the case in the inner wind region , where the radial component will begin to dominate , with @xmath39 the radius at which the azimuthal component starts to dominate depends on the stellar rotation rate ( as well as things like the wind velocity ) , and some of the more interesting systems in the sample are rapid rotators ( this is because they are interesting from a radio point of view due to high x - ray activity , which in turn is related to youth and rapid rotation ) .
for instance , barnes ( 2001 ) quotes a rotation period of 3.2 days for tau boo .
this means that in these cases the azimuthal magnetic field will start to dominate at correspondingly smaller radii . as discussed by zarka et al .
( 2001 ) , the inclusion of the radial field component makes the magnetic field strength rise more sharply as the radius decreases , than if we just included the azimuthal field , which in turn should make the anticipated radio flux rise more steeply ( though with some limited exceptions
see zarka et al .
2001 ) . in this paper
we shall just include the azimuthal field in our estimations .
this assumption is appropriate for the longer period planets and should be on the conservative side for the shorter period planets .
we assume that the star is orbited by an egp .
the planet is assumed to orbit with a period @xmath40 , at a distance @xmath41 from the star .
we shall assume that all planets have a circular orbit for the time being , so that @xmath41 is equal to the orbital semi - major axis of the planet ( which we denote as @xmath42 ) .
this is clearly a poor assumption given that most egps have eccentric orbits , with the eccentricities extending up to @xmath43 .
we will discuss the impact of orbital eccentricity in section [ sec3p2 ] .
the planet is assumed to have a mass @xmath44 , radius @xmath45 and magnetic moment @xmath46 . from the radiometric bode s law ( and following zarka et al .
2001 ) we have that the emitted radio power is proportional to both the magnetic energy and kinetic flux incident on the magnetosphere , so that @xmath47 with @xmath48 and @xmath49 the magnetospheric radius of the planet .
this equation can also be written as @xmath50 with @xmath51 , with @xmath23 the stellar wind density , with @xmath52 with @xmath35 the stellar mass - loss rate . we are beginning to have some knowledge of the mass - loss rates of the host stars of egps , with the x - ray surface flux being an indicator , and so we have an indication of the stellar wind ram - pressure ( section [ sec2p5 ] ) .
on the other hand we have little knowledge of the surface magnetic fields of these stars .
consequently , we shall use the form of the radiometric bode s law , involving the incident kinetic flux , with the same value of @xmath14 as for the solar system .
we note that we are effectively assuming that @xmath53 , and this will be universal for stars other than our sun .
this assumption leads to the following relationship , that @xmath54 so that an increase in the stellar mass - loss rate of a factor @xmath55 corresponds to an increase in stellar surface magnetic field of @xmath56 ( all other things being equal ) . returning to the overall picture
, the planetary magnetospheric radius ( @xmath49 ) will be a function both of the planetary magnetic moment @xmath46 and the stellar wind characteristics , with @xmath57^{1/6}\propto m_e^{1/3}{\dot m_\ast}^{-1/6 } v_w^{-1/6 } a^{1/3}\ ] ] where @xmath23 and @xmath24 are the density and velocity of the stellar wind at the radius of the planet , and @xmath58 is a constant .
we determine the magnetospheric radii of the egps by assuming that the magnetospheric radius of jupiter is @xmath59 , and scale accordingly according to stellar mass - loss rate and planetary distance from the star ( and assuming @xmath60 and @xmath61 ) .
the kinetic flux of the stellar wind intercepted by the magnetosphere of the planet , orbiting at a radius @xmath41 , can be written as @xmath62 and consequently the expected emitted radio flux from the planet ( @xmath12 ) will be @xmath63 substituting in for @xmath49 , this leads to the following scaling relationship , @xmath64 so , for example , although moving a planet closer means that the stellar wind density scales as @xmath65 , the planetary magnetosphere size reduces as well , partially offsetting this increase .
the same process occurs for increasing the mass - loss rate and so on .
the flux detected at earth will obviously have an additional @xmath66 dependency .
for jupiter , we shall assume a peak in the emission at 10 mhz , and a flux density of @xmath67 jy at an equivalent distance of 1 au ( bastian et al.2000 ) .
based on this , for each egp we can estimate the expected radio flux and peak frequency for this flux .
the planetary parameters required to estimate these values are discussed below . in estimating the expected flux from these egps we obviously have to include the distance @xmath34 of the host star from the earth .
as discussed earlier , in the case of jupiter the surface magnetic field strength plays a crucial role in the decametric radio emission .
assuming a magnetic moment of @xmath68 g @xmath27 , a planetary radius of @xmath69 cm and a dipole field , the jovian equatorial magnetic field strength is @xmath70 g , which corresponds to an electron cyclotron frequency of @xmath71 mhz , which corresponds roughly to the frequency of the peak radio emission from jupiter .
based on this we will assume that the peak radio emission from egps will occur at a frequency @xmath72 , which we assume corresponds to the electron cyclotron frequency of the surface equatorial magnetic field of the egp .
we do note that this is rather a simplistic assumption and that for planets in our own solar system there are substantial deviations from a centred dipole field , with the gas giants having the largest deviations for instance the ratio of maximum to minimum surface magnetic field should be 2 for a centred dipole , and it is 4.5 for jupiter and 12 for uranus ( de pater & lissauer 2001 ) .
the planetary quantities that will affect this frequency will be the planetary magnetic moment and the planetary radius .
we will discuss the likely values for these two quantities for egps below .
the magnetic moment @xmath46 of the egp is an important parameter , as @xmath46 is key in setting the size of the planetary magnetosphere @xmath49 , which plays a major role in the expected level of radio emission and in setting the frequency cut - off of the radio emission ( determined by the maximum magnetic field strength near the planetary surface ) .
currently , we have very little information about the expected magnetic moments for egps ( see snchez - lavega 2004 ) , and we are forced to extrapolate from solar system values . in fig .
[ fig1 ] ( left panel ) we plot the planetary magnetic moments ( @xmath46 ) versus planetary mass for objects in the solar system .
this plot omits the deviant points of mars and venus ( where we can resort to arguments about low planetary mass or lack of rotation , though these do not seem to apply to mercury , which is perhaps the really deviant point on this graph ) .
we note a very clear correlation , and for comparison we also plot a line with @xmath73 .
note , this line is not a fit , merely a schematic representation .
if we do a formal fit for these six points then we find a best - fit slope of @xmath74 . if we do a fit for the five points , excluding mercury ( which does seem to be a little discrepant in this diagram )
, then we find a best - fit slope of @xmath75 ( which is essentially identical to that plotted ) .
we note that for solar system planets ( particularly the 4 jovian planets ) , the planetary density is roughly constant , and so that @xmath76 , and that this relationship could equally be @xmath77 .
similar related trends have been noted by arge , mullan & dolginov ( 1995 ) , who looked at the correlation between magnetic moment ( which they quantified as @xmath78 ) and angular momentum ( @xmath79 ) for a wide range of bodies ( solar system , low and high mass stellar objects , white dwarfs , pulsars etc ) . in these relationships @xmath30 and @xmath31 are the mass and radius of the bodies respectively
, @xmath80 is the polar field strength at the bodies surface , @xmath81 is the rotation frequency and @xmath58 is a constant that depends on the mass distribution within the body ( and is typically in the range of @xmath82 for bodies ranging from normal stars to compact objects ) .
this relationship was first noted in the context of the solar system by blackett ( 1947 ) , and has been referred to as the `` magnetic bode s law '' .
arge et al . (
1995 ) noted a very clear correlation between @xmath83 and @xmath84 for the solar system objects and the stellar objects with @xmath85 , with @xmath86 .
taking this relationship and transferring into the terminology used here for egps , we then have @xmath87 for the solar system objects ( with the exception of mercury ) the values of @xmath88 are similar ( with rotation periods in the range of @xmath89hours ) . indeed , because the range in magnetic moment for the solar system objects spans so many orders of magnitude , even the difference between the angular frequency of mercury and the fastest rotating planet ( a factor 140 or so ) does not change the overall trend .
if we plot @xmath46 versus @xmath90 instead of @xmath44 we get a plot with a slope close to unity ( fig .
[ fig1 ] , right panel ) .
the line plotted in this diagram is not a fit , but a schematic line with slope unity , plotted so that it passes through the value for jupiter .
again , if we do a formal fit to all six points we find a best - fit slope of @xmath91 , and excluding mercury ( as per the left panel of fig .
[ fig1 ] ) , then we find a best - fit slope of @xmath92 .
both of these fitted slopes are unity ( within errors ) . for massive egps
( with @xmath93 ) their radius varies very slowly with mass , and indeed , in many models , shows a slow decrease with increasing mass ( see section [ sec2p4p2 ] ) .
this means that we can assume that @xmath94 , based on the values within the solar system , but also on the more general analysis of arge et al.(1995 ) .
the more massive stellar objects in the sample of arge et al.(1995 ) show the same basic scaling with mass , but in fact the absolute values of the magnetic moment are higher than for the solar system objects .
we might expect this relationship not to hold true for very close in egps , which are tidally locked to their host star ( see section [ sec4 ] ) .
consequently , we assume that the planetary magnetic moment for egps is proportional to the planetary mass .
currently , from the doppler solutions , all we have are values of @xmath95 , with @xmath96 the orbital inclination of the planet .
as noted by halbwachs ( 1987 ) , for a randomly distributed sample , neglecting selection effects , then the distribution function of the inclinations @xmath96 will be @xmath97 .
trimble ( 1974 ) , in the context of stellar binary systems , used a mean value of @xmath98 to investigate the mass distribution of the component stars .
as discussed by halbwachs ( 1987 ) and heacox ( 1995 ) , this simplistic approach does have some severe limitations ( to say the least ) when used to determine the mass distributions of the component stars , and in the context of egps much better statistical methods are available ( for example , jorissen , mayor & udry 2001 ) . however , for the purposes required for this paper , where we want to estimate values for individual planets , this simplistic method is still not an unreasonable approach .
so , in order to have an estimate of the real masses for all the egps listed in table 2 , we simply assume a mean value of the inclination , such that @xmath99 , corresponding to an inclination of @xmath100 . we note that we could perhaps improve this flawed approached by adopting @xmath101 or @xmath102 ( see halbwachs 1987 ) , but these different assumptions gives mean values of @xmath103
only a few percent different , and not enough to make a difference to the conclusions of this paper , and the value we have assumed lies neatly between them we note that with this value of @xmath96 some of the planets are relatively low - mass , with masses as low as @xmath104 . here
the assumption of @xmath105 may also be a slight overestimate , though we note that saturn , even with a mass of @xmath106 , has a radius of @xmath107 . leaving this aside , with this assumption we can then determine an estimate of the planetary mass , and hence the planetary magnetic moment ( see table 2 ) .
some additional comments about individual planetary systems are made in section [ sec3p1 ] . as a final comment , very recently snchez - lavega ( 2004 )
has published a more detailed physical model of the expected magnetic moments of egps .
this analysis supports the notion that egps will have strong magnetic moments , and justifies the scaling of the planetary magnetic moment with planetary mass , that is seen empirically .
further , this model includes the effects of planets with a range of different rotation periods .
snchez - lavega ( 2004 ) concludes that young , massive and rapidly rotating egps are likely to have surface fields in the range of @xmath108 g , while for the older planets ( or those that are in short - period orbits and are orbitally synchronised ) the surface magnetic fields will be @xmath2 g. the egp radius will be an important quantity in the radio emission from egps , entering in to the consideration of the expected frequency of the peak radio emission .
there is currently very little hard observational information on the radii of egps , and none for planets which are not `` hot jupiters '' .
one example where there is data is hd209458 , where the determined radius is @xmath109 ( for a planetary mass of @xmath110 , see cody & sasselov 2002 and burrows , sudarsky & hubbard 2003 ) . however , this planet is a very short period planet ( a class v `` roaster '' in the terminology of sudarsky et al .
for the three currently known transiting ogle planets ( ogle - tr-56 , 113 and 132 ) , the respective masses and radii are @xmath111 and @xmath112 ( ogle - tr-56 ) , @xmath113 and @xmath114 ( ogle - tr-113 ) , @xmath115 and @xmath116 ( ogle - tr-132 , bouchy et al .
all 4 planets have very short period orbits and are strongly heated and their radii will almost certainly be greater than that of a more distantly orbiting egp .
zapolsky & salpeter ( 1969 ) discussed the mass - radius relationship for cold spheres for masses appropriate for planetary systems and pointed out that there are substantial differences in the derived radii depending if the object is hydrogen rich or has a metallic core .
they also showed that the mass - radius relationship has a peak at a mass around that of jupiter .
there have subsequently been a large number of more detailed calculations of the radius of egps , and we shall adopt the results of baraffe et al .
( 2003 ) to provide estimates of the egp radius . in fig .
[ fig2 ] we plot results from the models of baraffe et al.(2003 ) for egp models with ages of 1 , 5 and 10 gyr .
what we see is that for a wide range of masses the radii of the egps are close to that of jupiter ( within 10 per cent or so ) .
given the intrinsic uncertainties in our knowledge of the actual masses of the egps , we shall ( for simplicity ) adopt a radius of @xmath117 for all the egps considered .
most of the planets listed in table 2 are not extremely close objects , but some of the important ones are : for example , the shortest period planet is tau boob ( 3.3 days ) , and here we might expect this planet to have a radius larger than that assumed here ( orbital radius of 0.05 au ) .
the assumption that egps in the mass range @xmath118 have a constant planetary radius means that the surface magnetic field rises linearly with planetary mass @xmath44 ( as magnetic moment scales with planetary mass ) , and so that the likely frequency of peak emission @xmath119 ( which in turn is an important observational consideration ) . [ cols="<,<,^,^,^,^,^,^ " , ] extrasolar planets have been , and are expected to be , discovered around a wide range of stellar types .
the initial discovery , of extrasolar planets orbiting a pulsar psr b1257 + 12 , remains perhaps the most unexpected ( wolszczan & frail 1992 ; see konacki & wolszczan 2003 for a more recent analysis of the results ) .
we note that sigurdsson et al .
( 2003 ) have recently announced the discovery of a planet mass object and a white dwarf orbiting the pulsar psr b1620 - 26 . since this initial discovery , extrasolar planets have been discovered around a range of stars of stellar type f , g , k and m , and the vast majority of which are main - sequence objects . however , there are now detections of egps around giant stars , such as iota draconis ( k2iii ; frink et al .
2002 ) and hd104985 ( g9iii ; sato et al .
2003 ) , and there are a number of stars around sub - giants .
in addition to these normal stars it is expected that white dwarf stars should also host egps , and several techniques for finding such egps have been proposed , both in the optical ( burleigh , clarke & hodgkin 2002 ; chu et al .
2001 ) and in the radio ( willes & wu 2004 ) . to date no such planet has been found , but it seems likely that they will exist .
the stellar types of the host stars of egps under consideration here also range from f to m type stars . for the stellar masses and radii for the host stars of the egps listed in table 1
, we use a variety of sources , including santos et al .
( 2003 ) , santos , israelian & mayor ( 2004 ) , and the stellar radii are determined using values for @xmath120 from these sources , and bolometric corrections calculated from flower ( 1996 , see also gaidos 1998 ) , and the barnes & evans relationship ( see barnes , evans & moffett 1978 ) . from our own solar system
, there appears to be an intimate connection between the characteristics of the the solar wind and magnetospheric planetary radio emission . from this
we would then expect a similarly strong connection between the stellar wind characteristics of the host star and the egp radio emission . in order to predict the radio properties of egps we need to understand the mass - loss properties of the host stars .
stellar winds from stars come with a wide range of characteristics ( and driving mechanisms ) : 1 . fast ( @xmath121 ) radiatively driven winds from early - type stars , 2 .
slow ( tens of ) , massive winds from red giants and supergiants , agb stars etc , that are driven by pulsations and radiative driving of dust , 3 . moderately fast ( @xmath122 ) but
diffuse winds from lower mass coronally active stars , such as the sun .
while , in principle , the analysis presented here is applicable to any stellar wind , the host stars of the egps under consideration will have coronally driven winds and we shall concern ourselves with these winds . because of the extremely low mass - loss rates , it has hitherto been very difficult to estimate the mass - loss rates of solar - type stars .
this is in contrast to the ob stars where radio and uv observations can give good measures of both the mass - loss rate and wind velocity ( see dougherty et al .
2003 ) . for the solar - type stars ,
the dominant wind driving mechanism is associated with a hot corona , as in the sun .
there is a wide range of coronal properties , with stellar youth leading to much higher levels of x - ray emission . naively , one would expected the mass - loss from such stars to scale , in some way , with coronal x - ray emission ( which in turn is a good indicator of coronal activity ) . recently , wood et al .
( 2003 ) have quantified the connection between stellar x - ray emission and the expected mass - loss rate , through high resolution hubble space telescope lyman@xmath14 observations of nearby coronal stars .
the observed x - ray emission from single stars can be understood in terms of two different origins , depending on the mass of the star . for high mass stars ,
the x - ray emission is believed to be associated with shocks within the radiatively driven stellar winds of massive stars ( berghofer , schmitt & cassinelli 1996 ) while for lower mass stars , relevant to egps here , the x - ray emission is believed to come from a hot corona , analogous to the situation seen in the sun .
the first mechanism is applicable to o and early b - type stars , and it is unclear what the origin for the x - ray emission seen from late b - type through to early f - type stars is , though it could well often be related to binarity .
the outer convection zone of stars disappears in stars earlier than spectral type f5 , and this is argued to be the reason for the drop of coronal activity around this spectral range ( stauffer et al .
1994 ) , and so the coronal mechanism for x - rays is applicable for late f stars , through g and k - stars down to m - stars . the earliest spectral type in our sample is f7v ( tau boo ) and so all of our stars will be coronally emitting . it is worth noting that the x - ray properties of coronally emitting stars depend very sensitively on rotation , which in turn depends on age , with younger stars typically being much more rapid rotators and much more x - ray luminous than older stars ( though there may well be some exceptions , possibly in the f - stars
see suchkov , makarov & voges 2003 ) .
we parameterise the mass - loss rates of the stars in the sample using the results of wood et al .
( 2003 ) , and we estimate the total mass - loss rate from the star ( @xmath35 ) from @xmath123 ^ 2 \left[\frac{f_x}{f_{x,\odot}}\right]^{1.15\pm 0.20}\ ] ] with @xmath124 the mass - loss rate of the sun ( @xmath125 ) and @xmath126 the solar x - ray surface flux ( @xmath127 erg @xmath128 s@xmath129 ) . note that in wood et al .
( 2003 ) , the quoted mass - loss rates are sometimes the mass - loss rates per unit area , whereas here we always use the total mass - loss rate of the star , integrated over the entire surface .
we have used the nexxus database to investigate the host star x - ray properties ( schmitt & liefke 2004 ) .
the values of the x - ray luminosity and surface flux for the host stars are shown in table 1 .
the x - ray luminosities range over 2 orders of magnitude from @xmath130 to @xmath131 , with an even greater range in surface flux . using the relationship given above we
can now easily determine the overall mass - loss rates for those stars detected at x - rays , and these too are given in table 1 .
we see a large range in mass - loss rates , from @xmath132 for gliese 876 , up to @xmath133 for hd147513 , with a number of stars undergoing significantly stronger mass - loss than the sun .
the x - ray non - detections in this table probably mean that the stars are relatively faint x - ray sources and are thus unlikely to have winds substantially stronger than that of the sun .
this in turn means that they are unlikely to harbour radio bright egps .
as discussed in section [ sec2p3 ] , the expected radio emission from egps scales as @xmath134 , and so those stars with the higher mass - loss rates provide potentially very interesting targets .
another issues concerns the velocity of the winds , with the radio flux emitted by an egp being @xmath135 .
unfortunately , we do not have any information about the expected wind velocities of these stars , and we resort to assuming a velocity of @xmath61 for all stars in the sample ( though see wood et al .
2003 for a discussion of this assumption ) .
we note that cuntz , saar & musielak ( 2000 ) used an earlier version of an x - ray / mass - loss relationship to estimate the energy flux due to the magnetic interaction of the stellar wind with the egp .
we have collected together all of the necessary data to estimate the expected radio fluxes from nearby egps , and these are listed in table 2 .
what we can see is that while many of the egps have very low levels of expected radio emission , there are a number with levels greater than 5 mjy .
these are ( in order of expected levels of emission ) , tau boo , gliese 86 , hd179949 , ups and and hd1237 , with tau boo far and away the brightest .
we also predict that hd179949 should be a ( relatively ) bright radio source ( and hence to have strong magnetospheric emission ) , given the indirect detection of a magnetosphere ( shkolnik et al .
however , it should also be noted that shkolnik et al.(2003 ) also observed tau boo in the same manner and found no comparable effect ( and we predict that system to be a brighter radio source ) .
if we consider the tau boo system , then from our analysis there are 4 factors that make it so bright : 1 .
the proximity @xmath136 pc ) of the star to earth , 2 .
the orbital distance of the planet from the star ( @xmath137 au ) , 3 .
the mass of the planet ( @xmath138 ) , and the corresponding magnetic moment , and 4 .
the high mass - loss rate of the star ( @xmath139 ) . given that @xmath140 , for the case of tau boob we find that , compared to jupiter , the closer orbital distance of the planet contributes a factor of 450 in increased radio flux , the increased mass - loss rate a factor 19 and the higher planetary mass , a factor 4 .
this leads to tau boob being nearly a factor @xmath141 times brighter than jupiter , but nearly @xmath142 times more distant .
the important point is that while the enhanced mass - loss from tau boo makes a major difference , the dominant reason that tau boob is expected to be a bright radio source is its orbital distance ( 0.05 au ) .
indeed , all bar one of the five brightest egps are in short period orbits .
the exception is hd1237b , which has a period of 134 days , and a semi - major axis of 0.5 au ( and an eccentric orbit ) .
the next longest period of the brightest planets is gliese 86b , with a period of 16 days ( and a semi - major axis of 0.11 au ) .
however , all of the bright egps do have host stars with winds substantially stronger than the sun , and so that to generate a detectable radio flux a short period massive planet , orbiting a coronally active star is required .
this is an important point and will enable the identification of possible radio egps , using known properties from the orbital solution and x - ray data .
we note that the expected flux from tau boob is in conflict with the quoted value for a _ vla _ 74 mhz observation ( 120 mjy , farrell et al.2003 ) .
one problem with the short period egps is that they violate at least one assumption used in the derivation of the radio flux , namely of a wind velocity of @xmath143 .
these planets orbit so close to the host star ( to within @xmath144 or so ) , that wind will not have reached terminal velocity . because the radio emission depends on the incident ram - pressure flux this will have a big impact ( in addition , the magnetospheric structure of close in egps will be very different from that of the jovian planets in the solar system ip et al.2004 ) . because the radio flux scales as @xmath145 , a reduction in velocity by a factor 2 results in a radio flux lower by a factor 3 .
as discussed by zucker & mazeh ( 2002 ) and by udry , mayor & santos ( 2003 ) there is now evidence that there is a deficit in the number of high mass planets ( with @xmath146 ) with short orbital periods ( @xmath147 days ) .
this is the case for planets orbiting single stars ( which makes up the bulk of the currently known sample ) , but the opposite ( i.e. an excess of high mass planets in short period orbits ) seems to be true for planets in binary stellar systems , pointing towards different formation / migration mechanisms ( though the number of examples in this second category is small ) . as discussed here , massive planets in short period orbits is exactly the situation required for significant radio emission , and so , to some extent , is selected against by nature .
this will have implications for the use of radio surveys in detected egps .
it is worth noting that of the expected radio brightest systems , both tau boo and gliese 86 are binary systems , and of the other stars in our sample , eps eri is also a reported binary .
another consideration is the effect of plasma frequency in those systems with short period planets and high mass - loss rates . from eqn .
( 1 ) we have @xmath148 with @xmath41 in au , @xmath35 in units of @xmath124 and the wind velocity in units of @xmath143 . for a star with a high mass - loss rate , @xmath149 ,
@xmath137 au , and @xmath150 the plasma frequency in the stellar wind at the radius of the planet is 8.5 mhz , a frequency which will impinge on the radio emission , particularly of lower mass planets .
these parameters are close to what is appropriate for tau boo , and although this plasma frequency is lower than the expected peak radio emission ( @xmath151 mhz ) , it is reasonably close and means that for some lines of sight that pass even closer to the star there may be a problem with the planetary radio emission being screened out ( depending on system inclination ) , and so care should be taken when observing tau boo to avoid the possibility of plasma frequency screening , and epochs when the planet is in front of the star are to be preferred .
for a few systems , there is some additional information about the orbital solution ( specifically the inclination ) for the egp . in the case of gliese 876 , recent _ hubble _ space telescope astrometric observations , reported on by benedict et al .
( 2002 ) , have constrained the orbital inclination of the system ( or more accurately , the most massive planet gliese 876b ) .
the derived value of the inclination is @xmath152 .
this means that the mass of gliese 876b is @xmath153 , and the value for the planetary magnetic moment quoted in table 2 is overestimated by @xmath154 . as @xmath155 , the quoted expected radio flux for gliese
876b is overestimated by @xmath156 . however , gliese 876b is not one of the brightest targets .
in the case of eps eri , gatewood ( 2000 ) report on astrometric observations , and derive an inclination of @xmath157 , with corresponds to @xmath158 , and a planetary mass of @xmath159 .
this means that the values quoted for the magnetic moment for eps erib is underestimated by @xmath160 , and the expected radio flux underestimated by @xmath156 .
again , eps erib is not one of the expected brightest radio sources .
we have calculated the radio flux assuming that the planet is orbiting at the distance of the semi - major axis axis of the orbit ( i.e. @xmath161 ) .
for some of the planets with large eccentricities , this will be only a rough average value .
we have seen that we expect the radio flux to scale as @xmath162 , and so , for example , for hd3651b , with an eccentricity of @xmath163 , the planet will be a factor 3.8 brighter than the value quoted in table 2 at periastron , and a factor 0.5 fainter at apastron . for other planets the values are correspondingly smaller .
for the radio bright egps ( with the exception of hd1237 ) , which are short period planets , the eccentricities are low ( @xmath164 at most ) .
the planet orbiting hd1237 is the most interesting example , with an eccentricity of @xmath165 .
this means that although the mean flux expected is 8.3 mjy , we would expect this to range from 4.8 to 21.5 mjy , making hd1237 a potentially very interesting source if observed around periastron .
however , the location on the sky of hd1237 ( @xmath166 , @xmath167 ) means that it is not convenient for observations from either the _ vla _ or _ lofar _ ( if sited in holland ) .
consequently , the influence of orbital eccentricity on expected radio emission is not predicted to be major for most of the candidate systems .
however , in certain systems , such as hd1237 , it is important and should be noted when choosing to observe this system .
in this paper we have presented a critical discussion of the expected radio properties of egps in the light of both the planetary and stellar characteristics of the host star . as a result of this
we can make the following statements about the likely levels of egp radio emission . 1 .
only very nearby egps are likely to be detected by their radio emission .
the @xmath168 fall - off makes the problem very hard .
there are only 28 egps currently known within 20 pc ( orbiting 22 different host stars ) and only 3 within 10 pc ( one orbiting eps eri and two orbiting gliese 876 ) .
2 . the prime factor in determining whether an egp is radio bright is its orbital period .
shorter period planets will also show more radio emission , with the radio flux scaling as @xmath162 .
however , this effect will not continue indefinitely as if the planet is very close to the star the incident wind will impinge on the magnetosphere at lower velocities .
also , eventually plasma - frequency screening will begin to play a role for very short period planets .
higher levels of radio emission are likely to be associated with more massive planets , with the radio flux scaling as @xmath169 .
the frequency of the radio emission from the more massive planets will likely be shifted to more amenable wavelengths .
we note that the most massive planet within 20 pc is hd39091b ( with @xmath170 ) , though we do not expect this planet to be a bright radio source , as it is in a very long period orbit .
higher levels of egp radio emission are expected from stars with higher coronal x - ray surface fluxes ( and hence higher mass - loss rates ) .
of the nearby stars ( within 20 pc ) a fair number have been detected at x - ray wavelengths and have mass - loss rates in the range of @xmath171 .
the nearest star harbouring an exoplanet ( eps eri ) does have a strong wind , but also a long period planet , which offsets this .
tau boo , which remains the most promising candidate , also has a very strong wind , with @xmath139 , although hd1237 is another promising candidate , has @xmath172 .
the peak frequency of emission in the five brightest cases range from @xmath173 mhz up to 50 mhz , though these values are uncertain . certainly , very low frequency observations will be required for a detection , with even the 74 mhz _ vla _ observations possibly being at too high a frequency . as with jupiter
, we do expect emission from the egps at @xmath174 , but it will likely be falling off very rapidly . 6 .
two of the five predicted brightest systems ( tau boo and gliese 86 ) are in binary stellar systems ( there seems to be a dearth of massive planets in short period orbits in single stellar systems and the apparent opposite trend in binary systems , see zucker & mazeh 2001 ) .
7 . in some cases
, orbital eccentricity may play a major role in detectability of the system .
the prime example from this study is hd1237 , where the expected flux will vary by a factor 4.5 over the 134 day orbit , reaching over 20 mjy . on the basis of the results presented here ,
there remains the prospect of detecting nearby egps ( particularly with _ lofar _ or _ ska _ ) .
the best candidates ( in order of expected brightness ) , with their predicted peak frequencies ) are : 1 .
tau bootes ( 48 mhz ) 2 .
gliese 86 ( 46 mhz ) 3 .
hd179949 ( 11 mhz ) 4 .
upsilon andromeda ( 8 mhz ) 5 .
hd1237 ( 40 mhz ) previous searches for egps ( see section [ sec1p2 ] ) have tended to focus on rather higher frequencies than these ( with the 74 mhz observations at the _ vla _ being the most sensitive ) .
the emission from jupiter falls off very sharply with increasing frequency , which means that careful ( multi - frequency ) observations are needed . on a positive note ,
all five of these objects have fluxes that are potentially detectable , particularly with upcoming _ lofar _ telescope , which will operate at lower frequencies , more appropriate for detecting egps .. the quoted sensitivities for _ lofar _ ( for a 1 hour integration with the full array , single polarisation , 4 mhz bandwidth ) , are 3 mjy at 10 mhz , 1.6 mjy at 30 mhz and 1.0 mjy at 75 mhz ( see http://www.lofar.org ) .
however , not all of them are visible from the anticipated _ lofar _ site ( hd1237 and gliese 86 are not gliese 86 is just visible from the _ vla _ ) .
the other 3 targets are visible from this site . as a further consideration ,
it is notable that shkolnik et al .
( 2003 ) also detected night - to - night activity on tau bootes and upsilon andromeda , as well as hd179949 ( though in these cases the synchronicity with the planet was not obvious ) .
this activity was not present in the standard stars observed , nor in the 51 peg system .
this activity could also be related to magnetospheric activity .
there are however , many uncertainties in this analysis , such as the extrapolations from our own solar system to extrasolar systems , in particular how the radio flux from short period systems will depend on the stellar / planetary parameters .
in addition , we have assumed a scaling for the magnetic moment with mass .
the close - in planets may well be rotationally locked to their host star .
what this lack of rotation will do to any planetary dynamo and magnetic field is uncertain , but is likely to reduce it .
if this turns out to be the case then hd1237 is perhaps the most promising target , with a reasonably long period planet ( and likely interesting orbital variability ) . as a further consideration
, the expected radio bright egps will preferentially be orbiting young , rapidly rotating and x - ray luminous stars ( with high mass - loss rates ) .
this means these planets themselves will be young too .
given that it may take planets a reasonable length of time to generate a self - sustaining magnetic field , it is possible that this may limit the radio brightness of egps , with increasing magnetic field strength of the egps being coupled with decreasing mass - loss rate of the host star .
further study of the likely temporal evolution of magnetic fields in egps is needed .
we have also assumed that the host stars are not radio emitters at similar wavelengths , but we do note that radio flare stars may well confuse the issue in some cases . this may be an issue for some m stars , but is much less likely to be an issue for f , g and k - stars ( bastian 1990 ) .
in addition , while the winds of massive stars can also generate both thermal and non - thermal radio emission , the winds considered here are unlikely to be strong enough to generate any confusing emission .
in addition to the expected flux , the optimum frequency to observe these sources is also uncertain .
the predicted peak frequencies are around 50 mhz for tau boo and gliese 86 ( which is still at a lower frequency than the 74 mhz observations of tau boo ) , and rather lower for hd179949 and ups and .
the peak frequency is , however , very uncertain , and depends on the planetary magnetic moment ( and planetary mass ) , which for all of these objects is uncertain due to the @xmath103 factor ( and the assumptions made in this model ) .
we have assumed a mean value of the inclination , and it could be for these objects that @xmath96 is closer to @xmath175 , which will reduce the expected flux as well as making the peak frequency difficult to observe ( though the converse is also possible , making the situation easier ) .
the peak frequency also depends on the planetary radius , which we may be underestimating for the very close planets ( those with orbital separations of 0.05 au ) .
gliese 86b has an orbital separation of 0.11 au , putting in the category of a class iv egp , and so , while it is possible we are underestimating the planetary radius , the effect is likely to be less than for tau boo . on a positive note ,
given the anticipated parameters of the _ lofar _ instrument , from the estimates presented here , there should be ample sensitivity to detect a substantial number of egps .
these egps will have a range of period / mass characteristics , and thus the observations will initiate the observational study of extrasolar magnetospheres .
so , in summary , we have performed a detailed analysis of the expected radio emission from nearby extrasolar giant planets . in particular ,
new results allow us for the first time to be quantitative about the expected stellar wind properties of the host stars of egps , which in turn has important consequences on their radio detectability .
we predict that a number of egps will emit at radio wavelengths at levels that are likely to be observable with _ lofar_. we do note that there remain a number of issues that could reduce the observability of these objects , and care should be taken when choosing to observe the candidates , but nonetheless there does remain the prospect of a detection and we have proposed the five most promising targets on which to undertake a search .
i would like to acknowledge the helpful comments of the anonymous referee , and also comments made on an earlier version of the paper by steve spreckley .
farrell w.m . ,
desch m.d . ,
lazio t.j .
, bastian t. , zarka p. , in scientific frontiers in research on extrasolar planets , asp conference series , vol 294 , edited by drake deming and sara seager .
( san francisco : asp ) , 2003 , p.151 | arxiv |
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a 30-year - old male reported to dental o.p . with the complaint of asymmetric appearance of the face .
patient had no history of significant medical problems , trauma or family history of any hereditary disease .
clinical examination revealed a diffuse enlargement of the lower one - third of the right side of the face .
the enlargement was also seen to involve the lower border of the right mandible [ figure 1 ] .
intra oral examination revealed a swelling involving both the buccal and lingual aspect of the right mandible .
the enlargement was more prominent on the buccal side , extending from the distal aspect of 45 to the distal aspect of 47 obliterating the vestibule .
furthermore , observed was that the lesion had not caused any malocclusion [ figure 3 ] .
extra oral view : ( a ) swelling of the lower right side of the face , ( b ) swelling involving the lower aspect of mandible intra oral view : swelling involving both the buccal and lingual aspect of the right mandible intra oral view : right and left side , showing normal occlusion orthopantamogram ( opg ) revealed an increase in vertical height of the body of the right mandible of normal bone density .
an opg taken at the age of 25 years ( 5 years back ) and the current opg showed the lesion was stable [ figure 4 ] .
orthopantamogram : ( a ) taken at the age 25 years , ( b ) taken at the age of 30 .
both the films show an increase in the vertical dimension of the right mandible and no change even after 5 years duration computed tomography ( ct ) axial image revealed a solitary well - defined homogenous mass seen on the right body of the mandible measuring around 2 cm 3 cm with uniform radiopacity .
bony enlargement was seen on both buccal and lingual side , buccal aspect being more prominent than the contralateral side
. the bony enlargement can be well - appreciated in three dimensional ( 3d ) ct .
furthermore observed in the radiographs , the enlargement was restricted to the body and did not extend to the condyle , which later aided in the diagnosis [ figure 5 ] .
( a ) computed tomography axial : well - defined solitary mass on the right body of mandible , ( b ) three dimensional ct : expansion of buccal aspect of the right mandibular body the histopathology showed compact bone and numerous , small marrow spaces .
( a ) low power view showing compact bone of normal architecture , ( b ) high power view showing osteocytes within the normal bone based on the clinical , radiographic and histopathologic findings the diagnosis of hyperplasia of the right mandible was given .
until 1980 , hemimandibular hyperplasia were called as condylar hyperplasias , although not totally incorrect , implying the role of mandibular condyle in the development of this condition .
excessive growth can affect other parts of the mandible and the term hemimandibular hypertrophy is now preferred .
obwegeser and makek had subdivided this condition as hemimandibular hyperplasia , hemimandibular elongation or hybrid forms depending on the segment of the mandible affected .
hyperplasias of the mandible cause increased dimension of the bone in all aspects , which can be visualized clinically as a gross painless enlargement of the lower third of the face . in the present case ,
enlargement was seen to be increased in all dimensions increase of the right body of the mandible with excessive growth was seen on the buccal and lingual aspect , more prominently on the buccal aspect .
radiographic examination along with different views can give more insight on the extent of involvement and also probable pathogenesis of such lesions .
opg of the present case showed an increase in the vertical height of the body of the right mandible of normal bone density .
the lesion was also stable and had not increased in size , which was inferred from comparing the opg taken 5 years before and the recent opg .
ct axial view had shown bicortical expansion , the buccal expansion being more prominent than the lingual aspect . given the clinical picture alone ,
the differential diagnosis would include bone pathologies such as a benign bone neoplasm , osteoma and advanced fibrous dysplasia .
the lesion favored to be a developmental lesion based on the duration , stability and the 3d involvement of the mandible . with the radiographic findings ,
the histopathology of hemimandibular hyperplasia shows bone of normal cellularity and architecture as was observed in the present case .
the histopathology of the present case showed normal bone with osteocytes evenly spaced with normal bony architecture , suggesting a non - inflammatory non neoplastic entity .
knowledge of normal bone present in these lesions can be vital as any pulpal inflammation spreading to the periapical region can be treated as routine and does not require any added consideration .
one of the causes for facial asymmetry is hemimandibular hyperplasia as was seen in the present case .
depending on the site involved there can be an increase in vertical or horizontal dimension . in the present case ,
since the body of right mandible was involved , the lower third of the face showed a diffuse swelling with involvement of inferior border of mandible .
treatment plan depend on the severity of the structures affected and the esthetic correction of the dominant aspects . in moderate to severe cases ,
certain cases may also require soft - tissue debulking , due the compensating growth of the overlying soft tissues surrounding the hypertrophy of the hard tissues . in the absence of any functional disturbance
, esthetic correction suffices as growth ceases after the last growth spurt . in the present case ,
peripheral trimming of the buccal cortical plate along with reduction of height of the body of the mandible was carried out to improve the facial appearance .
apart from esthetics , most cases also show mild to severe functional disturbances with malocclusion being the foremost .
cases have also been reported where patient also developed habits due to malocclusion . usually , due to gradual enlargement , the dentition , overlying and surrounding soft - tissue attain harmony thus maintaining almost normal function .
the present case did not show any significant malocclusion or any habits due to the anomaly .
the present case being unique that although present throughout childhood , did not cause any functional disturbance . | pubmed |
Card Captor Sakura, Harry Potter 1. Chapter 1
I know I said that me re-emerging in the fan fiction world will come in another one and a half years time. Hee… I had this sudden wave of inspiration when I was revising for my mid-years/common test hence here I am! I am attempting to refine my use of English in this fic which means typing takes 5 times longer as I keep checking and rechecking every sentence. Gosh, how long will I take to complete one chapter?
This fic is based on a merger of book 5 and 6. Some of the facts are distorted. E.g. Umibridge is still in charge of the school and Dumbledore is not yet XXXX (spoiler for those who have not read book 6) and a few others.
Disclaimer: CCS and HP do not belong to me
The burning embers in the fireplace produced a glow which bounced off the dusty stone walls that badly needed scrubbing. Light passing through the frost covered window illuminated the already dim lit room. Various Christmas decorations were put up; mini angels fluttering about, the ceiling magically enchanted to produce snowflakes that disappeared after a few seconds and the windows were draped with white velvet to further enhance the room. All seemed serene and calm, yet suddenly the cozy, pictorial setting was shattered by a curse muttered by someone slumping lazily in a red couch.
Three Gryffindor students wearing home knitted jumpers were gathered near the fireplace. One male student with red hair had a look of triumph on his face while his opponent hung an attempted defeated expression, which betrayed a look of utter boredom instead.
"Oh, that's the fourth time I lost already." Harry drawled, staring at the remains of his king.
"Let's play another round!" Ron said enthusiastically, secretly relishing the fact that there was still something that he was better at. With a wave of his wand, the chess pieces were back to their original places.
It was nearing the end of Christmas, a new school term was about to start. The trio in a bid to enjoy their remaining holidays decided to spend their day outside, only to be propelled back by the chilling winds and raging snowstorms. Thus their second option was to stay coped up in the Gryffindor common room, be couch potatoes and die of boredom. Hermoine resumed her daily habit of reading while Ron and Harry indulged in a game of wizard's chess.
And it was one of the driest board games ever invented.
At least for Harry, it was. Ron, on the other hand, was gloating over his fourth consecutive win and contemplating on the fifth.
"Pawn to C3." Harry started, stifling a yawn.
"Pawn to E9" Ron replied.
"You know the latest commotion over that sorcerer incident… Knight to D4." Harry spoke, attempting to divert Ron's attention to some interesting yet random topics.
"The Ministry has gone crazy over it. My father has been working overtime for this few weeks, having meetings everyday, discussing something stupid like the chances of sorcerers eradicating the wizarding population. Pawn to F9."
Hermoine looked up from her reading material and snarled, "It is all because of that Rita Seeker, blowing every small incident up." Obviously Hermoine still had not forgiven that nosy reporter.
"But… isn't sorcerers like non-existent? You know myths?" Harry asked, as he ordered his pawn to move.
Hermoine frowned as she replied, "I read this book before, like two years ago… The last sorcerer to roam this earth was Clow Reed… He was very powerful, capable of becoming a more difficult opponent than You-Know-Who. But I don't trust that book; it was hundreds of year's old, probably outdated long time ago."
"Hermoine doubting her own source of knowledge? That must be a first." Ron snorted as his queen smashed Harry's pawn to pieces.
Harry sighed as his best friends began a round of arguing, the chess match was the last thing on Ron's mind right now. Harry did not mind anyway. Ron's ego was swelling way too greatly.
Coming back to the topic at hand, Harry found that the entire situation was absurd, twisted. Just a few weeks ago, the wizarding world was still on high alert for Voldermort, bracing for new attacks by death eaters. The Daily Prophet came as a surprise to Harry the following day. For once, there were no reports on Harry's claim on dark lord's existence or deaths, injuries and missing civilians in courtesy of Death Eaters.
_Flashback_
"_Huh? Sorcerers, a dangerous breed?" Ron stared at the headings incredulously, "Seriously, I think that Seeker reporter has gone nuts."_
_Hermoine disagreed, "I think that women just ran out of mean reports. Subscription rate went down recently."_
"_But there haven't been any sorcerer sightings for centuries! And this photo is definitely a fake." Ron exclaimed as he jab an accusing finger at the picture. Harry had to admit, the photo showed nothing that portrayed sorcerers as dangerous. It was underexposed and all Harry saw was a glow of purple and a flurry of movement._
"_Well, that reporter said that this intruder apparated in Hogwarts ground. Man, that is some concrete evidence," Ron snorted as he gulped down his pudding._
"_But you can't just appar-"_
"_Yes, yes we know. Cannot apparate in Hogwart's ground. That must be the hundredth time you have been saying this." Ron retorted._
_Harry ignored the squabbling pair as he read the contents, which was mainly on the origin of sorcerers and the widespread destruction one can cause_
_End of flashback_
Since then, the Ministry declared a high alert for sorcerersThe Daily Prophet began to publish daily sightings of sorcerers in which Harry doubted the credibility of it. Sorcerer detecting devices began to flood Hogsmate. Fred and George were in it as well; they have invested a huge sum of galleons in anti-sorcerer devices and goods were literally flying off their shelves. Harry fished out and fingered the Weasley twin's latest product – The Sorcerer Detection Ring. The higher the intensity and frequency the ring flashes, the closer the sorcerer is to the ring holder.
_Pretty interesting yet a useless invention. _Harry mused. After all, sorcerers have disappeared from the face of this earth centuries ago.
However, Umibridge did not seem to share a similar opinion with Harry. She began re-enforcing Hogwart's defense with numerous spells; sorcerer detection charms, repelling charms, binding charms etc, in a bid to deter any attacks from sorcerers. Together with Flich, they prowled along the corridors searching for any hint of sorcerer invasion. This in Harry's opinion was a total waste of time. Umibridge was seen carrying numerous sorcerer detecting kits and charms, as if the sorcerers were targeting her.
"Dumbledore wasn't too pleased though. Did you see the look on his face when Umibridge announced that she was going to tamper with Hogwart's security system?" Ron asked.
"Dumbledore knows that the wizarding world will be vulnerable to Death eater attacks if we are distracted with other matters." Hermoine replied.
The discussion ended abruptly with Ron emitting a loud cheer, indicating that he had smashed Harry's king into many pieces and Harry was left to wallow in defeat once more.
The new school term started with Umibridge washing down everyone's short lunch with a long and draggy speech which included the latest enhancement of the castle's detection spells. It was only after Professor Mcgonald reminder did she release the school, but not before she threw Professor Mcgonald a dirty look.
"I think Umibridge is paranoid," Ron muttered as he strode past an anti-sorcerer poster. "I bet she wants to single-handedly catch a sorcerer in order to impress the ministry."
Snape greeted them with an unpleasant smile as the trio stepped into the dimly lilted room.
"10 points off Gryffindor for being late." Snape said.
"It's not our fault! Umibridge was babbling non-stop and ate into our lessons!" Ron argued even before Harry could stop him.
"20 points off Gryffindor for talking back. I suggest you hurry to your seat Mr. Weasley, before I give you a weeks worth of detention." Snape replied in a dangerously soft voice.
Harry and Hermoine dragged the scowling Ron to their seats as Snape started his lesson.
"Due to the incident that occurred before Christmas, Professor Umibridge has requested that all Defense against Dark Arts students to study an additional topic for this term; Sorcerers. As this additional topic is not covered in your textbooks, you should start copying down notes on your parchment for this entire chapter." Snape rambled.
Groans can be heard as everyone pulled out their parchments and feathers.
"Professor Umibridge would like the students to understand the nature of sorcerers and the threat that they possess towards the wizarding community."
"Propaganda, you mean." Ron muttered.
"Detention for Mr. Weasley for the whole of next week for speaking in class without permission." Snape snapped. Ron cursed inwardly as he threw Snape a death glare, which Snape ignored.
Snape continued lazily as though nothing had disrupted him, "Of course, I don't think we should jump straight into the negative sides of sorcerers yet. For today's lesson, we will be studying on the nature of sorcerers."
With a flick of his wand, a projection appeared on the wall.
"It is common knowledge that Sorcerers are many times more powerful than wizards. What makes them so distinct from wizards are four characteristics. Mr. Potter, what are these four main characteristics?" Snape asked, ignoring Hermione's raised hand.
"Um…" Harry mused, "They are… dangerous?"
"10 points off Gryffindor for answering wrongly. Obviously Mr. Potter, you have not been reading widely enough. If you want to pass your N.E.W.T.S, you better work a lot harder.(Harry glared at Snape)These four characteristics are the extend of their power, their power source, the way their cast their sorcery and the population number. Sorcerers are extremely few in number, probably about twenty to thirty ever existed. We wizards draw our magic from the magical object within our wands, to which the magical abilities of the user varies with the type, nature and power the magical object holds. On the other hand, sorcerers draw their power from nature like planets and elements. Thus it is obvious that sorcerer's magical abilities far out weigh wizards due to the power source they draw from. The last distinct characteristic is that sorcerers do not use wands like we do. Most of them use different types of mediums like staffs or jewels when performing serious sorcery while the more powerful ones can cast sorcery without any medium."Snape explained.
"Now Miss Granger, why do most sorcerers have to rely on mediums to perform serious sorcery?"
Hermione's eyes widen as she furiously worked out the answer. This topic was not covered in her textbook thus she did not have any in depth knowledge of sorcerers. Plus, the library had only a pathetic number of books on sorcerers where many were not useful at all.
"I… don't know Professor." Hermoine stuttered as she realized that many people were throwing surprised looks in her direction.
"10 points off Gryffindor. Miss Granger, your sudden drop in your constant pace tells me a lot of your study habits." Snape grinned sinisterly as Hermoine lowered her head in shame.
"True, sorcerers do not need to use mediums when performing wizard's magic as the magic used is almost negligible. However, when performing sorcery, large amount of power is needed to be channeled in order to create an astounding effect. Therefore, the greatest amount of sorcery is concentrated in the medium. In other words, their mediums act as an amplifier to their normal attacks. Be forewarned that their normal attacks alone is many times more powerful than 10 Aurors combined. "
Snape ignored the stunned silence that spreaded around the class and continued, "Now, this person on the wall happens to be the most powerful sorcerer ever recorded in history. Who is he?"
"Clow Reed, sir." Hermoine said frantically in a bid to salvage her bruised ego.
"I did not ask you for the answer Ms Granger. If you would like to show off, please do it in other classes." Snape growled as Hermoine blushed several shades deeper.
"Clow Reed was the most powerful sorcerer that walked on this earth. He existed for several hundreds of years. Oh yes, he was definitely powerful alright. Many said that he alone could rival Voldermort's reign." Snape said, "And… Yes, Mr. Walkner?"
A brave Hufflepuff boy asked hesistantly, "If sorcerers are so powerful… is there any way… any spell that we wizards can use in defense against them?"
Snape unpleasant look took over again as he spoke, "I afraid not Mr. Walkner. A sorcerer can cripple the wizarding world if they tried hard enough but an extremely powerful sorcerer like Clow Reed can cause serious devastation easily. If they really release their full power Mr. Walkner, the entire world will be at stake. You and I will cease to exist."
Reality set in as the entire class was dumbstruck. "And what do you mean by serious devastation Professor?" The same boy squeaked..
"What do you think?" Snape asked lazily.
"I… don't know Professor."
Snape surveyed the class boredly as he spoke once more, "This aspect was supposed to be covered in the later parts of the topic though. It could be an exaggeration for no one has really seen the full extend of Clow Reed's power. Predictions from textbooks may not necessarily be correct."
With a flick of his wand again, the projection disappeared.
"I expect a ten foot long essay about the nature of sorcerers and Clow Reed's legacy by next Monday."
Grumblings started to occur once more.
"And one more thing, Professor Umibridge will be marking several chosen scripts personally."
It was several days after that particular class and the trio were slaving away in the Gryffindor common room, struggling to complete their ten-foot long essay. Hermoine was writing furiously away on her parchment, oblivious anything and everything around her. Ron was not very pleased as he stared at the pathetic length of his essay.
"I am still five-foot short! Harry, this is getting nowhere!" Ron exclaimed, "Other than what Snape had said in class, the rest of my essay is total bullshit!"
Harry replied exasperatedly, "There are very few reference materials in the library Ron! We can't write an essay without any reference materials!"
"Well, Hermoine can." Ron pointed out.
"I am still short of five-foot!" Hermoine wailed as she scribbled even faster.
"It is already ten-foot long Hermoine!" Ron snorted, "You are just sore over that incident during Defense Against Dark Arts."
A loud thwack could be heard as the book Herimone flung collided with Ron's hard head.
"Shut up Ron!" Hermoine yelled as her face burned with embarrassment.
Harry groaned inwardly once more as he watched the argument blow up once more. Ron and Hermoine kept arguing these days and Harry was getting really tired of enduring those childish arguments. Hermoine was getting really touchy these days and Ron made no attempt to be more tactful.
Majority of the Gryffindor students gave up on meeting the ten-foot long requirement. There were simply too few reading materials for reference. Harry, himself, managed to reach seven-foot long before he decided to throw in the towel.
It was not failing that essay that bothered Harry. It was, however, the impact that Snape's lesson had caused throughout the school.
_It was like they are brainwashed or something._
Ever since Snape started his new topic, Almost every student in Hogwarts perceived Sorcerers as dangerous, and they are starting to feel extremely wary. Rumors started to mix with facts and the truth of sorcerers no longer seemed clear. Many now pay close attention to sightings reported in the newspapers, a trend which was definitely missing before the holidays. Many students now stereotype sorcerers as cold-blooded. Even the trio now looked at sorcerers in a different light, like they were _afraid _of the widespread destruction one sorcerer can cause. No doubt, even Harry was affected by rumors.
_Is this what the Ministry hoped for? Hatred towards sorcerers?_
Umibridge must be extremely smug about it.
A deafening noise interrupted Harry's train of thought. Startled, Harry looked around wildly. The rest of the Gryffindor had a look of confusion in their face.
"What on earth is that racket?" Ron yelled, using his hands to cover his ears.
"I don't…" Harry started.
"It is the new security system!" Hermoine shouted.
It was then that Harry remembers part of Umibridge's long and draggy speech a few days ago.
_If there is an extremely loud screeching sound, it means that a sorcerer has intruded into Hogwart's grounds. All students are to remain in the castle. Prefects and teachers are to assist me in capturing the intruder._
_A sorcerer has intruded into Hogwart's grounds…_
The anti-sorcerer ring in Harry's pocket began to flash brightly.
"It is really an ancient relic alright!" A teenage girl held up her video camera as she started filming enthusiastically. "This will be a great addition to my video collection!" She squealed.
Starry eyed, she approached the castle a little closer in order to take a better shot.
It was a while later before her pretty face gave way to a frown. Was there something wrong with her video camera or were tiny specks of dots forming on her display screen? Say, these dots seemed to be approaching her at high speed.
She lowered her camera as stared hard in that direction. There was a group of people which consist of teenagers and adults running in her direction. The leader of the pack had a look of… triumph on her face, for some reason, the long haired girl could not figure out why. Say, that toad like woman had an awful fashion sense and she could do well with a change of hairstyle.
"Hai, minna…" She started, only to be interrupted by that toad like woman sudden movement of flicking a… stick. To her amusement, a red light seemed to erupt from that stick and it traveled quickly at the speed of light.
All she felt next was intense numbness spreading throughout her body before sinking into deep oblivion.
Please review! It makes me a lot more motivated to start the next chapter.
2. Chapter 2
School work and exams are weighing me down so updating at snail pace.
I want to thank all reviewers for reviewing my story. Those reviews encouraged me a lot. There were a few concerns and questions that I need to address though. Yes, Tomoyo is not a muggle and Harry does not really like wizard's chess (If I start losing in straight games, chances are I will get bored of it too). About wizards waging war, the population number of sorcerers etc, those will be revealed in later parts of the story. I cannot reveal too much though, they are spoilers after all.
Three things to take note –
One of the confusing part/bad points of this story is Clow Reed's legacy.
This is the full summary of this fic – HpCCS. The wizarding world has declared war against sorcerers, cleanly forgetting about the threat Voldermort and his Death Eater poses. Facing danger from both the wizards and Voldermort, how will the sorcerers deal with this sticky situation when the sorcerers detest the wizarding community as well?
This story takes place at the mid to end of book 6. Certain things in book 6 and book 5 DID NOT HAPPEN. E.g. Snape did not betray Dumbledore (yet) , Dumbledore did not XXXX, and some others.
I really had some trouble with this chapter. You know. Language, grammar, the usual.
"She did what?"
"Veritaserum Harry. Umbridge used Veritaserum on that intruder." Hermione said exasperatedly.
"Umbridge used quite a lot of it too." Ron rambled, "Injected into her when she was unconscious or something. She must have felt that the intruder needed to have a stronger dose in order for the potion to take effect."
"What information does Umbridge want to extort from that intruder anyway?" Harry asked.
"I don't know. Perhaps she wants to lead a troop of Aurors to her hometown and wipe out all the sorcerers there. Or perhaps Umbridge …"
Hermione sighed as Ron started to form various useless reasonings. That man has a brain full of garbage. How Ron qualified as a prefect, she will never find out.
It was one hour after that intruder incident and being prefects, Ron and Hermione have witnessed the entire commotion and were currently relating the whole incident to the ever so impatient Harry. Hermione took charge of all the facts and Ron added in his opinions thus sparking endless rounds of arguments between both of them, slowing the entire process.
Hermoine gave up and let Ron do all the talking as she started to replay that incident in her mind. It was a chaotic scene then. Confused prefects and teachers gathered in the great hall as Umbridge started to give orders.
_Flashback_
"_I bet it is a false alarm." Ron grumbled as Umbridge_ _led the pack out of the castle._
"_Umbridge doesn't think so." Hermione muttered as Umbridge had a look of determination on her face._
_With Umbridge in the lead, her lackeys; Flich and Slytherin prefects, and the rest of the "security team" trailing closely behind her, they sped westwards. Bent on capturing the intruder, Umbridge yelled formulated plans to the crowd as they trampled on the grass._
"_Wands out!" Umbridge roared._
_It was near the forbidden forest that the "security team" had a good look at their unwelcome guest._
_Any mental image of sorcerers that Hermione had built in her mind was shot down instantly. The intruder before them was nothing like what she had imagined; old and intimidating._
_Standing before them was an attractive looking girl with long black hair. From the looks of it, this girl was a foreigner, no older than twenty. Her dressing pointed out an obvious fact that she was a muggle._
"_What is that thing in her hands?" Ron whispered, "I have seen dad toying with it sometime ago. Is it some kind of sorcerer's medium?"_
_Brainless guy._
"_It is a video camera Ron! Muggle technology! You should really take up muggle studies!" Hermione hissed._
_But muggle technologies were not supposed to work in the wizarding world…_
_Umbridge's sudden movement broke Hermione's train of thought. With a look of triumph on Umbridge's face, she flick her wand and muttered a spell. A red light erupted from Umbridge wand and traveled quickly towards the intruder._
"_Umbridge is trying to knock her out!" Ron cried._
_Ignoring that Ron had foolishly stated the obvious, Hermione focused her mind onto this nagging feeling within her, as she watched the intruder collapsed on the ground._
_The intruder looked terribly amused._
_As if the intruder was expecting them._
_End of Flashback_
She was like a prey that was caught in a spider's web.
Or at least that was what Umbridge thought of the captive.
The captive on the other hand showed no sign of fear. She must have either concealed her emotions really well or resigned to her fate. Yet the captive's cool demure unnerved Umbridge. Those eyes… that faintly amused smile, they seemed to be mocking at her.
Umbridge gripped her wand tightly. There was no way she could be scoffed at! Umbridge had the upper hand now with the captive at her mercy. All she needed now was the captive to admit her plotting of attacks. Umbridge smirked. Veritaserum should do the trick. Together with the eight Aurors sent by the Ministry (plus two more Hogwarts teachers), there was no way the captive could escape.
Moreover, the captive was under an immobilize spell and could not move freely.
Pointing the wand at the captive, Umbridge probed, "Who are you? What is your business with the wizarding world?"
The captive's face broke into a huge smile, "Watashi no namae wa Tomoyo Daidouji desu." The captive paused before continuing, " I supposed you didn't understand that. My name is Tomoyo Daidouji. "
Silence reigned as the wizards were caught off guard by that unexpected reply.
Convinced that Tomoyo was putting on an act, Umbridge tried to dig more "information" out of Tomoyo.
"Well, I own this chain of boutiques. Currently a fashion designer… Eto…"
Time and time again, Tomoyo gave replies that did not satisfy Umbridge at all.
With her patience was running dangerously low, Umbridge grabbed the video camera from an Auror. She glared at Tomoyo with frightening eyes as she whispered in a dangerously soft voice, "You were caught filming Hogwarts. Muggle technology cannot be used in the wizarding world. What were you trying to do?"
Then all restraints within Umbridge broke off as she began to holler, causing Tomoyo to wince, " YOU WERE PLANNING TO ATTACK HOGWARTS WEREN'T YOU? TRYING TO FIND LOOPHOLES IN THE SCHOOL'S DEFENSE SYSTEM!"
"Iie. I …"
"I WILL NOT LET ANY SORCERER PENTRATE HOGWART'S DEFENSE! YOU HEAR? NEVER!"
Tomoyo faltered for a moment before replying, "Anata told me that Hogwarts was a majestic ancient relic so I just …"
Tomoyo stopped abruptedly as Umbridge blasted the wall behind Tomoyo, causing it to fall and crumble.
"Another lie and your head will be next." Umbridge snarled.
Tomoyo smiling face gave way to a slight frown as she spoke quietly, " What makes you think I am lying? You used that truth serum didn't you? Moreover, forcing someone to admit something she has never done before is not exactly the most honourable thing to do."
Tomoyo smirked, "I wonder if this has got to do with fame and status in your government body."
It was really satisfying to see that toad's face blow up like a huge red tomato.
_Playtime is over Tomoyo…_
_Hai._
Tomoyo gave a dazzling smile as she looked about, "I really can't stick around any longer. Anata is calling for me."
Standing up, she dusted and straightened her skirt. Hexes and curses burst from the end of the stunned wizards' wands crashed into the defense barrier that Tomoyo had erected around her.
Grinning at Umbridge who was cursing loudly as she attempted to break down the barrier, Tomoyo gave her some friendly advice, "You really should go for a makeover. Brown seriously clashes with your style."
With a slight bow, Tomoyo vanished with a snap of her fingers.
Tomoyo could not breathe properly as Nakuru gave her a bone crushing hug, just when Tomoyo set foot into the large manor.
"You know how worried I was?" Nakuru cried , "Running off like that!"
"It is not like I am seriously hurt or anything…" Tomoyo grinned as she tried to dislodge herself.
"Nakuru, Tomoyo is turning blue."
Nakuru released Tomoyo instantly and spun round, "Demo Eriol-sama…"
"Suppi is on sugar high again. He just flew into your room." Eriol said with an unusually cheerful tone.
Within a split second, Nakuru was in her room, trying to prevent that soft toy from plunging into a cupboard full of under garments.
"That was really mean." Tomoyo lectured, "It must…"
Eriol interrupted her as he pulled her into a warm embrace. Time stood still for the couple as they enjoyed a moment of bliss.
"Iterashai, Tomoyo-chan"
Tomoyo's expression soften as she felt Eriol raking through her hair. She relished times like this- contented to be Eriol's object of affection.
She really could not ask for more.
"Tadaima, anata."
It was a while later that the two lovebirds settle comfortably in the living room, enjoying each other's company. Occasional yells and crashes from the upper level could be heard as well.
Eriol sipped his afternoon tea before popping his question, "You went there for sightseeing?"
"Hai. It was beautiful. Just the way you described it Eriol." Tomoyo had stars in her eyes as she held out her video camera. "I managed to claim back my video camera as well!"
Eriol chuckled as he took another sip of his tea.
"Are you sure that is the only reason why you went to Hogwarts?"
Tomoyo silently twirled a strand of her hair. A few seconds passed before she spoke, "I really can't hide anything from you ka?" Sighing, she placed her teacup back on the table.
"I went there to check out the situation. I wasn't really pleased by the way sorcerers are portrayed."
"So you got captured then disappeared in front of that many wizards just to prove to them how inferior their defense system was?"
"Hai."
"Causing more chaos as a warning to them… It sounds like something that I will do…" Eriol muttered thoughtfully.
"I learnt that bad habit from you." Tomoyo proclaimed.
"That means I am a good teacher."
Tomoyo rolled her eyes as she helped herself with a biscuit. Meanwhile, Eriol brooded about past events. He remember Nakuru going all uptight about Tomoyo getting captured by the wizards, clinging onto him like a leech as she her wailings contributed to the noise pollution. Nakuru was getting too attached to Tomoyo, and he was not sure if that was a good thing. Two women ganging up against him was not a good experience. Eriol assured both guardians that there was nothing to worry about.
"_Tomoyo is powerful enough to handle a pack of raving lunatics. A couple of wizards should not be of any problem to her."_
Still, he could not deny that deep down, he was a little worried about her safety. Anxious that something might go terribly wrong. Afraid that the toad may harm his beloved.
And if that toad did leave a scratch on Tomoyo, he will personally murder that witch.
He did not have to worry about anything though for Tomoyo came back unscathed, much to his relief. Veritaserum and binding spells did not work on sorcerers after all.
However such a huge reaction from the wizards meant that the situation in the wizarding world was worrying. This could lead to problems for the sorcerers in the long run.
Something had to be done…
"I am going to visit an old friend." Eriol spoke suddenly, "To discuss and clarify certain things." Waving his right hand, his Western attire was replaced with the usual robes of blue, black and gold.
"You might want to come along Tomoyo."
Tomoyo rose from her sitting position, "Sure, but where are we going?"
Eriol gave her mysterious smile before replying.
"To Hogwarts."
Living to such an old age meant that one had witnessed many things. Observing Voldermort as he grew from a handsome young lad to a half-reptile with bursting ambition, watching over generations after generations of Hogwarts students, gaining experience to an extent where many deemed him respectable and credible as he turned into their confidants.
Thus Dumbledore found the pensive a great invention of the wizards. It prevented him from having a mental breakdown, especially when he was in the golden years where signs of aging seemed to show.
Yet this meeting with a young lad proved that he still had much to learn. After all, it was not everyday that reincarnations would pop up in his office.
"Good afternoon, Dumbledore."
Dumbledore gave a puzzled look before noticing the unmistakable overpowering aura.
He shifted his glasses as his face gave way to an enormous smile, "Ah! A rare guest. It seemed like many years ago when we last met. Isn't it Clow?" Dumbledore hastily drew out his wand, "Let me draw you a chair."
And he did just that.
"The name is Eriol." Eriol said as he flashed one of his signature grin.
"Ah yes, Eriol. I suppose you have disabled the sorcerers' detection spell, judging that the alarm hasn't gone off…" Dumbledore mused as Eriol gave a lazy grin in response.
"Now would you like some tea?" Dumbledore asked as he tapped the tea pot. It sprung to life as it emptied its contents into two tea cups.
"Had one earlier, but I am sure another won't hurt. I have to watch over my rising caffeine level though."
It was pretty amusing really. Both of them looked as if they were long lost old friends living long enough to brood about life over a cup of tea.
"Tomoyo dropped by this morning…" Eriol started as he took a long sip.
"Ah, that fine young sorceress." Dumbledore muttered thoughtfully, "Caused quite a bit of commotion after she left. Professor Umbridge wasn't very pleased… But no one is doubting Ms Daidouji's abilities."
"Tomoyo is not really skilled in areas of attacking and defense though." Eriol said, " Yet she is extremely talented in divinations, illusions and glamour magic."
"Glamour magic?"
"She is exceptionally good at that. You know, changing her appearances and outfits. Even as we speak, Tomoyo should be roaming about in this school right now, taking the identity of a British student."
Eriol smiled inwardly as he remember Tomoyo's thrilled expression. She looked really different after casting a glamour spell on herself. Her hair was half its normal length and was turned into a shade of light brown. Her orbs turned deep blue as her facial features became more pronounced. After altering the robe which Tomoyo found its trimmings too horrendously disgusting, she cast an illusion spell on her video camera. Giving Eriol a quick peck on his cheek, she ran off exploring the entire castle.
"Ah, another great sorceress in her own right."
Dumbledore paused for a moment before speaking.
"Forgive me for saying this, but it seemed to me that Ms Daidouji's visit was instigated by you. After all, Clow had this interesting trait in him. He aggravates matters in order to bring his point across."
Eriol shook his head, "As much as I would love to have that honour, I am afraid Tomoyo has been learning too fast. That girl, disappearing off like that…"
Dumbledore gave one of his grandfatherly smiles.
"Correct me if I am wrong, but Ms Daidouji is closely related to you isn't it?"
The faint blush that appeared on Eriol's cheeks said it all.
"As much as I would love to talk about that girlfriend of mine, I believe there is a more pressing issue at hand." Eriol hastily changed the topic, "The situation is looking pretty bleak."
The mood in the room changed.
Dumbledore leaned back as he sighed deeply. The wrinkles on his forehead became even more evident. No smile was plastered on his face.
"The situation is becoming more alarming, Eriol. The students are getting swayed by Professor's Umbridge tactics and the Ministry is becoming more active in their sorcerers' extermination, though that is not a very nice way to put it."
Dumbledore gave a low chuckle before continuing.
"The threat from Voldermort is still present and such an untimely newspaper report has jeopardized the stability of the entire wizarding community. As much as I would like to do something, changing mindsets and perceptions is not an easy feat. "
Emitting another tired sigh, Dumbledore stood up and strolled towards Fawkes. The phoenix acknowledged his presence as it uttered a single note as it attempted to soothe the lethargy Dumbledore was experiencing at present.
"With your remarkable abilities Eriol, you should be able to change the tide . After all, you are the most powerful sorcerer in history."
There was another pause.
"But alas Dumbledore, I am no longer holding on to that title." Eriol took another sip before continuing, "There are others who are indeed much more powerful than Clow Reed, and they are the ones who have every right to intervene. After all, people look up to those who wield power. This is no exception for the sorcerer race as well."
It took a while for Dumbledore to absorb such a fact. The historians were certainly not doing their job well, leaving such an important fact out of the history books. In fact, there was not even a hint on those sorcerers that Eriol had mentioned.
Eriol shifted his robes as he gave his old friend a pleasant smile, " Information on them is classified though so I can't reveal much, or they will be after my blood. You have to find out for yourself."
Then his expression became solemn, "You have to seek an alliance with them in order to tide over this crisis. I have to warn you though, they are not exactly fond of wizards or death eaters for that matter."
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, "For what reason may I ask?"
"Personal reasons"
_Your kind had scarred her terribly._
"Please pardon me for my rudeness, but having a personal grudge when the entire world is at stake is rather… selfish."
_You won't be saying that if you have witnessed such a horrific scene…_
Eriol's expression turned even more somber, "Let's just say they have witnessed something which can't be forgiven or forgotten that easily."
The piercing stare which Eriol gave Dumbledore warned him not to probe any further.
"It is essential as they call the shots. I am just a … retired old fool." Eriol amused look flooded his face once more. "We sorcerers are –"
Eriol stopped in mid sentence as he felt another unfamiliar presence in the room.
"Dumbledore, you should have disabled the floo network to your fireplace temporarily." Eriol jerked his thumb to the unexpected guest, "Looks like we have another problem on our hands."
Lupin was on high alert – wand out, tensed body, ready to attack when his instincts told him to. It could be due to the high level of stress that frayed his nerves, or that rumors on sorcerers had affected him. Full moon was approaching and that meant instability in the man's mind as well.
And it did not help that Lupin had just heard the past few seconds' worth of conversation.
These may be the reasons why he went into attack mode, ignoring Dumbledore's assurance that Eriol was of no harm.
Eriol ducked a spell which could have decapitated him and approached Lupin with a big, scary smile on his face.
Dumbledore groaned inwardly as Eriol started to aggravate matters once more. He would just have to clean up the reincarnation's mess later.
A barrage of spells bounced off the shield Eriol had created.
Lupin's unstable mind sounded the alarm bells when this boy with a very eerie smile, effortlessly reflected all the spells.
And what made it worse was that sorcerer was walking towards him, with his wand rendered as useless in a situation like this.
"Such lowly magic." Eriol's sinister grin became wider as his overpowering aura rolled off him like waves. "It is no wonder that you wizards are so afraid of us." A flaming stallion appeared as Eriol raised his right hand. "Let me show you what we can do."
Lupin's eyes become as wide as saucers as the enormous beast descended, it's flames filled the entire room. The majestic beast slammed it's front hooves as the stallion swished it's mane, it's fiery orbs boring into Lupin's soul. The heat emitting from it was unbearable, enough to turn the headmaster's office into smoldering ashes within seconds. Yet the unfazed reincarnation just stood there facing the brunt of the intense heat, with that creepy smile still present on his face . It was then that Lupin though intimidated, realized Eriol's message.
_The difference in our abilities is too great…_
_I.. I can't defeat him_
The stallion started to move towards Lupin as he backed away in fear. With just a signal from Eriol, Lupin's skull could be smashed inwards by the beast's hooves, his insides burnt to crisp, his blood used as fuel for lighting the human torch.
And those were just the appetizers.
"That is enough Eriol." Dumbledore called out in a harsh voice, sensing that Lupin's nerves could no longer handle such a shock.
_Trust Eriol to make matters worse._
The flaming beast disappeared as quickly as it came. Eriol's sinister grin was replaced with an impish smirk instead.
"I haven't had that much fun for ages."
Dumbledore gave him the I-can't-stop-you-from-doing-whatever-you-want look.
"Looks like Lupin needs to make a trip down to Poppy." Dumbledore added, " I would like you to refrain from threatening my staff Eriol."
Eriol gave a casual wave as he gazed at the half-werewolf. Though he was unharmed, Lupin's will to fight was diminished and was still in shock.
_I could erase his memories…_
_But it will not be fun that way._
"Looks like I can't stick around much longer."
Eriol faced Dumbledore once more.
"On account of our friendship, I shall relax the rules a little. Start your search in Asia for they are residing there. Make haste for time is not on our side."
Throwing another glance at the fallen teacher, Eriol vanished into thin air.
"I'm telling you, that ring is a fluke!"
Ron pointed at the sorcerer detection ring in Harry's palm.
"I am afraid Ron is right Harry. That ring has been flashing for half an hour but the sorcerer detection spell has not sounded the alarm. The Ministry does have more credible detection tools as compared to something that came out from a joke shop!" Hermione added her two cents in.
Harry frowned. The ring has been acting weirdly for quite some time now. Since Charms, the ring went amok and flashed brightly and quickly. Though he knew his two friends were right, Harry felt that Fred and George would never sell counterfeit goods, especially when their reputation was at stake.
He can vouch for that. Till now, none of the twins' inventions have failed on him.
"I don't know…" Harry trailed.
Too absorbed in their conversation, they did not watch out for incoming human traffic, thus colliding into someone.
"Itai…"
Hermione rushed forward to help the female student back on her feet as Ron, who collided into her, apologized profusely.
"Ah, I wasn't too careful either." The girl bowed as she apologized, tucking the light brown locks behind her ears.
It was then her face lit up in interest as she went up to investigate the flashing red glow in Harry's hand.
"Oh you mean this?" Harry held the ring up. The ring flashed at an intensity and speed that Harry had never seen before.
"This is a sorcerer detection ring. It flashes only when a sorcerer is nearby and increases in frequency and intensity as the sorcerer draws near. Though it seemed to be acting strangely…" Harry brows furrowed.
"I am telling you Harry, that ring is fake!" Ron snorted.
Crystal blue orbs hardened for a moment.
"Can I have it?"
The trio gave her a curious look as Harry handled the ring to her.
"Sure… I can always get another one."
"Ari- Thank You very much." The girl bowed slightly as she accepted the ring. Showing her pearly whites, she thanked them once more before scurrying off.
"Weird girl. She keeps bowing to us." Ron muttered.
"I haven't seen her before…"
"She must be one of your new fans Harry, probably too shy to approach you for the past few years." Ron joked as he nudged Harry.
Hermione stared thoughtfully at the scurrying figure. There was something familiar about her though but Hermione just could not place her finger on it.
_I must be thinking too much_
Little did Hermione know that the scurrying student was the very sorceress who escaped Umbridge clutches with ease.
Almost died typing and editing all my disgusting language in this incredibly long chapter. A transition chapter really. Will try to cut down on dialogues although it is essential for my fic. Will work even harder to make the fic's language better.
Got the entire story plot in my brain but major exams are coming up… What's more, I take years to finish typing a chapter cause new ideas will just pop out from nowhere.
Thank you for reviewing! Those reviews made me start this chapter a month earlier. It was supposed to be published in three weeks time.
So once again, please review.
3. Chapter 3
Typing this chapter was a lot easier as compared to chapter 2 for chapter 3 was one of the earliest scenes (along with some other scenes) I thought off thus inspiration just flowed through smoothly, minimal writer's block (yeah!). The reason for a slight delay for this chapter was due to the fact that I had exams, a national exam, catching up on other fan fics and watching anime series (gundam seed destiny and initial D stage one). GSD pairings are my favorites – you know Kira X Lacus and Athurun X Cagali. And of course figuring how to get this chapter flow smoothly.
I have cut down on the dialogues which hopefully make it more pleasing to read.
Summary of this fic – HpCCS. The wizarding world has declared war against sorcerers, cleanly forgetting about the threat Voldermort and his Death Eater poses. Facing danger from both the wizards and Voldermort, how will the sorcerers deal with this sticky situation when the sorcerers detest the wizarding community as well?
**_Disclaimer: I do not own CCS or Harry Potter. I am just typing because there has been a serious lack of CCS cum HP fics recently._**
**T**here was a great uproar in Hogwarts the following week in courtesy of Peeves who apparently felt that he had to aggravate the already tensed situation. Once he found out that Tomoyo had slipped right under Umibridge's nose, he went gleeful. Before any one could stop him, he zoomed off bellowing lungs out.
"_The intruder has escaped! Everyone run! Hogwarts is not safe any longer!"_
The situation was like a pot on a huge fire, threatening to boil over any moment. With Peeve's untimely announcement, it literally exploded and went chaotic. Worried parents started flooding Hogwarts with owls demanding a logical explanation from Umbridge. Some paranoid ones came down personally to ensure their children's' safety. The incident was splashed onto the newspapers as Daily Prophet reporters started to camp outside the school. Students and teachers heightened their senses as they went on red alert.
To make matters worse, the detection system was reported to be tampered with, four days after Tomoyo's disappearance. This led to many questioning the vulnerability of Hogwart's defense.
Dumbledore, who seemed to be the only person who could calm the whole situation down, was rarely seen these days thus Umbridge had to handle it by herself. To add to her troubles, Peeves decided to leech himself onto Umbridge as he loyally followed the twins' request of giving her hell.
This situation was as bad as it could be.
Yet the Prince of Slytherin was unfazed by the commotion.
These days, Malfoy spent most of his time in the room of requirement, hidden away from public view. Although Slytherin prefects have an unspoken duty of standing by Umbridge at times like this, he had a duty that far outweighed the responsibility as a prefect.
He had to kill Dumbledore.
A grave task which the Dark Lord had ordered him to perform. A chance that was bestowed to Malfoy. An opportunity to prove to Voldermort that he was more capable than any other Death Eaters.
So far none of the Death Eaters have managed to snuff out the life of that old fool.
He shall be the first.
Malfoy snapped out of his thoughts as Peeves evil cackle rang loudly along the corridor. Leaning against the wall, Malfoy gazed at the ceiling. Spending most of his time alone in this room meant that he had plenty of time to brood about stuff other than plotting against Dumbledore.
Strangely, his thoughts always trailed back to his parents, especially his father.
His deceased father to be more exact.
Lucius death was puzzled Malfoy greatly. It was a year and a half since his father's death and Malfoy still had no concrete proof on how Lucius died. All Malfoy remember was the Dark Lord organizing a massive strike against muggles as he wanted to extend his control to muggle territory. There were many attacks against muggles in the past but none were this massive. All Death Eaters, including Malfoy's parents, were roped in. They were split into three teams, each group amounting to at least two hundred Death Eaters.
The attack was done in Asia, where the concentration of wizard was minimal. The operation had been a success, or at least that was what Malfoy had thought.
Less than an hour into "Operation – Muggle slaughter", urgent news was reported that a third of Death Eaters have been wiped out.
This report left even the Dark Lord in shock. Who would be so brazen to lay a finger on the Death Eaters?
Or rather, who had the ability to cripple Voldermort's attacking force?
Malfoy was positive that the Aurors were not responsible for wiping out the Death Eaters. Their attacks were pitiful and they already have great difficulty handling less than twenty Death Eaters.
Baffling as it was, the Dark Lord was forced to abort the attack as he assessed the damage. There was only a single survivor in that team and that happened to be Malfoy's mother.
She was in a ghastly state. Her blonde hair was dyed red as blood soaked her hair. She was in a much paler shade than before and her sunken eyes reflected shock and fear. Medics were trying to savage what seemed to be the mangled remains of her left limbs as she lay lifelessly like a corpse in a pool of blood.
It was only when Malfoy came into view that the widow sprang back to life as she clung onto her son, sobbing and wailing loudly.
"_I saw your father… dying in front of my eyes! HE DISINTEGRATED! THERE WAS NONE OF HIM LEFT! None of him left…"_
It was too much for her to bear and she suffered a severe mental breakdown. Till today which was a year and a half later, his mother was still suffering from her shock.
It was a frightening experience really, for his mother once a proud woman was reduced to such a pathetic state.
Other than the fact that nearly three hundred Death Eaters were killed / disintegrated (according to Malfoy's mother) overnight, no other questions could be answered. That widow just could not remember anything else.Moreover, there were no corpses at the scene.
A recomb of the scene revealed a couple of entrails that were rotting by the roadside pavement. Those internal organs raised suspicion that the Death Eaters _exploded_. Yet the lack of evidence added little credibility to their theory. Further more, there should more than just a couple of entrails if the Death Eaters were slain by implosion.
Plus the claim that the Death Eaters disintegrated made the case even more bizarre.
There was definitely a missing piece to this entire puzzle and eighteen months on, the link was still missing.
But Malfoy had more pressing issues to deal with thus hunting for the missing link can wait. Right now, pleasing the Dark Lord was top on his priority list and he was not going to blow his chance away.
**D**umbledore sighed inwardly as many pairs of eyes were staring incredulously at him. Things always have to be this difficult.
For the past few weeks, he had been on an urgent mission to find out the two sorcerers that Eriol had mentioned. Information on sorcerers was shrouded in secrecy and it was not easy to find out anything. However, there were a couple of wizards that took great interest in sorcerers thus having researched them thoroughly (using past records of Clow Reed and other references) in secret. By cooperating with them, his hard work managed to bear fruit after a few **_weeks_**.
_Miss Kinomoto, Japan_
_Mr Li, China_
That was basically what Dumbledore could find- their names and the country and probably the exact location they were residing at.
The rest of the information was virtually impossible to obtain or was non-existent.
Personal trips to both countries revealed that there were many Kinomotos and Lis in each country respectively. Though Dumbledore would bet that Mr Li belonged to the famous Li Clan in China, there were no prominent Kinomoto clans in Japan for him to place his bets on.
In short, he could not locate Miss Kinomoto.
But this does not mean that all hope was lost. He still had ways to contact them.
Therefore he proceeded to stage two of his plans – to convince the members of the order to form an alliance with the sorcerers.
And it was not going too well.
Everyone felt that Dumbledore was fringing onto the borders of insanity. The third eye that Mad Eye Moody had was spinning wildly on his forehead. Snape even had the guts to remark that Dumbledore was finally losing his marbles. The members, especially the more volatile ones, strongly opposed it.
This was expected as news of Lupin's confrontation with Eriol spreaded like a wildfire among the members.
Speaking of Lupin, he was one of those who strongly protested against the alliance. Dumbledore could not blame him. Lupin's impression of the sorcerers was not very pleasant. After all, he almost got his brains fried by the flaming stallion.
Eriol just _had _to cause trouble.
Dumbledore stopped grumbling as he focused the matter at hand. The members did not realize the seriousness of the situation. Therefore it was in times like this when democracy should be ignored. Whether he liked it or not, Dumbledore was forced to use his authority.
"Silence!"
The room turned as silent as a graveyard.
After regaining his composure, Dumbledore continued, "I know that all of you are concerned about this matter. However, we do not have much choice as we need the power of those sorcerers to tide over this."
Professor McGonagall was pretty surprised. It was not everyday that Dumbledore's temper flared. The number of times that he raised his voice could be counted with one hand. The fact that Dumbledore had gotten angry emphasized the importance of the alliance.
She had always trusted Dumbledore no matter how bizarre his plans seemed to be. This time was no exception.
"I agree with Professor Dumbledore." Professor McGonagall spoke up as all attention was focused on her.
"But…"
"Dumbledore plans have always turned out fine, so I don't see why I should disagree."
"Minerva…"
"My decision is final. I have always trusted Dumbledore's. This time is no exception." Professor McGonagall stated firmly
Silence reigned as the other members of the order mused silently, having an internal debate.
"I will second that." Tonks spoke up as her hair turned into a faint pink, "I have pledged loyalty to the Order and that means following Dumbledore orders." She looked at her boyfriend and her glare doubled in intensity.
_You better **not** protest._
Lupin flinched under her gaze.
**T**he room was awfully large, with large stone lions guarding the entrance. A red carpet covered the well-polished floor as calligraphy was hung on marbled walls. Dragons were painted in gold on maroon pillars that stretched to the ceiling. A picture of a particularly large dragon encircling the family's crest was crafted onto the wall.
"Have this faxed to them by tomorrow."
Unfazed by the majestic size of the dragon, a young lad proceeded to settle the rest of the paperwork. After all, he had been working in this room for nearly two years now. It had been habitual for him to just plop by the desk from nine to five. Not that he hated his job, but to continue this routine for another forty to fifty years could get a little dull and drab at times. Still, this was his duty ever since he took over leadership one and a half years ago.
"It shall be done Mr Li."
Say this job does have it perks other than the unchanging window view. However, being a workaholic, he simply did not have time to enjoy those perks.
Li Xiao Lang, the current eighteen year old who was in charge of the Li Corporation and Clan, was adding the finishing touches to the contract. He handed the contract to his right hand man/secretary.
"Is there anything else?" Xiao Lang enquired as he leaned back onto his armchair.
"Yes there is Mr Li." Wang went through his file as he continued, "There were two attacks in the south the previous week. Damage was minimal and no injuries were reported. Re-enforcement arrived promptly."
Xiao Lang's narrowed his eyes as he remarked darkly, "They have been getter bolder. Their activities have increased recently."
Wang respectfully handled two letters to Xiao Lang, "Two more wizards have attempted to communicate with you, Sir."
Xiao Lang scanned through the letter.
_As usual, trying to start an alliance with us._
"Ignore all letters from them." Xiao Lang told Wang before dismissing him. Wang bowed deeply and left the room.
Xiao Lang took one last look at those letters before igniting them.
_What right do they have to approach us?_
He stared disgustedly at the pile of ashes in his hand as anger started to build up within him.
They had no right to begin with.
**I**t took much persuasion before the rest of the members grudgingly agreed to Dumbledore's plan. Snape in particular, looked as if he swallowed a piece of lemon.
"How are we supposed to meet up with these sorcerers if we do not know their exact location?" Tonks asked.
Dumbledore stared thoughtfully at the ceiling before replying, "I could not obtain much from these contacts of mine. It seems that they know the exact location of one of the sorcerer but they are starting to doubt the credibility of the information as the letters they tried to send did not have any reply."
"Or they just refuse to reply." A member muttered.
Dumbledore chuckled before continuing, "There is another way to contact at least one of them though, and that is through summoning."
"Isn't that forbidden?"
"It is a forgotten skill, not forbidden Snape."
Professor McGonagall looked concerned, "Summoning requires a sacred ground that possesses magic strong enough to attract the sorcerer but I am afraid there may be a lack of sacred grounds for the ritual…"
Dumbledore wagged his finger and pointed west, "You are forgetting about the forbidden forest Minerva! There is enough wild magic within it to summon a sorcerer."
The members started to talk among themselves before Tonks asked, "Then when shall we proceed with the summoning?"
Dumbledore stared thoughtfully at the ceiling for a moment, " In two days. We shall reach the sacred site before midnight for the students should be asleep by then. Moreover, the concentration of wild magic will be at its peak at midnight."
The members nodded in agreement.
"Sleep well and prepare for the herculean task ahead of us." Dumbledore declared.
_We will need it._
"**T**hey are leaving on Thursday night?" Ron exclaimed.
"Shut it Ron! This is the Order's top secret information!" Harry yelled at Ron with a loud whisper.
Harry had begged Dumbledore to allow the trio to tag along when Harry overheard the conversation about the summoning between Lupin and Sirius just a while ago. Harry leeched onto the headmaster for hours, claiming that the trio had every right to participate in the Order's activities as they were rightful members themselves. Dumbledore, who was bent on berating those two idiots for discussing Order secrets in public, had reluctantly agreed to bring the trio along.
So the ever thrilled Harry rushed back to tell the great news to his pals.
Ron was terribly excited and started to plan their "trip". Hermoine on the other hand was shocked.
"Why does Dumbledore want to form an alliance with the sorcerers? They are dangerous!" Hermoine whispered.
"Who knows? Maybe he wants to harness their power to…"
_He is off and going._
"Ron, quit your lame reasoning." Hermoine lectured. "By the way, we are not supposed to discuss this in public. Someone might overhear us and we will be in deep trouble!"
"Fine! Let's return to the common room where we can discuss about this properly." Ron countered.
With that, the trio rushed left the dark corridor and ran towards Gryffindor common room. Unknown to them, Flich too left the corridor as he stepped out of the shadows and ran towards Umbridge's office.
"**T**his is so creepy."
Harry had to agree with Ron. The forbidden forest was the last place he would like to be at night. Not that the forest was pleasant during the day, but it was down right scary during the night.
The variety of trees has morphed into a homozygous breed, processing identical traits of being gloomy, intimidating and astoundingly tall. The silence was deafening as the members of the order trudged warily into the thick mass of undergrowth.
Not to mention that it was unbelievably dark and moon beams were the only source of light. They had to rely on their other enhanced senses to move about, or in reality tripping over their feet. It was really pitch black and all Harry could make out was the outline of the person in front of him (Ron) and nearby vegetation. Dumbledore gave strict orders not to conjure up any flame or light to avoid unwanted attention.
He was regretting his decision to tag along.
And it did not help that the forbidden forest had a life of its own. Dangerous creatures with deranged minds lived in this forest, hiding from wizards' view. God knows what type of bloodthirsty creatures that were desperate for human flesh. Shadowed by darkness, they were probably staring at them behind the camouflage of thick and dense vegetation right now. Thoughts strayed towards a certain group of spiders that nearly ended his life a couple of years back. Harry paled considerably at that thought. Furthermore, vegetation seemed to have a mind of their own. Trees like the Whipping Willow would be abundant in the forest and with wild magic currently running at its peak, Harry was not surprised if any tree were to use his head as a ball.
He was a confirmed nutcase. Why must he always find ways to shorten his lifespan?
_I call that foolish courage._
A trait pretty evident in many Gryffindors.
_At least it is a clear night, not some dark overcast sky that is threatening to rain shit loads on us. _
As the group went deeper into the forest, Harry found the terrain pretty uneven and the vegetation getting a lot denser. Harry found this terribly irritating. Without light illuminating the dirt track, Harry had to rely on trial and error; for which Harry could find himself plunging down suddenly or that the gradient was to step for him to climb and had to be hoisted up by someone. Worst still, thorns stubbornly clung onto his cloak as it was determined to leave more than ripped cloaks. Scowling, Harry wrenched his cloak off the offending thorns which left a large gapping hole. He could feel the cuts those thorns left behind.
Harry cursed silently. There was nothing more troublesome than this.
A loud cry distracted Harry from his musing and he found himself cursing even more.
"Trust that Weasley to always land into trouble." Snape spat.
With whatever illumination the moonlight offered, Harry saw that Ron was currently suspended upside down in mid air. Ron thrashed about wildly, yelling for anyone to save him. There was a mass of confusion as the teachers made a frantic attempt to save the red head. Wands were drawn out and spells were casted in a bid to free that Weasley. Amongst all those burst of fire, Harry could finally identify what was suspending his best friend in mid air.
An enormous vine as thick as an elephant's trunk coiled Ron's ankle and lifted him up. The vines then started to wrap round Ron's body, much to everyone's dismay. Apparently some nearby carnivore tree decided that Ron would do as supper and proceeded to kill its prey, which was to strangle Ron, before sucking the nutrients out.
Ron, who realized that he was on the verge of death, started screeching like a banshee.
"BLOODY HELL! GET THIS THING OFF ME!"
Unfortunately, attempts by the teachers to free Ron were fruitless.
"We have to do something! Ron is going to get killed!" Harry shouted.
A huge burst of flames startled everyone as a nearby tree began to burn. Emitting high pitched squeals, the vines released its hold of Ron as it began to go crazy. Ron landed unceremoniously onto the ground as he scampered away hurriedly.
"Attacks directing to the vines will not be of any use. You have to get rid of the root of the problem."
All eyes fell onto Dumbledore as he continued solemnly, "This commotion had given our position away and we are even more vulnerable to attacks than before. We have to increase our pace."
Picking up speed, the group forced their way through the dense vegetation, desperate to get to their destination fast. They were tredding on dangerous grounds now and now that they were exposed, the forest creatures could easily attack them.
Luckily for them, they managed to reach the clearing without any unexpected attacks.
The clearing was much different from the rest of the forest. It was on a flat ground and a single tree stood next a pond which reflected the clear night sky. In other words, it was beautiful.
"There is little time left. We have to start preparations immediately." Dumbledore led the group of adults to prepare the ritual leaving the trio on their own.
"Are you alright?" A very concerned Hermoine asked Ron.
"Man, I thought I was about to die back then. That bloody vine was squeezing me so tightly, I thought my bones were going to be crushed!"
"You screeched like a girl back then." Harry piped.
"Hey! You will do the same if you were on the verge of death!"
Laughing, Harry surveyed the clearing once more. Beautiful as it was, there was something that Harry could not figure out.
"Hermoine, do you notice something different about that tree as compared to the others?"
"It is sacred Harry. It has to be special." Ron replied.
"Thanks for pointing out the obvious." Harry mentally rolled his eyes. " I mean don't you realize that it is of a different breed? I have never seen this type of tree in the school grounds before."
"Now that you mention it… I think I have seen it in one of the books for muggle studies. It can be found in Asia, especially Japan. It is called…"
"Awww, Mionee forgot something important! Definitely losing her touch."
The argument was short lived as preparations were complete.
A weird, intricate sign was on the ground. Its complex patterns seemed to surround the tree and went towards the pond.
Dumbledore checked the time. It was midnight. They had to start the ritual. Positioning themselves , all of them (the trio excluded) readied their wands. Tension in the air was rising as they waited in anticipation.
_It is time._
Dumbledore stepped up and raised his wand, an action mimicked by the rest.
"One, two, three!"
Without warning, silvery threads burst out from every wand and penetrated the tree. It started to glow faintly and the pond began to have the ripple effect.
Harry began to take note of his surroundings and was greatly alarmed to notice drastic changes. For one, the clear night sky was overcast immediately and it began to show signs of an impending storm. Strong, chilly winds caused trees to thrash about violently, too violently. Harry shuddered. The sudden change was straining his mental health.
Heavy rain began to fall as the winds picked up speed. The pond began to swirl rapidly as the tree glowed even brighter. The flowers of that sacred tree turned into full bloom instantly. Harry freaked out. Flowers _never_ bloom overnight. It was like someone accelerated the tree's growth by several months.
The tree gave out its final burst of blinding light causing all to shield their eyes.
It was then they realized everything was calm once more. No more strong winds and heavy rains. Other than the still glowing tree, every thing returned back to normal.
Warning bells clashed against each other as the group detected a foreign presence. There was a cloaked figure standing on the surface of the pond. The aura radiating from the figure was in alarming amounts.
Harry seized this opportunity to analyze the figure. He/She was wearing this red cloak with strange patterns, which looked like a phoenix. The figure's facial features were hidden from view yet he could feel that figure's eyes boring into his soul.
It was unnerving him.
The rest of the group must have felt it as well for they raised their wands once more in self defense. Dumbledore on the other hand greeted the stranger with a smile. Stepping forward, he gave a deep bow.
"We are extremely honored for you to grace us with your presence, Miss Kinomoto."
Please Review! It makes me more motivated. Typing is tiring work. Typing with a writer's block is a chore.
My next update could vary from one to three months for the next chapter is going to kill my brain cells. Yup Sakura's appearance is going to create a lot of stress on me as many will be eager to see Sakura after such a long time and I don't really like to type major chapters.
Oh well, will try to make chapter 4 as good as possible.
Ja Ne!
4. Chapter 4
I update like once every two/ two and a half months. So this is what happens after I pose a new chapter – first week: reorganizing of storyline for next chapter/writer's fatigue, second week: sudden urge to type a substantial amount, third week: fatigue sets in, fourth week: another urge to type, fifth: writer's fatigue… so it continues in this cycle for eight to ten weeks and ta dah! A new chapter is born.
_Just read a Naruto fic – fox identity, and only one word to describe it. **Awesome**. One that can easily rival the other favourites of mine. What captivates me is the way the author portrays Naruto. How he manipulates people. It also demonstrated to me that a fic can be fantastic even without fighting scenes._
Scene change will be shown by the first **bold** word of a new scene.
Many readers will have many questions to ask. The good news is that most of the answers will be answered. After all, I have almost the entire story plot in my head (the ending however lacks of details so I am still thinking about it) and hopefully you will not be disappointed with how it unfolds. The bad news is that it is in the later parts of the chapters (I am not rushing it ) and um… my national exam is next year, November. You know, Cambridge exams, results needed for University entry, scaring the shit out of me. So that means updates maybe delayed. Sumimasen.
**Disclaimer: I do not own CCS or HP. I am just writing cause there is a serious lack of HP/CCS**
**The** tree, Sakura dully noted, was still glowing due to the immense amount of magic within it. It was similar to _that_ tree which had sent her into Clow Reed's memories and it was the very tree that had acted as a medium for summoning.
Sakura was surprised when she was summoned. If her memory served her right, summoning has not been used for several decades. Yet surprise quickly turned into disgust when she realized that of all people, it was the wizards who called upon her.
The nerve of those wizards.
_They must be the ones who keep bothering Xiao Lang these days…_
Thus Sakura had decided that she would turn up and settle everything promptly without any casualties, or rather bloodshed.
That is if she could keep her emotions in check.
Right now, hostility was leaking through her emotionless mask and anger that was supposed to have simmered down long ago rose once again.
"We are extremely honored for you to grace us with your presence, Miss Kinomoto."
Dumbledore began to introduce himself as well as the rest of the members.
"I wasn't aware that wizards greet their guests with such antipathy." Sakura stated with a voice void of emotion.
Most of the members have pointed their wands at her, ready to attack at any que. Snape decided to choose this inappropriate time to voice out his thoughts as his unpleasant voice rang loudly in the silent night.
"Formalities should not be given to someone who is not sincere enough to reveal her face to us."
"Severus!" Dumbledore barked, "All of you, lower your wands!"
The members hesitated before they grudgingly lowered their wands.
_Having too vocal people in the Order may not be a good thing. _Dumbledore thought sullenly.
"My apologies, Miss Kinomoto." Dumbledore gave another bow, "Some of them are not very good with words."
He shot Snape another warning look before continuing, "There has been a commotion in the wizarding world thus becoming extremely vulnerable to attacks by Death Eaters. Our forces are not powerful enough to go against them. This – "
"I refuse."
Sakura's blatant refusal shocked them senseless.
"Whaa-"
"I refuse to form an alliance with the wizards."
"This is a very grave issue Miss Kinomoto. If the wizarding world succumbs to Voldermort's (many of the members winced) attacks, your world which is also the muggle world may be threatened!"
Sakura stood silent before replying in a harsh whisper.
"Why should I do something that is not worth my effort?" As in helping the wizards get rid of the Death Eaters
This caused an instantaneous reaction with all the more aggressive members as they could not swallow that insult. They now saw Sakura as the selfish, impolite teenager rather than the dangerous sorcerer that could kill them with a single blow. Hence being teachers, or simple the older generation, they had to teach brat a lesson / knock some sense into her with or without Dumbledore's protests.
Moreover most were coerced into agreeing. Forcing them to proceed with the plan did not mean that they have acknowledged Sakura or willing to ask the sorcerers for help.
"Professor Dumbledore, I suggest we ditch all plans of alliance. I am sure we can handle the Death Eaters without the help from a _mere teenager_!" One spat.
"She practically looks down on us!" Another roared.
"Being all selfish and stuff. Having such great power yet refusing to help those in need…"
"Just because _you_ are some _sorcerer_ doesn't mean anything!"
"And you people say as if you have seen many things." Sakura's voice quivered with suppressed rage.
"Oh we have seen many things alright! We have seen the devastation the Death Eaters have left behind. We have seen many who died under torture. We have seen many anguish faces and have heard the cries of those who failed to protect their love ones!" Lupin shouted, " 'Why?' You may ask. That's because they were too ignorant, they lack the power go against the Dark side. THEY PAID THE PRICE FOR BEING TOO WEAK!"
Harry flinched at Lupin's outburst.
_And you, processing all that power which can easily suppress the Dark side, are being terribly self-centered by refusing._ Lupin seemed to say.
Luckily for Lupin, he was distracted when someone emerged from the bushes at this very moment thus missing the killer intent that was gathering round Sakura.
The Gods must be playing a trick on them as the person who emerged was none other than Umbridge with a victorious look plastered on her face.
Dumbledore could hear grave problems knocking on his door.
"My, my. What a huge gathering." Umbridge strutted towards them, "Planning to ask a sorcerer for help to go against the Ministry isn't it? Too bad I have caught you red handed."
She looked at Dumbledore in the eye, "Professor Dumbledore, you know what this means right?" Umbridge had an evil glint in her eye. The smirk on her face told the whole world that she relished Dumbledore getting into deep shit.
One of the members blurted, "How did you know about this?"
Umbridge gave one of her predatory grins as she spoke, "You have to thank Flich for that." Flich emerged and stood by Umbridge. "He over heard some students babbling loudly at the corridor two days ago. Say I have to thank them for this too."
The trio froze as the other members glared at them.
"Now let's see…" Umbridge mused loudly, "We have got quite a huge capture as well. The secret organization that has been operating illegally, evidence of asking an enemy for help and of course, a sorceress." Umbridge's gaze fell onto Sakura's silent form.
"Professor Umbridge, I – "
"I won't say anything if I were you, Professor Dumbledore." Umbridge snapped. "The Ministry has authorized the capture and they want every one arrested." Many wizards started to emerge from the forest, surrounding the group. "They have dispatched more than a hundred Aurors to ensure a successful capture. I will enjoy the peace for another few minutes if I were you."
Shifting her gaze back to Sakura, she strode towards Sakura. Having numerous Aurors as "bodyguards" lulled her into a false sense of security thus Umbridge walked right up to Sakura or at least as near as possible; which was the edge of the pond.
"You must be the _legendary_ sorceress." Umbridge mocked, "I am afraid you have to grace the Ministry with your presence for a while."
"What if I refuse?" Sakura asked in a dangerously soft voice.
"Then I am afraid I have to use force." On que, the Aurors clutched their wands and they prepared to attack.
Sakura stared at the obnoxious woman in front of her. Umbridge was asking for a beating, and Sakura was just searching for a way to release the murderous energies that was accumulated in the previous heated conversation.
_Perfect._
"Please entertain me."
_**The **room was packed with people as it was the peak hour for the café. It was busy with life as people streamed in and out. Yet two men were oblivious to the bustling activity. _
_Met by chance due to insufficient tables, two strangers ended up sharing a table instead. They started a decent conversation. Through this conversation, he could see that the fellow seated next to him was more than just a salesperson. That fellow was sharp and critical of many current issues, pointing out loopholes in many issues that they have discussed. Under that fellow's façade, he could see raw and undeveloped potential._
_He was intrigued._
"_I am sure we will get along just fine." _
Eriol woke up from his deep slumber. It was another of Clow Reed's stupid memories.
Being a reincarnation meant that Eriol had twice the memories as compared to a normal person. That was really taxing on the brain and it was times like this when there was an overload of information; memories would leak into his dreams.
Eriol ruffled his hair as he glanced about. He was currently in the attic reading this thick historical book which put him off to sleep immediately. Say, almost everything in here was ancient and most were Clow Reed's collections. Due to the massive amount of antiques, Eriol did not bother to clean it, much less to go through it in detail. The air quality in the attic was a bother.
Walking out of the attic, he went out to look for his beloved only to realize that she was still in Hogwarts.
_That girl is having way too much fun._
She did, however, sent an object to Eriol. It turned out to be a ring. The message that came with it said that it may pose as a problem to Sorcerers as Sorcerer detection tools like this were extremely accurate.
Eriol sighed. There were too many problems waiting for the great him to tackle. The stress was going to overwhelm him sooner or later.
So for now, he needed have preventive measures. Eriol hummed as he strode to the kitchen for many cups of coffee.
A dose of caffeine should do him good.
**Umbridge** could only gape when she saw the remains of the Aurors.
If there was a single Auror left in sight that is.
When the Aurors started their barrage of attacks, which the spells bounced off the pink shield harmlessly, Sakura started to draw her aura as she mentally recited a spell. The ground started rumbling as the ground started to crack. Many confused Aurors were caught by surprised as they were suddenly dragged downwards into the earth. Yelling in fright, they tried using counter charms and many other different spells to free themselves from the earth's death grip, and to prevent themselves from sinking further into the soil.
It was obvious that none had succeeded in freeing themselves. In less than a minute, more than a hundred over Aurors disappeared from view as they were dragged more the twenty feet underground.
Thirty probable cases of death.
_I might have gone overboard._
Sakura winced as she remembers her decision earlier on – to avoid casualties and bloodshed.
But right now, she had Umbridge to deal with and Sakura needed to vent her anger badly. Say, that toad had a look of pure terror on her face and it was evident that she was trembling in fear, though she was trying her best not to show it.
Sakura began to approach Umbridge, to which the toad backed away in alarm, much to Sakura's amusement.
"I have stopped their pitiful attempts of attacking." Sakura stated calmly, "Though they did not put up much of a fight…"
Umbridge's eyes grew as huge as dinner plates as she saw the menacing figure approach. Pointing her wand at Sakura, she warned Sakura not to approach.
Sakura did not heed her warning. Umbridge's nerves snapped as she fired consecutive spells at Sakura, to which Sakura blocked with ease.
"Though I do not wish to kill… I do not believe that slaying you will be a loss to humanity."
With that, Sakura appeared right behind Umbrige as slashed her repeatedly before knocking her flat on the ground.
"I won't let you off that easily."
Sakura mentally recited a spell she poured her aura into the pond.
Water tendrils shot out from the pond and coiled around Umbridge's ankles. To Umbridge's horror, it began to drag her towards the pond and into the watery grave. Amidst her screams, Umbridge tried to claw her way back but it was fruitless.
"You should be thankful for you have the rare opportunity of meeting the water guardian." Sakura's ominous voice rang out.
The water rose to a majestic height as it swirled rapidly, morphing to an enormous water dragon which gave a thundering roar.
The shock was too much for Umbridge to bear as she passed out instantly.
Before Sakura could proceed any further, a red beam was shot at her. Though it just bounced off the barrier, Sakura was distracted.
It was Dumbledore that fired that shot, "Please release Professor Umbridge, Miss Kinomoto."
Sakura stared at Dumbledore for a moment before canceling her spell. The water dragon burst into thousands of water droplets while the limp form of Umbridge was brought to the shore by enchanted wave currents.
"I thank you for your understanding, Miss Kinomoto."
Sakura did not reply. Instead, she scanned the mass of members, who grew extremely wary after her display of powers. They have the sense to keep their mouth shut.
_Figures. They are afraid of what I may do to them._
Correction. What Sakura will do if they keep shooting their mouths off.
Adrenaline was running wild after that pathetic attempt of a fight, and together with her raging emotions, they might end up as bird feed.
Control over emotions was most important to one who welds great power in order to prevent destruction from uncontrolled bursts of aura. Yet it was sorely lacking in Sakura at present.
"Leave." Sakura ordered.
_Or I will do something that I **may** regret._
"I am sure we can work this out."
"Dumbledore-san, there are too many things that you and your counterparts do not know." Sakura continued, "Moreover, I do not trust wizards."
As simple as that.
"My apologies that the meeting has to turn out like this. However, alliance with the wizards is not high up on my agenda." Sakura stated.
"And I plan to keep it _that _way."
With one smooth sweeping motion of her hand, she sent the group, plus Umbridge, crashing back to the castle compound.
Sakura stared blankly at the moon, savoring the moment of peace as her senses numbed. Silence reigned the area once more.
Yet it was interrupted by a loud yell emitted by the sorceress, which created a huge shockwave. Debris flew as the forest trees thrashed wildly, accompanied by roars produced by mythical beasts residing among the trees.
The anger, tension and frustration…
_Just let it out._
It lasted for half a minute before Sakura stopped and leaned tiredly against the glowing tree. Her voice had become hoarse from all that yelling but Sakura was not bothered. She slowly slid down and brought her legs to her chest as she recalled Lupin's outburst earlier.
"_Oh we have seen many things alright! We have seen the devastation the Death Eaters have left behind. We have seen many who died under torture. We have seen many anguish faces and have heard the cries of those who failed to protect their love ones!"_
Memories of that fateful day began to flood her brain.
" '_Why?' You may ask. That's because they were too ignorant, they lack the power go against the Dark side. THEY PAID THE PRICE FOR BEING TOO WEAK!"_
Those words have stung her badly.
"What do _you_ know?" Sakura whispered hatefully as she dug her nails into her palms. The moon light illuminated her tear-stained cheeks.
Of course Sakura knew.
For she had paid the price as well.
**Xiao Lang** looked up from a mountain of paper work and glanced at the wall clock. Sakura had been gone for several hours and he was getting a little worried. Of all people, it had to be the wizards that summoned Sakura.
"_Xiao Lang, I will be fine." Sakura assured Xiao Lang as he offered to meet the wizards instead. _
"_Furthermore, the paperwork is going to increase if you keep delaying." Sakura pointed at his desk._
"As if you will be fine."
Earlier on, he had felt a spike in her aura even though they were half a globe apart and this meant trouble. He was not supposed to sense her aura at such a great distance.
He would just have to find out what exactly happened when Sakura return.
Right now, he had to focus on other matters.
"Wang, I am going to the kitchen."
Xiao Lang smirked as his right hand man gave him a puzzled look.
"Let's just say I have to clear some trash."
**Wang** knew better than to question the leader's decision. He went to the kitchens to inform the chefs about Li-sama's maiden visit to the kitchen.
Needless to say, there was a flurry of reactions by the chefs.
On the other hand, Xiao Lang was strolling towards the kitchens, giving the chefs precious seconds to wipe any grease stains off the stoves or straighten their attire.
A stainless steel door was flung open and he was greeting by two long lines (one on each side) of chefs, bowing deeply as they welcomed him into their _humble workplace_.
Xiao Lang acknowledged them with a nod and went towards the head chef, who looked several shades paler than usual.
"I am not here to inspect the kitchens. I just need to use them for a while. Alone."
Though puzzled, the chefs were relieved as they left the kitchen.
"Do not let anyone enter the kitchens"
Wang bowed as he left, closing the doors behind him.
Without locking the door, Xiao Lang proceeded with his plans.
_Vents… Left corner…_
He was faced with a wall, probably with channels of air vents within it.
Wasting no time, he forced his green aura against the wall, effectively blasting an enormous hole with bits of plaster, cement and metal flying in various directions. The dust settled and a rat was found in the midst of damaged air vents.
"How is it to be stuck there for eight hours?" Xiao Lang asked in a stoic voice.
Ignoring the loud squeals, he continued darkly, "Tell that snake you call master that sending pathetic underlings is embarrassing."
The rat squeaked loudly before exploding into many pieces.
"In your after life."
Xiao Lang threw a last look at the scene before exiting the kitchen, leaving the remains of a paw with a missing claw.
**end of chapter 4**
This chapter is an early Christmas pressie from me. I updated early!
The language almost killed me. I just loathe writing chapters with lots of dialogue as it kind of kills the fic.
Yep, in my fic, that rat did not cut his hand and give it to Voldermort for his potion. Just think that Voldermort went ahead with the potion without that particular ingredient. Well I can't say that a metal arm remained right?
Due to rating and my own personal censorship, certain phrases are replaced with milder ones even though they might not have such a great impact. E.g. "In your after life" should actually be "In h" to have more impact but I do not allow vulgarities or any thing that suppose to go higher than the story's rating. There _are_ exceptions… like _land in deep shit…_ and a bit of gore won't hurt right? (if you call that gore in the first place)
I thank all readers who reviewed and hope that you people will continue to review. To those reviewers who motivated me with their reviews, a big thank you. One offered to help me with my language – I am grateful as well (judging from this chapter, it is evident that fics comprising mainly of dialogues are not my thing. So perhaps we can start from here…)
A chain of events will start to trigger from this chapter and hope you will enjoy it. Sakura's not so graceful reaction towards the wizards may not sit well with some of you but if you think about it, she has every right to be angry, with reasons revealed in the coming chapters.
As mentioned above, due to terrible national exams next year, I have to update less frequently in order to study and get decent grades that can hopefully get me into the University of my choice. So… heh heh… gomen! But I will not abandon this fic! (Ending still under going major refinement)
_Last note: I am currently obsessed over Bleach; esp Tenth Captain Hitsugaya. Also indulging in catalogues of non-hentai dojishin. Who shares a similar obsession with moi? _
Merry X'mas! _Though it is a bit early._
5. Chapter 5
After several millennia, I have finally coughed this chapter out.
Thank Goodness!
**Disclaimer: I do not own CCS or HP and blah blah.**
**Several** loud yells echoed Dumbledore's office as multiple bodies crashed onto the hard, stone floor. Professor Snape was heard swearing loudly when Professor Umbridge landed unceremoniously on him. This was replaced by loud grumblings from the rest of the members as they untangled themselves from the mass of bodies.
"That $#! Wait till I get my hands on her!"
Dumbledore surveyed the scene, emitting a small sigh in the process. Without a doubt, it was going to be a lot more difficult to form an alliance from now on, especially when the sorceress herself gave a terrible impression to the members.
And not to forget she blatantly declared her hatred towards the wizarding community.
It was an hour later, when the confusion died away, tempers simmered and plenty of stern warnings from him did they have a unanimous agreement on two things.
Firstly, to erase Professors Umbridge's memories with a memory charm. They had a close brush with the authorities earlier on and the Order could not afford another blow. Gone were those memories of Professor Umbridge heroically leading a pack of Aurors to capture the members. Gone was the information on the Order itself.
Her memories were instead replaced with something slightly different; she was supposed to lead a pack of Aurors to capture a suspected sorcerer, with information provided by the Ministry. However, her group was ambushed by a pack of forest creatures which began their onslaught. Few had survived.
Unfortunately _ahem, _fortunately, she was one of them.
She was the only one rescued while the rest of the survivors were buried underground. Of course, that particular information was left out of her brain.
Secondly, to ground that trio for months to come. Snape had pushed for this wholeheartedly, betraying a look of pure joy on his face. Say, Harry and company were staring guiltily at the floor. They should be. After all, they were the root of the problem. Speaking Order secrets out in the open… They were idiots.
It was after debating for another hour on future plans (with almost every member declaring that they will never form an alliance with sorcerers) that Dumbledore dismissed him with a tired flick of his hand. Age was rapidly catching up and events seemed to move at such a fast pace that he had difficulty keeping up with them.
Nevertheless, Dumbledore knew the importance of an alliance. Peaceful days in the wizarding world were numbered and according to a reliable source, Voldermort's army was swelling at an alarming rate due to increasing Death Eaters, Inferni, Dementors and other beasts. Thus having an alliance with the sorcerers as a deterrent or defense was their best gamble.
Yet there was an obstacle to the alliance. The sorceress was not willing to form an alliance. Well technically, the Order members were not too keen as well but that can be easily solved by Dumbledore's methods. And the reason for the reluctance was due to something that happened in the sorcerers' past, some event that occurred and it was clear Dumbledore needed to reveal these shrouded mysteries in order to understand the sorcerers' reluctance and take fully.
There was one thing though. Dumbledore did not know where to start looking from.
Luckily, Eriol decided to be gracious and dropped a hint a day later. That hint was delivered by a dark bluish, purple flying soft toy. Dumbledore stared at the flying creature before reading the message delivered. An address was written on it followed by a "_Mr Kinomoto_" was scrawled messily below it. Right at the bottom of the message was a warning not to feed the messenger any sweet stuff unless he risked total mayhem in the castle.
The flying creature just sniffed haughtily at Dumbledore before dashing towards the fireplace and disappeared with a 'pop' sound.
Dumbledore stared at the message once more and could not help but feel that this was Eriol's way of making up. After all, he was partially responsible for scaring off Lupin, who in return infected the entire Order resulting in hostile attitudes towards Sakura.
Eriol was taking a huge risk when he provided this piece of information. Dumbledore was sure that Sakura would not be happy about what it seemed like her address given to a _wizard._
As for the hint, Dumbledore had no choice but to follow it.
This was why he found himself at the doorsteps of the supposing Mr Kinomoto's house several hours later.
The house looked rather cozy and its environment was rather pleasant. Overall, this looked like any other typical house down the street.
Dumbledore stood in front of the door for several minutes before pressing the doorbell.
It was now or never.
The door opened and revealed a man wearing spectacles.
"May I help you?"
_Might as well follow Clow's message._
With his magically enabled Japanese, he asked, "May I speak to Mr Kinomoto please?"
The man paused for a second before replying, "I am sorry sir. The Kinomotos have migrated."
**Sakura** pushed the dead branches and continued walking. This place was always covered with dense vegetation and it was not easy to make her way there.
"Why did we choose this place again?" She thought out loud.
_There wasn't much of a choice then. _Sakura reminded herself. _Under those conditions, to even think clearly was a great task._
Sakura walked out of the thick vegetation, reached a clearing and walked towards the gentle hill with a lone, dead tree.
_If I had it my way, I would have chosen a much better scenery, with fresher vegetation. Everything here looks so dead…_
Sakura stopped her musing as she reached her destination.
"Ohaiyou Otou-san, Touya."
"_**What **do you mean they migrated?" Dumbledore asked incredously. Was this some kind of joke?_
"_You see sir. I bought their house. They migrated one and a half years ago. I am not very sure about the details. Something about Mr Kinomoto working overseas thus bringing his entire family along." The man explained patiently._
The same reply was given by the other neighbours.
"Thank You Sir. My apologies for bothering you." Dumbledore said with a bow after having the same reply from the sixth neighbour.
Dumbledore was not too happy. The Kinomotos were residing in some other country and it was going to be searching a needle in a haystack _once more_.
"Excuse me, sir."
Dumbledore looked in the direction of the voice and found that it was a lady in her mid-fifties who spoke.
"Don't listen to them. The Kinomotos did not migrate." The lady spoke harshly.
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, "Madam, do you know where Mr -?"
"They were killed in a massacre."
**Sakura** freed the stone slabs of invading weeds and creepers and placed fresh flowers on those slabs. She then settled beside the two stone slabs before drawing her legs towards her chest. Slowly, her fingers traced the engraved wordings on the stone slab while she sorted her thoughts.
"Otou-san, Touya, I am living rather comfortably right now. You two need not worry a thing." She hurriedly added as she giggled, " Yes Touya, Xiao Lang has been taking good care of me."
Giggles stopped abruptly as Sakura gazed sadly at the slabs once more.
"I met those wizards yesterday. I did not agree to their request. Kind of lost control… But I am fine now. Xiao Lang made sure of that."
Sakura gave a tiny smile as she recalled the worried expression that hung on his face when she returned.
"Yes, things are rather smooth sailing right now. Tomoyo's boutique has a roaring business. Eriol and Tomoyo are smitten over each other… It is just that…"
_Things are not the same without both of you._
Her vision blurred as tears started to form. She hastily wiped them off.
A year and a half had passed but that incident was still fresh in her memory.
**Dumbledore **found himself in the lady's garden porch, staring at the elderly lady sipping her tea. She insisted that they should be more discreet, though Dumbledore could not figure out how sipping tea in the midst of greenery can be considered as discreet… …
Nevertheless, Dumbledore was shocked senseless when the so-called truth was unveiled.
"_Massacre?" Dumbledore asked after the shock wore off._
"_Died rather tragically, I must add. Killed by those cold-blooded hooded murders."_
"_Hooded?"_
"_They held some rod like thing that kept emitting green flashes."_
Death Eaters. No doubt about it.
But if memory served him right, he was not informed of any Death Eater attacks in this region.
In a bid to uncover the mystery, he found himself in the garden porch sipping lime tea. Mrs Yamaki (that middle aged lady) took another long sip before starting her story.
"It was a year and a half ago. Minutes before that awful incident, I was sitting at this exact same spot enjoying my afternoon tea." Yamaki recalled as she stirred her tea.
"Suddenly, I heard this scream from the distance…"
_Warning bells smashed against each other as her senses went into red alert. Adrenaline started pumping as more screams were heard._
_Something was very wrong._
_Yamaki dashed through her house and went to the front porch. She paled visibly as she looked into the distance._
_Several houses were on fire, probably torched by someone. Bodies were strewn on the streets with blood clearly visible everywhere. What was definitely shocking was that a huge mass of black hooded people were seen killing or torturing anyone in sight. _
_A stick emitting green lights does seem like an unusual weapon._
_Wasting no time, Yamaki sped back into her back garden. In the midst of panic, she squeezed through a small hole in the wall which was well concealed by thick vegetation. It was just like a jungle behind her backyard. She had lived here for nearly forty years and this secret "passage" used to be her secret hideout when she was young. It led to a mass of thick vegetation and no one ever discover it. Many people failed to spot this opening, much less visitors._
_It was perfect_
_Forcing through the many branches and leaves, Yamaki tried to proceed forward. It was a problem as her failing joints was not up to the task of walking on increasingly steep terrain. Arthritis is such a pain._
_Amongst the clumps of leaves, she peered out to have a better view of the devastation those murders have caused. She was in perfect position to witness the torture carried out by them._
_It was too horrifying to even look._
_Attempts to block out those anguished cries and psychotic laughter failed terribly as she clamped her hands against her ears. Images presented to her froze her blood. Beam after beam, those murders seemed to enjoy snuffing the life out of humans. She winced as a man thrashed about in immense pain, yelling his lungs out._
_It was then that she realized the identies of the two victims. One of them was Kinomoto-san, the kind man who always greeted her whenever he passed by her house. The other fallen figure should be his son, Touya-san. Or at least that was what she inferred from the bloodied mess. Emotions flooded her senses as she witnessed another round of torture._
_To witness suffering and agony yet unable to alleviate it… _
"_Stop it…"_
_How terribly harsh it was._
_Tears blurred her vision as Kinomoto-san took his last breath after a red beam was shot through his heart. Those murders were apparently bored by a dying victim and were in search of a new prey. Weeping broke into muffled sobs as she saw him crash onto the ground unmoving, dead to the world._
"_May you rest in peace Kinomoto-san." She whispered._
_A loud bang brought her back to reality. A burning house confirmed her dread; those murders have begun to storm her house in a bid to eliminate new prey. There was no time left. She had to move deeper into the heart of the vegetation, where chances of survival were the greatest. Throwing a last look at the slain Kinomotos, she uttered a silent prayer before moving on._
_Yet it was not long before her knees buckled and her worn out senses gave in to darkness._
"_**What** the…"_
_Gosh, it was too bright! Had she not drawn the curtains before turning in? And since when was her bed that uncomfortable? Like it was made of branches and…_
_Her grumbling stopped as events started to hit her like a ton of bricks. It was not a nightmare after all._
_She peered about as she made an effort to stand up._
_How long was she knocked out?_
_She strained her ears… It was strangely quiet. No anguish cries, terrified screams nor insane laughter._
_Have they left?_
_Squeezing out of the hole, she prepared herself for the worst. Yet what shocked her senseless was the very first thing that she saw._
_Her house was still intact._
_There was no sign of its burnt remains or forced entry. In fact, her house looked as if it had not been scorched previously._
_Greatly puzzled, she went to the front porch._
_There was an absence of death and destruction._
_Like her abode, those houses that were raging previously appeared untouched. Neither decomposing bodies nor destruction was visible. The stench of death that was definitely lingering in the air was gone. _
_People were actually walking on the streets, acting as if the killings have not happened. Housewives back from the supermarket with their purchases, children lugging their bags to school, husbands leaving for work… Things were back to normal._
_It was like that devastating event had not occurred in the first place._
_With her mind filled with the 5Ws and H, she proceeded to ask her neighbour, assuming if her neighbour was alive._
_Much to her relief, she spotted her neighbour on the street. Practically rushing towards her neighbour, she proceeded to ask her about the killings._
_Her neighbour gave her an incredulous look, "Yamaki-san, are you feeling alright? There were no hooded murderers nor were there any burning houses! "_
_Though taken aback, she was not convinced. In a hushed tone, she asked her neighbour about the Kinomotos._
"… _Age must be catching up on you. Don't you remember? They migrated to America just recently!"_
" I had the same reply from my other neighbours as well." Yamaki paused to take another sip of her tea. "I have kept mum about those killings from then on. I would have landed up in the mental hospital long ago for sprouting such _nonsense_."
Dumbledore was silent as the gears in his large brain operated at breakneck speed. Such an aftermath was strangely familiar…
"Well at least their daughter Sakura is still alive." Yamaki piped. "Strange though, my neighbours could not recognize her, as if she was erased from their memories."
_That sorceress._
Jumping at any information of Sakura, Dumbledore asked a little more eagerly, "Do you know where I can find her?
"I have seen her frequently in this area…" Yamaki pondered.
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, "Haven't you ask her anything in particular. About her family…"
"I dare not ask her. God knows if she even remembers that she is a Kinomoto. Well at least she still retained her manners." Yamaki pointed towards the far South, "Do you see that clump of trees there? She has this habit of pacing along this street before disappearing in that direction. She probably lives around that area."
_So Miss Kinomoto is still residing in Japan…_
Dumbledore stood up and straightened his robes, "I must take my leave now. You were a great help."
"Dumbledore-san, do help Sakura in any way. Having lost her family members at such a tender age and retaining no memories of her family… It is terribly cruel ."
"Rest assured Mrs Yamaki. I will try my best to help her."
He could just hear the irony in those words.
_**It** is pretty surprising that someone actually lives here._
Dumbledore made his way through the dense vegetation. After aimlessly pacing in the designated area for nearly half an hour, he felt a familiar aura pulsing from a certain direction. Dumbledore found himself trekking into a forested area _again_.
He seemed to be trekking forested areas rather regularly lately.
That aside, Dumbledore began to sift through the conversation they had earlier.
Undoubtly, the revelation was an important in clearing his initial puzzlement yet it led to the creation of even more questions.
Why was he not informed of such an attack?
Where was Miss Kinomoto during the attack?
And more importantly, if Miss Kinomoto wanted revenge against the Death Eaters, she should be willing to form an alliance with the wizards – which apparently was not the case.
The clearing revealed a figure standing motionlessly by a stone slab, indifferent to the sudden intrusion. Clad in a long cloak with a yellow sundress peaking underneath, the figure wore a large hat with her alburn hair flowing freely down her back.
Dumbledore was soundless for a moment before breaking the silence.
"You have my deepest sympathy Miss Kinomoto." Dumbledore spoke quietly, "Such a grave thing should never happen."
Sakura did not reply. With her back still facing Dumbledore, she continued to stare soundlessly at the slab.
"I would like to thank you for giving me a chance to meet up with you once more. I would not have found you if you masked your aura on purpose."
"I figured that you will find out about it sooner later." Sakura voiced softly.
Conversation ceased as Dumbledore held an internal debate.
"Pardon me for raising such a sensitive issue here. But we do need your – "
"I am aware of that Dumbledore-san." Sakura snapped frostily, fingering her brown locks.
Slightly taken aback by the hostile response, Dumbledore kept mum.
"Apart from obvious reasons, there are other reasons why I refuse to form an alliance with your kind. I have seen how those incompetent people whom you wizards acknowledge as government operates. I am aware of those half truths your media propagate. Together, both government and media are determine to demean us sorcerers. Worse still, majority of the wizards are against us when it is the Death Eaters who pose a great threat."
Sakura paused to rein her aura before continuing.
"So tell me Dumbledore-san, why should I save your kind from the clutches of your enemy? Why should you risk everything for those fools?"
_Indeed, the wizarding world is plagued with such evil_
"What you have said is true Miss KinomotoYet we are in a similar predicament. You protect the muggles against Death Eaters discreetly, fully aware that some _confused _muggles may retaliate if news of sorcerers or wizards leak into the muggle world."
A look of surprise fleeted across Sakura's face.
_Such a shrewd man._
Expected from someone who lived decades longer on this earth.
He was totally different from his loud and brash counterparts.
And his argument was logical.
"About your request… I will think about it." Sakura said after much thought.
Shock followed by relief was evident on Dumbledore's face.
"And don't find me. I will find you."
**Sakura **found Xiao Lang brooding in his study, staring blankly at the scenery outside the window. The maids have informed her of their master's refusal to eat when she had returned from Japan. Obviously, Sakura knew the reason to his sudden lack of appetite.
His pride was wounded.
Many would applaud Xiao Lang for his superb ability in detecting the spy in such a huge compound, effectively trapping that Death Eater in the kitchen vents for several hours.
That's where the problem lies.
Accordingly to him, to allow _any_ infiltration into the Li's compound spoke volumes about his ability and that was a huge blow to his ego.
Sakura mentally sighed. The Lis have terribly huge prides.
Walking up to Xiao Lang, she snaked her hands round his waist.
"Go, if it makes you feel better."
Xiao Lang broke out of his trance, his gaze softening as he returned the hug.
"But you better return for dinner."
**He **was a junior rank Death Eater, someone who was considered incompetent in handling great tasks, destined to be the first to be sacrificed in battle.
Not that he wanted to be part of those who served the Dark Lord directly. No sir, such he can do without such honour.
Speaking about the Dark Lord, their master decided grace his team with his _dignified _presence by spending several nights at their camp.
And that honour usually meant an increase usage of forbidden curses.
With the Dark Lord presently residing in their camp, security was especially tight. He was in charge of the night watch, as usual.
Like any other nights, it should be a relatively uneventful night
His thoughts were answered by a sudden explosion from a nearby tent.
"What –"
He was interrupted by a series of explosions in which fire raged throughout the camp.
There was mayhem in the camp. Death Eaters were running in all directions, many screaming in pain as they were burnt alive.
"Johnson!" A superior roared at him, "Stop gaping and put out the fire!"
"At once Sir!"
The strange thing was that the fire could not be extinguished. Regardless of the number of times Johnson tried to extinguish the flames with water using his wand, the flames just refused to go out.
At the corner of his eye, Johnson saw a bunch of superiors hurriedly escorting an angered Dark Lord to safety. Yet to his horror, he noticed a huge fireball flying towards them.
_Oh shit._
Just half a kilometer away, the culprit was sitting on a branch of an oak tree observing the damage. The camp was totally destroyed with many charred bodies littered all over the place.
Xiao Lang raised an eyebrow when he saw the snake like guy dragging his battered body to some nearby object before disappearing. That fireball was meant to kill… and yet this fellow managed to survive, albeit barely.
That must be noted.
Other than that exception, his revenge was executed perfectly and the gloom that filled his heart earlier on was lifted.
Satisfied, Xiao Lang checked his watch and paled visibly.
_Nine O'clock._
He was late for dinner and Sakura will not be happy.
End of chapter 5
Yep, I am several months late but I have exams this year and was intending to post this chapter only in November. Can't talk much because I have to sink into mountain of books once more (after typing this chapter). But rest assured that I have most of the plot planned out nicely and will never abandon this fic.
Do review!
And see you in November (after my exams)
Side rambling: watched American Idol 5 finals and was like, "My gosh, what happened to his hair?"
6. Chapter 6
PHPPSMSS REVIVED! I have finished my exams! (And believe me, they were horrible). After disappearing for half a year (or a year?) or so, Phppsmss is back in action with promise of constant updates (one update per one and a half month – the usual) if I am not suffering from word blocks.
3 bleach fics just popped up in my head when I was mugging… so ahahaha it may hinder progress on subsequent chapters. I am not saying it will, cause technically I have about 7 months of playtime… and I am working on an art piece for my friend's birth day which is really taxing…
**Disclaimer: I do not own HP or CCS, or I would have asked for a more mature looking Xiao Lang and Sakura. They look a little too chibi to me.**
**It** was decided after hours of discussion and self musing, in the comfy armchairs of Xiao Lang's office that they needed to do some scouting before sinking into any commitments. They, after all, have plenty of doubts about the wizards – knowledge of wizards' attacking capabilities, characteristics and system of governance was near zero. Sakura did remark that through her previous encounters, she witnessed those wizards, albeit briefly (as she was too cooped up with suppressing her wildly fluctuating aura), wield some sort of useless stick as their weapon.
Furthermore, they were wary of certain wizards. Judging from Sakura's rather _frosty _description, most of the wizards she met were hot headed and tend to shoot their mouths off before thinking. The wizard with his greasy hair plastered to his head seemed particularly detestable, apart from that obnoxious toad like woman who seemed to fit the bill of Tomoyo's attacker earlier on.
Though stereotyping was not allowed to cloud their judgment, both felt that the wizarding world was screwed with such wizards. They could just imagine conflicts and chaos arising should co-operation with the Order ensue.
Hence both came to a swift decision that scouting was necessary. Hogwarts and Hogsmate were identified as the two scouting areas. The problem arose when both were split over the scouting process. Xiao Lang, worried over Sakura's mental stability in a wizard infested place, insisted on covering both areas.
Sakura, on the other hand, wanted a collaborated effort instead. There was no way she would further tax Xiao Lang, who already had over packed schedules from Clan head's duties. Moreover, the Clan Elders viewed wizards as an _inferior _species and were not very subtle with their dislike of them. Interfering with wizarding activities while abandoning clan duties could mean more than just the usual droning from the elders.
Plus, Sakura pointed out, she could not just avoid wizards even if she desperately wanted to. The mental strain was something she had to get used to over time.
Thus Sakura found herself standing on the dirt streets of Hogsmade, almost regretting her decision to set foot into the wizarding world in the first place.
The atmosphere was none too cheery, with a gloom that hung over the village like a fog. Wizards traveled in groups, with only Sakura as the exception, apparently afraid of _something_.
Posters that warned of Death Eater attacks were long forgotten as fresh posters of warnings of Sorcerers were pasted over instead. In a corner, there was a fairly large group of wizards, with one standing above the mass spreading anti- sorcerer sentiment. He drew random applause and murmurs of agreement each time he came to a dramatic conclusion.
Sakura found it highly distasteful.
_Windy. Get rid of those offending stuff on the walls._
A strong gust of wind rushed through the village, creating a turbulence of dirt and ripped posters. The gathering was quickly dispersed with claims of ominous happenings. Groups of wizards clutched their flapping cloaks and ran for shelter.
Clutching her clock tightly, Sakura trudged on as she successfully reined her aura. Such flaring of aura will be common from now on and reining it was not as easy as she thought it would be.
**It **was like any old castle that popped out from the picture books, though it was definitely bigger, far gloomier and Xiao Lang was positive that normal pictures stayed still.
As he strolled past a particular picture of a women that was emitting low grunted noises in her sleep, he felt a surge, a concentration of wizard auras behind it.
That and a particular familiar aura.
Figuring that crashing classes was a good way to gauge wizard's ability, he blended into the shadows and passed through the portrait.
"Ten points off Gryffindor. I expect your essays in future to be loads better Mr Weasley."
A look of rage fleeted across the redhead's face while his counterparts struggled to clamp him down.
"Today, you will be learning about elemental beasts." A huge diagram appeared as the male teacher flicked the stick he was holding.
Xiao Lang leaned forward with mild interest when he saw the four mythical beasts which represented four elements.
"Sorcerers usually cast spells according to their character, which are classified under the elements. For example, courage is represented by fire while those of peaceful nature are represented by water or earth. It is really difficult to differentiate as certain characteristics may be represented by several elements."
The male teacher flicked the stick again, causing the projection to disappear.
"Of course, sorcerers that are extremely powerful can cast spells of any element. Reasons for this is unknown at the moment though many predict that such powerful sorcerers have dominance over such beasts."
Xiao Lang raised an eyebrow as the male teacher delivered his lecture. He should applaud the wizarding world for digging out such information which are supposed to be classified. From the looks of it, bits and pieces of such information should be circulating within the wizarding world at present.
There were several fallacies though. The lecturer left out Light and Dark, which are the two most important and dangerous elements.
The prediction about the dominance over those mythical beasts was not entirely correct either. It was true that powerful sorcerers could cast spells of any element. Sorcerers like him, Eriol, and Sakura were shining examples.
There were several reasons, one of which varies with the sorcerer. In Sakura's case, it was partially due to the Sakura cards she possessed. In his case, it was the seals.
However, the main reason was an agreement.
A pact with nature.
There was a common misconception that sorcerers were above nature, exerting total dominance over it.
On the contrary, sorcerers were a part of nature itself.
To wield the power of nature, sorcerers have to give something back in return.
It was an equivalent exchange.
**Soon, **it was the end of the lesson and the students steadily streamed out in noisy chatter.
"Tomoyo."
The blue-eyed girl spun round, eyes widening for a second in shock before she silently motioned Xiao Lang to a secluded spot. Walls have ears, especially with Peeves as Hogwart's resident broadcaster.
After re-enforcing their surroundings with soundproof walls and cloaking Xiao Lang with an illusion, much to the courtesy of Tomoyo, they began to talk.
"I mask myself well with shadows you know. There was no need to cast an illusion." Xiao Lang grunted, portraying an obvious dislike for fashion magic.
"No complaints. The school will be in an uproar if they spot some foreign guy infiltrating their premises. You don't know what they are capable of." Tomoyo replied, knowing full well that Xiao Lang would never be spotted. His stealth was legendary.
"If they are capable of anything that is. We are talking about a wizard school."
"Exactly. Any impressions about this school so far?"
"… Absolutely fascinating." Xiao Lang said dryly, "That display of attempting to summon elemental beasts in that so-called Dark Arts class earlier on was hilarious."
"You shouldn't say that about my classmates. You should be aware that summoning elemental beasts is not easy. It is the very basics of sorcery."
"It shouldn't be that difficult. Some of the more able ones like that bushy haired girl and that guy named Harry, managed to do it, which is pretty spectacular at their level. But the redhead…"
Even Xiao Lang, having studied sorcery extensively in his younger days, was unaware that fireflies were counted as fire beasts.
That particular information was either hidden in some obscure page of his textbook or it was a pronunciation mistake the redhead had made.
Either way, it spoke volumes about his capabilities and personality.
"Oh that firefly incident? I have to admit, it was pretty amusing." Tomoyo chuckled as she recalled the priceless look on Ron's face.
Smoothing out the creases on her skirt, Tomoyo pointed west, "Head west. At the second level turn head west again and turn two corners. You should be able to locate a statue of a gargoyle. What you seek may lie there."
Xiao Lang gave her a terse nod as he prepared to head off.
"Anata will be glad to know that both of you have decided to aid the wizards."
"I did not do it for Hirazaki." Xiao Lang growled, fist clenched tightly. "We haven't really decided yet. We have doubts about these wizards and they are greatly suspicious of us. An alliance will surely lead to trouble."
"Speaking of which, how is Sakura?" Tomoyo enquired, "It has been like half a year since I last met her."
"Was pretty much her old self…somewhat, till those damned wizards popped up and her negative emotions surfaced once more. Sakura was pretty agitated when she heard that you were captured by the wizards."
Tomoyo grinned. "That was just a friendly gesture. You know, to stop by and say hi."
Xiao Lang bit back the comment about how Eriol's influence was corrupting Tomoyo. She had changed much since that incident nearly two years ago. She had a more manipulative and slightly sadistic streak now.
Silence prevailed before Xiao Lang spoke once more, "Tomoyo, why are you residing in this castle? I heard that Ruby Moon was creating quite a ruckus, wailing for her partner in crime, whatever that meant."
"Ah. Just like what you are doing. I am gathering information and probably flush out some rotten eggs."
Xiao Lang frowned at the vague answer.
Peering at her watch, she started to shoo Xiao Lang off.
"We have wasted too much time yapping. Remember, you are now Richard Clearwater of Hufflepuff. Gambette and do Eriol proud!"
A scowl marred Xiao Lang's face as he headed off.
"And don't dispel the illusion!"
Tomoyo was not to be trifled with when someone messed with her creations.
It was a couple of minutes later where Xiao Lang found himself perched at the corner of a large room with the invisibility spell casted. The room occupants, which comprised of a long bearded man and Harry having a heated debate.
"…sealed parts of his soul in Horocrux."
Xiao Lang knew that this was where he would be returning to for the next few days.
**As **she stepped into the shop, with the ringing of the bell sounding to Oliver the arrival of another paying customer, a musty smell of _old _wood and dust struck her. It reminded her of the huge wood collection the elders had. Wood carvings of all types, arrived as tributes or the consequence of an impulsive buying spree that a certain elder had, which was of course not fitting of the image of an elder, were stuffed in one of the many grand attics the Lis have.
"Be with you in just a moment." Oliver said as he emerged with an armload of boxes. Extracting a wand from one of the many boxes, he handed it to an earlier customer. Meanwhile, measuring tapes did their job as they snaked round Sakura's arm, much to her surprise.
"Try this. 10 inches of dragon heartstring. Obtained from the Chinese Fireball."
The hesitant boy gave the wand a wave, which resulted in fireballs flying in all directions, incinerating everything in sight. One of it missed Sakura narrowly as she discreetly deflected the flaming ball. This only spurred Oliver more as he dived into another stack of wands, blissfully oblivious to the spluttering boy, mysterious cloaked figure or the smoking boxes which were saved from the fire.
The same scenario continued for nearly fifteen minutes, with massive damage ranging from shattering of glass to explosions of various degrees.
As Sakura was slightly incredulous at the damage the shop was taking and how the shop owner was taking it so well, she felt a certain unpleasant _something _which she could not point out at present. It occurred once Oliver revealed the wand to the kid and it seemed to magnify with every wave of the wand
It felt like eternity before the kid became the proud owner of a wand – bark of a willow, 13 inches long.
Oliver rummaged the pile for another wand.
"Hmm, try this. 12 inches of Phoenix feather. Pretty resilient.."
Once Sakura was in contact with the wand, it simply crumbled and disintegrated into dust.
Sakura was dead sure that it was not a normal reaction.
Highly puzzled, Oliver dug up another wand which was buried within the depths of the storeroom. It was claimed to be a fine wand, with it's uniform hair being a hard catch.
The wand just turned into dust once more.
Excusing himself, Oliver dived back into his storage room determined to find a suitable wand.
Sakura on the other hand stood motionless as she stared at the remains of the wand.
That certain something she felt earlier on came back with a vengeance.
Was it disgust? Pity? Or a mixture of both?
Sakura did not know.
What she did know was that the wizard's overeliance on the wand had a huge loophole, which the enemy could easily exploit. Unless the wizards have other forms of mediums to cast spells…
Oliver's muffled reply to Sakura's burning question further alliterated her stand.
"Other than the occasional use of potions, we usually use our wands."
With just a touch, those wands decomposed to nothingness as they were unable to withstand sorcerery. It was just _too easy_ to disarm wizards.
What would those wizards do if they were disarmed during battle? The enemy could just swamp and outnumber the wizards with his army. Death awaits them.
Yes, she felt pity alright.
With the numerous gatherings along the streets she had witnessed earlier on, it was obvious that many wizards were not aware of how weak they were. Sure, those wizards were aware of the difference in strength. Like what the wizarding newspaper accurately reported, sorcerers could squash wizards like flies.
Yet some of those warped minded wizards (like those rallying earlier), which made up nearly half of the population, perceived that strength came in numbers. They were convinced that wizards have that added advantage and were totally unaware that sorcerers like Xiao Lang could snap their wands like twigs.
After all, empty vessels makes the most noise.
Hence it was pitiful and pathetic.
The creaking of the closing door indicated that Sakura had left. Oliver popped out of his storeroom discarding an armload of wands at the side. While clearing the mess, he discovered a couple of bills left on the counter. Those bills were compensation by the cloaked figure for the damaged wands. Upon closer inspection, he realized that those were Chinese _yuan_, not the typical Galleons and Knuts.
_A muggle._
**"Here **are the records that you have requested Professor Dumbledore. These are classified items and I had to smuggle them out." Mr Weasley said as he laid thick files on the table. Both were currently in the dining area of the Order. Dumbledore made sure that there were no one else in the house of Black.
"I have searched thoroughly and found this assignment that my department was working on one and a half years ago. Those higher ups marked this as urgent and set the deadline a day after this assignment was given." Mr Weasley gave an inaudible sigh as he recalled that faithful day, "My partner and I slogged throughout the night, erasing the memories of hundreds of Asian muggles. It wasn't a pleasant experience."
Dumbledore flipped through the reports and his eye caught onto something.
"It was due to a magical mishap?"
"Ostensibly, the records stated that the incident was caused by backfiring. Some fool tried to cast some incredibly powerful spell. Backfired, killed lots of muggles."
Mr Weasley rolled his eyes and snorted, " Such a bad lie could only come from the Ministry of Magic. I have seen damage reports of the incident. No magic misfire could cause that devastating damage concurrently in different parts of the world. I tried to dig up more information but this case is classified. I will get into serious trouble with the higher ups."
Looking straight into Dumbledore eyes, Mr Weasley enquired, "Has this got to with those sorcerers?"
"Plenty." And Dumbledore proceeded to tell Mr Weasley about his encounter with Mrs. Yamanaki after Mr Weasley was sworn the secrecy.
"You mean the Ministry is covering up the attack? But why?"
"Their image was probably at stake. What I'm more puzzled about is the whereabouts of Miss Kinomoto back then. With her capabilities, she could easily defeat those death eaters."
Mr Weasley leaned against the back of his chair as he folded his arms. The uncover the mystery, they had to dig into the past. A very sensitive past .
And he was positive that Miss Kinomoto would have their heads if the wizards pried into her past.
**Several **days into scouting of the wizarding world, Xiao Lang was back at his desk battling overflowing paperwork.
"Sir."
Xiao Lang looked up and saw a letter on the tray.
"This is…"
Wang looked immensely tense as he handed the letter to Xiao Lang.
"The wizards sir. As ordered, I have destroyed all letters from them. But this letter could not be destroyed nor gotten rid of."
"The wizards seem rather desperate." Xiao Lang remarked as he scanned through the contents of the letter, a frown forming in the process.
"Sir, is there –"
"That snake wishes to grace me with his presence."
Shock was evident on Wang's face.
"Sir, you mean…"
"Yes. Voldermort ."
The gears in Wang's brain started to move at breakneck speed as he tried to voice his opinions without offending his superior.
"I shall reject them at once. An alliance with them Sir, will bring about massive problems."
Xiao Lang handed the letter back to Wang, falling silent for a couple of seconds.
"Wang, accept the invite. I wish to meet them in the basement ."
"But Sir…"
"No complaints Wang. And do not tell Sakura about it. She may not be emotionally stable to meet that snake and his minions yet."
Wang bowed low before exiting the room. Though he was sorely tempted to think that his master had a few loose screws in his head, years of serving under Master Li proved him otherwise.
He had faith in his Master's plans. He always did.
Though this time round, there was the slightest trace of doubt lurking in the depths of his mind.
**Ron **Weasley was not a happy person. Scratch that, he was downright livid and embarrassed. It was all due to that blasted firefly incident.
Snape had taught them that the elemental beast that each individual summoned represents their character. The type of beast they summoned provided further details about the person's character.
For instance, a fiery beast represents courage. Yet there was a difference between say, a flamed horn toad and phoenix. The former represents courage and craftiness while the latter represents grace and courage.
Um… yep it was something like that.
Of course, the strongest of elemental beasts like dragons and such could only be summoned by really powerful sorcerers.
Thus being a Gryffindor, he wanted to carry the mark of courage. To do that, he _had _to summon a fiery beast. His pride was a stake.
Ron was pretty confident. After all, it was he, together with Hermoine, who accompanied Harry as they went on yearly adventures that nearly cost their lives.
If that was not prove of courage, he did not know what else could be.
Truth to be told, he was rather envious of Harry. His bravery was famed and Harry was definitely able to summon a beast of fire – the huge burst of fire erupting from the end of Harry wand was prove of that. Hermoine got an owl, no prizes for guessing why.
Ron concentrated and willed himself to summon a majestic beast, hopefully one that could rival Harry's beast.
_Concentrate._
He could feel something warm surging within his chest.
_Yes, yes…_
Once he felt a slight burning sensation, Ron's heart skipped a beat.
With eyes still shut, he waved his wand and yelled the incantation.
Ron could just feel that awesome sensation, in which that faint burning sensation was channeled towards his wand, leaving a numbing effect on his fingers.
Rude laughter and jeering broke Ron out from his trance. Opening his eyes in a flash, he was initially confused, then horrified by the many little glowing sparks clouding his vision.
Fireflies.
He summoned fireflies.
A "beast" which was unaccounted for in his textbook but Ron knew what it represented anyway.
With his face burning up, Ron was left to face scathing remarks from Snape and the Slytherins, with the occasional few bstards from the other Houses.
So here he was sulking over a bowl of wheat jam in the Great Hall, trying his very best to shut out those unpleasant stares and rumours directed at him. Hermoine ditched him for the library while Harry was meeting Dumbledore.
Life sucked. Big time.
As he viciously smashed those bobbling jam bits, imagining the bits to be the heads of Snape and everybody else, his mind wondered and landed squarely on that girl. The one whom the trio bumped into earlier on.
Though it was the briefest of seconds, Ron thought that he saw an extremely faint apparition of a jade tiger emitting from her wand before she quickly dispelled it. No one noticed it as they were too distracted by his display of fireflies.
If his memory served him right, the jade tiger was under the list of beasts which could only be summoned by sorcerers…
Usually, his bad memory proved to be his downfall.
Deciding that his eyes were playing tricks on him, Ron continued to sulk as he smashed jam bits.
**TBC…**
Do review! It motivates me.
As promised, this chappie was delivered in November.
Like I said earlier, I invested most of my time in this art piece for my friends birthday and xmas pressie. I am almost done with it. Used over a week to slog over it. I will post it on deviant art once I am done.
I will start on my 2 bleach fics. One of which is an xmas pressie for fan fic readers. Such a tradition started from last year and I intend to keep this tradition going. Last year, I wrote _Help Needed_. This year, I shall present _Family Portrait._
Both are Hitsugaya centred fics. (I only write Hitsugaya centred fics anyway).
The other bleach fic _The shrimp, beast and the pink haired menace _covers about 4 to 5 chapters. It is a time sequence fic of a span of about a hundred years, from the day Hitsu became captain. First 4 chappies on how the heads of the 11th division gives Hitsu immense trouble while the last chappie (I may separate this into another chapter) shows a conclusion - what Hitsu thinks of Zaraki and Yachiru , after an incident 100 years into his captaincy.
Hitsugaya lovers! Do enjoy this soon to be new entries.
Don't worry, the next update for this fic will be in late Janurary.
7. Chapter 7
**Disclaimer: The usual**
**The** sound of the swatting followed by a long string of curses echoed the entire forest for the umpteenth time. A lone death eater standing in the midst of entangled vines swatting and scratching, behaving uncharacteristically like what a death eater should never be.
Of all the damned places, why did that ass have to choose the enchanted forest as their meeting place?
He was one rank lower than his superior, yet was important enough to know the workings of Lord Voldermort's mind, or at least certain plans that their lord had in mind.
His superior was posted to Hogwarts, along with a couple of death eaters and the Malfoy brat, that death eater wannabe. He personally did not like that brat one bit, neither did he adore Lucius nor his wife. That attack two years ago which sent Lucius pacing in hell and his wife trailing behind did not really change his opinion of them, though few were saddened by his death or rather, their steady source of funds.
It was his job to report to his superior about the plans and happenings at the base camp thus a weekly meeting was held in the enchanted forest as it was claimed to be a safe spot from the prying eyes of the many Hogwarts staff. The floo network was heavily tapped thanks to Umbridge's paranoia thus fireplaces were deemed unsafe. It did not make things easy for him when his superior was constantly late, making him an ideal prey for those bloodsuckers.
He did not care that such behavior was ruining death eaters' image. All he cared was that he was alone and itching, hence he was entitled to scratch and hatch plans to murder his superior. Period.
"You are a death eater Smith so act like one. Scratching is not befitting of one who serves our Lord."
_Breathe in and out Smith. No use attempting to kill that ass who made you undergo such torture. _
Smith gave a respectful nod to his superior as he temporarily buried plans for murder. Orders from the Lord came first, personal business came second and should be done discreetly.
"Great news Sir." Smith began, "The sorcerer that we have long sought has finally agreed to meet our lord."
**Voldermort** stepped out of the flames as he felt a sense of anticipation surging within him. He had not felt such excitement since acquiring that body a couple of years back.
Here he was, standing at the abode of an acclaimed sorcerer who was highly sought after by those mudbloods and muggle loving fools.
He did not mean to brag (_righttttt…. Snape rolled his eyes_ - just had to add this in but there was only one reason why he out of so many wizards was accepted to meet Mr Li.
They were of pure blood.
Signaling most of his underlings to stay behind, he together with one of his trusted followers began to proceed forward as Voldermort silently appraised the room.
The room was long and pretty narrow, with one row of oak chairs lining reach side respectively. The fireplace was at one end of the room while a raised stepped platform was on the other. Polished lamps gave off a soft glow, only illuminating the huge dragon murals while the rest of the room was strangely shrouded in darkness, or shadows.
Voldermort was turned off by the rather cold reception, but he was not going to ruin this once in a lifetime opportunity. It was his key to power and success and he would be damned if he let this golden chance slip through his fingers.
They were both leaders of their own pack, both with immensely huge prides which came with the many other qualities of a leader. Yet Voldermort was willing to lower his pride by just a _tiny_ notch to fulfill his objective.
Stopping by the foot of the raised platform, he could see the faint outlines of his seated host, or hosts rather for the sorcerer had an elderly companion with him. With illumination from a stray lamp above them and some squinting on his part, Voldermort could make out some of their facial features in semi-darkness.
It came as a shock when Voldermort realized that the sorcerer was a least _half_ his age.
Undoubtly, it was a blow to his overly large ego. That fleeting moment of displeasure disappeared quickly as he regained his composure.
Power was not measured by one's age after all.
Had the room been a little brighter, Voldermort would have noticed an air which hung round Xiao Lang like any seasoned diplomat should have. The dark lord would have been surprised by the sharp, cold gaze by the very orbs that bore proof of many life experiences, posture which radiated maturity beyond his years.
A couple of pleasantries were exchanged before the sorcerer coolly invited to have a seat, glasses of wine were all prepared and ready.
Looks like the sorcerer was not such a bad host after all.
Thanking him, Voldermort settled down and began to dive straight to the point.
"The world is infested with half bloods. The wizarding world for one is poisoned with such _impurities_. Regretfully, the muggle world is also suffering from the lack of purebloods. Don't you agree, Mr Li?"
"Indeed, the world is very much tainted." Xiao Lang replied.
"The wizarding world has become weak, very weak." Voldermort continued darkly, "Intermarriages between muggles and wizards spell great disaster. In the past, pureblood marriages maintained the concentration of magic in their blood. That however, is slowly fading due to an increasing number of half bloods."
Voldermort's voice rang loud and clear in the otherwise silent room, "We have to drag the degenerating society back to it's former glory. To accomplish that, a pure blooded leader is needed."
The pack of death eaters gathered at the far end nodded in silent agreement as Voldermort paused and downed the contents of his glass. His hosts on the other hand showed no prominent reaction, just a smooth, emotionless expression schooled on their faces.
"If I am not mistaken Mr Li, you are having similar problems as well. The problem of half bloods and I suppose muggle interaction with the wizarding world is not sitting well with you…"
Clasping his hands, Voldermort leaned slightly forward. It was time to reveal his plans.
"I propose an alliance, Mr Li. If you agree to it, supremacy over the muggles will be guaranteed and you will have my word that the wizarding world will cut off all connection with the muggle world."
Voldermort was pleased when he spotted Xiao Lang's eyes lit up with interest and began to roll out his plans in detail.
**Lurking **in Hogsmeadewas pretty exhausting for Sakura. It was far too huge and to cover every nook and cranny took days. Drastic times like this meant that drastic measures were needed. Traveling to and fro from China to England required magic as the conventional way was too impractical. Business trips and holidays however were strictly by plane, limousines or other luxury transport.
Over reliance on magic was a serious handicap hence both sorcerers took great care in ensuring that their lives were as normal as possible, or at least as normal as a sorcerer's life could be. Moreover, the Lis' were practically awash with cash. Injecting money to keep the economy alive was the responsibility of every citizen, especially the rich.
Information was rife in places that looked threatening, hence Sakura entered Knockturn Alley first a couple of days back in hopes of rewarding information. She was rewarded with vile displays flanking the shelves of shops specializing in Dark Arts merchandise.
Needless to say, Sakura was pretty furious when a queer shop owner approached her with an unpleasant looking dagger which he claimed could exterminate sorcerers.
Strangely, the Alley was filled with many sorcerer interest groups, with plenty of hooded wizards trading information secretly in their own quiet corner. Unlike the main streets of Hogsmeade, many of them were highly keen in forming an alliance with the sorcerers, save for a few whose hatred towards sorcerers was blatantly obvious.
From what Sakura had heard from those wizards hurrying past the entrance of Knockturn Alley, those wizards who loitered in there were either deranged or veering towards the dark side. In view of their _adoration_ towards sorcerers, Sakura had mixed feelings.
All in all, Sakura's experience in Knockturn Alley could be summed in one word – horrible. Though similar to Hogsmade in certain aspects, Knockturn Alley was far darker and creepier.
Three days in there had reached Sakura's limit such that she was _almost_ glad to be back on the streets of Hogsmeade. Almost, until reality sunk in as anti-sorcerer sentiment hit home.
It was now very common to classify sorcerers under the honorary title of you-know-who.
In and out of the stores she went as Sakura began to scout in the remaining stretch of Hogsmeade. Bookstores packed with sorcerer poaching paperbacks, pet shops filled with many creatures of fire breathing variety, stores selling sorcerer poaching gear… It was repetitive with the same old stalls and the dull buzzing spreading the same old anti sorcerer rhetoric… it was a good thing that Sakura did not snap yet.
The sudden intrusion into the repetitive scene drew Sakura's attention. This weird store that stuck out like a sore thumb displayed a huge sign which caused many tense wizards to stop and stare with their jaws hanging.
**WHY ARE YOU WORRYING ABOUT YOU-KNOW-WHO?
YOU SHOULD BE WORRYING ABOUT U-NO-POO -
THE CONSTIPATION SENSATION THAT'S GRIPPING THE NATION!**
_Weasley's Wizard Wheezes__? Interesting._
Intrigued, Sakura decided to pay the joke shop a visit.
**Wang **briefly wondered if Voldermort was astute or plain dumb. Staring at the rambling figure in front of him, Wang felt that it was probably a combination of both.
That man, or half snake rather, had a clear objective in mind, which was to rule the wizarding world with pure bloods. Objective meant dedication, and in Voldermort's case, an obsessive pursuit in order to fulfill his dream even if it meant pulling out the big guns.
Such people were usually successful, though intentions behind that objective were an entirely different matter.
Voldermort, Wang dully noted, radiated confidence even in the presence of an acclaimed sorcerer. He tackled the man topic for the conversation, ignoring pleasantries or buttering up.
Master Li was well-known to be impatient with weak minded, indecisive businessmen who spent far too much time on subtle flattery. Many deals were lost when Master Li coolly sent them out without any word. Not that Master Li tolerated rudeness, but he appreciated people who went straight to the point.
Time was money after all.
Voldermort's proposal also singled out the Elders' worry dead on. The Elders were extremely particular about maintaining the line of sorcerers. Due to the lack of eligible candidates possessing magical capabilities, the Elders have to content with the next best thing; to marry within the family in order to preserve the Li's pure blood and to increase chances of an offspring carrying on the line of sorcerers.
It was this decision many years back which led to an arranged marriage between Master Li and Miss Meiling Li.
Of course, Miss Li was currently single, ignoring all potential suitors that her mother tried to pair her with.
And there was that problem of over interaction with wizards as well…
The dark lord was not lacking in the analytical department either. Plans which he carefully unrolled revealed precision and depth. There was some lack of details which were cleverly masked, enough to fool most people. But then again, Master Li was not most people…
After serving the Lis for decades, Wang was adapt at reading people; an essential skill required to be Master Li's personal aide. He was positive that Voldermort would be a formidable opponent, if he wielded sorcery.
That was a big "if".
Yet Voldermort's downfall could be attributed to his choice of followers. There were exceptions of course. The dark lord's right hand man was a right pick. Calm and collected, his expression betrayed no emotion, leaking no secrets.
Those masked death eaters at the fireplace on the other hand were fidgeting, failing miserably in an attempt to stand still.
That spoke volumes about their capabilities and competency hence exposing a glaring fact that executions of plans may not run as smooth as the dark lord claimed to be.
Voldermort was pretty foolish really, choosing them as followers. A lack in capable followers maybe? Or was the entire wizarding world like that?
Their guest was still currently pouring out his plans at a comfortable pace, emphasizing certain details while most of the death eaters were still clumped at the far end of the room. Wang stole a quick look at his Master.
Master Li's face was pooled into an impassive expression, apart from the earlier expression of interest which momentarily fleeted across his face.
_Look into the eyes…_
It was Wang's very first lesson from the late Master Li. The eyes bared one's soul, one's true feelings. Facial expressions and mannerisms could be faked but no matter how skilled one was, they were unable to mask the emotions in their orbs.
Wang saw the usual icy cold gaze which Master Li held. That calculating look reserved for business meetings was present as well.
Wang went deeper into his gaze and by chance found a foreign emotion, one which Wang had not seen for quite some time now.
Fury.
A bout of barely suppressed fury.
"I suppose you don't quite understand the predicament you are in now Voldermort." Xiao Lang suddenly interrupted, his low monotonous voice betraying none of his inner turmoil.
"I don't quite understand what you mean Mr Li." Voldermort spoke, the gears in his mind came to a crashing halt.
"Your plan is ingenious I have to admit. The timing of attack and execution is perfect. Gains on each side are fair." Xiao Lang continued, " However, I am afraid that we have conflicting objectives."
Hazel orbs harden as fist tightened into a ball, "About 2 years ago, your forces attacked parts of Asia, muggle casualties were mainly concentrated in Japan but so were your forces. All but one died and I dare say that _witch _hasn't regained her sanity."
The entire room fell into silence, with only the cackling of firewood to be heard. Even the dumbest of the death eaters had pieced the puzzle together as Xiao Lang continued speaking about the aftermath of the incident and needless to say, they were livid.
"You…You KILLED RODOLPHUS!" One death eater cried out, obviously still bearing the emotional scars of the demise of a fellow death eater.
The funny thing about anger was that it overrides fear, giving one the false illusion of power. It dulls the blade, clouds the mind and irrational behavior kicks in.
The concept of thinking logically was not applicable any longer.
Whipping out her wand, the death eater emitted an enraged bellow before yelling out a series of unforgivable curses, namely Cruciatus Curse, only to heighten her anger as the curses were deflected with ease. Attempts to charge forward were thankfully foiled by the more rational death eaters who were well aware of the difference in abilities.
Voldermort glared vehemently at the offending death eater.
Li's revelations caught him off guard, like a dose of cold water on a hot day. His emotions were in a turbulent state, dull anger buried in the depths of his heart exploded with extreme vigor.
It took him every ounce of his will power to practise restrain, avoid acting on instinct to just blast the sorcerer into oblivion. Li had thrown a wrench into his plans, putting a full stop to his path to greatness. His whirling mind was struggling to come to terms, trying to cough up new strategies and regain his composure before his train of thought was interrupted by Bella who let her emotions get the better of her at a crucial time like this.
Bellatrix's devotion towards her late husband came as a shock to many as she strike many as one who was cruel, sadistic and none of the caring sort. Her devotion grew after his gruesome death, which was highly troublesome.
In her line of work, weak and positive emotions were not permitted.
Mentally spewing expletives, Voldermort furiously slammed his palm against the armrest, barking at the death eater to halt her quest for revenge.
"Bella!"
Bellatrix stared viciously at Xiao Lang through the slits of her mask, her shaking hand tightly clutching her wand as anger coursed through her veins.
"My lord. He-"
The prickling feeling earlier on erupted. A wave of killer intent slammed into them like a gravity force. Rattling became apparent as both furniture and furnishings began to tremble.
It was terrifying the least to feel the desire of drawing blood, specifically their blood, assaulting their senses.
"It wasn't me, though I wished it was." Xiao Lang spoke in that deceptively calm voice, "Witnessing the slaughters made me habour the desire of decipitating every single one of you."
Fingering a large bead which hung on his wrist, the young sorcerer stood up from his sitting position, "I am truly appalled though, by the existence of humanity residing within you. Miss." Staring pointedly at the slightly shaken Bellatrix, who was on all fours due to the killer intent, Xiao Lang continued, "You are actually mourning for your fallen comrade. One would have thought with all that merciless killing your organization has undertaken, that bit of humanity would have been snuffed out as well."
"Don't you mock me, you bs-"
Bellatrix was interrupted by a loud _thud _and a flash of silver before she found herself staring at her own reflection off the surface of a highly polished sword.
Her mind was reeling from the shock as she was aware that the sword was only merely inches away from her head and it was embedded in between her two fingers.
"You mourn for one when hundreds of others have died by your hands."
Anger within Bellatrix vaporized and the void was quickly replaced by terror. Alarm bells within her head were smashing, reflex mechanism kicking in as she scrambled back, horrified that had she flirted with death.
The speed at which the sorcerer had summoned the sword, threw it at her with pin-pointed accuracy from that distance in an instance meant that he was at a totally different class from them.
It was a show of power, and Bellatrix knew that she was rapidly losing it.
"You speak of trust, Voldermort." Xiao Lang turned his attention to the snake look a like as the sound of rattling became louder, "Yet your actions contradict your words."
"Planting a spy in the Li's manor was an amazing feat. Few have penetrated our defense before but none has ever left alive."
The large sword stuck firmly into the ground began to radiate a green aura, vanishing as the green aura rushed towards Xiao Lang, concentrating in his outstretched palm to form the bead he was toying with earlier on.
Sakura's life was almost ruined when the death eaters murdered her family, along with countless of other people, in cold blood.
Anguish, pain, tears…
Xiao Lang had vowed back then, with a grieved Sakura in his arms and the stench of death enveloping them, that he would personally send Voldermort to hell.
The bstard had presented himself to Xiao Lang, sending countless of invites in hopes of an alliance.
_Such audacity._
Voldermort hissed in shock as the vibrating glass beside him exploded into many pieces, drenching him with wine and glass pieces inflicting numerous cuts on his arms.
"Make no mistakes about it. This meeting serves as a warning, _not _as an alliance. Any one who goes against the order of nature will be treated as an enemy and you Voldermort has fallen under that category , along with your underlings."
The rattling became even more vigorous as Xiao Lang clutched the bead tightly, his voice strangely audible above the din, "I am tempted to draw blood, but I will not have any filthy wizard blood spilled within the compound."
Wang noted that the Persian carpets were pretty new. Blood stains were a pain to remove.
"Leave." Xiao Lang whispered venomously, "The next time we meet, I will definitely have your head."
Voldermort flapped his cloak roughly, bits of glass flung onto the ground. He gritted his teeth as he felt the weight of his wand hang uselessly within the folds of his cloak. Forced into a corner, Voldermort's only option was to retreat, temporarily.
"I won't forget this Li." Spat the snake as blazing slitted eyes stated hard into furious hazel orbs.
_Neither would I._
Voldermort threw one glare at Xiao Lang before signaling angrily to the bunch of disoriented death eaters as he stalked back, his cloak trailing majestically behind him. One by one, the death eaters disappeared into the burning flame leaving only Master and servant behind.
The rattling stopped instantly.
Xiao Lang sat heavily with a long sigh, massaging his temples to fight off an impending headache.
He finally found the cause of Sakura's anxiety these days. Even with years of training, control was definitely harder to maintain with wizards around, especially when great self-control was needed to prevent himself from literally tearing that snake into pieces.
"Is it wise to set them free Sir? Wouldn't it be easier to just dispose them and get rid the root of the problem?" Wang concerned voice rang out.
"His aura was… different. Had I slayed him, it would definitely bring about terrible consequences." Xiao Lang spoke quietly, gazing at the embers in the fireplace as he sank deep in thought.
He would wait for further developments. One had to be patient in order to spot loopholes in their enemy's defense.
As for revenge, it was not a matter of _if_. It was a matter of _when_.
**The** store was literally bursting at it's seams, packed with mostly noisy brats snatching products off the shelves. Sakura watched in mild fascination as the kid next to her waved a wand which transformed into a mouse instantly.
Everything in this store seemed so different. The fear of sorcerers was drowned by the extremely loud and colourful displays, some flashing neon lights and emitting glitter at a minute interval.
_A portable swamp?_
The product in her hands at the moment could create a swamp in any place. Sakura raised an eyebrow. Who in their right mind would want to create muck that reeks in their house, or anywhere else for that matter?
Sakura briefly entertained the thought of a swamp in the Li's mansion, faces of the elders turning putrid purple from the smell…
It was probably worth it.
At the other end of the store, the twins emerged from the storeroom. It was then that they noticed this _still hooded_ cloaked figure in the midst of many kids.
Fred gave George a sharp nudge, "George, the checklist."
"Right. Hood up?"
"Check."
"Significantly older and taller than most of the brats?"
"Can't confirm the age, but definitely taller. Check."
"Superior quality cloak?"
"My eyes ain't failing me George. Those must be some superb workman ship at the edges. What are those designs anyway?"
"Phoenix Fred. Silent and brooding, not rushing to vacuum wares off the shelves?"
"Check."
By the end of the checklist, the twins came to a similar conclusion.
_A well-off customer._
You can practically hear the _ka-chings_ going off in their heads.
The twins had their fair share of such customers and are more than willing to roll out the red carpet for them.
"Probably someone from the Ministry, willing to order in bulk." Fred whispered gleefully as the twins ushered the cloaked figure into the back room which was specially prepared for entertaining VIPs. George gave instructions to their store assistant before disappearing into the backroom, drowning out the noise as he shut the door.
Sakura was pretty tense, preparing herself for an ambush when she entered the room. After all, she was in some foreign land and it was not everyday that some wizard dragged her off to discuss _business matters_.
Moreover, there was this undetected flash of red when she entered this room earlier on which put her on guard. The flash was instantaneous hence her hosts did not seem to notice it.
The twins introduced themselves as owners of the one and only Weasley Wheeze. A flashing sign above their heads burst into existence with a spray of sparks, in courtesy of George's wand.
The exaggerated introduction caught Sakura off guard and she stared at the twins in surprise.
"For shop owners, both of you look pretty young." Sakura started off uncertainly after what seemed to be a long pause.
Fred feigned shock, "I thought our story was pretty famous in the wizarding world. Not as famous as Harry's though, but still pretty impressive. George, a brief recount please."
" Right. Probably a year ago, some bitc-"
"Language George."
"Of course. Ahem some old cow pissed us off so we left her a farewell present and flew out of school in our shining glory."
"One of the finest moments of our lives." Fred relished that particular moment and he dabbed imaginary tears off his eyes
"Indeed. Got some galleons from a kind soul-"
"An angel from heaven."
"- a couple years back and invested those in a this shop. Fled school and have been in this shop ever since." George finished with a slight bow.
The incredible story sent Sakura's mind reeling as it reminded her of a certain classmate many years back.
It was at the request of the twins that Sakura became hesitant. The twin named Fred… or was he George, requested Sakura to lower her hood. They claimed that _getting to know your customer better_ was part of the business procedure.
Sakura knew she should not lower her guard and expose her identity. She could obviously alter her facial features and fool the redheads. Yet… Sakura could not feel any hidden malice from them and her intuition told her that they were really nice people.
Slowly but surely, their VIP lowered her maroon coloured hood and golden, waist length locks tumbled out. Mouths of the twins were left hanging as they stared into pools of deep emerald.
"Gosh Fred, our customer is sure stunner isn't she? An exotic beauty…." George gazed dreamily.
"Indeed George." Fred nodded his head in agreement, " Loads better than Lavander."
Sakura's curiosity peaked.
"Ano… who is Lavander?"
"Well she is the temporary girlfriend of Ronnikins-"
"Who is our dear old little brother." George interrupted as he pointed at a figure in a picture which hung on the wall.
"I mean she is nice and sweet. But she's rather plain-"
"and ordinary"
"-and we shall emphasize again, temporary. If Ronnikins loves Mione, he should just confess and not start smooching away with some girl he picked from the hallway. Isn't that so brother dear?"
"This shows that he lacked brains Fred. A failure on our part. We should have given him _the talk_ personally."
"Yeah, dad's version was pretty screwed up. Stuttering and all. No wonder Hermione didn't fall for Ronnikins."
"Hermione needs some work on her appearance as well. A bottle of self concocted hair straightener should do the trick!"
The twins sank into a massive debate about the potency of hair straightener. Sakura on the other hand found the situation highly amusing, mainly due to the twins' hilarious dialogue.
Unknowingly, the ends of Sakura's lips began to tug upwards.
A few seconds later, the Weasley twins snapped out of their conversation as they realized their original purpose. Pointing towards the shelves, Fred began to introduce their wares and promised great discounts.
There were rows and rows of sorcerer detection kits, which were the star attraction of the store.
Sakura's smile faltered.
"You are no different from them…"
Those two in front of her were no different from the wizards out on the streets.
"Excuse me?"
"Both of you detest sorcerers, just like every one else." Sakura stared accusingly at them.
Fred studied his customer intently before he came to a conclusion, "You are not from the Ministry, aren't you?"
The slight frown which marred Sakura's expression confirmed his suspicions. After musing for quite some time, Fred came to his decision as he told his twin brother to fetch some superior grade spirit which was easily affordable given their present level of income. He sank ungracefully into an armchair, motioning his guest to sit as well.
"Contrary to popular belief, we feel that sorcerers aren't in the wrong at all. If you have been following the papers, you will realize that the Daily Prophet sprout nonsense and most reports were speculative. Of course with that Seeker reporter, shit happens."
"The problem is we are running a business. To survive in this line, we must jump at money making opportunities." George said as he reappeared juggling glasses and many bottles of spirit. "Such items are in the rage right now hence in the business aspect, it is logical to invest heavily in _I repeat _sorcerer detection kits. We refuse to sell sorcerer poaching items, if such items even work on sorcerers in the first place."
Fred pried open a bottle and took a giant swig, throwing caution of underage drinking into the wind. Sighing in contentment, he continued, "We can't help it if the Ministry is our largest money spender. Hell, the latest order from them was enough to cover several months of rent."
There was a sudden pause followed by another swig.
"We aren't exactly fond of those bstards you know. Fudge being a brainless git and all. Doubting Professor Dumbledore and Harry, allowing Voldermort to rise in power once more, ostracizing Dad… The Ministry is screwed."
"Because of that, we don't usually share give extra special treatment to those customers from the Ministry. This included." George smiled as he handed Sakura a glass of spirit, downing his own in one gulp, "So imagine, if we run off to the streets spreading the goodness of sorcery, totally smitten about how cool sorcerers are and somehow or another, the Ministry got a whiff of it… we will be so dead."
Fred snorted as he began to list out the consequences, using his fingers as a counter, " License revoked, heavy fines, extra scrutiny, dad getting more pressure from his superiors… My, the possibilities are endless."
Sakura stared at the glass of bubbling liquid in her hands, emotions spinning almost out of control. Such revelations came as a shock. What was more shocking was the level trust the twins had in her.
With no actual confirmation that their guest was not representing the Ministry, the twins have just confided in her, exposing them to threats from the Ministry.
_Thanks to them, my perception of wizards has changed, albeit barely._
Her smile returned once more as Sakura nod in understanding. The tense atmosphere reverted back to it's originally relaxed form once more as the twins revealed their widest grins. Offering to show Sakura their other wares, they began to expose her to a wizard's world of joke delights which featured products like Ton tongue candy and Snackboxes.
George offered Sakura a tube of Canary cream, claiming that it was on the house.
"Whoever ingests this will turn temporarily into a canary."
The thought of Xiao Lang transforming into a large and fluffy bird was too much to bear as Sakura dissolved into peals of laughter.
_Then again, Xiao Lang will not be affected by such merchandise. But what if the cream infiltrates into the kitchens…_
It would definitely cause unimaginable chaos.
The personal tour of the shop soon came to an end and Sakura reluctantly decided that she scouted enough for this shop. Gratitude was expressed and after a couple of handshakes, Sakura lifted her hood and prepared to take her leave, only to be stopped by an enquiry of her name.
A moment of silence followed, notions of fake identities were stamped ruthlessly. The trust they had in her should repaid by her trust as well.
"It's Sakura."
Bowing slightly, she stepped out of the store and returned back to the world of unrelenting, bitter resentment towards sorcerers.
**The **junior death eaters, who were guarding the entrance, flinched as cries of anguish increased in frequency and volume.
Their lord was in an especially foul mood today, no prizes for guessing why. That meant more usage of forbidden curses on any death eater that happened to cross their lord's way.
For once, those standing guard were not too eager to join the ranks of senior death eaters.
The said culprit hissed in anger as he tossed a thrashing minion against the wall, causing the victim to whimper as he collapsed into an undignified heap.
The room was deadly silent, safe for the occasional pleas and cries from torture bestowed by Voldermort., as no one wanted to incur their lord's wrath.
They knew that their lord was frustrated, and terribly enraged. They were present in the meeting and witnessed the sorcerer's not too tactful rejection of their lord's proposal. It was obviously not sitting well with him.
Voldermort, on the other hand, was practically steaming as he mentally replayed his meeting earlier that afternoon.
He could still vividly remember the unreal killer intent which chilled him to the bone.
Everything was supposed to go according to his plan. He would form an alliance with the sorcerer, borrow his power to take over the wizarding world and to use that sorcerer as a deterrent against the Order, who would most probably enlist the help of the other sorcerer.
The sorcerer would not interfere with his plans and vice versa.
Voldermort cursed as he blamed the lack of information for his failure.
Information on sorcerers was extremely sparse. Regardless of how much his underlings dug, searched or snooped, the results were always disappointing. Most of the rumours were false as they were _rumours_ for a reason. Some lesser wizard with a death wish must have made them up.
Sources harboring quality information were few and hard to come by. Library books were useless as they only lapped up loads of Clow Reed's life and nothing else. Shady groups managed to produce something useful as they found the names of the two sorcerers and even quite a fair bit on the workings of sorcery.
He should consider recruiting those wizards into his organization and kick out those useless lapdogs he had.
Providing information on the sorceress was Serverus job and he did inform the death eaters that the Order was in contact with the Kinomoto sorceress.
Voldermort's eyes narrowed. Through several meetings, he realized that Serverus was exceptionally vague in providing details…
"Serverus." Voldermort growled as slitted eyes hardened and pale arms gripped the armrest, "I am beginning to doubt your loyalty."
Ignoring Snape's excuse about how little the sorceress was revealing, the gears in Voldermort's mind was turning once more as he churned out new plans.
The lack of information led to lots of deduction and estimation. He naturally assumed that both sorcerers were not in contact. He did not realize that sorcerers were standing along side with _muggles_. Nor did he fathom that Li was after his blood.
Locating and contacting sorcerers were placed as first priority. Others were of lesser importance. Voldermort had learnt important lesson that such was the wrong way of executing plans.
Voldermort snarled as the death eaters stiffened once more.
It did not matter now! He would still accomplish his goals with or without Li's help. Li's rejection did not his original plans of "world domination".
Yet the death eaters had a common worry.
"My lord, the sorcerers may interfere with our plans." A brave death eater spoke nervously.
Indeed, through the revelation that sorcerers have a huge role in exterminating his forces in the "muggle slaughter" operation almost two years ago, it was highly likely that those sorcerers would obstruct his path to greatness. Voldermort had not formulated plans to deal with those sorcerers and given their prowess and intellect, he was in for a difficult time.
Wizards fighting against sorcerers seemed like a lost case.
He needed time, a lot more time to think. But with the sorcerers breathing down his neck, and the Order most likely gaining a powerful ally, it was going to be rather taxing.
Suddenly, Serverus raised a suggestion that caught Voldermort's attention. He had to admit, Severus's usefulness had risen by a notch.
"The Order placed a memory charm on Umbridge as she witnessed the entire incident. If we remove her memory charm…"
Voldermort's mood lightened up considerably as he gave Snape a nod of approval, a feral smile enhancing his snake like features.
It was a distraction alright, to buy them some time and at the same time stop the Order in their tracks.
Satisfied, Voldermort ordered the execution of the first stage of his original plans and the removal of Umbridge's memory charm.
Eyes taking a redder hue, Voldermort rose from his seat and announced to the optimistic group of death eaters before him.
"Tomorrow, we will rain Hogsmeade with blood!"
_-End of chapter 7.TBC-_
The worst happened. For the **first** time in this fic, I had writer's block for Voldermort and Xiao Lang scenes! Took me several weeks to churn out content.
I had a really hard time writing this fic. I really suck at writing confrontation scenes, description after all. Scenes with lots of dialogue are also a huge pain in the ass. I was literally speeding at the very last minute trying to iron out details and attempting to smoothen out the rough edges of horrible grammer and sentence structure. Deadline was the late day of January, I was an hour late. Curses.
This chapter was exceptionally long, my goodness. Almost died. Entertaining the thought of brushing up my English and expanding my vocabulary.
**I have to thank _TheStatue_** ** for suggesting that website. It really helped me a lot, you know cutting down on spelling mistakes and stuff. Thanks to the other reviewers who reminded me to watch my spelling. I will take note of it.**
And for the first time, I felt the pain of other writers who fell victim to the horrible evil – plagiarism. Well, I did give that writer the benefit of doubt but it did nothing to get rid of that pretty hollow feeling within me.
I repeat for the 7th time, please review. All reviews will be thoroughly read and appreciated.
Ja Ne. I am off on a quest to search for my missing brains.
My exam results are coming out in a month's time. quiver
8. Chapter 8
**.Disclaimer: Blah blah blah **
**Smiles** were evident on the faces of the two redheads as they saw the large figure of their mother attempting, but failing miserably to approach them. Dinner crowds were always the busiest times of the day.
"By golly George, Mum has graced us a visit!" Fred feigned astonishment.
"Oh my stars, is that Ronnekins and our future sister-in-law I see?" George pointed to the two trailing figures of Ron and Hermione, "What did we do to deserve such honor?"
"Karma, my dear brother." Fred looked smug. "They seem a bit stuck. Should we haul them out?"
With much effort, the twins managed to drag them out from the crowds and soon found themselves in a crushing embrace as Mrs. Weasley enquired in rapid and incessant fashion about their welfare.
"We are well Mum, alive and kicking I must add." Fred said, prying his mother's hands off.
"Business is great! We've sold tons of Skiving snack boxes for it's that time of the year again when lots of tests are round the corner. Detection kits are flying off the shelves like crazy! Instant darkness from Peru and –OW!" George glared at his offending twin who kicked him in the shin.
"Both of you better not be playing around with dark stuff or-"
"Relax mum. You too Hermione." Fred held his hands up. "Instant darkness just causes temporary darkness around the victim. The rest are pretty harmless too."
_At least I think so._
"By the way, we entertained a gorgeous customer yesterday. Right George?" Fred gulped as the eyes of both females narrow at the lousy attempt of topic diversion.
A dreamy look kicked in as George nodded, "She was drop dead gorgeous. A goddess from the heavens."
Hermione rolled her eyes at George's exaggeration. Ron on the other hand, brimming with hormones and all, was more than curious.
"Nope, she wasn't a Veela." Fred replied Ron, sniggering at the dreamy look that was plastered on his brother's face. Ostensibly, his little ol' brother was enjoying that memory of the Quitditch cup during his fourth year, where Veelas captivated more than half of the stadium's attention.
"Yes, Veelas are pretty but this customer was definitely not a Veela. For one, she's an Asian."
George began to recount her looks, much to Ron's delight, while Hermione, half annoyed by lustful males, was trying to address that rising suspicion within her.
Many claimed that she was sharp, or in a more negative tone, too nosy. She was suspicious of everything and anything and always consulted the library for confirmation.
More often than not however, her suspicions were dead on. After all, she was right about the firebolt's anonymous sender in their third year.
She was also correct about the Basilik in their second year. And there was also this time in their first year…
Come to think about it, she was almost right in everything she suspected! That should add to her credibility.
Hermoine had this strong inkling that this customer was somehow or another linked to the Kinomoto sorceress. Only this time, she had no proof nor could she consult her library resources.
There was no doubt many Asian wizards in Hogsmeade. Adding to the fact that the Order's meeting with the sorceress ended up disastrously, there was simply no explanation for the sorceress to appear in Hogsmeade.
Yet a woman's intuition, especially Hermoine, was never wrong.
Asian wizards were common alright, but they were predominantly Chinese and Indians. If this customer was Japanese, then it was most probably _Bingo_ for her.
Ignoring the possibility that the customer might be under some fake identity, Hermoine asked for her name.
"Now now Mione, we can't tell you though you are _almost_ part of the family. It's our policy to keep the identities of our VIPs a secret." George wagged his finger causing Hermoine to turn red in the face, stomping off in a huff.
"You better go after our future sister-in-law Ronnikins." Fred thrusted a bottle of hair straightener into Ron's arms, rolling his eyes at Ron's indignant replies on how Hermione was only his friend and nothing else.
_He's in denial._
"Just get your sorry ass after her will you?" Fred shoved Ron towards the door, shaking his head as his brother finally had the sense to go after Hermione.
"Horribly dense isn't he?" George shared his twin's sentiments as he asked Mrs Weasley, "Mum, are you sure he's not adopted?"
"George! You should not sprout nonsense like this!"
"Easy mum! It as just a joke." George added, "About your earlier question, her name was –Ow!"
George got hit by Fred for the second time.
"Yes I know about our policy brother dear. But technically, she isn't our customer and it's just her name!"
Fred paused. It did make sense in a way.
George turned to Mrs Weasley who looked at him expectantly.
"Her name was Sakura."
An explosion rocked the entire shop stunning everyone in the shop into a brief silence. It was immediately followed by an impact from the explosion which sent shattered glass raining onto the crowd, throwing the shop into utter chaos.
Amongst the panicked screams, the three Weasleys managed to shove their way out of the shop, trying to address the situation at hand.
Fred felt dread diffusing throughout his body as he surveyed the scene.
Many shops were on fire, with thick, black smoke rising towards the heavens. Petrified wizards were tearing down the streets of Hogsmeade, with no one attempting to douse the flames. He could hear terrified screams from all directions and the stench of death was slowly becoming apparent.
A high pitched scream emitted by Mrs Weasley snapped Fred out of his shock and focused on what had gravely disturbed his mother.
Fred's blood ran cold when he saw the menacing image of the Dark Mark appearing in the night sky.
The death eaters were attacking Hogsmeade!
Black hooded figures that begin to flood upper Hogsmeade street warned Fred that time was not on their side.
"Mum!" Fred shook Mrs Weasley pretty harshly in order to snap her out of her daze. "Mum! You need to contact them immediately!" Fred's voice was barely audible the din.
Mrs Weasley grabbed her sons' arms tightly as she drew labored breaths, eyes wide with fear, "We have to get out of here! Oh my god! Ron and Hermoine-"
"Mum!" George interrupted her, "Damnit! Listen Mum! You have to contact them now! Dumbledore will know what to do. Ron and Hermoine will be fine. Fred and I have to evacuate those twits from our store!"
"Are you two crazy? Both of-"
"We'll be alright Mum!" Fred whispered loudly into her ear, "There's an escape route beneath our shop which leads to Hogwarts. We have to get those twits in there."
"But, but-"
Fred shoved Mrs Weasley in the opposite direction while George dashed back to their shop.
"Just go!"
**Xiao Lang** found Sakura sitting on of the roof top of a shop house situated at the outskirts of Hogsmeade. Arms hugging her legs which were drawn against her chest, she sat there unmoving, her gaze troubled and uncertain.
The attack was in the initial stages and Xiao Lang could see several parts of Hogsmeade have taken the hardest hit. Thick, filthy columns of smoke accompanied by the raging blaze in concentrated spots emphasized the extent of the damage.
It was a pictorial scene, in morbid, grotesque way.
A painful reminder of the death eater's 'purification' back then.
The young sorcerer fought down a shudder, clenched fist turning unnaturally white, momentarily shutting his eyes. Images of mutilated corpses of both Kinomotos fleeted beneath his eyelids, horrified cries from his past memories became undistinguishable from those screams from the distance.
The current attack was similar to that attack back then, minus the lack of blood and corpses.
Xiao Lang was positive that Sakura was too tormented by past cruel memories, judging from her demeanor.
Yet it was not the best of times to dwell on their past. Harsh as it was to come to a decision under such stressful conditions, they had no other choice.
He could only say that the wizards had it coming. The attack on Hogsmeade was a price to pay for their foolishness and naivety that lulled them into a false sense of security Important lessons would be learnt and hopefully knock some sense into the wizards' hard heads.
They could always turn back and carry on with their lives. The wizarding world had weathered several death eater attacks before. Sorcerers never did interfere with wizarding affairs. The attack was just an additional chapter to the wizarding history, which would be quickly forgotten in the coming years.
Agreeing to Dumbledore's request meant involvement, and there was no turning back once they join the light in their quest for Voldermort extermination.
Moreover, they were practically strangers to this land. Animosity directed at sorcerers meant that interference with wizarding affairs would bring immense trouble. Wizarding affairs should be handled by wizards only. It was not the concern of sorcerers and intrusions would not be appreciated despite good intentions.
_But…_
Hazel eyes hardened as Xiao Lang stared at the scurrying wizards running for their lives.
Wizards, sorcerers, muggles. Strip of all qualities which distinguished them and one would realize that all of them are… human.
An obvious yet frequently overlooked fact.
It was not a question on revenge nor was it interference. They were talking about morals here, the very essence of humanity_, of being human_.
To stare dispassionately from the sidelines, watching human lives getting snuffed out without lifting a finger to help… How different were they from beasts?
There were probably deserving idiots who should be condemned to the deepest pits of hell. Yet children were innocent as many were cluelessly brainwashed into believing that sorcerers were evil and terrorize little kids.
_We will not sink as low as the wizards._
Clenched fists emitted signs of resolve. His decision was reached.
Revenge against wizards could be done at a later date.
The decision now lies with Sakura.
He knew Sakura had it tough. Witnessing the murders of her family did not help one bit. It was perfectly understandable if Sakura refused to help.
Standing barely a couple of feet away from the seated sorceress, the couple stood against the scene of destruction while Sakura battled conflicting emotions.
It seemed like eternity before Sakura spoke.
"I hate them Xiao Lang… I really do. But…"
Her eyes softened for a split second as she recalled the interaction with the twins. Seems like all hope was not lost after all.
"Lets' help them."
Closing the distance between them, Xiao Lang pulled her into his arms as he planted a tender kiss on her forehead. Tension seeped out of Sakura as she leaned against his chest for comfort.
That's the Sakura he came to know, and love.
Despite all the immense hatred and misery she had experienced and been through, he knew that Sakura's kind nature was an intrinsic quality.
Hatred and revenge does not suit Sakura. It never did.
**They **were ordered to destroy, kill, maim or do anything that made their Lord proud.
And they did just that.
Like packs of black wolves hunting down their prey, the death eaters broke down any resistance easily, yelling forbidden curses as their cloaks flapped ominously behind them.
"Leave none alive!"
After suffering from many setbacks these years, the death eaters were hungering for a victory; they could feel it in their bones. Being deprived of attacks left them terribly blood thirsty. Tonight's slaughter would be exceptionally bloody.
Casualties on the wizards' side were increasing in alarming numbers as death eaters took out two, three wizards at one go, all while prolonging their victims' agony by permitting a slow death.
One particular death watched with sick pleasure as his victim writhed in pain as the Cruticus curse engulfed him. Another shot through his prey's stomach brought his adrenaline rush to a whole new level.
A maniac grin slowly formed as the psychopath shot another spell through his lifeless victim.
He did not care if his victim was dead.
The attacks continued as he shot another, and another, and another, and another… while the corpse shuddered uselessly as it absorbed the attacks.
The strong, coppery smell of blood assaulted his senses and he realized that blood was pooling round his feet.
The grin became wider.
A sudden flare of hot pain which erupted through his entire body caught him in a temporary state of shock, wiping off that grin instantly. In that few precious milliseconds, the death eater realized that a piece of highly polished metal coated in crimson blood was protruding out of _his_ stomach. It was now _his _blood that was pooling on the ground.
Ignoring the pain that came from the gaping hole in his stomach, the death eater mustered all his energy as he whipped his wand and pointed it over his shoulder, all while roaring the killing curse.
His attacker evaded the attack easily, pulling out the sword in the process. Stumbling, the psychopath briefly saw the cloaked figure of his attacker advancing towards him with inhumane speed before he felt the sword impaling straight into his heart and began his long descent to hell.
The swift kill posed as a distraction as the attacker went on the offense once more.
Disposing another death eater with three strikes at the vital points, the attacker spun round and executed a slash directed at the heart of another. The sound of tearing flesh could be heard as the sword sliced through the death eater deeply.
The remaining death eaters began to hiss menacingly, "You use muggle contraption. Have you got no pride at all you bstard?"
There was no reply as their enemy wordlessly leaped towards the nearest death eater, exterminating them one after another in a shower of blood.
It was near the last kill before the cloaked figure felt a sense of foreboding. Instincts kicked in and the attack was narrowly evaded, save for the hood which got sliced up in the attack.
"Now this is unexpected. I've never imagined that a lady would be sent to the front line of defense." Her attacker remarked in mirth.
With her torn hood now uselessly flapping against her back, Sakura ignored the gender revelation as she held her sword at her eye level, preparing for her next attack.
"I was under the impression that your lot hated _muggle weapons_ with a passion." Sakura's eyes narrowed dangerously, "But your proficiency with a sword tells me otherwise."
The death eater emitted a muffled sneer through the mask, "They were total idiots. Both wands and muggle tools have the potential to kill. To use muggle weapons to snuff out the lives of worthless muggles makes the kill even more rewarding."
A slight push of the ankle was what Sakura took to sneak behind the death eater in an instant. A loud _clank_ could be heard as metal clashed with metal, indicating the quick reflexes of a death eater. Friction produced sparks as Sakura's sword was embedded firmly between the death eater's hilt, holding both sides to a dead lock.
To be on par with her in terms of swordplay …
_He's good._
Sakura broke apart from the dead lock, silently appraising her opponent. He had above average skill and speed, probably on the upper levels of the death eater's food chain.
She blocked another incoming heavy blow and they found themselves in another dead lock. Only this time, a flash of green erupted from a wand which was aimed squarely at Sakura.
In that split second, the sorceress jumped and the surprise attack only managed to fry the rim of her cloak. Gears cranked in her head as she put some distance between them. A pointed stick poking out of his left sleeve caught her attention and Sakura began to piece the clues together.
Wand in his left. Sword in his right.
_This guy is ambidextrous._
Eyes widened in realization followed by a built up of anger.
_He played it dirty._
There was an unspoken rule in sword fights and it was drilled into her head by Xiao Langsince the day she wielded a sword – Engage in a fair match. Using any underhand tactics or weapons that were unorthodox in such fights was considered dishonorable. Such actions led to ridicule and ultimately death.
And it was death she would bestow upon him.
"All is fair in love and war, lady." The death eater said, fending off Sakura's barrage of attacks. "I'm curious to know why you did not do the same as what I did."
"I will not do anything to dishonor my family name." Sakura spat. poised for her next strike.
"Then why didn't you use sorcery right from the beginning? It would have given you a huge advantage."
"Sorcery?" Came a slightly shocked reply, "How – "
The death eater gave a loud and hollow laugh, "Looks like my guess was right." Dashing towards Sakura with a burst of speed, he gave a war cry and swung the sword with great strength, "You sorcerers will pay ten times over for disrespecting our lord, that Li sorcerer in particular!"
Questions started to pile up in Sakura's head but she decided it was not appropriate time to succumb to her opponent's mind games, if there were any.
Another loud clash signaled the third dead lock of their match and both parties began to pit their strength, which was disadvantageous to Sakura. The death eater appeared to be winning as he slowly inched forward.
His edge over Sakura was short lived.
Without warning, the sorceress leaped side wards causing the death eater's weapon to hit the ground and embed firmly into the soil due to the imbalance in momentum. As fast as a whip, Sakura seized her chance and went for his heart. Another strike at his gut confirmed that he was a lost case.
"Such speed… You btch, you were holding back!" The death eater wheezed as he collapsed onto the ground, "There are more skilled death eaters in the West pack. They will definitely crush you!"
Sakura briefly recalled that Xiao Lang was handling the other pack of death eaters. Staring at the dying man, she asked, "Say, are they good?"
"The… best …th… "
Final breaths were taken and another death eater entered Hades.
"They better be or it wouldn't be much of a fight."
Xiao Lang, she knew, was on a totally different level.
**It** took just fifteen minutes of merciless killing to turn the West side of Hogsmeade into a ghost town. Granted quite a few wizards escaped mysteriously thus bringing the casualty figure to an unusual low.
He strode along the debris laden path, ignoring the sick pleasure of torturing unlucky prey by his surbodinates, focusing only on the objective in his mind.
"Mission accomplished, Sir." A fellow death eater reported, " We have taken over Gringrotts."
"Casualties?"
"Fifty-three, Sir. Nineteen confirmed dead, twenty-eight injured, six missing. We suspect they are currently trapped in the maze."
He nodded, signaling to his subordinate that he could leave. The West group's mission was to take over Gringrotts, previously the stronghold of the wizarding society. The take over was meant to create a huge psychological impact on the wizarding world. Control over the main financial icon could bring the wizarding society to it's knees. The increase in Galleons to their budget was a welcome bonus.
Taking over Gringotts was not an easy feat as they had hundreds of spell casters, many of which were the nation's best. Moreover, the maze leading to the vaults and other parts of the bank was extremely complex for it was meant to deter intruders. Hence the dark lord had sent _a portion_ of their finest to the West group, in addition to the tripling of the number of death eaters they had as compared to the other groups. The invasion itself took a year to plan, which thankfully gave them ample time to map out the details of the maze
carefully.
Swamping the bank with near three hundred death eaters, with another hundred stalking the streets gave them the victory that they so dearly longed for. Fifty-three casualties were considered low if one takes a look at the big picture.
To wipe out one eighth of his men, those spell casters were truly the nation's brightest. But it did not matter now, most were probably dead or grievously injured. They had to blame their ill luck for pitting against some of underworld's darkest wizards.
His snapped out of his musings when another of his lackeys came rushing towards him, claiming that his group met some resistance.
"Probably a couple of old coots from the initial pack of spell casters who refused to die." He commented, apparating to the site of combat.
Upon apparition, he landed onto something bulky. Confirmations sent his mind reeling into a state of shock. It took him another second to accept the sight for sore eyes – the place was littered with approximately fifty bodies, more specifically death eaters' corpses.
A lone hooded figure stood moving in the midst of the fallen bodies and he was distinctively aware that he was the only one facing off this spell caster. He could hear the distant shouts and the numerous "_pop_" sounds behind him. It seemed that a couple of death eaters who escaped death went to call for re-enforcements.
Having the bulk of his men behind him gave him a sense of security, albeit temporary, but it did not seem that reassuring with the stunned silence that followed.
He had not heard any spell caster, or any one for that matter, who could exterminate fifty men in such a short span of time. Plus, the wounds on the corpses were highly suspicious for the fallen did not seem as if they died from a barrage of spells. As if to add insult to injury, the lone figure did not sport any visible wounds
He tried to quell the rising fear within him, though he could not stop his mind from ringing alarm bells, hinting that they would be incurring the wrath of that hooded monster.
Reaching under the folds of his cloak, he clutched his wand like his life depended on it. Taking in deep breathes, he forced himself to calm down as he welcomed the burning anger within him. To succumb to fear meant defeat, and the dark lord would most certainly be displeased. He was a superior now for goodness sake. His pride as a leader would never allow him to fail.
Throwing all uncertainty to the wind, he charged towards the lone figure, with the rest of his men who took the que and provided him with the much needed support.
He was closing in now. Ten meters… eight meters… The adrenaline rush kept him moving, his objective gave him focus. A swift killing curse directed at his opponent was all that was needed.
Emitting a war cry, he pointed his wand at the figure in a flash, on the verge of yelling the forbidden curse.
It was then that he realized that time had slowed down, as if fate had given him precious few seconds to relish his life.
Amidst the pool of inky darkness that only nightfall could bring, he saw for the first time something gleaming and internally berated himself for not noticing it sooner.
_A sword._
It's highly polished surface was reflecting moonbeams and the burning inferno from destroyed shop houses.
His blood ran cold.
_It's that Li sorcerer!_
They did not anticipate the appearance of sorcerers in this attack since the disastrous meeting with the sorcerer was held only yesterday, in China no less. Moreover, the attack on Hogsmeade was confirmed yesterday night!
A wave of killer intent slammed into him, sending his already petrified mind into overdrive. His mind screamed for a retreat yet attempts to back away were futile for he was already in mid-flight, drawn towards the sorcerer like there was some magnetic force swirling around them.
A pair of icy hazel orbs, which was similar yet different from his lord's slitted crimson eyes, greeted him. Both reeked of dangerously power that overwhelmed him. Yet at such a close distance, he could tell that the sorcerer was vastly different.
Those orbs, he thought as the sword was swung signaling his impending doom, would haunt him for eternity.
**Brick** after brick, Sakura used the blunt side of her sword to plough through the rubble for survivors. She had exterminated most of the death eaters before they could proceed forward. The rest ran away with their tails between their legs.
"Ano, is anyone down there?"
She knew that it was manual labour and her productivity level had slumped by a notch. Admittedly, using sorcery to locate survivors or even in combat was much more efficient. Xiao Lang, however, was adamant against it.
_Flashback_
"_Sakura." Xiao Lang spoke as he shook her gently, "For this battle, we must refrain from using sorcery."_
"_Eh?" A slightly startled Sakura broke her gaze at the unpleasant scenery and faced Xiao Lang instead, "Why?"_
"_Even if this battle was initiated by Voldermort and his Death Eaters, any trace of sorcery found at the scene would be used against us. Their government is that corrupted."_
_Though he did not want to admit it, those advanced sorcerer detecting kits were certainly something. Of course, masking their auras was the basic requirement of all sorcerers but this was a grave matter he rather not risk it._
"_We'll use our swords instead."_
"_Hai."_
_End of flashback_
Without sorcery, things have became a bit more troublesome. For one, she had to settle for a torn hood in order to conceal her identity. Tomoyo would have fixed this in a flourish, seeing that she brought a portable sewing kit wherever she went. Thankfully, nightfall helped to mask her features.
She felt the shaft hitting lightly against her as she moved.
There was another problem though. Without sorcery, she could not deactivate the sword card which meant that she had to carry it around in a shaft. The smooth leather hitting her leg was a foreign feeling. Not that she was complaining, much.
The lifted sword was caked by dried blood and Sakura made a mental note to give it a thorough cleanse later on. The smell of blood though familiar, was still sickening no matter how many times she was exposed to it.
The earlier memory of the ambidextrous death eater surfaced.
That encounter exposed flaws in her sword play, with the narrow escapes from two sneak attacks as the gravest mistakes. Her torn hood and fried rim were consequences of that blunder. She had not read her opponent's move deep enough and took almost fifteen minutes, thirteen minutes to be exact, to finish off that arrogant prick when she was instructed to use only ten minutes at most…
Sakura groaned as she continued her search. Her devilish instructor, aka lover would increase once more.
Lover or not, Xiao Lang was sure a training freak. He would train for hours per day and she was not spared by him, though he was not harsh towards her as compared to others.
That was probably why his swordplay was on a totally different level, apart from the habitual training from young.
She knew that she was good and had improved vastly under Xiao Lang's tutorage. It was possible to close the gap between them but she was still light years away from exceeding him…
"Daddy!"
Her train of thought was interrupted by a piercing yell. Focusing her keen senses, she sped towards the direction of the cry.
Any amount of training could not prepare Sakura for the heart wrenching scene unfolding in front of her.
A little girl whose face was half covered with blood due to the open wound on her head, was currently sobbing her eyes over a fallen man who passed on just a while ago. He was probably attacked by a stray death eater who advanced further than the rest of the pack before fleeing the scene upon receiving news about her.
The said girl was shaking him violently in a bid to wake her father up.
"Wake up, daddy!"
Small fist clutched the blood soaked vest ever so tightly.
"Daddy!"
"_Otou-san!"_
Sakura clutched her head as she fell to her knees with a dull _thud_.
"Daddy, please!"
"_Otou-san! Touya!"_
_They were tortured beyond recognition._
Gloved hands clawed into the dirt ground as she tried useless attempts to calm the torrent of emotions surfacing relentlessly.
"DADD-"
"_OTOU-SAN! TOUYA!"_
_She dashed towards those death eaters hovering them, every fiber of her body thirsty for those damned bstards' blood! Preparing to blast them into oblivion, she was stopped suddenly by a vice grip round her waist._
"_Sakura! You can't do this!" _
_Her head whipped round and her tear stained face contorted into shock followed by pure rage._
"_LET ME GO XIAO LANG!"_
_She struggled hard, clawing his arm viciously as more tears streamed down her cheeks. God there was so much blood; the entire town was literally painted in red. The stench of blood assaulted her senses and she felt the urge to throw up._
"_Sakura!" Xiao Lang tightened his hold on her._
_Her tear stained gaze revealed the torture Xiao Lang was going through. Trails of tears streaking down his face were solid proof. _
_The Lis never shed tears even in the most crucial of times._
_.Such proof meant that his will was shattered. His emotions probably even more wrangled than hers. Guilty perhaps, that he was stopping her when all he wanted to do was to decipate as many bstards as he could. _
_But all Sakura cared at that instant was blood…_
_Blood._
_Blood. _
_So much blood covered her family members…_
_She needed to save them!_
_Mustering all her strength, she miraculously broke free of Xiao Lang's grasp and sped towards them once more._
_Only to find that she could not move._
_She had seen this spell too many times – it was a strong binding spell casted by Xiao Lang._
_In blinding rage, she yelled an incantation creating a reckless burst of power, counteracting his binding spell. _
_She knew that the burst of power caught him off guard when she saw him slamming into a tree. Blood he coughed up meant that he had pretty severe internal injuries._
_She knew that he went easy on her._
_An apologetic gaze flickered in her emerald orbs for the briefest of moments before rage consumed her once more. _
_Raising her summoned staff, she called out one of her two most powerful cards._
"_Destroy their souls. Erase their existence from this earth!" _
_Dark gave a solemn nod before speeding towards the source of her mistress' distress. Pointing a finger at the death eaters, she commanded darkness to crush their souls through the song of death._
_There was a bright flash and Dark's attacks were rendered useless._
_Sakura glared at Light, enraged by her card's disloyalty. Light shook her head sadly before disappearing together with Dark._
_It would be many days later that Sakura would come to realize that unlike Dark, Light had not returned into her original card form. Confusion would arise after discovering that throughout the entire ordeal, her Light card was not activated at all._
_She would then remember a splitting, albeit slightly older image of herself for a brief moment at that point in time The tearful gaze her image had was similar to Xiao Lang for it portrayed one who was battling with conflicting emotions._
_But at present, Sakura was livid. _
_Furious at those who repeatedly hindered her, thirsting for the blood of those death eaters… and denying the fact that both her father and brother were already… dead._
_With such stress to the mind and the stench of blood and death intoxicating her, she snapped._
The next few minutes seemed like a blur. Her cheeks were damp and her throat hurt, due to the straining of her vocal capacity.
Should she continue to drown in her memories, Sakura was vaguely aware that unwanted attention would be attracted which would blow their cover.
Raising her left arm shakily, Sakura drew her sword and with a single sweeping motion she, created a deep gash. Blood spilled out and pain enveloped her entire arm.
Hissing in pain, she sliced off her torn hood and tied it firmly on her arm to retard the blood flow before approaching the little girl.
Though wary of strangers, the little girl sensed no malice through Sakura's actions and welcomed her much needed comfort. Burying herself into Sakura's embrace, the toddler let out an anguish wail.
"Gomen Nasai." Sakura whispered through muffled sobs as she held the girl tightly, ignoring the flaring pain in her left arm.
"Hontou ni, gomen nasai."
**After** a month of pretty dormant activity, the Order was in a chaotic state. At least this time, someone had the decency to obtain a spell which could bind the curtains to Mrs Black's portrait permanently. The lack of screeching from that old hag was a much needed relief in times like this.
It had been several days since the death eater's deadly attack on Hogsmeade and the aftermath inundated the Order with paperwork from investigation teams.
He was getting too old for such strenuous activity.
Dumbledore confirmed several facts as he read through a fellow Order member's report.
Miss Granger, along with Mr Weasley, contacted the Order minutes into the attack. Strangely, Mrs Weasley sent the emergency signal a good twenty minutes after Miss Granger. By that time, the Order members were assembled and were prepared for battle.
Shocking to say the least, Voldermort's army had swelled tremendously. They had vastly underestimated the number of death eaters and the Order members were outnumbered.
Forced into a corner, Dumbledore had no choice but to send all the members to a specific location, namely the Northern part of Hogsmeade, in order to ensure survival and increase the chances for victory.
Aurors from the Ministry poured in late and by then, the Eastern part was the strong hold for the death eaters. A bloody battle broke out in both Northern and Eastern parts and casualties were high. Victory for the Order was hard-earned but was marred by several deaths. The Eastern battle came to a stalemate, followed by a sudden retreat on the Dark side.
Such a retreat was probably due to a wipeout of forces in the Southern and Western areas.
The Order left the Western area to the spell casters at Gringrotts, who happened to be many times better than little protection the Order could offer. The slightly desolated Southern part was regretfully left to fend for itself due to limited resources.
Dumbledore was not certain of what actually happened but there were rumors that lone cloaked figures _single handedly_ took down Voldermort's troops.
Now that was a bit difficult to believe.
The faint 'pop' sound signaled the arrival of Aurthur, disheveled and all. The hectic schedule these days must have done a number on him.
Sinking onto a chair, he placed a thick file filled with nicked confidential documents from the ministry on the table. After a while of searching and hackling coughs, Mr Weasley extracted a wad of photographs.
"These picture was taken at the Southern part." He said as he placed a couple on the table.
They featured wounds of death eaters at various vital parts, with an exceptional few on the limbs.
"Autopsy scans revealed that these were stab wounds, created by a very sharp sword. Judging from the wounds, we deduced the killer-"
Mr Weasley paused at the irony of his words.
"-their opponent was small built, fast and proficient with a sword."
Dumbledore nodded in agreement. The various wounds arrowing vital parts implied that he or she knew the right places to strike but did not possess the power to slay the death eaters in one single blow.
Hence speed was the element and several strikes per death eater to ensure death within that few seconds signaled that he or she was skilled.
The use of sword though stuck as a weird choice of a weapon.
Another pregnant pause followed just as the Muggle Minister placed the remaining photos down.
"This was taken at the Western area."
Mr Weasley leaned against the backrest, wishing that he had something strong to like aspirin or cigar to quash that pounding headache. On second thought, scratch the latter. Molly would kill him.
"Autopsy states that all died by a single stab wound at the heart, also by a larger but similar weapon."
Clasping his calloused hands, he then leaned forward and looked at Dumbledore in the eye.
"Gringrotts was taken over. Every spell caster was found dead, evidence showed that the killing curse was the cause of death. So if rumours circulate that someone _single handedly_ defeated those death eaters who killed one of the nation's best, frankly I find that rather unbelievable."
"Those are rumours after all." Dumbledore assured the red head even though deep down he was unsure as well.
As much as he greatly appreciated their help, the unclear motive still led to great suspicion.
Dumbledore certainly hoped that these formidable people were not against them. He had the sorcerers to worry about and new additions to his long list of problems were certainly troubling.
**The** maids bowed and scurried out of the room, leaving both of them in the room.
"I remember that I was on a hunger strike nearly two months back and you were trying to get me to eat. I suppose our positions have reversed."
Weary green eyes flickered to the source of the voice.
"I will regain my appetite in a day or two."
_It is a day or two already._
There was the sound of shuffling feet and ruffled sheets and the bed sank due to the added weight.
"That was reckless Sakura. Though we have accelerated healing, it will still take days to heal."
Old bandages were carefully undone. The strong smell of Chinese medicine and mild antiseptic filled the air. Sakura stared dully at nowhere in particular as Xiao Lang wound the new bandage round her gash.
"There was this man I failed to save and his daughter was in hysterics. That scene reminded me Otou-san and Nii-chan... and I couldn't control myself anymore. Our cover was almost blown."
She felt her newly bandaged arm and continued, "I needed pain to snap myself out of it."
Xiao Lang quietly put away the stained bandages and medication as he recalled.
He had found Sakura, together with a little girl, dissolved in tears. Imagine his horror when he found out that she had an open wound which was seriously enough to seek for medical attention.
He managed to calm both parties down and brought the crying child to the nearest hospital in a flash. Next, he lifted the seemingly unstable Sakura up and ran out of Hogsmeade. A portal was summoned and they reached the Li's Manor safely.
The Elders and his mother asked no questions for they were away attending something important. All servants were ordered not to divulge anything.
Sakura came back worse for wear, which was why he objected her participation in scouting in the first place. Her mood had taken a nose dive and she badly needed cheering up.
And that's what Xiao Lang did.
It worked like a charm.
"You mean he summoned fireflies?" Sakura stared wide-eye at him.
"Yup, and there was another arrogant brat who boasted that he could summon an equivalent of a Basilik. He got a grass snake instead."
_**Textbook of Sorcerers' summons**_
**_Page127_**
_**Grass snake – Cunning, one who cannot be trusted**_
Sakura burst into a fit of giggles.
The leader of the clan smiled inwardly. Lifting the tray of forgotten dinner, he placed it in front of her, "Now that you have regained your appetite…you might want to polish these off before I'm forced to feed you."
Emerald eyes flashed mischievously.
"Oh? I would like to see you try."
"**Howofuux?"**
A sigh of exasperation was heard.
"Horcrux, Sakura. And don't talk with your mouth full."
Her eyes danced with laughter and she managed to swallow the mouthful of rice. She opened her mouth once more as she looked expectantly at him. Xiao Lang gave in as he fed her another mouthful, all while muttering about how childish some sorceress can be.
"Now don't complain when you were the one who volunteered." Sakura said playfully.
Xiao Lang could shake his head and went back to the former topic.
"Horcrux, or Horcruxes rather, are, quoting that headmaster's words, the receptacle in which a Dark wizard has hidden a fragment of his soul for the purposes of attaining immortality."
Sakura stared blankly at Xiao Lang and asked, "Could you put that in simpler Japanese?"
Xiao Lang gave a smirk as he replied, "It means the damned snake ripped his soul through countless murders and stuffed it in objects to prevent himself from dying completely."
"That's completely stupid. Why would anyone want to harm themselves by _ripping _their soul?"
"He's deranged." Xiao Lang said simply, chopsticks gathering another mouthful of rice. "I heard that the snake created six, excluding himself. They destroyed two already, one diary and a ring, though the process of destroying the ring fried the head master's hand. Apart from a known Horcrux which is a cup, the locations of the rest remain a mystery."
Sakura chewed slowly, going through the newly acquired information.
Some insane guy tore his soul and hid them in objects which could be anywhere accessible in the West. Those objects were actually pretty rare artifacts if one considered their value hence according to the memories which Xiao Lang saw in Dumbledore's pensive, those artifacts were more likely to be in the hands of collectors.
And there was a brief mention of some prophecy in the conversation which Xiao Lang spied on.
In order to help the Order, they had to reduce the number of Horcruxes which led to the number one question…
Where could the Horcruxes be?
"You said that probably all those Horcruxes are situated in England." Sakura though out loud, her dinner long forgotten. "Just think, where can you find a place in England which houses magical artifacts and untouched by many, excluding those places you saw in the pensive?"
They pondered for a moment before their eyes widen in realization as they answered in unison.
"Eriol."
"Hiiragizawa."
**The** couple had not paid a visit for a very long time now, and he just _had _to harp on it.
"It's been soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo long since both of you came." Eriol cried in dramatic fashion while a purple stuffed toy sweat dropped. "Imagine my surprise when both of you popped over near _12 midnight_ when I was enjoying my _midnight tea_. I didn't know you missed me that much, my cute little descendent."
A tic was formed as Clow's descendent twitched angrily. Sakura hurriedly stepped in to prevent bloodshed.
"We are really sorry to just intrude so late into the night. We kind of forgotten the 17 hours difference and we only had time to pay a visit after 5pm because Xiao Lang needed to work." Sakura said apologetically.
Eriol waved in a nonchalant manner, "I'll do anything for my half daughter and my cute little descendent."
Cracking his knuckles, Xiao Lang growled softly and he prepared to shut his ancestor up.
"What's this?" An exaggerated gasp was heard. Eriol pointed at the bandage in horror as Sakura winced.
"My descendent is abusing my precious half daughter!"
That triggered off whatever restrains Xiao Lang had. The presence of Eriol Hiiragizawa was already a catalyst to a potentially disastrous situation in the first place.
The peace and tranquility in the neighbourhood was shattered by an awful noise that very night.
And after all that commotion, Nakuru who was rudely awoken from her sleep, had the cheek to peer out of her room, observe the destruction in the house and still ask with that innocent expression on her face.
"What happened?"
**The **clamor finally ended and the sorcerers could finally get down to business, which was why after much explanation on Sakura's part, the three of them (both guardians went to sleep) found themselves in a huge attic. The air was a breathing hazard due to the musty smell.
"Most, or in fact all the things here belonged to Clow. I have tried going through the junk but the air quality is such a bother that I had to give up." Eriol inspected the layer of dust that covered a certain object. "
" In fact, these magical artifacts have been in this attic for so long that their auras seemed to have either weakened or blended with other neighboring auras hence it's almost impossible to find anything."
Sakura looked at the pile with dread. It was as huge as the collection that the elders had and the only thing that differed was the type of junk collected.
_This would take hours… _she thought glumly.
" I guess there's no choice but to search for it." Sakura's aura flared followed by the sorcerers. "Search for something… living."
"There are so much junk which are alive Sakura. Like that horrible book which bit me some time back." Eriol grumbled resentfully. " You have to be more specific."
"Search for something living in an inanimate object. This means that object has two distinct auras." Xiao Lang replied dryly.
Auras engulfed the attic and the trio began their search for Horcrux. It was an arduous task that took many hours of deep concentration, irritated nasal glands and lost sleep.
Much to the trio's delight, their relentless search began to yield results by daybreak. Through some digging, Eriol extracted a small, delicate and seemingly harmless object.
Three pairs of eyes stared at the Horcrux warily.
"From what I've heard, this is the Hufflepuff cup." Xiao Lang commented quietly, taking his eyes off the cup for a split second when he noticed that Eriol had shifted the cup to a less cluttered space in the attic.
Right hand glowing deep red, the reincarnation of Clow focused a concentrated ball of power in his palms as the sign of Clow flared bright golden at his feet. With every intention of destroying it, he slammed it against the cup.
The bright glow instantly turned into an ominous purple shine. Without warning, Eriol was violently thrown back and mercilessly crashed into Clow's collections.
"Eriol no baka!" Sakura cried as she hurried over to him, " Are you alright?"
Eriol groaned as he struggled to get up among the mess. He felt like some truck ran over him a gazillion times. The large bruise on his head was hurting real badly.
"Never felt worse." He glanced at the broken junk and emitted a sigh.
Great. He was several thousand pounds poorer.
"YOU should know better than to approach a Horcrux directly!" Sakura was seething now.
Eriol cringed. He did not want to be at the receiving end of a female's wrath. Having experienced it once on a particular gloomy Sunday morning when Tomoyo was in her rare irritable state was more than enough.
"Sakura." Xiao Lang interrupted, incredibly saving the skin of his ancestor. "Hiiragizawa should be able to destroy the Horcrux, given his powers and all."
Eriol tried to stand, only to collapse unceremoniously onto the ground once more as his strained body gave up on him.
"It was a rebound."
Both descendents of Clow stared at their ancestor in mild shock.
"Isn't a rebound suppose to happen only when …" Sakura paused to recall what she had learnt from her sorcery lessons, " the user's powers go against their own power. In other words, you went against your own power. That's ridiculous! Surely you did not cast any spell onto the cup, did you?"
"Of course not!" Eriol retorted flatly.
She stared at Eriol for a little while longer before calling out _The Power_ card with a resigned wave of her hand.
"Wait a minute Sakura. You are not going to smash the cup with brute force are you?" Xiao Lang asked incredulously.
Sakura nodded solemnly, "The earlier display showed that using sorcery might be risky hence it is better to destroy it with physical force. It isn't a problem right?"
The look on his face clearly showed it was.
Eriol looked boredly at the argument taking place. Xiao Lang , distraught at the prospect of injuring her hand even more, was trying to convince the ever stubborn sorceress to scrap the idea.
"As much as I would love to see you lovebirds in a verbal spat, I'm afraid we have some unfinished business with that cup." Eriol nursed the bump on his head, hissing softly in pain. "Sakura, a little risk won't hurt. Besides, I won't want the floor of my attic to have a huge hole."
His words had some effect on Sakura and she began to hesitate. After a couple of minutes, she agreed and cancelled her summon and called out _The erase_ card instead.
The clown like figure bowed deeply and the extensions of her began to wrap round the cup. This time round, the symbol of the star appeared and radiated a pink glow.
Moments seemed to past for hours before the figure bowed once more, returned back to her card form and disappeared, with the cup nowhere to be seen.
"Well, that's another part of his soul that Voldermort is lacking."
The mood in the attic was lightened considerably. Sakura helped Eriol up to his feet and led him out of the musty place. Nakuru, who was told to stay outside the attic at all cost, could be heard voicing her questions worriedly.
Xiao Lang on the other hand, could not help but be puzzled over such developments.
According to the Headmaster, the snake bstard always placed those Horcruxes in accessible areas, places where he was familiar with.
The presence of a Horcrux in Eriol's attic brought about many unanswered questions that Xiao Lang could only guess.
It could be, Xiao Lang thought pessimistically, the start of an even more complicating affair.
**Despite **the chaotic scene out there, Fudge was actually having a field day in his room relaxing.
That was till a certain toad barge in, much to his displeasure, and wrecked the serenity in his room.
Needless to say, Fudge was not pleased.
"Professor Umbridge, you better have a damn good reason for barging into my office without any permission." Fudge added acidly.
Umbridge however, did not pay much attention to Fudge's threat. Breathing like her life depended on it, she slammed both palms onto his desk and screeched in that god awful voice, "IT WAS THEM! THAT SORCERESS! DUMBLEDORE AND THE ORDER AND –"
"Wha-"
"DUMBLEDORE AND THE ORDER WERE IN CONTACT WITH THAT SORCERESS!"
A malicious grin slowly formed onto his face as he made Umbridge pour out everything from the ambush to the casting of the memory charm on her. Plans began to from at breakneck speed as he stole a look at the report on the Death Eater's attack on Hogsmeade,
"WE HAVE TO ARREST THEM NOW! THROW THEM INTO-"
"Not now Professor Umbridge. We do not have enough proof." Fudge said in a rare display of wit, "Do you seriously think that people will believe us with just your testimony? What we need is the capture of that sorceress as solid proof."
Fudge narrowly missed Umbridege furious bid to grab his coat.
"ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT WE ARE LETTING THEM GO SCOTTFREE?" Umbridge yelled, fully aware that it was impossible to catch Sakura.
"Definitely not. I will not let them get away with it."
Fudge smirked evilly as he tuned out Umbridge's ranting and sank himself deep into his plans.
The Death Eater attack had undermined his anti-sorcerer propaganda hence the key to his plans was to find a scapegoat.
Upon finding one, it would be child's play to send Dumbledore and the Order straight to Azkaban.
---End of chapter 8---
_**About the story:**_
There are some S + S moments in this chapter though that's as far as I can go in terms of intimacy for 2 reasons. Firstly, it is pretty confidential cause it deals with the story plot but I'm sure some of you will know why when you read on. _Hopefully._ Secondly, romance fics are a great read only if the author's English is powerful and for me to write romance is a hair raising experience
At present (31/7/07) The location of the Hufflepuff cup remains unknown, so if the last book of Harry Potter states otherwise… that's too bad
Started late on this chappie and almost intended to take an extra month writing which means this chappie should be up in late April. But I slogged my ass through for 3 weeks and produced the longest chappie to date. (more bad habit of providing too much details was evident again) I hope that my future chappies will not be as long as this chappie as I firmly believe that long chappies lose the focus of the story (no offense to any author). Which leads me to the third point…
**IMPT Note:** I intend to finish this story by end of this year if possible or the latest, very early next year. So you do the math (I take 2 months to complete one chapter) Like I said earlier, stories with too many chappies lose their focus so I intend to keep it short thank you.
**And did I tell you I hate writing prophecies in fics? And HP just happened to have one. **
_**About chapter 9:**_
It is my most anticipated chapter to date, if I can pull it off that is. I think many will like the next chappie cause … hee you'll just have to wait and see. I'll try not to disappoint. This chappie has been going through my brain for almost a year now but there are still parts to mend.
_**About live journal:**_
I shifted my blog to live journal (under the name phppsmss : ) )and I am not sure how to use the blog functions hence I ended up with screwed up settings and my 'friends' list has gone crazy. Any kind reader who can tell me how to use that 'friends' tool would be much appreciated.
Of course, I will greatly welcome anyone who wants to be on my 'friends' list in my blog. (but you'll have to add me or sth cause I don't know how to use it… wait a minute. Does live journal have this function?) I would love to communicate with anyone who is an anime fan.
I've adopted several author's idea of uploading certain companion fics onto our blog. I think it is pretty cool and no I have NOT UPLOAD any yet. I will only do it after I am done with this fic.
_**About other stuff:**_
Done not too bad for my exam, I was pretty satisfied for everything except my economics. I could have gotten a place in the U during past years but my year is a little special so… my application could go under turbulent times.
The last Harry Potter book is coming out, so I am trying to slow down updates in order to make appropriate changes to my plot when the book comes out in July. Of course, this book will still predominantly follow the 5th and 6th book and it is highly likely that I will not follow the last book.
The review count for the last chappie dipped but your reviews were beautiful. Sniff. Well please review this chappie as a reward to little ol me for all my hardwork put into generating the longest chapter ever in this fic.
Have a good weekend.
Sleep awaits me.
9. Chapter 9
_Disclaimer: Blah blah blah_
**The **situation was not in their favour at the moment.
Perspiration trickled down his brow as he accessed the situation. His team had met resistance
Paling slightly, he fumbled for his transmitter and roared, "Experiencing resistance. Requesting for immediate -!"
He was interrupted by a foot in his face which sent him sprawling unceremoniously onto the ground, the transmitter flung a good distance away.
A throbbing, nearly broken jaw adding to his anxieties, he glared at the culprit all while spewing expletives that were unsuitable for most ears.
Twitching slightly, Meiling slammed her right foot against his face once more, putting him out of commission instantly.
_Six down._
She could barely contain her frustration when more of those idiots came charging from various directions.
_A lot more to go._
What started off purely as an investigative mission quickly degenerated into a tumultuous affair.
It all began when Meiling sensed something fishy in the Li household for the past couple of months. The elders and Aunt Yelan were coincidentally on numerous business trips to realise something was amiss.
The signs were subtle and it was only obvious when she looked real hard ; The disappearance of the golden couple at odd hours of the day, the seemingly and theoretically indestructible sorceress sporting wounds and faint symptoms of exhaustion becoming visible on their faces.
The servants, much less Wang, were not talking.
Thus she had to take matters into her own hands, to find out why the couple were so damn secretive.
Truthfully, it was purely luck that she managed to discover anything at all. After a few weeks of intense investigation, she managed to detect some very faint traces of Sakura's aura half a globe away.
England, to be more specific.
Such occurrence was an abnormality. For one, they were trained to keep their auras under wraps to avoid detection. To sense traces of Sakura's aura meant that the auburn haired girl had lost control over her emotions at some point in time.
Besides, dealings with the West were mainly conducted through a middle man. Visits there were largely uncommon at this time of the year.
Armed with her newly founded knowledge, Meiling decided to venture into foreign territory in order to investigate further.
Yet the moment she set foot onto English soil, hoards of cloaked figures leaped out and started giving off flashes of coloured beams.
Shocked senseless, it was purely by instinct that Meiling managed to jump out of harms way and initiated her defensive mechanism.
"Now just wait a damn minute you b-"
The cloaked figures ignored her outburst and increased their furiousity of their attacks.
It took her a couple of minutes to realise the identity of those idiots who attacked her for no good reason. Apart from her textbooks, this was the first time she had seen one up close and personal.
_Wizards._
Her beloved cousin was in contact with wizards, who were the bane of the elder's life.
What the hell was he thinking?
Meiling resisted the urge to swear as she performed a perfect round house kick, knocking an approaching wizard out of cold.
A loud war cry signalled the presence of another wizard from behind. In a flash, she hooked her right feet onto his neck and sent him crashing down to earth.
"We are currently engaging the sorceress! Requesting for backup urgently!"
And there was this other particular thing that caught her attention.
Her command of English was nothing flattering but she had enough of English lessons to decipher parts of their conversation, or whatever they were yelling.
Words like sorceress and backup kept surfacing repeatedly in distress calls while there was an occasional _Mr Fudge _or _the Prime Minister _or _AUTHORISATION WAS GIVEN DAMN YOU _or generally a variation of phrases that expressed extreme irritation at the hapless situation at hand.
The fact that these wizards were calling her a sorceress was highly appalling. Granted, the years of living and mingling with the Li sorcerers might have somewhat tinged her aura but she was still a normal person!
Unfortunately, the hostile intent directed at her meant that she was more than unwelcome. Whatever Sakura did to the wizards in England, she must have pissed them off royally.
At least she had something to take comfort in. The wizards, armed with wands and all, did not seem to be able to handle her agility. The slowly increasing number of casualties on the wizards' side was proof of her capability.
However, her slight advantage was ruthlessly stamped out by the sheer number of reinforcements pouring in, hell bent on capturing her alive. _It better be alive._
Regardless of how skilled she was in martial arts, the fact still remains that her endurance level was declining. Unless she had Xiao Lang's mastery over martial arts, it was a hopeless case against those lumbering idiots.
Her worst fears were confirmed when hoards of wizards sprouted out in all directions, determined to seal off all escape routes in bid for a successful capture.
_Like a prey trapped in a spider's web._
Never had Meiling pushed herself to such a limit before. Fuelled by adrenaline, anger, and regretfully fear, she evaded oncoming attacks by accelerating her speed, becoming more than just a blur on the field.
She was too absorbed in evasion that she had failed to take note of the uneven terrain, leading to a fatal error. An audible gasp was heard as she lost her footing and started her descent towards the earth, vulnerable to any attacks.
Instantaneously, several cries of _expelliarmus _were heard followed by streaks of red flashes. The combined power of these spells blasted her many feet away before colliding **hard** against an oak tree.
Meiling shut her eyes tightly, biting back cries as agonizing pain exploded within her upon impact. She would definitely not give the wizards the satisfaction of hearing her cry.
Struggling to get up, her body shook as periodic bursts of pain coursed through every fibre of her being. Her left hand shot to her ribs. A wince was heard as Meiling tested it gingerly.
No doubt about it. The _crack_ she heard meant that her ribs had suffered some pretty severe bruising.
That was optimistically speaking. Then again, with pain and lacerations everywhere, Meiling could care less.
Her attempt was soon foiled as her legs gave way to intense numbness. The next moment, she found her limbs totally immobile in courtesy of the wizards' numbing and binding spell.
An ominous sound of crunching leaves signalled an approaching wizard. She levelled up her gaze, only to see a pointed wand several inches away from her face. Strangely, Meiling felt no trace of anger nor fear left, probably due to the pain that had dulled her senses or simply just resigned to her fate.
All she felt was annoyance at the two who caused her to be in such a great mess, even as a spell burst from the end of that accursed wand and she sank into an abyss of eternal darkness.
_Mark my words, both of you are so dead._
-------------------------------------
**The** Great Hall was packed with the dinner crowd and that meant noise. A lot of noise.
Hence those at the staff table were not particularly cheerful.
Dumbledore was an exception. It was easy to spot the reduction of wrinkles which were usually plentiful on his forehead, the wider than usual smile plastered on his face and his mean streak surfacing once more as he indulged in tormenting Severus with innocent remarks that usually sent the Dark Arts' professor spluttering in his tea.
Such cheery attitude was understandable.
The fruitless investigations into the attack on Hogsmeade and sorcerers had grated onto his nerves and it had been weeks since Dumbledore had a proper break. Albeit the rising decibels, such everyday occurrence painted an illusion of peace and he had no qualms about unwinding in such noisy atmosphere.
In addition, Professor Umbridge had been missing for quite some time now and he was not complaining.
" You shouldn't be so uptight Minerva. The elves have served up a fabulous course today." Dumbledore commented, stirring his bowl of creamy broth.
If possible, the headmistress frowned even more as her mouth pursed into a thinner line.
"I have every reason to, Professor. The students are getting rowdier of late, many who are eager to succeed Fred and George!" she complained, totally unaware of the mutilation taking place on her plate. "Just this week alone, there were 30 cases of mischief and figures are still rising!"
"There, there. We should relish such peaceful times instead of giving ourselves extra stress."
"This is no excuse for such unruly behaviour Professor." Professor McGonagall stared at the couple of troublemakers in the midst of the student body and illogical reasoning started to kick in, "Perhaps it is wiser to permit Flich to go ahead with his proposed punishment plan."
Dumbledore chocked onto his broth and hastily reached for a napkin.
"I'm sure the situation isn't that severe." Reaching for the menu, he tried to divert the topic, "Why don't you try some trout? I heard that it is absolutely blooming."
There was no reply.
"Minerva?"
Peering over his menu, Dumbledore was shocked to see her frozen stiff. Her right hand still clutching her fork never left her plate of mutilated meat. Her unwavering gaze was still permanently fixed onto those troublemakers. Her mouth was still slightly ajar, in response to his question.
It was then that the headmaster realised that the Great Hall was deathly quiet for all but he was frozen in time.
_Stopping time._
No wizard could perform such a feat, which only meant…
His suspicion was confirmed when the Kinomoto sorceress faded into view, sporting a strange garb that Miss Cho Chang wore during the Yule ball. Or at least that was what he thought it was. The position where she stood was at such a great distance, proving it too strenuous for his failing eyesight.
"Gather your comrades to any place deem appropriate, Dumbledore-san. I shall meet you there."
"What…" Dumbledore paused as he struggled to put his confused thoughts into coherent words.
Only to hear a mildly amused reply.
"I do believe that I've said this before. Don't find me. I will find you."
--------------------
**Most** of the Order members, though deeply puzzled by the sudden gathering, were assembled at the headquarters within a few hours. Those working in the Ministry were left out due to security purposes – they were keeping tabs on Fudge's movement.
The Weasley twins were held up by their damaged joke stall, with repairs and all. The duo promised to arrive as soon as possible.
Hagrid was somewhere in the mountains, trying to 'coax' a creature for his next lesson.
The golden trio was present as well, much to Snape's chagrin.
According to Dumbledore's philosophy, it was better to satisfy their innate curiosity and hope fervently that their warped sense of Gryffindor bravery would not surface.
In other words, not to do any thing stupid.
Of course, it was wishful thinking on his part. The past few years showed that the trio were programmed to activate their mechanisms whenever they were remotely curious. At least this time round, they need not hide underneath the invisibility cloak and pretend that they were part of the deco.
It was pretty embarrassing really. The three of them had shot up by quite a couple of inches which rendered the cloak useless. Dumbledore was positive he saw the hem of their school robes the last time around.
"Professor Dumbledore. Would you mind telling us why we are gathered here at such an _ungodly_ hour?"
Many pairs of bloodshot eyes glared accusingly at Dumbledore, reflecting the similar sentiment.
"We're expecting a guest–"
"At 2am in the morning."
"We have to ensure that the students are back in their respective dormitories Severus. Besides, it should be midday in Japan right now, a pretty convenient time for our guest."
Silence.
More silence.
Without warning, the potentially volatile situation exploded.
"Professor, I hope this guest of yours isn't who we have in mind." Snape's deceptively calm voice rang out clearly despite the din.
Dumbledore, looking unperturbed by the onslaught of violent protests, replied pleasantly, "Why of course Severus."
Such confirmation did little to stem the flood of disapproval.
"Professor, I'm afraid we can't form an alliance with her." Mr Weasley piped, after the clamour had somehow died down, "She… she…"
"Do carry on Sir."
Many wands were whipped out and pointed at the source of the voice immediately, only to lower them by a fraction, transfixed by the sight.
"I would love to find out the reason for such repulsion against me."
'Young' would be the most unfitting word to describe the sorceress, though that was exactly what many of the members were thinking at that point in time. Granted, they knew she was not _ancient_, but most were not expecting a lad who could easily be a fifth or sixth year in Hogwarts.
Then again, age was the last thing in a couple of flabbergasted minds.
Large emerald pools were captivating. Clothed in embroided silk that reached all the way to her knees, her lengthy locks tied up in a lose pony tail, Sakura stood by the doorframe in a confident yet relaxed posture.
After all, it was not everyday one could meet an equivalent of a Veela, or even better.
It was truly a sight to behold.
"I'm waiting."
Her voice came with no hint of impatience.
Dung who seemed to regain control of his vocal facilities cleared his throat and said, "You have killed aurors during our previously meeting. Thirty probable deaths. We can't put up with such indiscriminate killings."
Hesitating for a moment, the sorceress held up two fingers and spoke in a softer, guilt ridden voice, "Two died actually. I hulled the rest up from the ground and erased that event out of their memories right after the whole lot of you left."
Vividly, Sakura could remember that particular memory back then. The auror, laden with old age and failing bodily functions, just could not handle the great depth he was dragged into. The other unfortunate auror collided into a slab of granite, underneath the layer of topsoil, during his descent.
Mortal flesh was no match against a twenty pound rock. He turned out to be quite a mess.
_Flashback_
_As the rest of the dazed Aurors left the forest, Sakura stared at the deceased, battling waves of nausea and emotions._
_Really now, what should she be feeling? _
_Anger?_
_Grief?_
_Sakura viewed those Aurors like how Wizards would view Death Eaters._
_Unforgivable. Punishable by death._
_It all boils down to ideology, their perception of things. Ones beliefs could push them to the extreme. _
_Global conflicts are ignited by different ideologies, sparking off wars and human casualties._
_Her own ideology led to the deaths of two wizards, who unlike Death Eater, have not killed the innocent._
_She took in sharp, shuddering breaths as grief started to build up, her heart in painful contractions. Damp cheeks were more than enough to convince her that it was a reckless move on her part._
_Sakura wiped the streaks of tears away and forced herself to be void of feelings. The earth rumbled as she made a gesture and began to swallow up the two deceased._
_Roots of various sizes erupted from the ground, the smaller ones erecting two individual wooden posts while the larger one surrounded the two moulds. Flowers and creepers wound tightly round the giant roots. _
_There was no turning back now._
_She had killed before. _
_She killed once again._
_They hated her and she loathed them all the same._
_She would just fulfil her role in this vicious cycle, while the wizards, those death eaters played theirs, on this path of carnage._
_End of flashback_
"Still, I can't deny that I committed a grave mistake, letting my emotions get the better of me." Sakura concluded, squashing that particularly bad memory out of her brain for it reminded her of past sins.
The crowd sat in uncomfortable silence before someone voiced his opinion in a bid to dissolve the awkward atmosphere.
"If memory serves me right, you were the one that refused to form an alliance with us. Why should we flock to you now once you have changed your mind."
Sakura merely smiled, traces of guilt vanishing almost instantly. Many silently tightened their hold on their still currently pointed wands as they noticed the brief increase in her aura.
"Make no mistakes about it. I wouldn't like to meddle with wizard's affairs if I could. It was your headmaster who came to find me again. So technically, you are in need of my power and not the other way around. **Besides-**" Sakura emphasised loudly to stop the growing dissent, "I'm already involved in your complicated wizarding affairs."
Faced with questioning looks, Sakura drummed her perfectly manicured nails against her lap, her vaguely amused smile never waning.
"Who do you think wiped out those Death Eaters in the attack? You wouldn't that it was a miracle or coincidence, would you? Plus, I would like to inform you that a particular Horcrux teacup has been destroyed."
Surveying the dumbfounded looks, Sakura decided to rub it in even more, "So the whole lot of you are in my debt. There's absolutely nothing to complain about."
She ignored the outburst that followed while the headmaster snapped out of his stupor and hurriedly jumped to his feet in order to calm the crowd. Questions and accusations of spying started to surface.
It took quite a while to get the situation under control for Dumbledore's bellow could not really be compared with yesteryears. Many voices of reason later, there was a breakthrough as the members grudgingly agreed to the alliance.
Beaming, Dumbledore took out his wand and flicked his wrist a couple of times. The overwhelming load of paperwork accumulated over the past few hectic weeks disappeared, replaced with cupcakes and many cups of steaming tea (and gin for Moody who claimed to be suffering from lack of sleep), filled by a magically enhanced kettle. Chairs were duplicated, enough to cater to the number and provide comfort to all those in the room.
Without further ado, Dumbledore promptly kicked off the very first Sorceress-Wizard Coalition meeting.
"Though we have met a couple of times, those were under _ahem_ peculiar circumstances hence we haven't undergone proper introductions." Dumbledore's gaze fell onto the seated sorceress, who was currently enjoying her cup of tea.
"May I present Miss Sakura Kinomoto, currently residing in Japan …"
Mrs Weasley frowned as she tried to recall, tuning out of Dumbledore's introductory speech in the process.
_Sakura. That name sounds familiar. Where have I heard that it before?_
An amused chuckle brought Mrs Weasley back to reality as Dumbledore halted his introduction.
"I'm afraid there's a bit of misconception."
Enquiring gazes fell onto the sorceress and she responded in a matter-of-factly, all while placing the empty porcelain cup back on the saucer.
"I'm Mrs Sakura Li, currently residing in China."
---------------
**What** seemed like many hours flew past before eyelids cracked open, then shut almost instantly when dazzling lights were too much for optical facilities far too used to the dark.
Blinking several times, her blurry vision became more focused and Meiling looked about blearily.
The view beyond the window showed a pitch black sky, the absolute silence that followed told her that it was really late into the night.
_Oh shit._
She was abducted in the afternoon, which meant that she was out for nearly half a day!
Groaning, Meiling tried to massage her throbbing head, probably due to the impact against the tree earlier on, only to find herself virtually immobile. A quick check revealed layers and layers of re-enforced binding spell.
A sharp pain from her ribs led Meiling to realise that her plight was rather bleak. Covered with bruises, with her damaged ribs as the most severe injury, she was now currently held at an unknown location, in this god forsaken room, whitewashed and empty of furniture and furnishings, safe for this chair that she was currently binded to with re-enforced binding spells to prevent her from escaping.
Well, at least she could feel her toes, the numbing effect finally wore off.
But there was little comfort she could indulge in. Meiling was well aware that she was in a precarious situation. The fact that she was going to be used as a chess piece in the world of wizarding politics shook her to the core.
_I have to escape._
Nearly two decades worth of interaction with powerful sorcerers had affected her. Though unable to wield magic, she was able to _see_ magic.
The binding spell was manifested into a physical entity, just like a rope of some sort. In order to remove the binding spell, all she needed to do was to unwind herself from this tangle of rope like mass.
It might take a few hours as her ribs were hindering movement and judging from the complexity of the spell, not to mention discretion as well.
Security was definitely tight. There were security cameras located at various angles. Several guards could be heard pacing in front of the door, peering in at occasional intervals. The only exit left was the window, and the view from the window signalled that from _way _above the ground.
Essentially, Meiling had no way of escaping.
_This is getting depressing._
Sighing, she started with the spells which were concentrated on her wrists. All she could do now was to persevere and try really hard to release herself from such confinement.
After that though, she would just leave everything to fate.
-------------------
_**Slap!**_
The forbidden forest was as usual dark, densely packed with overgrown foliage and mosquito infested.
_Slap!_
_And _it did not help when his highly incompetent superior was late _again_!
_Slap!_
That did it! He would be damned if he fed those blood suckers any longer! He was going home, to that warm inviting bed that seemed so comfty…
"May I remind you Smith, that it is highly undignified not to mention mental, for a death eater to throw a tantrum right in the heart of the forest."
Smith, highly irritated and eyes threatening to shut permanently, spun round and nearly spat, throwing all formalities to the wind, "Says you who chose such a hellish place and time to meet, and turns up nearly an hour late."
"We have to take extreme precaution Smith."
"To meet up at 2am, and you turning up at 3 suggests over precaution Sir." Smith rebutted acidly, suppressing the urge to throttle his superior alive.
Settling down on a protruding rock, his superior replied with a nonchalant wave of his hand, "It's all for the sake of our Lord isn't it? Now stop your useless blabbering and start providing updates!"
The reprimand snapped the young death eater out of his tirade and he began his update.
"Our Lord is highly displeased by the failed attack on Hogsmeade and has order a thorough investigation into the wipe out of our forces. Undaunted, our Lord is determined to roll out the next few stages of his plans with immediate effect. He is pushing for final attacks within a year or so."
"Within a year…" His superior mused for a few minutes before asking, "What type of plans is our Lord executing?"
"Currently unsure at the moment Sir. Our Lord was unwilling to divulge, apart from a few top aides. The top management has been particularly active and has ordered all death eaters to surrender their wands in the next few days."
Smith paused, then took a slightly forced bow.
"I would also like to inform you that this would be our last meeting. Superiors have redeployed me to aid in the developing plans. Mr Malfoy reminds you to return quickly upon completion of your task in Hogwarts."
His superior grunted in acknowledgement and annoyance, "I swear, that old coot really lives too long. It's either that or that Malfoy brat's assassination skills suck balls, pathetic I tell you."
A long suffering sigh was emitted before his focus was back on Smith once more.
"Smith, meet me tomorrow same time and place. I need to show you something that is of utmost importance. It concerns the survival of our organization. This is highly confidential. Come alone."
The solemn tone and sombre expression on his superior's face was more than enough proof that something was really wrong. Agreeing to his superior's request, Smith watched him leave before apparating back home, right into the waiting arms of his bed.
---------------------
**It** was really fascinating to see them imitate gold fishes, with gaping mouths hanging open, stunned expressions and all. There was pin drop silence in the room, which left Sakura wondering if the wizards needed more convincing.
Long, slender fingers slowly traced the bracelet on her wrist – a thick chunk of highly polished gold, phoenix engravings together with dark jet embedded the accessory. Her wedding ring was just a symbol for marriage, like every other couple. Though exquisite, it could be bought from any prominent jewellery stall.
This bracelet on the other hand, carried a deeper underlying meaning. It was proof of their union. This particular tradition was past down for generations and every leader of the Li clan was required to comply. Upon marriage, two sets of bracelet were made via sorcery, the newly weds'sorcery. It was generally assumed that at least one spouse had sorcery as every chosen leader was a sorcerer.
Once clasped on, the bracelet was _irremovable_. It accompanied its owner throughout his or her life, acting as a reminder of the important duties they as leaders of the clan had to carry out, the devotion and commitment to their other half.
Sakura was unsure though, in the case of divorce, whether the bracelet would break.
There had not been an answer to this simply because it never happened before. The Lis were really confident in their choice of brides.
"How _old_ are you?" A frazzled looking Mrs Weasley asked, expression scrawled with disbelief.
The wizards were starting to bombard questions that were totally unrelated to the coalition. Sakura replied in a bored tone, eyes never leaving the bracelet.
"Eighteen, turning nineteen."
"Bloody hell." Ron whispered to his two friends, "She's about our age and she's hitched already? Must be a shotgun -umph!."
A large hand was clamped over Ron's even larger mouth as Hermione hissed into his ear, warning him in a low voice to shut his trap to avoid getting castrated.
"How long have you been married?"
"Nearly two years."
Ron blanched.
"That's… that's…"
"My marriage is **not** of your concern Weasley-san." Sakura spoke coldly, her intense gaze tore off from her bracelet and stared hard into Ron's wavering orbs, "I'll appreciate if you keep your opinions to yourself."
Ron squeaked meekly before shrinking in his seat. Sakura's threat effectively silenced the entire mob as well.
Dumbledore, who was in deep thought for quite some time, had a look of realisation on his face.
"Mrs Li, I understand that the other sorcerer carries the same surname… so…"
Sakura's piercing eyes turned to the headmaster, a rare smile tugging her lips, "Always the more perceptive one, Professor. Yes, he is my husband. Rest assured, he is on your side as well."
_The marriage of the two most powerful sorcerers in the world…_
All those present felt their blood chill.
Sakura smiled grimly as they tensed visibly. Too much power was a burden. True, it brought about much respect as evident in the steep rise in political status of the Li Clan. Yet at the same time, it was accompanied by fear, which was sadly one of the many drawbacks.
"I presume we can move on to a more productive conversation."
Hermione appeared to be thinking thrice before she stood up slowly and asked, "I would like to know more about your sorcery Mrs Li."
A collective gasp sounded as individual powers were highly sensitive and guarded information for really powerful beings. Hermione continued to explain, stating her reason for such an outrageous request.
"We need to understand the workings of your sorcery in order to formulate better plans."
Sakura raised an eyebrow as she studied the bushy haired girl for quite some time before she finally spoke.
"That's a very daring request. I presume this isn't the first time you are committing such a reckless act."
"You will never know how many times Dumbledore had to save their asses. Those brainless gits rushing into the fire without even thinking about the consequences…" Snape muttered darkly before giving a loud cough which sounded suspiciously like '_foolish Gryffindor'_.
A couple of minutes had passed and Sakura gave a terse nod. She understood the workings of such an alliance after all. In order to allow the coalition to function, she had to compromise to pacify the wizards in exchange for recognition of her participation.
It was ironic in the sense that they should be listening to her and not the other way round since the wizards were in a more desperate situation...
_Oh well, I'll just have to humour them._
Eyes that were closed momentarily snapped open, revealing eerily gleaming emerald irises. Without warning, bright pink glow peaked through the gaps of the floorboard as the symbol of the star appeared, startling a good portion of the members into taking a few steps back. A rush of power within that array was evident with the trembling of furniture, and 52 Sakura cards faded in as they circled their currently still seated mistress.
Yet as soon as the cards were summoned, Sakura lost her concentration as she narrowed her eyes, her head tilted sharply to the right. A wave of her hand was all it needed to dispel her sorcery, all things back to normal instantly.
Puzzled looks were soon greeted with Kingsley apparating right next the Dumbledore, sporting a grave expression on his exhausted face.
"Professor Dumbledore, urgent news. The Ministry had just released a statement reporting that they had captured the sorceress responsible for the killings of Aurors."
Kingsley blinked at the muted response, or rather the dead silence that hung in the room.
"That can't be right." Lupin frowned as he looked at Sakura, currently with an unreadable countenance, "She's just sitting right there. There must be-"
"A scapegoat."
Eyes were trained on Mad Eye Moody, who was strangely silent throughout the earlier part of the meeting.
"Fudge is trying to achieve an objective. The question is 'what?'." He said gruffly, his swirling eye fixed onto Kingsley stiff figure.
Kingsley flopped onto a chair and rubbed a heavy hand over his weary visage, voice muffled as he dropped the bombshell, "That's the other unpleasant news. Fudge found out about the Order."
Sound of shattered porcelain echoed the room as the teacup Mrs Weasley was holding slipped out of her loose grip. Professor McGonagall hurried cleared the mess with a flick of her wand while Mr Weasley tried his best to comfort his trembling wife.
Probed for explanations, Kingsley lamented on how the Aurors who were part of the Order were left out in the operation to capture the sorceress. In addition, he bemoaned about how they were left out of the loop, unknowing about the successful capture till the last minute, upon which he apparated to the Order as fast as he could.
Fudge's objective became crystal clear and it was death knell to their plans they had in mind.
In a couple of hours, the occupants in the room would become criminals. The Daily Prophet would announce the capture of the Order members. Hogwarts would come down under pressure. Clamp downs, interrogation…
Azkaban.
Aware of the inner turmoil of the members, Sakura glanced about, taking in the sombre atmosphere in the room indicating the dampened spirits of the wizards.
The top priority now was to send this bunch into hiding. The rest of it could wait.
She was part of the alliance now thus was technically responsible for their safety.
Draining her cup of tea for the second time, Sakura mentally decided the course of actions to be taken. Reviewing a couple more times, she was about to stand up and beat some backbone into them when Sakura felt her mental link established.
_Meiling has been abducted by those bstards._
Sakura froze, then responded immediately.
_When did she- Xiao Lang?_
No response.
Taking in a deep breath, Sakura closed her eyes and exhaled shakily. Her aura flared, inflamed by sudden emotions.
_Fudge. _
She would have more than one reason for killing that low life.
The rumbling sound of thunder followed by heavy downpour caught Sakura's attention. Moving towards the window, she witnessed the acceleration of rain clouds, powered by strong gales that sent many trees thrashing. Torrential rain flooded the streets in a matter of minutes, which was unheard of in this area laid with proper drainage.
This strange phenomenon was unnatural, sorcery induced.
Sakura gripped the window grills tightly, ignoring the gathering crowd of wizards who took notice of such unusual weather.
Xiao Lang was enraged.
----------------------
"**Sir**, tests have shown that she's a muggle!"
"So you're telling me that this capture, in which the Ministry's reputation is at stake, is a flop even though all our sorcerer detectors gave positive readings?"
"… no Sir."
"Figured so too."
------------------------
**Sorceress**; young and married or simply captured and currently heavily guarded by Ministry officials. The Order exposed, facing the looming threat of a crackdown in a couple of hours time, putting their lives in mortal peril. Many thought things could not get more screwed up than this.
How very wrong were they.
"Could you please repeat that again?" Molly asked faintly, her weak heart could not take anymore surprises.
Sakura ran a hand through her hair distractedly as she leaned against a lone pillar, " I said my cousin-in-law, who is by no means a sorceress, is being held captive by your Ministry and my husband is really unhappy about it."
_Unhappy? _
Sakura mentally snorted.
_Biggest understatement of the year._
With such a twist in events, it became obvious that the sorceress had more pressing matters to deal with thus she needed a representative, a replacement to take her place in discussing issues, to continue from where Sakura left off.
And that replacement came in the form of an enormous, menacing looking winged tiger that literally scared the hell out of everybody.
"He's Cerberus, one of my guardians. He can relieve your curiosity regarding my powers and stuff." Sakura turned to her guardian and ruffled his fur, "Kero, do co-operate with them."
The said guardian gave a malicious grin, revealing sharp canines, which did nothing to ease anxieties.
"And this is a warning," there was a sharp metallic taste of power as Sakura's restrain snapped, aura inundated the entire room, her eyes gleaming once more, "anything unrelated or personal, do _not_ pry."
As soon as she left her threat hanging, her aura vanished and Sakura gave a quick bow.
"With that, I bid farewell and good day to all."
After sparing her guardian another glance, Sakura hurriedly strode out of the room and into the dark corridor, leaving an uneasy crowd with the presence of a beast which looked ready to sink teeth into human flesh any moment.
Where was Hagrid when you need him?
No one attempted to communicate with the tiger, plunging the room into silence for another few seconds before the members heard a conversation, or rather a monologue from the corridor.
"Sakura! Fancy seeing you here!" said a voice that was strangely familiar.
"You must be the newest member to the Order!" exclaimed another in similar fashion.
"Seems like you are in a hurry. We won't keep you."
"Isn't she ravishing as always brother dear?"
The notorious Weasley twins then entered the room in their shining glory, blissfully oblivious to everything until a large figure that just happened to be their mother appeared in front of them.
"Hi Mom." Fred chirped as both twins surveyed the room and their gaze finally fell onto Kero, "I wasn't aware that the sorceress came in the form of a tiger."
Mrs Weasley, with far too much pent up stress, snarled as she grabbed their cloaks and yanked them down to her eye level, demanding explanations on how the twins got to know the sorceress.
"Sakura? She came to our shop." Fred hurriedly bit out before asking incredulously, "You mean Sakura is the sorceress?"
"Both of you didn't tell me such an important thing!" Mrs Weasley grated out.
"I did Mom, but you got too occupied when the shop started to shit glass on us." George spoke in his defence.
The commotion got pretty much out of hand as both mother and children got engaged in a verbal war and several Order members had to intervene.
A sudden bright flash caught everyone's attention and the crowd witness the large, majestic winged lion morphed into its false form. They could only stare as the floating soft toy gave a whoop of delight before it rocketed straight towards the table and started to wolf down cupcakes at unbelievable speed.
Glaring at the soft toy in disbelief, Snape voiced out his opinion that was running through every member's mind at the moment.
"You got to be frickkin' kidding me."
---------------------------------
**The** door nearly flew off its hinges as the Prime Minister of Magic stormed in with a venomous look plastered on his face.
Who were they to question his judgement?
Reaching for the switch, he blinked when the ceiling lights failed to flicker.
_Click._
_ClickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickCLICK!_
Great, no lights.
A loud crack of thunder that left his eardrums with a vicious sting caught Fudge's attention. His office window was still opened in the middle of a horrible storm.
Approaching his workstation, he was highly displeased to hear the squishing of his shoes against the floorboard- an indication of very wet floors.
Upon further investigation by failing his arms aimlessly in pitch darkness, he felt damp parchment. Those documents took ages to prepare and he was dead sure that they were soaked and ruined beyond recognition.
Swearing that he would fire that bloody useless secretary, Fudge tried to close the windows, but to no avail. A few more futile attempts and the wizard slumped onto his chair with a wet 'plop'.
Jamming the button on the intercom, he barked for his secretary to _haul her ass in this instant_.
There was no response.
Figuring that she slacked off from overtime, which was most probably the case for it was nearly 4 in the morning, Fudge settled as comfortably as he could into his uncomfortable seat. Staring into darkness, he began to sink into his little world of devious plans.
All it took was a flicker of illumination, a flash of lightning to send him screaming.
He was staring straight into a pair of eyes.
Livid.
Murderous.
Definitely bloodthirsty.
Staring into total darkness once more, Fudge fumbled for his wand, all while berating inwardly for not doing so earlier.
"_Lumos!_"
Those eyes again.
Fudge stumbled out of his chair in fright as he saw the intruder advancing towards him in slow, deliberate manner. Trembling, he jammed the intercom button in his haste.
"SECURITY-"
It all happened so quickly. One moment he was yelling for help. The next moment, Fudge was left petrified when a fist shot out and smashed the intercom as if it was merely made of paper.
Before Fudge could even process anything, that same fist grabbed his cloak, dragged him across the table, then proceeded to tow him along the wet floor, leaving scattered parchments and quills in his wake.
Despite valiant struggles, Fudge failed miserably in an attempt to free himself, hence settling for frightened squeaks instead, which sounded strangely like a certain dead rat.
A strangled cry was heard as the intruder slammed him roughly against the wall, his neck caught in a vice grip, scrawny legs dangling above the ground.
Airways constricted, lungs literally on fire, the Prime Minister thrashed wildly, wheezing as he frantically tried to pry the grip open.
"Where.Is.She?"
The interloper released his grip and air flooded into Fudge's oxygen-starved lungs, leaving him gasping for precious commodity.
Tripping over his feet, Fudge slowly back into a corner in a desperate bid to search discreetly for his emergency portkey, all while keeping a beady eye on that accursed fist.
Quivering, he could still feel that unpleasant, choking sensation as Fudge massaged his throbbing throat. That fist flattened metal and could easily crush flesh and bone, trachea and thorax be damned.
His fingers picked out jagged edges on the otherwise smooth floor. Heart leaping by several notches, Fudge felt new found strength and confidence, his tone steadily became haughtier, all while relieved to have darkness as his cover.
"This is treason!" Fudge hissed, his attitude different from before, "You and that wretch will be thrown into Azkaban, be executed!"
Plunging his hand into the hole, he waited expectantly for that familiar jolt that would bring him to safety.
His entire frame stiffened when he felt nothing.
Dropping all pretence, Fudge panickly stretched his hand to the ends of the hole, madly searching for his only source of salvation.
No portkey
His blood ran cold.
_Shit._
The sound of splashing was getting louder, an indication that death was looming near. Dread washed over him and Fudge stared to shake. His mind was flashing danger signs, urging him to put as much distance between him and this… this monster, but his motor functions just refused to co-operate.
Semi darkness made it tough for him to _meet_ his maker as it showed only the outline of the intruder.
But when a visible green aura lashed out, the tightness of the air became apparent, those haunting bronze eyes blazed with unspeakable fury, Fudge's mind went overdrive.
_A… a pure blooded sorcerer!_
Why did the sorcerer detectors not go off? Did he not have the very best models right here in his office?
Galleons of rain poured in, gushing in rapidly as if the dam had broke. The water level was starting to rise to their ankles.
_That… that definitely isn't natural._
Fudge emitted a yelp when the intruder slammed him against the wall once more and spat in digust.
"Both you and the snake should just rot in hell."
The onslaught began.
Everything became a blur, a flurry of motion and Fudge could only register one thing.
Pain.
A lot of pain.
He was not sure how many times he howled in agony, lost count the number of times his joints dislocated with that sickening '_pop_' sound, or the repeated cracking of bones, the tearing of muscles or the rupture of arteries, veins or anything worth puncturing.
Each strike was aimed at the vital points with precision, to maximise pain and damage. Attacks came one after another, non stop, no intervals.
It was after quite some time later, when the onslaught stopped and the interloper dumped the battered body unceremoniously onto the ground, splattering water everywhere.
Xiao Lang checked briefly. A pulse, very weak but definitely there.
The sorcerer glanced at the sad excuse for a mortal for a second before stepping over the limp form and tore his gaze away. The shin deep water parted temporarily and he made his way towards the door, rain water still gushing in the background.
Bstards like that guy are like roaches – strong willed, cling desperately for survival.
-----------------------------
"**Took** you damn long to find me, thought you got lost of something."
"It seems to me that you have everything under control. Looks like you don't really need my help now."
Meiling snorted as she removed the last of the rope-like bindings.
"I'm a Li after all, can't let those asses push me around."
Xiao Lang noted her right hand hovering protectively over her ribs, the slight grimace lingering on her face. Kneeling down on one knee, he forced away her hand and began inspecting.
"How many?"
A sudden, sharp intake of breath was heard and Meiling nearly clobbered her cousin.
"Careful will you? Two… I'm unsure about the extent of damage." Meiling growled as Xiao Lang casted a numbing spell over her ribs, "I going to kill those bstards!"
"With that mouth of yours, it is not surprising why you are still currently unattached."
Helping her to her feet, the young leader proceeded to aid further only to get batted away by an irritable Meiling.
"I'm not a cripple. I can jolly well walk thank you." Meiling muttered as she slowly walked towards the exit. Pausing halfway, she turned round and looked at him.
"You better cough up a proper explanation for all this shit when we return."
He nodded.
--------------------------
**Rain **was still pelting down from the heavens, the ground thoroughly inundated with muddy water.
In the midst of such moisture, both Lis were preparing to return back to China via portal. Meiling stared enquiringly at her cousin, who was strangely muted as the government building appeared in his line of sight.
"Just enter it. I will be right behind you." came Xiao Lang's bland voice.
Meiling hesitated for a moment before complying.
He stood there unmoving for a couple of minutes, rain soaking him to the skin, before entering the portal as a flash of lighting engulfed the entire building.
**tbc**
Really sorry that I was late for one month. Crap happened, needed time to adapt. Thankfully everything turned out alright and I had the mood to type this chappie out.
Really tough chappie btw. Too much dialogue, but then again description is not my forte either.
I know the part where Meiling was captured could be furthered explored, dragged into politics, confrontation on world stage. That would stretch for a lot of chappies and would disrupt the flow of the story. Those really insistent can come up with a side fic or something, ohohoho.
Probably one of the reasons why the Meiling saga ended so quickly is because of Fudge. You aren't the only one that can't stand him. I was dreaming about this scene for ages. And Sakura won't be the one that gets the limelight this time muhahaha.
Going to Uni, studying sociology, which means a call for drastic improvement in my language. I will try to juggle fan fic and Uni life. Trying a new method, penning on paper instead of killing my eyes by staring at the screen for hours.
I've said this b4. I'm saying it once more.
Please review. (takes a grand bow and trots off to bed)
_Why is it that most writers like to post chappies in the middle of the night?_
10. Chapter 10
**Disclaimer: blah blah blah**
**It** was dead late into the night or way too early in the morning for three Lis to be sitting in one of the more isolated, nevertheless magnificent rooms in the mansion that was hopefully far away from prying ears.
The latest addition to the family was shifting uneasily, which was a rare occurrence itself.
There were many things that could rile the sorceress yet only a handful could silence her.
Apparently, her cousin-in-law was in one of her famous tempers and she did not seem to be getting placated anytime soon.
Immediately after the one way trip from England, the family doctor was summoned to attend to Meiling, which was in some ways a bad thing as the number of people getting a whiff of their plans of interfering with wizarding affairs was swelling. Sakura was positive that news was somehow bound to leak from the lowest levels, even though they were sworn to secrecy which equates to death in the most severe cases.
Despite doctor's orders, Meiling, with her eyes flashing angrily, stubbornly refused to retire for the night and demanded in a not so polite way for explanations, lest her verbal facilities decided to act at the wrong place and time.
Sakura wisely shut her mouth and let Xiao Lang do the talking. After all, he was supposed to be an excellent diplomat who faced numerous demanding parties in his line, quelling his cousin's anger should be rather easy.
He seemed to be doing fine, recounting actual facts since the start of this entire situation.
However, they did not count the fact that when Meiling was in a foul mood, she was not only demanding but unreasonable as well.
"My dearest cousin _and_ cousin-in-law," Meiling spoke, sarcasm dripping from every word, "we have been educated, repeatedly I must emphasize, that sorcerers never interfere with wizarding affairs!"
"Meiling, they need our help."
"Don't they always?" Meiling snorted, "The root of their problems is caused by their own kind. Just look at their government, going round catching a substitute sorceress as their scapegoat! You should just leave them to deal with their own problems. They deserve it."
"In short," Meiling continued ranting, "they don't fancy us and we don't find them entirely peachy."
On second thought, Meiling was not unreasonable, if not perfectly logical. It was them that deviated from the social norms and plunged into the fray, breaking all tradition that had been standing for decades, even centuries.
Then again, the couple had considered and reviewed their options repeatedly before making their decision. They were not going to back down now.
"And you," Meiling's angry gaze fell onto her cousin-in-law, "should be the one who is dead against an alliance with them!"
"That's precisely the point. Sakura has suffered much at their hands, hence her decision carries much weight."
For the first time in hours, the room plunged into tensed silence as Meiling could not form a coherent rebuttal. Excessive stress accumulating to dangerous levels, her face turned a deeper shade of red as she released a frustrated sigh, demanding an explanation from Sakura.
"The wizarding world is still worth saving."
Meiling stared.
"That's it?"
The Li heiress nodded, eyes reflecting overwhelming emotions, refusing to elaborate.
Meiling shut her eyes and slumped against the backrest, all while cursing the Li family for carrying out their training too well. It would be fruitless to extract anything further.
"Whatever." Meiling declared, folding her arms stiffly, " Do whatever you want, I don't really care anymore."
A jubilant expression blossomed on Sakura's countenance as she held Meiling's hands tightly, expressing her gratitude for understanding their difficult position.
"Chotto. That still does not mean that I support both of you. Besides, there are still lots of shit that you two need to -"
The black haired girl was interrupted by an embrace, her anger to dissipate immediately. Meiling's visage softened, returning the hug. Ever since the death of her family, Sakura's bubbly personality was almost erased. In addition, those grueling trainings she had received these past few years had enclave her emotions, cheery moods replaced by a strict attitude that was required of every heiress.
"You shouldn't worry about it Meiling." Sakura muffled voice reassured her, "I've sent Kero in my stead so it shouldn't be a problem."
"I still think that's was a wrong decision." Xiao Lang muttered as he ruffled his hair, "You should have sent Yue instead."
"Mou Xiao Lang. You 're still prejudiced against Kero aren't you? There are times when he is responsible too."
The young leader scoffed as he recalled a particularly bad memory, "Like the time he emptied the entire kitchen and drove the elders crazy?"
A disaster struck the Li household nearly a year ago, on a scale so unimaginably huge, it left the household without food for an entire day.
And that was saying something.
By the time the couple arrived, the kitchen was in a state of disarray. The kitchen crew flashed code red, with many tearing down the halls to send an urgent order for another batch of food. Others were trying to salvage whatever that could be saved, attempting to spruce up their disgraceful looking kitchen to some sort of respectable state.
The culprit was sitting on one of the many counters, busily stuffing his face with left over dessert, ignorant of the mess it had made.
_Flashback_
"_Kero." Sakura asked in a strangled tone, "Do you realize what you have done?"_
_Her guardian looked up from his bowl, mouth occupied, bread pudding adorning his round face._
" _I vas wwwwwwwwwweeeaalliii hunwee Sakura!" Kero whined incoherently, spraying bread pudding all over the already soiled counter. Satisfied with his given explanation, Kero was about to return to his gorging when he felt murderous intent directed at him._
_The sun guardian looked past Sakura's horrified face and saw that gaki stalking towards him with a look that promised much pain._
"_Look gaki, you- umph!"_
_In a fit of anger, and probably a moment of irrationality, Xiao Lang forced Kero's head right smack into the pudding and a sequencing sound was heard._
_Sakura was beyond horrified._
"_Xiao Lang!" she cried, attempting futilely to pry his hand away. "You're going to suffocate Kero!"_
_For once, Xiao Lang did not heed to his wife and refused to budge. The kitchen crew was staring from a safe distance away, dumbfounded by this rare display of foreign emotion by the master and mistress. It was not long before the soft toy glowed and morphed into its true form, bread pudding still stuck on its fur, golden eyes bored angrily into hardened hazel orbs._
"_Now you've done it, you gaki!" Kerberos was literally breathing fire, roasting the counter into charcoal, "Nobody messes with me when I'm eating!" _
_End of flashback_
"That incident happened a year ago. Kero hasn't done anything wrong ever since."
"That's because he's been in sealed form ever since."
Eriol had commented that Kero's appetite reflected the extent of Sakura's power; the more powerful she was, the greater his appetite. Xiao Lang snorted, pointing out that it was probably a farce and the soft toy was pretty brainless to believe in Hiragizawa's load of crap.
Though that led to another fierce argument with Kero, it was generally believed that Eriol's theory was true. Yet the elders were not placated with their ancestor's defense of Kero and demanded that the couple do something to control the wayward guardian instantly. Sealing the tiger back into the card form was the eventual solution.
Although Sakura was initially against this solution as it seemed pretty cruel to force her guardian into hibernation, she quickly realized that there were no other viable solutions. Sending Kero to Eriol's place would be another disaster in the making, where the interaction or fierce rivalry between Sphinx Sun and Kero had grown to legendary levels, disrupting private time between Eriol and Tomoyo.
Besides, the sorceress soon saw that there was no difference between sealing and leaving her guardian free to roam about. In that time of relative peace, Kero's daily cycle just revolved round eating and fiestas. After consuming large portions of desserts, he would be in a state of comatose for hours at odd places in the mansion.
It was pretty easy to locate the sleeping guardian. One just had to follow his snores.
Hence she sealed her guardians, Yue included, back into their card forms. The stoic guardian did not raise any violent objections. Giving a terse nod, he reminded his mistress in typical Yue-like fashion to be on her guard and summon him in times of need.
"If I sent Yue instead of Kero, I'm sure he would scare the wizards with his … strict conduct." Sakura argued.
Her husband was about to provide a counter argument when Meiling butted into their conversation, "I don't really care who is going to handle that alliance of yours. What I am more concern is the confidentiality of this interference. It will be difficult to hide the alliance from those ancients."
Gesturing to her grievous injuries, Meiling pointed out, "How do you explain these?"
"Training. I was in a foul mood."
"Right… You must be really pissed to break several of my ribs. As if Aunt Yelan will believe that." Meiling responded dryly to Xiao Lang's comment as she rolled her eyes.
"Look, these things can wait. It's so late into the night already and you badly need recuperation." Sakura chided as she helped Meiling to stand.
Meiling winced as sharp pain erupted from her ribs once more. With great difficulty, she managed to walk toward the door, all while grumbling in a frustrated manner.
"I just wish I can give that bstard hell, who ever it was that ordered for my capture."
Her cousin just whacked her lightly across her head, telling Meiling to just focus on recuperation.
--------------------
**Ron **was having an unrealistic dream about him being the best Quiditch goal keeper of the century when he felt someone shaking violently, despite attempts to swat the offending hands away.
Cracking an eyelid open, his vision registered a fuzzy form of Hermoine in a frazzled condition. Squinting at the clock, the red head croaked in protest and demanded why in bloody hell was she in the male's dorm so bloody early in the morning.
A newspaper was shoved into his face as his female counterpart yelled at him to read it and promptly went over to wake Harry up. Ron cursed, bringing the newspaper closed to his face, his blurry vision registering a clump of words.
"Increasing cases of dragon deaths? Bloody hell Moine! You work me up just to read about some dragons dying?"
Hermoine whacked him across his head.
"Fudge is dead, you moron!"
Now that caught both males' attention. Feeling alert all of a sudden, the boys scrambled and grabbed the newspaper, reading the headlines.
_FUDGE FOUND DEAD IN OFFICE_
_Prime Minister Cornelius Fudge was found dead early this morning. Ministry staff found him lying in a pool of water, charred beyond recognition. Autopsy scans have determined electrocution to be the cause of death, though severe internal injuries were identified, believed to be sustained before his death._
_The police claimed that there was no sign of force entry and all security footage have been destroyed. Security shields were unable to detect the intruder. The Daily Prophet understands that the investigators were unable to identify the cause of certain strange phenomenon._
"_The cause of electrocution remains unclear." says Investigator Patrick, "We have combed the entire room and found no live wire nor any trace of short circuit. It is confirmed that the presence of such a large body of water was the catalyst to the Prime Minister's death. Though impossible, we suspect that someone had directed a huge flow of water to be contained only within this room."_
_Killing intent remains unclear. The police have classified it as an unnatural death._
_UNUSUAL LIGHTNING THE CAUSE OF FUDGE'S DEATH?_
_30 Aurors were sent to St Mungo for emergency treatment after they were found with mostly second degree burns. Chief Auror Mr Steven Penson, died from severe burns._
_An eye witness claims that a flash of lightning engulfed the Ministry building, which led to the Prime Minister's death. Madam Rosie, whose abode faces the governmental building explains:_
"_I was by the window, staring out into that awful storm when I suddenly saw this enormous flash of lightning strike the building. It was extremely bright and I swear I saw the lightning practically swallowing the entire building! The clap of thunder that followed sounded like an explosion and it woke several of my family members up. It was the scariest thing I've witnessed in my whole life!"_
_Chief Meteorologist Mr Pean, disagrees:_
"_Lightnings of that magnitude are unheard of. Besides, the government building has been built to withstand thunderstorms. Though the weather showed extremely strange activity, it was most probably an accumulation of lightning to produce the bright flash and explosion like sound."_
The trio sat in stunned silence, staring at the animated picture which showed the charred body of what looks like Fudge being carried off.
"Bloody hell." Ron whispered, " Fudge actually died!"
"The entire school is in an uproar now. Both of you are probably the last to know about this."
"You can't blame us! We only had about three hours of sleep before you came charging in! The meeting with that sorceress stretched so bloody late into the night." Ron defended himself, stifling a yawn.
Harry, who was contemplating all this while, spoke abruptly, "They didn't mention anything about the Order or the sorceress cousin-in-law. Too many questions were left unanswered."
"Exactly." Hermoine agreed, "That's why we have to clarify it right now, with that guardian."
"You mean that plushie? That thing just kept attacking the cupcakes without even bothering to answer our questions."
"We were too afraid to approach the guardian without Hagrid, Ron."
"You mean incredulous. Did you see how fast he vacuumed those pastries?"
"We don't have time to waste!" Ron gave a startled yelp as Hermoine dragged him off his bed. "The Order has called for a meeting in fifteen minutes time, so hurry up! You too Harry."
"I'm moving! You don't have to pull!" Ron massaged his sore bottom as he made his way to the bathroom.
-------------------------
**Kero** was fast gaining a fearsome reputation for himself and probably tarnishing Sakura's name in the process. He had continued consuming cupcakes for several hours, only halting for an extended period of afternoon nap. According to an Order member, in charge of watching over the guardian, the house elves could barely keep up with Kero's speed.
Watching Kero inhale those cupcakes gradually transformed from an initially horrifying spectacle to an art itself. The act of lifting a cupcake as huge as his head, the widening of his mouth to a grotesque size, the motion of tossing the cake into his mouth and swallowing it whole, followed by a temporary expansion of his stomach before reverting back to normal… This series of motions occurred in less than half a minute, repeatedly for several hours.
However, the Order was not in the mood for appreciating art. Many of the teachers had spent the entire morning trying to get the chaos in the Great Hall under control. After a series of shocking news, followed by the overwhelming dread of getting thrown into Azkaban, the last thing they had expected was the death of Fudge.
Though undeniably relieved, they needed answers badly and to wait for an entire day before meeting up with Kero for discretionary purposes was emotionally draining. At long last, they managed to get some sort of response out of Kero, which happened to be a flat rejection of their question.
"The first thing I get reminded of after my hibernation is that gaki!" Kero irritable voice was barely audible as his mouth filled with cake, "Look, I'm just here to give you a run down on Sakura's powers. So let's get on with it."
As much as they wanted to argue, the Orders were forced to shelf their latest burning question. Settling down, they waited rather impatiently for Kero to ingest his cupcake and to finally stop eating and start explaining.
Queer as it was for sorcery to be packaged in the form of cards, the wizards began to have an overview of Sakura's sorcery. The sun guardian droned on, mentioning all 52 cards after explaining briefly the history of how young Sakura then captured and converted Clow cards.
"How old was Sa..Mrs Li when she first got the Clow cards? How did she qualify for them? How-"
"Classified info." Kero replied boredly.
Ignoring the miffed look that Hermoine gave him, Kero continued his explanation, emphasizing the strongest cards, which were guardians, Light and Dark.
Sugar from the awful lot of cupcakes he had consumed finally kicked in and Kero began to sulk less and judging from posture, less guarded.
"But after Sakura became really powerful, her sorcery was an entire new level and so were the power of her cards."
Kero shifted into a more comfortable, laidback position as he prepared himself for a pretty tedious explanation.
"For one, she didn't require her staff to summon her cards any longer. Hell, she didn't even need to verbally call out or do any ritual like things that she did way back. Her staff is now reserved as a medium for channeling huge flows of magic."
"Secondly, the power of her cards grew tremendously, or what I call, broaden. The cards could do a whole lot more within their specified element"
Faced with inquiring looks, Kero sat in his thinking pose while prodding a nearby cupcake with a pudgy arm.
"For example, watery could not only control an increased flow of water, she can also control ice or anything water related. She can even manipulate your blood flow. Windy can stop the air that you are breathing."
The members were getting rather uneasy with this new revelation, save for the awed expressions the Weasley twins were portraying. Lupin summed it in one statement, "In other words, Mrs Li obtain a variety of ways to … end a life."
"New found powers." Kero said, frowning slightly. "Obviously the powerful cards became more potent. No longer do Light or Dark just give off flashes of brightness or darkness. They control life and death respectively."
A sharp intake of breath focused all attention on Harry, "You mean Light can revive the dead?"
Eyes narrowed as they realized Harry's motive, many disapproving, few hopeful. Kero on the other hand pondered for quite sometime before replying, "Technically yes, but that's serious magic I'm telling ya. Though the only thing Light can't perform is healing techniques."
The atmosphere in the room turned into something indescribable. The boy who live asked no further as he sat down numbly. Certain Order members reminded themselves to keep a close watch on Harry.
"More importantly, as her powers grew, the book card was producing illusions no longer. Her illusions became _real._"
Glancing at his audiences, who seemed to be stunned too easily, Kero continued, still prodding the cupcake in a disinterested manner.
"She could create a dinosaur if she wanted too." Kero mused, "Obviously she won't be that foolish. Of course, she could make illusions be purely illusions. But more importantly, illusions, real or not, could now kill."
Kero paused, pondering on further elaboration.
"Let's say you are stuck in an illusion, fell into a canyon. I'm not clear if you will turn into a meat pie but you'll most definitively die in real life. That's why the book card has joined the ranks of the most potent cards."
"Hence the reason why Sakura is revered as the most powerful sorceress is not only that she controls life and death, but also due to the fact that she can technically do almost anything." Kero concluded, radiating with pride, sugar levels raging high as a lopsided grin was formed, his paws reaching out for the cupcake
Meanwhile, a new found fear was creeping into the stomachs some members. To imagine the powers of the sorceress was bad enough. To be informed explicitly of her mind blowing powers was an entirely different matter.
When asked about Xiao Lang, Kero began rave incoherently on past injustices. The only thing the Order could make out of that muffled grievance was bread pudding and gaki. Questions on the sorcerer were thus shelved to a later date.
"What about Tomoyo?"
Kero froze in mid-bite and stared into Hermoine's orbs.
"How do you know about her?"
" Some time back, a sorceress was captured within our school compound. I… overheard her name when the Aurors were searching for her after her disappearance."
"I remember students were specifically told not to loiter around that area, am I correct Miss Granger?" Snape drawled in a particularly nasty fashion.
"I…I…" Hermoine stammered before looking up, eyes reflecting steely resolve, "I would like to know more about her and the reason behind her visit to /Hogwarts."
Majority of the members grunted in agreement as they waited for Kero to make his decision.
They were not disappointed.
If anything, Kero became rather flippant after a years worth of hibernation, able to make certain concessions.
"Fine. Since Ore-sama is in a generous mood today, I shall enlighten you people."
"That's wonder-"
"BUT at a price." Kero interrupted, a sly glint in his eyes.
The guardian of the feared sorceress wanted a bribe, which was unbelievable to many of the members.
Hoping that the galleons in his account would be enough for whatever treasures that Kero wanted, Harry gulped and asked in a cautious manner.
"What price?"
Kero's eyes shone like lamps.
"Pudding."
------------------
_**Fool.**_
_Fool._
_Fool._
_Fool._
The same word kept replaying repeatedly in Smith's mind as the death eater found himself alone in the forbidden forest for the umpteenth time.
He should have known better than to arrive to the designated spot on time. His highly irresponsible superior was perpetually late and had left him waiting in near darkness for several hours like a retarded fool. Smith was beginning to question his superior's credentials for obtaining such a high position in Lord Voldermort's army.
Downright annoyed, Smith prepared to ditch that tardy superior and apperate back to his living quarters and probably file a complaint report to the main committee, when he heard someone singing.
Despite numerous visits to the forest in the past few months for secret meetings, Smith could not get used to the eeriness of the forbidden forest. The tall, dense vegetation shrouded above, plunging the forest into pitch black darkness, save for the occasional strays of moonbeams that managed to penetrate through that mass of frondescence.
Unable to make out much in the dark, it was unavoidably creepy. The surrounding foliage was alive and Smith was dead sure that those damned trees were waiting for the perfect moment to trap and swallow him alive.
Thus someone else in this deranged foliage, much less singing, was definitely deemed to be dangerously strange.
Smith was tempted to calm his shaking nerves, apparate back and convince himself that it was his sleep induced mind that was playing nasty tricks on him. Yet regardless of the alarm bells smashing within or his sixth sense howling to get his ass out of the forest, Smith's limbs refused to co-operate.
That voice was drawing him towards the source. Though lyrics were foreign to his ears, the tune was undoubtedly melodic and soothing, luring and somewhat hypnotizing him to move forward.
Pushing the branches apart, stumbling into a small clearing, Smith found himself transfixed at the sight of a female figure perched onto a slab granite. Moonlight was strangely concentrated on that figure, enabling that female to emanate a holy glow. Her long, black hair that flowed freely and pooled at the base, contrasted sharply with her pale skin.
The singing stopped as she looked at him, an innocuous smile forming on her pretty face, something which Smith's fogged up mind was not able to comprehend at the moment.
"Ohayo, death eater-san."
----------------------
**Meeting** with Kero had to be adjourned once more. Hogwarts house elves had claimed that there was a great shortage of ingredients to even provide dessert to the main student body thus Hogsmeade was seen as an alternative.
Since it was nightfall, it was impossible to obtain Kero's request as shops in Hogsmeade were shut. The next morning, Harry and his pals had to trot down the streets of Hogsmeade, which was still battered and nearly void of wizards due to the recent attack, and head to the nearest pudding shop.
It was night time again when they met up with Kero once more. He was presented, or bribed, with cartons of neatly packaged pudding, each containing a different type of flavour.
Kero was ecstatic.
Gulping down the first pudding instantly, Kero rewarded his fellow 'minions' with information they so desired.
"Tomoyo is what I'll call a special case. She was originally a normal human, possessing no trace of magic, let along sorcery within her."
The members' mouths were left hanging and one asked, "How could that be? Isn't magic or sorcery supposed to be hereditary?"
"It is." Kero replied as he wolfed down another pudding in a flash, "But there is another way of obtaining sorcery. Someone bestowed a portion of his powers to Tomoyo."
"Who has that much power to spare, other than Mr and Mrs Li?"
Kero snorted, "Well, if Clow were your boyfriend, he would even give you the moon if he wanted to."
Faced with looks of disbelief, Kero decided to enlighten them, "I know. Clow is dead, disintegrated into dust hundreds of years ago. Sheesh, he was my former master. Obviously I would be the first to know about his death."
"Clow has reincarnated, in the form of another creepy brat who always loves infuriating the gaki.
"He has reincarnated?" Hermoine looked thunderstruck, upset that her books did not mention a single thing about his reincarnation.
Kero nodded.
"But as a half-blood sorceress, Tomoyo is considered to be pretty weak in her powers. All she has are defense and illusionary sorcery, you know glamour magic and stuff. Hypnotization is one of her niche area too. Her sorcery reserves are smaller than usual. She doesn't even have a proper medium. Her video camera was converted into a one, acting like some sort of generator that produces a force field which sets boundaries to how wide her sorcery could be effective."
"A video camera?" Ron repeated dumbly.
"I know. You are not the only one that's surprised. Apparently, Tomoyo requested her video camera to be converted."
"Do excuse me for my tactlessness." Dumbledore began, "But doesn't that mean she's defective?"
"That's where the interesting part steps in. She choose to nullify her sorcery attacks on her own accord and directed all her sorcery to the other two aspects." Kero temporarily dumped his pudding to focus on the topic at hand, "By right, only really powerful sorcerers like Clow, Sakura or that gaki have the ability to create illusions that are genuine."
The crowd of wizards had this sudden inkling of where the conversation was heading to.
"But due to specialization, Tomoyo is able to create almost anything so long as her reserves permits it. Like the others, her illusions became _real_."
-------------------
**He** did not know what possessed him to approach the clearing, but when the singing halted, Smith's eyes slid back into focus, hazy mind cleared and was acutely aware of his surroundings.
Instincts raging madly, Smith whipped out his wand and pointed at the female figure.
"Ara, you shouldn't wave such dangerous things around. You might hurt somebody."
Smith ignored her antics. She had recognized him as a death eater which equated her as a foe to the organization.
Looking somewhat bemused, the lad reached behind her and revealed a glowing video camera.
That luminous muggle technology was more than enough to trigger his reflex mechanisms and Smith yelled the killing curse. The curse collided against a barrier emitting a bright flash before rocketing back at great speed. Smith ducked in the nick of time, narrowly avoiding death as the curse penetrated several tree trunks in its path.
"That really startled me. You really should have given me a fair bit of warning." She sounded, that seemingly harmless smile surfaced once more, causing the hair at the back of his nape to stand.
"What have you done my superior?"
Her grin widened.
"Technically speaking, I've done nothing. He was missing in action for the past few months."
"Bullshit!" Smith snarled, " I was just talking to him days ago! He told me to-"
"Meet me tomorrow same time and place. I need to show you something that is of utmost importance. It concerns the survival of our organization. This is highly confidential. Come alone"
The death eater froze, face turning into a deathly shade of pallor. The lad's grin was unwavering as she continued, her hand cupping her face.
"Like I've said, he was missing in action for the past few months."
Smith's eyes widened as pieces began to fall into place. Insides quivering as he stood, he pointed a shaky finger at his foe.
"You were impersonating him!"
Clapping resonated throughout the forest.
"Sugoi!" She said, looking thoroughly impressed, "You're the first who deciphered that much."
"Who… who are you? What do you want with us?" Smith demanded shakily.
"Me? I'm Tomoyo, you know just a normal girl passing off as a Hogwarts student." The lad replied smoothly.
As her video camera gleamed even brighter, Tomoyo held it in both hands and brought it close to her face. Her expression reflected childish innocence.
" Let's play a game. If you manage to entertain me, I shall consider enlightening you."
Smith swallowed thickly as he noticed the word 'entertain' instead of 'defeat'. Tomoyo lifted her palm, the steely glint in her eyes did not go unnoticed.
"I suggest you start running death eater-san." Tomoyo's voice rang ominously, "It won't be a game of catch if you are trapped that quickly."
_Game of catch? What-_
Smith's thoughts were interrupted by loud crashes. Distracted, he looked up only to be petrified by the sight of falling trees, ground trembling against the impact of each tree.
The forbidden forest was collapsing.
Numbed with fear, he clumsily grabbed his wand off the ground and darted off immediately, with falling vegetation hot in pursuit. Heart pounding hard against his ribcage, Smith forced his weakened legs to move as his survival instincts went overdrive, practically screeching at him to escape. Attempts to apparate were futile.
Pointing his wand over his shoulder as he ran, Smith frantically yelled numerous incantations in succession in order to stem the collapse. However, the spells were not effective. If anything, the trees fell even faster, like a stack of dominoes toppling out of control.
As luck might have it, Smith's heart soared as he managed to escape the forest, hopefully far away from all that madness. He darted towards Hogwarts in view, ironically for safety, when his blood chilled.
Hogwarts… no… the entire scene was starting to crack. Like jigsaw pieces gone lose, pieces of the view began to fall in thousands into nothingness, giving way to inky blackness, enclaving Smith.
Backing away in terror, Smith tried to dispel the darkness with a powerful light spell, only to cry out in desperation when the light fizzed out immediately.
_It has to be an illusion. _Smith coerced his nerves to remain calm. _ As long as your will is strong, you can break out of this hellhole!_
Brows furrowed in forced concentration, perspiration trickling down incessantly as he raised his wand high up, bellowing his strongest incantation.
For a moment, it seemed to be working. But his relief was short-lived when Smith was caught unprepared as something in this pitch black darkness wound round his body and lifted him off the ground.
As he struggling to break free, that thing, whatever it was, tightened further. The pressure on his chest was overpowering, crushing, causing blood to spill out of his mouth.
"That was a marvelous attempt. Too bad it didn't work out."
Darkness gradually faded and Smith soon found himself back at the clearing where he met the sorceress, only this time he was suspended in mid-air by an enormous vine. Tomoyo, he realized, had not move from her original spot, that deceptive smile ever present.
Overwhelmed with bone deep exhaustion, his brain unable to process rationally any longer, Smith was suddenly inflamed by the fact that Tomoyo was just toying with him.
"You bitch!" the death eater spat, paying no heed to his agony, "Your damned illusions won't work on me!"
Amidst the constriction, his blurry vision could register an unnatural phenomenon of vines and roots gathering around the sorceress.
"It hasn't? My illusions are not restricted to just the forbidden forest. It has been compassing the entire school compound for the past few months."
That sinking feeling in his stomach did nothing to allay his fears, nor deny the revelation that would be unveiled moments later.
"Those times you walked into the room of requirement, have you ever pondered that you were probably walking deeper and deeper into the forbidden forest instead? Or anything that you did in Hogwarts was not what you thought it should be? The comrade you were speaking to could be … an armor along the hallways of Hogwarts for instance." Tomoyo giggled as she continued, "Do not take things at face value, death eater-san."
Smith caught the underlining meaning of her words and stared at her in utter dismay. Of the numerous meetings he had with the assassination team in Hogwarts, how many were real? Or rather, who was just a mirage?
"What do you want with us?" Smith asked for the second time, gritting his teeth in pain.
"Information on Voldermort's plans." The sorceress replied, enlightening his tortured mind, "Your little team in Hogwarts is attempting to assassinate Dumbledore isn't it? Using such elaborate and fancy tricks, that Malfoy kid is pretty stupid. As for you, blame it on your organization for recalling you back to their head quarters."
The sky was gradually turning bright. Dawn was approaching.
"Ara, I'm afraid we have to part. Lessons are starting soon and I really can't be late. Professor Snape would be livid." Gazing at the vegetation amassed behind her, Tomoyo added, "It's better if you think that these illusions are just plain illusion. It could make your trip down a tad more pleasant."
Flicking her hand ever so gently, the roots and vines in the background wound like a sharpened coiled spring and positioned themselves at various angles, Smith in their line of fire. Losing his will to fight, Smith hung his head in a resigned manner and muttered his last question.
"Did my comrades end up like this too?"
Tomoyo's smile faltered as she looked at her prey in silence. Her voice became hollow, eyes reflecting agony buried deep within.
"I detest killing. I really do. But your kind killed Sakura's family and Rika-chan and Chiharu-chan and Naoko-chan and Takashi and… probably ka-san as well.
Melancholic expression fleeting past, her façade was erected once more.
"I've talked too much haven't I? Well then, it's nice meeting you Smith-san."
Unleashing stored up energy, the coiled roots sprang forward.
"Sayonara."
----------------
**By** the time Kero had engulfed his 36th pudding, the members notice that something was amiss. Not that they actually wanted to count how many he ate, but those discarded plastic boxes strewn all over was too difficult to miss.
One by one, it began to find out what exactly was so out of the ordinary, save for Kero himself who was ranting about those card captoring days. It was a while later, like any opportunistic human, that the wizards struck when the iron was hot, exploiting the opportunity which might have repercussions to both wizards and guardian later on.
"They used to be soooooo carefree! Tomoyo even designed outfits for Sakura!"
Kero, the wizards realized, was treading dangerous waters.
"But ever since that incident, they have changed." Kero bemoaned while continuing his pudding feast, "The males-hic- being males became a lot harsher, brutal in some aspects. The most drastic change occurred in both Sakura and Tomoyo. They –hic- were…"
Kero was drunk and his red face was confirmation of their suspicion. It suddenly dawned on the wizards that the plushie's intoxication was due to the puddings. They had purchased one of everything and half of the puddings on the menu contained wine.
Face glowing a brighter shade of red, it signified Kero's low tolerance level for alcohol, which also meant that his tongue became loose and supposing confidential material became easy to extract.
"We should ask him about the sorceress past." Harry spoke in a low voice, trying to avoid catching Kero's attention.
"But she specifically warned us not to dig up her past or any private matter."
"That soft toy brought up the subject first. Besides, such an opportunity is not to be missed. When he is sober again, it would be tough to get anything out of him."
"I agree with Kingsley." Moody grunted, "Moreover, knowing her past isn't a bad thing. It allows us to plan ahead, understand her perspective and enhances co-operation."
It was agreed that the Order should seize this rare chance, with Hermoine as their usual unofficial spokesperson and Dumbledore, who was contented to take the back seat for now.
"Kero. H-"
"It's Kerberos!" Kero snapped.
"Kerberos." Hermoine began cautiously, "Would you mind telling us about that incident? About Mrs Li's past? We're really curious as to what had happened back then for her to loathe both death eaters and other wizards to such an extent."
Kero eyed the bushy hair girl with a beady eye before hiccupping, "Lots of thing happened. I don't know-hic- about Tomoyo, wasn't with her at that time. But it was through those killings that brought such-hic- a great change in Sakura."
Though alcohol was circulating within him, Kero still managed to look somber as he raked up the past, consumption of pudding halting for the second time. For the next hour or so, Kero started to shed light on the reason for the sorceress's agony, the cause for the sorcerer's pain. The wizards would later retire back to their rooms, sleep deserting them as new found knowledge plagued their minds, sentiments reflecting what Kero had said in his introductory statement.
"It was a terrible event occurring at the wrong place and the wrong time."
**End of chapter 10, finally.**
Late by a month again. I have to apologise, but Uni life is so hectic, I could barely scrap up time to type a paragraph. If I ever ditch my homework for a day, I might drown in homework like Hitsu, except that his is paperwork. Whoever says Uni life is free and easy will be given a death glare.
As I was typing this chappie, my 2000 word holiday assignment was constantly calling out to me, demanding for attention.
This chappie is actually 75 of the original chappie 10. I wanted to stuff Sakura's past too but if I did so, this chappie would only be updated in December or something. So the long awaited revelation of her past will be revealed in chappie 11. You ppl can start speculating.
I'm afraid I can't update every 2 months now. This is the reason why:
School term: Jan to April, Aug to Nov, with April and November being months for major exams. Only Dec, May to July are my holidays. There are 2 one week breaks but that's not enough. It's gonna be like this for the next 4 years. My goal of completing this story by next year could be shattered.
Rushed through this chappie so some parts may not be as smooth flowing as the previous chapter. I apoplogise for that too. And this chappie is over whelmed by dialogues – my nemesis
Now I'm off to figure out how to stretch the description on Human development perspective and social constructionist perspective into a 25 mark essay.
Till next time ( dunnoe when, soon I hope, maybe Dec?)
Ja Ne.
P.s: Reviews are plummeting. Sniff. I would love to hear your comments. Cheers me up. Really.
11. Chapter 11
**Disclaimer: blah x3**
_**Past**_
_**Li's**_ wedding proposal popped out from a storybook; romantic setting, the proper ritual of proposing and tons of fluffy love. It came a day after the duo survived the final attack from the void card and needless to say, Tomoyo squealed in delight as she lapped up the proposal with her video camera.
Many would have deemed such antics as childish play, scoffed at the belittlement of the sacred ceremony that brought about the union of a couple. Yet the Li family picked promising brides young precisely because heirs have to get married at the age of 16, in which they would become the next clan leader.
Innocent and rather naïve back then, severity of marriage and responsibilities thereafter were not heavily considered. She also forgot to factor in Touya, who would definitely bay for blood, if he could even prevent himself from dying from a heart attack.
Blushing deep scarlet, Sakura nodded bashfully as she accepted his proposal.
Sakura Kinomoto was engaged to Li Xiao Lang at the age of 12.
"_**Have **_those faxed to Mr Xiang before our meeting this afternoon."
"Certainly young master." Wang replied before adding, "Mistress Li requests for your presence right after your meeting."
_Mother probably wants to discuss about the final wedding preparations. _
Xiao Lang nodded and began engaging his personal assistant in rapid Mandarin as Wang updated him on his packed agenda. Footsteps and voices echoed the long hallway as the duo made their way to the _west wing_. The Li Manor was huge after all.
An oak door swung open and Xiao Lang was momentarily distracted by the emergence of Sakura. Wang gave a knowing smile as he left the pair alone, not before greeting the soon to be young mistress.
It has been four years since his proposal under that huge Sakura tree in Penguin Park. Looking back, Xiao Lang had to admit that it was not the most romantic of places to propose. The park was not that pristine and other children hanging out at the playground a distance away were making a racket. Xiao Lang, being rather young and romantically challenged then, consulted a guidebook in which it advised the most romantic venue to be one that the couple spent much time together. The park, which was the place where the duo spent quite a lot of time catching and converting clow cards, was hence chosen.
The proposal was not well received by Sakura's family and it was by sheer luck that consent was given. Touya, in particular, was frothing in the mouth when his sister burst into the house with the gaki in tow, radiating happiness on an unimaginable scale with an unmistakable diamond ring on her finger, in which he fervently prayed to kami and all things holy that it was a joke as that damned ring seemed to signify-
"_- A MARRIAGE PROPOSAL? YOU ACCEPTED IT?"_
"_Of course." Sakura had the gall to squeal and hug the asshole, "Both of you will be brother-in-laws!"_
_Before the proposal, Xiao Lang had come to accept the harsh reality that in a marriage, it was inevitable to be saddled with certain undesirables. Unfortunately, Touya did not come to such an understanding._
"_NO WAY IN HELL IS THAT GOING TO BE POSSIBLE!" Touya snapped as he shot Xiao Lang the dirtiest glare he could ever muster, "TAKE OFF THAT DAMN THING NOW!"_
Touya's aggressive opposition against their marriage lasted for a week. He went as far as trapping his sister in her room, declaring that she rejects that gaki's proposal lest spending her entire life staring at walls. In the process of his tantrum, Touya gained Kero as a valuable ally.
The guardian went into its own state of shock upon hearing the 'bad' news and vowed that he would never acknowledge the brat as its master. Both guardian and brother hence began operation break-the-engagement-and-murder-the-brat without much success.
Kero should have seen the proposal a mile away, albeit not that soon. Then again, it was always in a state of denial.
The soft toy was promptly sedated with a jug full of sugar before temporarily depositing it at Eriol's abode. Touya, on the other hand, was tricked into drinking strong liquor laced with sleeping pills for extra measure. Sakura flew to the Li Manor in China within the two days that Touya was knocked out, where rigorous testing was carried out in order to determine the eligibility of Xiao Lang's choice.
Yue, as stoic as ever, merely gave his mistress a terse nod before resuming his role as the family gargoyle. The job of the guardian was just to protect and obey his mistress. Guardians should not interfere with their mistress's private life. Kero, Yue viewed, was breaching boundaries.
Like any other concerned parent, Sakura's father had numerous reservations.
Sure, Xiao Lang was a fine lad who was definitely boyfriend material. Marriage at such a young age, on the other hand, was an entirely different matter.
Sakura's father could foresee the obstacles his daughter had to over come. The Lis were an aristocratic-like family who lived in a different world from normal people, be it perceptions or practices. Sakura would have a tough time adapting.
Faced with such troubling thoughts, he could not give Sakura his blessings when she broke the news to them. Yet, he could not bring himself to object to their engagement. Dragging his prospective son-in-law into his study, Sakura's father began questioning Xiao Lang on his future plans. Thereafter, he took several days to mull over his decision, while Touya and Kero waged war.
His ghost of a wife gave her approval and proceeded to influence him onto her side. Ghosts have it all relaxed, Fujitaka thought wistfully as Nadeshiko began to fantasize about grandchildren.
Realities were not a burden to the dead.
Not that he would say it out loud of course. His wife, ghost or not, could still order him to sleep on the couch.
A week later, Fujitaka finally agreed to this marriage and steeled himself mentally for the verbal onslaught his elder son would definitely unleash, after he woke up from his drug induced slumber.
He had convinced himself that Sakura, as a sorceress, as Clow's daughter, was fated mature earlier than others. As Fujitaka bade the couple goodbye with Touya and Kero slumped unceremoniously across the couch in the background, he silently prayed that Sakura would not buckle under what the stress she would soon face.
As Fujikata had feared, Sakura was plunged into a totally new world. The elders had accepted Sakura due to her overwhelming potential in sorcery. Other qualities that were essential to for a heiress however, were sorely lacking.
Education, or re-education rather, was an immediate necessity.
Just a week after the elders' approval, Sakura was back in Japan dealing with paperwork, sending boxes of raiment and essentials to China, covering her tracks, in preparation for her permanent stay at the Li Manor, her education that would span for four years till the day she officially become a Li. Sakura's engagement was kept under wraps to avoid the media and speculation.
Like a commoner that ascended into royalty, adaptation did not come easy. As the promising young mistress to the Li Empire, Sakura needed to compel to strict intellectual requirements.
Sakura was merely an average student back in Japan, thus the sudden influx of knowledge posed a great deal of strain.
First came the emphasis of values, where the mantra of reproduction of heirs was repeatedly hammered into her brain throughout her four years of intensive education. Language was a fast second, where mandarin was taught as the first language. English and Japanese were also stressed. Subsequently, etiquette, deeper aspects of sorcery and swordplay, diplomacy, arts and science were taught.
It was safe to say that almost everything about her needed to be altered, be it mannerisms or appearances. Yet demanding as it was, Sakura's resolve was evident as she managed to live up to expectations, proof that her love for Xiao Lang was not a mere infatuation.
There was only one problem which surfaced recently.
As Xiao Lang observed her blank expression at present, he realised that the problem was resurfacing once more.
"You just had that lesson again, didn't you?" Xiao Lang murmured, caressing her cheek gently.
Sakura's vacant expression gave way to distress as she clasped her hands over his, "I just don't understand why I have to attend that lesson."
The study of swordplay comprised of many modules, one of which was human autonomy. The knowledge of where vital organs are, where major arteries lie, in order to strike with precision.
In other words, she was learning how to kill efficiently.
"Just bear with it. The last module needs to be completed before the wedding ceremony can formally proceed."
"It's horrible Xiao Lang. They even told me what the victims will be experiencing when struck at various points." Sakura whispered, "It's so wrong… I am actually sanctioned to kill."
The Li heir sighed as he proceeded to pull her into his arms in order to provide some form of reassurance and mental support. The sound of approaching footsteps however, snapped the couple out of their private world as they quickly pulled apart.
'PDA', commonly known as 'public display of affection', was not allowed. They were supposed to set an example after all.
It turned out to be Xiao Yu, Sakura's personal assistant, bearing good news.
"Miss Kinomoto, your family has arrived and they wish for your presence."
Sakura's visage brightened considerably at the prospect of seeing her family, who was here for the wedding that was occurring in two weeks time. Unable to contain her excitement, she gave Xiao Yu a brief hug, bade both goodbye before scurrying off in the opposite direction.
"I know the elders will not be too pleased with such attitude but do keep mum about it." Xiao Lang requested with an amused smile as he stared at the startled maid who was fidgeting slightly, "She hasn't seen her family for half a year."
Xiao Yu bowed slightly as she acknowledged the young master's words. Unlike other servants who would dismiss themselves instantly, she lingered for a few seconds more before voicing her opinion in low, humbled tones, all while casting a respectful distance away from the young master.
"Her cheery personality may be discouraged by the elders, but little one feels that it isn't as bad as they perceive."
As he watched Xiao Yu disappear down the corridor, Xiao Lang could not help but feel proud of Sakura. Over the past years, her personality despite being watered down greatly still had a profound impact on the staff. Sakura was injecting new life into the daily mechanical routines in the household.
_**Their**_ big day was a grand affair.
Morning came the congregation of Lis, from the eldest down to the youngest. Gathered in the ceremonial hall, they stood in sombre silence as they witness the ancient ritual being carried out. A sacred ritual; performed only by clan leaders on the day of their marriage.
A pair of intricately designed bracelets was created through the fusion of sorcery and blood from the couple's nicked thumbs. Irremovable once it was clasped on, it served as a reminder to both parties of their duties and devotion towards each other.
The day carried on with the traditional Chinese tea ceremony. It was a long drawn affair which portrayed the stark difference in family size. Fujikata, who was revered by the Li family due to his half incarnate, represented the sole elder on the bride's side.
Xiao Lang's extended family on the other hand was huge. Elder after elder, the stream of old cronies accepting tea and bestowing long words of wisdom upon the two youngsters was incessant. When it came to Xiao Lang's great grand aunts, the couple could feel their feet no longer.
The dinner operated on a massive scale as well.
The media, determined to feed tabloids with juicy gossip, flanked the couple with numerous camera flashes and reports. Number of tables broke the two hundred mark, which was unsurprising as Xiao Lang's extended family filled up a quarter of those tables. The couple entertained a never ending flow of guests, many of which were businessmen of partner companies.
After surviving the entire day, Sakura came to a realisation that the matrimony symbolised the first of many things. It was the first time her status became young mistress Li, the very first time she was exposed to the media glare, and the very first time that Sakura was sharing a room with Xiao Lang, much to Touya's disdain.
That could be the reason why Touya still retained the evil eye when addressing his brother-in-law during the wedding dinner. Kero was too busy feasting on one of the chairs, partially concealed by the table cloth. Yukito sat next to Touya with his signature smile, with Yue staying ever vigilant somewhere in a corner of the ballroom.
"You listen well gaki." Touya spoke through gritted teeth, "If you dare to hurt her, or upset her… I will personally fly from Japan to wring your neck."
"Don't worry! I'll be your eyes." Kero piped, grinding his mini feast to a halt, "You will definitely receive news from me if he dare bulge a toe out of line."
Xiao Lang rolled his eyes and chose to direct his vision at someone less exasperating instead, namely Sakura. Dressed in a stunning blue evening gown, Sakura looked breathtakingly beautiful among the sea of formal wear. The front ages tomorrow would definitely be a sight.
"Sakura looks as ravishing like her mother back then."
"Father."
Fujikata chuckled and laid a comforting hand on Xiao Lang's shoulder, "That's too formal. Call me dad instead. We're a family now aren't we?"
"Ah…Dad."
That word felt foreign on his lips yet strangely heart warming.
"I hope it isn't too late. I wish to give both of you my blessings." Fujikata gazed at his daughter, "I'm putting her in your hands. Protect her in my stead."
Xiao Lang smiled and bowed deeply.
"Hai."
"Like I said, you shouldn't be too formal." Fujikata chided lightly, fully aware of Xiao Lang's strict upbringing, "Both of you should return to Japan after Sakura has settled in. It's been so long since the two of you visited us. It would be good to take a break from your duties isn't it?"
"Hai, we look forward to our trip back to Japan."
_**Three **_days.
That was the length of time taken for the flow of events to take an abrupt turn.
It came unexpectedly, struck swiftly, and left a devastating trail of destruction.
The couple was notified of the bad, albeit brief, news on the second day of their honey moon half way across the globe. Such news came in the form of an overseas call, in which the news was deemed so severe that the couple immediately left for China via portal.
China was under attack.
Upon reaching the Li Manor, the couple began to learn about the situation.
Apparently, self-proclaimed death eaters have invaded Asia in which it was considered to be their largest operation to date. Though their motives were unclear, the elders suspected it to be an expansion of territory.
As much as the Lis did not want to admit, they were caught unprepared. Times of peace brought about not only prosperity, but complacency as well. Organized strikes carried out at wee hours in the night reflected months of careful planning on the death eaters' part.
Li sorcerers have been dispatched to deal with the enemy in various provinces and thus the situation in China was under control.
The situation in some other Asian countries however, was an entirely different matter.
Despite the great prowess of sorcerers, it is possible to overpower normal sorcerers with sheer number. Adding to the fact that sorcerers were few in number, shortage of manpower was an issue.
Without any resistance posed to the death eaters, other countries quickly fell to the enemy in less than six hours.
"Other than China, Korea and Japan was under attack as well. The Casualties keep rising. We do not have an exact figure yet." Wang reported to the couple while the background reflected a flurry of activity.
"Which part-" Sakura asked in a deathly whisper, "- of Japan was attacked?"
Wang faltered, hesitated for a couple of seconds before retaining his composure.
"Tokyo and it's surrounding provinces… including Tomoeda."
_**The **_attack took up many pages in newspapers worldwide the following day, on August 26th. Pictures of bulldozed villages and deceased were splashed across the front pages. Demands from those mysterious invaders were reported in the remaining pages.
Through the media, normal muggle folk were exposed to magic for the very first time.
As muggles worldwide struggled to accept the existence and the threat of magic, death eaters were geared up for another war.
Further fortifying their newly acquired bases, their commander Voldermort finalised plans to take over both Korea and Japan. Riding on the wave of recent victories, the death eaters' were fired up, determined to use any means to fulfil their goal.
The invasion signified a new dawn, probably the bleakest chapter of Asian muggle history.
"_**Don't **_do it Sakura!"
"Release me! Before I do something drastic, both of you better scram!"
Xiao Lang managed to find his wife and her two guardians in an isolated part of the manor. Entering the room, he was stunned to find them engaged in a fierce argument in front of an open portal. Upon closer inspection, the clan leader realised Kerberos was trying to restrain his mistress while Yue was struggling to stand in his weakened state.
Unable to comprehend what the hell was going on, Xiao Lang demanded for an explanation.
"Sakura is attempting to return back in time!" Kerberos grated out between clenched teeth, "Yue interfered when Sakura activated the _Time_ card. In a moment of fury, she almost sealed him back into card form if I hadn't stepped in."
Sakura yanked her sleeve out of the lion's mouth as she justified her actions in somewhat forcibly controlled manner.
"I need to find out what exactly happened."
Kerberos spat out the torn fabric and responded with a low growl, "Look Sakura, I would have no qualms if you are in a rational state of mind. But right now…"
"The probability of mistress tampering with past events is high." Yue rasped, "That is against the law of nature."
Sakura slammed her palm on the table, her countenance contorted into an expression of fury as angry tears began to flow.
"Do you think that matters? Otou-san and onii-chan are dead! And I am only told that they were murdered by those… those bstards!"
She sank to the ground, holding the helm her skirt tightly as she cried.
"What's the use of having all this power when I can't even protect them?"
Xiao Lang felt his heart clench painfully having shared his wife's sorrow. Kneeling down in front of her, he stroked Sakura's hair gently as she buried her tear-stained face into his chest.
"The soft toy and I will accompany you back in time."
Despite knowing that severe consequences would result from his decision, Xiao Lang decided to throw all caution to the wind and plunge head on into the mess.
"Yue, you shall stay behind and recuperate. Please do not let anyone know of our trip back in time."
Yue's eyes shone with confusion.
"Master, this is not appropriate."
"I'm aware that this trip back in time may go against the law of nature. I shall try to ensure that tampering is avoided." Xiao Lang replied.
"But-"
Xiao Lang began to teach the first of his many lessons to his newly acquired guardian.
"Incredible as it sounds, sorcerers are a cursed lot. Piled up with much burdens, we exist for the sake of others and not for ourselves. And audaciously speaking, we are also often looked up as gods, as divine beings."
_Perfect and infallible._
"As such, many tend to forget that we are actually human and thus denied us an outlet to express our emotions. Sakura isn't allowed to express her sorrow publicly as she is regarded as the sorceress, a pillar of support for both mortals and world order."
"…"
"Perhaps… going through such great lengths to express her grief is Sakura's way of emphasizing that she is still human."
_**Time**_ was wounded back 72 hours earlier, when Tomoeda was under attack.
After experiencing a whirlwind of time magic, the trio stepped out of the portal and found themselves in a dark alley situated in some part of Tomoeda. The world was coloured sepia; a temporary side-effect of the _time_ card.
Realising that the alley was located three streets away from her abode, Sakura sprung forwarded and attempted to exit the alley, when she felt a sharp tug. Yelping in surprise, she tumbled into Xiao Lang's arms and felt herself being pulled behind a container for cover. Kero was grabbed unceremoniously in the face and pulled along as well.
"Someone is entering the alley." Xiao Lang spoke in a loud whisper, ignoring Kero's muffled protests.
It turned out to be a group of 20 cloaked figures looking relatively worse for wear. Nursing deep gashes and burn wounds, they stumbled into the alley panting and swearing.
"Damn it!" cried one whose fried cloak was torn off in order to make a makeshift bandage, "We're seriously outnumbered! Why haven't reinforcements arrived?"
A figure, radiating authority despite his disheveld state, stepped out to maintain order.
"The ministry isn't dispatching any. Under Prime Minister Fudge's orders, we are recalled back to increase security around landmark areas in Hogsmeade. The Prime Minister is worried that the Death Eaters may spring a surprise attack."
"So we are leaving those people in the lurch?"
"It's unavoidable." The leader replied as he signalled his men to prepare for apparation, "Does your loyalty lie towards the Prime Minister or some foreign land?"
"Of course-"
The auror's indignant response was cut off by a series of _'pops' _and there was no sign of those cloaked figures left in the vicinity.
Distant cries and screams were not as overwhelming as the deafening silence that settled like a thick fog in the alley.
This silence, Kero noted, was not entirely due to the absence of those cloaked people.
"You mean…. those wizards just abandoned Tomoeda like that." Sakura trembled in anger, starting to lose control as the air cackled with sorcery, "Those cold-hearted bstards!"
Kero stared at his mistress with dread.
Less than five minutes into their trip back in time, Sakura was already losing it. The guardian could not phantom what could happen should they proceed further.
Latching onto Sakura's arm, he tried to snap Sakura out of her tirade. Her sorcery was starting to create friction with the time magic.
Travelling back in time was fragile business. Tampering with it would lead to instability and Kero had no desire of experiencing the possible consequences.
"Sakura! Snap out of it! "
There was no favourable reaction. Kero scowled and turned to Xiao Lang.
"Damn it gaki! Help snap…"
In that split second, Kero saw that _look_ on the gaki's face before restrain kicked in and shifted back to his concerned visage.
Kero blinked.
Great.
Now he had two beyond pissed sorcerers. That look on the gaki's face promised great agony for that Fudge guy.
_I knew that this trip wasn't a good idea._
Kero stuffed his thoughts aside as Xiao Lang attempted the get Sakura to regain her bearings to no avail.
Instead, she tore out of the alley and onto the main street, disappearing round the corner. Cursing, the remaining duo gave chase and spotted her frozen still a couple of feet away. Looking ahead, their pupils dilated as they went into various degrees of shock.
"Holy shit."
The sepia coloured scene was fading back into its original tones, making the trio see red.
Literally.
It was not just due to raging infernos that swallowed anything in its pathway, creating a dull red glow against the darkening sky.
The street was splattered, covered, awash with blood, littered with stray corpses.
Hell on earth gained a totally new meaning.
Sakura sped towards the nearest victim and doubled over upon witnessing the mutilated body. Vacant orbs stared straight back at her screaming injustice.
Sakura could take it no longer.
Collapsing over to the side path, she promptly threw up as those gory scenes replayed repeatedly. Kero, whose face was white as sheet, hovered worriedly over her. Strong arms lifted Sakura to her feet shakily after retrenching.
"That's enough Sakura."
Coughing, Sakura protested vehemently, "Not till I've found Otou-san and Nii-chan." Her eyes reflected faint determination. "Having gone so far, I won't just give up like this."
"But Sakura! You're already losing it!" Kero tried to knock some sense into her, "If you proceed further, you'll really lose it and probably create some sort of unredeemable situation!"
Sakura did not reply and proceeded forward defiantly.
Xiao Lang, who ultimately decided to abide by her wishes, held her hand firmly and led her through the bloody carnage, with an exasperated Kero trailing closely behind
As the trio approached the Kinomoto's residence, many things became evident. Houses were increasing consumed by oncoming fires due to strong gusts of wind. The scent of death became steadily pungent as the body count increased. The nauseating smell of blood was intoxicating and was starting to cause Sakura's head to throb terribly.
Insane laughter followed by a series of explosions were heard as they drew nearer to their destination. It acted as a catalyst to move faster as the group broke into a run.
Face turning into deathly pallor, Sakura willed her weakened legs to push beyond limits.
_Just a little more! Just turn left into the next street and-_
For the umpteenth time, her mind was blown way by the sheer devastation of what had greeted her.
Dozens of death eaters have swamped this stretched of Tomoeda, initiating fresh attacks on the residents. Spells rained onto the unfortunate, rupturing vessels, puncturing lungs, amputating limbs, breaking numerous bones, causing grievous bodily harm to the victims. Those clinging desperately to life were tortured by death eaters who emitted malicious laughter while casting a green beam Sakura would later come to know as the Cruciatus spell.
Not for the first time, Sakura wondered if she was experiencing some sort of nightmare.
_Yamada-san. _
_Iruzu-san._
_Himanaka-san._
The sight of familiar faces among the deceased triggered _something_ within her.
Before she could even register anything coherently, Sakura found herself a good many feet from her original position, standing by a slain death eater with a bloodied blade in hand.
Looking around blankly, she saw charred remains of a number death eater scattered around her.
_What…_
The sinking feeling within felt as if she had done something terrible.
Barely aware of the rod of polished steel in her hands, Sakura frantically tried to justify why her heart pounded so hard against her chest, why her body felt so numb, when her line of vision was set far and fell onto two mutilated bodies lying outside her house.
_**Standing**_ many feet way, the remaining duo was paying dearly for their moment of negligence.
Like Sakura, they were, for lack of better word, sickened by the sight.
Kero felt like he was reliving an old memory; a war that Clow Reed was involved many centuries ago. Turning rather green, Kero realised that he would not be able to ingest anything for the next couple of days.
At the corner of his eye, the soft toy spotted Xiao Lang clenching the large glass bead which he wore round his wrist tightly. Any further pressure applied and Kero was damn sure Xiao Lang would no longer have a sword.
Rage fleeted past Xiao Lang's face and Kero swore that his skin/fur/hair was prickling, which meant that the gaki was losing it as well.
_Not good!_
Thankfully, the gaki's training was kicking in as sorcery ruthlessly suppressed back into his body.
Relief, however, quickly changed into horror.
Within that tens of seconds of stabilizing negative emotions, they failed to keep an eye on Sakura.
Occurring in an instant, she flickered from view and appeared several feet away, her sword impaled deeply into a death eater's heart. Concurrently, several death eaters nearby shrieked in agony as they burst into flames, _fiery _card activated.
Kero's blood froze.
A taboo was committed.
Sakura had tampered with time.
"OTOU-SAN! NII-CHAN!"
A wave of sorcery slammed into Kero as Sakura unleashed her staff, tearing down the street, hell bent on killing those death eaters who were hovering over her fallen family.
Preparing to blast them into oblivion, she was stopped suddenly by a vice grip round her waist.
"Sakura! You can't do this!"
Her head whipped round and her tear stained face contorted into shock followed by pure rage.
"LET ME GO XIAO LANG!"
She struggled hard, clawing his arm viciously as more tears streamed down her cheeks. God there was so much blood; the entire town was literally painted in red. The stench of blood assaulted her senses and she felt the urge to throw up once more.
"Sakura!" Xiao Lang tightened his hold on her.
Her tear stained gaze revealed the torture Xiao Lang was going through. Trails of tears streaking down his face were solid proof.
The Lis never shed tears even in the most crucial of times.
Such proof meant that his will was shattered. His emotions probably even more wrangled than hers. Guilty perhaps, that he was stopping her when all he wanted to do was to decipate as many bstards as he could.
But all Sakura cared at that instant was blood…
Blood.
Blood.
So much blood covered her family members…
She needed to save them!
Mustering all her strength, she miraculously broke free of Xiao Lang's grasp and sped towards them once more.
Only to find that she could not move.
She had seen this spell too many times – it was a strong binding spell cast by Xiao Lang.
In blinding rage, she yelled an incantation creating a reckless burst of power, counteracting his binding spell.
Caught off guard, Xiao Lang slammed hard against a tree and collapsed at the base. Breathing heavily, he felt an unpleasant, burning feeling at his chest. His body protested against movement as he moved to a sitting position, ignoring the pain coursing through his veins.
Eyes widening all of a sudden, Xiao Lang's right hand shot to wards his mouth as he coughed out blood.
Kero was squealing in panic.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but DON'T DIE ON ME GAKI!"
Through the haze of pain, Xiao Lang caught an apologetic gaze flickering in Sakura's emerald orbs for the briefest of moments before rage consumed her once more. Raising her summoned staff, Sakura called out to _Dark_ and commanded it to crush the death eaters in most brutal of ways, which was essentially to crush their souls.
"You shouldn't have gone easy on her you baka!" Kero ranted, "With her current mental state, you should be aware that Sakura will not hesitate to pull out the big guns should anyone obstructs her!"
Treating Kero's ranting as part of background noise, he pressed his sides gingerly all while keeping an eye on the situation which seemed to have taken a sudden turn once more.
_Light_ seemed to have gone against Sakura's wishes as it appeared in a holy glow, nullifying _Dark's _attack with a blinding flash before both cards faded away, much to Sakura's displeasure.
Unable to understand the reasons to _Light's _disloyalty, enraged by the numerous obstructions and heavily in denial that those two bodies slumped outside her house were her once breathing relatives, posed great stress to Sakura's mind.
Together with the stench of blood and death intoxicating her, she snapped.
Screaming herself hoarse, sorcery practically erupted from Sakura, pulsing erratically.
Death Eaters, whose bodies were unconditioned to strong bursts of sorcery, literally exploded from where they stood, baptising the streets with showers of guts and blood.
It was a horrifying spectacle to witness, even more so when it was Sakura who executed them in such brutal fashion.
Deep tremors snapped Xiao Lang back to his senses.
"Sakura's sorcery is conflicting with the _time_ card!" Kero yelled above the din, " If this keeps up, it will become highly unstable and we might get stuck in this time frame or past events might just be altered on it's own or..."
The soft toy paused and took a huge breath before bellowing, "PERMENANT DAMAGE IS GOING TO CAUSE UNIMAGINABLE CONSEQUENCES!"
Rows of houses lining the streets were starting to crumble to dust. Death Eaters further down the street were still being disposed in sprays of entrails. Sakura was standing in a 40 feet crater that was slowly expanding as large chunks of ground cement disintegrated due to the enlarging vortex of sorcery which was spiralling wildly.
It would not be long before Tomoeda became a vast piece of ruin land.
Discreetly coughing up more blood, Xiao Lang stood up unsteadily, biting down a wince when his insides felt like they were torn apart. Summoning just minimal amounts of sorcery, Xiao Lang glowed faintly before announcing his decision to Kero.
"I'm going to stop her."
"Are you crazy? That little amount of sorcery is not going to have any effect. You will probably die in your current state!"
"If I summon an equivalent amount to counteract Sakura's sorcery, there'll definitely be permanent damage."
"But if you're killed in your valiant attempt," Kero rebutted sarcastically, "Sakura will blame herself for your death! She-"
Leaving the soft toy behind, Xiao Lang rushed towards the eye of the storm, ignoring the numerous fresh wounds caused by baring the brunt of Sakura's power.
_I guess such minimal amount of sorcery is not much of protection._
"Sakura!" Xiao Lang shouted, attempting with great difficulty to reach Sakura, "You've to stop releasing your sorcery!"
"DEMO, THEY KILLED OTOU-SAN AND NII-CHAN AND YAMADA-SAN AND… and…!"
His head was starting to spin while his limbs were becoming heavily. Spewing expletives, Xiao Lang made a grab for Sakura and succeeded in doing so.
"Dad and Touya would be upset to learn that you went on a killing rampage!" Xiao Lang shook her shoulders roughly, "Weren't you highly troubled when you attended the module on human autonomy?"
"Demo…"
"I'll try, Sakura." Xiao Lang whispered, blood from a head wound affecting his vision, "I know it's not enough, but I'll pick up where they have left off."
Uncontrolled sorcery dissipated in an instant as Sakura fell onto the ground, dissolved into tears. Embracing her tightly, Xiao Lang tried to dampen the flare of pain building rapidly within.
"Let's go home."
Nodding slowly, Sakura recoiled in horror when reality struck and realised what she had done.
"Did I…"
The look on Xiao Lang's face needed no further confirmation.
Biting her lip, she activated the _Erase_ card, clearing blood, guts and slain death eaters off the ruined street.
Other victims, untouched by Sakura's uncontrolled burst, were left alone.
They needed a proper burial and Sakura knew that the Japanese authorities would provide them with one after their investigations in Tomoeda.
Tendrils from the clown like spirit stretched further down to the next street, erasing the remnants of the death eater's annihilation.
An animalistic cry caught the attention of the couple, while Sakura felt the spirit wrapping her tendrils around the limbs of something living, in a bid to deny it's existence.
In an instance, Sakura cancelled her summon, and the trio ran to the source of the cry.
A female death eater, the only survivor due to Xiao Lang's timely interruption with Sakura's extermination, was collapsed in a heap, shrieking in agony from her mangled limbs and the horror of witnessing the gruesome death of a particular death eater – Lucius Malfoy.
From the looks of it, she was losing her mind fast.
"Let her be a warning to those death eaters." Sakura muttered darkly, wiping the tear streaks off her face. "If those bstards attack Asia again, they'll be facing a fate worse than death!"
Sudden strong tremors rocked Tomoeda, reminding Sakura the harsh fact that she had committed a taboo. Petrified, she deactivated her cards and staff, clearly aware of the dangers they are facing.
"The time card is becoming more unstable. We-"
Sakura stopped abruptly when Xiao Lang pitched into her lap without warning.
"Xiao Lang?" Sakura began to go hysterical when he laid unmoving, "Xiao Lang!"
Chest contracting tightly, it began to dawn onto her that Xiao Lang suffered massive damage in his attempt to stop her. Guilt increased by ten folds when she surveyed his grievous injuries. Tears flowed once more as she tried to rouse him, notions of death rearing it's ugly head.
"The gaki will really die if we delay any longer!" Kerberos, now in his fully morphed form, landed next the couple, "We need to get him out of here and seek medical attention fast!"
Nodding tearfully, she slung his hand over her shoulders and placed his limp body onto her guardian's back before climbing on.
Emitting a thunderous roar, Kerberos flapped his wings powerfully, rose into the sky and sped towards the alley where the portal was located.
_**Newspapers **_delivered on August 26th, the day after the attack, reported no abnormalities, with the usual political speeches and weather reports swamping the papers.
Time had been altered.
Drastically.
Death Eaters were supposed to murder hundreds, proclaim victory over areas of Japan and Korea, finalise plans to conquer entire countries with authorities cowering at their feet.
The trip back in time had driven a wedge in time, disrupting 'Operation Muggle Slaughter', eliminating a good portion of the Dark Lord's forces, forcing Voldermort to pull out all his remaining troops as a precaution.
Narcissa was retrieved before Aurors flooded Tomoeda once more, trying to determine the credibility of the rumour that death eaters in Tomoeda were dealt with. Upon receiving confirmation, Fudge ordered the biggest cover up in century.
Most aurors involved in this operation of thwarting muggle memories were merely told the usual reason of every cover up; they were picking up the pieces after the death eaters attack, erasing memories to avoid muggles stumbling onto the existence of wizards.
All damage property from the death eaters' attacks were to be restored to their former glory. Deceased were burnt to ashes and their existences were removed from the memories of relatives. Survivors too had their memory altered and great care was taken when dealing with the authorities and media in ensuring that news of the attacks had not reached their ears.
There was no probe on the attack, no investigation to find out the reason for Voldermort's unnatural retreat. Fudge did not warrant one, and those on the ground were just keen on finishing their impossible job of covering up the attack in a couple of days.
Fortunately, most of Kero's fears were unfounded. There was no tear in time nor or any adverse effects on past events as the _time _card managed to recover slightly from Sakura's forbidden act. The card however, could not be summoned any longer. Should tampering of time with or without sorcery occur once more, _time_ would definitely plunge into dire crisis.
Time travel was to be avoided at all cost.
_**He **_was really lucky to be alive.
With such a long list of nearly fatal injuries, the family doctor emphasized, young master would certainly have died if he were any lesser sorcerer.
His diagnosis did not ease Sakura's anxiety. In fact, she felt even worse when Xiao Lang showed no signs of stirring on his fifth day of slumber.
The doctor remarked it as a state of unconsciousness, essential for recuperation. Kero felt that the gaki sank into a coma.
Xiao Lang's condition was kept under tight wraps when the trio managed to escape back to present time, with only the elders, some extended relatives, Yelan and a couple of maids were aware of it.
Yue thankfully kept his mouth shut when Kerberos emerged the portal with a roar, with Sakura holding onto a battered looking Xiao Lang.
Instead, Yue wisely went to look for help.
He came back with Yelan and Meiling rushing in seconds after. Yelan took one look at her son and ordered her shocked niece to get medical attention immediately. Xiao Lang was then ferried to a remote bedroom away from prying eyes.
Alteration of past events could only be detected by sorcerers and unfortunately, most sorcerers in the world were concentrated in Li's extended family. Efficient as usual, they reported their findings to the elders and the trio's little misadventure was brought to light in an hour.
The elders were obviously livid. Sakura had almost killed their clan leader through her reckless actions. Four years of training gone to waste, Sakura let emotions get the better of her and committed a taboo.
Yet Sakura did not pay close attention to their harsher than usual dronings or their threats of punishment and probation or anything else. All she did was to sit by Xiao Lang's bed for days, clasping his hand, silently praying for his speedy recovery. She ate and slept very little, leaving his side only when necessary.
Kero sighed when Xiao Yu cleared an untouched lunch, after failed urges to get her young mistress to ingest something.
"Sakura, you are going to break down if you carry on with your obstinate behaviour."
Sakura shifted hair off Xiao Lang's face before dull emerald eyes flickered towards the soft toy, "Kero… I've been thinking."
The room lapsed into a moment of silence as Sakura's gaze lingered on Xiao Lang's still form.
"Those wizards… those cold-blooded murderers, I'll never forgive them."
And Sakura never spoke anything else till two days later, when her husband finally woke up on the seventh day.
Dull, bloodshot eyes having a spark of life for the first time in days, Sakura held his hand against her cheek as tears were shed once more.
"That's a relief."
With a load off her mind, heavy eyelids closed, head coming into contact with the bed as she sank into an exhausted sleep.
_**Deaths**_ of her relatives were not easily forgotten.
Sakura would fall into severe depression following Xiao Lang's recovery, plagued by nightmares, fulfilling her duties in low spirits like an empty shell without a soul.
She would only snap out of her depression half a year later, when she realised that Xiao Lang had been covering for her, enduring scathing comments from elders of her lack of ability to perform satisfactorily.
Deciding to end her wilful behaviour, Sakura would shove her grief and hatred to the depths of her heart, and started to tackle her responsibilities with a colder than usual demeanour, her cheery personality almost non-existent, fulfilling the ideal Li bride the elders hand in mind.
Nearly two years after Sakura recovered from her depression, wizards would attempt to contact the rumoured sorcerers, which led to, what Kero would say in his drunken escapade, all this shit that happened.
But right now, it was a time for mourning.
Two weeks after Xiao Lang had fully recuperated, the couple flew to Tokyo and took a coach to Tomoeda, where they erected two tombs on a densely vegetated hill in secret.
Xiao Lang balled his fist tightly as Sakura broke down in front of the graves.
After giving the couple a dressing down, the elders had warned them to avoid wizards at all cost in order to prevent further complications.
He would obey the relics' instructions.
But if there came a time where an opportunity presents itself, he would not hesitate to seek vengeance.
_I swear it upon my honour._
**End of Part 11**
**Side story**
**For** six months now, the manor staff was fed with an excuse of the young mistress's long absence.
Xiao Yu, however, was not most staff. Being chosen from a group of sixty to be the young mistress's personal assistant, her sharp mind certainly did not believe that the young mistress was shipped off to a foreign land for continuation of manor mistress training just days after her marriage as a viable excuse.
Yet as observant as she was, Xiao Yu, for the life of her, could not justify to the underlying tension that has pervaded throughout the manor. This tension was particularly evident whenever the young master met the elders – the elders would always leave the room harsher and more irritable than usual while the young master's foul mood drove lesser staff to the corners of the manor.
Today, the manor was inundated with tension once more. Wang was trailing behind a visibly angered young master. The elders would exit the room in a couple of minutes with her in full view.
Xiao Yu turned her heel and strode off briskly.
Questions could wait. Survival was paramount.
* * *
**Upon** entering their temporary living quarters in the restricted section of the manor, Xiao Lang was undoubtedly surprised when he was greeted with a spark of life instead of dull, vacant orbs. He was nevertheless delighted when Sakura's lips stretched wider than her usual tired smile.
Her depression was finally lifting.
"The elders were on my case weren't they? What did they say this time round?"
Xiao Lang shrugged off his blazer as his temper flared. If the old farts were going to utter "lacking", "incompetent", "failure" –not necessarily in that order- once more, he was going to do _something_, elders or not.
"Nothing new," Xiao Lang responded neutrally as Sakura got off the bed and approached him, "Just ignore the old goats. Like Meiling said, they are just a waste of resources."
Sakura studied her husband intently for the longest time before resting her head at the crook of his neck. Eyelids fluttering to a close, Sakura wrapped her arms round his neck as Xiao Lang circled her waist in mild confusion. Even after so long, Xiao Lang had not recuperated enough to have full control of his sorcery. To think that she was that close to killing her husband six months ago… and he was now taking the rap for her absence.
"Sakura. Wha-"
"Baka, you're all I've left now," Sakura murmured, hints of moisture prickling the edges of her eyes, "For you, I'll be strong."
* * *
**Five** days ago, the young mistress resurfaced. The changes in her were stark.
The junior staff, intimidated by the young mistress's sudden change, tended to gossip about her in servant quarters where they hold a misconception their walls had no ears. Her emerald gaze, they whispered loudly, was piercing, at times bordered unforgiving. Her reprimands, some would add, though soft in volume were no less harsh and critical.
Something must have happened during her six months of absence. There was no way an individual's personality could undergo such great change overnight.
Xiao Yu snapped out of her musing as a resounding crash echoed the hall.
Staring at the shattered vase pieces by the foot of a trembling staff, the young mistress's cold gaze flickered to Xiao Yu before walking off.
Xiao Yu bowed in acknowledgement; the young mistress entrusted her to handle this matter. Chen Li, an elderly woman who had committed a string of errors in the past months, with this incident as the final nail to the coffin.
Chen Li was the sole breadwinner of her family. As pitiful her plight may be, Chen Li had to be dismissed.
Those were the house rules.
Two days later, she received word from the young mistress to maximise Chen Li's dismissal compensation. In addition, the elderly woman was to report for work for a nearby enterprise in a week's time.
As she handled Chen Li a fatter than usual cheque and details of her next employment, Xiao Yu made it a point to emphasize the young mistress's intention.
The young mistress's former personality - Xiao Yu was inwardly glad - was not lost after all.
* * *
**Four** days on, Xiao Yu found the young mistress spacing out at one of the quieter spots of the manor.
"Young mistress, are you alright?"
It was a loaded question on so many levels, and judging from the lack of attempts to cover up for her momentary lapse as her gaze slide back into focus, the young mistress was well aware of it too. The silence between them stretched for minutes before the young mistress replied in the barest of whispers.
"Six months ago, my family passed on."
Death in the family was the last thing Xiao Yu expected and predictably, her brain was flood by a torrent of questions. To her horror, she had voiced her thoughts outloud.
"They were _murdered_.
For the weeks to come, Xiao Yu would constantly wonder if it was the nature of the young mistress's family death or the mistress's utterly flat and vacant tone that sent her into stunned stupor.
The young mistress had retired to her room long before Xiao Yu regained her bearings, after much effort.
Days later, when Xiao Yu was informed of her granted access to restricted parts of the manor as the official personal assistant to the young mistress, she came to her first realisation.
Pieces of the jigsaw fell into place and Xiao Yu could somewhat guess the reason for the young mistress's absence. While it answered her initial suspicions and queries, new questions arose.
_Who murdered the young mistress's family? Why hasn't the Li family done anything?_
The second realisation followed thereafter as Xiao Yu stepped into the suite where the young mistress resided during her six months of depression.
Despite being the young mistress's personal assistant, Xiao Yu knew that it would take years for her to be informed of the secrets of the Li family - like housekeeper Wang.
By revealing strictly confidential information of the cause of her absence, the young mistress had placed an inordinate amount of trust in her.
Xiao Yu was more than grateful.
A fortnight after the young mistress's revelation, Xiao Yu was summoned to one of the basement rooms at the restricted area on a day where the elders and most of the Li extended family were not present in the manor.
Any amount of discipline could not disguise Xiao Yu's shock when she entered the room: the marble floor was illuminated pink with strange, intricate patterns; the young mistress stood in the middle of the glowing circle, regarding her with a half-lidded gaze.
"I don't care if it is too early for you to know,"- the young mistress looked positively ethereal as her locks billowed gently- "but I believe that's time you to learn about the true nature of the Li family."
Xiao Yu vowed that her loyalty towards the young mistress would never waver.
**End of side story**
**Finally**
**Thing you will say/ask after reading:**
_Why did you take eons to update?_
I wanted to update a minute before 2008 so that I wasn't flouting the 'update in December' quote but… ehehehe I'm nearly an hour late again?
Do note that I'm a last minute worker who will only post chappies at the very last minute of the promised month (most of the time) . So you should only check for updates on the very last day of the promised month, around 12am – 1.30am.
_Wth, I don't understand wth you're trying to convey in this chappie!_
This means I am not up to standard as a writer if I can't convey my ideas properly.
Summary:
Two years ago, Death Eaters came and succeeded in conquering parts of Japan and Korea. Sakura's family got killed in that attack. Grieved, Sakura activated the _time_ card and went back in time with Kero and Xiao Lang to find out what exactly happened during the time of attack. She snapped, tampered with time – a forbidden act, lashed out untamed sorcery, killed death eaters except Narcissa and destabilised time. Xiao Lang almost died while stopping her.
Time was altered. Voldermort's victory became a loss. The attack wasn't recorded in muggle history nor were most wizards informed of it. Fudge ordered for a cover up and the wizarding world. Both voldermort and Fudge was and will still be puzzled by what happened. Only sorcerers, who have the ability to detect changes in time, are aware of it.
_Why is Kero not stopping Sakura when she went amok?_
Kero powers are minute as compared to Sakura's so he will be of no use anyway. Besides, should he appear in front of the death eaters, he will be tampering with time and Kero is well aware of such taboo even though Sakura made her appearance.
_Why is Kero gender confused? Kero fluctuates between an 'it' and 'he'_
That's because I'm confused too. Undecided. Sorry.
_If Sakura committed a taboo/ forbidden act, why isn't she suffering from dire effects? ( like how the elric brothers in fma suffered – paying the price by losing limbs and a body)_
In my opinion, taboos exist to avoid sorcerers to exploit their ability. As a form of restriction, control. The consequences derived are after effects from committing a taboo. In other words, damage control.
For example: Sorcerer **A **commits a taboo and as a result, errr… the earth splits or something, so the consequence is the price the sorcerer has to pay for damage control. Of course, he can leave the earth in it's damaged state as it is. It's all about responsibility.
Fma is fma. I just have a different definition of taboo, that's all.
_Tampering of time just appearing in front of any past character?_
Duh.
_Why did Sakura just erase blood, guts, and death eaters away? Shouldn't she like restore everything back? You know, house and other?_
Realistically speaking, if you did something wrong and don't want to be reminded of it, you will wipe out evidence of what you have done.
She didn't restore everything back, cause she finally realised in her clear rational mind that she is tampering with time. Properties were damaged in the death eater's initial attack and she plans to leave it that way. Moreover, restoration using sorcery which will further destabilise time as it conflicts with fragile time magic
_Where's my Yue? He should be featured more!_
…. True. I'm aware of that.
_Yue has a body of his own?_
Yup. Sorcery has many uses.
_Any other questions, clarifications, do ask. But I will tend to ramble on in my blog._
Finding typing a chore these days.
School starting again…April having exams, May – holiday.
How on earth am I going to update fast? TT Argh?
12. Chapter 12
I need to broach on two concepts which may have caused some sort of confusion.
**1) Illusions**
When sorcerers create illusions, it results in one of these three forms:
- Illusions are purely illusion. No harm will befall upon the intended recepient
Very simple e.g. – an illusion of a sword is created. Sword can't cause physical
harm. Sword does not materialise. It is not real
-Illusions are still illusions but harm will befall upon the intended recipient
Very simple e.g. – an illusion of a sword is created. Sword can cause physical harm.
Sword does not materialise. It is not real
-Illusions become real, thus harm will befall upon the intended recipient
Very simple e.g. – Sword is created and materialise from illusion. It is real and can
cause physical harm.
**2) Time**
In , there are many formulations of this concept of time. For this fic, I take the following stand:
It is taboo to alter the past for it violates the code of ethics sorcerers are supposed to follow. Afterall, this fic has taken the stand that a sorcerer's duty first and foremost is to safeguard and nullify any threats that will destabalise nature.
As a side note, following chapters may demonstrate that sorcerers have a whole long list of ethics to stick to. With power comes with great responsibility.
Unlike Full metal alchemist, committing a taboo does not equate to the user suffering an equilient punishment. It means that the user went against one's duty. For example, it is a taboo if a doctor uses his medical knowledge to kill his patients. Punishment for killing patients does not matter. It is the consequence – anguish caused to the patient's family- that the doctor has to live with. Certainly, murderers won't care about such consequences. But those doctors who did not have the killing intention would be tormented. Ethics afterall only matter to those who care or are restricted by ethics.
In the case for the sorcerers, the situation is similar, just more severe. This situation will be will be demonstrated in the following chapters as well.
At present, Sakura and co can't go back in time. But they can still perform manipulation of it to a certain degree e.g. pausing time.
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**Disclaimer: Blah x3**
**Note: Wrath of Sorcerers will end in 5 -6 chapters.**
**Extra note: Apologise for the one year delay.**
_-------------------------_
_**Tom**__ Marvolo Riddle was definitely a talent._
_Though Clow Reed may have died for hundreds of years now, his will lasted way beyond his death._
_Sorcerers of his capability could do just that; all he had to do was to transfer his will to a medium when he was still alive._
_Part of his will was secured in a huge Sakura tree grown in Japan, awaiting for the day when his daughter, the card mistress, would personally pay him a visit._
_The rest of his will was tucked away in England, located near a wizarding community, keeping a look out for interesting mortals with great potential._
_While there was general distance kept between sorcerers and wizards, Clow personally did not have much animosity towards them. So long as they kept within their boundaries, everything was peachy._
_Thus when Tom appeared on his radar one day, Clow was inwardly impressed by the amount of potential within that wizard, even more so after Clow appeared through an apparition and held a conversation with an unknowing Tom._
_Like he said before, sorcerers of his capability could do just that._
_Tom was a leader in the making; he possessed abilities, a determined soul and had a fine mind to back his ambition._
_The thing about men with great ambition was the possibility of straying to an evil path. Tom, Clow could tell, was dangerously wavering between good and evil._
_Sorcerers were guardian of nature but different sorcerers emphasize on differing aspects of the natural order._
_To Clow, balance was the crux of natural order. There had to be a balance of good and evil in order for society to exist._
_Clow would bestow upon Tom part of his sorcery for him to achieve greatness,, surfacing within Tom when opportunity ripens._
_Of course, he hoped that Tom would eventually straighten his thoughts and embark _
_on the path of righteousness. Should Tom descend into darkness however, Clow supposed it was fated and part of the natural order._
_Besides, Clow thought in a rare display of his dark side, he was dead now. Future generations of sorcerers would be there to practise damage control._
Clow's reincarnation jolted awake from his slumber.
"Shit."
--------------------------------
"…**altered** time…"
"…her family killed!"
"…loud. Can't you just just shut up?"
Kero awoke to the rather muffled voices that his present cognitive abilities were unable to decipher clearly. Glassy, sensitive eyes shutting in reflex upon the onslaught of too much light, the guardian attempted to sit up without much success.
It took a couple of moments before his eyes gradually got used to the light and the blurry mass that he initially saw could finally be identified as three separate people, or rather three blurry masses…
The said masses were in heated conversation. Kero twitched. They were so darn loud! Those idiots had absolutely no consideration.
Determined to give them a lengthy lecture, Kero was rather bewildered when his usually loud voice emerged as a mere croak, vocal facilities failing miserably. His voice however, despite its lack of vigour, still managed to snap the three figures out of their little world, sporting identical guilty looks.
Kero knew that look alright. Should his brain recover his usual intellect, Kero would have akin that expression to a child who was caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
A look that he always wore when Sakura lectured him about his disgraceful acts in the manor.
At some other time and place, the guardian would have pondered deeply over the reason for such expressions of guilt, instead of dismissing it as guilt for their lack of consideration.
At present however, he had a killer headache that was pounding mercilessly against his temples, threatening to split his brain. It was not unlike a hangover, in which Kero mentally snorted.
He certainly had not been drinking, thank you very much.
"What the hell happened?"
The trio shared nervous glances as they shifted uneasily. A teenage wizard started speaking, in which Kero's vision finally cleared enough for him to identify that underlying as the loser with red hair and freckles.
"Well you see… you were explaining to us about Mrs Li's sorcery. It lasted quite late into the night and with all that pudding you ate, you became pretty exhausted so…" Ron trailed off lamely.
"How long was I asleep?"
"Probably about a day or so. We were told to watch over you and contact the Order when you awoke and-"
"I was knocked out for a day? Kami! Why didn't you wake me up earlier?" Kero started to go into hysterics as he shouted for the presence of all the members of the Order this instant.
"Why-"
"WE ARE LATE YOU DOLT!"
--------------------
**Soft** patter of scurrying footsteps signalled the arrival of more servants into the dining area. Falling silent for a moment, Sakura dismissed the first tray of cutlery while lifting a gold fork with intricate designs from the second.
"This design is appropriate." Sakura commented in Mandarin before addressing the servant, "Is this the best we have?"
"Yes, young mistress."
Sakura studied the cutlery for a while longer. Laying it back onto the tray, she gave the barest of nods, prompting that servant to give a deep bow before setting the massive dining table with the desired cutlery. Meanwhile, Sakura started her scrutiny of tableware presented by another servant.
As the young mistress of the Li household, preparations of household functions naturally came under Sakura's jurisdiction. Her mother-in-law had assumed the role of a supervisor when she officially passed the baton to Sakura two years ago. Common as it was to conduct such extensive preparations, Sakura still found it over the top.
The elders were holding luncheon for their associates in two days time. Such a simple affair was greatly exaggerated when the elders were factored into the equation. Traditional mindsets of the ancients of pride and face demanded that the luncheon experience should be deeply impressive, Li's riches to be emphasized.
The luncheon was to be held at one of the manor's ballrooms. Colour themes were based on oriental colours with absolutely no hint of black. The menu promised dishes of auspicious names and significance, made with the finest ingredients. Such display of wealth boiled down to the finest detail, where cutlery was made of gold, embedded precious jewels with dragon designs.
Sakura was not in a position to comment. It was just another day of routine work.
A yelp followed by a loud clatter diverted the sorceress's attention away from the variety of presented tableware.
One of the servants had tripped, loosening her hold on the tray which sent the pitcher crashing onto the floor, water spilling all over. The room became deathly silent as Xiao Yu, Sakura's personal assistant and ostensibly the head of all female junior housekeepers, strode forward and began to reprimand her.
She was a new face, deduced Sakura upon witnessing her distressed look, probably belonging to the newest batch of servants that came in a month ago. Inexperience and nervous tension from the stifling atmosphere in the manor led to her slip in performance.
Sakura smiled grimly. Having experienced similar tension and loneliness when she initially stepped into the Li's abode nearly seven years ago, Sakura could easily empathise with the young servant.
Instructing the rest of the servants to resume their duties, Sakura approached the pair, picking up the pitcher. Xiao Yu paused in her reprimand and lapsed into a respectful silence at her young mistress's approach.
"How will she be dealt with?" Sakura enquired quietly.
"According to the rules, she will be confined. In severe cases, she will be put on probation."
_House rules_.
The Lis abide by plenty of house rules. During one of her re-education lessons, she was given a thick, totem like book to memorise while being constantly reminded to uphold the house rules and be a role model for the staff.
But neither her mother-in-law nor the elders were in sight…
"Let her off with a stern warning." Sakura told Xiao Yu before focusing addressing the quivering servant in a coolly.
"There will not be a repeat of this. Do you understand?"
The pitcher was handled over, in which the surprised servant shakily accepted it, thanked her profusely before hurrying out of the ballroom to fetch a rag.
Sakura frowned.
Expression of gratefulness was usually accompanied with astonishment. Such reactions were common among the staff upon witnessing various accounts of Sakura bending the rules.
Despite the fact that many staff are breaking out of their stereotypes, casting her in a new light, she could not help but feel rather irked at the occasional times a servant went frantic and insisted that their young mistress should not set the table or tidy the place or whatever menial tasks deemed as unimportant.
She like any other usual person was not born with a silver spoon in her mouth, which meant that helping out with household chores was commonsense. Cooking alongside with Tou-san, cleaning the house while Nii-chan lazed about…
Biting her lower lip, Sakura's frown deepened as she ruthlessly shut her memories out.. The exhaustion from a full day's work must be getting to her, with past memories surfacing from the darkest recesses, allowing her mind to wander.
Informing Xiao Yu about her decision to stop for the day, Sakura headed for her room, intending to change out her attire for a looser alternative. She had nothing against oriental clothing but she did reminisce over her old wardrobe once in a while. That reminds her. Formal _cheongsam_ was a must for the elder's luncheon.
Heavy footsteps snapped the sorceress out of her musing, weary mind registering Xiao Lang's return from work, Wang trailing closely behind.
"Welcome back." Sakura said with a customary bow, "I'll inform the kitchens of your arrival."
Dismissing Wang with a slight wave, Xiao Lang led a surprised Sakura back to their room.
"There's no need to inform the kitchen. Since mother and the elders are not at home, we are going to eat out."
Sakura smiled as she hung Xiao Lang's coat on the rack. Behind closed doors, the couple usually reverted back to her mother tongue; an act which she appreciated greatly.
"Where are we going?"
"Well…" Xiao Lang loosened his tie and raked through his closet, "That's for me to know and for you to find out."
----------------
**The **room was packed with disgruntled Order members, whisked away from their Order meeting when the golden trio barged into the meeting room, stating Kero's demand for their immediate presence.
"Quiet people!" Kero barked, " I was supposed to bring the whole lot of you to the Li Manor to meet Sakura and the gaki. But we are currently running late and Sakura would definitely have my head on a platter!"
Ignoring those confused looks, Kero shifted into his no-nonsense mode as he explained the following sequence of actions like how a commander would instruct his subordinates.
"It's actually very simple. We are going to travel to China via portal .I'll transport the whole lot of you into this dimension where I'll locate the portal leading towards China. Just imagine this dimension as a transit stop and the portals as trains heading to various destinations."
Kero shifted his imaginary glasses, pointer referring to a makeshift diagram hastily pasted on the wall before continuing.
"Upon exiting the China portal, we will find ourselves right outside the Li Manor. I won't transport you guy into the Manor itself lest it triggers the wards. The last thing we need is the elders to discover a bunch of wizards in the Manor. Sakura will interfere with the wards by shutting it for a minute or two. The whole lot of us will then be transported straight into one of the underground rooms where the meeting could proceed in secret. Are we all clear on that?"
Without further delay, a huge pair of wings materialised as Kero summoned his power, an array of the star glowing beneath their feet. Back in those card capturing days, Kero would have required his full form in addition to leeching off Sakura's sorcery before he could transport such a fair number of people.
Right now however, Kero thought smugly as they were sucked into the portal, such feat was totally not worth mentioning.
-------------------------
**Kero** was not exaggerating when he claimed that transporting large number of people was a piece of cake. Unfortunately, that claim applied only when Kero was lucid.
Currently, he was anything but. Hangover dampening his sharp senses, something was bound to go wrong somewhere.
The moment the group appeared in the dimension, the guardian's usually precise control over his sorcery wavered, sending the wizards into free fall, the echo of petrified yells and expletives trailing in their plummet.
After a twenty feet plunge plus a mad scramble for control on Kero's part, the free falling wizards jerked to a halt.
Hyperventilating, the wizards attempted to regain their bearings from their near death experience. Mrs Weasley, in particular, was heaving heavily as she held her husband's arm in a death grip, cutting off all blood circulation to his arm. Dumbledore, though frail due to age, was fated to die in the hands of Snape rather than death from cardiac arrest.
"Gomen, gomen." Kero had the gall to look sheepish as he hovered above the wizards, "A slight mishap."
"You call dropping us to our deaths a #$%^& _slight mishap?_"
"Well I did manage to stop you in time didn't I?" Kero muttered irritably. The headache was getting to him and he really was not in the mood to argue with pathetic minions. Tuning out the ascending volume of swearing, the guardian focused on the problem at hand.
When he gave a crash course on dimension travelling to the wizards, he left out a hefty chunk of technicalities which were deemed as time consuming to explain. Essentially, after finding the portal to China, Kero needed to locate the Li Manor through the faint aura it emits. By pinpointing the exact location of the Manor, the guardian would be able to transport the group to the designated point; a safe distance away from the Manor.
However, with his non-existent sensory abilities at the moment, Kero was unable to pinpoint that damnable faint aura, only having a rough gauge through past dimensional travelling experiences. Should the risk be taken, Kero gulped, the whole lot of them might crash through the wards instead.
His damaged pride would be least of his worries.
Fortunately, like all intelligent creatures, Kero had a backup plan in such times of crisis.
The little guardian opted for Sakura's aura instead. Unlike the manor's faint aura, Sakura's aura was highly obvious even from his hangover state, being the most powerful sorceress and all.
The voice at the back of his head kept nagging about the great risk he was taking. As the great guardian to the most powerful sorceress and past servitude to Clow Reed, the voice ranted, he should be well aware of the risks.
Sakura, unlike the manor, was human, a living being.
Humans, unlike brick and cement constructions, can move.
Should Sakura be anywhere other than the manor, probably walking along the busy streets, and a group of wizards just fell from the sky in broad daylight… pandemonium would occur.
_In case you are unaware of that basic fact._ That stupid voice seemed to smirk.
Kero scowled.
Despite the risks, the guardian was willing to bet that Sakura would be in the manor, waiting for the gaki return before having dinner at dining area number 3, west wing, fourth level.
Making a rather impulsive decision, Kero gave a fair bit of warning to the wizards before summoning his wings once more. Without giving them enough time to chew him out, Kero sped towards the China portal, sending the wizards into another turbulent ride.
---------------------
**Xiao Lang's** surprise dining venue turned out to be a roadside stall, selling fish ball noodles at prices greatly insignificant to the Lis, served in discoloured bowls that would never appear in their family's selection of tableware, a dining site which the elders would definitely have disapproved. It was located at a secluded corner of their neighbourhood, a fifteen minutes walk away from the manor.
It was certainly a breath of fresh air from the usual stiff business functions she had to attend with Xiao Lang at posh restaurants. Even though it was not japanese food, Sakura nonetheless was greatly pleased with the sudden change in dining venue.
To indulge in normal, everyday experience was a luxury which she would never have secretly longed for before she married into the family.
Her situation was unique now. Sakura could not phantom how they could pull off any seemingly normal stints. A perfectly mundane act of shopping at the supermarket together would bring about a media storm.
She knew that Xiao Lang was inwardly apologetic for his inability to provide a normal, satisfying life for her. Sakura had to admit, basking in sweet, giddy post marriage bliss was a childhood fantasy. Yet her current life was none too shoddy.
Granted there were countless of traditions and practises that she as a 'commoner'
turned 'noble' would only get used to but never approve. However, she had chosen her path at the age of twelve with conviction and it still remained strong seven years on. Being by Xiao Lang's side was enough to make her truly happy.
Should her current attitude – a huge difference as compared to her past bubbly self – be used as a justification for her unhappiness as a Li, Sakura would scoff and ultimately attribute her change to a certain self proclaimed dark lord…
… _whom I will definitely vanquish._
Reaching across the table, Sakura squeezed his hand in silent appreciation, only to feel Xiao Lang's gentle caress of her cheek.
"The media will have a field day you know." Sakura remarked, an eyebrow rose at such public affection, "In fact, we would drive them into frenzy just by dining here."
"No worries about that. Who would be interested in a middle-aged couple dining at some roadside stall?"
Suddenly aware of illusionary sorcery that tingled her senses, Sakura shrugged and turned her attention towards the bowls of noodles served. The steamy broth smelt great and the couple proceeded to ingest the noodles.
"That soft toy is late."
Sakura paused in mid-bite. Swallowing slowly, her forehead creased slightly.
"I did instruct him to bring the whole lot of them immediately after explanation."
"That must be a really long explanation." Xiao Lang snorted in response, "Have you tried contacting him?"
"Repeatedly till I started onto today's workload. But I couldn't get through. His mind was in a fuzz. He didn't reply."
"Most likely sleeping his ass off."
"Really now." Sakura sighed, noodles temporarily forgotten. "I would like to give him the benefit of doubt. He is really a fantastic guardian… once you get through his bad habits."
"You mean vices." Xiao Lang muttered darkly, "One of these days Sakura, he's going to prove you wrong."
"I am sure –"
Sakura froze as a wave of sorcery washed over her. Xiao Lang, seated to her side, reflected similar reaction.
There was a bright flash before the couple was greeted with a group of cussing and groaning wizards slumped on the ground.
---------------------------------
**Harry Potter** clutched his aching head as he tried to entangle himself from the mass of bodies. From the size of that bruise, he must have collided hard against the ground, probably gained another scar on his forehead.
The trip to China was none too pleasant, just like a roller coaster ride that went out of control. Kero, despite the guardian's assurance, looked unreliable.
And judging from Kero's face which degenerated into a rapid shade of pallor, the guardian really did not know what he was doing at all.
One moment they were picking themselves off the floor, the next moment they were seated around low, dilapidated wooden tables, staring in various degrees of confusion at the bowls of steamy broth that were served.
"Eat up. These are paid by the gaki already." Kero instructed, taking a huge whiff of his own broth.
"You mean Mr and Mrs Li are present? But I don't see them…"
"Of course you don't." Kero pointed at the middle age couple seated at the next table, "They are under an illusion. You wizards are covered by an illusion too. A couple of company workers having dinner by the roadside..."
The said couple was the focus of attention instantly. Yet probably due to the illusion, or perhaps it's a Li thing, they did not seem to be ruffled by the intrusion of many wizards into their private time. In fact, both Lis were continuing their meal as per normal, having a private conversation between themselves, determined not to let anything to interrupt their dinner.
"They don't seem to mind us…"
"Believe me." Kero grunted, "We, or at least I am in deep shit. And since I'm so dead anyway, might as well enjoy my last meal. Don't want to die as a hungry ghost."
That being said, Kero began to inhale the noodles at a speed that was definitely unhealthy.
Instead of stuffing themselves like the soft toy, the wizards were distracted by things strange and foreign.
"Cool!" Ron gushed, "These are some wicked toothpicks!"
Hermoine sighed as Authur Weasley, seated at another table, began to swoon over Asian muggle artefacts.
"Look Ron, these aren't toothpicks. They are chopsticks. Seriously you need to attend muggle studies -"
"So does anyone know how to use chopsticks?"
Judging from the dead silence, none of the wizards knew and thus experimentation began. The Weasley twins in particular, were using the chopsticks in a highly unorthodox fashion. The problem was eventually solved by transfiguring the chopsticks into forks and spoons.
Twenty minutes later, when most wizards were starting to see the bottom of their bowls, the middle aged couple stood up and began strolling in the direction of the manor.
"That is our cue to leave." Kero announced, sending the wizards into a burst of frantic motion of transfiguring cutlery back to chopsticks. Straightening the fabric of their cloaks, they proceeded to trail a fair distance away from the Lis.
Kero clucked in disapproval. They look like stalkers… or mobsters, for lack of better word. It was queer enough for a group of company staff to leave together in the same direction, much less to conspicuously trail stiffly behind the couple in such a huge horde.
There were exceptions of course. The headmaster, for one, was strolling serenely as he appreciated the fine architecture of a foreign land. And not to mention that the potions master and mad eye were looking as unpleasant as ever…
Fingers twined loosely together, the Lis strolled blissfully, body language betraying no sign of discomfort.
Only when the manor came within viewing range did the couple come to a halt. The dirt ground burst into a star array, pink glow peering through the crack of the pavement. Finally turning to face them, the wizards caught the glare projected by those cobalt black orbs of Sakura's guise before they found themselves crashing onto the carpeted floor of the manor.
-----------------------------
**Xiao Yu** looked up when she heard heavy footsteps; the sound of polished shoes against marble floor. It was housekeeper Wang, personal assistant to young master Li.
"Young master and mistress have brought along guests," he spoke in a low voice, "Please deter entry to the basement level."
Her eyes narrowed by a fraction. She had witnessed no more than just young master and mistress entering the main doors just a few minutes ago.
Unlike housekeeper Wang, Xiao Yu did not have the privilege of indulging in all the secret dealings that young master and mistress held. It was understandable. Wang was a veteran housekeeper, one who had served the Lis for decades. Having served the late master Li and watching the young master since childhood meant that a high level of trust was secured within his position.
Xiao Yu, on the other hand, had officially been serving young mistress for three years tops. Having served the Lis for fifteen years, she was chosen in her late twenties to be personal assistant to the then young mistress in training. Trust was definitely there. She knew that young mistress Li was grateful towards her for efficiently carrying out her duties during that period of unexplained depression on the young mistress' part. Yet to strengthen it to the degree of an unbreakable bond required time.
However, Xiao Yu knew enough to keep her in the loop. While she was not aware of the exact details, Xiao Yu knew that they were dealing with wizards; the indirect source of young mistress' past depression and the bane of the elders' lives.
In other words, she had to be tight lipped about these guests.
"I understand Wang _guan jia_."
---------------------------
**Once** the wizards regained their bearings after that abrupt apparation into the manor, they found themselves in the same basement room which the meeting with Voldermort underwent months ago.
Nothing had changed. It was still a long and narrow room, lined with oak chairs at both sides of the carpeted floor. Faint embers glowed in the fireplace located at one end while a raised platform, with a table sandwiched by two chairs, at the other. The dragon murals, a constant symbol of family pride enhanced by the soft glow through wall mounted lamps, never cease to amaze guests..
"Honoured guests." Wang's aged voice snapped the more expressive Order members out of their open gaping, "Please be seated. Young master and young mistress will arrive shortly."
"Wang!" Kero had latched onto the house keeper sleeves in that split instant, beady eyes watering, "You got to save me! Sakura is going to kill me!"
"You are right about that."
Lovely as always, Sakura stepped into the room, donned in an unsurprising oriental evening apparel. Long hair wound into an intricate bun, secured with a white chopstick. Her countenance reflected stern disapproval, emerald eyes marred with hint of steel.
"I am disappointed with you Kero." Sakura spoke quietly in Japanese, ignoring the numerous translation charms cast in the background, "Such a stupid, risky move you have taken. You were lucky that the stall owner was distracted with his cooking to notice anything amiss."
Kero started sweating bullets, "I couldn't sense the manor properly so…"
"I can overlook your delay. But I can never condone such reckless behaviour." Sakura pointed to an adjacent room. "In there now. You and I are going to have a long talk."
Head drooping, Kero whimpered pitifully and flew towards the appointed room. Sakura's gaze flickered to Dumbledore, gave a curt nod of acknowledgement before proceeding to the adjacent room, shutting the door with a louder than usual click.
Two new faces appeared moments later – a girl in her late teens with walking difficulty, aided by what the wizards recognise as a female housekeeper.
As the pair made their way up the raised platform, the Order members noticed uncomfortably amidst the dim setting, the former kept glaring daggers at any one who dared to meet her gaze.
"Lady Meiling." Xiao Yu murmured when Meiling sat down, "Please bear in mind that you should not aggravate your ribs."
Meiling barely heard as she gave a impatient wave of dismissal. Xiao Yu bowed before descending the short flight of platform stairs, walking towards the exit. The doors swung open however, and Xiao Yu found herself bowing deeply to young master Li instead.
"Is everything ready?"
"It is young master. I've brought Lady Meiling down just as young mistress has requested."
Xiao Lang nodded. Xiao Yu bowed once more and left the room, shutting the door with a barely audible click.
Settling down next to Meiling, Xiao Lang was well aware that he was being studied intently by many pairs of eyes.
Even without Wang's announcement, the wizards should have quickly realised that he was the mystery man, no doubt forming swift conclusions and stereotypes about him as a person, gauging his prowess according to their past witness of Sakura's sorcery.
Xiao Lang's gaze swept through the wizards with slight distaste.
Prowling along the corridors of Hogwarts, with a couple of unfortunate experiences in the wizarding world reinforced his underlying dislike for these magical folk regardless of his willingness to aid them. Lack of illumination was a subtle act of intimidation, imposing a message that the guests were not totally welcomed, or merely just tolerated.
To his right, Meiling clenched the fabric of her skirt tightly, looking both tense and agitated.
While his cousin agreed to keep mum on their illegal activities under the condition of keeping her in the loop, she, like any other Li, was brought up with a prejudice against wizards. Moreover, her recent capture by the wizards intensified her hostility and feelings of revenge, in which she was desperate to find some sort of outlet to vent…
"Meiling, do refrain from blatant expression of prejudice."
"Afraid that I'll hinder this meeting?"
"It's professionalism." Xiao Lang murmured, his elbow propped onto the armrest, curled fingers resting against his cheek.
"I'll try." Meiling replied stiffly as Dumbledore started to initiate conversation, "But no promises."
---------------------------
**Upon **receiving summons from their superiors, a group of death eaters gathered at the hall of one of their secret hideouts within minutes.
Once full attendance was confirmed, their superior, as identified by the different markings on his mask, pointed towards the wands placed on the table.
"A little more than a week ago, your wands were recalled for modification. The first batch of wands has since been modified and ready for collection." His voice, not muffled by his mask, had a ring of finality.
"Return to your stations and test them. Kill a couple muggles or mudbloods and report the effects of the wands to your section leaders."
"Yes Sir."
--------------------------
"**We** thank you for your hospitality, Mr Li." Dumbledore spoke calmly, expressing no outward discomfort that their host was many years his junior, "Dinner was enjoyable."
Dumbledore's eyes strayed to the female seated next to the clan head.
"She's my cousin Meiling."
The wizards finally understood why glares were levelled at them. However, Xiao Lang did not give them time to dawn upon their realisation as he continued speaking in that impassive baritone.
"I believe you have questions to ask. Such meeting isn't conducted to indulge in idle banter."
"Of course." Dumbledore agreed in an amiable tone, "Pardon me if you view my curiosity as offensive. Days ago, we discovered that Fudge had died. Were you involved in his death?"
"Yes."
Though half expecting such an answer, a general unease spreaded throughout the wizards. Meiling had whipped her head in his direction, her stunned gaze boring into his sides.
"How-"
A charm materialised between Xiao Lang's fingers, emitting random bursts of electrical sparks.
"_Lightning come forth_. He was electrocuted."
"With the facilities installed in the Ministry building," a lightning strike of that magnitude would probably injure, not kill.
"You severely underestimate the power of sorcery." The lightning charm disappeared with a flick of his fingers. "Besides, there was more than enough water to act as a conductor."
There was a lapse in dialogue as the wizards recounted the newspaper reports against Xiao Lang's words in an attempt to picture Fudge's final moments. It was not long before Kingsley, whose voice sounded rather faint due to his seated position at the other end of the room, raised a question from his perspective as a government staff.
"Though we are grateful for avoiding a trip to Azkaban, killing the prime minster equates to assassination…"
Meiling slammed her palm against the wooden armrest before gripping it tightly, unable to curb her temper any further.
"That corrupted bastard that deserves to die!" Meiling hissed, orange glow from the lamps reflected in her icy orbs, "He should have been torn by horses –"
"Meiling."
Stopping abruptly, his cousin threw him a frustrated glare before looking away angrily. Xiao Lang eased his arm from the armrest and began to toy with the large bead that hung loosely around his right wrist, a habit he developed from young.
"Meiling's capture was the main catalyst. I had previous scores to settle with that prime minister of yours. Anyone who goes against us will not be let off easily, much less a _wizard_."
The members had no doubt that threat left hanging served as an underlying warning to them as well.
"That brings me to the main point of this meeting. Even though Sakura terms our partnership as an alliance, I would prefer to call it an agreement. We have scores to settle with Voldermort and Fudge. Since Fudge is dead, we'll do the wizarding world an additional service by killing that snake. In return, none of you will interfere with our kill."
"But the prophecy states that Harry is destined to vanquish the Dark Lord!"
"Our target is the current living one. If you lot wish to stick to that prophecy, feel free to activate those Horcruxes after his death."
Xiao Lang's nonchalance towards such sacred text, in which the Order had piled their hopes on, riled up a good portion of the members. Polite silence had since been forgotten, giving way to raging discontentment of increasing crescendo, with several members discreetly urging their unruffled headmaster to say something.
Their outrage served to challenge Xiao Lang's patience that was rapidly thinned by Kero's earlier display of stupidity. Highly sensitive to the astral plane, Meiling's emotion had been projecting strong bursts anger since the beginning of the meeting, which did nothing to improve his worsening mood.
Xiao Lang's form was enveloped in a greenish tint, progressively coating him like a second skin.
"The only reason for us to keep in contact with the Order is the opportunity to fulfil our aims. If it isn't so, we would never have stepped into your world and get caught up with your war against that snake. Do I make myself clear _wizards_?"
Sorcery laced with murderous intent could instil unspeakable terror into the hearts of mortals.
Mrs Weasley and Ginny were the first to break down into sobs, burrowing their faces into Mr Weasley's cloak,who was not faring too well himself either. Dumbledore's smile had vanished, lips pulled into a thin line. In a bid for security, the members were itching towards the inner folds of their cloaks where their wands were hidden.
Such defensive move did not escape Xiao Lang's sharp eyes, for which he applied pressure on his right heel and _pushed_.
A startled yell followed by the sound of splintering wood snapped the wizards out of their post sorcery stupor, heads turned towards the source of the noise. None of them expected to see Xiao Lang throwing the broken pieces of Kingsley's wand into the fireplace, splintered ends protruding out of the hot coals.
To cross the room, single-handedly snuck and broke Kingsley's wand within matters of seconds…
Staring into those dangerously glittering orbs, in the face of the clan leader's ire, that familiar feeling of terror threatening to drown the wizards once more.
"Change of plans." Xiao Lang stated calmly, ignoring the numerous wands whipped out in response to his act of aggression, "We'll still kill that snake and you wizards will not interfere. However, we'll guard your stronghold till you are all competent enough to actually be of some resistance to that snake."
_These ill-prepared wizards intend to charge into war in such a laughable state._
"We'll train you. No new tricks. Just the old fashion way of gaining speed to kill before you get killed."
"I think that's an acceptable compromise." Dumbledore said, smiling slipping back on as he sipped the brilliant brew that Wang had served earlier on. Xiao Lang strode towards the headmaster, both engaging in a firm handshake, the clan leader mildly pleased that the wizarding world finally had someone with backbone.
Upon viewing the settlement of a peaceful resolution, Wang walked over and spoke softly into his young master's ear.
Xiao Lang's frown deepened.
"Let her in, but leave her companion outside."
"That's really harsh you know, my cute little descendant." Eriol sported a wounded look as he sauntered through the doors with Tomoyo's arm casually locked onto his, Suppi hovering over them with a bored expression. Sakura and a sullen looking Kero entered minutes later.
"I've heard my cute descendent mentioning something about training?"
Xiao Lang's migraine appeared with a vengeance as that smirking abomination started his infamous meddling.
"Well that's fantastic. Suppi here is a willing trainer!" Eriol chirped enthusiastically, prompting disregarding his guardian's horrified look, "And I'm sure Kero would be most willing too."
"Hell no I-"
"Keroberus."
Kero gulped at Sakura's deceptively calm voice and nodded reluctantly.
Meiling, who was still seated at the platform, stubbornly requested participation as a trainer despite her injuries. Sakura decided to end the deadlock between her husband and cousin-in-law by activating the mirror card. A copy of Meiling, with exact skills and personality minus the injuries, stepped up of the mirror.
Needless to say, Meiling was more than pleased."
"Give them hell."
"Certainly Miss Meiling."
Just a few metres away from the platform, Eriol was cheerfully weaving in and out amongst the group of wizards, randomly sorting them into groups of his choice. Tomoyo gasping in mock horror at the wizard's 'tacky' robes toyed with the notion of making training suits.
Dumbledore, too used to his old friend's antics, merely amused himself with the colourful expressions his fellow wizards sported. Lupin, for one, turned into an interesting shade of purple upon recognition of Hiiragizawa's face. A few other members, like Hermoine and hogwart's teaching staff, wore taut expressions when they confirmed Tomoyo's identity to be that of hogwart's intruder many months back.
The rest were looking a little disorientated, confused by the two guests who easily dissipated the tense atmosphere.
How long, Dumbledore pondered, would they realise that those two were practitioners of sorcery?
At Eriol's loud proclamation of training throughout the night with immediate effect, Sakura was more worried than amused. A scheming pair, two soft toys and a vengeful cousin-in-law was trouble in the making. Eriol was exceptionally gifted at manipulating situations to make them far worse. Tomoyo just happened to be his prized student.
Sakura needed someone responsible to prevent them from getting into trouble.
The glow emitted from the star array temporarily distracted attentions from Eriol's master training plan. Sorcery rushed out from her summoned card and concentrated into a huge ball of power. The pink glow eventually faded, revealing an angel with piercing eyes.
"Yue. Keep an eye on them."
Eriol quickly roped Yue into his training plans, much to Sakura's chagrin.
Xiao Lang, done with giving final instructions to Wang, approached Sakura and took her hand.
Throwing Eriol an annoyed glance, he led his spouse out of the room and into the quiet corridor, leaving the commotion behind. They had clan duties to fulfil and needed to retire early, unlike Clow's incarnate who had ample time to poke his nose into everything.
"Cousin."
Meiling stood by the door, hissing slightly as her left hand hovering protectively over her ribs.
"Did that bastard suffer?"
"His internal organs were severely ruptured. Even without electrocution, his would have died a slow, painful death of massive haemorrhage."
Lips curling, Meiling broke into a grateful smile, pulling him into an awkward hug. Xiao Lang released his grasp on Sakura and caught his cousin in a loose, one arm hug, bearing a similar smile of his own.
"There's no need to thank me. We are family, aren't we?"
-------------------------------
**Wizarding** spells, Eriol sagely told the group of astonished wizards, actually had the capacity to injure sorcerers. Killing spells would not slay sorcerers, but they could put a lesser sorcerer out of commission for hours.
"The reason why you wizards look rather er… weak is due to the superior speed at which we sorcerers move with. Cast a spell and we summon a shield within split seconds. Charge at us with a horde of death eaters and we take them all out before they could even raise their wands, hail their dark lord or do something equally meaningless. So there isn't anything wrong with your spells."
The fault lies with the person.
Xiao Lang was trying to drive this point home when he broke Kingsley's wand.
Disarmed wizards were practically defenceless. The least they should do is to acquire a speed fast enough to avoid being disarmed. At best, to quote Xiao Lang directly, was to kill before getting killed.
Types of spell cast did not matter, so long as it gets the job done. Why bother using flashy, complex forbidden curses when a simple tickling hex could provide the caster the opportunity to draw blood?
"This speed training is going to be done the old fashioned way. You lot will develop speed through experience."
Eriol's grin looked rather malicious.
Fighting was limited to any where in the basement but it was preferable for each group to restrict to the four walls of their assigned rooms.
To graduate from Eriol-sama's speed training course, all one had to do was to effectively hit their assigned trainer with any spell in their arsenal, before they actually died from the experience. While the trainers were instructed not to deliver killing blows, nothing was stopping them from attacking with the intent to maim
"Only when your life is under threat would you make drastic improvements in your speed." Tomoyo shrugged in response to Mrs Weasley's protests, "This is the best option since you people need to increase your speed as fast as possible."
One trainer against that many wizards, she claimed, was actually advantageous to the wizards. It was rather easy to graduate.
Reality proved to be otherwise.
Injuries accumulated to such an alarming number that the Li Manor would see Poppy, hogwart's medical staff, stomping into the room a day later, where her cured patients would be repeatedly sent back to the dubbed 'hell zone' to fight for their lives.
Unfortunately, the arrival of a medical personnel led to a further lack of restrain by the trainers, in which harder blows were delivered, sprained limbs and stained muscles quickly gave way to increasing cases of broken body parts.
A stockpile of wands would emerge as a necessity for wizards awoken from their concussions would realise that their wands were history.
At present, the wizards were randomly sorted to four different locations of the basement. Eriol's sorcery had ensured that the basement remained soundproof while furniture and furnishings remain indestructible. As such, the furniture could up the challenge by posing as obstacles, training the wizards on situational awareness as they fought.
Dumbledore, who was the only exempted wizard from the training session, quietly pointed out that it would have been more convenient to hold the training session in another dimension, or simply back in the wizarding world.
"I know." The devil's spawn grin grew wider. "But it is much more fun to annoy my cute descendent this way."
--------------------
--------------------
**Judging** from capabilities, Meiling's double was the weakest of the four trainers for it only had Meiling's physical prowess to rely on.
However, since Meiling's double was the mirror card, a Sakura card to be exact, it would never falter in performance so long as a steady stream of sorcery was available.
Meiling, adamant about being present in the room despite the inability to defend herself from danger, settled as comfortably as she could at the safest corner of the room, eager to release some post-kidnapping stress by watching her double beat the crap out of the wizards.
As Meiling's double mirrored her personality, the pair of vengeful twins was a force to be reckoned with.
"Hit him from the left, Mirror!" Meiling would call out from her corner, eyes glittering with excitement, "Leave no less than a broken shin!"
Her double would do just that, replying with the same bloodthirsty grin of Meiling's,
"We'll show them what fighting really means!"
And the twins would engage in such dialogue throughout the entire fight, aggravating strained nerves, provoking any lesser man with weak mental capacity to snap.
It was no wonder that the wizards under Mirror were tempted to disregard their ethics and hurl a couple of spells in Meiling's direction to shut her up.
Half an hour into the training, Hermoine was battered with bruises, left shoulder numbed with intense pain. Raising her wand, she located her trainer quickly in hopes of graduating fast.
Mr Weasley and Lupin found it essential to cooperate and were engaging Meiling's double in a tag team battle. Hermoine seized her chance and fired a few non-verbal spells in hopes of catching her off guard.
Mirror evaded them easily, all while planting it's feet firmly into Lupin's stomach, sending him smacking into Mr Weasley.
Eyes flashing, attention focused on it's next prey, mirror leaped off from a lone antique table and sped towards Hermoine.
Before Hermoine realised her precarious situation, a hard blow was delivered to her wrist, wand clattering to the carpeted ground due her slackened grip. Crouching low instantly, Meiling's double swept Hermoine off her feet before giving a crippling kick to her side. The force of the kick sent her crashing into a nearby chair.
When the black spots from her vision finally cleared, Hermoine faintly registered that she was lying face down on the ground. Senses gradually attuned back to reality, Hermoine could only gasp from the sudden pain that coursed through her veins.
Her mind was screaming at her to get up and fight back. Unlike past training sessions, Hermoine despaired, she could actually die.
_There's no damn way I'm going to die in the home of some damned shady Chinese!_
Gritting her teeth, she forced her stubbornly immobile limbs to move, straining her sprained wrist in order to reach for her wand-
-only to see a pair of feet landing on the wooden rod, snapping it from the momentum of Mirror's jump. The right foot stomped hard onto the wand once more, cleanly breaking the wand into half.
"Ara. Mirror's voiced was filled with scorn, "In a real battle, you opponents will never show mercy. Losing your wand akins to death. Do remember that."
Hermoine decided that she never hated a person more.
-----------------------
-----------------------
**While** Meiling's group was located at the adjacent room, the very room that Kero was lectured by Sakura, the two soft toys and their charges were stuffed into the room where their meeting was conducted earlier on.
By Li's standards, a normal room in the manor hovered around the size of a basketball court. A meeting room was easily double that.
"This means that it is large enough to accommodate two training groups." Eriol reasoned.
Those who did not trust Eriol's lame reasoning knew that he was plotting something up his sleeves.
Dumbledore and the two sorcerers took their places on the raised platform with every intention of overseeing the training process. However, the two unwilling guardians were not very cooperative.
Suppi for one, flew around with that utterly blank look, occasionally firing psychic blasts in various directions, narrowly avoiding spells and joke treats thrown by the Weasley twins.
"Exploding paint." Fred or George would gladly advertise as though they would back at their store, "Guaranteed to give your opponent a new shade! Comes in eight different colours!"
Kero similarly lacked of any drive for a different reason.
"Stupid wizards." Kero sulked, perched on the massive chandelier, "All because of them I'm banned from eating pudding indefinitely!"
"Pudding? Now that's rather easy to obtain."
Kero's eyes budged as cartons of pudding materialised on the platform.
"Lets play a game." Eriol said kindly, "Both of you will compete to see who lands more hits on your charges. The winner gets all these pudding."
Chaos broke out immediately.
Kero charged about like a demon possessed, determined to fry any wizard in view.
Kero's sudden change brought out the competitive streak in Suppi. Rivals in playstation games, the two guardians treated the training session as another game, flippant to the fact that they were dealing with live targets.
Two separate sessions became a joint one, where the wizards futilely defended themselves from two overzealous soft toys who did not give a hoot about groupings.
"Plus one!" Kero called out, "Grazed arm!"
"Plus one!" Suppi yelled back giddly, "Bruised knee!"
"Plus one! Take that Suppi! Sprained ankle!"
"Plus two! Concussion and sprained ankle!"
After ingesting sugar, no thanks to Tomoyo, Suppi began to take the lead.
Sipping another brilliant brew, Dumbledore's brow furrowed.
"Even though they do need training, I pray your trainers practise restrain."
"Do invite Poppy over if it makes you feel better."
"Your antics are going to give her an ulcer."
"Ah." Eriol swallowed a cupcake in several bites, "That's what I live for."
-----------------------
----------------------
**Yue's** group was assigned to a room far away from the meeting room. Such assignment meant that Eriol was probably trying to avoid Yue breathing down his neck.
Due to Yue's character, training was organized, efficient and silent, apart from the constant grunts of pain from his charges. There was no deliberate attempt on their lives, just a guardian carrying out his training agenda.
Yue's stoic personality, on the other hand, was left much to be desired. He spoke blandly, speech comprising of mostly single syllables.
Harry found that aspect of Yue particularly annoying when he, along with the other Order members, got thrown into furniture for the third time in half an hour.
"Again."
The boy who lived sighed as he struggled to stand up without abusing his badly injured knee. Wand pointed at his trainer, Harry briefly wondered if his friends were
suffering from the same experience as he was.
---------------------------
**When** Sakura and Xiao Lang stepped into the study the very next morning, they found their fellow sorcery practitioners cuddling on the leather couch. Day one of training was over and no wizard managed to score a hit, although Mad-eye and Snape
managed to snag a few close misses.
Since it was nightfall in England, training was halted, allowing the wizards to succumb to exhaustion, bodies slumped on the carpeted floor of the basement. Tired, both partners-in-crime were in the midst of converting the long, pricey couch into a makeshift loveseat.
Faced with his descendant's darkening expression, Eriol merely gave a sheepish grin as he shook Tomoyo awake. Sakura added a couple spoonfuls of sugar into the black liquid before handing it to her husband.
Downing the cup of coffee, Xiao Lang stared at the pair accusingly.
"What is the real purpose for your visit?"
Catching Eriol's unwavering gaze, Xiao Lang growled.
"Hiiragizawa, you aren't that type who would drop by just to help out with minor affairs."
Tomoyo abandoned her relaxed posture, shoulders stiffened as she looked at her anata with concern.
"I've been having continuous dreams of Clow's memories for quite some time now…" Eriol said sombrely, unconsciously taking Tomoyo's hand into his, "Those memories revealed that Voldermort is a half-blooded sorcerer."
Explanations lasted for an hour. By the time Eriol concluded, Xiao Lang had the urge to smite Clow into pieces, ancestor or not.
"Seriously Hiiragizawa, both you and Clow exist to drive me crazy."
His ancestor's lips curled in mirth.
Seated opposite her half-father, Sakura was deep in thought. She finally found the proper explanation to the rebound incident in Eriol's attic weeks ago. Voldermort had unknowingly split his soul using the portion of sorcery that Clow Reed bestowed upon him.
Moreover, Voldermort placed the horcruxes with trusted aides. Naturally, Clow Reed gave the snake directions to his abandoned mansion, perfect as a hiding place one of the snake's many horcruxes.
"That explains the strange vibe I got from the snake the last time I met him."
"_That_ reminds me Xiao Lang." Sakura broke out of her musings, staring at her husband with narrowed eyes, "The death eater I've fought in Hogsmeade also mentioned your meeting with the snake. Why wasn't I informed about it?"
"Sakura, the very mention of Voldermort irks you till now. What…"
Tomoyo giggled as her best friends sank into another 'lovers spat'; this time Xiao Lang was on the losing end.
"Anyway, I think there should not be a cause for alarm." Tomoyo interrupted their conversation, "Even if that snake is a half-blooded sorcerer…like me, isn't he still easily defeatable? Anata alone can kill that snake, much less the four of us combined."
"Very true."
After concluding that Voldermort posed no real threat, the two Lis left the study with Xiao Lang managed to pacify his wife, leaving the other two to drift off peacefully into dreamland.
No one seemed to realise that Eriol's dreams actually served as a warning, a prelude to disaster.
And Tomoyo was the first to witness signs of countdown a week later, in the heart of the forbidden forest.
--------------------------
**Gripping **his wand fearfully, the cloaked figure backed away in haste, his mask unable to conceal his terror.
"It would be great if you start running, death eater-san." Tomoyo called out airily, "My acquaintances have been churning out casualties for the past week and I'm really tempted to be part of the action."
At the sight of his companion's broken body crumpled onto a nearby bush, the surviving death eater lost it, bellowing a continuous stream of spells recklessly.
A flick of her finger was needed for a shield to be erected within seconds, deflecting his attacks. The death eater was not deterred. Fuelled by adrenaline, spells kept coming like a machine gun that never ran out of ammunition.
Tomoyo sighed.
"You shouldn't be doing such-"
A stinging sensation caught Tomoyo in mid-speech. Shifting her black cloak away, she was more than surprised to find a deep cut on her left calf.
One of the death eater's spells actually managed to penetrate her defences.
Spurred by his success, he fired many spells in a rapid combination, voice laced with a spark hope and triumph.
With a vicious swing of her forearm, Tomoyo's video camera glowed brightly as a gigantic boulder landed on the death eater dead on, slaying him in a mess of blood and shattered bones.
Ripping off a piece of her skirt, she tied it firmly to her calf before slowly walking out of the forbidden forest.
Tomoyo had not been injured ever since she became a half-blooded sorceress two years back. To think that her record was broken by a mere death eater…
Something was occurring in the ranks of the dark side, Tomoyo though uneasily, and she did not like it one single bit.
-tbc-
My mind is officially dead. I am really tired of typing – my longest chappie so far.
25pgs and my vocab is turning into mush.
Makes me marvel at those authors whose fics which spans over tens of pages (like _return of the true sorcerers_). How do they ever maintain such great quality?
**In case you missed it, this fic is ending in 5 -6 chapters**
13. Chapter 13
**Disclaimer: blah x3**
If you forgot parts of this story cause it has been sooooo long (my bad), it is advisable to reread the story once more, or you probably won't be able to follow this chapter.
**V. Impt note: Read chapter 11 properly before reading this chapter**
* * *
She hated the stench of blood, detested the way it pooled round her heels, loathed those stubborn bloodstains that clung onto the fabric of her attire.
Bloodstains were the bane of her life.
* * *
**Past**
* * *
The last thing Eriol expected after relieving the phone from its incessant ringing was to receive a call from some Li Manor guy, requesting for the _participation of the most honourable Clow Reed in the sacred tea ceremony of his progeny._
Then again, he should have seen it coming. Sakura and Xiao Lang's marriage was just round the corner. Tabloids in China, according to Kero, were rife with speculation and discussions over Sakura's hidden identity.
Without hesitation, Eriol turned down the request. Despite his previous incarnate, Eriol explained pleasantly to the stunned caller, he was by no means senior enough to down that small cuppa.
The Chinese took the view of seniority over age. An ancestor would always be an ancestor regardless of the fact that Clow Reed had croaked and reincarnated into a smart mouthed brat thousands of years later.
Unfortunately, Eriol was not a Chinese and had no desire to adhere to their customs any time soon.
Besides, for his cute little descendent to humbly offer tea while Eriol lorded over them would probably kill him. It was his descendant's big day after all and the Clow incarnate felt rather magnanimous to spare him the torment.
Sakura's father was the other half incarnate, Eriol added helpfully before ending the rather one-sided conversation, so his presence would be more than appropriate to represent Clow Reed.
With that, Eriol cheerfully terminated the call, leaving the Li Manor guy twitching at the end of the line.
"Tea ceremony woes?"
Eriol reached for a cookie as Tomoyo handled him a cup of coffee. Nakuru had been complaining about his frequent snack indulging habits and added that he would turn into a fat slob should he persist.
Well, he was not really bothered by her comments.
"Was the first in line for the tea ceremony, being the most senior and all. It's rather scary to think that those Li elders are my descendents when our age gap is like at least fifty years." Eriol mentally shuddered as he dunked the sinful treat into his coffee, "But I promised to be there to witness the ceremony."
Tomoyo's eyes lit brightly.
"That means you need another outfit right? I've some oriental theme sketches in my room. I'll get them right now."
Eriol could only grin like an idiot as he studied her retreating back. They have been dating for two years now and her almost single track mind still revolved round fashion, Sakura and him, as a most recent addition.
Shortly after Sakura left for bride training four years ago, Tomoyo had decided to deviate from the studying norm and plunge into the world of fashion design instead. With immense support from her parents and family fortune, Tomoyo registered and qualified for a 5 year course at a prestigious fashion design school in England at the age of 12.
Around the same time, Eriol finally developed common sense and broke up with Kaho, after coming to a realisation that their queer relationship was not progressing. Squashing the fact that it made Kaho look like a paedophile, their relationship was strictly platonic.
It was entirely by coincidence that a very single Eriol met an equally single Tomoyo at some English café nearly two years later.
Using his endearing personality, Eriol proceeded to charm her into his arms and the rest was history…was how Eriol would like to picture their romantic beginnings but reality was an ass when it came to details.
He had some business in the area and thus popped into the café for a snack. Paying for his order, he caught sight of Tomoyo seated at one of the tables. He briefly recalled that she was Sakura's best friend who was in charge of Sakura's wardrobe and possessed an entire 'Sakura card captoring action' video collection. They did not converse, even after the entire Clow-Sakura card fiasco, though he admittedly involved her in his schemes repeatedly to train Sakura's abilities.
Apparently, Tomoyo had caught him staring her. Her confused expression gave way to recognition as she strode towards him and invited him to her table in a courteous manner where they engaged in a mundane conversation ranging from the weather to anything in general.
"If memory serves me right, you were the mastermind of those incidents back then. Sakura didn't elaborate the extent of your involvement. Said something about the incarnation of Clow Reed."
Eriol smiled. She finally ditched the small talk.
"That's right." Eriol replied, "It was to nurture her into the most powerful sorceress in the world."
"I'm really glad that everything turned out fine." Tomoyo chuckled, as if recalling a particularly fond memory, "Kero said he would string you by the balls if you were to hurt Sakura in anyway and I would be more than willing help him."
Eriol grinned uneasily into his coffee.
That meeting was the trigger for their budding relationship. Apparently intrigued by her character, he stayed in contact with her and unknowingly fell head into love while Tomoyo followed after an agonizing five months of courting.
Kero, relaying a formal message on Sakura's and his cute descendant's behalf, expressed great happiness for their relationship. The Sun guardian pulled a party popper for emphasis.
The gaki, Kero continued to relayed as he threw the used popper over his shoulder,had also expressed great astonishment and wondered 'who would even like an asshole like him'.
Having accomplished his task as a messenger, Kero zeroed in on the plate of jam tarts on the side table and proceed to polish off thirty under a minute.
Tomoyo's mother did not particularly fancy him but that did not prevent Tomoyo from moving into his manor and treating it as her permanent abode. Since then, she had fitted in really comfortably.
"I've got the sketches, anata." Tomoyo voice snapped him out of his musing, "The first one has this stylish cut that enhances your look. But the second isn't too bad as well if you are really going extreme oriental. I personally recommend the third one though. It embodies this hybridized concept of modern orientalism that is so you!"
Eriol ended up the fourth option when she handed him a radically different outfit from the three sketches a week later.
"I wasn't really very satisfied with the sketches." Tomoyo shrugged nonchalantly, sharp eyes trained on him as he tried on the jacket, "That reminds me. I've made alterations to your dinner tux."
The tux had been altered countless of times before, but Eriol refrained from commenting on anything unnecessary lest incurring her wrath.
As Eriol watched her run amok with the video camera during the wedding dinner, he professed that she outdid herself once more with that absolutely stunning evening gown that put others to shame.
A good majority of the Li seniors, together with the bridal couple and Sakura's father, were off to entertain guests, leaving him seated with a sullen Touya. Kero was partially hidden by the table cloth, stuffing his face into the overwhelming amount of food served.
"You don't seem to be in such a fine mood."
Twitching slightly, Touya tore off his gaze from his brother-in-law and regarded him with a reserved look, no doubt attempting to register the new presence on his radar.
"Just… some issues I have with that gak- I mean the groom." Touya replied tersely, "You're… Sakura's friend if I'm not mistaken. Given that this is the table for immediate relatives, you must be Li's brother or something…"
"Not his brother." Eriol said evenly, never passing an opportunity to screw with the mind of an innocent, "I was just an ancestor of the groom and the half father of the bride."
Touya, Eriol thought in amusement, was a man of many colourful expressions. Eyes widening, mouth ajar and face turning into an interesting shade of purple, Touya was more than ready to denounce such fallacious claim, or if possible politely laugh it off as a joke, before some irrational part of his traitorous brain justified that despite the incredulity of it all, what Eriol said might hold true, with the past hybridized Yue-Yukito experience and all those sorcery shit that Sakura was dabbling in.
So instead, Touya settled for a resigned expression, opting to clamp his thumb and index finger on the bridge of his nose.
"This is a totally messed up world."
"It is." Eriol agreed, "But this messed up world has brought my half-daughter and descendent together, which isn't bad at all."
Touya twitched again, unused to the fact that a brat younger than him was accustomed in displaying such seniority. At mentioned of Xiao Lang however sent him spiralling back into an overprotective mode.
"If it were up to me, I would have at made him prove that he was worthy of Sakura's affections and I'll be damn if I relented that easily. But…even so…"
Touya gazed at the wedding couple, keen eyes noticing the subtle gestures shared between them in the face of numerous camera flashes. Expression contorting to one of displeasure, he grudgingly grated out, voice gradually muting with every word.
"That gaki will provide her with happiness."
* * *
**The** attack in Asia caught everyone off guard, muggles and sorcerers alike. Death eaters struck fast, consumed fresh territory quickly and left a river of blood in their wake. It was too sudden as many muggles were rudely introduced to the magical world with destruction and fear. The minute numbers of sorcerers at the Li residence, despite their prowess, were left to do damage control, unwillingly presenting their young leaders with an interrupted honeymoon and a scene of carnage.
In times of complacency, even the strongest would fail.
Imagine Tomoyo's horror when she stared at the morning papers a day after the attack, three days after the wedding ceremony. The front page published a picture of raging inferno, with headlines that screamed "_Slaughter in Asia_." Frantically rushing through the pages, she faintly registered a huge paragraph commenting that the murderers were actually self-proclaimed wizards that only appeared in fiction novels, before scanning through the provinces affected in a couple of heart stopping moments.
"Japan… Tokyo…Tomoeda."
Newspaper pages scattered onto the floor in a messy flutter, Tomoyo turned deathly pale as she collapsed into the arms of a very stunned Eriol who just entered kitchen. He received news of the attack late last night, thus waking early to dispose the newspaper that would be the bearer of terrible news to his girlfriend.
Unfortunately, ill luck occurs all at once. Tomoyo, probably sensing a bad vibe in her sleep, awoke early while Nakuru happened to bring in the papers even earlier.
Trembling, Tomoyo grabbed his sleeves and begged him to send her back to Tomoeda via portal.
Tomoeda became enemy territory, no doubt swamped with death eaters. Faced with Tomoyo's tear streaked countenance however tugged heartstrings and resulted in an irrational decision of proceeding to Tomoeda.
Love makes one do foolish things.
The scene that greeted them was a war zone, with strewn corpses and a pungent coppery smell that gagged.
As unpleasant as it was, past wars from Clow Reed memories gave Eriol the needed immunity against such gore.
Tomoyo had no such luxury.
Sensing that she was turning violently ill, Eriol hurriedly cast an invisibility spell over them, lifted her in his arms before levitating towards the sky, opting to bypass the streets of corpses through flight.
Tomoyo's manor was easily one of the grander, larger structures in Tomoeda, which made it rather easy to spot the charred mass from such a high altitude. Proceeding towards their destination however, was arguably one of the most difficult decisions ever made in his short lifespan, excluding Clow Reed, with dread swelling disproportionately within his chest with every metre descended.
At touchdown, Tomoyo tore out of his arms and sped into the compound, running past two broken gates that seemed to be blasted off their hinges. Swinging open the broken oak doors that were ajar, she skidded to a stop at the sight of what was once her living room.
Housekeepers, butlers, staff whom she knew by name, watched her take her maiden step or speak her first word now stared with lifeless eyes from severed heads.
The house was drenched in red; partially dried blood spoke of fresh murders.
Sinking to her knees, the once young mistress of the household despaired over the loss of her family. Nausea threatening to overwhelm, Tomoyo was about to give in to darkness when she froze all of a sudden.
"Ka…san…"
Forcing her weakened legs to stand, Tomoyo stumbled up the stairs and burst into the master bedroom.
On the side of the bed laid a charred corpse whose identity could only be determined through the badly shredded nightdress that Tomoyo was so familiar with.
"Ka…san…" her daughter whispered, hysterics rapidly seeping into her quivering voice, "Ka-san! KA-"
Brain going overdrive, in addition to the strong sleeping spell that inundated her senses, Tomoyo instantly went limp in Eriol's arms. A flare of sorcery signalled that his guardian came along as well. Wordlessly, he handled her to Nakuru.
"Master." Nakuru hissed, butterfly wings bristled as orbs reflecting deep hatred, "I say we kill off those bastards! Your power alone is enough to wrestle Japan from their grasp."
Getting down to his knees, her master stared at Tomoyo's mother with an unreadable expression, not granting her with a response.
"Mdm Daidoji… Mother… Rest assured that I'll take care of Tomoyo on your behalf."
Sorcery induced flames roared to life, engulfing the body quickly.
"Nakuru, as much as I love to, I'm afraid we are unable to do so at the moment." Eriol's deceptively calm voice was tight with restrain, "The currents leaders of the sorcerers are Sakura and Xiao Lang and they are tied down with damage control. They have to implement the best solution by taking into consideration the non-magical world and the order of nature. It's not just about taking revenge and retaliating. We can't act without their authorisation lest jeopardising their plans."
Flames raged as it spread, with the bed soon catching fire.
"We should get going." Eriol got back to his feet as he stared at the body for the final time, "The fire is going to consume the entire manor. Those wizards shall not set foot on this place any longer."
------------------
**Upon** arrival at the manor, Tomoyo was immediately rushed to her room. Nakuru quickly pulled back the comforter as Eriol placed Tomoyo on her bed, with Suppi hovering worriedly behind.
"Should we alter her memories?" Naruku enquired as Eriol brushed the lose strands of black hair off Tomoyo's face, "Tomoyo-chan will live in pain for a good portion of her life."
_To suffer or to live a lie… _
Eriol truly did not know which was worse.
He snapped out of his dilemma later that night, when his keen senses felt a subtle _shift _in the environment.
It took Eriol a couple of minutes to register the change. Suppi's sudden appearance seconds later led him to comprehend the severity of the situation.
A taboo was committed.
Time was altered.
"Sakura is a wreck. The gaki is in a coma. Doesn't look good." Suppi reported, conveying Kero's frantic rants into coherent sentences.
The cover page of the newspaper furthered confirmed his suspicions. Gone were pages of reports on the Asian Muggle slaughter. Instead, the cover page ran a yawning article of stimulus measures for the recession.
"Was… Tomoyo's family affected?"
"No. Sakura's intervention led a hasty retreat on the Death Eaters. Deaths were confined to the outskirts of Tomoeda." Suppi replied, ever dull eyes unwavering, The wizarding community is currently engaging in a huge cover up. Survivors with memory alterations will be unaware of the killings. Tomoyo's family included."
He felt really rotten when relief threatened to inundate upon hearing the survival of Tomoyo's family. His descendents, that conscience of his yelled, were in a horrible state for heaven's sake!
"Should we tell Tomoyo about the massacre, about Sakura's and Xiao Lang's conditions?"
Suppi's near-dead gaze softened.
"Tomoyo is a great girl. I have no wish to see her suffer by dabbling in our affairs. Besides," Suppi sighed, "regardless of her involvement, she has never been part of our world."
* * *
**Sleep** did not come that night. The arrival of a new dawn signalled by chirping birds basking in the glow of the morning sun did no justice to Eriol's less than pleasant mood.
Brows slightly furrowed, Eriol stared at nowhere in particular as he took another long sip of black coffee, cleaning forgetting about his forgotten pledge to reduce caffeine intake.
"Ara. You're up so early in the morning, anata."
Momentarily squashing troubled thoughts, Eriol expertly tweaked his lips upwards.
"You're up pretty early too." he said easily, "Going somewhere?"
Tomoyo nodded, looking at the hall mirror as adjusting her scarf and stuffed pins into her bun.
"I've to rush to the boutique. My assistant wants the sketches for the coming spring collection."
A peck on the cheek and she was out in a jiffy after acknowledging Naruku's reminder to return early for lunch.
His guardian was a fine actress.
Smile slipping, he stared at his coffee and sank into his thoughts.
Time was altered, with only sorcerers aware of such change. In this altered timeline, wizards from the ministry were probably swamping the affected areas in secret, employing a massive cover up of the death eater attacks under the guise of amplified, large scale accidental magic. Survivors were doused with potent doses of memory charms. Fabricated stories of the dead were subsequently implanted while proof of their true existence gradually faded with time.
Tomoyo, as a non-magical being, was naturally oblivious to the attacks and carried on with life as per normal.
_She's not living a lie._
A mantra that surfaced numerously throughout the sleepless night, repeated with conviction which had him successfully convinced.
Fate had intervened and Tomoyo was merely part of those who were swept in the change of time.
* * *
**At** times however, lady fate was an absolute bitch.
Eriol hated such times when fate toyed with him; a reversal from his usual enjoyable role of screwing with the minds of others.
He hardly batted an eyelid when Tomoyo announced that she would be visiting her hometown, four months after the supposed massacre. He even gave her a light kiss before ushering her into a flagged taxi, cheekily reminding her to send his future mother-in-law his regards.
Trouble arrived in the form of a long-distance phone call a week later.
"Anata." Tomoyo sounded rather distraught, "There is something very wrong with Tomoeda."
Eriol blinked, probing for an elaboration.
"I've been told that the Kinomoto family migrated. Rika-chan, Naoko-chan and Takashi-kun have similarly migrated. The neighbours couldn't recall Sakura nor the Chiharu's family! Its like… like…they had a memory transplant or something. God… what's happening?"
Blood running cold, body numbed instantly, Eriol gripped the phone tightly, unable to form a coherent response. Piecing one and one together, the sorcerer came to a realization which made him swear inwardly.
Those stupid wizards had done a half-assed job on the damage control. Pressed for time, unaware of the magnitude of the situation and a possible lack in manpower, they failed to do a thorough job in plugging the loopholes, tying up the loose ends. In essence, they did not pursue those that were not accounted for on the list of survivors and deaths during the massacre.
Without memory alteration by the wizards, survivors, though few, bearing knowledge of the massacre must have lapsed into a severe mental shock when faced with a reality unparallel to their awareness.
The Clow incarnate was planning on wringing the neck of those damned wizards when his girlfriend's tone turned accusatory.
"It's something to do with you bunch of sorcerers isn't it?"
His brain was screeching at him to do _something_ to save his skin when the line went dead.
Lowering the receiver, Eriol's eyes trailed downwards and amidst his flood of thoughts, faintly registering his index finger on a depressed hook switch - proof of his most unintelligent act to date.
* * *
**Tomoyo** did not call back.
Knowing her, she would have fully utilised her privileges of her credit card membership by obtaining first class tickets for the next available flight to England. That gave him a couple of days for him to brood and exercise damage control.
Eriol knew that he was a manipulative bastard. After all, his cute descendent had been griping about his character trait every time they met.
To think rationally, calculate, predicting, plan ahead, gain some degree of control over an uncertain future before toying with the minds of others… that was an apt description of Eriol Hiiragizawa character in a nutshell.
Acting irrational according to one's heart and escaping from an impending problem was definitely not him. He was just not think straight in that earlier act of…of…
_Cowardice._
God damn his bloody, accursed conscience.
Suppi, who witnessed the entire phone conversation, just radiated an incredulous vibe through his ever-present unruffled, sleepy expression as he floated away, muttering loudly about having a love-sick idiot for a master.
It was nothing like this with Kaho. They had comfortable relationship…arrangement where he was the schemer while Kaho assumed the role of his trusty assistant, carrying out his tasks with great efficiency and reliability. There was little dependence nor anxiety between them. His mind was consistently clear and there was this saying that went_ 'thoughts flow like the river'_, well that's probably it…
Tomoyo, on the other hand, defied character prescriptions of Clow's incarnate. While he was indeed prideful of Kaho, Tomoyo's presence brought about occasional unexplainable bouts of euphoria. Decisions involving her were made largely made in consideration to her well-being and feelings rather than consequences.
And it is due to such concern for her well-being that Eriol decided at the wee hours of post-phone call day 2, fuelling his caffeine laden brain with the umpteenth mug of coffee, that there would be no repeat of the blotched cover up _–lying – _attempt.
If ignorance meant bliss, Eriol thought firmly, then to hell with human rights.
Notions of falsification however, evaporated alongside with his conviction when Tomoyo strode into his study a day later, dragging along her travelling case with a sense of false calm.
"Hiiragizawa," her eyes flashed angrily, "What is going on?"
Probably due to Tomoyo's rare, captivating display of temper, concocted stories promptly died on his lips. Resigning to fate, he motioned for her to take a seat.
"You do remember a couple of months back, when you tried to call Sakura repeatedly to enquiry about their honeymoon but was instead told by their housekeeper that she was on some business convention with Li?"
Tomoyo nodded slowly.
"Well they were occupied alright, but not with conventions." Eriol sighed gravely, "That descendent of mine was in coma while Sakura was and still is in depression."
Her body went taut.
"Explain." Tomoyo ordered, unconsciously clenched her fist, "And don't you _dare_ leave anything out."
Like a man possessed, Eriol began to recount the horrors that plagued the Asian countries a couple of months ago.
Tomoyo remained unmoving throughout the entire recollection. Nakuru, who arrived together with Suppi, glanced worriedly at Eriol upon Tomoyo's emotionless visage
"How badly…" her slightly shaky voice was the only indication of the turmoil within, "was my family affected?"
Eriol bit back a curse while Nakuru shook her head violently in the background. He had provided a rather censored explanation of the massacre and time travel, excluding the gore, in order to shield her from the true extent of the killings.
Clow's incarnate replied hesitantly, his field of vision set cast anywhere but her face.
"There… there were no survivors."
There was a harsh intake of breath.
"Show me."
The situation was spinning out of control. To hear an account was one thing. To witness was an entirely differently matter, and Eriol had no desire to reintroduce her to a world of blood, death and mutilated corpses.
"Time travelling is impossible now-"
"You don't need time travelling." Tomoyo injected sharply, "You've witnessed the massacre so showing me your memories of it should be a walk in the park for you _sorcerers _isn't it?"
The derogatory manner in which Tomoyo had hissed out "_sorcerers_" was a greater stab in the heart than Eriol would admit.
Eriol would in time question the stupidity of his reckless decision. Then again, he was never entirely rational with issues regarding Tomoyo.
Perhaps, it was her piercing glare that shattered his restrain.
Phasing out the alarmed reactions by his two guardians, he nodded.
"Brace yourself."
The study started to blur and Tomoyo had precious seconds to steel herself before she was plunged straight into hell.
Tomoyo landed in the charred halls of her manor. The sight alone was enough to send her screaming.
Never had she phantom that her house would be painted red, that beheaded manor staff would strewn across the floor with terror etched permanently on their heads, that her abode would look like something beyond her worse nightmares.
Amidst the storm of emotions, she faintly registered her other self tearing up the stairs. Her perspective, or rather Eriol's point of view, together with Nakuru and Suppi, hurriedafter her double , leaving her gagging as stench of blood and rotting flesh doubled in intensity as they ran.
Should memories not be merely a combination of visual images and sound?
Blood had long soaked the hem of her/his pants, leaving a highly unpleasant feeling on his/her legs.
Damn those sorcerers for having the ability to make illusions feel so real.
A splitting wail momentarily snapped Tomoyo out of her anguish. Dread materialized when the wail increasing in crescendo, as they sped down the corridor of the second level flew, running past charred furnishings and countless wrecked rooms. Her mother, Tomoyo came to a sudden realization as the master bed room emerged, was not spotted in the hall.
"Ka-san!"
Tomoyo stopped breathing when her eyes fell onto her…
_Nonononono her mother was not dead, not charred, not…_
"Ka-san!"
Bordering hysterical, Tomoyo kept yelling at her mother's prone form, long past caring that she was just reliving a memory.
Emotions thrown into chaos, Tomoyo felt greatly suffocated when her mind blanked abruptly, her world spinning mercilessly as she stumbled dangerously.
"Shit," The carnage faded back to the study as strong hands lifted her back to her feet, "Tomoyo, get a hold of yourself."
Wiping the tear streaks with the back of her hand, Tomoyo pried herself from Eriol's hold. Throwing him a watery glare, she grabbed her travelling case with mild disorientation, rushed up the stairs and slammed the door of her room with a bang.
* * *
"**How** is she?"
"Still in a rather bad state Master. Eats minimally. Refuses to speak." Naruku replied, setting the partially eaten dinner set on the kitchen counter, " At least she has stopped crying and calmed down somewhat, although she's still highly depressed.
It had been two days and Tomoyo had not emerged from her room ever since. Her negative reaction towards Eriol's delivery of meals had resulted in Nakuru assuming responsibility.
"She must still be traumatised over the massacre."
Eriol sighed.
"I think it's much more than that."
The situation persisted for two more days before Eriol intercepted the dinner tray from Naruku at the stairway, waving off her concerns airily before he entered Tomoyo's room.
The blank expression he was greeted with was slightly unnerving and for the first time, Eriol wished his girlfriend would react like those women in reel – grabbing anything they could lay their hands on and hurl it along with obscenities in their fit of anger. Not that he fancied such crazed, bitchy reaction, but at least it was predictable and all he had to do was to avoid the trajectories of the flung objects and pacify them when tempers have simmered.
His girlfriend was showing none of RGS, also known as Rabid Girlfriend Syndrome. Tomoyo's expressionless countenance was in stark contrast to the accusing glare three days ago, when she promptly ordered him out of the room.
Taking note of the numerous used tissues that were scattered about and her unkempt locks cascading down her back, Eriol silently placed the tray on a side table, settling down on her bed and risked death by reaching out to hold her palm in a firm grasp.
A couple of tense moments later, dull orbs flickered back to his face, traces of anger seeping rapidly in her gaze.
"If," his potentially-soon-to-be-history girl friend whispered, "I didn't return to Tomoeda, I'll still be kept in the dark isn't it?"
Eriol could only give a muted response.
"Was it because I'm not a sorceress?"
Faced with recrimination, Eriol could not help but feel incredibly weary.
His half daughter was out of commission with a worrisome mental state. His descendent who narrowly escaped death was yet to be at his peak form, telling of the severity of the sorcery induced injuries he received four months back. The Clow incarnate was left to pick up their slack, with their trip back in time leaving him a shitload of damage control to handle. His favourite brand of coffee was out of stock, denying his caffeine deficient brain the energy to meet these problems head on, much less handle a seemingly unreasonable girlfriend.
His reservoir of patience undoubtedly thinned.
"It isn't that." Eriol replied more forcefully than he intended, "We weren't sure how you would take the news. Moreover, should you involve yourself in our world, your safety will be compromised."
"I was involved in Sakura's card capturing days and I emerged fine."
"It isn't all fun and games Tomoyo."
"There was a chance that I could have died and you know it." Tomoyo countered fiercely, "A rogue Clow card would have blasted me to pieces should Sakura not be the centre of it's focus. We were threatened multiple times when you were masterminding all those incidents. Regardless Sakura still included me in her card capturing activities."
"Things are a lot more severe now." Eriol's tightening his hold on her hand in moment of irritation, "You saw the brutal killings for yourself didn't you? Some things are better left unknown."
Tomoyo pulled her hand out of his near bruising grip.
"Brutal or not, I still deserve to know."
"Look Tomoyo-"
"It took me four months and a coincidental visit to discover that one of my best friends was, and still is, in severe depression while the other nearly died!" Tomoyo hissed, interrupting Eriol's equally heated response, "Since when has the distance between us widened till I'm totally excluded from the world of sorcery?"
Gritting his teeth, Eriol forced himself to quell his rising temper. In couple spats, level headedness was often a quickly forgotten virtue.
Admittedly, he was well aware that Tomoyo was upset from the moment he stepped into the room. His attempt to protect had instead resulted in alienation.
"It wasn't my intention to exclude you." Eriol murmured, slightly tilting his head in apology as pent up anger dissipated, "As long it is within my power, I'll include you in the affairs of our world."
Tomoyo did not respond instantly. Instead, she opted to stare at her hands, leading Eriol to wonder if Tomoyo was still angry with him. It was a long while later before she finally raised her head.
Looking at him with unshakable resolve in her eyes, she made a request that left him momentarily shocked.
"I wish to become a sorceress."
"No." Eriol insisted after snapping out from his shock, "Never."
"You said anything within your power. To you sorcerers, anything _is_ within your power."
"Once you become a sorceress, you will be duty bound to uphold the laws of nature. You have to sacrifice your freedoms and prioritize the needs of nature before yours." Clow's incarnate stressed, trying to impress upon her folly of her decision, "You will be forced to make difficult choices and take lives. There'll be blood on your hands."
"My mind is made up."
"No-"
Tomoyo grabbed his collar and jerked him closer, presenting Eriol a faceful of angry tears.
"Only by being a sorceress," Tomoyo bit out in frustration between her tears, "am I assured that I will be kept fully in the loop. Three of you will not be able to hide anything from me _ever_."
In the face of a distraught Tomoyo with her blatant disregard of the notion of killing, it dawned upon Eriol that he had severely underestimated Tomoyo's feelings towards her alienation.
Tomoyo was more than upset. She felt _betrayed_ by the people whom she had placed her faith in.
It was then, when a sobbing Tomoyo released her grip on his collar and buried her face into her pillow, that Eriol realized his decision to exclude her from their affairs was a mistake from the start.
* * *
**Nakuru** looked up from her cooking when she heard Eriol enter the kitchen. A look at his stormy expression and Nakuru knew that things had not gone well.
"Got to be a record for us. Our very first major spat." Eriol sat heavily on the kitchen stool, as he muttered, "I could use some coffee."
His guardian smiled apologetically.
"Your favourite brand is still out of stock. We have sachets of instant coffee mix though. They were giving out samples in the super mart."
Instant mixes were cheap, sugary crap that was a far cry from his usual treat but he still agreed anyway. Beggars could not be choosers after all.
Three cups later, Nakuru finally enquired, with the underlying assumption that the caffeine had kicked in and somewhat sedated her master.
"How did it go?"
There was a moment of silence.
"She wanted to be a sorceress." Eriol sighed audibly as he ran a palm across his face, ignoring Nakuru's stunned look, "And I agreed."
* * *
**Half **a month later, they were gathered at the study once more. Some semblance of normalcy had since flooded back into their lives yet Eriol knew better.
Today was the promised date that Tomoyo was to become a half-blooded sorceress.
Deep down, Clow's incarnate knew it was an outcome that could have been avoided. Should he have included Tomoyo in the loop, the situation would never have spun out of control. He was paying dearly for his moment of folly.
His two guardians who stood grimly behind him had long given up on convincing Tomoyo otherwise. Tomoyo just assured them repeatedly with a bright smile that she knew what she was getting into.
If he was feeling vindictive, Eriol thought, he would have heaped the blame on Suppi for his advice. Fortunately, he was a gracious man with a big heart.
Before they embarked on the ritual proper, Eriol had to explain what she was signing up for.
The existence of full blooded sorcerers or sorceresses, Eriol began, are due to genetics. In return from drawing their sorcery from nature, sorcerers have to safe guard the natural order by adhering to a whole bunch of complex ethics that were at times, quoting Kero's words, _a pain in the ass_.
For instance, kill the bad guys if there are too many of them, but do not interfere with every negative aspect of society for there needs to be a balance of good and bad. Not reviving the dead nor altering time were just the tip of what is considered taboo.
While sorcerers do not suffer from backlash should taboo be committed, they have to pick up the pieces, employ damage control and live with the consequences.
The stronger the sorcerer, the greater the amount of sorcery is permitted to be drawn from nature which translates to an increase responsibility in using their powers and a must to fulfil their duties.
In some ways, Clow's incarnate griped, it is rather annoying to be too powerful. The strongest of sorcerers, having near unlimited access to nature's powers, are always in need of reining their powers in fear of destabilizing the natural order. Killing off an army of thousands in seconds, for example, is a piece of cake yet never performed as repercussions to the environment were uncertain.
In this aspect, it is essential for sorcerers, especially the top tier ones, to fulfil their duty of ensuring natural order as any interruptions with nature equates to disruptions to their source of power.
On the other hand, half-blooded sorcerers or sorceresses, ranked the lowest on the sorcerer food chain, are people who are bestowed upon a fraction of powers from pure blooded sorcerers/sorceresses.
Instead of drawing their powers from nature, half-blooded sorcerers gain an inherent finite reserve of sorcery, of which it has to constantly 'recharge' upon emptying. To half-blooded sorcerers, possessing a medium is a must for two reasons; amplification of sorcery and to generate a force field which delimits the area of which their sorcery is effective.
Still, half-blooded sorcerers are expected to fulfil their duties. Yet the lack of reliance on nature as their power source meant that half-blooded sorcerers enjoy greater autonomy as compared to their pure-blooded counterparts, often pushing boundaries as they roamed the lands freely, shrinking from their supposed responsibilities. History had exhibited cases of half-blooded sorcerers gone deviant, dabbling in stuff like occult rites and bloodbath of the innocents that warranted sanctions –_death-_melted out by the leaders of the sorcerers.
It was the autonomy enjoyed by half-blooded sorcerers enjoyed that Eriol, as a last measure of resort, hoped his girlfriend would exploit; rather her shrinking responsibilities than engaging in a killing spree.
Eriol sighed inwardly as an array lit the ground golden, in preparation for the ritual that took three minute tops.
"You sure about this?" Eriol asked for the thousandth time.
Clutching her beloved video camera, Tomoyo nodded solemnly; well aware that she was making sacrifices that she would in time long for but never regret.
* * *
**Seated** on a velvet seat in the massive waiting room, Tomoyo was undeniably a tad nervous. Eriol, seated to her left, was relishing a fine cup of strong, thick brew.
"Young master and mistress are available to meet honoured guests." A butler by the name of Wang greeted them with reverence, "Please follow me."
The duo nodded and proceeded to follow Wang's lead, stepping into the corridor that was long and vast.
Her maiden visit to the Li manor was undoubtedly an eye opener. Upon stepping into Li's property, she was greeted with manor that was triple the size of her own manor back in Tomoeda, sprawling with plenty of manor staff treating them like royalty, though she was sure that the greater than usual amount of respect showered upon them was due to Eriol being the Li's living ancestor and all.
It left her very much in awe, yet at the same time, illuminated the world Sakura had embedded in for the past couple of years.
While the Li manor staff spoke in measured, reserved tones in a manner not unlike her manor staff in Japan, as one of the most prestigious families in China, the Li manor had an atmosphere way stiffer, more formal, and overly stifling for Tomoyo who was far too used to informality, with just the four of them, and probably an occasional housekeeper or two, lounging in their manor back in England.
Meeting… gaining audience with her two best friends was no longer a simple matter of ringing up the house phone where they could chat for hours. Separating Tomoyo from her two best friends was a huge mansion, a bureaucracy of manor staff and an unforgiving schedule that dictated a rigorous daily agenda, sparing little free time for impromptu visits. Eriol had to freaking _call_ a week in advance to literally 'book' a time slot just to meet her friends.
Polished silver and priceless porcelain that Tomoyo saw along her long walk from the east to west wing merely emphasized what Sakura had given up her simple, carefree life in Tomoeda for.
Large oak doors loomed ten minutes later and Wang gave a couple of polite knocks and pushed them open.
"Young master, young mistress. Your guests have arrived.",Wang announced, bowing before taking his leave.
"Tomoyo-chan. Eriol. It has been a while."
Upon setting her sights on her first best friend that she had not seen for years, Tomoyo was assaulted with past images of Sakura when her smile reached her eyes.
This Sakura, she knew, was a shell of her former self, moving without the boundless energy she used to possess, the former spark in her eyes now smouldered with weariness and buried grief.
Choking down a sob, Tomoyo rushed forward and enveloped her best friend in a tight embrace that startled Sakura momentarily. "Idiot." Tomoyo teared as a wave of emotions swept over, dashing initial decision of avoiding emotional reunions, "You look horrible."
Sakura's orbs widened before relaxing considerably, returning the hug as she gave a tired smile.
"A lot has happened Tomoyo-chan.", Sakura whispered, eyes misting involuntarily, "You look no better yourself."
Xiao Lang beckoned his ancestor to the adjacent room, leaving the women to their own private moment as they held each other and cried.
Eriol, after settling down on a particular comfy chair, decided to embark on his favourite hobby of annoying his descendent.
"How is life, my cute little descendent?"
Xiao Lang twitched at the overused attempt of small talk.
"Could have been better"
_But we aren't in a position to complain._
Eriol, having caught the unspoken message, nodded in understanding
"How long?"
_Straight to the point as usual._
Knowing the couple, they must have detected Tomoyo's newly minted sorceress status the moment she stepped into the Li compound.
"Six months." Eriol replied, "Tried to stop her but Tomoyo insisted. She found out about the massacre coincidentally, demanded to relive the experience and things went downhill from there."
"And here am I thinking that at least one of us would be spared from witnessing the massacre. Nothing good will emerge from witnessing such a tragedy." Xiao Lang paused before continuing quietly, "Sakura hasn't been freed of her demons, and she won't be for a long while."
"Time heals all wounds." Eriol responded sombrely as a measure of comfort, though inwardly, with sobs from the adjacent room gaining in audibility, both knew otherwise.
* * *
**Even **monthsbefore Tomoyo converted into a half-blooded sorceress, she had begun to sacrifice.
The moment Tomoyo relived the massacre, she sacrificed her nights; her dreams plagued with blood, charred bodies and a sea of flames.
Her first few weeks were terrible; waking up screaming and trembling into the arms of her first love in the middle of the night, with Suppi and Nakuru standing worriedly by the door.
Subsequent weeks saw Tomoyo muffling her screams into her pillow to avoid waking the entire household.
Six months onwards, she would just escape her nightmares with a jolt, roll over and wearily long for the nights free of rotting corpses.
The day she drew first blood, she sacrificed her innocence.
Much to Eriol's chagrin, Tomoyo did not indulge in the autonomy that half-blooded sorcerers enjoyed. Rather, she wholeheartedly embraced her responsibilities with an unhealthy passion, upholding the preservation of natural order with thinly veiled intentions of vengeance
Tomoyo was indebted towards Sakura for meddling with time. Though taboo, Sakura had halted the slaughter and spared her family from death. Since both of her best friends were forbidden to interfere with wizarding affairs any longer, Tomoyo would gladly seek revenge on their part.
It was pretty convenient that her residence was situated in England, near the wizarding population where death eaters activity was rife in the nooks and crannies of the city.
Her first kill occurred three months after the ritual, eliminating a death eater with a simple illusory vine through the heart. His counterparts, who entered the dark alley a couple of minutes later, died in a similar fashion.
Tomoyo, perched on the roof of one of the dilapidated buildings, stood unmoving as she stared at her handiwork from a distance, seemingly unperturbed by her kill.
Reality set in a couple of minutes later when the weight of human lives sank in and she promptly collapsed onto her knees, losing grip on her glowing video camera as it was sent skidding carelessly across the ground. The glow from her medium extinguished instantly, effectively cancelling her field of sorcery that she had casted in the area.
Hands shooting to her mouth, Tomoyo shakily leaned against a wall for support as her dinner threatened to escape while desperately trying to stamp out notions that she had became a…a…
_Murderer._
Tomoyo would quickly learn to disregard the lives of villains. After all, the experience of slaying death eaters merely piled gore to her already morbid dreams that would gradually fade off in time to come, only surfacing occasionally as omens of terrible things to come.
She would become numb to repeated killings and with numbness came nonchalance where she could send a bunch of death eaters to the gates of hell without a nary care in the world. When wizards came knocking for help nearly two years later, Tomoyo would have taken a page out of Eriol's book ages ago as she indulged in the thrill of toying with one's prey all while experimenting creative ways to break her enemy.
But the first of anything was a challenge, much less killing. Currently though, once the wave of nausea subsided, she wrapped her arms round Eriol and buried her face into his chest.
"Tomoyo. It doesn't have to be like this." Clow's incarnate whispered, his frame wrought with tension as his hand ran through her silky locks, "I can get rid of them easily on your behalf. There is no need for you to stain your hands."
Tomoyo shook her head, well aware that only by entrenching herself deeply into such affairs would she be able to stamp out the betrayal she had felt three months back. Struggling visibly to quell the trembles that coursed through her body, the half blooded sorceress's muffed reply instantly basked Eriol in a sea of guilt.
"I will not be left out ever again."
* * *
**Present**
* * *
**Turnout **was huge that night, Tomoyo noted, as a bunch of approximately thirty death eaters tensed in preparation in attempt to besiege her from all sides.
The first of the many volleys of non-verbal spells smashed into her erected barrier, ricocheting like deflected bullets into thick trunks and limbs of a couple of death eaters who had the honour of being the first casualties just a couple of minutes into the attack.
Tomoyo's previous encounter with death eater's "upgraded" wand cautioned her to re-enforce defence with increased volumes of sorcery. Her strengthened barrier ensured no breaches in her defence and that was a splendid thing. She would undoubtedly be irked if, god forbid, another stray spell creates an unsightly hole in her outfit like the last time around.
Spells kept ricocheting off the barrier in a blur of colours but the death eaters made no move to step out into the clearing, opting instead to remain clothed in the darkness among the foliage for safety.
Admittedly, it was a little intimidating to stare into almost utter pitch blackness where strained dilated pupils tried to detect movement among the leaves. Perched on this slab of rock in the only forest clearing which was illuminated by gentle moon beams akin to being held in the spotlight as a clear target for her enemies.
But sorcery does have enormous perks and while Tomoyo was not that adept in her sensory abilities, sensing a bunch of unrestrained auras was a piece of cake.
_Twenty-nine… Thirty death eaters within a kilometre of this clearing. Well I don't know why they are stalling for time but it's wise if I strike first._
The sudden glow of her video camera was accompanied by anguished screams seconds later.
Parting of forest grounds was one of those types of illusions that was not often cast for death was painfully quick for her enemies, taking away the fun in messing around with them. But it was sure effective in clearing masses of enemies. The terror of falling into the opened ground, pummelling endlessly into the depths of the earth was enough to finish off a good number of lesser beings.
Sounds of cracking followed soon after and the last of cries gave way to graveyard silence.
For those that are still miraculously alive, the closing of parted grounds served as the nail to their coffin, literally.
Being sandwiched between two walls of earth would result in smashed skeletons, though Tomoyo would not be able to witness the state of deformity if she happen to stumble upon one of the many death eater corpses on her trek back to Hogwarts. Should illumination be miraculously filtered through the thick canopy, the masked corpses would just look flatter than usual.
Flicking her tresses over her shoulder, Tomoyo dispelled her shield and hopped off from her seated position. Another day's work done and it was back to the waiting game.
While the enemy finally realised that something was amiss when death eaters planted in Hogwarts were uncontactable, sending a bunch of shrimps over was a waste of their resources and her time.
Small fries equated to useless source of information. Moreover, being low down on the death eater's food chain, Tomoyo at times felt like some pest exterminator for the ridiculous ease of exterminating them felt like a …trap.
Had Tomoyo ducked a second later, she would have been decapitated by slicing spell. Her hair was not spared though as the spell mercilessly cleaved a portion of her locks, clumps of silky, black strands which littered forest grounds.
A volley of spells came from three directions, shattering her hastily summoned shield within quarter of a minute. Another slicing spell nicked her deep into her left arm as she was forced to avoid the more lethal forbidden spells.
Hissing softly, she held her video camera tightly in her right grip, simultaneously summoning an illusion of light and her strongest shield to date.
Her shield held, though it took great effort to repel those spells. The sudden burst of light disorientated her enemies, providing her precious split seconds to locate their positions. While illuminating a portion of the forbidden forest at night was just asking for unwanted attention, visibility of her enemies' positions evened out the odds stacked against her.
The vicinity was as bright as day and the enemies' positions were easily spotted. Despite the pinch she was in, Tomoyo could not resist a satisfied smirk.
The waiting game was over. Big fish came knocking..
Three death eaters, whom were callously named by Tomoyo as _Tall, Lean _and _Stout_, stepped into full view as they emerged from their hidden positions. From their demeanour, it seemed that they were the ones eyeing their prey
Ultimately, the question of who is the big fish was those who survive.
As simple as that.
"Impressive." Tomoyo said, fingering her ruined locks, "But don't think you lot can leave this place alive after hacking off my hair."
The trio stayed did not reply, as if deliberating to provide a response. Moments later, _Tall _stepped forward.
"By order of the Dark Lord, we are to exterminate the sorcerers who have been ambushing our forces at Hogwarts." Masked countenance tilting towards the ball of light hovering above the clearing, _Tall_ continued his droning, "The reports were accurate after all. The forbidden forest houses a sorceress whose illusions have real consequences."
"Ara… someone has been leaking information about me."
_A spy who has connections to both Dumbledore and the snake._
_Definitely Severus Snape._
"In addition," _Tall _ploughed on, ignoring Tomoyo's comment, " reports have stated that her shield is impossible to breach."
Tomoyo knew that _Tall_ was smirking beneath that damned mask of his.
"We're going to prove that these obstacles aren't as insurmountable as previously though."
A strange symbol appeared on the forested grounds of the clearing and Tomoyo inwardly cursed for not realising her enemies' motives earlier. Eriol had previously explained the uses of a land array and from what she could briefly recall, a land array was usually cast by a large number of weak magical users in order to achieve large magical prowess/damage to the environment the land array was cast upon.
Due to its destructive capabilities, preparation of a land array needed time. The thirty lesser death eaters were not sacrificed needlessly. They were attempting to distract her as they weaved spells into the forest grounds. The trio merely hid their presence while their minions did the dirty work.
Deep rumbling beneath Tomoyo's feet warned her of the likelihood of forest grounds caving in. Video camera glowing, Tomoyo's attempt to transport herself failed abruptly when the array shone brighter and she found her face forcefully in contact with the rumbling forest ground.
The pressure mounting on her was crushing which consequently, revealed their intentions instantly.
A gravity array was used to limit mobility and prevent her from escaping. The pressure from the array would subsequently force the forest ground to collapse. Amidst her plunge to death, Tomoyo's concentration would undoubtly falter thus unable to sustain her shield, providing an opportunity for some destructive spell to be cast into the hole, ultimately sealing her fate in the depths of the forbidden forest.
_I've to give it to them._ Tomoyo thought despite her precarious situation. _The moment I lose grip on my video camera,, it's the end for me._
Pain had been accumulating within her chest for quite some time now, making breathing increasingly difficult and disrupting her concentration in ensuring the flow of her sorcery. Biting her lip, she stubbornly clung onto her video camera in an effort to sustain her already faltering shield.
Between her painful gasps for air, Tomoyo saw _Tall's _wand pointing towards the hovering ball of light.
"To break out of an illusion, we just need to be aware that we are caught in it." _Tall's_ voice was a near whisper as compared to the deafening ring of her eardrums. "The rest merely relies on a powerful spell."
A blue spell erupted from the end of his wand and collided with the ball of light in a shower of sparkles, plunging the forest into instant darkness.
Brain registering that her illusions were actually dispelled, Tomoyo felt the ground beneath her quake violently before caving in, taking her along for the ride into spiralling abyss.
Tomoyo forgot to breathe as the howl of rushing wind accompanied her free fall while her buried conscience reared its ugly head as she relived the same terror that the thirty death eaters had experienced earlier on.
* * *
**Simultaneously **muttering incantations, spells burst from the ends of wands and sped towards the bottomless pit in the clearing.
The three remaining death eaters watched dispassionately as flames erupted from the pit, devouring undergrowth at the edges instantly.
"Keep your guard up and stick together." _Tall _cautioned as he turned away from the flaming pit and started to plough the thick vegetation, "There might be a chance that she is still alive. If you find anything amiss, do not hesitate to cast the dispelling spell."
Grunts of acknowledgements from his companions spurred _Tall_ to continue his lead out of the forbidden forest. As they departed further from the flaming pit, limited illumination from the flames gradually gave way to zero visibility. Ploughing through the forest then solely relied on their keen sense of hearing and touch.
Fifteen minutes later, when the noisy shoving of vegetation behind him rapidly faded into silence,_ Tall _wasted no time in brandishing his wand to cast a dispelling spell.
_Tall _furrowed his brows.
There was no shift in the air which indicated the dissolving of an illusion.
_There's no illusion? It doesn't make sense that they will lose their way._
_Tall _strained his ears, attempting to pick out any strange movements around him.
The forest laid still.
_Tall _flicked his wand with a hint of impatience.
"Lumos."
He merely had the briefest of seconds to stumble back in horror at the smiling visage just inches away from his face before his wand snapped into half. Pain shot through his body instantly, causing him to bend over as blood was coughed up.
Ripping off his mask to prevent him from drowning in his own blood, _Tall_ realised as he convulsed and crashed onto the forest grounds, was a futile gesture.
Death was imminent from the start.
* * *
**Half** a dozen repeats of the dispelling spell later, _Lean _was forced to acknowledge that there were no illusions. But that did not explain the mysterious disappearance of his two companions.
Nor that sound of scorning laughter.
"Show yourself Bitch!."
He was a brilliant strategist but temper was a problem for _Lean_ often dived into the reckless flow of things with emotions running high. His companions had mentioned it repeatedly, subordinates gossiped about it. Hell, even the Dark Lord spat it into his face, as the dark lord's heel grinded into his bruised cheek, after multiple rounds of Cruciatus torture for a blotched attack due to his hot-headedness.
Gears in his brain whirling at speeds faster than many other dumber death eaters, _Lean_ had a strong, nagging feeling that he was trapped in an illusion which was unable to be dispelled; a hypothesis that was absolute garbage against the infallible claims of the latest batch of upgraded wands.
But his temper – it's always his temper – got in the way in formulating proper rational strategies and that incessant giggling just had to grate on his thinning patience.
The sound of movement among the leaves caught his attention and a forbidden curse was bellowed in an instant. Inwardly swearing about the inability of simultaneously casting a _Lumos _and forbidden spell together, _Lean_ lit a couple of bushes on fire for some _damned _light.
The initial, weak glow from the bush fires did little to provide illumination beyond a metre radius. _Lean_ trudged cautiously but urgently as the need to eradicate that bitch quickly before the birth of a full blown forest fire became apparent.
It was then that _Lean _stepped onto something… familiar, something he, as a mass murderer, recognised instantly.
"Oh hell."
It was a corpse.
More specifically, a corpse of a fellow death eater… who was probably killed in his reckless attack earlier on.
Panicking at the prospect of harsh punishment should the higher ups be made aware of collateral damage on his part, _Lean_ began to churn out plans for a cover up when death eaters started popping up in random places, silver masks reflecting the illumination from the flames.
Eyeing the corpse by his feet, _Lean_ felt rather stupid for getting duped by an illusion.
"Ara?" That accursed voice spoke between laughter, "Death eater-san got tricked?"
Incensed, _Lean_ whipped out his wand, a destructive spell at his lips. If this illusion could not be dispelled, he was just going to break out of this hell hole through sheer force.
Said illusions were realistic and he constantly reminded himself that death eaters popping randomly were illusions, not comrades. Sickening crack of the bone or the cries eerily resembled those who died by his wand.
"Wha-"
"Wait-"
"Stop-"
" Argh-"
_Lean _onslaught ended minutes later. Tossing his head up, he yelled at nowhere in particular..
"Show yourself! I will #$%^& kill you!"
Again, that damning laughter.
Irked, _Lean _was prepared to start another round of mindless firing spells when he discovered, much to his disdain, that his wand was contorting into some foreign object. Cursing violently, he tried to fling that abomination away, only to see his hand moving against his will, raising that abomination to the side of his temple.
"Kill me?" That voice turned harsh and biting, "You should save yourself first _wizard._"
"What the hell is this?", _Lean _yelled as the abomination pressed hard against his temple.
"That, my arrogant and ignorant pureblood wizard, is a piece of muggle technology commonly known as a gun. That contraption alone is enough to send you to hell."
His thumb began to jerk, pulling back the hammer of the gun as _Lean _struggled to rid of the gun to no avail. Regardless of how he forced or willed, his traitorous index finger involuntarily settled on the trigger and proceeded to pull it in an agonizingly slow fashion that killed his nerves, with every creak of the spring's tension signalling another inch closer to death.
All his life as an atheist, _Lean_ solely placed his faith in his Dark Lord, eager for a blood revolution. But at the cross straits of life and death, he desperately prayed for a miracle.
His miracle came in the form of a blue flash that smashed into _Lean's_ controlled limb, effectively knocking _Lean_ off his feet as the gun flew many feet away, hidden in the thick undergrowth. Moments later, his companion _Stout _emerged from the thick foliage, his wand highly visible despite the weak illumination.
"I've managed to release you from the illusion that she had trapped you in. We are playing into that sorceress's hands and there no telling when she would strike again. It's unfortunate but we have to retreat."
Nodding numbly, _Lean_ steadied his rapid breathing, flexing his hand to assure the regained control over his limbs.
"Shit," _Lean_ cursed as he plunged his hands blindly into the surrounding undergrowth, "I lost my wand."
"We have to return to the head quarters for a replacement-"
"Avada Kedavra!"
Startled, _Stout _dove to his right, narrowly evaded the killing curse. He was not spared, however, by the expelliarmus charm that came seconds later, sending him crashing into a nearby tree with a grunt. The bulky figure of _Stout_ faded away, revealing a battered looking Tomoyo.
Despite the sharp pain that shot through her back, Tomoyo smiled through bloodied lips, voicing her surprise at the turn of events.
"I see you are not that stupid."
"One, that fat companion of mine curses even more than I do. Two, orders were to eliminate you at all cost before joining the coming attack."
_Attack?_
"Besides, all death eaters carry spare wands." _Lean _sneered, unaware of the information slip, "You should have killed me when you trapped me in your illusions."
_Good. A talkative death eater._
"Indeed, I might have played around too much." Tomoyo stood up shakily and tried to discreetly distance herself from her enemy as she stalled for time, "But it can't be helped. I need information and you happen to be the only source."
"What have you _done _to them bitch?"
"What have I done? Though I did eliminate the tall one, you killed that stout fellow in
your killing frenzy earlier on."
Moments later, when _Lean_ charged towards her, seething with rage, it dawned upon Tomoyo that deliberately riling a tensed animal was a terrible, terrible idea.
Fuelled by rage, he charged towards her- wand raised while bellowing incantations- at a speed way faster than her response time and Tomoyo only had time to raise her glowing video camera by reflex before she was slammed forcefully into a tree while her medium blew up in a shower of smoking camera parts.
Gasping for air, she clawed the massive hand that clamped her neck in a vice grip. His thumb viciously dug into an artery, sending her world into an explosion of pain.
"I won't kill you immediately." _Lean's_ smile turned bloodthirsty behind his mask as he wantonly enjoyed her strangled cries of distress, "I'll make you suffer slowly for all the shit that you have put me through. Trust me, you will be begging me to kill you when done with you."
Her struggling became progressively weaker as her eyes glazed over, arms eventually falling limply to her sides.
"It won't do for you to die that quickly." _Lean_ smirked viciously,forcing the tip of his spare wand hard into her throat. "Lets start with the Cruciatus curse to jolt you awake shall we? Plus, it will be such a waste to scar your pretty face-"
"Bang!"
Howling in pain, _Lean_ released his death grip on Tomoyo in favour of clutching his stomach, where pain was concentrated and searing. Another explosive noise sent him tumbling backwards with a yell, wand cluttered uselessly onto the ground as his right hand gripping his bleeding left shoulder.
Coughing violently, the half-blooded sorceress rose unsteadily to her feet and stumbled towards his discarded wand, left hand shooting towards her abused throat with a grimace. Holding one end of the wand as leverage, she stepped on the wand and broke it using her body weight with much difficulty before throwing it into the raging bush fire that _Lean _had created.
Incidentally, the illumination from the bush fire revealed a glinting piece of metal partially hidden in her sleeves. _Lean's_ eyes widened in recognition at the gun held in her right.
"How…" _Lean _hissed, the bullets lodging in his joints sending another wave of agony throughout his body, "That gun was an illusion."
"Do-" Tomoyo coughed, her throat sending spasms of irritation before continuing with her voice hoarse, "Do you think I will be that stupid to keep using mere illusions when my enemy knows how to counter it? Not only do my illusions have real consequences, they can be _very_ real as well. All this while, I have been using standards illusions and real illusions interchangeably to screw around with your senses."
Smirking mirthlessly, Tomoyo gently caressed her raised gun.
"This is a real gun permanently forged from your wand. So regardless of my video camera being destroyed, this gun still exists to blow your brains out."
_Lean_ froze when her expression turned bloodthirsty.
"I've been aiming for your head but since I'm new at this, I keep missing your head."
Tomoyo limped forward as she pulled the hammer back. Ripping off _Lean's _mask, she pressed the barrel of the gun against his forehead with an innocuously pleasant smile.
"But at point blank range, there is no way I can miss."
Snapping out from his shock with a panicked yell, _Lean's _right hand shot up to dislodge the gun from his forehead when Tomoyo ruthlessly pulled the trigger.
The gunshot echoed throughout the silent forest.
* * *
**Panting **heavily, Tomoyo dragged herself away from the body and proceeded to empty the contents of her stomach by an unfortunate tree.
When Tomoyo was undergoing the _getting-used-to-killing _phase nearly two years ago, she discovered that the fastest way to avoid killings weighing on her conscience was to avoid witnessing the demise of her victims in detail. As such, killings were usually done from a distance. In the event where closed combat was inevitable, casualties often ended with minimal external mutilation.
_Lean's _death was ugly.
The permanent etching of terror on _Lean's _countenance in death, together with the visibility of splayed blood and brain matter, raked up deep memories of the carnage at her manor, causing her to be horribly ill.
Nightmares would undoubtly rear its' head for a week or two. Then again, what's two weeks when she had endured months of such nights?
It was a blessing in disguise actually, Tomoyo mused as another wave of nausea struck, for reoccurring nightmares. Her humanity, it seemed, had not been entirely forsaken.
Wincing as she attempted to raise her aching arms to no avail, Tomoyo decided to check the injuries she had sustained.
Needless to say, she sustained multiple lacerations and deep wounds that were still bleeding. Her back stung badly… probably pulled a couple of muscles. She gingerly felt swollen left wrist, inwardly thankful that it was not broken.
Her throat hurt like hell - a result of _Lean's _attempted asphyxiation.
Hissing lightly as she lightly prodded her throat, Tomoyo winced at the bruises that would definitely surface the next day. With evidence of strangling, she would not be able to lie her way out.
Eriol would not be happy.
The gun in her palm felt too heavy to lift. Her hand was still shaking… hell her entire body had not ceased trembling from her near death experiences
The ambush by that three death eaters was such a close shave. Momentarily stunned as she plunged, Tomoyo feared that she was really going to die there and then, where the soil would cave in and condemn her to rot at the bottom of the forbidden forest.
The intense heat from the burst of flame that came thereafter snapped her out of her stupor, in which she quickly transported to safety before the flames engulfed her. It was a miracle that she still held strongly onto her video camera
Regardless, the bottom of her coat had been fried into tatters while the hem of her dress had burnt right off. Stockings were definite goners. The third degree burns on portions of her limbs were testament to Tomoyo's close brush with death.
She took too many risks and they backfired on her, leaving her in a rather miserable state with injuries, destroyed medium and emptied sorcery reserves.
Technically speaking, she was able to cast her illusions and remain in Hogwarts in another month or so, should situations of enemy small fries persist.
What she did not expect was the ability for death eaters to use their brains and strategize. Granted, death eaters higher up on the food chain must mean something in terms of intellect and ability but the past month of snuffing out dumb death eaters had created a certain stereotype.
Caught unaware, she was forced to fight tooth and nail for survival, resorting to real illusions instead of her standard illusions to turn the tables against her enemies.
There was obviously a reason for preferring the latter to the former. Making illusions real -creating something out of nothing- required a whole lot of sorcery that was many folds more than casting standard illusion which had the same effect.
In addition, sorcery expenditure increases with the scalability of real illusions.
Materializing a small house or a hut would deplete a massive chunk of her reserves. A mansion would probably empty her entire reserves and put her out of commission for days. Fulfilling a childhood fantasy in creating a castle, with re-enforced fortress, the works and all would take several lifetimes.
Unsurprisingly, Tomoyo fell prey to the weakness of all half-blooded sorcerers- limited sorcery reserves. Reckless usage of sorcery, together with past months of casting daily illusions over Hogwarts, rendered her reserves barren.
Not a single drop of sorcery left. Her destroyed video camera just dampened her soured mood further.
Without sorcery, the soon-to-be-forest fire could not be extinguished. She could only hope that Hogwart's remaining teaching staff would notice before the forbidden forest was razed to the ground.
Tomoyo sighed as she surveyed her plight. Without sorcery, it would take her an hour to navigate out of the forest, vulnerable to all the monstrous plants and creatures residing within it.
_It isn't going to be that easy._ Tomoyo thought as another tremor coursed through her body. It hurt just to breathe, much less walk out of the forest.
Another problem would be presented upon reaching Hogwarts. While flocking about in Hogwarts as Tomoyo Daijoji rather than her usual guise would be troublesome, the problem was Eriol, not her inability to disguise herself well without sorcery in Hogwarts.
Recuperation and restoration of her sorcery reserves would take weeks. With the severity of her wounds and knowing how exhaustion of sorcery leaves her in a sickly state, it was going to be a few long, dreaded weeks.
Nursing her wounds or at least disguising them was essential to avoid Eriol going ballistic. She would then have to cough up an excuse for failing to return back to his manor at daybreak, the promised time approaching in another couple of hours.
It was the third day into"#$%^&* training from hell", as Ron had vulgarly termed it after slamming a particular sharp edge of an antique table for the tenth time, for the wizards at the Li manor. A couple of them, mainly from Meiling's group, had graduated and were back in the wizarding world, probably darkly cursing the sorcerers for the torment they underwent while carrying on with their daily lives.
After ensuring that the training was undergoing smoothly, Eriol and Tomoyo left the Li Manor on the second day. After saying farewell to his old coot of a friend, he summoned a portal back to his manor in England, leaving behind a scene of destruction and swearing wizards in courtesy of the two rabid soft toys.
Tomoyo wanted to return to Hogwarts for her usual activity of death eater poaching. Eriol, on the other hand, was rather hesitant. The wands of death eaters have apparently upgraded to a level where spells could penetrate her shield. For a mere wizard to breach the defence of a sorceress, half-blooded or not, was worrying and thus the emergence of his protective tendencies, paranoid or not, was fully warranted.
Eventually, they reached a compromise that was heavily tilted in Tomoyo's favour. Her night activity would persist but instead of residing at Hogwarts like she usually did in the past, she had to return to the manor by day break.
_Day break my ass. He is going to be soooo pissed with me._
She would just have to placate an irate Eriol through their mindlink on why she did not even have sorcery to summon a portal back to his manor.
Heck, Tomoyo thought glumly as she started her journey back to Hogwarts, her medium was in pieces. Sorcery or not, she still would not be able to summon the portal.
Three steps were taken before Tomoyo's legs failed her, sending her crashing painfully to the forest ground.
It was her legs, Tomoyo would come to realize later, that saved her when the upper portion of tree positioned beside her, where her head originally was, burst into splinters
Adrenaline rushed through her veins, Tomoyo stared about wildly as she struggle to stand, wooden splinters raining upon her.
She saw a red flash was speeding straight towards her but her lethargic body was in no condition to duck. Spell inevitably colliding into her, Tomoyo was blown off her feet and smashed onto the ground with her left arm body taking the brunt of her fall.
Upon hearing an audible 'crack', Tomoyo instantly knew that her left arm was a goner. She could only bite her lip to prevent herself from crying out as a burning sensation consumed her fractured left.
She _knew_, she just _knew_ it was that Stout death eater. Call it a hunch, woman's intuition or whatsoever… here was one thing she had learnt from her battle with death earlier on.
If you don't personally make the kill, your enemy will live to haunt you.
_Tall _and_ Lean's _blood were on her hands. _Stout _was supposed to be killed in _Lean's _killing frenzy.
She should have known better.
_Stout, _apparently, had learnt the same lesson.
Instead of casting a killing curse from afar that might not determine her death, _Stout_ opted to emerge from his hidden spot and go for the kill.
The night seemed out to get her.
Staring at _Stout _rapidly approaching figure with wide frozen eyes was seriously one of the most terrifying and helpless experiences in her life. Reliving the massacre was a first. Anticipating a bulky monster head on _without_ sorcery and able-body capability came as a fast second.
As _Stout _closed in, bellowing the beginnings of an incantation that would ensured her a brutal and messy death, Tomoyo instincts, in spite of the terrible condition of her body, screamed at her to _runmovedodgescramscramscram_ !
Paralyzed to the spot in terror, Tomoyo screamed through her mindlink in desperation.
_Anata!_
The forest ground rumbled for a split second, throwing _Stout _into disorientation, before a tsunami of sorcery inundated the forest, sending _Stout _to his knees. Another rumble saw a mass golden glow peeking through the undergrowth, forming the sun array.
Smoke was gushing beneath _Stout's _mask and cloak as he yelled and tumbled in pain. The flesh from his hands, Tomoyo discovered in horror, was melting, revealing his skeletal frame as chunks of flesh fell off.
If possible, sorcery that flooded the forest further thickened and Tomoyo began to have trouble breathing. From the portal, formed at the centre of the array, emerged Eriol with his robes billowing and a countenance contorted in fury.
Slamming his staff onto the forest ground with a growl, the array shone even brighter. _Stout _gave a final scream of agony before exploding into pieces.
Ignoring the splatter of blood and flesh on his summoned shield, Eriol turned and towards Tomoyo, eyes flaring in rage as he noted the extent of her injuries
"We are going to get you patched up."
A pale face Tomoyo numbly nodded, not trusting herself to even speak a coherent sentence. Shaking badly, she gladly accepted his embrace, disregarding the sharp pain from her wounds as she clutched onto his cloak like a lifeline, left arm hanging at an odd angle.
"There…"Tomoyo said when her vocal facilities manage to function again, "There is going to be an attack on Hogwarts."
"I'll inform Sakura and Xiao Lang about it."
"When I have recuperated, I _will_ join them in their counter attack."
"Let Sakura and Xiao Lang handle it." Eriol coaxed soothingly yet firmly, "You have done your part."
Despite her immense relief and gratitude towards the Clow incarnate, she could not help but feel the bitterness from the past creeping in. Tomoyo shook her head weakly and repeated the very same words that she had proclaimed years ago before surrendering to darkness.
"I will not be left out ever again."
**End of chapter 13**
**~tbc~**
For readers who are really confused over the flow of events, I've created a timeline for you guys! Made it in a table form but apparently it did not turn out as such
**Time after massacre (Estimated)**
**Events**
**3 days**
-Sakura and co altered time
-Xiao Lang near death
-Eriol detected and informed of time alteration
**10 days**
-Xiao Lang awakens
-Sakura falls into depression
**4 months**
-Tomoyo found out about massacre
**4.5 months**
-Tomoyo converted to a half-blooded sorcereress.
-Starts basic sorcery training from Eriol. Focused solely on illusions.
**6 months**
Sakura snaps out of depression
**7.5 months**
Tomoyo's first kill
**10.5 months**
Visit to Li Manor
**30 months (2.5 yrs)**
Wizards come knocking
Some of you may ask 'since Tomoyo's first kill came before before her visit to Li Manor, shouldn't the paragraphs in the chappie be swopped for more consistency?' This is an exception.
And for some readers who actually read this chapter so into detail and demands for a break down of the type of illusions that Tomoyo had used for her counter attack.
**Event /Type of illusion **
Separation of death eaters - **Real**
Killing of _Tall_ - **Real**
Death eaters surrounding _Lean -_**Real**
Controlling _Leans's _movements - **Real**
Transforming _Lean's _wand into a gun - **Real**
Tomoyo as _Stout_ - **Illusion **– if she physically changed into _Stout_, it will be disturbing.
Those who are irked by _Lean_ being an atheist (as you know, stuff about engaging in such vile deeds & looking up to the Dark Lord = occult activities or wads not), **please** do not start a philosophical debate about religion and evil. While I love to study about religion being a sociology student and all, **is not** the place to fight over such stuff. It is already bad enough when ppl beat each other up in youtube.
Yes, this chapter is on Tomoyo and a lil about Eriol. The focus on the following chapters will surely be on Sakura and Xiao Lang.
**Authors notes:**
After writing this chapter, I'm reminded why I take so damn long to update a single damn chappie. God the language, it is seriously sucking my soul. It's difficult to phrase and word the scenes properly in order to convey the proper emotion. Esp the angsty parts. Urgh. Rather action and humour scenes to angst anytime! Scenes on Kero are the easiest to write.
I have to impress upon you guys the amount of work I have and the speed I actually complete them. I have internships and a shitload of academic essays to complete. An essay in which my friends can finish within three days, has to undergo at least a month of combined planning and writing through me. This semester I had 6/7. Coming semester, I will probably have 8 (I really hope not) with internship.
So if under time pressure, my essay writing speed takes months, lets not talk about fan fiction for leisure.
Some of you may ask, "Since theres like 4/5 chapters left, does it mean that **I have to wait for 4/5 years for the damn fic to complete?**" In another half a year, I'll be on my final year project and then to the working world, while I'm unsure about projected timeline, the next chapter will definitely take a year.
Worse still, I'm thinking of writing bleach fics – a one shot entitled _duty_ (Hitsugaya centric) and a BleachHP multi chapter fic _Fated Thrice _(Hitsugaya, Matsumoto, Ikkaku and Yumichika). The plots will be good but I know I can't write them fast so I'm not even starting on them.
There is simply too much work and I'm an insanely slow writer. Abandonment of this fic is a NONONONO!
But once again, I would like to thank all who are loyal my fic. I really appreciate it and as you can see, my chapters are getting longer. This chapter by far went beyond 13K. The next chapter, like any other chapter, will be action packed and filled with twists in the plot, as usual.
Lastly, a gentle reminder that English is my first language. Chinese is my mother tongue and second language.
**Please REVIEW!**
14. Chapter 14
_1/1/12: When this chappie was at 80% completion, I was plagued by health issues. At 93% completion, these health issues took a toll on my mind and mental frailty was evident. I really did not have the will nor the attention to type. As I am typing the final parts of this chapter, my mind is still distracted by pain and numbness, thoroughly fogged by lethargy from the lack of weeks of restful sleep, clogged up by the big 'What Ifs'…_
**This chapter comprises of chapters 13 and 14, labelled Finale part 1 and 2 respectively. I've trimmed chapter 13 to 60% of its original length to exclude the redundant parts.**
* * *
Finale – Part 1
* * *
**Dark** was a wildcard in her deck.
Sakura was well aware of this fact even during her card capturing days, when the said card proved difficult to tame, only converting it into a Sakura card with combined effort of Xiao Lang and her guardians.
Come to think about it, all her cards were wildcards with varying degrees of rebelliousness.
Her cards were servants bestowed upon her by the Natural Order. While they were loyal to her, Sakura knew that loyalty among the more powerful and temperamental cards were based on her worth as a powerful mistress, with the ability to exercise authority and control. At the sign of weakness, alongside with waning control over them, Sakura had no doubt that her cards would run amok.
The first to go would definitely be Dark, of which Light would be introduced to the path of deviance. Elemental cards, in degree of rebelliousness, would follow thereafter. The weaker cards would be the last to part with great reluctance, under the influence of the stronger cards.
Without a mistress, these uncontrollable cards would spread havoc in the real world. Her void card was a shining example.
The bottom line was very clear – the sustenance of rational judgement and unshakable will in all situations was essential in reining supremacy over her cards.
Negative emotions were the trigger. As the embodiment of negativity, such emotions fuels Dark prowess and would channel her mental frailty into a downward spiral. The influence of Dark would inundate her heart, turning her into a puppet of her servant, resulting in an eventual loss of control over her cards.
Unlike the Lis who underwent strict training and socialization from young to ensure steeled wills and unflappable attitudes, it was impossible to stifle her negative emotions entirely.
This was probably why she almost lost herself to Dark after her trip back in time. That bout of depression would have tipped her over the edge if not for Xiao Lang's intervention. Since then, Sakura had, as far as possible, tried to actively keep negativity at bay.
Lately however, she could feel the stirrings of negative emotions from the depths of her heart. It was forgivable as her emotions had been erratic since the day wizards popped up on her radar. It was only recently that the unrest in her mind continued to persist despite her best efforts to quell them through meditation.
As a result, Dark was starting to act up lately and Sakura had to employ measures – she would use Light as a powerful equal to suppress Dark's threat.
She found herself in one of the training rooms, with strict orders to Xiao Yu to prevent entry under any circumstances. Seated in the middle of her star array, all her cards enclosed her in a large, glowing circle.
Light hovered above her like a bright star, while Dark was suspended before her, its usual pink aura pulsed tainted a tinge of black.
"Dark," Sakura firmly addressed the card with narrowed eyes. "Desist at once."
Her card pulsated rebelliously. She could hear those same whispers becoming more pronounced… tempting her to the dark side, urging her into death and destruction.
Orbs chilled, Sakura gave her final warning, underlying threat evident in her voice.
"**Dark**."
Dark pulsated once more before tendrils of light erased the taint.
The dark whispers faded.
* * *
**Training** ended two days ago with resounding success, according to Kero and Suppi. As of halfway through the tabulation their damage count, Suppi stood in the lead of a hundred and twenty-two wizarding hits plus a four-wizard KO combo chain as special mention.
Even Kero grudgingly admitted that Suppi's move of sending four airborne wizards into a concussed pile was pretty spectacular.
"You freakin'nutcases!" George yelled deliriously towards the duo perched on the chandelier, engaged in heated argument over their kills. "I'll get you guys for this! You hear me?"
With that proclamation, George turned abruptly to stalk out of the hell zone, only to ram his face against a hard surface and promptly passed out, leaving teeth marks on a teak door that was worth more than his entire family fortune.
His corpse was held by the leg and dragged towards the portkey by his equally battered twin brother, the last of the wizards who actually bothered to lurk about to air their grievances – swear vehemently - about graduation of Eriol-sama's training course - the rest of the Order members escaped via portkey the minute they were let off the hook.
Xiao Lang looked highly unimpressed at the wrecked door. In display of magnanimity however, he decided not to press charges and bankrupt the entire Weasley family.
Such success however, did little to alleviate Sakura's mood as when she met Clow's incarnation in the guest lounge.
"How is Tomoyo?"
"She has been sleeping for four days straight. Nakuru is going nuts over her. She has sustained quite a fair bit of injuries that require time to heal," he replied, expression darkening by the minute.
Being a half-blooded sorceress might give her a boost in healing capabilities but her wounds sustained this time round was not to be taken lightly.
"She is however," Eriol added, "insistent on joining the war."
The card mistress felt a rare surge of anger directed at Tomoyo's stubborn nature.
"You need not worry about Tomoyo. Nakuru will strap her to the bed if need be. We have pressing matters to deal with."
Eriol handled her a deatheater's wand that he had pocketed when he left the Forbidden forest with an injured Tomoyo in tow. Sakura studied the wooden rod lying innocuously on her palm and her orbs widened inexplicably, before looking at her half-father in shock.
"Wha-"
"Voldemort has gone too far," Eriol replied solemnly. "The natural order will be unsettled if nothing is done."
* * *
**War**, Ron realised, was utterly horrifying. As far as he was concerned, glorifying accounts of battle by historians were bullshit.
They were plunged into battle without much warning. He was just griping to his friends over dinner about how Kero and Suppi were such utter assholes when the siren of impending attack resounded throughout the castle like death knelt to their ears. Ron had choked onto his soup while the Order members sprang into action.
Students were evacuated and battle plans were kicked into motion. It was reported that a whole hoard of Death Eaters were mounting an attack on Hogwarts in less than ten minutes. An urgent message was sent to the Ministry for backup. Both his parents were not around to stop the younger Order members from joining the battle.
They were all fired up as they marched towards the battlefield, apprehensive but determined.
And now here he was fighting for his life.
Well technically, he was defending Hogwarts, fighting against the takeover of the wizarding world… whatever. But as he dived out of the way of a particular nasty spell, his could not quell those trembles coursing through his body while adrenaline roared through his veins. Overwhelmed by the carnage, his actions were fuelled by fear, and single-minded focus on survival.
His mother would freak out, and he was unfortunately beginning to regret his initially show of bravado.
Given the fact that this was their maiden attempt on the battle-field, their progress was fine and dandy. At the very least, there were no casualties at present.
To view it objectively, things could have been better. The older members were holding their fort pretty well of course, but the younger members kept cheating death by a hair's breadth. Had they not experience that hellish training by the Lis, those wet behind their ears – the younger Order members - would have died many times over.
Ron had enough commonsense to know that a few days of training would not result in attainment of great combat prowess, even if those days were brutal and scarring. The objective of the training camp, to quote Clow Reed's incarnation's words, was after all to "stay alive and go for the kill at the right moment".
At the very least however, they had managed to get the job done by disarming those blood-thirsty murderers of a Death Eater and Ron could not think of a bigger achievement than that.
The red-head was inwardly thankful for that training that they had received. The killing intent by the enemy that flooded the battle field, while petrifying, was undoubtedly familiar. Prior exposure to such desire for bodily harm and pain infliction by the trainers – excluding the ever stoic Yue - when they were struggling to stay alive in the face of relentless attacks did alleviate certain stress on the current battlefield.
Not that he would stop holding grudges against his crazy trainers though.
Tumbling backwards, Ron bit back a curse as a vicious slicing spell narrowly missed his neck.
His heart halted momentarily as his mind registered that another inch more and his jagular would have been a goner. But fact that he was still alive was the only thing that mattered.
He would have howled at the unfairness of it all – the Death Eaters artillery comprised of rounds and rounds of forbidden curses while his friends merely had mostly elementary spells in their arsenal. But his hellish training at the Lis' had hammered into him in an utterly painful way that simple spells were equally effective in a battle.
Scampering upright, he swished and flicked his wand before yelling a simple charm incantation.
Two Death Eaters were levitated off the ground by surprise and yells of Experimus and red beams from the wands of his brothers' sent the enemy flying miles away. The twins would have flashed a foolish, toothy smile at their brother in show of cooperation, should they not had to avoid the blow from another Death Eater.
Hairs on his nape were standing and Ron instinctively ducked just in time, in an evasive action that was identical to the days when he was avoiding fireballs during Kero-Suppi killing spree. His hair was slightly singed though, but Ron could care less as he darted to Harry, breathe exhaling in short, hurried pants.
His friend was bending over with a slight grimace. Ron figured that Harry's newly re-grown knee cap – in courtesy of the training session - was still too tender for abuse like running, jumping, ducking, or any other actions associated with the act of life preservation in a battle-field. That and his scar meant that Harry was a shining beacon of a target for the enemy.
Ron gritted his teeth in frustration. They were essentially too inexperienced, too naïve, and far too outnumbered by the enemy. To think that his mates – and him- were keen to join this battle. What the bloody hell were they thinking?
Where were the godamned Aurors? Why the hell were there so many DeathEaters anyway? It seemed as if the Dark Lord had a year-round recruitment drive.
He was starting to become irrational, but a scream from Hermoine to "move for god's sake!" snapped him out of it. Ron felt harsh tug of his arm by Harry and felt his face colliding into dirt the next moment as a killing curse sailed past their heads.
God, he was so sick of this. All he desired now was back up, win this bloody battle and pass out on his bed upon returning to the castle.
His prayers were answered in the form of a sharp command.
"Lightning."
It was as if the sky had given way to the heavens. There was a blinding flash and resounding crack as a bolt of lightning struck home. Massive crater littered with numerous charred corpses. by scurried away, biding temporary retreat after that devastating strike.
The battered individuals for the Light stared dazedly at Sakura who appeared among their midst all of a sudden, all pristine and impassive among the scene of bloodshed and death.
"Just a little warning to them." Sakura murmured blithely as she cast a gaze at the retreating camp, dismissing Lightning with a flick of her fingers, "That should stall them for quite a bit."
With that, she nodded towards the group before for making her way to Hogwarts.
"Bloody… hell..." was all Ron could say after regaining his voice.
* * *
**Dinner** was an uneasy affair. The scrumptious feast was forgotten as the students, severely shaken by the sudden attack, began to degenerate into hysterics of wailing, shrieks and doomsday talk. Undoubtedly, distraught parents would be withdrawing their children by the dozen.
Attentions were swiftly caught when the grating sound of metal hitting porcelain echoed the hall.
Snape fought a wince when that idiot of a headmaster whacked his plate using that damned spoon with far too much vigor for his age, looking as merry as ever, as if the earlier battle was nothing but a terrible prank and Dumbledore would be very, very cross with and would proceed to punish the said perpetrator with his twinkle of doom.
"May I have your attention please? Please do not be alarmed by the earlier attack. I would have you to know that remaining in Hogwarts during such attacks is the safest choice. "
Despite his impending senility, Snape was forced to admit that Dumbledore still retained his charm - his little motivational speech managed to calm the nerves of those spineless kids.
"In addition, I am very pleased to present to you Mrs Li."
The mass of students finally registered a new addition to the staff table. Seeming more like an adoring grandfather than ever, Dumbledore added, "She is the head of sorcerers who will be aiding us in this war."
The commotion stilled, and Snape fought the urge to face-palm.
Sakura regarded the students with a cool gaze.
"Pleasure."
* * *
**The** presence of wizards just did not bode well for her emotional health. From the moment she stepped into the grounds of Hogwarts, she could feel that strange, unidentifiable mass of irritation surfacing more prominently, pulsating with every step she took.
This was probably why she spent most of her time at the Room of Requirement. Despite her alliance with the Order, she remained highly uncomfortable among wizards, preferring to be as far away from the mass of idiocy and ignorance that trawled along the hallways of Hogwarts in the form of students, whose overt fear have been shaped by stereotypes and prejudices. The room – one of the rare useful wizarding inventions- served as her treasured little haven.
There were times however, that she had to leave her sanctuary.
Sakura strode towards the headmaster's office with heels clicking audibly against the stone corridor, deliberately ignoring the wide berth given to her. Her sun guardian floated next to her, lips curling in distaste.
"They just have to be so discreet about it," Kero griped sarcastically as the tic above his eyebrow expanded by the minute.
The students were literally fleeing in opposite directions, braver ones just clamouring out of her way, staring at her as if she was the grim reaper.
Sakura did not reply, merely opting to continue her journey in silence.
Just when she had gotten used to interacting and tolerating the wizards from the Order, she had to plant herself into a situation where there is an overwhelming number of them.
A low growl snapped her out of her thoughts and she witnessed Kero morphing into his full form, in his winged glory, startling a good number of students. Snarling as revealed sharp fangs, Kero glared at a group of students that they have walked past.
"Have the guts to say it in front of us you little shits," Kero snapped as he roasted the stone pavement charcoal for emphasis. "Or shut it before I fry your asses!"
Sakura's lips tugged when her guardian jumped into her defence. Despite Xiao Lang's insistence of Kero's incompetence, her guardian's unwavering loyalty is almost heart warming.
The said group of students to flee in fright from Kero's sudden display of ferocity, his fully morphed form only serving to reinforce stereotypes and certain rumours that oh my god, beasts of sorcery do eat wizards for breakfast. This prompted the remaining students to scram and ensure the corridor being pleasantly void of bumbling wizards.
Sakura exhaled heavily.
The atmosphere at Hogwarts was getting unbearable. It was time to get out.
* * *
**The** cloak of anonymity in Hogsmeade gave her some breathing room. Hogwarts, Sakura reflected as her heels clicked audibly against the stone pavement, was starting to feel like a pressure cooker.
Hogsmeade's streets were starting to regain life after the initial Death Eaters' attack. But scars from that attack still devastated the area. There were significantly lesser people as compared to the packed streets in the past, and numerous damaged shop houses remained highly evident.
On the bright side, the attack did some good in highlighting the existence of Voldemort and his minions - posters warning of Death Eater attacks were shoddily pasted over anti-sorcery posters remained. Unfortunately, both Voldemort and Sorcerers were flagged under the banner of You-Know-Whos. Main headlines of newspapers piled at storefronts touted Harry Potter as their source of hope for dark days. Rival newspapers questioned the credibility of the Boy-Who-Lived.
A few steps down the street and Sakura turned into Knockturn Alley where shady activities thrived. Regardless of the attack, the wayward alley did not seem to be largely impacted. After all, the alley had always housed deviants of the wizarding society who adored the dark side, who openly welcomed sorcerers for twisted intentions.
She could feel the previous negativity resurfacing, pulsating and writhing like a coiled snake within her chest.
Expression schooled impassive, Sakura clutched her red overcoat tightly against the harsh winds which signalled impending winter as she strode down the alley. Kero peered out curiously of her large pocket; the only spark of colour against the gloom of drab gray.
Wizards and witches clad with questionable sanity positioned at nooks and crannies of the alley, murmuring strange nothings to themselves.
As compared to Knockturn Alley, Sakura mused, Hogsmade was a place of ignorance, trawling with people not unlike Hogwarts.
It seemed utterly farfetched that she was turned off by the deviance in Knockturn Alley in her previous visit to the wizarding world. The insanity of Knockturn alley, she realised, was actually strangely comforting – a reflection perhaps, of the poisoning her mind.
All too soon, Sakura found herself positioned at the exit of Knockturn Alley, which led to Hogsmade. She paused and her feet stilled, as if hesitant to leave the alley. Her attention strayed towards a figure slumped against the brick wall at the exit, whose coarse voice sounded like grating sand between mortars.
"Sorcerers or Voldemort. Who do you think will make their first move on us?"
Sakura's gaze flickered towards the bunch of witches that crowded the streets of Hogsmeade. Gripping copies of newspapers, they were debating in hush tones the soon-to-be epic fight between the boy-who-lived and you-know-whos, whose extreme reluctance in explicit mention of both Voldemort or Sorcerers represents the majority of the thriving ignorance and bigotry in the wizarding society.
"Does it matter who?" Sakura whispered, the darkness in her heart rearing its ugly head. "It is long overdue anyway."
Kero frowned from her pocket, chalking her atypical response to her growing frustrations towards wizarding ignorance.
Sakura smiled grimly as the cackling of insane laughter danced around her. Standing on the thin divide between wizarding worlds of the sane and twisted, bitter reality set in.
Little had changed.
* * *
**Harry** found the sorceress gazing at the pond dead in the night. While he would like to convince himself that he met her by coincidence, the invisibility cloak that shrouded him spoke otherwise.
"If you wish to speak to me, it is only polite if you reveal yourself. That's basic courtesy."
The cloak was removed in a flourish, revealing a slightly embarrassed Harry. that gaze fell on him, emerald orbs studying him intently.
"Harry Potter… I've heard much about you," Sakura voiced. "Potential saviour of the wizards, vanquisher of all evil, exterminator of sorcerers and Voldemort. Yet one whose reputation is questioned by the press."
He was at a loss of how to respond. The idiocy in the wizarding world was rife and palpable, and he had always found the behaviour of fellow wizards to be highly exasperating. "Regardless of… your reception, we really appreciate your help in fighting against Voldemort."
"Don't be. I used to think that our intervention is for the wizards," Sakura replied stiffly as she recalled the cold reception by the wizards. "These days, I feel that it is just largely a personal vendetta."
The moment Voldemort is ridded of, they would cut off all communication and return to status quo. The sorcerer community would revert back to isolation, refusing all contact from the wizarding world.
Silence ensued, safe for the light ruffling of leaves from the forbidden forest. Harry began to shuffle awkwardly, with the invisibility cloak slung carelessly over his right arm. Sakura's following question broke the silence.
"So may I enquire the purpose of your visit?" Sakura asked in cold mirth. "I rarely receive visits from the students. They are usually trying to avoid me at all cost."
There was really nothing he could say in defence about his school mates' behaviour. Harry decided to cut the chase. "A while ago, your guardian mentioned about the light card, can revive the dead…"
"…You wish to use my powers."
"Yeah…With your power," Harry admitted before trailing uncertainly, " I could revive my Godfather… He just died on me just like that."
"Reviving the dead is forbidden, Mr Potter," Sakura replied, dashing Harry's hopes without hesitation.
It was an impossible request from the start after all. All were after all, bounded to the natural order.
As she watched the young wizard deflate, a sardonic smile graced her lips. "Reviving the dead is taboo but killing innocents is merely frowned upon. Perhaps there's some truth in your media. We are really evil."
Harry seemed a little taken aback by her off-handed comment, but lingering traces of disappointment was still apparent.
"Are you envious with all this power that I have?"
"After having witnessed your powers," Harry replied begrudgingly, "it seems as if there is an end in sight to our problems. The war… Voldemort… Sirius…"
"It looks like it, doesn't it?" Sakura murmured, consciously aware of the weight of the pendant around her neck. She never desired for this power. Her blood sang for her birth right on her maiden contact with the Clow Cards. It was not by choice.
Nails dug deeply into her palm.
"There's nothing great about this power. We are never given a choice, nor our freedoms. You live for humanity, not for yourself,"- her tone was bitter - "That's a price for power."
For months after the massacre, she was tempted, all so tempted to ignore the taboo laws and revive her family, natural order be damned. Her choices were aplenty: damning the time balance by going back in time to save them before the massacre, reviving them using Light or even recreate them using real illusions through Create.
She possessed power, so much power but it was all for naught.
Sakura remembered wallowing in the pits of despair as she stared blankly at those three cards. Her reckless notion was eventually dispelled when she broke out of her depression. Xiao Lang was there as her pillar of support and her rational side persisted and sense of duties prevailed. She could only take comfort in the fact that she could not prevent their deaths in time, and that their souls would rest in peace.
"Awhile ago… I wasn't given a choice in the matter." Sakura whispered, voice carried away by the wind. "Probably someday, I will be faced with the same situation again."
Harry shifted uncomfortably as fissures began to appear beneath her surface of impassivity. He felt as if he was intruding into a private moment that was not meant for his ears.
"Thanks for sharing with me…" Harry trailed awkwardly, itching to throw the cloak over his frame. "I'm erm…think I have to return now…"
The glazed look in her orbs lifted instantly and the sorceress cracked one of her rare smiles to a wizard.
"Goodnight, Mr Potter."
* * *
**War** broke out again two days later.
For some reason, Voldemort had chosen to concentrate all his attacks on Hogwarts, the stronghold of the wizarding world. It is as if the pompous Dark Lord viewed the other sectors of wizarding society as spoils of the war which could easily fall into his hands once Hogwarts has crumbled.
Technically, that train of thought was not wrong.
Order members and Hogwarts staff were stationed as Hogwarts line of defence. Kero and Yue were each providing support to their respective groups of wizards.
Harry stood firm grasping his wand with determination, looking as if he gave up the impossible notion of reviving his godfather.
Sakura smiled inwardly. What has returned to the earth, she thought, should be left to their natural course.
"Dear lord, such blasphemy!"
The shocked statement by one of the Order members snapped her out of her stupor. She soon discovered the source of distress and began to stifle a gasp as she witnessed a sea of animated dead – Inferni - appearing in view. Veins visible under their pale skin, the Inferni prowled on fours with pupiless eyes and gnashed teeth. They were vile creatures, powered by nothing but the single will from their master - the foulest of low-lives.
The Order members were sporting equally shocked expressions.
She could feel her cards pulsing with unexplainable agitation, showing early signs of running amok.
Use sorcery to the minimum - her logic urged - bank more on more subtle sword play
The elders would know. It would give away her position and the elders would realise that she is in England. Such realisation would destroy whatever cover story that Xiao Lang had concocted for her.
Ever since she stepped into the wizarding world, Sakura realised as the sword card was summoned, she had ironically been actively trying to refrain from sorcery utilisation.
Sakura grabbed the hilt of her materialised sword, just in time to face the crowd of charging Inferni.
Blade met with bone instantly; the sickening crack drowned by the cries and snarls from the Inferni. Sakura leaned back to avoid the lunge from another Inferni, allowing it to sink its foul teeth into its counterpart instead. Holding the hilt in a double-handed grip, Sakura delivered much force behind every strike, determined to cease such parody of life as she danced around the battlefield, dismembered Inferni lying in her wake.
She had to attempt to put as much distance away from her and the walking dead. Being inundated by rotting corpses with air poisoned by their foul emissions was terribly unpleasant.
A yelp to her left caught her attention and a quick glance registered the younger Order members quailing from the onslaught.
A low powered flame spanning about a kilometre in radius should be suffice; just enough to burn her enemy to crisp while – hopefully- avoiding the wizards and the detection from the Elders. It was considered dishonourable to utilise both sword play and sorcery at once in a sword fight. But in a scrimmage of undead, there was no need for honour.
Fiery appeared at the tips of her fingers with a burst of pink. With a sharp command, streams of flames streaked out from the card and began engulfing Inferni around her. Raging violently, the flame radium began to expand outwards, consuming more Inferni which resulted in a chorus of ear-splitting screeching and shrieking.
They began to roll and tumble carelessly on the ground, smouldering the flames with much success. Badly charred, the Inferni clamoured back to their feet, continuing their assault as the stench of burnt flesh permeated the battle field.
Sakura frowned at the lack of devastating strike that she had expected Fiery to deliver. Such phenomenon was unprecedented. That blow was meant to kill, to reduce Inferni to ashes in mere seconds.
She tried once more but this time, nothing happened. Fiery did not heed her summons. There was no rush of sorcery in her veins. In fact, to her alarm, she was distinctively aware there her access to sorcery was severed.
Then, it was re-established all of a sudden - but she could feel that the link was weak.
Her momentary stunned stupor nearly cost her; it was out of pure reflex that she narrowly avoided a fatal swipe of an Inferni and the bite of rotting teeth into flesh from another.
Spinning gracefully in a fluid motion, Sakura delivered a crippling kick in the gut of one before breaking the spine of two. Her blade was absent; the Sword card had been deactivated when her link to sorcery was cut. Leaping out of the fray, lest she got besieged by a group of Inferni, she attempted summoning her cards to no avail. If anything, the feeling of rapidly diminishing connection became even more pronounced and she realised that her access to sorcery was about to be severed for the second time.
Landing at a clearing, Sakura was overwhelmed by a sense of loss and helplessness.
At the back of her mind, it registered swarm of Inferni charging mindlessly towards her.
Sakura did not know what ultimately shoved her over the edge - her rapidly losing her connection, senses going overdrive amidst the chaos of battle, unidentifiable loathing that had accumulated since the beginning of this war; but her hand shot towards her neck and freed her key pendant off its thin chain with a sharp jerk.
Tossing the pendant before her, the ground beneath her feet burst into a display of brilliant pink; an ethereal incantation rolled off her tongue for the first time in years.
"Key that holds the power of the stars. Reveal your true form to me."
Sorcery concentrating in the centre of the array, her pendant spun wildly as it gained more power.
"By our contract, I, Sakura, command you. Release!"
Halting its spin, her star key lengthened into its towering grandeur - an elongated and intricate staff for sorcery amplification. Upon contact with the smooth grip of her staff, Sakura could feel an uncontrollable burst of sorcery overwhelming her senses as her connection was forcibly re-established, leaving her light-headed with her personal restrains and concerns crumbling in the face of such power.
Reeling from the effects of her reckless high, Sakura grabbed her staff and slammed its base hard against the ground as summoned her servant with a sharp command.
"Windy."
There was a split second vacuum of silence before a shockwave enveloped the land instantly.
Turbulent winds had yet to die out completely when the wizards – sporting injuries of varying severity in courtesy of the rough tumble caused by Windy - managed to peel themselves off the ground. They were undoubtedly shocked to discover all Inferni had been ruthlessly severed into multiple pieces.
Victory against the dark side was terrifyingly swift.
Collateral damage however, was evident. The shield protecting the castle was thoroughly wrecked while vegetation in the Forbidden forest was largely uprooted. It would take the following day's Daily Prophet to inform them that damage extended way beyond the school grounds in the form of extensive infrastructural damage throughout the wizarding world. The paper would run pages of hysterical wizards describing horrifying accounts of shattering glass planes and uprooted trees. Muggle papers across Britain would report severe property damage by "terrifying gales".
Sakura had opted against using the other more aggressive elements in her arsenal. Even so, she had to issue silent order to Windy to rein its attack as it weaved between the wizards at astounding speeds. Windy at her full might would bring about massive damage by levelling the land with cyclones. With unrestrained sorcery amplification, the global weather system would be destabilized.
While it was extremely dangerous to utilise the full potential of her sorcery, the feeling of relaxing her tight control over her powers for the first time in years was extremely liberating. Sakura could not deny the pleasure that mounted despite her reluctance in over-relying on sorcery. She stood as wind roared harshly against her ears, relishing the exhilarating rush of sorcery through her veins as immense power of her birthright tingling at her fingertips.
Then, it all went to hell.
A wave of indescribable suffering, agonizing sorrow struck unannounced; crippling her in grief, blanketing her with the blackest melancholy.
Such attack took the air out of Sakura's lungs for a split second, leaving her disorientated and weak-kneed with pupils dilating in shock. Eyes stinging mercilessly, she began to tear uncontrollably, incessantly. Hissing in discomfort as her eyes fluttered shut, Sakura clutched her staff in a tight grip for support.
Sakura paid little heed to the heavy patter of steps approaching - until she heard a horrified gasp. The card mistress opened her eyes with difficulty, only to be greeted by the stunned countenance of Weasley twins whose attention were trained on her face.
Struck by a sense of foreboding, she drew a shaky palm across her tear-streaked cheek, breath hitching momentarily when her palm was smeared with blood.
* * *
**The** sound of pen scratching on paper halted.
Wang threw a concerned gaze at the stilled form of the young master at his desk, pen temporarily abandoned its purpose.
"Young master. Is anything the-"
The young master's right hand shot to his mouth all of a sudden, before coughing harshly.
Wang's blood turned cold upon witnessing wet splatters of scarlet standing in stark contrast on ruined documents.
Another cough, and this time between the gaps of the young master's fingers, Wang could see glistened crimson on his lips.
Before he could react, the young master rose a commanding left, and Wang was forced to stay rooted to his spot despite his mind urging – yelling - otherwise. Glancing at his blood-stained palm for a moment, the young master stood up and made his way to the washroom, where sounds of running water and fresh rounds of coughs could be heard.
Anxiousness creeping quickly into his aged heart, Wang was filled with dread at the thought of the severe crisis that would be brought about by the ill health of the young leader.
What seemed like years later, the young master stepped out of the washroom and slid back into his seat; appearing as if nothing out of the ordinary has happened.
"Young Master," Wang spoke gravely as he tried to keep his urgency out of his voice. "I'll inform the doctor at once."
"There is no need for that Wang. I'm not ill," Xiao Lang replied, looking more annoyed at the pain in replacing blood-splattered paperwork. "I suppose you haven't witness such… incidents during my father's time, have you?"
Sweeping his ruined papers into a pile, Xiao Lang leaned back against his seat with a darkened expression.
"It's a sign, a warning that the natural order is thrown out of balance. The closer connection a sorcerer has with the natural order, the more keenly they can feel it."
"It?"
"The wails"- _how utterly deafening_ –"The agony… Raw enough to render a person ill."
It is like the Natural Order crying out, demanding for immediate rectification to the imbalance.
"Our sorcery functions as per normal but we just feel really uncomfortable… that's lightly putting it," Xiao Lang added as an afterthought. "The more powerful the sorcerer, the more they will be affected. Half-blooded sorcerers probably won't feel anything. Since Sakura and I stand at the top of the sorcerers, we represent the order and are… personifications of nature. As twisted as it may sound, but anything that affects the natural order is physically reflected on us. And I would think that the graver the symptoms, the more severe the problem."
"What is the problem?" Wang enquired as he tried to discern the cause of such imbalance.
"That's for us to figure out. The natural order is highly ambiguous but I do have some idea-"
Xiao paused abruptly as discomfort surged and blood began to stem from the corner of his lips, dripping off his chin in incessant drops, rapidly staining the front of his shirt in brilliant red. He wiped the blood trail off with the back of his hand, but it did little to stem the flow.
"The symptoms aren't going to stop till the root cause is resolved. This is going to pose a problem."
Wang came to a similar realisation as well. Attending business functions with blood streaming down your face was a sure way to create an impression. The young master did not seem to share his concern however, as he gave a wry smile through bloodied lips.
"At least, we have a legitimate reason now," Xiao Lang continued, orbs sporting a calculative gaze. "Those old coots can't interfere any longer."
* * *
**Sakura** placed the blood soaked towel on the table and reached for the remaining roll with a tired sigh as she struggled to regain her bearings.
When the Weasley duo found her in the battlefield, she was undoubtedly shaken by the sudden change of events. Wide-eyed in shock with her heart racing rapidly, she stared at her palm dazedly before snapping out of her stunned stupor to direct her attention at the twins.
"Assemble the Order now," her voice shook and blood-stained palm trembled. "I am calling for a meeting."
Yue had detected his mistress's distress and came swooping down a minute later. Despite her weak protests, Yue lifted her beneath her knees and arms and soared towards Hogwarts. Ever the resourceful one, Kero instantly produced two rolls of towels upon touchdown.
Sakura knew that the cloths would be of little use to stem the flow. She was nonetheless grateful for that slight relief when she pressed a roll of cloth against her sore and aching orbs.
Nature was crying out, and its severe symptoms made it highly worrying. Kero was particularly vocal at expressing his anxiety.
"Nature has gone batshit insane," her guardian frothed. "Gawd, the last time Clow displayed such symptoms, the entire race of magical entities were out for a mass civil war!"
Sakura really appreciated her guardian's outgoing nature, but on trying days like this where she was utterly drained, his outlandish antics could be especially grating.
"Kero. A little softer please," the card mistress said wearily, wincing at an incoming headache. "My head isn't taking it too well at the moment."
Yue directed his chilly gaze at his fellow guardian, expressing his displeasure at Kero's disregard towards their mistress's well-being. The sun guardian emitted a tone of that of a kicked puppy.
Sakura sighed inwardly and figured that pacifying her guardian was low down on her priority list.
The patter of footsteps and ruffling of cloaks gradually gained in audibility, and voices could be heard echoing off the walls of the corridor.
"What the hell was that?"
"- this freakishly powerful storm just swept past me and when I realised it, the Infernis became meat cubes!"
"What do you mean by blood on her face?"
"Minerva, the castle sustained massive damage. We have to erect a new ward as soon as possible."
Said voices crowded into the room and dampened almost immediately.
Sakura figured that she must have portrayed a pretty sombre picture, with two solemn guardians flanked at her sides as she held a cloth damped with blood to her eyes.
"Mistress," Yue spoke quietly. "The entire strength turned up."
Uttering a soft murmur of acknowledgement, Sakura removed the towel from her eyes. The wizards, predictably, flinched upon staring at her face in varying degrees of horror.
Sakura figured that she must have looked like a fright.
It was an understandable reaction, but Sakura could not help but feel a little hurt at their response; an irrational surge of injustice surfaced in her heart.
Squashing her inner negativity with renewed effort, she began to address the crowd of wizards.
"I'm sure you have a lot of questions to ask… Unfortunately, as you can tell, this is an urgent matter…" Sakura spoke, gesturing to the blood trails on her face that were staining her dress crimson. "As you know, we are representatives of the natural order - in every sense of the word. When the order is thrown out of balance, warnings manifest physically on us, as you can see. It might stop once in a while but I presume it won't stop until the root cause is solved. Symptoms will become more severe as the situation in the order turns for the worse."
Yue and Kero shared a knowing glance at what was left unsaid. Prolonged experience of symptoms will be detrimental to one's health.
"If I may enquire Mrs Li, what caused this imbalance?" came the voice of Dumbledore.
"Inferni," the bite on her lower lip was hard enough to draw blood at the mention of them... and probably at some of the Order members who were still discreetly averting their gazes. "It is forbidden to toy with the dead, much less summon that many… That however, is only one of the reasons. The other reason…"
Sakura reached within the folds of her dress and produced the wand that was presented to her by Eriol.
"Recently, Tomoyo had been injured by Death Eater's wands while it wasn't the case in the past. The Death Eater had managed to increase the wand's prowess to penetrate her defence.
With a casual flick of her fingers, the wooden exterior of the wand disintegrated instantly, leaving a levitated black, shrivelled phoniex tail in its wake.
"Your wands are powered by the core – be it dragon's heartstring or whatever. This means that the core has been corrupted to amplify the wands' potency and prowess. To do so, you have to submerge the wand in blood for a period of time to corrupt the core in order to ensure amplified prowess. As you can tell, the core for this wand is thoroughly corrupted."
Ignoring the largely horrified reactions from the more expressive Order members, Sakura continued gravely.
"I suspect that the Death Eaters have been killing large amounts magical beasts for this purpose. This entire wand reeks of dragon and python blood."
Blood was usually used to amplify the magical capabilities of the user. Dragon blood usually the most prized for its potency and explosive amplification prowess. Due to its rarity however, the Dark Lord's minions must have turned to other magical species for blood…which brings her to the other nagging issue.
The amount of culling to throw the order out of balance had to be massive. While a substantial amount of blood is needed to corrupt the cores, it did not warrant such severe backlash from the natural order. One does not need that much blood to corrupt the cores when the blood could be reused.
This meant that the Dark Lord had another hidden agenda- which Sakura was unable to figure out at present.
Sakura groaned inwardly. There were enough problems on her plate now without adding more from that half-blooded upstart.
There was also that unprecedented severed connection to sorcery. It was impossible for her sorcery would be momentarily cut off, natural order imbalance or not.
Worry was eating her from within.
Hours following the meeting, when her connection to nature was temporarily severed for the second time, she decided to confide her problem with her Sun guardian before she sunk into further anxiety.
Kero stared at her, eyes enlarging to the size of dinner plates and promptly ordered – coerced – her to the medical wing for a checkup.
Madam Promfrey had fussed over her, after she had gotten over her initial shock of Sakura's sudden appearance. Waving her wand to perform general diagnostic tests, she studied the generated report and her jaw hung.
"My stars. Child…"the nurse looked at Sakura wonder. "You're… pregnant."
Kero sported a look that strangely akin to horror, as if his worst fears were confirmed.
"You are carrying that gaki's gaki."
Eyes rolling to the back of his head, Kero passed out.
* * *
**The** largest and most elaborate room always played host to meetings with elders. Like other rooms in the manor, it sported an enormous mural of a dragon coiling tightly round the Li crest. Painted in bold streaks of red and gold over the span of an entire wall, the sheer size of the mural projected a powerful image of the dominance and infallibility of the Li clan.
Occupying the room was a massive antique table with exquisite carvings that dated back centuries. Back against the mural, Xiao Lang was positioned at the front of the table in emphasis of his status as clan head. Elders flanked both sides of the table, seated in terms of seniority. Butlers and other aides of the elders crowded outside the room, ready to serve at a moment's notice.
The solemn congregation represented the embodiment of rigidity in the Li family. Deck in layers of embroidered silk, the family had fiercely embraced the glorious history, extensive etiquette and decorum that defined the Lis in such a naturalized way that only growing up in such a family could bring.
While Xiao Lang understood the importance of tradition, he was undeniably frustrated with the elders who were highly resistant to change, insistent on running an empire in a fashion that was decades behind time.
However, the Li family thrived on sorcery like a patron, and even tradition could crumble before the needs of the natural order.
"Esteemed elders. As you have noted, the situation this time round requires immediate attention."
Looking at the faces sporting varying shades of pallor, Xiao Lang smiled grimly.
"We were unable to detect the problem in time," he said simply, an underlying accusation directed at the elders. While wary surveillance had always been kept on the wizarding population in England, contact was ordered by the elders to be forcibly cut off two years back after Xiao Lang and Sakura's tumultuous trip back in time.
"The imbalance is caused by a unusual amounts of killings of magical creatures by a wizard named Voldemort, who is currently waging war against the larger wizarding population. He intends to use the acquired blood to increase the prowess followers' wands. "
Inwardly, Xiao Lang knew that the problem was more complex. Topping the list was the unexplainable need for Voldemort to acquire that much blood.
"Sakura has gone ahead to deal with the issue due to the urgency of this matter." The ancients knew better than to question her unannounced contact to the wizarding world when the natural order was making demands. "I will be leaving for England tonight. Mother will be in-charge of the affairs in my absence. "
"We understand. This matter is grave and requires immediate attention." croaked wrinkly plugged face another ancient who left Xiao Lang with an underlying warning.
"Please resolve it within a week, young leader. Do not get involved in their affairs."
It was more of a demand than request, but Xiao Lang was obliged to agree with them this time around. It was rare to have similar viewpoints with the ancients, but they were Lis after all. While he had the unfortunately obligation of keeping the wizards at Hogwarts alive before hunting down Voldemort, the clan leader would definitely prevent himself from getting fully involved in problems of their own doing.
Xiao Lang a bow of respect to the elders, to which the elders gave a reciprocal bow to their leader, before striding past the massive doors and proceeding back to his office with Wang trailing faithfully behind.
Only when the duo reached his office, the door closing with a resounding click, did Xiao Lang wordlessly stride towards the washroom to expel the unpleasant coppery taste of blood from the back of his throat.
According to Tomoyo's little trip to Hogwarts months back, the castle was planted with sorcerer detecting devices by that "fat toad", also commonly known as Umbridge or "that freakin'bitch" by the student population.
He could recall Tomoyo's lips curling up in distaste then.
As he entered Hogwarts ground however, the young leader could not sense any detection devices. All he could sense was a newly erected ward that provided futile resistance to his entry into Hogwarts grounds.
The castle looked like it had seen better days. Parts of the forbidden forest seemed as if calamity had struck. Together with the lingering traces of sorcery in the area, they were telltale signs of Sakura's handiwork.
He had felt Sakura's massive surge of sorcery ever so clearly earlier on, back in the manor that was half a globe away from Hogwarts. It took Xiao Lang a couple of moments to recover from his shock, upon realising that the Sakura key had been released.
Positioned at the pinnacle of sorcery, it was more than suffice to cast sorcery without the use of their amplifiers. Utilising her staff was a risky venture for consequences from a particularly strong spell casted were too dangerous.
For Sakura to summon her key despite awareness of such risk meant that something grave had cropped up…
Concerned as he was however, he had to settle matters with the elders and ensure that the Li empire would be functioning order during his leave of absence before he could set foot onto Hogwarts ground.
By then, it was nightfall.
Even though he could feel Sakura's aura clearly in the castle, social etiquette stated that one should inform the host about your arrival. He was sure such etiquette was equally important in the West.
Dinner was ongoing when the massive doors creaked open. There was sudden, unnatural silence from stunned students as Xiao Lang strode past them, the very picture of royalty decked in embroidered silk robes as he eluding an aura of confidence and strength befitting of a leader. Stopping before the great table, he calmly addressed the headmaster, ignoring the guarded expressions from the other staff.
Dumbledore responded, eyes curving, "I believe you will find Mrs Li near the forest. She tends to enjoy the air outside after dinner."
Giving a terse nod to the headmaster and other teaching staff, Xiao Lang made his way out of the castle as Dumbledore's cheery, offhanded comment of 'Ah, that gentleman you saw is the leader of all sorcerers, and husband to Mrs Li. We greatly appreciate his assistance in this war. Now let's continue with dinner.' echoed behind him.
Dumbledore, Xiao Lang reflected in amusement, was an interesting wizard.
He found Sakura at the edge of the wrecked forest, looking relatively worse for wear. Having sensed his presence, she turned as he approached and ran straight into his arms with immense relief.
Slightly surprised but nonetheless pleased, Xiao Lang running his hand through her hair, emitting a deep chuckle, "I take it that you must have missed me. It has only been a couple of days though…"
Sakura buried her face into his chest, utterly grateful for the comfort and security provided by his presence. Truly, Sakura thought, she could not live without her husband.
And to reward her awesome husband…
Sakura smiled impishly and relayed the good news to him.
Xiao Lang pulled back from their embrace in surprise, countenance radiating pride and joy.
"Well done," he whispered, "Very well done, Sakura."
Lifting her chin with the crook of his finger, Xiao Lang was vaguely pleased at the faint blush on Sakura's cheeks that was barely evident in the moonlight.
Leaning forward, he pressed his lips against hers.
It was as if she had returned to her safe haven; days of smouldering frustration swept away by a flood of passion. Returned the gesture with fervour, Sakura felt him smirk and deepened the kiss. Gasping audibly, she found herself backed against the rough bark of a tree, overwhelmed by relentless waves of pleasure as she presented what little she had to offer in return. Caged within his arms, Sakura could grip weakly onto his arm as she faced the overwhelming force of her husband that consumed her until she knew nothing but him.
The magic was broken by a series of yells.
"Bloody hell!"
" Oh my god! Why the hell did you stumble upon them you stupid wizard?"
"But…you were the one who wanted to find them, Keroberus."
"You lowly wizard! Are you accusing me, the great Keroberus-sama, of spying?"
"But you…"
Displaying exemplary talent in wizard-sorcerer relations at the most horrendous times, Kero sported a look that he would gladly douse his eyes with detergent. Repeatedly.
The look on Xiao Lang's face promised death.
"If you value your lives," he growled, piercing stare roaming from Kero to the wizards red-headed twins and their brother. "I suggest you disappear right now."
Stammering out swift apologies, the red-headed trio tore out of the forest with an indignant Kero in tow, probably off to spread gossip to Hogwart's rumour mill with vivid clarity.
Laying her head against her husband's chest, Sakura watched the retreating figures in a daze for the intensity of that kiss left her flushed and breathless. She could only wish that this welcomed respite, however brief, would last throughout her stay in the wizarding world.
* * *
**Finale – part 2**
* * *
**That** irrational negativity surged with a vengeance within days.
Sakura bit her lip hard as she attempted to bring Dark under control. Sitting in the middle of the room of requirement, she channelled her sorcery towards the card, star array illuminating the stone ground. Her remaining Sakura cards circled her in silent show of support.
Dark pulsed rebelliously, black tendrils emanating from the card as it spun wildly.
Unexplainable irritation began to gnaw at the edge of her consciousness and she channelled more sorcery towards the array in a bid to control her wayward card. With whispers of blood and destruction floating at the back of her mind, Sakura gave Dark a piercing stare, her reprimand bordering a hiss.
"Petulant child."
The spinning card came to an abrupt halt. Sakura's eyes widened before she was consumed by a blast of light and explosion.
* * *
**Throughout** the years, Hogwarts had played host to a series characters which brought Dumbledore's sanity into question. The presence of sorcerers however, really took it to the top.
Howlers bearing parent complaints were a daily occurrence, to which Dumbledore had good-naturedly arranged them in a huge pile in the middle of the Great Hall every morning and destroyed them from a distance –lest he got splattered by howler-induced acid- with a fanciful spell that sprayed glitter in excessive amounts that pissed off Flich.
The headmaster claimed it was great stress relief. Exasperated staff learnt to ignore their eccentric employer's antics long ago.
The two sorcerers had taken temporary residence in the Room of Requirement, away from public scrutiny. The room had morphed into their master bedroom the moment Sakura had set foot into the room days back.
Coughing up blood, Sakura realised sourly when she was rudely awaken to the coppery taste of blood two days upon Xiao Lang's arrival, was just as unpleasant tearing blood. It made her sick in the stomach and her appetite for food plunged drastically.
Xiao Lang had placed an arm over her waist and allowed her to snuggle into his chest as some measure of comfort. Having experienced tearing blood the previous day, Xiao Lang murmured through sleep-laden voice as he pulled the covers over them, he could assure her that the perpetual soreness of his eyes were as just as unwelcomed.
The couple had taken to casting full-time glamour illusions to disguise the bloody trails on their faces. There was enough prejudice against the sorcerers. Providing wizards a less than pleasant image of sorcerers would definitely drive the wizards over the edge.
The down side was that Order members, having briefed on the situation , may had been lulled into a false sense of relief and security. Using the frequency of bloodied tears as a gauge of the severity of the issue, the members began to wrongly infer that a lack of blood trails meant the gradual improvement of the situation.
It would seem that however, Sakura's initial appearance at Hogwarts was more than enough to kick start such prejudice. She might have attracted admiration from some of the male gazes but was still largely condemned by most.
The appearance of Xiao Lang however, sparked slightly mixed reactions. Once a portion of female students were partially convinced that the sorcerer was not out to string them by their guts as claimed by The Daily Prophet, their fangirling mode kicked into high gear as they swooned over his good looks in silence.
"But that is just the minority," Kero informed Xiao Lang smugly. "The rest of the populace still thinks you are a spawn of damnation."
News on the sorcerers soon spread beyond Hogwarts and the Ministry acted with surprising efficiency that was non-existent in the past. Tuesday saw meeting of both heads of the wizarding and sorcery world in Dumbledore's office as the new Minister of Magic – hereby known as MOM - emerging from the fireplace via floo with a dozen of Aurors trailing behind. Briefly riding his cloak from fireplace ash that were definitely a pain in removing, his attention was immediately captured by a foreign Asian face.
The Minister was admittedly surprised at the young age of the leader of all sorcerers and an undeniable flash of scepticism surfaced momentarily. Yet it was foolish to judge a book from its cover. The young leader's demeanour radiated any but ignorance. Decked in what looks like a formal jade-coloured Asian wear, the sorcerer emanated fortitude and wisdom beyond his age.
Tearing his gaze away from the sorcerer, he strode forward towards Dumbledore and Snape to exchange words.
The confidence that emanated from the large built of the new Minster of Magic caught Xiao Lang's interest. Though sporting a guarded expression, the leader of wizards lacked the blatant discrimination that emanated from his predecessor. It seemed like the Minister had finally recognised Voldemort to be a very real and immediate threat and willing to set aside their stereotype to deal with this common enemy, though…
Xiao Lang's eyes flickered towards the entourage behind the Minister of Magic. A couple of Aurors , having caught his gaze, flinched and they shifted their gaze hurriedly in a futile attempt to mask their slip-up with indifference.
It seemed that not everyone shared the same sentiment.
Attention directed back at the Minister when Dumbledore introduced him to the Minister as "Mr Li, leader of all sorcerers" and the Minister started self-introductions over a firm handshake.
"Pleased to meet you Mr Li. Name is Rufus Scrmgeour. I am the new Minister of Magic, taking over the helm from the unfortunate passing of my predecessor."
"I'm sorry for your loss," Xiao Lang responding easily, ignoring the discreet pointed looks from both Dumbledore and Snape. "I've heard about incident of his passing."
"We have reports that it is the work of the Death Eaters," Rufus replied gravely, fist clenched. Snape schooled his expression to neutrality, discreetly marvelled at the appalling investigation standards of the Ministry.
"I came to lead the assault on Voldemort, to gain vengeance for my predecessor," Rufus aggressively, dishing out the usual political speeches that brought hope and inspiration to thousands. "But importantly, I will free the wizarding world from this taint of evil."
Xiao Lang was not surprised at the predictable turn in the conversation. The Minster of Magic, in a bid to stamp his authority as commander in this war, had sent a subtle message to fend of intervention from the sorcerers; alongside with a show of confidence in the face of sorcerers who held an obvious power difference from wizards.
"Assume command as you wish, Mr Scrimgeour. This is your affair after all. We merely came to assist," his voice adopted a steely edge. "But do keep this in mind. We do not fall under your jurisdiction. We will act as we deem fit."
As soon as he completed his last word, an explosion went off and rocked the castle to its core, startling the occupants in the room. Plumes of dirt descended from the ceiling and portraits swayed precariously on hinges, causing past headmasters and mistresses to swear as they clung onto the frames.
"Gentleman, I am afraid you have to excuse me," Xiao Lang voiced, looking unruffled at the sudden change in events. "It looks like there is something I have to attend to."
Flashing Dumbledore a knowing look, Xiao Lang left the room. Walking pass disoriented students and heaps of collapsed armoury, he took the stairs to the fourth level, straight to what he would know in time as the Room of Requirement.
Pieces of stone littered the corridor and students were crowding round the hole in the wall.
"I would suggest that you refrain from entering."
A handful of weak-willed students quailed and scampered off at the sight of him. The rest threw him nervous looks and gave him a wide berth instantly, gave him clear view of the remnants from the stone wall. The seemingly empty room tipped him off as Sakura's illusion.
Xiao Lang looked to his left and found the trio young wizards from the Order.
"Tell your Headmaster that the explosion is not a cause for alarm."
That being said, he stepped through the massive hole and disappeared into the illusion, causing his audience to stare at the scene in disbelief. Almost instantly, the wreck wall glowed green and the hole began to patch itself together, the debris on the stone floor disintegrating till no sign of the earlier explosion was left.
While the students were left gaping outside, Xiao Lang found Sakura sitting on the ground surrounded by destroyed furnishings. He strode forward and settled next to her, waiting patiently for Sakura to voice her thoughts.
"Dark was just throwing a tantrum," Sakura revealed softly after a minute of silence, before adding another comment as an afterthought. "She is getting increasingly difficult to control though. Neh Xiao Lang, did your mother undergo the same experience as well?"
"No. While she bore a child to continue the Lis sorcery lineage, mother did not undergo such experience as she wasn't a sorceress."
Xiao Lang looked at his wife with concern. Her internal sorcery circuitry was adjusting to accommodate new life borne within her. Unfortunately, such adjustments brought about undesirable side effects. For one, sorceress pregnancy brings about more severe mood swings than a normal pregnancy.
The other - more troublesome side – effect would be the periodic, sudden severance of her access to sorcery due to the adjustment.
Sakura was in an environment that served to maximize aggravation to her side effects, which in turn threatened her control over her sorcery and cards.
"Sakura. You should return home."
"I will be able to handle it," Sakura replied resolutely, determined to contribute to the war. Faced with orbs clouded with worry, Sakura decided to divert his attention as she lifted a hand to smoothen his tousled hair before tracing the contours of his chiselled jaw.
"What you should be worrying about," - Sakura whispered as she relished the contact - "is the name of your child."
Upon birth, the child would be inculcated into the workings of the Lis, with Sakura having little say of the education of her child.
At the very least then, Sakura did not want that least bit of freedom in naming her child to be robbed from her.
Xiao Lang was well-aware of her desire. Unfortunately, the child –the future leader - from the union of the two strongest sorcerers was going to be prized. Both of their opinions would be secondary for the elders would probably decide on a name after a long process of debate and calculation.
They could only yield in the face of tradition.
* * *
**The** second attack came just a day after.
The Light side was out in full force. Aurors were stationed as the first line of defence, wands ready with fierce looks of determination on their faces. Hogwarts staff and the Order members readied themselves as second line of defence.
Positioned among the Light were the Lis, flanked by Yue and Kerobus in their transformed glory.
Keroberus, for once, looked like the fierce mythical tiger befitting of a beast of sorcery. Wings spread in preparation of flight, Kero emitted a deep growl that carried bloodlust, placing a paw in front of the other in preparation for a slaughter. Yue stood on their right, expression as icily neutral as ever, palm faint streaks of energy crackling in his palm.
Xiao Lang gave the terrain a quick scan, catching the gaze of a nearby Auror who quailed visibly. Most Aurors still kept their distance from the sorcerers, distrust and weariness still apparent.
Disregarding the reactions of their temporary allies, he directed his gaze at the enemy that comprised of Death Eaters and a mass of animated dead– wailing and screeching Inferni that gave off a foul stench- that seemed to stretch into the horizon. Both Lis could feel the trails of blood running in thick streams beneath their glamour disguise in the face of such taboo.
The Light was besieged from all sides and the enemy could easily infiltrate from another direction – via the forbidden forest - and attack the castle.
Xiao Lang raised a palm, preparing to guard the castle with a spell before Sakura, in a bid to do her part, took the initiative as she placated concerns of overtaxing herself.
"It's alright," Sakura whispered, placing a comforting palm on his arm before silently issuing a command. "Shield."
An invisible shield shimmered into reality, cloaking the ancient castle like an impenetrable barrier. No one in the castle would fall prey to an enemy's attack.
Xiao Lang's bead glowed green and morphed into its full form. He grabbed the handle of his treasured sword and slammed it before him.
"This is more than enough," Xiao Lang murmured, attention trained on the Minister of magic marched to the front of the Light. "It's their fight. We are not the main cast of this play."
Rufus stood proudly on a mount, every bit a commander he should be; his presence alone brought relief and confidence to the Light. Waving his wand in a majestic sweep, he casted a Sonorous charm and his voice boomed across the land.
"For too long we have suffered this curse. Far too many of our kinsmen have died under their hands. I say, no more! "
There was a thunderous roar of support that came from the Light.
"Today, we will hunt them down. We will wage war against those who seek to harm us! We will bring peace back to our land!
With that, the first of many spells began to rain upon the Dark side. Emitting war cries, both sides melted into a skirmish.
To Xiao Lang, preference for the blade over sorcery was a choice - his sword was a natural extension of his arm. As a swarm of Inferni sped towards him with grotesque faces and gnashed teeth, practised movements of swordplay kicked in instantly. He took a step forward in momentum, broad blade brutally severing two immediate Inferni and a Death Eater as the impact of his strokes disorientated remaining Inferni in the path of his sword. Glint of lethality reflected within his orbs, the clan leader obliterated his foes with precise strokes and dangerous grace, where every swing signalled mercy through execution.
For Sakura, utilising the blade was an imperative; she knew that her flow of sorcery was inconsistent and did not want to leave any openings in the battle field. Using Sword was not an option as its creation was dependent on her flow of sorcery. Sakura lifted her hand and with a muted command to Create, a ruby-encrusted blade emerged with a burst of sorcery. Gripping the hilt firmly, she took off towards an approaching crowd of Inferni without hesitation. The first enemy casualties saw Sakura striking vitals with practised ease. Leaping away quickly to avoid the spray of blood, the clan mistress spun around and took down another three, elegance and aggression captured in fluid strokes as she sealed the monstrosities' fate for eternity.
Kero pounced into the heat of battle, mauling three with a swipe, roasting a dozen more with heated breath in his wake. Yue opted instead to fly around in the air, energy crystal shooting and impaling hearts with pinpointed accuracy in all directions. energy cloaked around his hand as he swooped sharply downwards all of a sudden, slaying six in an instant in a single sweep before diving into another bunch of Inferni.
Professors were performing admirably alongside Aurors, as they casted non-verbal spells in rapid fashion. The younger Order members, tasked with providing aerial spell support from afar, had begun engaging enemies who managed to break through both line of defences. It seemed as if the wizards were holding their fort pretty well, engaging their opponents in a deadlock-
until Rufus was struck down by a stray spell – his large built visibly slumping ever so dramatically - and morale among the Light plunged immediately.
Almost instantly, there was a notable shift in the tide. The enemy was pressing in and the Light side was starting to get overwhelmed. Casualties were starting to climb, and after a couple of unfortunate Aurors were hit by the killing spell, many started to fall back.
The tables were starting to turn against the Light. The enemy pressed on, unleashing their attack with much ferocity.
There was a deafening roar from the sky, which drew a split second silence from the entire battlefield.
A pillar of flame descended from the heavens, pounding onto the earth in a fiery burst with such force that the ground was scorched instantly. It started to spread and cut across the battle field, separating the Light from the Dark with a wall of flame. Inferni and Death Eaters literally in line of fire were mercilessly incinerated in seconds.
The heat emitted from the flames was unbearable and mortals from both sides scrambled back in attempt to put as much distance between the wall and themselves. Enveloped in an unearthly glow, Xiao Lang stood regally against the fiery backdrop, unfazed by the heat that repelled all others.
"Stand up and hold the line!" Xiao Lang commanded, voice surprisingly audible above the crackling of flames. His eyes flashed angrily at the wizards' incompetence. "You wizards are considered the elites so start acting like one!"
Tendrils of flames held Xiao Lang in a gentle embrace - a fearsome show of power that he was in his element.
"This is your homeland. Protect it. Don't falter against the enemy. Show me that you are capable of defending your turf."
It could be due to renewed confidence through his words, derision by the wizards at the mild contempt palpable in his voice, or the intimidating glow reflecting off the edge of his blade… but whatever it was, it had the desired effect on the Light.
The brief respite in battle gave time for the Light to regroup. Causalities and the wounded were levitated back to safer ground. The remaining force readied themselves for battle, resolve painted on their faces.
Xiao Lang gave a grim smile and the flaming wall dissipated. He watched with mild satisfaction as the Light rushed past him to swoop upon the enemy that was still disorientated by the inferno.
It would be far too easy to let the wall of flames blanket the enemy and win the battle. In fact, a brief command from him and the enemy would have been obliterated eons ago.
Voldemort was their objective. They were not here cleaning up the mess of others, especially those who are neither friend nor foe…
"Some motivational speech," Keroberus scoffed. "You are basically telling them to prove to you that they don't suck as much." Not bothering to grace the guardian with a reply, Xiao Lang re-entered the battle, with Keroberus yelling colourful curses of 'rude brats' in his wake.
Located at the back of castle fair distance away, repulsion was steadily mounting within the card mistress. She had sensed attempts by a bunch of Death Eaters and Inferni to penetrate the barrier at the back of the castle and sneak in for a surprise attack. Jumping straight into the mechanic rhythm of slashing and slaying, Sakura realised that her sanity was gradually being eroded by the sounds and stench from the battle field. Every time when her blade was plunged her hilt deep into the undead, when her hand was caked by gushing warm blood, disgust began to build up exponentially, and she feared that she was starting to lose her grip on reality…
* * *
**Xiao Lang's** reputation spread like a wildfire throughout the school after the battle. It was well-known that the attack prowess of sorcerers was in a league of their own. To witness it first-hand however was an entirely different story. Members of the Order, despite exposed to multiple acts of sorcery by Sakura, were no less in terrified awe. While Sakura had stepped in twice during battle, her attacks were largely covert -beyond the Order, little realised who was behind it. Xiao Lang's show of power had an audience, and the light show and regality portrayed by him was deeply impressionable. Wizards also began to realise that the destructive hurricane sometime back was the handiwork of Sakura.
The power and confident grace that emanated from Xiao Lang garnered grudging respect and largely intimidation. Sakura who trailed beside her husband faithfully received the same treatment, if not more, for Sorcerer Li could only be matched with a woman possessing the finest qualities, who carried herself with that befitting of his stature.
Kero snorted by the sidelines. Yue resumed his usual poker face at the corner of the room, where several Aurors gave him startled glance when they caught hold of his piercing stare.
During the post battle meeting, the sorcerer party was largely contented to allow Rufus – thankfully, he survived the blood loss- to lead the meeting, though there were times when Xiao Lang was politely enquired to add his two-cents worth.
After an hour, Sakura was all too glad that the tedious meeting had come to a close. The battle mentally wore her down greatly and her exhaustion levels were peaking. Xiao Lang threw her a concerned look when she gave him a discreet wave and left the meeting room first, leaving him to handle the post-meeting discussion with the Aurors.
Sighing deeply, she set off for the room of requirement- her temporary sanctuary in this foreign land. Her legs brought her up the moving stairs to a corridor on the upper floor where human traffic was relatively sparser at this period. Classes were suspended during this period of wartime.
It was still quite a distance from her destination, for this corridor situated on the upper floor was the main vein to other flight of stairs leading to the upper storeys. So far, she only met a student who scurried past, avoiding her like a plague. That was a relief, and Sakura continued her journey with her heels clicking hard against the stone surface.
It was then that Sakura broke into coughs and the pungent taste of blood overwhelmed. Her eyes widened as the fore-telling sensation of emptiness surfaced. She had little time to stumble into the nearest classroom before the effects of her pregnancy kicked in and her connection to sorcery was cut abruptly.
Sakura felt the loss keenly. Her illusory disguise dissolved and the familiar feeling of blood trails became even more evident as they dripped off her chin. Leaning against the teacher's table, and she closed her eyes with a weary sigh.
A loud shriek snapped her out of her stupor.
Sakura looked up to see a group of horrified female students staring at her at the doorway eyes wide as saucers, standing deathly still at the doorway. The scream attracted the attention of a nearby Auror. He took a double take at the sight of Sakura before his wand was drawn out as a reflex action.
Sakura knew that it was a misunderstanding, but she could see literally read the sentiment from their orbs.
Freak.
That ambiguous negativity that she had felt for weeks coalesced into a permanent shard of hatred, impaling deeply into her heart.
"Get out," Sakura hissed, orbs taking on a dangerous tint.
The trio stood frozen to the spot, wearing their expressions on their sleeves as they stared… gaped at the blood that was trailing down her cheeks and staining her lips. The Auror was the first to regain his wits. Lowering his wand by a fraction, he managed to crank the gears in his jaw in preparation to say something to lower the tension when Sakura's connection to sorcery was established all of a sudden. The onslaught of sorcery that inundated her senses sent her mental frailty over the edge; the darkness in her heart reared, urging … pushing her to lavish hell on these insignificant mortals.
"I said get out."
An unseen force threw them out of the room and sent them crashing into nearby armoury. Eyes glittering with malevolence, Sakura slammed the door shut with a flick of her fingers.
* * *
**When** shock and disorientation had passed, she felt that her body was crying out in agony. Gasping in pain, she untangled herself from the mass of armoury and dragged herself up to a sitting position. Discarding a metal arm with some effort, her hand shot to her waist, all too aware of the acute pain emanating from her hip. The sharp edge of the armour probably left a very deep cut, if the dull throbbing at her ankle was any indication.
Lying to her left, her friend held her bleeding ankle with a weak groan. The Auror was clutching his head, probably slammed his head against the stone floor.
She gritted her teeth in anger. That freak attacked them. Wait till the Ministry hears about this! Wizards were courteous to accommodate them and they were still that brazen.
Her mother was right. Sorcerers were dangerous.
Gradually audible footstep were echoing off the walls . Grinding her teeth in irritation, she turned to see who it was and her face subsequently degenerated into a rapid shade of pallor. Her counterparts exhibited similar expressions.
The Li sorcerer was standing a fair distance away. He looked at them unconcerned, with his dark orbs glistening unfeelingly, voice not reflecting the menace in his eyes.
"Sakura is having a bad day," the sorcerer spoke, as if the freak had not thrown them into armour. "I hope you can be more understanding."
All she could feel was terror from the underlying threat behind his feral gaze, sharp edge behind his innocuous words.
"Y… Yes…"she stuttered, determined to get out of harm's way. Survival first, her mind urged, revenge later. "We… we understand. We won't tell anyone about it. " Her friend and the Auror gave similar urgent mutters of agreement.
His orbs glittered with cold amusement as wisps of faint green aura gathered at the tips of his hand.
"Unfortunately, I don't trust the words of wizards."
* * *
**Something** strange was happening in Hogwarts for days now.
Students were coming bringing reports of giant spiders, mummies, Inferni, Death Eaters and a string of other sightings shaped by their worst fears. Parents and students alike were going ballistic. School withdrawals were increasing.
Professor McGonagall chalked it to the accumulated stresses experienced in this time of crisis. War was on their doorsteps, and McGonagall privately lamented the untimely arrival of such a comparatively trivial situation.
And currently, she was listening to the frantic rants of a Gryffindor student when it was nearing bedtime curfew.
"I saw him, Professor!" said girl gasped, on the verge of tears. "I saw you…you-know-who."
She knew that time was required to ease the deeply rooted prejudice and fear against sorcerers, but this was getting absurd.
"Yes, Ms Perry. Mr and Mrs Li have been with us for nearly a week now."
"No, not them!" Perry cried, "The other you-know-who!"
"…You mean the Dark Lord?" Professor McGonagall's sceptical voice was marred with alarm.
The girl, alongside with her Ravenclaw and Gryffindor entourage, who accompanied her for moral comfort and support like all best friends should, nodded vigorously.
"I spotted him at the edge of the forbidden forest. He saw me and tried to… to kill me with the killing spell."
She was starting to hyperventilate now and the Transfiguration Professor could feel a migraine forming.
"Did you manage to see how he looks like?"
"He had this hideous face with lots of scars. There was this particular scar that ran from his eye to his lips," Perry gestured to her facial features for emphasis. "And he had really long hair that reached the ground."
Professor McGonagall frowned. Her description did not match Mr Potter's description of the Dark Lord - hairless and his snake-like countenance free of scars. In fact, it sounds like The Daily Prophet's description of the Dark Lord…
"According to… credible sources, your description does not fit the bill. Perhaps you ran into a Boggart." In fact, she thought warily, it seems like the entire school was hit by a Boggart infestation.
"I casted the Riddikulus charm Professor. Thrice."
Said Professor frowned deeper.
"If that's the case, I'll be sure to inform the Headmaster about this sighting."
Perry and company found themselves walking out of the office in dissatisfaction after the Professor gave prim goodbyes.
"It's no use girls," Perry bristled. "The Professor did not believe me. You can so see it on her face."
"Do you think it is the work of the you-know-whos? I mean they could be in cahoots with you-know-who!" Gryffindor friend number one piped, suspecting of a conspiracy.
"As freaky as they are, those people came here to help us isn't it? At the very least, they won't turn against us. I am sure the headmaster has everything under control," responded Jenny- Perry sole Ravenclaw friend- with confidence, long aware of the distinction between "you-know-who" and "you-know-whos". "We should not lurk around here any longer. Let's deal with it tomorrow."
The group parted ways. Giving her distraught friend a reassuring pat on her shoulder, Jenny turned and strode down the strangely chilly corridor, back to the Ravenclaw common room.
This whole fiasco, Jenny griped, was ridiculous. The entire school was going mad; people were freaking out over sightings of their greatest fears. It was so obvious that a Boggart infestation had struck Hogwarts and Jenny, for the life of her, wondered why no action was taken to address the problem.
For some reason however, those Boggarts were pretty resistant to the Riddikulus charms...
Jenny shrugged inwardly. The cheering charm was probably not potent enough - if force does not work, it means you are not using enough of it.
She would just have to cast the Riddikulus charm with the happiest memory she could think of.
With that resolve, Jenny rounded the corner and walked straight into a Dementor.
Riddikulus charm the furthest thing on her mind, Jenny stood petrified with her heart hammering in her chest as the Dementor held a scythe - ? - in a two-handed grip and swung it high.
The last thing she remembered as the blade swooped towards her neck was the echo of her terrified screams.
Kero looked up with a thoughtful frown.
"Such a shame isn't it brother dear? Paying little attention to your surroundings," a familiar, mischievous voice drawled. "That's soooo utterly unbecoming of the great Keroberus."
The sun guardian whipped his face around to give a biting retort when he was met with a face full of cream pie.
"You don't practice what you preach, o great trainer of ours. Isn't it brother dear?"
"Yes. 'Don't lose focus on the battlefield!' our great trainer said."
"Take that, assholes!" Kero yelled, tiny eyes literally shooting laser beams at the Weasley twins as he shot a mini-fire ball at them. "You'll think twice in catching the GREAT Keroberus-sama again!"
Kero prepared to fire an ultra-mega-superduper-Kero-sama-patented fireball to roast the shits alive when he poofed into a floating ball of yellow feathers, courtesy of the canary cream ingested earlier.
Years after this incident, it remained the greatest mystery to date for a beast of sorcery to be affected by – utterly brainless and foolish -wizarding magic.
For the rest of the day, the residents of Hogwarts were baffled by the scene of the Weasley twins laughing their heads off like idiots as they ran away from the livid sun guardian, looking like a furry chicken with cream caked all over his face.
"It is pretty difficult to believe that a sorcery beast can be so… easy-going." Flitwick squeaked.
Snape's gaze flickered from the twins to the bunch of Gryffindor students in the Great Hall before settling on the sun guardian in distaste.
"Idiocy thrives in every species."
* * *
**Jenny** awoke with a start.
Then she remembered the Dementor, and promptly dissolved into a screaming mess.
It was only when she felt a pair of hands shaking her hard that she snapped out of her stupor. Her eyes focused and realised that it was her dorm mate and proceeded to circle her waist in a frantic hug, babbling semi-coherent phrases of relief.
"No Jenny, you did not die," her dorm mate's voice was comforting laced with incredulity. "You passed out and were found along the corridor."
Jenny stared at her friend in disbelief as her hand shot towards her neck; she could still remember the horrifying sensation of the blade tearing mercilessly into her neck. Sheets clenched tightly in her fist, she started babbling about her encounter with the scythe-wielding Dementor, to which her friend gave her a strange look.
"Dementors don't carry scythes. They kiss, remember?" said dorm mate replied in a soothing tone, "I swear it must be some massive magic backfiring. Everyone has been seeing things lately."
"But I was attacked by one! I could feel it cutting my neck! " Jenny choked, breath heaving as a panic attack started to form.
Her dorm mate, Perry, gave her a firm shake by the shoulders, intending to stop her nonsense.
"It was your imagination sweetheart. If you were dead, would you be lying here?" Perry grabbed Jenny's wrist and placed a palm to her face. "Would I still be speaking to you?"
A blink and a moment of silence and Jenny stammered in a daze "So… I am not dead?"
"More alive than ever."
It took days and plenty of calming draught to quell the jitters and convince Jenny that no Dementor was lurking along the hallways, and she was not going to be gutted nor beheaded nor any other violent ending that her active imagination could cough up.
A week in the hospital wing and she was deemed mentally stable enough to lurk about Hogwart's dangerous hallways.
Initially apprehensive - progressing at a snail pace while throwing a glance over her shoulder every few steps - when she covered the first stretch of corridor, Jenny finally started to relax at the third and finally lowered her guard at the fifth.
She rounded the corner and walked straight into that Dementor once more.
It was the same corner, same corridor, same Dementor with scythes, but she was in no position to appreciate the irony.
Backed into a corner whimpering in fear, Jenny clutched her head in a death grip, her sanity slipping through her fingers. The accompanying chill brought about by the Dementor further aggravated her frayed nerves as she stared at the large looming figure - its scythe raised in preparation for a wide sweeping arc, with a force that would decapitate her in an instant.
Something snapped within her and her mouth parted with a scream, voice cracking with broken terror.
A ball of flame and streak of arrows halted the Dementor in its attack, forcing it to recoil. Another enormous fireball caused the Dementor to stumble backwards with a high pitched squeal.
The events proved to be too strenuous for Jenny. Eyes rolling to the back of her head, she collapsed into a heap.
Keroberus and Yue appeared in a flourish, looking livid. The sun guardian threw a look of irritation at the unconscious student before swearing as he glared at the perpetuator.
"Shit, if we came a moment too late she would really be dead," the sun guardian snarled. "This time round, you were really intending to finish her off isn't it? Illusion."
The Dementor reverted back to its Kaleidescope glory, much to the guardians' displeasure.
Their suspicions were correct. The latest string of incidents was caused by illusions. It was highly fortunate that they managed to stop the card's wild ways before it upped the mantle and went for its first kill. Should there be any casualties, the fragile alliance between sorcerer and wizard would be doomed.
Technically speaking, the first casualty had already surfaced. The mental state of that female student would never be the same again. She would be plagued with anxiety issues for a good portion of her school life, in absolutely refusal to travel alone or venture into isolated areas. Desperation would eventually drive her to the edge as she would attempt a reckless oblivate to rid of her agony, only to remove a good portion of her memories, landing her in St Mungos for nearly a year.
It was highly unfortunately that a rogue Sakura card ruined the life of a witch, a student. At the very least however, she was alive and that's really all that mattered.
To think that a Sakura card ran amok… Admittedly, both guardians could sense the severity of her recent emotional turbulences but it was attributed to her pregnancy. They would not have phantom that Sakura would lose control over her cards.
Illusion rippled, and a familiar face appeared the next instant, twirling her mini-staff expertly with a determined gleam in her orbs.
"Now you are asking for it." Keroberus was itching to rip Illusion into shreds. "Masquerading as our mistress? The nerve!"
Keroberus bared his fangs, ready to teach that lackey a lesson when Yue stepped in front of him, making him look at his counterpart in surprise. Chilly blue orbs narrowed as the moon guardian issued a single, monosyllabic command to the card under his jurisdiction.
"Illusion."
The image of Sakura quailing with her demeanour shifting to submission was not a pleasant picture.
The air shifted and Illusion reverted back to its card form before floating towards Yue's open palm, to which the moon guardian encased it in a silvery globe of sorcery for precaution
Kero pouted as he morphed into his false form. "Just one word and you manage to tame Illusion. My lackey cards rarely listen to my commands!"
Yue , upon finally realizing the new coat of feathers that Kero was sporting, gave look of disapproval laced with an unvoiced sarcasm of 'I wonder why'.
"Not a goddamn word," Kero voiced grumpily. "Not a goddamn word."
* * *
"**I** heard Illusion went amok."
Vacant orbs greeted the young sorcerer.
"Why are we here, Xiao Lang?" Sakura asked, feeling rather lost. "What are we fighting for? I don't really know… and frankly, I don't really care anymore."
Xiao Lang wiped a bloodied tear, long used to the soreness of his eyes. In their sanctuary, there was no need for pretence.
"We finish things here and start hunting down the snake. Then we will go back home." he replied as he embraced his wife. "We shan't delay our progress any longer."
Sakura nodded.
* * *
**Wednesday** was the day when everything came apart.
They were engaged in another battle the following morning. Within a couple of hours, the Light had successfully defended their fort.
The Order was engaged in a post-battle feast in the Great Hall, tucking in to a spread of leftovers from previous dinners that were served by house elves. Most of the older Order members were seated at the teachers' table while some were spilt over to the Gryffindor table, which was largely occupied by the younger wizards.
The Minister, together with his lackeys, had to temporarily return to the Ministry by floo.
Both sorcerers were nowhere in sight, predictably holed up in the Room of Requirement again for reasons unknown to them. Yue was tracking enemies' activity, to ascertain their retreat. Kero was once again forwarding sorcerer-wizard relations by feasting with the younger members.
Exasperation on their faces with battle-weary Order members highly tempted to slap the young Order members who were creating a din, with Kero predictably the catalyst of the mayhem.
"How utterly disgraceful," Kero griped between chomps of donut. "Absolutely no finesse. You people were lumbering around like Orges!" And you, were literally scrambling and tripping over your feet!"
"Well excuse me for lumbering," Ron muttered into yesterday's meatloaf. "Infernis were swamping me like crazy and all I could think of was to get my ass out alive."
Harry uttered in exhaustion, all too keen for this entire war to be over, "Next time when Infernis are about a hair-breath away from sinking their teeth into me, I shall remember your words of wisdom and swish my wand with grace."
"Exactly, grace!" Leaping onto his feet with his mouth containing half-eaten donut, he grabbed the fork and jabbed it with a forward thrust. "What happened to the training you got from us?"
"You mean the time when you went batshit insane and used us as life targets," George exclaimed incredulously. "There wasn't any finesse involved! The only thing we learnt was to avoid our ass getting fried!"
Kero wagged his paw with a smirk before holding up his cutlery like a trophy, "Even when you escape danger, you should uphold your pride as a warrior and exit with style."
"I'll show you style, ol great trainer of ours." Fred responded mockingly before a scoop of mashed potatoes sailed through the air and collided into Kero's huge face with a splat. George whoop of gwaff laughter with Molly's horrified yell of "Fred!" while jaws of the rest of the members seemed to hang as mashed potato slid off Kero's face, revealing flaming orbs of wrath.
"You disrespectful young ass," the esteemed beast of sorcery seethed. "You're so going to pay for this!"
In retaliation, donuts pummelled through the air at top speeds, smashing into Fred's hard head with the force of a sledgehammer, putting him out of commission instantly. A couple of misfired pastries sailed past their intended targets and went smacking into the faces of unsuspecting victims instead.
Against the commotion of swearing, George wiped a stray tear and swore vengeance upon his twin's limp body.
One thing led to another with shouts of irritation gave way to war cries and the situation began to degenerate into a food fight.
While the rest of staff watched with tics pulsating above their brows, Dumbledore gazed serenely at the scene unfolding before him. The sun guardian and the younger members were getting along famously.
Some stray unidentified lump landed on his table with a splat and Dumbledore poked it experimentally. Yesterday's meat stew, he concluded with great interest. While it was one of the house elves' worse recipes, it was still unfortunate to meet with such an end. Before he could utter a silent prayer of regret however, the creaking of the doors caught his attention and his curiosity gave way to delight.
"Mr and Mrs Li. So glad that you'll join us for dinner."
All activity stilled.
"Though it seems like dinner is interrupted," Xiao Lang remarked dryly, with Sakura gazing unhappily behind. "I do suppose this is not an everyday occurrence."
Dropping the bowl of cream sauce in his paws instantly, Kero jerkily turned his head towards the door, presenting the couple with a face full of potato and apple pie. He quailed under her reprimanding gaze.
"I… I…" Kero stuttered nervously before pointing his paw at Fred in righteous indignation. "He started it!"
"That's because you started mouthing like crazy!"
"Well, that's because you guys don't seem to apply the stuff we taught you!"
Sakura's orbs narrowed unconsciously.
She had no time for this. Not when her conviction in aiding wizards was dissipating fast, not when all she wanted was to kill that snake instead of babysitting the wizards to hold their fort and mother her sun guardian.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Xiao Lang's hand shot to his mouth and started coughing, startling the wizards at such an uncommon scene for young leader had never showed signs of weakness in front of others.
It was largely passed it off as a seemingly harmless cough as Xiao Lang's hand fell to his side. While the curious glance of the young faded, the sharper members became highly alarmed when drips of dark crimson stained the stone floor, indicating that blood was dripping off the sorcerer's hand when strangely, there was no blood stains on his palm.
The said members detected the slightest sense of urgency on the sorcerer's visage when he turned to the sorceress, eyes widening by a fraction. His wife mirrored the same action.
Before the Order members could ask any questions however, the castle was wrecked with an exceptionally violent shake, throwing everyone of balance and screams of fright rang across the castle. Sakura clung onto Xiao Lang for support before doubling over, clutching onto his forearm tightly as a series of coughs wrecked her frame, alarming the wizards in the process.
"Dear God," Molly exclaimed as she rushed over, motherly instincts taking precedence over survival. "What in the wor-"
She was interrupted by a particularly harsh cough before brilliant red splattered across the stone surface. Xiao Lang's expression turned grave as stunned silence hung among the Order members despite the minor tremors that shook the castle.
Sakura had thrown up blood but there was no trace of crimson on her countenance.
Things, the more intelligent members realised with dread, were not getting better. From the day when they saw the bloodied trails on Sakura's face, the couple had been using glamour magic as a disguise.
They were lulled into complacency.
There was a reprise of that ghastly thunder and this time, the wizards began to feel a suffocating presence. Both sorcerers froze and urgency became even more apparent, as if their worst fears have been confirmed.
"Xiao Lang…" Sakura whispered in horror.
Wind began to pick up violently in the great hall, creating huge blast of gales sent the long tables crashing into the stone walls. Panicking, the wizards crouched low in desperate bid to avoid being sent slamming into walls.
Yue appeared at the door, facial features highly tensed. He was met with a powerful gale that made him take several steps back as his long silvery tresses whipping about wildly. Yue saw his fellow guardian taking a rough tumble, his small form unable to withstand the force of the wind.
In the middle of the great hall where both sorcerers stood, the Time card materialised and began to shriek.
"What the hell is happening?" Someone yelled above the din, the screeching threatening to shatter his eardrums. The ominous pink shade that covered the hall was starting to unnerve the wizards.
There was a skin-jerking sensation before they found themselves in the Room of Requirement; its silence providing them sudden relief from that awful noise.
"Headmaster. Please prohibit anyone from entering the Great hall for the time being." Xiao Lang said gravely. "The situation that you saw will persist for some time. But I can assure you that it won't spread beyond the hall."
"I would like to know what is happening Mr Li."
"The Time card has been activated." Sakura replied, with what would have been blood on her lips. "The time portal was activated by force."
"Voldemort went back in time," came Xiao Lang's grim input.
Time travel was no longer an option. It was unstable enough from their tumultuous journey back into the past. Reopening it would further destabilise it and any use of sorcery back in time would ultimately drive the fragile situation over the edge, in which the time portal would collapse, dissolving the world into dissolve into time chaos. Past events would be erased, invalidating the events of the present.
"You mean all this while, you-know-who has been throwing his lackeys at us to distract us from his main objective? Why does he want to go back in time?"
"Do you think it is to go back in time to stop the day when Harry defeated him as a baby? He might kill of Harry and-"
"Time magic is serious shit you dolts! A half-blooded sorcerer can't go back so many years into the past," Kero yelled at the ignorant idiots and proceeded to give a lecture on the capabilities of half-blooded sorcerers.
"…a half-blooded sorcerer is able to jump back a couple of years at the very most, even with external support like time arrays or potions. By forcibly opening the gate to the past however, the half-blooded sorcerer will be severely depleted of sorcery and his life will be at risk."
There was a gasp of realisation.
"Bloody hell, do you think he went back to that massacre in Asia?" Ron interjected "I mean, he failed big time then. He probably wanted to start from there?"
There were vigorous nods of agreement as the wizards looked at each other.
"It is possible… I mean it only happened a few years ago. We-"
"How…" came a deathly whisper. "How do you know about the massacre?"
Caught off guard by the sorceress's outburst, Ron looked genuinely confused before his expression contorted into one of utter horror, mirroring his companions
"How do you know about the massacre?" Sakura pressed on, her voice razor sharp. "There is absolutely no way that you would have known about this"
Ron was at a total loss for words and the room subsequently plunged into deathly silence.
"I should have known," Sakura whispered in rage, countenance was marred with betrayal as she took an intimidating step forward, hair billowing in her fury. "I told you not to pry didn't I?"
Feeling threatened, many members took a wary step back. The desire for security by clutching onto their wands became highly apparent.
"There are things-" she continued, gaze becoming increasingly wild. "-that are kept secret for a reason. I trusted you guys to respect my privacy. I trusted you guys to refrain from breaching boundaries. So why did you pry?"
Hard pressure was applied to the base of her neck. Sakura slumped forward and collapsed into Xiao Lang's waiting arms.
"That marks the end of our alliance."
Dumbledore looked deeply uncomfortable.
"Mr-"
The ground shook furiously, and the air screamed.
"Don't tempt me wizard." The leader of the Li clan growled. "If it wasn't for Sakura, I'll raze this goddamn place to the ground."
The headmaster bowed with regret.
"I apologise for everything."
Xiao Lang threw him a cold look before stepping into in summoned portal. Sakura's moon guard stepped in thereafter.
Kero however, stayed behind.
"Although I'm darn sure of it, but the only person you have been in contact with is me. This means I've told you about it when I technically can't remember telling anything to you guys," Kero asked, the look completely foreign to the wizards. "Care to enlighten me?"
* * *
"**We** can't afford to leave Voldemort alone, Master."
Yue voiced his concerns as they stepped out of the portal that led straight into the Li's master bedroom, to which Xiao Lang paused for a moment before replying.
"Nothing has happened."
He could feel the questioning gaze from the stoic guardian. Placing Sakura's unconscious form on the bed, he tucked the silk blanket to her chin.
"If he has done anything, we would have felt the repercussions two years ago. The fact that nothing has changed even if he did travel back in time to the Asian massacre proves that he didn't impact the timeline. When we first went back in time two years ago, we arrived at a devastated Tomoeda emerging from the carnage of battle. Concurrently, present day Voldermort was also in Tomoeda, harbouring some wishful thought of preventing our younger counterparts from interfering with the muggle cleansing. However, neither did Sakura, Kero nor I encountered any hindrance from Voldermort."
Xiao Lang gave Sakura's face a gentle caress before easing himself from his seated position. Sakura's glamour magic had long dissipated and blood trails began to stain the sheets.
"Time magic requires immense amount of sorcery. What he lacked in sorcery was substituted with massive amounts of blood which managed to transport him back two years into the past. Even then, the trip would have cost him almost all his energy and I presume he is barely sustaining himself, much less doing anything in the past."
"That makes his intention to go back in time nonetheless unclear," Yue argued. "His motive is highly questionable. Besides, forced reopening of the time portal is also a pressing issue. "
"It is. But fact is that judging from the backlash the time portal could be sustained for a couple more days. That can wait," Xiao Lang replied firmly. "Right now, Sakura is my priority."
Unless the world was dissolving into immediate chaos, everything else was secondary.
Sakura's eyelids flickered open an hour later, revealing vacant orbs to the world. Shifting the silk blanket aside, she twirled her hair into a lose bun and fastened it with a plain chopstick lying on the drawer by her bedside.
"And just where do you think you are going?" a familiar low baritone drifted.
"To rid Voldemort from the face of this earth."
"I'll handle it."
Sakura did not reply and made her way to the door, only to be stopped by a strong grip to her wrist. She spun around irritably, only to meet with an unwavering gaze from her husband.
"You're not in any mental or physical condition to travel back in time."
"That snake is the reason why everything went downhill!" Sakura cried bitterly. "It was all because of him that Otou-san and Nii-chan died, that we are embroiled in the affairs of those wizards! Only by killing him will I get my revenge! "
Anger bled into Xiao Lang's gaze and Sakura found herself pinned against the bed with her hands above her head.
"Hasn't it occurred to you that I don't want you to be anywhere near that snake at all?" Xiao Lang growled, voice dangerously soft as his teeth grazed her neck.
Sakura was prepared to respond with a rebellious rebuttal when Xiao Lang bit her neck with much force. Gasping audibly, she strained her hands against his to free herself.
Ignoring her desperate attempts, the clan leader held her chin and caught his wife in a forceful kiss.
The clan mistress tried to push him away, but she was all too aware of his knee sliding between her legs. Eyes turning increasingly lidded, breath caught at her throat with his lips against hers, Sakura's struggles gradually lost in strength for she was unable to deny the thrill, the onset of pleasure as her frantic thoughts melted into incoherency.
* * *
**Xiao Lang** shrugged on the jacket and Sakura, looking slightly dishevelled, proceeded to adjust his tie.
His wife was averting her gaze, attention purposefully trained on his tie. Xiao Lang took hold of her chin and forced her to look into his eyes.
"We'll deal with this once I return."
Sakura nodded, and she was rewarded with a satisfied peck on the lips.
It was only when her husband exited their room, shutting their door with an audible click, that Sakura batted out an apologetic whisper.
"Gomen, Xiao Lang."
* * *
**She** could feel the air shaking with unstable time magic when she set foot into Little Hangleton. Powerful ripples emanated from the ominous glowing manor located on the top of the hill.
In a split second, Sakura appeared at the door of what she would come to know as The Riddle Manor. Dingy window planes had long shattered with the initial powerful ripple. The manor was damp and derelict, thoroughly void of life.
Her chest clenched in pain as every step she took into the manor, every pace nearing the source of the crisis. Sorcery in her blood began to stir, churn, fester; chorus of voices, wails, screams crying for rectification of such imbalance.
"Stop it," she whispered as she covered her ears with her palms in a futile attempt to block out the demands, their demands. Breathing became shallower as they became overbearing. Every fibre of her being screamed at their refusal to proceed, her instincts urging her to retreat. She was powered forward only by the will of the natural order, her inescapable responsibility stemming from her birth right.
"Stop it!"
Control over her emotions waned and a burst of pink sorcery flared, wrecking the first level of the manor instantly. Floorboards were uprooted and flung and smashed against the walls. Remaining furnishing in the room shattered thereafter.
Her outburst only served to aggravate the delicate situation further as the air in the manor crackled and shuddered powerfully once more.
Training from the Li's kicked in forcibly and the turbulence in her mind quickly sank into a dull buzz. Calming considerably, Sakura proceeded towards the source of the instability. She had to hurry though, before childbearing anxiety resurfaced and challenged her control. Even as the Li mistress drew nearer to the basement and the instability grew increasingly severe, training held up – testament to the Li's philosophy of maintaining impassivity even in the face of crisis.
Huge wooden trap doors appeared in sight and Sakura could feel the source lying behind those doors. Dread began to accumulate dramatically. Steeling herself mentally, Sakura flung the trap doors open-
- and was met with an entire basement inundated with blood.
The overpowering stench caused Sakura to gag and take a step back, her hand shooting straight to her mouth with her blood raged uncontrollably.
A flight of stairs led further down the basement and into the sea of blood. There was a rip in the air – the entrance back in time- in the middle of the room, of which blood was swirling beneath the rip to fuel portal stability.
Time magic was serious business. The entire reserve of a half-blooded sorcerer could barely sustain the time portal. An external medium was required to stabilize it in order to allow a tumultuous trip back in time.
It seemed that Voldemort had stored the bulk of the blood from the creatures to sustain the time portal.
Time magic was already unsettled way back when Sakura and Xiao Lang made that ill-fated trip back to Tomoeda. This summoning further unsettled the portal for it was done in a haphazard fashion - Voldemort who invoked the time portal was a probably did not use the right incantations, only using the bestowed sorcery in his reserves to pry open the time portal. Blood used to sustain the portal was finite and would only be able to sustain the portal for another two hours before the portal collapses spectacularly and the world dissolves into time chaos.
The collapse would be accelerated should sorcery be used in her trip back in time. Sakura could only rely on her sword.
When the nausea had somewhat subsided, Sakura walked down the stone steps with great reluctance, sickly feeling growing exponentially within. Tears of blood streamed thickly beneath her glamour disguise, dripping continuously into the pool of blood below.
Nearing the end of the stairs, the sea of blood began to part, leaving path which led straight towards the rip. Eyelids fluttered shut for some semblance of calmness before she took the first of her many steps, heels clicking loudly against the blood-stained pavement.
As she walked down the path, with the increasing volume of wails breeching her control and her long locks whipping wildly by the wind generated from the portal, she was assaulted with images of the past, when the natural order did not dictate her will, when her life was not plagued by the stench of blood nor death.
Since when did everything begin to change?
Choking back a sob, Sakura bit her lip and entered the time portal.
It happened all in an instant, and she knew she was back in Tomoeda. Her pregnancy and her waning grasp over her sorcery however, left her disoriented by her time travel. Regaining her balance as she stood shakily on both feet, Sakura tried to figure out how much time she had before the attack and why this place looked so familiar when a voice pierced her thoughts like a knife through hot butter.
"Sakura?"
Heart screaming in disbelief, Sakura's mind momentarily stilled at the sight of her father.
* * *
"**Welcome** back."
Sakura met him at the door. Wang and Xiao Yu stood by her side with customary bows.
Xiao Lang gave a curt nod towards them before dismissing both Wang and Xiao Yu.
The usual silence reigned as the couple strode back to their room, acknowledging respectful bows given by servants and butlers on their way back. Upon entering their room, the door shut with an ominous click.
"Where is she?"
His wife looked subtlety confused.
"What are you talk-"
Sakura was sent painfully to her knees all of a sudden, with the potency of the sudden pressure of sorcery threatening to crush her lungs. She looked up with much difficulty and cowered at the rage apparent on Xiao Lang's face.
"**Where is your Mistress, Mirror**?"
Mirror reverted back to her true spirit form, quivering before Xiao Lang as she prostrated.
"Forgive me Master," Mirror cried fearfully, "I…I…"
Xiao Lang knew that Mirror was unable to defy Sakura's orders but that did not quell his temper. He glared at the card and demanded if Sakura had company.
"Mistress went alone," Mirror whimpered, petrified by her master's fury.
It seemed like she ditched both of her guardians too. Without casting a second look at the quivering card, Xiao Lang left the room with a storm of emotions.
Mirror whimpered once more and morphed back into her card form, disappearing in a flash of pink.
* * *
**Hours** after both Lis had left, Dumbledore was back in his office with regrets mounting exponentially.
Pending on the horizon was what could be the final wave of assault by the enemy. With casualties on the Light side mounting, they might not be enough to fend off the last attack.
The flames at the fireplace flared to life. Seconds later, Eriol stepped out of the fireplace with thin trails of blood evident on his face. Dumbledore regarded the Clow incarnate with a sorrowful and deeply apologetic gaze.
"Old friend…" he murmured. "I really have nothing thing to say."
Eriol gave Dumbledore a muted look for the longest moment before breaking his silence.
"By betraying my daughter, I should just leave you guys in the lurch. But on account of our friendship, I shall tackle this crisis with you. One last time."
* * *
"**Sakura**? You are back?" came an astonished response from Kinomoto. "Weren't you away for your honeymoon?"
Sakura did not reply, opting instead to stare at her deceased father with wide eyes. He was pruning their little garden in their front porch when he saw her. Removing his gardening gloves and abandoning clippers quickly, he moved off the dirt ground and made his way towards her, expression one of pleasant surprise.
In a cruel twist of fate, it seemed that she had landed in front her house.
Rendered utterly speechless, Sakura barely registered what her supposing deceased-turned-alive father was saying nor felt hands on her shoulder steering her up their stairs through the familiar living, past her mother's portrait and into the kitchen where the smell of pancakes wafted.
"Kaiju?"
That nickname created a large splinter in her dam of emotions as Sakura stared at her older brother, , in the kitchen - it was just like how she remembered - donning on that apron with that teddy bear print which Sakura fell in love with while he found it utterly ridiculous. He held onto the pan, surprise etched on his face upon seeing Sakura.
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be enjoying life Europe?"
"That's what I asked her," her father replied. "Apparently, they decided to give us a surprise."
Somewhere at the back of her mind, Sakura was glad that she had enough control over her sorcery to maintain the glamour charm, shielding the blood trails on her face from her family in order to prevent them from freaking out.
But at present, when her shocked mind finally started cranking and realised that her family was standing right in front of her; that those who she had been longing, craving, desiring for in her dreams were living and breathing _in the flesh_ that tears started flowing and _could not stop_. Clinging onto her stunned father, Sakura buried her face into his shirt and cried hard, with increasing crescendo to a wail, as relief, happiness, impending melancholy embroiled into a potent maelstrom, in a complex mix of conflicting emotions that tore her apart while mending her from within.
Given Sakura's sudden melt down, it was difficult not to jump into conclusions.
"It must be to godamn gaki's fault isn't it?" Touya raged, zooming in to his nearest target instantly. "I just knew that he will be trouble!"
"Now Touya, we don't know what exactly happened "" Fujiwara soothed his son uncertainly as he tried comfort his daughter, worry growing exponentially as his daughter's cries deepened with sorrow . He had never witnessed Sakura suffer such a break down. It was extremely worrying and with Sakura's abrupt arrival at their doorstep a couple of days into her marriage with his son-in-law nowhere in sight, it was inevitable that suspicion and blame fell upon the Li family.
"Wait till I get my hands on him! I'll wring his neck!" The pan was cracking under the pressure of his grip. "I will teach him not to mess with Sakura again! That bloody gi-"
"Touya!"
"I really can't be bothered now Otou-san. That gaki had the nerve to make Sakura cry after all that bullshit he promised you!"
Seated at the kitchen table, they looked worriedly at the family youngest as her wail gradually died down to sobs.
"Oni-chan, it is not Xiao Lang's fault."
I am the one at fault. I am the cause of all these troubles.
"I am just a little homesick."
"I highly doubt it," Touya muttered darkly, wrath flaming in his eyes. The pan-handle now sporting sizable finger-shaped imprints. "Homesickness doesn't make you cry as if you are pinning for the dead."
Sakura stilled - Touya hit the bull's eye- before sighing, "Oni-chan, Xiao Lang has been treating me really well. "
"Right. As if I believe that after your teary episode Kaiju."
"Don't call me Kaiju, baka Oni-chan!"
"You will always be Kaiju, Kaiju," Touya snorted. "Still the ungraceful female as ever. How China sees you as the elegant, refined young mistress of the Lis is really beyond me."
Fujiwara laughed, worry lifting slightly as his daughter pouted, her spirits seemed to lift. Still it was little strange. He had this nagging feeling from the moment he laid eyes on his daughter – probably an effect as the half-incarnation of Clow Reed. Something seemed to be a bit… off. She had longer hair -probably had hair extensions-, and she seemed taller… Fujiwara stared discreetly at his daughter, noting the subtle facial and demeanour changes – poised and seasoned, and eyes that looked so very weary – plus the changes to her flow of sorcery.
Can a week bring that much change in a person?
Chucking his suspicions to the back of his mind, he asked jovially, "So I take it that you are back home due to your… homesickness?"
"I'm back because-" she froze immediately, elation and relief dying out in an instant as she recalled her original purpose back in time. The wall clock indicated four minutes to attack commencement.
She had to save her family.
"Otou-san, Oni-chan," Sakura started wildly and stood up abruptly, knocking her chair over, alarming her family once more. "Hurry, you must escape!"
Both sported similar looks of bewilderment, and Touya's patience was stretched thin.
"Sakura, what the hell is going on?" he demanded, seizing his sister's shoulders with a firm shake "Enough of the homesickness bullshit. Are the Lis a problem?"
"No, no! Not them!" Sakura mumbled distractedly, mind whirling fast as she quickly analyzed her family's situation. Even though her father was half-incarnation of Clow, he did not hone it to possess actual fighting capabilities for he was just contented to communicate with apparitions of his wife. While defending against a couple of Death Eaters should be fine, but an entire hoard of vicious, muggle-hating fleet with well-coordinated attacks would overwhelm him. Her brother, void of magical capabilities, was defenceless. "Just… both of you have to escape now! Just hurry!"
"Sakura," Fujiwara's voice was stern, reflecting similar inevitable sentiments as his son. "Are our in-laws giving you trouble? "
"No, not Xiao Lang's family!" Sakura cried desperately. "It's the wiz-"
The sound of distant scream and explosion signalled the first wave attack. Sakura halted abruptly as the natural order gave a shrill scream of protest, sending her to bend over in her seat and grab her head in agony as her glamour magic buckled under the strain.
She was here to kill Voldemort, not intervene in events of the past. She could not change her family's inevitable fate.
Tampering with time, thus breathing life back into the dead was against the natural order. A taboo.
She had options but there was really no choice at all.
All this power, yet so utterly useless.
Dilemma was tearing her apart. Grit her teeth sped out of the kitchen, and raced down the stairs to her front porch and beyond the gate.
"Sakura!"
Sakura stopped all of a sudden, with her back facing her father. Sakura could hear him slowing his steps and stand a distance away, probably allowing her more personal space in this unstable time.
"You are …not Sakura. I mean…" Fujiwara said unsurely, hesitantly. "Touya probably couldn't tell but I can feel something different. That you are Sakura but you are not. I'm not sure if what I am saying actually makes sense.
The bite on her lip was hard enough to draw blood.
She turned and looked at her father. Shock was an understatement when he saw thick streams of blood trailing down her eyes. Coughing thickly, a fresh trail of blood dribbled down to her chin. Her brother sported similar expression as he appeared at the doorway. Sakura gazed forlornly at her family before sorrow overwhelmed and her face expression crumbled.
"Gomen Nasai Otou-san, Oni-chan " she choked, voice breaking along with her heart. "It's all my fault."
She fled down the street and right into a nearby clump of vegetation, ignoring the confused yells from her family as she tried to put as much distance away from her dilemma. It was only the sound of an explosion that stopped her in her tracks abruptly, that she turned around and saw at the fiery plume rising above the trees from where her house originally stood.
Sakura merely dimly registered harsh breathing echoing around her ears as she stared at the massive fireball with dilated pupils, a scream threatening to tear through her lips.
All these while, she harboured a wishful thinking – that her family's deaths were inevitable, that she had no control over their fate, that she could only pray that they would rest in peace.
How naïve.
It was her who sent them to their deaths.
However difficult, she had made a choice and ultimately decided her family's fate as charred corpses by the doorstep.
Their blood was on her hands.
Sakura snapped.
* * *
**Xiao Lang** and Kero stood on the stone stairs, brows deeply furrowed at the unstable portal in the middle of the room. Yue was ordered against his will to notify Eriol about the situation, leaving both of them to handle things at the Riddle Manor.
Once Kero was informed by Xiao Lang on Sakura's unannounced trip back in time, the guardian was struck by the complexity of the entire time travelling situation. When Tomoeda was under attack by those Death Eaters two years back, it seemed that the little town was hosting two different sets of time travellers, who, Kero mused, thankfully did not cross paths lest a time paradox occurred. (The Sun guardian was blissfully unaware of the momentary meeting between the two Sakuras back in time.)
The first would be the trio – Xiao Lang, Sakura and Kero – who leaped back in time days after the attack on Asia in order to personally witness the devastation created by the Dark side. The second set of time travellers currently comprised of the present day Voldermort - whose assumed but undoubtedly failed intention was to reverse the meddling of the first set of time travellers in order to regain an upper hand over the sorcerers - and Sakura, who was on a vengeful mission to eradicate the Dark Lord before damage to the time portal became too entrenched.
And currently, they had to get Sakura out of that fragile time portal before embarking on a herculean task of restabilising the portal to prevent invalidation of time and reality.
A look at the portal and the unstable vibes in the air told Xiao Lang that another sorcerer back in time is unacceptable. Kero trip back in time to drag Sakura back to the present would destabilise the portal further, but it was the lesser of two evils.
"This will take more than just your sorcery to solve this mess."
"I know," Xiao Lang replied Kero, determination reflecting in his orbs. "Look after them for me, soft toy."
The bead morphed into his sword and he slammed the sharp edge onto the ground, green array burst from the ground, blood swept violently towards the other side of the room. Sorcery began to flood the room and the large cracks appeared in the wooden structure above.
Kero's eyes widened to the size of saucers when he realised the implications.
"Look after them yourself gaki! Rear your own brat that you procreated!" Kero cried hysterically. "Don't you dare kick the bucket and pass the shit to me, you hear me? Sakura will kill me if you do!"
The look on Xiao Lang's face caused Kero to spew expletives as he turned and entered the time portal.
* * *
**Sakura** gasped like a person starved for air.
Materializing in glows of bright pink, her cards began to whip wildly out of control. Fiery and Lightning were starting to let lose their cannons; vegetation around her aflame. Windy was starting to be released from her sealed state, producing gusts that fanned the flames.
She dug her fingers deeply into the soil and gritted her teeth with great effort.
Not yet. She could not lose herself to this madness yet; not when she had not gotten revenge. Losing control now was just going to create mindless destruction. If she had to die, she would drag her nemesis to hell with her.
Using the cards on herself was not encouraged. She ran the risk of being controlled by the cards instead - but there was no other alternative.
"Lock."
Lock ,one of the last few cards that had not turned wild, activated on command.
"Lock… this anger away for now," Sakura gasped between clenched teeth "But when I find him, I will kill him."
The madness stopped all of a sudden, leaving a kneeling Sakura doused in cold sweat. Her cards returned into their sealed states, fluttering back into a pile before her before disappearing with a burst of pink.
She could feel an artificial block at the back of her mind that stemmed all her emotions, giving her a sense of unnaturally calmness.
Muscles spamming slightly, Sakura stood faintly to her feet and dusted the dirt off her skirt. Cleaning the damp strands of hair off her face shakily, she redid hair and fastened the clasp as she struggled to catch her breath. Blood was cleaned off her face with the back of her hand and glamour magic was reactivated. A brief command saw the burning vegetation around her being doused by Watery.
When she activated lock, all her emotions - especially that uncontrollable rage and hatred- became inaccessible. She felt strangely… sedated, a little disorientated, as if in a dream-like state where her world was submerged in water.
Minutes later, her breathing evened out and the fog in her mind cleared.
Cold logic and rationality remained; her sorceress duty stood out in clarity, while everything else seemed insignificant.
An abrupt spike of sorcery flooded her senses and Sakura rushed out of the dense vegetation, just in time to see her younger counterpart unleashing Dark in her reckless fury.
Sakura's forehead creased. If this were to continue, Dark would thoroughly destabilise the already fragile state of time. The younger Sakura had to be stopped.
"Light," Sakura summoned, unknowingly intervening into past events.
She watched her raging younger counterpart with what she would think is sadness in her eyes. The younger Sakura had just discovered the corpses of her family by their door step, and had sworn vengeance upon the perpetrators - Death Eaters - who had killed her family.
It was pretty tragic actually. Sakura supposed she could empathise, to a certain degree, with her younger counterpart.
Speaking of perpetrators, should she not pin point to one closer to home? One that left them to their deaths?
Sakura could only blink at that stray thought.
Altering time was a taboo that could destabilise time and throw the world into chaos. She was a Sorceress before anything else. Between the world and the lives of two individuals, the choice was obvious.
As she faded back to the forest after throwing one last glance at her past, Sakura could not, for the life of her, fantom why that train of thought felt so terribly wrong.
* * *
**Sakura** found him at some secluded area of the town, a fair distance away from the attack. Leaning against a thick trunk, Voldemort looked gaunt and exhausted - a shell of his former self. It was not much of a surprise after all, taking into account the nature of such forced time travelling. He was barely hanging on, clutching onto life by the skin of his teeth.
At the back of her mind, she could literally hear the sound of Lock unlocking.
Sakura took a step forward and sprung back all of a sudden when ground exploded upon contact. She was about to throw her shield up to repel the attack on reflex when she came to an abrupt realisation that she could not risk using sorcery. The initial explosion began to set off a chain reaction of explosions, forcing Sakura to flip backwards and land a safe distance away with her hair whipping behind her.
Her legs however had burns of varying degrees. They were not spared from the blast.
Eyes narrowing, Sakura found flask of volatile potions buried in the ground to compensate for his lack of combat prowess.
"So this is your purpose back in time?" glared at the half-blooded deviant, her voice laced faintly with scorn. "All to ambush me with planted potions in the soil?"
Negativity was trickling back in at a study rate at the back of her mind.
"I'm not dumb, sorceress," Voldemort hissed faintly before coughing thickly, as if choking on blood. It was a feeling that Sakura was well-acquainted with. "Against three sorcerers and one half-blooded bitch who keep poaching my men, I had no chance of victory."
Voldemort's words were starting to decrease in audibility as numbing anger began to overwhelm. It was smart of Lock to unload that emotional baggage in measured streams - it would definitely break her should all that hatred were to be dumped on her at an instant.
"In order for any possibility of victory, I realised that I had to deal with each of you separately… and place you in an environment where you are can't use sorcery to even out the odds. If I am lucky, I will end your life in this portal. Even if I were to perish, Horocruxes back in the present would continue to sustain my life. In the worst case if I can't succeed and time dissolves, I will drag everything down to hell with me. "
She could feel the trembling of urge to go for the slaughter.
"Your hands are tied sorceress," Voldemort spat balefully. "Either way, victory will be mine."
"You are absolutely right.
The last of her initially uncontrollable fury was freed. Drowned in the onslaught of cold fury, Sakura's gaze turned absolutely glacial.
"But I don't care anymore."
There was an explosion of light and Voldemort tumbled onto the ground with a blood-curling scream. The stench of his blood permeated the air, further fuelling her bloodlust.
Her unleashed sorcery had long rendered the cheap tricks buried in the ground useless.
"I will make you beg, bastard." With the glamour magic dispelled, the blood trails on her face painted her as a fallen angel. "I will put you in such great agony that you wish you were dead."
The floodgates to her sorcery slammed open.
Back in the Great Hall, the Time card shredded with a piercing wail.
* * *
**When** rationality managed to weave into her consciousness and snapped her out of her vengeful wrath, Voldemort was lying in pieces by her feet, with a rapidly expanding pool of blood staining her shoes. Steadily evening out her quick breathing, she eyed dispassionately at what was left of the dark lord, deliberately ignoring the unpleasant feeling of the bastard's blood staining her blouse and cheek.
She could vaguely remember being creatively vicious with torture as she heightening his pain receptors and relished his agony with cruel satisfaction.
After the mutilated demise of her nemesis however, Sakura came down from her rush, feeling utterly drained.
Paying little heed to the increasingly violent tremor of the ground, Sakura dragged herself to a nearby tree and slid down wearily, abandoning her sword by her side with a loud clank.
There was a time when she would never have imagined herself to fall so far from grace, to bathe and cloak herself in death and destruction. She was so sick of coppery stench of blood assaulting her senses, so sick of this numbing hatred.
With the amount of sorcery that she had unleashed, it was inevitable that time would dissolve into chaos. It mattered little to Sakura that she was fulfilling Voldemort's plans. She was so tempted to shut her eyes and drown in this personal hell of hers.
She was just so tired…
"Sakura! Oh my god! What the hell happened?"
Keroberus landed amidst the chaos, looking utterly stunned by the remains of what seemed like a vicious execution of Voldemort before a throwing a petrified gaze to the sky when the land gave a particularly loud roar of destruction.
"Kero…" Sakura muttered dully, eyes closed in exhaustion. "I think I had enough."
"What the hell are you talking about Sakura? The gaki is going to die!"
Eyelids flew open in shock. Breath caught in her throat, Sakura seized her guardian by the fur and demanded urgently, "What do you mean?"
"He is going to stabilize the time portal via equivalent trade. He intends to sacrifice his sorcery but it definitely isn't enough!"
"No…" Her hold on Kero's fur tightened, making him wince in discomfort. How could she have forgotten about Xiao Lang? Earlier suicidal notion abandoned, Sakura became distinctively aware of the new life growing within her and the impending repercussions of Xiao Lang's decision. "We have to stop him Kero!"
"That's why we have to hurry!" Kero yelled above the din as Sakura hopped onto his back. "We have to stop the gaki from killing himself!"
Upon escaping the wrecked time portal, they found Xiao Lang standing in the middle of a brilliant array as expelled green aura raged fiercely, emerald flames twisting and curling majestically from his body.
The feeling of weakness began to set in as the gradual dimming of the flame in his soul became apparent. Sorcery flooded out from the young clan leader in troves and spiralled towards the heavens, in a bid to stabilise the uncontrollable time portal.
The natural order worked on equivalent trade. It would take all that was needed to stabilise the time portal that was spiralling out of control. He intended to surrender his birth right as a sorcerer but from the severity of it, Xiao Lang guessed that his life was probably at stake too.
"Xiao Lang!"
Sakura dashed into his array and clutched his arms, orbs fraught with grief. Kero hovered a fair distance away from the array. Despite best attempts, Kero could not enter the array -it took all of the guardian's effort to stand his ground and not get swept away by the tsunami of sorcery.
"No! Stop the ritual now!" the card mistress cried. Attempting to interrupt the ritual, she unleashed the floodgates of her sorcery and a column of pink shot to the sky - only to reel from shock when her the pink tendrils of sorcery dissipatedly abruptly a split second later in the face of Xiao Lang's relentless will.
"Let me surrender mine too!" she begged as she stared in horror at the amount of blood staining his lips . "With both of our sorcery sacrificed, your life will definitely be spared."
Xiao Lang gave a grim shake of his head and Sakura dissolved into tears.
Both knew that a leader was still required among the sorcerers. It was the harsh truth - both of them could not go down together. Besides, Xiao Lang would never forgive himself should anything happens to mother and child.
"It's my fault from the start. Why? Why do you always have to shoulder the responsibility?"
She found it so utterly unfair that her last memory of Xiao Lang was a reminder of her failures.
"Live, Sakura. For our child," her husband whispered with undertones of a final farewell. "And forgive me, for I can protect you no longer."
Mustering his remaining strength, Xiao Lang held Sakura in a firm embrace and pulled her into an urgent kiss.
Choking back a sob, Sakura wrapped her hands behind his neck as her eyes fluttered shut, with lips pressed against his in fervent desperation, bloodied tears cascading in silent despair.
The world turned white.
* * *
**Lethargy** was the first sensation felt when Sakura regained consciousness. Limbs weighing like lead and fog obscuring her brain, Sakura pressed a hand against her head as she sat up and looked around wearily.
The basement walls were totally destroyed alongside with surrounding earth by sorcery, levelling the mountain into a plateau. The said plateau was littered with remnants of the mansion of a mix of cement and wooden debris.
When the fog in her mind lifted, the enormity of the situation hit her with startling clarity.
She began to look around frantically and spotted the prone form of her husband lying by an enormous concrete slab near the edge of the plateau. Scrambling unsteadily to her feet, Sakura rushed towards him urgently. She collapsed beside Xiao Lang's lifeless form and held him by the shoulders in attempt to rouse him to no avail.
It was the very scene of Xiao Lang knocking on death's door two years back. That sinking feeling in her chest constricted painfully, making it difficult to breathe.
"Don't leave me," Sakura choked as she cried with tears free from taint - a stark reminder of the heavy price paid. "…Please. Don't leave me all alone."
As if the gods had heard her prayers, Xiao Lang stirred to life. Coughing repeatedly, he sat up with some effort. It took him awhile to regain his bearings, but when the cogs in his mind began to churn once more, his eyes fell onto Sakura.
Trembling with immense relief, Sakura's tear-streaked countenance lit up instantly. Cupping his face, she breathed, "You're alive. Thank god."
"I'm sorry Miss," he trailed uncertainly. "But who…"
Euphoria dissipated in an instant as she stilled, hands lowering in shock. Her right hand shot forward and grasped his arm in a tight hold.
"I'm Sakura. Don't you remember?" Sakura urged with an edge of desperation as she studied his face, heart sinking rapidly when she saw no hint of recognition in those orbs. It dawned upon Sakura the nature of the price paid and remnants of hope withered.
Clutching his shirt, Sakura leaned forward and buried her face into Xiao Lang's chest with a whimper, much to his surprise.
"Miss?"
"Please," Sakura whispered between sobs in utter defeat. "Just for a while. Let me stay like this."
Xiao Lang stared at the strange lady and protests died on his lips. He stood still as her broken figure shook, as if she was clinging onto her last anchor in life.
Heavens parted. An incessant roar of rain followed, drowning out the anguished cry that tore through her lips.
_When I look in your eyes I can see that you_
_Want to be with me but you're so sad_
_I don't know what to say or do_
_But the tears keep falling from your eyes_
_I know that times won't change my love_
_And I can't do nothing to keep you_
_Oh I give my love Oh when I hold you tight_
_Give my love through kisses Oh so bright_
_And you know that I can't change my love_
_Take my love all through the night_
_[Give My Love]_
_Child of the stars…_
_The Order thrives on equal trade…_
_What was lost can be regained,_
_And the descendent of the moon will rise again._
_But time will be swallowed in chaos,_
_And the world will be drowned in mortal peril._
_Would you then child, forfeit the lives of many for the desire of one?_
The card mistress buried her head into her arms and cried.
* * *
**End of series.**
* * *
I wrote this fic 6 years ago with a single commandment in mind:
**Thou shall construct a rational and logical story**
Of which this commandment includes the following:
1. Thou shall not provide Tomoyo possession of sorcery without logical explanation
2. Thou shall not allow the plot to revolve around Hogwarts school life and regurgitate contents from book 1 to 4 with CCS characters occupying as minor add-ons in Harry's best bud group
3. Thou shall not perceive Sakura's entry into the aristocratic Li family to be a walk in the park
4. Thou shall never provide irrational power upgrades that is synonymous with pretty battle outfits – with silk, ribbons, the works – and huge elaborate staffs with bigger and shinier jewels with every upgrade
5. Thou shall not devote the final chapter to be an extremely detailed account of the final battle between Light VS Dark, which features boring fights of minor characters for ¾ of the chapter before ending with the "epic fight" between Harry and Voldy in Hogwarts.
6. Thou shall attempt her very best in logically justifying the Dark Lord's long survival throughout 14 chapters when sorcerers are able to squash Voldemort like one giant bug in seconds flat.
7. Thou shall not let the wizards go unpunished for their undesirable habit of prying into matters of others.
I've always wondered why the golden trio goes scot free in other HPCCS fics (actually, any HP crossover fics that I've read) when they pried into the sorcerer's affairs even though they were told not to do so. Upon discovery – which usually involves Hermoine's research and an invisibility cloak- the CCS gang will be highly forgiving and include them into their matters. No repurcussions what so ever. It didn't sit well with me. If I have my secrets and zealously guard them, I sure as hell wouldn't want ppl to pry and would be darn pissed if ppl did, much less a sorceress under too much stress and pregnancy mood swings.
**Origin to story formation**
I came from an era when CCSHP fics were in the rage (2002 – 2007 - ah, how nostalgic). I consumed every CCSHP fic then and fics like Harry Potter and the Return of the true sorcerers, The Alliance of Magic & The Road Less Travelled were the epitome of CCSHP fics then. These three fics were the viewed as the standard then. I can say with pride that I had the honour of witnessing the progress of The Alliance of Magic. The author, Marie-Claire, wrote another CCSHP fic in 2003, before The Alliance of Magic. I think it was called When Magic Collide. It wasn't spectacular and all. So imagine my surprise when she emerged a year later (2004) with Alliance of Magic – I was taken aback by the massive improvements of plot and language within a year!
Being a CCSHP fan then, I decided to write one myself. But brainstorming yielded stupid and lame plots. It wasn't until 2006 when I had the brainwave while taking a public bus to my junior college. At that very instant, the skeleton of this entire story (70% of it) was formed. While my plot was, in my opinion, awesome, language improvements only came three years after I embarked on WOS journey and till now, I would consider my language ability to be slightly above average. I still have a long way to go…
**Other notes and possibility of continuation?**
So to stabilise the natural order, it only required his sorcery and memories. Life was spared. But you can imagine the trouble that a Li leader without sorcery or memories of his marriage nor his history of sorcery utilisation can bring. And let's not forget the impact on his health after part of his life force was sacrificed.
As the Natural Order thrives on equal trade, it is possible for Xiao Lang to regain his powers and memories. In return however, time will dissolve into chaos. This means that Sakura has to make herself scarce in order not to allow Xiao Lang any chances –risk- of recollection.
There were two other viable ways that Both Sakura and Xiao Lang could have given up their birthrights, but power had to be maintained bound by social structure, where the Li family maintained through their patronage of sorcery. There is no way the Li family would approve of that.
In all honesty, the Lis would rather sacrifice Sakura (not Xiao Lang) as part of the exchange, but Xiao Lang, while forced to accomplish his duty of maintaining leadership, tried to employ autonomy to the best of his abilities in a final bid to protect Sakura by sacrificing himself instead. However, if the Lis were to factor in the new life within Sakura, they would grudgingly approve of Xiao Lang's sacrifice for that child, through the union of the two most powerful individuals, the child would be a formidable sorcerer in the following era.
It all boils down to power… and human greed.
Just to clarify – while the sorcerers' won the battle, Voldemort did win the war. In the end, everything went according to his plan. Well sort'of.
This is technically the final chapter.
I did toy with the notion of making a 10-chaptered sequel but reality does not permit that kind of luxury. In addition, there are still plenty of holes in the sequel. It is highly likely that there won't be future updates. HOWEVER, if I do have the time, I might upload one final chapter which is a summary of the main highlights of the sequel. In other words, this 'epilogue' chapter would be a 10-in-1 chapter.
As of present however, it looks like I will stop my CCSHP journey here.
Some side notes in my imaginary epilogue.
Sakura would be relying on Lock as a drug in the sequel to avoid falling into depression. A necessary measure to prevent Dark from going nuts; an essential measure to prevent her from attempting suicide; a forced decision to maintain the her lucidity as a leader to sorcerers. But relying on Lock must have repercussions… (Would her cards control her?)
Give up the patronage rights of the Li family. Deconstruct the system of sorcerers. To let the natural order have free rein without the intervention of humans
And Xiao Lang? Imagine his amnesic life with compromised health and void of sorcery. He will still be as cool, if not more, for he is Xiao Lang. Muwahaha.
I know that if my writing quality was great from the start, alongside with consistent updates, review count would probably have doubled.
If anyone wants to continue the sequel, feel free to do so. You have my blessings. Just drop me a PM and give necessary credit in your sequel. In return, I will notify readers about your sequel in my fic.
Please review. Reward this lil ol'authoress with tons of long reviews for her hardwork, won't ya? *sparkles* This is the last time you are gonna hear from me in the CCSHP world, so I would really like to hear from you guys.
End file.
| fanfiction |
invasive aspergillosis ( ia ) is a life - threatening opportunistic infection that usually affects immunocompromised patients .
immunsuppressive therapies , high - dose corticosteroids , severe and prolonged neutropenia are the factors that facilitate the infection .
majority of the cases are caused by aspergillus fumigatus , followed by aspergillus flavus , aspergillus niger , and aspergillus terreus
.
ia most commonly involves the respiratory tract , lung or sinus but the central nervous system , cardiovascular system , and other tissues may be infected as a result of hematogenous spread .
gastrointestinal ( gi ) aspergillosis , which is associated with high mortality , is a rarely seen form of extra - pulmonary aspergillosis and is most often described in the setting of disseminated disease .
gi involvement is rarely seen in mucormycosis , and most reported cases are associated with malignant haematological diseases . here , we describe a child with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia ( all ) who developed probable invasive aspergillosis and diagnosed with gi mucormycosis by histopathologic examination simultaneously .
a 5-year - old boy was diagnosed with calla ( + ) , pre - b cell all in july 2013 .
he was put on standard risk arm of all bfm 2000 protocol at day 30 .
the patient was referred to our intensive care unit because of clinical deterioration and severe lower gastrointestinal system bleeding . at the admission day , at day 0 , the patient 's general condition was poor , with tachycardia and respiratory distress present .
his body temperature was 38.5 c , and jaundice , abdominal distension and mucositis were also observed .
laboratory test results showed a white blood count of 48/mm , an absolute neutrophil count of 6/mm , haemoglobin of 6.9 g / dl , a thrombocyte count of 35,000/mmand c - reactive protein of 11.7 mg / dl ( n:00.5 mg / dl ) . the prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time were prolonged , with a high international normalised ratio .
the patient 's biochemical values revealed a total bilirubin of 7.3 mg / dl , with direct bilirubin dominance , hypokalaemia and hypocalcaemia .
erythrocytes , platelet suspension and fresh frozen plasma were administered for continuing upper and lower gi bleeding .
broad - spectrum antibiotics ( piperacillin tazobactam , amikacin and vancomycin ) were started initially . at day + 4
, the antibiotics were changed to teicoplanin and meropenem because of the ongoing fever , and caspofungin was added after yeast ( candida krusei ) growth in a blood culture at day + 6 .
abdominal ultrasonography revealed nothing of note , except hepatomegaly and minimal abdominal plastering fluid . at day + 8 , the patient was still febrile but he was no longer neutropenic .
gancyclovir treatment was started following a positive result of a polymerase chain reaction ( pcr ) analysis for cytomegalovirus , and voriconazole was added following the detection of mould in a nasopharyngeal swab . at this time , a thoraco - abdominal computed tomography ( ct ) scan showed colonic mural thickening in the splenic flexure and infarct formation in the kidney and spleen that were suggestive of ia .
serum galactomannan antigen was positive ( > 4.73 ) , and fungal cultures of sputum , tracheal aspirate were positive for a. flavus . at day + 14 , he was afebrile , and teicoplanin and meropenem were stopped .
as no further bleeding had occurred over the previous 48 h , he was taken to the haematology department . despite an initial improvement ( reduced gi symptoms and haemorrhage ) with the voriconazole treatment , the patient developed massive abdominal distension at day + 16 .
a new abdominal ct revealed progression of the fungal lesions and peripheral invasion , with a covered perforation in the splenic flexure and a new hypodense lesion in the liver that resembled an aspergilloma ( fig .
metronidazole was added to the treatment , caspofungin was stopped , and intravenous liposomal amphotericin b ( amb ) ( 5 mg / kg / day ) was started .
the patient showed a clinical improvement after the surgery , with resolution of the abdominal distension and rectal bleeding .
however , at day + 20 , he was febrile again , and teicoplanin was added due to the growth of coagulase - negative staphylococci in a blood culture . at day + 22 , he was reintubated because of increased respiratory distress , and a repeat ct scan showed no change in the lesions , which were compatible with aspergillus . at this point ,
3 . ) . at day + 29 , a histopathological analysis of resected specimens of the bowel and spleen showed ulceration , with intense inflammation , and non - septate , thick , variable in diameter fungal hyphae , which were compatible with mucormycosis ( fig .
4 ) . culture or pcr for pathogenic fungi from resected material could not be performed .
the dose of liposomal amb was increased to 10 mg / kg / day , posaconazole was started , and voriconazole was stopped . at day + 34 , bone marrow aspiration was performed and resulted in haematological remission . at day + 37
repeated thoracal tomography revealed an increase in the number and size of the nodules in the lung .
the patient had fever intermittently between the + 40 and + 54th days of hospitalisation , but blood cultures remained sterile . at the end of a 62-day follow - up , he was afebrile , no further gastrointestinal bleeding episodes were seen , a galactomannan test was negative , and the liposomal amb dose was reduced to 5 mg / kg / day ( fig . 5 ) .
the patient was referred to the centre that he had been followed up for his haematological malignancy with triple anti - fungal therapy .
the frequency of ifi has increased over the last years because of the more intensive cytotoxic agents . with the widespread use of azole
prophylaxis candidiasis became less frequent while ia and mucormycetes increased in patients with haematologic diseases .
other extrapulmonary locations of the infection include the central nervous system , eyes , skin , kidneys , heart , bones , joints and gi tract .
aspergillosis is a highly lethal infection in the gi tract , which is the second most common site of ia .
it usually occurs via dissemination from a primary pulmonary infection , and its frequency is estimated to be about 17% .
primary gi aspergillosis , causing focal invasion as a primary site of inoculation is rarely reported .
patients with gi aspergillosis can present as neutropenic enterocolitis ( typhlitis ) , appendicitis , ileus , colonic ulcers , abdominal pain or gi bleeding .
mucormycosis is a systemic opportunistic , fatal infection in immunocompromised patients which most commonly affects the paranasal sinuses ( 39% ) and lungs ( 24% ) , more likely skin ( 19% ) , brain ( 9% ) and gi tract ( 7% ) . due to the invasion of mesenteric arteries and intravascular thrombosis , tissue ischaemia leading to infarction and perforation of
the diagnosis is delayed because the organism can seldom be isolated from blood or tissue culture .
it is difficult to discriminate between ia and mucormycosis on the basis of a radiological examination alone .
however , for an accurate diagnosis , clinicians are unable to provide appropriate conditions at all times and can not get sufficient material for examination . there are no specific radiological findings that suggest gi aspergillosis or mucor .
abdominal ct scans may show diffuse thickening of the intestinal wall or diffuse bowel distention .
the choice of antifungal agent must be based on the clinical characteristics of the ifi and the local epidemiology with considering the increase in the incidence of mucormycetes .
voriconazole is the primary therapy for ia while high doses of liposomal amb are recommended for gi mucormycosis .
adjuvant surgery is essential in the management of mucor and recommended in case of intestinal aspergillosis to avoid perforation or obstruction . in our case ,
the strongly positive galactomannan test ( > 4.73 ) , together with the growth of a. flavus in sputum and tracheal aspirate , and the radiological findings , especially the lung involvement , pointed to ia .
however , it was surprising that the histological findings were consistent with mucormycosis because mucor was not detected in the previous microbiological examinations .
this raises questions about the actual diagnosis : was it only ia , co - infection or breakthrough infection under voriconazole therapy ?
clinicians must be aware of the unexpected involvements and also the possibility of coinfection and breakthrough infection .
survival of these patients will improve with early surgical intervention in addition to aggressive antifungal treatments . | pubmed |
one of the greatest of ambitions in physics is to find a single theory where one can unify all the existing theories @xcite .
this problem especially is more challenging for particle physicists .
they made many attempts to unify all fundamental interactions in a unique theory leading to the standard model of elementary particles@xcite .
a similar idea also has been considered in other branches of theoretical sciences , such as computer science .
there are some difficult problems which are called np - complete where if one solves one of the np - complete problems @xcite , one will be able to solve all other problems in computer science .
for example , each problem in computer science can be converted into a version of the sat problem @xcite . + moreover the above fundamental sciences
, it has also been considered a new kind of the unification in statistical mechanics which has been called completeness . since all thermodynamics properties of a model can be derived from the partition function , the main idea is related to unification of the partition functions of various statistical mechanical models in the partition function of a complete model .
it means that there is a specific model hamiltonian in the sense that the partition function of such a model in different regimes of coupling constants can generate the partition functions of other statistical mechanical models .
+ the first complete model was introduced in an interesting paper @xcite where the authors showed that the partition function of the 2d ising model with complex interactions and magnetic field is equal to the partition function of any statistical mechanical models .
it means that one can imagine the phase diagram of a 2d ising model with the magnetic field where it covers all universality classes . +
although the completeness of 2d ising model is related to statistical physics , quantum information theory plays a key role for the derivation of the result .
it is shown that the partition function of a spin model can be written as the inner product of two quantum states @xcite in the following form : @xmath1 where @xmath2 is a product state that encodes the couplings of the spin models and @xmath3 is an entangled state that encodes the interaction pattern of the spin model . by quantum formalism , the completeness of 2d ising model is related to the universality of cluster states for measurement - based quantum computation @xcite .
furthermore , a similar approach leads to other complete models like 4d @xmath4 lattice gauge theory@xcite .
an extension of above results to statistical models with continuous degrees of freedom has been lead to completeness of 4d @xmath5 lattice gauge theory @xcite and 2d classical @xmath0 field theory @xcite .
+ in addition to completeness , mapping between quantum information theory and statistical mechanics has also opened other interesting fields of research @xcite
. however , quantum information theory usually plays the role of a middle approach for derivation of results and it is expected to find an alternative approach to can be accessible to a wider range of physicists .
furthermore , such new approaches will lead to clarification of the results for quantum information theorists . for this purpose , in @xcite
, authors gave an algorithmic proof for the completeness of 2d ising model without quantum formalism .
furthermore in a recent paper @xcite , the new concept of the universal models has been introduced where , by a bridging to computer science , it has been shown that 2d ising model in presence of magnetic field with real coupling constants is a universal model .
it means that the physics of all classical models with discrete or continuous degrees of freedom are reproduced in the low - energy sector of a 2d ising model . by such a definition ,
a complete model is also a specific kind of a universal model .
+ in spite of the above improvements on completeness and universality of spin models , there are few results for statistical models with continuous variables .
completeness of 2d classical @xmath0 field theory and 4d @xmath5 lattice gauge theory has been proved by quantum formalism and alternative approaches will lead to better understanding the results for other physical communities .
+ following such improvements , we systematically consider completeness of 2d @xmath0 model by a purely mathematical method .
in addition to theoretical importance , we believe that our work has two other more advantages , simplicity and generality where it will clarify the previous result that had been derived by quantum formalism for other communities of physics as well as quantum information theorists . furthermore , our approach is algorithmic in nature where we consider a general field theory with arbitrary symmetries and arbitrary dimensions and we give a set of specific transformations on such models to convert them to a 2d @xmath0 field theory with the same partition function .
we also display all transformations by some simple graphical notations so that one can graphically perform all steps of conversion to 2d @xmath0 model . in this way
, we provide a useful method that can be used to explicitly find 2d @xmath0 model corresponding to the other field theories .
+ the structure of this paper is as follows : in section ( [ sec1 ] ) we briefly review the definitions of the general classical field theories and also @xmath5 lattice gauge theories . in section ( [ sec2 ] ) we give a simple transformation of the partition function of the above models to convert them to a unique form with a simple kinetic term in the hamiltonian . in section ( [ sec3 ] )
, we consider interacting terms of fields which can be arbitrary polynomial functions and give a transformation to reduce each polynomial function to a @xmath0 term . in section ( [ sec4 ] ) ,
we consider how to decrease dimensions of initial models to two and then in section ( [ sec5 ] ) , we give the last transformations to match completely the model to a 2d square lattice .
finally , in section ( [ sec6 ] ) we show the completeness of 2d @xmath0 field theory and discuss on the efficiency of our transformations .
we emphasize that the partition function of initial models stay invariant under all transformations that we apply .
in this section , we briefly review the definitions of two categories of field theories , classical field theories and @xmath5 lattice gauge theories .
these models belong to two important symmetrical categories containing global and local symmetries .
+ classical field theories have important theoretical applications in different fields of physics . on the one hand , they are important models for studying different ideas in statistical mechanics@xcite and on the other hands they are useful for studying high - temperature behavior of quantum field theories @xcite and for studying non - perturbative dynamics of low - momentum models in nonequilibrium quantum field theory @xcite . in this paper
, we will deal with a general form of classical field theories and will study some mathematical properties of their partition functions . + a classical field theory is defined by a hamiltonian which can be a polynomial function of fields and derivations of fields in the following general form : @xmath6 here we consider only a specific form of such models which are more well - known in the following form : @xmath7 lattice gauge theory where field variables live in edges of the lattice .
a plaquette of the lattice include four field variables which are denoted by numbers 1 to 4 .
right : an oriented lattice for classical field theory where field variables live in vertices of the lattice .
two variables in two endpoints of each edge are denoted by @xmath8 and @xmath9.,width=377,height=170 ] where @xmath10 ( @xmath11 ) can be a polynomial function of @xmath12 ( @xmath13 ) like @xmath14 .
although such a model is defined on the continuous spacetime , there is also a discrete version of that on the discrete spacetime . to this end
, the continuous spacetime is approximated by a lattice where continuous variables @xmath15 live in the vertices of the lattice , see figure ( [ fig0 ] , right ) as a sample lattice .
after discretization , the hamiltonian is converted to a new one on an oriented lattice in the following form : @xmath16 where @xmath17 refers to the edges of the lattice and @xmath18 and @xmath19 refer to two variables which live in two endpoints of the edge @xmath17 , see figure([fig0 ] ) .
@xmath20 ( @xmath21 ) refers to an arbitrary polynomial function , and it can be in different forms for various edges ( vertices ) of the lattice .
we call @xmath22 and @xmath21 edge term and vertex term of the hamiltonian respectively .
+ another important field theories with local symmetries are @xmath5 lattice gauge theories which are known as a discrete version of electrodynamics @xcite and are also generalizations of wegner s ising gauge theories @xcite .
while there are two different kinds of such models which are called compact and non - compact lattice gauge theories @xcite , in this paper , we will deal with the compact one where the degrees of freedom are directly elements of @xmath5 group .
+ a @xmath5 lattice gauge theory is defined on a rectangular lattice which is considered as the discretized spacetime in the arbitrary dimension where continuous variables live in edges of the lattice , see figure ( [ fig0 ] , left ) as a sample lattice . for arbitrary directions on all edges of the lattice like figure([fig0 ] , left ) , the hamiltonian of this model is defined in the following form : @xmath23 where @xmath24 refers to coupling constants corresponding to each plaquette of the lattice which is denoted by @xmath25 and sign of variables @xmath15 is chosen according to directions of corresponding edges when we traverse a plaquette in the clockwise direction .
in this section , we consider the partition function of discrete version of the classical field theories and @xmath5 lattice gauge theories which is expressed as an integral on field variables .
we apply a changing variable on the integral relation of the partition function .
we show that such changing variables lead to a new model with the same partition function . in this way
, we show that a large set of field theories and also @xmath5 lattice gauge theories can be unified in a new model with a simple kinetic term .
+ at the first consider the discrete version of a classical field model on an arbitrary lattice with @xmath26 vertices where continuous variables @xmath15 live in the vertices of the lattice in the form of ( [ q0 ] ) .
the partition function of such a model is written in the following form : @xmath27 and vertex variables @xmath28 and @xmath29 is applied by a delta function which is equal to the partition function of a model corresponding to right - hand graph .,width=377,height=132 ] where @xmath30 refers to product of @xmath31 and we absorb coefficient @xmath32 in the hamiltonian for all relation in this paper .
+ in the first step , consider an edge of the lattice which is denoted by @xmath17 .
we define new continuous variables on any edges of the lattice as @xmath33 and replace them in the partition function in relation ( [ a0 ] ) . due to this change of variable ,
it is necessary to add many delta functions in the partition function .
in fact , new variables @xmath34 are not independent variables , and there are many constraints on them . since @xmath35 we conclude that @xmath36
. we can apply such a constraint in the partition function relation by an integral of a delta function in the form of @xmath37 .
it is clear that many constraints are corresponding to all edges of the graph where after the change of variables , many delta functions would add to satisfy the constraints .
therefore the partition function in relation ( [ a0 ] ) is converted to a new one in the following form : @xmath38 where @xmath39 refers to product of @xmath40 .
+ in the next step we use a simple relation for the definition of a delta function in the following form : @xmath41 where we define new continuous variables @xmath42 corresponding to all edges of the lattice .
this relation is graphically shown in figure ( [ fig1 ] ) .
if we use the above relation instead of delta functions in the partition function , we will have : @xmath43 and after re - writing the partition function , it will be in the following form : @xmath44 which are applied by delta functions .
each delta function as @xmath45 is equal to the partition function of a model corresponding to right - hand graph .
, width=377,height=170 ] where @xmath46 is the number of edges of the lattice .
the above relation shows that the partition function of the initial model on the initial lattice is converted to the partition function of a new model on a new lattice with more variables where we should add new variables @xmath34 and @xmath42 corresponding to all edges of the lattice , see figure ( [ fig1 ] ) .
if we apply such transformations corresponding to all edges of the initial lattice , we will have a new lattice where the partition function of new model corresponds to a hamiltonian in the following general form : @xmath47 where @xmath48 corresponds to vertex variable which was already denoted by @xmath49 .
if we use a simple identity that @xmath50 $ ] , we can conclude that the new hamiltonian is a new field theory which has a simple kinetic term as @xmath51 instead of the edge terms @xmath52 of the initial model .
moreover , the edge term of the initial hamiltonian @xmath52 are added to vertex terms of the new model .
+ lattice gauge theory .
the field variables live in the edges of the qubic .
b ) the plaquette variables are defined on any plaquettes of the qubic which are denoted by circles , as an example @xmath53 .
c ) the constraint between plaquette variables as @xmath54 is applied to the partition function by adding a new variable @xmath55 which is denoted by blue circle.,width=491,height=226 ] we can also repeat the above process for a lattice gauge theory . to this end , consider an arbitrary oriented lattice where variables @xmath15 live on the edges of that and the hamiltonian is in the form of ( [ q1 ] ) .
the partition function of such a model is written in the following form : @xmath56 we define plaquette variables @xmath57 corresponding to all plaquettes of the lattice , see figure ( [ fig1 - 0 ] , left ) .
it is clear that the new variables @xmath58 are not independent and we should consider many constraints which generally are written as @xmath59 where sign of field variables in this relarion and form of the constraint depends on structure of the lattice .
such constraints can be applied to the partition function by many delta functions and we will have : @xmath60 as an example in figure ( [ fig1 - 1]-a ) , we show a qubic of a three - dimensional lattice corresponding to a 3d @xmath5 lattice gauge theory where field variables @xmath61 live in the edges of that qubic .
as it is shown in figure ( [ fig1 - 1]-b ) , we define six plaquette variables @xmath62 corresponding to six plaquettes of the qubic . by considering the definition of each plaquette variable @xmath58 in term of variables @xmath15 , it is simple to check that a relation as @xmath54 holds . finally , we should apply this constraint to the partition function by a delta function as @xmath63 and then we convert it to an integral form by adding a new variable @xmath55 , see figure ( [ fig1 - 1]-c ) for a graphical notation .
+ generally for a lattice gauge theory with an arbitrary dimension , we can apply the above process and we have the following relation for the partition function by replacing all delta functions as exponential forms , see figure ( [ fig1 - 0 ] , right ) for a graphical notation of the delta functions : @xmath64 where we define new variables @xmath55 corresponding to each constraint which is denoted by @xmath65 .
if we apply transformations corresponding to all constraints in the partition function , it will be converted to a new model on a new lattice and the hamiltonian will be in the following form : @xmath66 therefore similar to the classical field model , a @xmath5 lattice gauge theory is also transformed to a classical field model with a kinetic term as @xmath67 and the plaquette terms @xmath68 of the initial model are converted to vertex terms in the new model .
+ we can summarize the result of this section as the following message : the partition function of general classical field theories and @xmath5 lattice gauge theories on arbitrary graphs are equal to the partition function of a classical field theory with a simple kinetic term as @xmath69 on a different graph .
this result is the beginning of transformations that we will follow in next sections .
specially we emphasize that the hamiltonian of the new model is still very general so that it has been defined on a complex graph and vertex terms of the new hamiltonian are polynomial functions as @xmath70 , @xmath11 and @xmath71 . in the next section
we go toward more specification of the model by reduction of polynomial functions to a @xmath0 term .
in the previous section , we showed that the partition function of a classical field theory with a simple kinetic term in the following form is equal to the partition function of a broad set of other classical field theories and @xmath5 lattice gauge theories : @xmath72 where this model is defined on a complex graph and @xmath73 refers to neighboring vertices of that graph . for brevity , we denoted all variables by initial form @xmath15 and @xmath74 refers to a polynomial function which can be in different forms for various vertices .
+ due to polynomial functions @xmath74 , the above hamiltonian is still very general and in this section we define an important transformation in the relation of the partition function to reduce the polynomial functions to a @xmath0 term . to this end
, we give a simple lemma in the following form : + * lemma * : if the polynomial function @xmath75 is a summation of two functions as @xmath76 , the relation of the partition function can be converted to a new one by the following form : @xmath77 is also splitted to functions @xmath78 and @xmath79 .
this rule changes the partition function by a factor @xmath80.,width=264,height=75 ] where @xmath81 in this relation refers to other terms in the hamiltonian . to prove the above lemma
, it is enough to use the integral form of the delta function as @xmath82 . in figure ( [ fig2 ] )
, we also give a graphical notation for the above lemma .
it shows that polynomial function @xmath75 on a variable @xmath13 can be reduced to two functions @xmath78 and @xmath79 on two different variables .
+ by lemma ( [ b1 ] ) , we can show that each polynomial function can be reduced to @xmath0 term . to this end
, we should take three steps as follows .
+ * step 1 : * consider a polynomial function as @xmath83 where if @xmath26 is infinity , it can be approximated by a big number . according to the lemma ( [ b1 ] )
, we can reduce this function to @xmath26 functions on @xmath26 variables .
therefore , we will have a new model on a different graph where on each vertex of the graph there is only a function as @xmath84 . +
* step 2 : * although the coefficient @xmath85 generally can be any real number , we can reduce it to a real number which is very smaller than 1 . to this end , we re - write the function @xmath84 in the form of summation of @xmath26 terms as @xmath86 . by this fact and the lemma ( [ b1 ] ) , we can reduce the function @xmath84 on a variable to @xmath26 functions as @xmath87 on @xmath26 different variables .
it is clear that we can use a big number @xmath26 so that @xmath88 is smaller enough than 1 .
+ * step 3 : * after the above two steps we have a new model with functions as @xmath89 where @xmath90 is a very small real number . to reduce such functions to @xmath0 terms , we should use a well - known relation for operators where for two operators @xmath91 and @xmath92 the following identity holds : @xmath93 + o(t^2)},\ ] ] where @xmath90 is a real number and @xmath94 $ ] is the commutation of operators @xmath91 and @xmath92 .
if @xmath90 is smaller enough than 1 we can ignore from terms with order of upper than @xmath95 which are denoted by @xmath96 .
+ suppose that @xmath97 and @xmath98 where @xmath75 and @xmath99 are momentum and position operators respectively and @xmath100 . by the fact that @xmath101=q^3 $ ] and the identity ( [ b2 ] ) we will have : @xmath102 although the above identity is a relation between operators , we can convert it to an integral relation by using eigen states of operators @xmath75 and @xmath99 . to this end
, we consider @xmath103 and @xmath104 as eigen states of operators @xmath75 and @xmath99 respectively where from quantum mechanics we know that @xmath105 , we suppose @xmath106 .
then we add the identity operator @xmath107 between the operators in the relation ( [ b3 ] ) .
after these replacements we will have the following relation : @xmath108 we can also rewrite the above relation in the following form : @xmath109 to hold the above identity it is necessary that the following identity holds : @xmath110 since variables @xmath111 and @xmath112 are continuous variables , we can replace them with field variables @xmath13 and finally we have an interesting relation in the following form : @xmath113 on a variable in the left - hand is equal to the partition function of a new model in the right - hand where four new variables are added and the hamiltonian of the new model has @xmath13 and @xmath0 terms . ,
width=377,height=56 ] suppose that in the partition function of our model there is a polynomial function as @xmath114 .
the above relation shows that function @xmath114 on a variable of the model can be converted to functions @xmath115 and @xmath116 on four new variables . in a graphical notation
it is equivalent to adding four vertices to the previous graph , see figure ( [ fig3 ] ) .
+ so far we could convert function @xmath117 to @xmath0 term . by similar process
we can show functions as @xmath89 , where @xmath90 is very small , can also be converted to the @xmath0 term . to this end
, we use another commutation relation in the following form : @xmath118,\frac{q^n}{n}]=q^{n+2}.\ ] ] if we use this identity and apply it to relation ( [ b2 ] ) we will have : @xmath119}e^{t^2 \frac{q^n}{n}}e^{-t^2 [ \frac{-p^2}{2 } , \frac { q^4}{4}]}e^{-t^2 \frac{q^n}{n}},\ ] ] and by applying again to relation ( [ b2 ] ) the following identity will be derived : @xmath120 @xmath121 it is simple to find integral form of this relation by adding eigen states of operators @xmath75 and @xmath99 similar to the previous example .
we show corresponding graphical notation in figure ( [ fig4 ] ) .
it shows that a function as @xmath122 on a variable of the graph can be reduced to functions @xmath123 and @xmath0 and @xmath124 on ten new variables .
if @xmath125 is a even number , it is clear that we can repeat this process to reduce power of @xmath13 and finally we will have only terms @xmath124 , @xmath0 .
+ on a variable in the left - hand is equal to the partition function of a new model in the right - hand where ten new variables are added and the hamiltonian of the new model has @xmath124 , @xmath0 and @xmath123 terms . by repeating this rule
we can reduce polynomial functions to @xmath0 term .
, width=377,height=170 ] therefore if the polynomial function @xmath126 in the initial hamiltonian ( [ b0 ] ) is an even function like @xmath71 for @xmath5 lattice gauge theory , after the above transformation we have a new model on a complex graph in the following form : @xmath127 where @xmath128 and @xmath129 are real numbers .
+ on the other hands , if @xmath130 is an odd number the power of @xmath13 is reduced to @xmath124 , @xmath117 and @xmath0 but we can use relation ( [ b7 ] ) to convert @xmath117 to @xmath131 and @xmath0 . therefore ,
if the polynomial function @xmath126 in relation ( [ b0 ] ) is an odd function , after transformation we have a new model on a complex graph in the following form : @xmath132 where @xmath133 , @xmath128 and @xmath129 are real numbers .
in the previous sections we showed that one can map the discrete version of classical field theories and @xmath5 lattice gauge theories on arbitrary graphs to a @xmath0 field model with the same partition function by adding many new vertices on the initial lattice .
it is clear that the final graph after adding new vertices is a complex graph and we have not a specific form for it .
specially such a graph is not a planar graph because the initial model may be in any dimension .
+ in this section we give another transformation to decrease dimension of the model to two . to this end
, we consider a complex graph which is derived after transformations in the previous sections .
if we flatten this graph on a two - dimensional page , we will see many crossings between edges of the graph which shows that graph is not planar .
a crossing of the graph has been shown in figure ( [ fig5 ] ) where there are four variables @xmath134 , @xmath135 , @xmath136 and @xmath137 which interact with each other as @xmath138 .
therefore , in the partition function we have an integral in the following form : @xmath139 we define a new variable @xmath140 and insert it into the place of crossing of the graph
. then we use a simple identity in the following form : @xmath141 we multiply this factor to the phrase ( [ c1 ] ) and we will have : @xmath142 after simplification we will reach to a new form of the phrase ( [ c1 ] ) in the following form : @xmath143 transformation from phrase ( [ c1 ] ) to phrase ( [ c2 ] ) has been shown graphically in figure ( [ fig5 ] ) .
it shows that crossing in the initial graph can be annihilated by adding a new variable and some changes in the connection pattern of the graph .
+ finally , after annihilating all crossings in the initial graph we have a new model on a planar graph in the following form : @xmath144 where @xmath145 is a real number which was necessary for odd functions . furthermore ,
since complex function @xmath146 is necessary for reduction of dimension , @xmath147 can be a complex number and @xmath129 is still a real number .
after transformation of the initial model to a @xmath0 theory on a planar graph in the previous section , we are ready to complete result by matching the model on a 2d square lattice .
the hamiltonian ( [ d1 ] ) is defined on a complex planar graph . in order to match such a graph to a square lattice ,
there are three points which should be considered .
we explain these points in three steps : + * step 1 : reducing the degree of vertices * the most important problem for matching the graph on a square lattice is to reduce the degree of vertices . in a square lattice ,
the degree of each vertex is four while in the our model ( [ d1 ] ) the degree of each vertex may be any arbitrary numbers .
we use the lemma ( [ b1 ] ) to reduce the degree of a vertex .
for example , according to lemma ( [ b1 ] ) as it is shown in figure ( [ fig6 ] ) , we can split a vertex which has six links with other vertices of the lattice to two new vertices where there are only three connections for each one of them . for the vertices of the graph with higher degrees
it is enough to repeat this rule for more times to finally reduce the degree to four .
+ * step 2 : link insertion * second problem is that we should match all edges of the final graph to edges of the square lattice . to this end , it is necessary to insert many vertices on the edges of the graph to match it to the vertices of the square lattice .
we use a simple rule for adding vertices on any links of the graph in the following form : @xmath148 and also changes polynomial functions on variables in the right - hand.,width=302,height=56 ] this relation has been shown in figure ( [ fig7 ] ) in a graphical notation . to prove this relation it is enough to complete the square as @xmath149 in the right - hand of the relation and perform integration on @xmath140 . in this way
, we can add enough number of vertices to completely match the graph to the square lattice .
+ * step 3 : face insertion * last step for complete matching to a square lattice is that there is also some empty points on square lattice which should be filled by new variables . to this end
, we can add a new variable @xmath13 in each point of the square lattice and fix its value to zero . as it is shown in figure([fig8 ] ) , such a transformation does not lead to any extra terms in the partition function . which is fixed to zero to each empty point of the lattice does not change the partition function.,width=377,height=151 ]
in the previous sections we gave few steps to convert a general field theory to a new model on a square lattice in the following form : @xmath150 by a simple transformation it is possible to change this model to standard @xmath0 field theory . to this end
, we use this fact that @xmath151 and after replacement of this relation to the above hamiltonian we will have : @xmath152 where we absorb @xmath153 in the term @xmath154 . in this way ,
our complete model is a classical @xmath0 field model on a square lattice where coupling constants of the model can be complex numbers but @xmath129 is a real number .
+ there is also another important point that we should consider about our results .
in fact for transformation of the initial model to a complete model as ( [ t1 ] ) we added many new vertices to the initial lattice .
such a work would not be efficient if the number of added vertices were as an exponential function of initial number of vertices .
but it is simple to show that in all transformations that we gave , the number of added vertices were limited so that total number of added vertices certainly will be a polynomial function of initial number of vertices .
furthermore , we emphasize that although some our steps in unification of various models in a @xmath0 field theory include approximations , we could perform the unification with arbitrary precision .
this problem that a single theory of physics is enough for explaining other physical theories is a big challenge that is being followed by scientists in various fields of physics . in this paper
we studied the completeness of 2d classical @xmath0 field theory which is interested in statistical physics as well as field theory .
we gave a step by step proof which shows how a discrete version of classical field theories and also @xmath5 lattice gauge theories on arbitrary graphs with arbitrary dimensions can be converted to a 2d classical @xmath0 field theory with the same partition function .
since our result was derived by a purely mathematical method , quantum information theory which already played a key role was absent in our proof .
however , we believe that our approach has this advantage that due to simplicity and generality , it leads to a general approach which can be used by various communities of physicists for future researches on similar problems .
m. h. zarei would like to thank m. m. golshan because of very good comments and his helps for editing paper .
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Tag Archives: 1 original game
DS Videogames, PC Videogames, Videogame Reviews, Videogames, Wii Videogames
January 4th, 2011 Andrew Armstrong
While I've still got a major post (ie; involving lots of screenshots I've not finished yet) on a ton of indie games I got in packs in the Steam sales, this is a quick overview of the better games released in 2010 I've played; quick because I don't need to bother with screenshots, huzzah! (I'll also promise to myself to post more stuff here…). This was also posted on the WDG forums I frequent often, although expanded a bit with some late additions. Some of these games I should post about in more detail sometime.
Some good games; no real priority, certainly no stupid top 10 or rankings or numbers. Nothing stood out as "dammit beyond dying you must play this". Wow, having revised this list it still has so many sequels…
Metro 2033 – Not finished the SP yet, for goodness knows what reason, it's like the last level (expanded note: It was an annoying last level). Still utterly fun though up to that point. Kudos points for not being a sequel of any kind!
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 + Vietnam – I was late to the party, but loads of fun in multiplayer. The SP is passable and helps you to learn the weapons a bit. Vehicles, large maps and always team based gameplay with no silly perks appeals. One issue is the stupid levelling system, go go gimped new players…urg.
Dawn of War 2: Chaos Rising – Excellent expansion pack since I thoroughly enjoy the singleplayer; just so over the top action. Can be quite hard too which is great. Can redistribute your squads points after the first mission (thank goodness), so gets points redistributed to more powerful aspects for that 😉
Fallout: New Vegas – Everything Fallout 3 fell down on (factions interacting, banal main plot, out of character factions, some terrible weapon selections and the game being damn easy with insta-stimpacks, and also terrible companions) was improved and bettered. An interesting world with actual fascinating intrigue and a better enemy faction of your choice, and still retained all I liked about Fallout 3 – exploration and so forth. Improved massively with a radio mod for more tracks though.
Mass Effect 2 – Fast paced "epic" shooter-RPG-kinda-thing. The combat/RPG levelling was to me oversimplified and the combat, if not especially difficult, was certainly frustrating in places since it is basically only you killing things and you get limited ammo. Still apart from some blatant plot hiccups (bloody idiot Shadow Man being the most blatant and dumbfounding one) it had some more fascinating characters and places to visit, and I still love the voiceacting and sheer character of the games. Mining minigame can bugger off though, so much wasted time on that stupid thing. Extra points for being a sequential sequel – one where actions in the first game, some rather small, do have some kind of impact on the new game.
BioShock 2 – Dare I say a good sequel – enjoyable levels, nice upgrades this time (fear my drill and named sentry bots!), a more coherent plot throughout and some very inventive work put into some parts of the game and it certainly is much more fun to play. Bonus points for
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat – A great end to the first set of STALKER games (they're making STALKER 2 now right?), being part of the military gives me the ample canon for a faction I otherwise was fascinated with but never got to talk to, the levels were well tuned and some more demanding decisions being made of me to actively do one thing or another, rather then general side missions (which more fully influenced the much more complete ending too). Was fun to decide what to do; and the AI was great this time (more times you played in a group, was good fun doing so). I don't think I even needed a weight mod this time, but those are easy to find to stop the curses of inventory management.
Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth – A damn fun game. Not too challenging, but was rewarding and seeing you move around more actively was just more pleasing then static screens and more involvement in evidence use and "logic". No courtroom drama is a real shame, but it still pulled something similar off, and was much better then the last Ace Attorney game (which suffered from a terrible main cast; this one actually has some good cast members, and I still love Gumshoe 🙂 ).
Assassin's Creed II – Still playing, but damn it is so much better then the first game. Sadly no skippable cut-scenes still, but they're not hours long either (still a shame if you exit and have to re-watch them again if you close the game). Extra assassination missions outside of the main plot and more combat moves/enemy types make it very fun; you really feel you have the power to kill anyone this time. Slightly more checkpoints, mission restart/cancel options and less "stop playing the fun part of the game for 10 minutes of walking around a single room" experience then the first helps too (the over the top plot is instead ingested with minigames in the past world).
Pokémon HeartGold – Yes, addictive handheld nostalgic (but still good) play-on-the-bus fun. Best game in the series is still the original Gold and Silver, and this remake captures most of that again (missing is the much better AI that was always on in the original, the room decorating and Espeon from Red 😉 also why can't you flight from one side of the map to the other?). Now I am just waiting for Black and White… 😉
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty – Singleplayer == good clean, if very predictable levels (mainly) although utterly unsatisfying plot-wise (with points docked for horrible NPC's, backstory "we knew each other all along honest" cutscenes, some really really awful actors, and no mention of the UED at all with most of the original game having seemingly not happened). Multiplayer still makes me wince, and I dare not go back there unless I had severe help.
Mount and Blade: Warband – Multiplayer is a damn fun addition to the game actually – the c-rpg mod makes it a wee bit more persistent and less wacky then the normal one (which is still pretty fun but strange how gold is distributed in a kind of Counterstrike way). The revised map and actions in the game are okay too – much better then the original, more balanced, and you can become king/queen now – recommended if you've never played the game at all 😀
Just Dance 2 – As a party game, utterly great silly fun you don't need to "play certain things to unlock the good stuff"; yes I love silly disco dancing 🙂
Mafia 2 – Still playing this one, about half way in. Some major clichés and parodies/homages/references don't stifle the quick-witted dialogue and actually likable main character and close friend, mixing some humour into the drama which moves along through mostly short cutscenes (which are skipable, take that Assassins Creed!). Reasonably fun melee fighting on top of cover-based fighting makes for a patient combat system, but is kept interesting by each mission essentially being setpiece upon setpiece. Exploring the pretty dead city isn't great except for buying flashy suits since the police, for how little the missions actually involve them so far, do take some effort to get away from in the old cars (they don't, however, do much unless you are speeding or hit them or a pedestrian, which makes navigating easier). Gets double points for basically including, so far at least, 2 era's and separate seasons. Sliding around in an icy 1940's or the summer of the 1950's. Fedora's look good in both 😉
Got to play more of: Alpha Protocol (why haven't I played this? just…kinda left the disk and never installed it!), Napoleon: Total War, Civilization 5 (this just does not appeal still for some reason; I think I love civ4 that much more, I did try again recently…) Just Cause 2 (although should be completely insanely over-the-top), Batman Arkham Asylum (I only brought it this year…not even booted it up), Professor Layton and the Unwound Future (still playing…is it all a dream again? or is this going to go mental and be actually real?) and others.
Still not brought Golden Sun: Dark Dawn or Super Scribblenauts yet though. I've also played a wee bit too much AI War, League of Legends (still a PITA to install dammit, but good with friends) and Team Fortress 2 from earlier years, heh.
Man, I really should play Alpha Protocol; at least then the list of "original 2010 mainstream games" I've played will double from 1 to 2 (admittedly there are more originals I haven't or wouldn't or can't play here). I've resigned myself to knowing next year will be little different according to what's going to be released; I should probably do some kind of list…wait, no, lists with no content are terrible, and there is already one here (spoiler: almost all are sequels).
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type 2 diabetes mellitus ( t2 dm ) is a pervasive metabolic syndrome and its pathogenesis remains unclear .
the main characteristic of t2 dm is considered to be insulin resistance ( ir ) . to our knowledge , liver , adipose and muscle
, insulin stimulates the uptake of glucose and potently inhibits lipolysis in adipocytes . under insulin - stimulated conditions , adipose and liver account for about 10% and 30% of the whole body glucose uptake , respectively .
in addition , the insulin - stimulated glucose uptake in adipose and muscle occurs via the intracellular pi3k / akt pathway which is required for translocation of glucose transporter glut4 to the plasma membrane .
phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten ( pten ) was identified as a tumor suppressor with dual lipid and protein tyrosine phosphatase activity and frequently mutated / deleted in many human cancers .
it was also widely known as the negative regulator of insulin / phosphoinositide 3-kinase ( pi3k ) signaling pathway in which pten hydrolyzes pi(3,4,5)p3 to pi(4,5)p2 , and suppresses cell growth and other pi3k / akt - dependent processes .
therefore , pten was considered as a promising target in t2 dm and obesity treatment because of its negative effects on insulin resistance [ 46 ] .
however , the specific role of pten in insulin target tissues and insulin resistance is not yet known . fatty acid - binding protein 4 ( fabp4 ) , known as adipocyte fabp ( a - fabp ) or ap2 ,
is abundantly expressed in adipocytes and plays important roles in adipocyte differentiation and lipid metabolism .
multiple studies have been showed that fabp4 functions in the free fatty acid transport , regulation whole body insulin sensitivity and development of atherosclerosis [ 810 ] .
recently pten was found to be interacted with fabp4 , suggesting that pten may function in the regulation of lipid metabolism and adipocyte differentiation .
our previous study found that the plasma levels of fabp4 and pten were increased with more severe ir in women with gestational diabetes mellitus , indicating that both genes were important in the development of ir .
therefore , here we investigated the gene expression of pten and fabp4 in the liver , muscle and adipose tissues of t2 dm rats to explore the expression and correlation between pten and fabp4 in t2 dm .
all animal studies have been performed with the approval of the ethics committee of inner mongolia medical university .
briefly , 24 male wistar rats , 8 weeks old ( weight , 200220 grams ) were purchased from the experimental animal center of inner mongolia university and housed ( 3 animals per cage ) under standard conditions .
subsequently , all rats were randomly divided into 2 groups ( n=12/group ) fed 2 different diets : a control group fed normal diet ( low - fat diet , lfd ) containing 5% fat , 53% carbohydrate , and 23% protein , with total calorific value 25 kj / kg , and the t2 dm experimental group fed a high - fat , high - sugar diet ( hfhsd ) containing 22% fat , 48% carbohydrate , and 20% protein with total calorific value 44.3 kj / kg .
after 8 weeks , the experimental group rats received intraperitoneal ( ip ) injection of streptozotocin ( stz ; sigma - aldrich , st .
louis , mo , usa ) 25 mg / kg of body weight , and the control rats were given vehicle citrate buffer ( ph 4.4 ) 0.25 ml / kg ip .
after 1 week , all the rats were fasted for 12 hours ; blood glucose was measured from a tail vein using a glucometer ( roche diagnostics gmbh , germany ) .
the rats with blood glucose < 16.7 mmol / l were injected with stz again ( 25 mg / kg ) .
the insulin resistance index was calculated by the homeostasis model assessment ( homa ) ( homa - ir = fasting blood glucose levels ( fbg , mmol / l ) fasting insulin ( fins , mu / l)/22.5 ) .
all rats were fasted for 1216 hours and blood was obtained from the heart and separated by centrifugation ( 1500 rpm , 20 min ) for serum .
all the rats were killed and all the tissues were collected , flash frozen , and subsequently stored at 70c . the total rna from muscle , liver , and
epididymal adipose tissues were obtained with trizol reagent ( invitrogen life technologies , carlsbad , ca , usa ) following the manufacturer s instructions .
the total rna concentration and purity were determined using a nanodrop 2000c spectrophotometer ( thermo scientific , usa ) .
one g of total rna was used for cdna synthesis with a final volume of 20 l , using primescript rt reagent kit ( takara , japan ) following the manufacturer s instructions . to measure the relative mrna expression ,
real - time qpcr was performed with an abi 7500fast system ( applied biosystems , foster city , ca ) with sybr premix ex taq reagent ( takara , japan ) .
the primers sequences were as follows : pten ( nm_031606.1 ) : 5-cccagtttgtggtctgccagc-3 and 5-atgagcttgtcctcccgccg-3 ; fabp4 ( nm_053365.1 ) : 5-gtcct ggtacatgtgcagaa-3 and 5-ctcttgtagaagtcacgcct-3 ; gapdh ( nm_017008.4 ) : 5-ggtgaaggtcggtgtgaacg-3 and 5-ctcgctcctggaagatggtg-3. the qpcr was performed with 12.5 ul 2x sybr /rox qpcr mix and 10 pmol forward and reverse primers specific for the respective genes , in a total volume of 25 l .
the following reaction conditions were applied : 2 min at 95c , 40 cycles of 15 s at 95c and 30 s at 60c , and a melting curve protocol ( plates read when increased 0.5c every 5 s from 65c to 95c ) for amplicon specificity verification . all amplifications were run in triplicate , and any doubtful curves were excluded . the amplification efficiency for pten ,
fabp4 and gapdh was estimated by real - time qpcr with different diluted cdna template .
the threshold cycle ( ct ) values from all amplifications were measured . the comparative 2 method for relative quantitative analysis was used , and the results are expressed as a fold change of expression levels .
all statistical calculations were performed with the spss 13.0 software package ( spss inc . ) .
all animal studies have been performed with the approval of the ethics committee of inner mongolia medical university .
briefly , 24 male wistar rats , 8 weeks old ( weight , 200220 grams ) were purchased from the experimental animal center of inner mongolia university and housed ( 3 animals per cage ) under standard conditions .
subsequently , all rats were randomly divided into 2 groups ( n=12/group ) fed 2 different diets : a control group fed normal diet ( low - fat diet , lfd ) containing 5% fat , 53% carbohydrate , and 23% protein , with total calorific value 25 kj / kg , and the t2 dm experimental group fed a high - fat , high - sugar diet ( hfhsd ) containing 22% fat , 48% carbohydrate , and 20% protein with total calorific value 44.3 kj / kg .
after 8 weeks , the experimental group rats received intraperitoneal ( ip ) injection of streptozotocin ( stz ; sigma - aldrich , st .
louis , mo , usa ) 25 mg / kg of body weight , and the control rats were given vehicle citrate buffer ( ph 4.4 ) 0.25 ml / kg ip .
after 1 week , all the rats were fasted for 12 hours ; blood glucose was measured from a tail vein using a glucometer ( roche diagnostics gmbh , germany ) .
the rats with blood glucose < 16.7 mmol / l were injected with stz again ( 25 mg / kg ) .
the insulin resistance index was calculated by the homeostasis model assessment ( homa ) ( homa - ir = fasting blood glucose levels ( fbg , mmol / l ) fasting insulin ( fins , mu / l)/22.5 ) .
all rats were fasted for 1216 hours and blood was obtained from the heart and separated by centrifugation ( 1500 rpm , 20 min ) for serum .
all the rats were killed and all the tissues were collected , flash frozen , and subsequently stored at 70c .
the total rna from muscle , liver , and epididymal adipose tissues were obtained with trizol reagent ( invitrogen life technologies , carlsbad , ca , usa ) following the manufacturer s instructions .
the total rna concentration and purity were determined using a nanodrop 2000c spectrophotometer ( thermo scientific , usa ) .
one g of total rna was used for cdna synthesis with a final volume of 20 l , using primescript rt reagent kit ( takara , japan ) following the manufacturer s instructions .
to measure the relative mrna expression , real - time qpcr was performed with an abi 7500fast system ( applied biosystems , foster city , ca ) with sybr premix ex taq reagent ( takara , japan ) .
the primers sequences were as follows : pten ( nm_031606.1 ) : 5-cccagtttgtggtctgccagc-3 and 5-atgagcttgtcctcccgccg-3 ; fabp4 ( nm_053365.1 ) : 5-gtcct ggtacatgtgcagaa-3 and 5-ctcttgtagaagtcacgcct-3 ; gapdh ( nm_017008.4 ) : 5-ggtgaaggtcggtgtgaacg-3 and 5-ctcgctcctggaagatggtg-3. the qpcr was performed with 12.5 ul 2x sybr /rox qpcr mix and 10 pmol forward and reverse primers specific for the respective genes , in a total volume of 25 l .
the following reaction conditions were applied : 2 min at 95c , 40 cycles of 15 s at 95c and 30 s at 60c , and a melting curve protocol ( plates read when increased 0.5c every 5 s from 65c to 95c ) for amplicon specificity verification . all amplifications were run in triplicate , and any doubtful curves were excluded . the amplification efficiency for pten , fabp4 and gapdh was estimated by real - time qpcr with different diluted cdna template .
the comparative 2 method for relative quantitative analysis was used , and the results are expressed as a fold change of expression levels .
all statistical calculations were performed with the spss 13.0 software package ( spss inc . ) .
the body weight of rats throughout the study is shown in figure 1 . at the beginning of the study
after high - fat diet feeding , the body weight of rats increased faster than in the control group with normal diet ( p<0.01 ) .
the rats in the experimental group with blood glucose levels 16.7 mmol / l and homa - ir 2.69 ( table 1 ) were considered as diabetic and were used as the t2 dm model for study .
insulin resistance was induced in the t2 dm group as shown by hyperinsulinemia and increased homa - ir as compared with the control group ( table 1 ) . not surprisingly , the fasting blood glucose ( fbg ) in the t2 dm group was significantly higher than that of the control group ( all p<0.01 ) , and the glucose level in the t2 dm group was increased obviously compared to that of the control group ( p<0.01 ) ( table 1 ) , which indicated that the insulin sensitivity was remarkably decreased in the t2 dm group compared to the control group .
phenotypically , t2 dm rats appeared drowsy , with slow reaction , depression , loss of hair , and water intake and urine volume increased compared with the control group rats .
the liver , muscle and adipose tissues were taken from t2 dm and control rats and the relative expression of pten mrna was measured by real - time qpcr . the 2 method for relative quantitative analysis was used since the amplification efficiency ( in the range of 0.91.2 ) in pten , fabp4 , and gapdh genes is the same .
the qpcr results showed that the pten expression levels in liver , muscle , and adipose tissues of the t2 dm group were significantly higher than those of the control group ( 2.25- , 6.59- , and 2.6-fold higher in liver , muscle , and adipose tissues , respectively p<0.05 ) ( figure 2 , supplementary table 1 ) .
compared to the control group , fabp4 mrna relative expression in the t2 dm group was also increased by 1.43- , 4.35- , and 5.17-fold in the liver , muscle , and adipose tissues of t2 dm rats , respectively ( p<0.01 ) ( figure 3 , supplementary table 2 ) .
the results indicate pten and fabp4 may be correlated and function in muscle and adipose tissues of t2 dm rats .
since pten and fabp4 interacted each other , we analyzed the expression correlation in liver , muscle , and adipose tissues of t2 dm rats by pearson correlation coefficient , finding that the expression levels of pten and fabp4 in muscle and adipose tissues of t2 dm rats were positively correlated ( p<0.05 ) ( table 2 ) , but in the liver tissue of t2 dm rats no significant correlation was found ( r=0.095 , p=0.839 ) .
the correlation study verified the result from qpcr by which pten and fabp4 were found to be highly expressed in adipose and muscles of t2 dm rats .
the body weight of rats throughout the study is shown in figure 1 . at the beginning of the study
after high - fat diet feeding , the body weight of rats increased faster than in the control group with normal diet ( p<0.01 ) .
the rats in the experimental group with blood glucose levels 16.7 mmol / l and homa - ir 2.69 ( table 1 ) were considered as diabetic and were used as the t2 dm model for study .
insulin resistance was induced in the t2 dm group as shown by hyperinsulinemia and increased homa - ir as compared with the control group ( table 1 ) . not surprisingly , the fasting blood glucose ( fbg ) in the t2 dm group was significantly higher than that of the control group ( all p<0.01 ) , and the glucose level in the t2 dm group was increased obviously compared to that of the control group ( p<0.01 ) ( table 1 ) , which indicated that the insulin sensitivity was remarkably decreased in the t2 dm group compared to the control group .
phenotypically , t2 dm rats appeared drowsy , with slow reaction , depression , loss of hair , and water intake and urine volume increased compared with the control group rats .
the liver , muscle and adipose tissues were taken from t2 dm and control rats and the relative expression of pten mrna was measured by real - time qpcr . the 2 method for relative quantitative analysis was used since the amplification efficiency ( in the range of 0.91.2 ) in pten , fabp4 , and gapdh genes is the same .
the qpcr results showed that the pten expression levels in liver , muscle , and adipose tissues of the t2 dm group were significantly higher than those of the control group ( 2.25- , 6.59- , and 2.6-fold higher in liver , muscle , and adipose tissues , respectively p<0.05 ) ( figure 2 , supplementary table 1 ) .
compared to the control group , fabp4 mrna relative expression in the t2 dm group was also increased by 1.43- , 4.35- , and 5.17-fold in the liver , muscle , and adipose tissues of t2 dm rats , respectively ( p<0.01 ) ( figure 3 , supplementary table 2 ) .
the results indicate pten and fabp4 may be correlated and function in muscle and adipose tissues of t2 dm rats .
since pten and fabp4 interacted each other , we analyzed the expression correlation in liver , muscle , and adipose tissues of t2 dm rats by pearson correlation coefficient , finding that the expression levels of pten and fabp4 in muscle and adipose tissues of t2 dm rats were positively correlated ( p<0.05 ) ( table 2 ) , but in the liver tissue of t2 dm rats no significant correlation was found ( r=0.095 , p=0.839 ) .
the correlation study verified the result from qpcr by which pten and fabp4 were found to be highly expressed in adipose and muscles of t2 dm rats .
type 2 diabetes is a complex and heterogeneous disease resulting from a combination of genetic and environmental factors .
many investigators developed the rat model by high - fat diet following low - dose stz injection , closely mimicking the natural characteristics of t2 dm [ 1315 ] .
therefore , we used the t2 dm rat model previously established to study the gene expression and correlation of pten and fabp4 in the liver , muscle , and adipose tissues . in the present paper , we intended , for the first time , to study the expression and correlation between pten and fabp4 in the liver , muscle , and adipose tissues of t2 dm rats .
adipose tissue , liver , and muscle are the principal responsive tissues in whole - body glucose homeostasis and their defects lead to insulin resistance and t2 dm .
a previous study demonstrated that pten liver - specific deletion in mice could increase fatty acid synthesis , enhance liver insulin action , and improve systemic glucose tolerance .
similarly , muscle- and adipose - specific pten deletions prevented the development of ir and diabetes induced by a high - fat diet in mice .
overexpression of pten in 3t3-l1 adipocytes significantly inhibits insulin - stimulated glut4 translocation , glucose uptake , and membrane ruffling , all of which are dependent on pi3k activity .
few attempts have been made to fully investigate the changes of pten in adipose tissue under insulin resistance conditions .
our results show that pten was highly expressed in adipose , liver , and muscle tissues of t2 dm rats , indicating that pten plays an important role in ir of t2 dm rats
the result was consistent with our finding from t2 dm rats , indicating that pten might suppress the pi3k activity , which induced ir in diabetic rats .
it is necessary to further investigate the insulin signaling pi3k / akt pathway in pten highly expressed tissues of t2 dm rats to define the mechanism of ir .
it is reported to function in fatty acid uptake , transport , and metabolism and plays a key role in obesity - induced insulin resistance .
a fabp4 knockout mouse study showed that fabp4 plays a key role in diabetes and atherosclerosis .
therefore , fabp4 has been suggested as a potential therapeutic target for intervention in metabolic syndrome .
a previous study found that the serum fabp4 level was significantly increased in obese patients , and had a significant positive correlation with bmi and blood pressure .
this observation suggests that fabp4 is involved in the development of metabolic syndrome and obesity .
our previous study also found that the plasma level of fabp4 was also increased in women with gestational diabetes mellitus showing severe insulin resistance .
the deletion of fabp4 in macrophages can lead to elevated glucose uptake in adipocytes and insulin signal conduction enhancement . on the other hand ,
the loss of fabp4 can improve peripheral insulin resistance and protect cell function and thus glucose and lipid metabolism .
a recent study found that pten can interact with fabp4 using yeast 2-hybrid assay , and the interaction was confirmed by coimmunoprecipitation and gel - filtration assays .
the gene expression profile of pten - null keratinocytes analysis showed higher expression of fabp4 , suggesting the importance of pten in the regulation of fabp4 expression at transcription level .
in addition , pten - null hepatocytes showed increased fabp4 expression along with elevated peroxisome proliferator - activated receptor ( ppar ) and ppar-regulated genes expression .
ppar , a transcription factor predominantly expressed in the adipose tissues , are important for adipogenesis and glucose metabolism .
the above evidence indicates that pten may function as a feedback down - regulator of fabp4 and ppar activity via its direct interaction with fabp4 .
the present study shows that the expression of pten and fabp4 was increased and was correlated in adipose and muscles of t2 dm rats .
our study suggests a possible link between pten / fabp4 co - expression and pathogenesis of t2 dm . the specific mechanism should be investigated further .
pten expression value in adipose , liver , and muscle tissues by real - time pcr .
fabp4 expression value in adipose , liver , and muscle tissues by real - time pcr . | pubmed |
the emergence of multi - drug resistant ( mdr ) bacteria is of growing concern worldwide .
this was highlighted in particular by rice ( 2008 ) with his well - known article describing the eskape group of pathogens ( enterococcus faecium , staphylococcus aureus , klebsiella pneumonia along with other mdr bacteria from the enterobacteriaciae sp family , acinetobacter baumanii , pseudomonas aeruginosa , and enterobacter sp . ) , which includes the most common bacteria that cause hospitalacquired infections world - wide .
we are particularly interested in one microorganism belonging to this group , pseudomonas aeruginosa , and in another from a different genus which is not part of this group , stenotrophomonas maltophilia .
p. aeruginosa is a gram - negative non - fermenting bacillus , known to degrade a wide range of organic molecules for its own nutritional processes .
its outer membrane oprf porin has an exclusion limit of 500 kda , which confers on this bacteria its natural immunity to many antibiotics and helps promote punctual mutations of its chromosome
. other mechanisms of antibacterial resistance are the co - expression of oprd porin , which further diminishes its permeability ( especially to carbapenems ) , and the mexef - oprn efflux pump as well as the mutations of dna - girase / tropoisomerase iv .
s. maltophilia has recently emerged as an important global opportunistic pathogen , which , according to previous papers , represents the most worrisome threat among the unusual non - fermenting gram - negative bacilli to hospitalized patients .
it can be mainly in nutrient - poor water sources , and is frequently co - isolated with p. aeruginosa in cystic - fibrosis patients .
it is naturally resistant to many classes of antibiotics due to its low permeability , efflux pumps , antibiotic - modifying enzymes and biochemical feeding processes .
it is also capable of acquiring resistance via plasmids , transposons , integrons , and biofilm formation .
the reported mortality rate in patients who develop a clinically overt infection due to s. maltophilia vary from 14% to 69% . in three studies ,
the incidence of patients presenting with cholangitis caused by mdr bacteria was reported to be between 14.8% and 42% of all cases , without sub - group differentiations . in a retrospective analysis ,
the mdr - related cholangitis risk factors identified were : nosocomial infection , longer hospital stay before bacteremia , previous hospitalization within 90 days , antibiotic use in the previous 90 days , prior biliary intervention , and presence of an indwelling biliary catheter . in these retrospective studies
p. aeruginosa accounted for 3% to 16% of isolates and no cases of s. maltophilia were reported .
reports on the treatment of biliary tract infections ( bti ) caused by mdr bacteria are largely outdated and heterogeneous .
furthermore , identifiable mortality risk factors at 30 days in patients with bacteremic cholangitis include , among others , the use of inappropriate definitive antibiotic regimens , but not the use of an inappropriate initial antibiotic regimen , thus highlighting the importance of culture - guided therapy in these patients .
this approach was also described in patients with a percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage ( ptbd ) , being a very important measure , alongside mechanical source control , namely prophylactic replacement of the ptbd , in patients with long - term drainage and in patients with overt cholangitis and/or sepsis . in a recent article on two case reports of patients with cholangitis caused by p. aeruginosa
these patients received prolonged cycles of multiple antibiotics to eradicate the infection , with documented subtheurapeutic levels of colistimethate , despite well - standardized intravenous regimens .
they both developed adverse effects caused by the use of this drug or other antibiotics .
health - care related cholangitis has been associated with a risk of ceftazidime - resistant p. aeruginosa , extended - spectrum -lactamase ( esbl ) producing gram - negative bacteria , third - generation cephalosporine - resistant strains , ampicillin - resistant enterococcus sp . , and methicillin - resistant gram - positive cocci .
the authors of this report concluded that in their population , patients with a nosocomial bti could be adequately treated with an empirical cycle of a carbapenem , piperacillintazobactam or an aminoglycoside , while waiting from the culture results .
furthermore , in case of a community - acquired bti , the use of a third - generation cephalosporin and metronidazole should be considered as initial empirical antimicrobial therapy .
the patient was successfully treated with intravenous tigecycline . according to a worldwide collection of strains of this bacterium ,
susceptibility reports indicate the use of tigecycline , levofloxacin , and tmp - smx , as potential options .
this case report refers to a 56-year - old mexican woman , whose past medical history includes the placement of a permanent external biliary catheter following a complete stricture of a biliodigestive anastomosis ( choledochojejunostomy ) secondary to a biliary duct injury during a laparoscopic cholecystectomy in 2009 . in the following two years
, she had recurrent episodes of cholangitis by esbl producing escherichia coli , which were treated with broad spectrum antibiotic regimens in an outpatient setting . despite this comprehensive treatment , biliary cirrhosis developed .
symptoms began 21 days prior to her admission with general malaise , fever up to 101.8f ( 38.8c ) , jaundice , diminished drainage through the biliary catheter and a mild , dull pain in the right upper quadrant of her abdomen . after 5 days with no improvement , the patient saw her physician .
blood and bile were cultured and she was empirically treated with cephalexin in an outpatient setting .
the abdominal pain completely disappeared , but she kept having intermittent low - grade fever , nausea , poor oral tolerability , jaundice and low drainage through the biliary catheter .
after the imipenem - cilastatin cycle , a new bile culture was taken and showed persistence of esbl producing e. coli .
the patient was then admitted to our hospital s internal medicine ward with low - grade fever of 100.4f ( 38.0c ) , general malaise and exacerbated generalized jaundice .
the complete blood count ( cbc ) showed a hemoglobin level of 11.7 g / dl , with preserved corpuscular volume and mean concentration of corpuscular hemoglobin , 137-thousand platelets per cubic millimeter , and 3.7-thousand total leucocytes per cubic millimeter , but with 54% neutrophils and 36% total lymphocytes .
mcmol / l ( 7.26 mg / dl ) , at the expense of direct bilirubin , along with significant increases in alkaline - phosphatase and liver enzymes .
ultrasound in the upper - abdominal region showed only dilation of the intrahepatic biliary tree and chronic inflammatory changes of the liver .
the biliary catheter was replaced and the tip of the catheter and the bile were cultured again .
the patient was administered empirically an intravenous regimen of meropenem ( 1 g every 8 hours ) and colistine ( loading dose 370 mg , followed 12 hours later by 150 mg every 8 hours ) , while waiting for the culture results .
stenotrophomonas maltophilia proved to be resistant to tmp - smx , and sensitive to tigecycline with a growth ratio of inhibition ( gri ) of 22 mm .
the pseudomonas aeruginosa isolate was sensitive to carbapenems , fosfomycin ( gri 26 mm ) and colistimethate ( gri 16 mm ) . after 5 days of treatment with meropenem and colisitine , and
based on the isolate sensitivity reports , antimicrobial therapy was switched to intravenous fosfomycin ( 6 g every 6 hours ) and ticegycline ( 50 mg every 12 hours ) with an initial good response . however , after 72 hours , the patient had a new episode of fever and chills .
the bile gramstaining showed again gram - negative bacilli , and the culture report showed the same two bacteria with no changes in terms of sensitivity in the antimicrobials report .
a second ptbd replacement was performed and tigecycline plus colistine ( same doses as before ) were administered intravenously . given the known poor biliary tissue penetration of the latter and the lack of clinical improvement with previous antibiotic schemes , a topic preparation was formulated with 30 mg of colistine in 2 cc of normal sterile saline 0.9% , based on a review of the literature about its intrathecal and intraventricular use , and on the authors own experience on the use of topic colistine in treating patients with meningitis caused by mdr gram - negative rods ( namely acinetobacter baumanii ) . written informed consent and authorization was obtained from the patient and the preparation was administered through the biliary drainage system , closing it afterwards for 3 hours , every 24 hours .
after 5 days of this antimicrobial regimen , colistine , both systemic and topic , had to be discontinued due to a country - wide lack of supply of the antibiotic .
the biliary catheter was changed once more and a 7-day cycle of fosfomycin and tigecicline was administered , after which the patient was discharged with negative bile cultures , normal white - blood cells on the cbc and complete remission of symptoms .
a total of 13 days of outpatient and 21 days of inpatient antimicrobial treatment were completed ; all blood cultures were negative , and no alterations in creatinine , urine output or neurological status were presented during treatment . after discharge ,
no new episodes of cholangitis occurred , despite bacterobilia was documented continuously ( with frequent isolations of esbl producing e. coli and pseudomonas aeruginosa ) .
her ptbd was changed prophylactically every 6 months to prevent cholangitis , without any further complications .
the bacterial detection and sensitivity reports were generated using the automated microbroth dilution system called microscan autoscan4 ( siemens healthcare diagnostics inc .
, erlangen , germany ) , except for the sensitivity analysis for colistimethate , fosfomycin and tigecycline , which were performed with bio - rad antibiotic disks ( bio - rad clinical diagnostics , hercules , ca , usa ) .
this is the first case report we are aware of on the use of intrabiliary colistine .
the reports on therapeutic options in case of multi - drug resistant bacteria in this particular anatomical site are few and heterogeneous .
the assessment of risk factors ( biliary manipulation and previous infections ) and pharmacokinetic considerations played a key role in the decision to use a topical treatment in this patient , since systemic colistimethate has no biliary excretion .
our case illustrates a new approach to treat cholangitis caused by mdr bacteria in patients with ptbd .
further knowledge is now being gained on the topical use of this agent in other clinical pictures , like the intra - vesical irrigation in patients with persistent urinary tract infections caused by mdr pathogens , or intrathecal and intraventricular administration in patients with acinetobacter baumanii meningitis . however , there is no standardized consensus on how to prepare topical dilutions of colistine for irrigation . based on the evidence presented in this case report
, our approach proved an effective and safe clinical solution for our patient and could be considered in other patients with the same clinical picture . | pubmed |
the large magnitude of elliptic flow , @xmath2 , in relativistic heavy - ion collisions at rhic @xcite and lhc @xcite has long been recognized as a signature of hydrodynamic behavior of the strongly - interacting quark - gluon plasma @xcite .
@xmath2 is understood as the hydrodynamic response to the initial anisotropy , @xmath3 , of the initial density profile @xcite .
however , the magnitude of this anisotropy is poorly constrained theoretically @xcite .
this uncertainty hinders the extraction of the properties of the quark - gluon plasma from experimental data @xcite .
the statistical properties of anisotropic flow are now precisely known @xcite .
the atlas collaboration has analyzed the full probability distribution of @xmath2 , @xmath4 and @xmath5 in pb+pb collisions for several centrality windows @xcite . in p+pb collisions
, information is less detailed , but the first moments of the distribution of @xmath2 have been measured @xcite . our goal is to make use of these measurements to separate the initial state from the response without assuming any particular model of the initial conditions by only using a simple functional form which goes to zero at the geometric limits of @xmath6 and @xmath7 . in theory , one can describe the particles emitted from a collision with an underlying probability distribution @xcite .
anisotropic flow , @xmath8 , is defined as the @xmath9 fourier coefficient of the azimuthal probability distribution @xmath10 : @xmath11 where we have used a complex notation @xcite .
note that the underlying probability distribution @xmath10 and @xmath12 fluctuate event to event , but they are both theoretical quantities which can not be measured on an event - by - event basis .
the particles that are detected in an event represent a finite sample of @xmath10 , and the measurement of the probability distribution of @xmath8 involves a nontrivial unfolding of statistical fluctuations @xcite .
we assume that the fluctuations of @xmath8 for @xmath14 are due to fluctuations of the initial anisotropy @xmath13 in the corresponding harmonic , defined by @xcite @xmath15 where @xmath16 is the energy density near midrapidity shortly after the collision , and @xmath17 are polar coordinates in the transverse plane , in a coordinate system where the energy distribution is centered at the origin .
we assume for the moment that @xmath8 in a given event is determined by linear response to the initial anisotropy , @xmath18 , where @xmath19 is a response coefficient which does not fluctuate event to event .
event - by - event hydrodynamic calculations @xcite show that this is a very good approximation for @xmath14 . within this approximation
, it has already been shown that one can rule out particular models of the initial density using either a combined analysis @xcite of elliptic flow and triangular flow @xcite data , or the relative magnitude of elliptic flow fluctuations @xcite .
our goal is to show that one can extract both @xmath19 and the distribution of @xmath13 from data .
we hope to show that this is true even if we relax the linear assumption .
we make use of the recent observation that the distribution of @xmath13 is to a large extent universal @xcite and can be characterized by two parameters .
both the magnitude and direction of @xmath20 fluctuate event to event .
the simplest parametrization of these fluctuations is a two - dimensional gaussian probability distribution which , upon integration over azimuthal angle , yields the bessel - gaussian distribution @xcite : @xmath21 where @xmath22 is the mean anisotropy in the reaction plane , which vanishes by symmetry for odd @xmath23 , and @xmath24 is the typical magnitude of eccentricity fluctuations around this mean anisotropy .
both @xmath22 and @xmath24 depend on the harmonic @xmath23 . in a previous publication @xcite
, we have introduced an alternative parametrization , the elliptic power distribution : @xmath25 where @xmath26 describes the fluctuations and is approximately proportional to the number of sources in an independent - source model @xcite .
the parameter @xmath26 depends on @xmath23 . when @xmath27 and @xmath28 , eq .
( [ ellipticpower ] ) reduces to eq .
( [ besselgaussian ] ) with @xmath29 .
its support is the unit disk : it naturally takes into account the condition @xmath30 which follows from the definition , eq .
( [ defepsilon ] ) . for this reason , it is a better parametrization than the bessel - gaussian , in particular for large anisotropies .
( [ ellipticpower ] ) has been shown to fit various initial - state models @xcite .
note that @xmath22 is not strictly equal to the mean reaction plane eccentricity for the elliptic power distribution , but the difference is small for pb+pb collisions @xcite .
when the anisotropy is solely due to fluctuations , @xmath31 , the bessel - gaussian reduces to a gaussian distribution : @xmath32 and the elliptic power distribution reduces to the power distribution @xcite : @xmath33
the probability distribution of anisotropic flow , @xmath34 , is obtained from the distribution of the initial anisotropy @xmath35 by @xmath36 assuming @xmath18 , this becomes : @xmath37 in this case the distribution is rescaled by the response coefficient @xmath19 .
figure [ fig : atlasfits ] displays the probability distribution of @xmath2 and @xmath4 in various centrality windows @xcite together with fits using rescaled bessel - gaussian and elliptic power distributions for @xmath2 , and rescaled gaussian and power distributions for @xmath4 . both parametrizations give very good fits to @xmath2 and @xmath4 data for the most central bins shown on the figure .
( @xmath38 ) centrality for @xmath2 ( @xmath4 ) , which reflects the fact that the distributions become very close to bessel - gaussian ( gaussian ) .
] as the centrality percentile increases , however , the quality of the bessel - gaussian fit becomes increasingly worse , which is reflected by the large @xmath39 of the fit , and also clearly seen in the tail of the distribution : it systematically overestimates the distribution for large anisotropies . on the other hand
, the elliptic power fit is excellent for all centralities . in particular
, it falls off more steeply for large @xmath8 , in close agreement with the data .
note that the bessel - gaussian distribution eq .
( [ besselgaussian ] ) is scale invariant : rescaling it by @xmath19 amounts to multiplying both @xmath22 and @xmath24 by @xmath19 , so that the fit is degenerate : only the products @xmath40 and @xmath41 can be determined .
therefore the bessel - gaussian fit to atlas data is in practice a 2-parameter fit for @xmath2 , and a 1-parameter fit for @xmath4 . on the other hand
, the elliptic power fit is not degenerate because of the non - gaussian cut - off at @xmath42 , and returns both the response coefficient @xmath19 and the parameters pertaining to the shape , namely @xmath26 and @xmath22 ( for @xmath2 ) .
however , the fit parameters are still correlated in the sense that the combinations @xmath43 and @xmath40 ( for @xmath2 ) have much smaller errors than each individual parameter .
our ability to separate the response from the initial eccentricity thus lies in the difference between the bessel - gaussian and the elliptic power fits , that is , in the non - gaussianity of flow fluctuations .
since the difference is small , errors must be carefully evaluated .
the atlas collaboration reports the statistical error , the systematic error on the mean @xmath44 , and the systematic error on the relative standard deviation @xmath45 .
the first systematic error is an error on the scale of the distribution , while the second is an error on its shape .
the error on the scale directly translates into an error of the response coefficient @xmath19 , of the same relative magnitude . since our analysis uses the deviations from a gaussian shape , the dominant source of error is by far the error on the shape . in order to estimate the corresponding error on our fit parameters , we distort the distribution of @xmath8 in such a way that the mean @xmath46 is unchanged , and @xmath45 is increased or decreased by the experimental uncertainty
this is done in practice by shifting the values of the @xmath8 bins according to @xmath47 , where @xmath48 is a small non - linear shift .
we choose the ansatz @xmath49 , where @xmath50 is the tail of the @xmath8 distribution , @xmath51 is chosen in such a way that @xmath44 is unchanged , and @xmath52 is chosen in such a way that @xmath45 is increased or decreased by the systematic error .
this non - linear transformation leaves the minimum and maximum values of @xmath8 invariant . and @xmath53 versus centrality .
symbols : results from the fits to atlas pb+pb data @xcite and to cms p+pb data @xcite . for @xmath54 ,
systematic and statistical experimental errors are added in quadrature . for @xmath53 ,
only the statistical error is shown .
also shown are @xmath54 values from fitting the @xmath2 distributions with a non - linear term caracterized in eqs .
( [ cubic ] and [ powercubic ] ) by @xmath55 .
the smooth solid lines are the result of a viscous hydrodynamic calculation for @xmath56 with @xmath57 .
the upper solid line is normalized up by the factor @xmath58 , the middle line by the factor @xmath59 , and the lower line ( @xmath53 ) by the factor @xmath60 .
the dashed lines for @xmath54 with @xmath61 are shown for comparison : they are for hydro results with @xmath62 ( normalized up by @xmath63 ) and @xmath64 ( normalized up by @xmath65 ) . ]
figure [ fig : kappa ] displays the value of the response coefficients @xmath54 and @xmath53 as a function of the centrality percentile .
they are smaller than unity , with @xmath66 , in line with expectations from hydrodynamic calculations @xcite , and decrease as a function of the centrality percentile , which is the general behavior expected from viscous corrections to local equilibrium @xcite .
we estimate that the low-@xmath67 cut of atlas at 0.5 gev increases @xmath54 by a factor 1.4 to 1.5 .
the systematic error for @xmath53 is very large and therefore not shown : for most bins , the upper error bar goes all the way to infinity .
now , if one takes the limit @xmath68 while keeping the rms @xmath4 constant , @xmath26 in eq .
( [ power ] ) also goes to infinity and the power distribution reduces to a gaussian distribution eq .
( [ vngaussian ] ) . therefore the atlas @xmath4 distributions are compatible with gaussians within systematic errors . the other parameters of the fit to @xmath8 distributions , namely , @xmath22 and @xmath26 , characterize the shape of the distribution .
they are displayed in fig .
[ fig : eps0alpha ] as a function of the collision centrality .
@xmath22 increases smoothly with the centrality percentile : extrapolation to the most central collisions ( where the fit does not converge ) gives @xmath31 , as required by azimuthal symmetry .
figure [ fig : eps0alpha ] also displays comparisons with the glauber @xcite and ip - glasma @xcite models . these models are shown as shaded bands .
the bands correspond to the fact that the elliptic power distribution does not exactly fit the distribution of @xmath3 for that particular model . specifically , the dashed line at the edge of the band is the value returned by a 2-parameter elliptic power fit to the distribution of @xmath3 .
the full line at the other edge of the band is the value that the fit to the @xmath2 distribution would return if @xmath69 , with @xmath3 given by that model .
if one assumes linear response , atlas data deviate from both models .
for p+pb collisions , the full distribution of @xmath2 has not been measured , but only its first cumulants @xcite @xmath70 and @xmath71 @xcite .
assuming linear response to the initial eccentricity , each measured cumulant is proportional to the corresponding cumulant of the initial eccentricity @xcite , @xmath72 , for @xmath73 ... the eccentricity in p+pb collisions is solely due to fluctuations @xcite , therefore eqs .
( [ vngaussian ] ) and ( [ power ] ) apply . while cumulants of order 4 and higher vanish for the gaussian distribution eq .
( [ vngaussian ] ) , the power distribution eq .
( [ power ] ) always gives @xmath74 @xcite .
we again use this non - gaussianity to disentangle the initial state from the response : we extract @xmath26 from the measured ratio @xmath75 @xcite .
the rms anisotropy is then obtained as @xmath76 @xcite .
one finally obtains for the power distribution : @xmath77 the values of @xmath54 extracted from cms p+pb data @xcite using this equation are also displayed in fig .
[ fig : kappa ] . we multiply them by a factor @xmath78 to correct for the different low-@xmath67 cut ( @xmath79 gev/@xmath80 ) assuming a linear dependence of @xmath2 on @xmath67 .
we plot p+pb data at the equivalent centralities , determined according to the number of charged tracks @xcite .
general arguments have been put forward which suggest that the hydrodynamic response should be identical for p+pb and pb+pb at the same equivalent centrality @xcite . once rescaled , the p+pb slope is in line with pb+pb results , albeit somewhat steeper .
note that the fit parameters can also be obtained from cumulants for @xmath4 in pb+pb collisions using eq .
( [ kappa_ppb ] ) . for @xmath2 , there is a third parameter @xmath22 , therefore one needs a third cumulant @xmath81 . @xmath26 and @xmath22 , which control the shape of the distribution and its non - gaussian features ,
can be extracted from the ratios @xmath82 and @xmath83 using the elliptic power distribution ( eq .
( a5 ) of ref .
note that while the bessel - gaussian eq .
( [ besselgaussian ] ) gives @xmath84 @xcite , the elliptic power distribution always gives @xmath85 .
we have checked that @xmath26 and @xmath22 thus extracted from cumulant ratios are essentially identical to those obtained by fitting the distribution of @xmath2 .
this approach has the advantage that cumulants can be analyzed without any unfolding procedure @xcite but @xmath70 may suffer from non - flow effects .
we now discuss the effect of deviations from linear eccentricity scaling of anisotropic flow . because of such deviations ,
the shape of the @xmath8 distribution is not exactly the same as that of the @xmath13 distribution , as already noted in event - by - event hydrodynamic calculations @xcite .
there are two distinct types of non - linearities : @xmath8 can be a function of @xmath13 which is not exactly linear , or @xmath8 can depend on properties of the initial state other than @xmath13 .
we study these effects in turn . adding
a quadratic term would be equivalent to rotating the distribution 90 degrees or changing the sign of @xmath8 .
thus the first significant non - linear term is the cubic : @xmath86 several hydrodynamic calculations show evidence that @xmath87 @xcite , but no quantitative analysis has been done yet .
one typically expects @xmath55 to depend mildly on centrality . when fitting the experimental @xmath2 distributions with the added parameter of the cubic term , @xmath55 had large errors but was in the range from 0 to 0.15 .
thus we fixed @xmath55 at 0.10 and plotted the @xmath54 values also in fig .
[ fig : kappa ] .
the effect of the non - linear response is to reduce the linear response coefficient @xmath54 , essentially by a constant factor . in the case where the distribution of @xmath88 is the power distribution ( [ power ] ) and in the limit @xmath28 ,
the relative change of @xmath54 is @xmath89 to leading order . ) into eq .
( [ kappa_ppb ] ) and using the approximate relation @xmath90 for @xmath28 . ] with the elliptic - power distribution , the relative effect is also @xmath91 as can be seen in fig .
[ fig : kappa ] . note that this non - linear correction to the response is much larger than one would naively expect from eq .
( [ cubic ] ) : the relative magnitude of the cubic term @xmath92 , yet it produces an effect of order @xmath55 .
the reason is that the non - linear response contributes to the non - gaussianity of flow fluctuations .
we now discuss deviations from linearity due to the fact that @xmath8 is not entirely determined by @xmath13 @xcite .
one can generally decompose the flow as @xmath93 , where @xmath94 is uncorrelated with the initial eccentricity @xmath20 .
there can be various contributions to @xmath94 from non - linear coupling between different harmonics @xcite or radial modulations of the initial density @xcite . in order to estimate their effect on the hydrodynamic response
, we further assume that @xmath94 is a gaussian noise .
then , the distribution of @xmath12 is a rescaled elliptic - power distribution , convoluted with a gaussian : the deviation from linearity here results in a gaussian smearing of the distribution .
a quantitative measure of the magnitude of @xmath94 is the pearson correlation coefficient @xmath95 between the anisotropic flow and the initial anisotropy , defined as @xmath96 where angular brackets denote an average value over events in a centrality class .
our analysis assumes the maximum correlation , @xmath97 .
event - by - event hydrodynamic calculations show that there are small deviations around eccentricity scaling @xcite .
ideal hydrodynamics @xcite gives @xmath98 for elliptic flow .
however , the correlation between @xmath8 and @xmath13 has been shown to be significantly larger in viscous hydrodynamics @xcite , and a value @xmath99 seems reasonable , but there is to date no quantitative estimate of @xmath100 as defined in eq .
( [ pearson ] ) . the effect on the fit parameters can be obtained using the fact that the rms flow @xmath101 is increased by the noise , while higher - order cumulants @xmath102 and @xmath103 ( see below sec . [
sec : cum ] ) are unchanged .
we find that a decrease of @xmath100 by 1% results in an decrease of the extracted @xmath54 by 6% to 9% , depending on the centrality , the effect being maximum in the 20 - 30% centrality range .
the value of @xmath100 found in ideal hydrodynamic calculations @xcite depends mildly on centrality and is closest to 1 also in the 20 - 30% centrality range .
therefore one can conjecture this should eventually be confirmed by detailed calculations that the effect of the noise @xmath94 is to reduce the extracted response essentially by a constant factor , independent of centrality .
note that the cubic response in eq .
( [ cubic ] ) does not contribute to @xmath104 to first order in @xmath55 , so that the two effects are in practice well separated .
the conclusion is that deviations from linear eccentricity scaling all make @xmath54 smaller , by a factor which can be significant , but depends little on centrality .
this is of crucial importance for the extraction of the viscosity over entropy ratio ( see below ) .
the decrease in @xmath54 makes @xmath22 larger and @xmath26 smaller ( see fig . [
fig : eps0alpha ] ) , thereby improving compatibility with existing initial - state models .
we now compare our result for @xmath54 with hydrodynamic calculations . to the extent that anisotropic flow scales linearly with eccentricity ,
the value of the response coefficient @xmath54 is independent of initial conditions . in ideal hydrodynamics ,
scale invariance implies that @xmath54 is independent of the system size , i.e. , independent of centrality .
deviations from thermal equilibrium generally result in a reduction of the flow which is stronger for peripheral collisions @xcite . in a hydrodynamic calculation
@xcite , such deviations are due to the shear viscosity @xcite and , to a lesser extent , to the freeze - out procedure at the end of the hydrodynamic expansion . therefore the dependence of @xmath54 on centrality in fig . [
fig : kappa ] can be used to estimate the shear viscosity over entropy ratio @xmath1 of the quark - gluon plasma .
we use the same hydrodynamic code as in ref .
@xcite to estimate @xmath54 .
the resulting values are significantly smaller than the data in fig .
[ fig : kappa ] . since we have shown that deviations from linear eccentricity scaling reduce @xmath54 without altering its centrality dependence , we compensate for this effect , and the low @xmath67 cut of the atlas data , by multiplying our hydrodynamic result by a constant , while tuning the viscosity so as to match the centrality dependence of @xmath54 . since the systematic errors on @xmath53 are so large , we only fit @xmath54 .
the smooth solid lines in fig .
[ fig : kappa ] are obtained with @xmath57 .
the dashed lines show the sensitivity to @xmath1 .
this extracted value of @xmath57 is consistent with that reported in the literature @xcite , using specific models of the initial state . for sake of illustration
, we also show the result for @xmath53 with the same @xmath1 and the same overall normalization factor as for @xmath54 .
we recall that systematic errors on @xmath53 from experimental data are very large so that no conclusion on @xmath1 can be drawn from these data alone .
we have shown that a rescaled elliptic power distribution fits the measured distributions of elliptic and triangular flows in pb+pb collisions at the lhc .
these distributions become increasingly non - gaussian as the anisotropy increases .
we have used this non - gaussianity to disentangle for the first time the initial anisotropy from the response without assuming any particular model of initial conditions just using a simple functional form which meets the geometrical constrants of eccentricity .
this is another aspect of the analogy between heavy - ion physics and cosmology @xcite , where initial quantum fluctuations give rise to correlations , and the non - gaussian statistics of these correlations can be used to unravel the properties of the initial state @xcite .
the non - gaussianity is stronger for smaller systems , which is an incentive to analyze flow in smaller collision systems .
we have found that the hydrodynamic response to ellipticity has the expected overall magnitude and centrality dependence : it decreases with centrality percentage .
a somewhat similar slope is found for p+pb collisions .
this decrease can be attributed to the viscous suppression of @xmath2 .
comparison with hydrodynamic calculations supports a low value of the viscosity over entropy ratio , @xmath105 .
the present study can be improved by constraining the cubic response coefficient @xmath55 in eq .
( [ cubic ] ) as well as the pearson coefficient due to other non - linear terms in eq .
( [ pearson ] ) .
this could be done in future hydrodynamic calculations .
taking into account these nonlinear terms will decrease the magnitude of the response and therefore improve the agreement with hydrodynamic calculations .
however , we have argued that this decrease is essentially a constant factor , independent of centrality , so that our estimate of @xmath1 is likely to be robust .
our study is a first step toward the extraction of the viscosity over entropy ratio of the quark - gluon plasma from experimental data , without any prior knowledge of the initial state .
we thank m. luzum and s. voloshin for extensive discussions and suggestions . in particular , we thank s. voloshin for useful comments on the manuscript .
jyo thanks the mit lns for hospitality .
ly is funded by the european research council under the advanced investigator grant erc - ad-267258 .
amp was supported by the director , office of nuclear science of the u.s .
department of energy .
r. s. bhalerao , j. p. blaizot , n. borghini and j. y. ollitrault , phys .
b * 627 * , 49 ( 2005 ) [ nucl - th/0508009 ] .
risto paatelainen , poster at quark matter 2014 ; harri niemi , plenary talk at quark matter 2014 . | arxiv |
Bagh-e Pir , also Romanized as Bāgh-e Pīr is a village in Garmdarreh Rural District, in the Central District of Karaj County, Alborz Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 208, in 57 families.
References
Category:Populated places in Karaj County | wikipedia |
Putney Town Rowing Club PTRC is a rowing club on the Tideway, the tidal reach of the River Thames in England. Its official British Rowing registered colours are navy and white.
History
The club was founded at the Half Moon Hotel, Putney in 1922 where it decided to base itself underneath the Duke's Head pub in Putney.
Since 1986 PTRC has occupied a boathouse in Kew. This allowed the club to expand, but its one-storey building was burnt down in 1992 by arson. The current boathouse was purpose-built in 1995 to create a large hall, bar, meeting room, changing areas and racking for a large number of boats, inside and outside.
On 26 October 2005, Putney Town had celebrated 10 years of the new boathouse with Phoenix Party, where the entire fleet was taken out and rowed past the clubhouse, in front of a number of old members and local dignitaries.
Equipment and facilities
The club house is at Townmead Road, Kew, just upstream of Chiswick Bridge on the southern Surrey bank of the river. The ground floor consists of a boatshed and a weight lifting area. The first floor has a large gym, bar, kitchen and changing rooms.
There are launches for coaching crews, a fully equipped weights area and Concept 2 ergometers. The large hall also allows the running of circuit training sessions, stretching and fitness classes as desired.
Members
The club is for members only, but anyone may join under the following categories: Senior, Junior, Cox, Veteran or Land Non Rowing. Members compete at a number of events, from local tideway regattas and head races, multi-lane national races and including Henley Royal Regatta HRR, Henley Women's Regatta, the Vets Head of the River Race and a number of other local and national regattas.
The club has links with local schools such as Shene School and Christ's School with the ARA's 'Project Oarsome' initiative. The London Oratory School also use the Putney Town boathouse.
Results
Non-local regatta accolades include that in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012 the club's men's eight qualified for the Thames Challenge Cup for men's eights at Henley Royal Regatta, on each occasion knocked out of the heavily competed tournament on the first full day of racing. The qualification for the event in 2007 was the first time the club qualified into the event for 40 years. The Wyfold Challenge Cup saw the coxless four also qualify in 2010.
Multi-lane i.e. 6-8 lane rowing has expanded. The first such win for a club crew was at Wallingford Regatta annually held at Eton-Dorney, in the Senior 3 Coxed Four, in 2008. The men's squad have competed in a number of events, including the Head of the Charles in Boston, MA and annually at all the major Tideway heads.
The women's senior squad has excelled at nationally-attended eights races, at Henley Women's Regatta in 2008, the intermediate eight reached the semi-final of the Invesco Perpetual Trophy. See below for the 2014 pennant and medals won at the women's eights head of the river race.
At other national competitions:
At the Head of the River Race 2012, the four eights entered finished 221st and 243rd, 379th and 399th the last boat being novice out of 404 timed crews. The race was called off in 2013 and 2014.
In the Women's Eights Head of the River Race, 2014, the top eight won the IM1 pennant and medals in a composite boat with Molesey BC. The four eights entered finished 7th, 147th and 192nd and 234th out of 240 timed crews.
At the Head of the River Race 2009, fewer eights entered, as the club was smaller, finishing 189th and 334th
See also
Rowing on the River Thames
References
Sources
British Rowing Almanack all years
External links
Official website
Amateur Rowing Association section On Putney Town
Category:1922 establishments in England
Category:Kew, London
Category:Sport in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
Category:Sport in the London Borough of Wandsworth
Category:Sports clubs established in 1922
Category:Tideway Rowing clubs | wikipedia |
Curvature of spacetime in Friedman cosmological models
Short version of my question is as follows: What is curvature of spacetime (rather than space) in Friedman cosmological models?
Now the long version, including evolution of my thoughts and background of the question:
Quite recently I read in a tweet by Quanta Magazine: "If the universe's density is equivalent to 5.7 atoms per cubic meter, the universe will lie flat like a sheet of paper. If that number rises to 6, it will curve around like a sphere".
I have seen diagrams illustrating three types of geometry (hyperbolic, euclidean and elliptic or spherical) depending on the density of universe many times before. But only now I completely realized that quite empty universe would be negatively curved, not flat. In other words, Euclid geometry is not so natural choice as it would seem at first thought. If you want school geometry, you need matter and gravity.
Than I found that quite empty universe is described by Milne model, and realized that curvature of space is curvature of spacetime are two different things. And that it is *spacetime* which is flat (with Minkowski geometry as the natural choice).
My hunch is that Friedman models (without dark energy) have curvature of *spacetime* zero (no matter, Milne model) or positive (matter with gravity). Am I right?
FLRW models have nonzero curvature of spacetime, because that's how general relativity describes gravity, and they have gravity in them. (The empty Milne universe is the exception.)
FLRW models can have either zero or nonzero spatial curvature.
You can't describe the curvature of spacetime with a single number; you need the full 20 components of the Riemann tensor for a complete description. The same is true for 3D space (though you need less numbers), it's just that the assumption of homogeneity and isotropy lets us get away with using a single number.
### Riemann tensor
Thanks to the simplicity of FRLW spacetime, though, we can describe the Riemann tensor with just two equations. If I did everything right, in an orthonormal basis they are
$$R\_{0i0j} = -(\dot{H} + H^2)\delta\_{ij} \quad\text{and}\quad R\_{ijkl} = \left(H^2 + \frac{k}{a^2}\right) (\delta\_{ik}\delta\_{jl} - \delta\_{il}\delta{jk}),$$
with Latin indices taking values in $\{1,2,3\}$ and all other components (with an odd number of zero indices) vanishing. From this, one thing you can do is calculate the Ricci and Kretschmann scalars,
$$R = R^{\mu\nu}{}\_{\mu\nu} \quad\text{and}\quad K = R^{\mu\nu\alpha\beta}R\_{\mu\nu\alpha\beta},$$
which are sort of the trace and the square of the Riemann tensor, to get an idea of what's going on. Again, if I haven't made any mistakes, they are
$$R = 6\left( \dot{H} + 2H^2 + \frac{k}{a^2} \right) \quad\text{and}\quad K = 12 \left[\left(\dot{H} + H^2\right) + 8 \left(H^2 + \frac{k}{a^2}\right)\right].$$
### Friedmann equations
To relate these to the matter content of the universe, we use the [Friedmann equations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedmann_equations)
$$H^2 + \frac{k}{a^2} = \frac{8\pi}{3} \rho$$
$$\dot{H} + H^2 = -\frac{4\pi}{3} (\rho + 3p).$$
Using these, you can see that the components of the Riemann tensor are just the sides of the equations, and the scalars turn out to be
$$R = 8\pi(\rho-3p) = 8\pi (1-3w)\rho$$
$$K = \frac{64\pi^2}{3} \left[(\rho+3p)^2 + 32\rho^2\right] = \frac{64\pi^2}{3} \left[(1+3w)^2 + 32\right] \rho^2,$$
where I've also included the standard cosmological equation of state $p = w \rho$ for a single fluid.
### Analysis
So what can we get from this? You can see that if there is any energy content at all in the universe ($\rho \neq 0$), the Riemann tensor is nonzero. This means that spacetime is flat (zero Riemann tensor) if and only if it is empty: the Milne model is just a section of Minkowski spacetime, and it is (spacetime-)flat even if it doesn't look like it.
For the three most common fluids considered in cosmology, we have $w = 0$ (dark matter), $w = 1/3$ (radiation) or $w = -1$ (dark energy). You can see that in all cases the scalars are positive, except for $w = 1/3$ when the Ricci scalar is zero. But you also shouldn't pay too much attention to the latter's sign, because it depends on the signature for the metric; if I had used $(+\ -\ -\ -)$ signs, $R$ would have come out with the opposite sign.
### The Quanta Magazine quote
So if we found that $\text{empty} \iff \text{flat}$, why does the quote claim that for low densities the universe is negatively curved? That's because we observe that the universe is expanding, and so we're forced to use a nonzero $H$ in the equations, and this "moves the zero" of curvature, so to speak. An empty universe would actually not expand and it would be flat, but this contradicts observations.
| stackexchange/physics |
in recent years much theoretical activity has been devoted to generalized parton distributions ( gpd s ) .
they are defined as nondiagonal hadronic matrix elements of bilocal products of the light - front quark and gluon field operators and they interpolate between the inclusive physics of parton distributions and the exclusive limit of electromagnetic form factors @xcite . as such they contain information on parton correlations and the internal spin structure of the nucleon .
but the main interest to study gpd s comes from the fact that , due to the factorization theorem @xcite , they are candidate to provide us with a unifying theoretical background suitable to describe a variety of inclusive and exclusive processes in the deep inelastic scattering ( dis ) regime . in particular , they enter the cross section for exclusive photon production , i.e. deeply virtual compton scattering ( dvcs ) @xcite , and hard diffractive electroproduction of ( longitudinal ) vector and pseudo - scalar meson @xcite .
in addition , in the forward limit they become diagonal matrix elements giving the usual dis parton distribution , and their first moment gives the nucleon elastic form factors @xcite .
basic properties of the gpd s have been reviewed in refs .
@xcite .
much effort is underway related to the measurement of these functions .
a general discussion about the problems arising in the experimental study of the gpd s and the first experimental evidences have been presented in ref .
prospects for future measurements of dvcs are studied in ref .
@xcite . on the other hand ,
model calculations are a necessary prerequisite to define suitable strategies to extract gpd s from experiments . in the literature
there are two approaches used to model the nucleon gpd s .
one is a phenomenological construction based on reduction formulas where gpd s are related to the usual parton distributions by factorizing the momentum transfer dependence due to the nucleon electroweak form factors @xcite .
this leads to double distribution functions parametrizing the nonforward matrix elements involved in dvcs and hard exclusive electroproduction processes discussed , e.g. , in ref .
another approach is based on direct calculation of gpd s in specific dynamical models .
the first model calculations were performed using the mit bag model @xcite .
further calculations have been performed in the chiral quark - soliton model @xcite .
a complete and exact overlap representation of gpd s has been recently worked out within the framework of light - cone quantisation @xcite . in particular , quark gpd s
are obtained as overlaps of light - cone wave functions ( lcwf s ) indicating that they are deeply connected with the non - diagonal one - body density matrix in momentum space occurring in any nonrelativistic many - body problem .
a preliminar investigation of such an approach was presented in ref .
@xcite .
in fact , direct calculation of lcwf s from first principles is a difficult task . on the other hand ,
constituent quark models ( cqm s ) have been quite successful in describing the spectrum of hadrons and their low - energy dynamics .
therefore it is interesting to explore the connection between gpd s and cqm wave functions at least in the allowed kinematic range where only quark degrees of freedom are effective .
this corresponds to the kinematic region where gpd s describe how a quark is taken out from the proton and , having undergone a hard scattering , is inserted back as a quark inside the scattered proton .
this connection has been studied in ref .
@xcite where a simple nonrelativistic quark model has been used to calculate one of the twist - two gpd s at a low - energy scale .
however , as in the case of parton distributions calculated from cqm wave functions a nonrelativistic approach is obviously insufficient @xcite and a consequence of it is that the obtained gpd s are not defined on their natural support and the particle number and momentum sum rules are not always preserved .
the support violation occurs also with the mit bag model @xcite because the initial and final nucleons are not good momentum eigenstates .
these are common problems arising also in the case of parton distributions calculated from cqm wave functions @xcite where they were cured by appropriately taking into account translation invariance @xcite .
cqm s rely on quantum theory with a finite number of degrees of freedom . in this case relativity
can be incorporated quite naturally by utilizing relativistic hamiltonian dynamics @xcite and the bakamjian - thomas @xcite construction of the hamiltonian for a system of interacting particles .
in such an approach cqm wave functions can be considered as eigenfunctions of the nucleon hamiltonian in the instant - form dynamics and can simply be related to wave functions in any form of relativistic hamiltonian dynamics .
examples are the light - front description of electromagnetic form factors ( see ref .
@xcite and references therein ) and the covariant calculation of the nucleon electroweak form factors @xcite in a chiral cqm @xcite with the point - form approach .
similarly , one can obtain a link between cqm wave functions and lcwf s with the corresponding transformation from the instant - form to the front - form representation as it is here proposed .
gpd s in the allowed kinematic region are then obtained in a covariant approach and they exhibit the exact forward limit reproducing the parton distribution with the correct support and automatically fulfilling the particle number and momentum sum rules . the paper is organized as follows . in sect .
2 the relevant definitions and properties of gpd s in terms of lcwf s are recalled . in sect .
3 the connection is established between the ( light - cone ) front - form and the ( canonical ) instant - form description . this connection is used in sect . 4 to obtain the unpolarized gpd s and their forward limits , i.e. the usual dis parton distributions in terms of cqm wave functions .
the results obtained with different cqm wave functions are presented in sect . 5 , confining some technical details in the appendix , and concluding remarks are given in sect .
for definiteness let us consider virtual compton scattering where a lepton exchanges a virtual photon of momentum @xmath4 with a nucleon of momentum @xmath5 , producing a real photon of momentum @xmath6 and a recoil nucleon of momentum @xmath7 .
ultimately we are here interested in kinematic conditions similar to those familiar in the dis regime that is characterized by the bjorken limit , i.e. @xmath8 , @xmath9 , and fixed @xmath10 .
when focusing on the deeply virtual kinematic regime of @xmath4 , i.e. dvcs , a generalization of the bjorken kinematics is considered , namely the c.m .
energy @xmath11 and the photon virtuality @xmath12 are large while the invariant momentum square @xmath13 is small @xcite . under these conditions
the factorization theorem @xcite tells us that the amplitude factorizes in a hard scattering part ( which is exactly calculable in perturbative qcd ) and a soft , nonperturbative nucleon structure part .
the contribution of the hard scattering part to leading order corresponds to the so called handbag diagram with photon scattering on a single parton ( quark or antiquark ) .
consequently , the soft part is a quark - quark correlation function , representing the process where a parton is taken out of the initial nucleon and reinserted back into the final nucleon after hard scattering . to describe such a process , according to ref .
@xcite it is useful to choose a symmetric frame of reference where the virtual photon momentum @xmath4 and the average nucleon momentum @xmath14 are collinear along the @xmath15 axis and in opposite directions ( fig .
[ fig : symmetric ] ) .
it is also useful to use the component notation @xmath16 $ ] for any four - vector @xmath17 with light - cone components @xmath18 and the transverse part @xmath19 . in the following
we only consider the case of unpolarized quarks inside the nucleon .
then for each flavor @xmath20 the soft amplitude in fig .
[ fig : symmetric ] becomes [ eq : definition ] f^q_(x,,t ) = .
dy^- e^ixp^+y^- ( -y)n ( y )
_ y^+=_=0 , where @xmath21 is a lightlike vector proportional to @xmath22 , @xmath23 ( @xmath24 ) is the helicity of the initial ( final ) nucleon and the quark - quark correlation function is integrated along the light - cone distance @xmath25 at equal light - cone time ( @xmath26 ) and at zero transverse separation ( @xmath27 ) between the quarks .
the resulting one - dimensional fourier integral along the light - cone distance @xmath25 is with respect to the quark light - cone momentum @xmath28 .
the so called skewedness parameter @xmath29 describes the longitudinal change of the nucleon momentum , @xmath30 .
the link operator normally needed to make the definition ( [ eq : definition ] ) gauge invariant does not appear because we also choose the gauge @xmath31 which reduces the link operator to unity .
following ref .
@xcite the leading twist ( twist - two ) part of this amplitude can be parametrized as f^q_(x,,t ) & = & u(p,)^+ u(p , ) h^q(x,,t ) + & & + u(p, ) u(p,)e^q(x,,t ) , + where @xmath32 is the nucleon dirac spinor and @xmath33 and @xmath34 are the chiral - even ( helicity conserving ) and chiral - odd ( helicity flip ) gpd s for partons of flavor @xmath20 , respectively .
an explicit expression in term of lcwf s can be obtained following the lines of refs .
the hadronic state is written as [ eq : hadronstate ] = _ n , _
n [ d_]_n _ , n,(r ) , where the integration measures are defined by [ eq : measone ] _
n = ( _ i=1^n ) ( 1-_i=1^n x_i ) , [ eq : meastwo ] [ d_]_n = ( _ i=1^n ) 2(2)^3 ( _ i=1^n _ i - _ ) .
the function @xmath35 is the momentum lcwf of the @xmath36-parton fock state @xmath37 ( also including gluons ) , with @xmath38 indicating flavour , helicity and colour quantum numbers .
the lcwf s depend on the momentum coordinates ( collectively indicated by @xmath39 ) of the partons relative to the hadron momentum .
the @xmath36-parton states are normalized as & & n, ; k_1, ,k_n + & & = _
nn__i=1^n 2k^+_i(2)^3 ( k_i^+-k_i^+)(_i-_i ) .
+ correspondingly , the hadron states are covariantly normalized as p,= 2p^+(2)^3 ( p^+-p^+)(_- _ ) _ , with _ n,_n[d_]_n _ , n,(r)^2 = 1 .
having in mind the link between gpd s and cqm wave functions we have to confine our discussion to the region @xmath40 . in this region and in the symmetric frame [ eq : base ] f^q_(x,,t ) & = & _ n,()^2-n ( ) ^2-n _ j=1^n _ s_jq + & & _ n[d_]_n(x - x_j ) ^*_,n,(r ) _ , n,(r)(x_j ) , + where @xmath41 labels the quantum numbers of the @xmath42th parton , @xmath38 specifies all other quantum necessary for the @xmath36-parton state , and the set of kinematic variables @xmath43 are defined as follows : for the final struck quark , [ eq : finalconf ] y_j = = , _j = _ j + _
, for the final @xmath44 spectators ( @xmath45 ) , y_i = , _i= _ i - _ , and for the initial struck quark [ eq : initialconf ] y_j = = , _ j= _ j - _ , for the initial @xmath44 spectators ( @xmath45 ) , y_i = , _ i=_i + _ .
working out the spinor products we have f^q_++(x,,t ) & = & f^q_(x,,t ) + [ eq : noflip ] & = & h^q(x,,t ) - e^q(x,,t ) , + [ eq : flippa ] f^q_-+(x,,t ) & = & -(f^q_+-(x,,t ) ) ^ * = e^q(x,,t ) , + where = , and [ eq : minimalt ] - t_0 = is the minimal value for @xmath46 at given @xmath29 .
therefore , one can extract @xmath47 and @xmath48 separately from the knowledge of @xmath49 .
in particular , @xmath48 is directly given by eq .
( [ eq : flippa ] ) , and h^q(x,,t ) = .
in this section a connection will be established between the ( light - cone ) front - form and the ( canonical ) instant - form description .
when necessary , labels @xmath50 $ ] and @xmath51 $ ] on the wave function will refer to front form and canonical form , respectively , and vectors with tilde are defined in the front form . omitting colour degrees of freedom that do not matter in the following considerations , single - parton states can be defined either with front - form coordinates , _ [ f ] , = ( k^+ , _ ) , ( with isospin @xmath52 ) or with instant - form coordinates , _ [ c ] , = ( k_x , k_y , k_z ) , with corresponding normalizations [ eq : normalizza ] _ [ f],, _ [ f ] & = & 2k^+(2)^3(k^+-k^+)(_- _ ) _ _ , + _ [ c],,_[c ] & = & ( - ) _ _. + the transformation from the instant- to the front - form representation reads [ eq : connect ] _ [ f ] = _ d _ [ c ] _ [ c]_[f ] , where , according to eq . ( 4.35 ) of ref .
@xcite , [ eq : cfnon ] _ [ c]_[f ] = ( 2)^3/2(- ) d^1/2_(r_cf())_. here @xmath53 is a melosh rotation , and the normalization constant @xmath54 with @xmath55 derives from a different normalization used in ref .
@xcite .
then eq .
( [ eq : connect ] ) becomes [ eq : transcf ] _ [ f ] = ( 2)^3/2_ d^1/2_(r_cf ( ) ) _ [ c ] . in the front - form description the @xmath36-parton contribution @xmath56}$ ] to the nucleon wave function can be derived from the zero - momentum state by a suitable boost @xmath57 with @xmath58 ( @xmath59 being the mass of the noninteracting @xmath36-parton system ) and l_f(q)^_(1,0,0,0)^= .
in fact , under a lorentz transformation @xmath60 we have u ( ) _ [ f ] = _ _ [ f ] r_w(,p ) , where @xmath61 is the wigner rotation associated with the @xmath60 transformation .
assuming for @xmath60 the boost @xmath62 , the wigner rotation becomes the identity , @xmath63 .
thus u(l_f(q))_[f ] = _ [ f ] , u(l^-1_f(q))_[f ] = _ [ f ] . in turn , according to eq .
( [ eq : transcf ] ) , [ eq : fcrel ] _ [ f ] = ( 2)^3/2_[c ] . on the other hand , according to eq .
( [ eq : hadronstate ] ) we have [ eq : zerostate ] _ [ f ] = _ _ i,_i _ n [ d_]_n _ ^[f](\{x_i,_i;_i,_i } ) _ i=1^n _ [ f ] .
in order to establish the connection with the instant - form representation one has to work out the delta functions and the measures ( eqs .
( [ eq : measone ] ) and ( [ eq : meastwo ] ) ) . since @xmath64 , we have ( 1-_i=1^n x_i)= ( 1- _ i=1^n ) = m_0(_i=1^n k_zi ) , [ eq : deltacf ] ( 1-_i=1^n x_i ) ( _ i=1^n _ i ) = m_0 ( _ i=1^n _ i ) .
in addition , _ i=1^n dx_i d_i = _
i=1^n d_i = _
i=1^n d_i = _
i=1^n d_i .
we can then rewrite the zero - momentum state ( [ eq : zerostate ] ) as [ eq : zeroff ] _ [ f ] & = & _ _
i,_i 2(2)^3 m_0 ( _ i=1^n _ i ) + & & _ ^[f](\{x_i,_i;_i,_i})_i=1^n ( 2)^3/2 + & & _ _
id^1/2__i_i(r_cf(_i ) ) _ [ c ] + & = & _ _ i,_i m_0(_i=1^n _
i ) _ ^[f](\{x_i,_i;_i,_i } ) + & & 2(2)^3_i=1^n [ 2(2)^3]^-1/2__id^1/2__i_i(r_cf(_i ) ) _ [ c ] . + therefore
, the zero - momentum state in the canonical representation , [ eq : zerocanon ] _ [ c ] = _ _ i,_i _ i=1^n d_i ( _ i=1^n _ i ) _ ^[c](\{_i;_i,_i } ) _ i=1^n_[c ] , can be rewritten in the light - front representation using the definition ( [ eq : fcrel ] ) and the result ( [ eq : zeroff ] ) as [ eq : zerofront ] _ [ c ] & = & _ _ i,_i ( _ i=1^n _ i ) _ ^[f](\{x_i,_i;_i,_i } ) + & & ^1/2_i=1^n [ 2(2)^3]^-1/2__id^1/2__i_i(r_cf(_i ) ) _ [ c ] . + from eqs .
( [ eq : zerocanon ] ) and ( [ eq : zerofront ] ) a relationship can be obtained between hadron wave functions @xmath65}$ ] and @xmath66}$ ] .
this relation is here worked out in the case of a nucleon with only three valence quarks , i.e. @xmath67 . the three - quark ( valence ) fock state of the nucleon has been shown in ref .
@xcite to have only one independent lcwf for all configurations where the quark helicities add up to the helicity of the nucleon .
this state is also known to almost exhaust the contribution to gpd s at large values of @xmath68 @xcite . by definition
we have & & _ ^[c](_1,_2,_3 ; _
1,_1,_2,_2,_3,_3 ) + & & = n;,_[c ] . the bracket on the r.h.s . can be expressed in terms of the light - front representation ( [ eq : zerofront ] ) , so that [ eq : psicf ] & & _ ^[c ] ( _ 1,_2,_3;_1,_1,_2,_2,_3,_3 ) = ^1/2 + & & _ _ 1_2_3 d^1/2__1_1(r_cf(_1 ) ) d^1/2__2_2(r_cf(_2 ) ) d^1/2__3_3(r_cf(_3 ) ) + & & _
^[f](x_1,_1,x_2,_2,x_3,_3;_1,_1,_2,_2,_3,_3 ) .
+ viceversa , [ eq : psifc ] & & _ ^[f ] ( x_1,_1 , x_2,_2 , x_3,_3 ; _
1,_1,_2,_2,_3,_3 ) + & & = 2(2)^3 ^1/2 _ _ 1_2_3d^1/2__1_1(r_cf(_1 ) ) d^1/2__2_2(r_cf(_2 ) ) + & & ^1/2__3_3(r_cf(_3 ) ) _
^[c](_1,_2,_3;_1,_1,_2,_2,_3,_3 ) . + eqs .
( [ eq : psicf ] ) and ( [ eq : psifc ] ) give the correct covariant transformation linking wave functions obtained in the ( canonical ) instant form , e.g. in some cqm , and the corresponding valence - quark component of the lcwf .
the valence - quark contribution to gpd s is obtained by specializing eq .
( [ eq : base ] ) to the case @xmath67 , i.e. [ eq : valence ] f^q_(x,,t ) & = & _ _ i_i _ j=1 ^ 3 _ s_jq _ 3[d_]_3(x - x_j ) + & & ^[f]_(r,\{_i},\{_i } ) ^[f]_(r,\{_i},\{_i})(x_j ) , + where the front - form wave function @xmath69}_\lambda(r,\{\lambda_i\},\{\tau_i\})$ ] is related to the corresponding wave function @xmath70}_\lambda(\{\vec{k}_i\},\{\lambda_i\},\{\tau_i\})$ ] in the canonical form by eq .
( [ eq : psifc ] ) . separating the spin - isospin from the space part of the canonical wave function , [ eq : separated ] ^[c]_(\{_i},\{_i},\{_i } ) = ( _ 1,_2,_3 ) _ ( _ 1,_2,_3,_1,_2,_3 ) , we have [ eq : transform ] & & ^[f]_(r,\{_i},\{_i } ) = 2(2)^3 ^ 1/2 ( _ 1,_2,_3 ) + & & _ _ 1_2_3 d^1/2__1_1(r_cf(_1 ) ) d^1/2__2_2(r_cf(_2 ) ) d^1/2__3_3(r_cf(_3 ) ) + & & _ ( _ 1,_2,_3,_1,_2,_3 ) , + where the melosh rotations are given by ^1/2_(r_cf ( ) ) & = & r_cf(x m_0 , _ ) + & = & .
+ in the limit @xmath71 , where @xmath68 goes over to the parton momentum fraction @xmath72 , some of the gpd s reduce to the ordinary dis parton distributions .
in particular , [ eq : unpol ] h^q(x,0,0 ) = q(x ) , where @xmath73 is the ( unpolarized ) quark distribution of flavor @xmath20 . in this limit
, the melosh rotation matrices combine to the identity matrix and the following simple expression is obtained for the parton distribution q(x ) = _
j=1 ^ 3__j_q_i=1 ^ 3 d_i ( _ i=1 ^ 3 _ i ) ( x- ) _ ^[c](\{_i;_i,_i})^2 .
this expression agrees with that given , e.g. , in refs .
@xcite and automatically fulfills the support condition , vanishing outside the support region @xmath74 .
it also satisfies the particle number sum rule , dx q(x ) = n_q , where @xmath75 is the number of valence quarks of flavor @xmath20 , as well as the momentum sum rule dx x [ u(x ) + d(x ) ] = 1 , where @xmath76 and @xmath77 are the up and down quark distributions .
in this section we present results obtained with two constituent quark models , i.e. the relativistic hypercentral quark model of ref .
@xcite and the goldstone - boson - exchange ( gbe ) model of ref .
@xcite .
the hypercentral model is based on the mass operator @xmath78 , where @xmath59 is the free mass operator , [ eq : freemass ] m_0 = _
i=1 ^ 3 , with @xmath79 , and @xmath80 being the constituent quark masses .
the interaction @xmath81 is taken of the form @xcite [ eq : hyperv ] v=- + _ l y , where @xmath82 is the radius of the hypersphere in six dimensions and @xmath83 and @xmath84 are the jacobi coordinates , = , = .
the model depends on two parameters , @xmath52 and @xmath85 , and is able to reproduce the basic features of the low - lying nucleon spectrum satisfactorily in spite of its simplicity . in the hypercentral model
the resulting nucleon wave function is a product of a space and a spin - isospin part and is su(6 ) symmetric .
technical details concerning the derivation of the relevant formulae with this model are given in the appendix .
in the gbe model the same semirelativistic free mass operator @xmath59 of eq .
( [ eq : freemass ] ) is combined with an interaction between constituent quarks which is the sum of a ( linear ) color - electric confinement term and a hyperfine ( flavor - dependent ) potential provided by the possible exchange of all mesons of the pseudoscalar octet and singlet .
such mesons are considered as goldstone bosons appearing in the model as a consequence of the spontaneous breaking of chiral symmetry .
the model of ref .
@xcite depends on five parameters that are fixed by looking at the baryon spectrum which is well reproduced up to 2 gev with the correct orderings of the positive- and negative - parity states in the light and strange sectors .
the resulting nucleon wave functions , without any further parameter , yield a remarkably consistent picture of the electroweak form factors @xcite .
the spin - averaged ( @xmath47 ) and the helicity - flip ( @xmath48 ) gpd s calculated in the gbe model for the @xmath86 and @xmath87 flavours are plotted in figs . [ fig : fig2][fig : fig4 ] as a function of @xmath68 at different values of @xmath88 and @xmath29 .
they are all positive apart from @xmath89 that is always negative .
this is in agreement with the findings within the mit bag model @xcite and also within the chiral quark - soliton model @xcite where @xmath90 and @xmath91 are leading order in the number of colours @xmath92 , while @xmath93 and @xmath94 are subleading . in all cases
the gpd s vanish at @xmath95 since in our approach they include the contribution of valence quarks only @xcite .
they also vanish beyond @xmath96 satisfying the support condition as already mentioned . as in the mit bag model @xcite the @xmath29 dependence at fixed @xmath88 , figs .
[ fig : fig3 ] and [ fig : fig4 ] , turns out to be weak , the main effect being a small shift towards larger @xmath97 with increasing @xmath29 .
in addition an interesting feature emerges from fig .
[ fig : fig2 ] : the large @xmath88-independence of both @xmath48 and @xmath47 at fixed @xmath29 in the region @xmath98 .
such a result is not consistent with the @xmath88 dependence simply factorized in terms of nucleon form factors @xcite .
actually , only the first moments of the gpd s are related to the nucleon elastic form factors @xcite , i.e. _
-1 ^ 1dx h^q(x,,t ) = f^q_1(t ) , _ -1 ^ 1dx e^q(x,,t ) = f^q_2(t ) , [ eq : ff_sumrule ] where @xmath99 and @xmath100 are the contribution of quark @xmath20 to the dirac and pauli form factors .
this property holds in the present approach , for @xmath101 only . the @xmath29 dependence which emerges from figs .
[ fig : fig2][fig : fig4 ] in calculating the first moment of @xmath48 and @xmath47 is due to the fact that only the valence - quark contribution is taken into account .
the inclusion of higher order configurations in the fock space would restore the validity of eq .
( [ eq : ff_sumrule ] ) for @xmath102 .
it is worthwhile noticing that neglecting the effect of the melosh rotations in the transformation from the canonical- to the front - form wave function , eq .
( [ eq : transform ] ) , the helicity - flip gpd s @xmath48 would be vanishing for wave functions with s waves only .
the use of the correct transformation can also be appreciated when looking at the parton distributions for @xmath86 and @xmath87 flavours plotted in fig .
[ fig : fig5 ] . here
the fully covariant light - front calculation gives contrasting results with those obtained with the prescription of ref .
@xcite including the support and flux factor corrections .
to preserve normalization the quite substantial shift of the peak to lower @xmath68 values of the light - front calculation is compensated by a higher tail at larger @xmath68 which reflects the presence of high - momentum components in the gbe wave functions .
gpd s calculated with the hypercentral and the gbe model behave quite similarly in spite of the fact that the hypercentral model is su(6 ) symmetric , while the gbe model is not . however , it is known that the su(6 ) breaking part in the nucleon gbe wave function is small @xcite . in fig . [
fig : fig6 ] the gpd s obtained within the hypercentral model are shown for @xmath101 as a function of @xmath88 . in order to better appreciate the difference between the gbe and hypercentral cqm s , fig .
[ fig : fig7 ] shows the @xmath88 dependence of the ratio between @xmath48 and the anomalous magnetic moments @xmath103 predicted by the respective models ( @xmath104 ) .
the numerical values for @xmath103 are listed in the caption of fig .
[ fig : fig7 ] and discussed in the text later on . in fig .
[ fig : fig8 ] the gpd s obtained within the hypercentral model are shown for @xmath105 ( gev)@xmath106 as a function of @xmath29 .
they confirm the results obtained within the gbe model . at large @xmath68 , where it is known that the contribution of valence quarks is substantial and higher fock states are less important @xcite , the distributions are almost independent of @xmath29 so that at fixed @xmath88 their peak position for increasing @xmath29 is shifted to higher values of @xmath68 by the requirement that they have to vanish here at @xmath107 . would higher fock states ( including gluons and antiquarks ) be included , nonvanishing gpd s should occur for @xmath108 with @xmath107 as a cross - over point ( see , e.g. , ref .
@xcite ) .
finally we discuss the integral properties of @xmath47 and @xmath48 summarized in eq .
( [ eq : ff_sumrule ] ) . in fig .
[ fig : fig9 ] the proton and neutron pauli and dirac form factors are shown as function of @xmath46 in both the hypercentral and gbe models . the @xmath109 form factor at @xmath110
gives the following values for the nucleon anomalous magnetic moments : @xmath111 , @xmath112 , @xmath113 , @xmath114 .
these results are rather far from the experimental values and consistent with analogous light - front calculations when pointlike structure of the quark is assumed @xcite .
the su(6 ) breaking effects which produce deviations from the value @xmath115 come mainly from the melosh rotations , with a small additional contribution from the quark wave functions in the case of the gbe model .
the @xmath88 dependence of @xmath116 and @xmath109 is rather smooth and in both models it does not reproduce the experimental results : a clear limitation due to the assumed pointlike structure of the quarks which can be solved by the introduction of specific quark form factors @xcite .
a fully covariant approach has been presented linking the overlap representation of generalized parton distributions @xcite to the non - diagonal one - body density matrix in momentum space . as a result of the correct transformation of the wave functions from the ( canonical ) instant - form to the ( light - cone ) front - form description ,
the support condition is automatically fulfilled and the particle number and momentum sum rules are also satisfied .
the method has been applied to the case of nucleon wave functions involving only the three valence quarks in order to study gpd s in terms of constituent quark model wave functions .
this implies that the discussion of gpd s has to be confined to the region @xmath117 .
in this region one can easily derive the usual parton distributions and appreciate the advantages of a fully covariant treatment avoiding problems connected with the support condition and the flux factor introduced in other approaches .
in addition , the helicity flip gpd s naturally arise thanks to the relativistic effects of the melosh rotations .
however , the limitation @xmath118 prevents the possibility of testing the reduction formula of the first moment of the gpd s leading to the nucleon form factors for @xmath119 .
results have been presented for the hypercentral model of ref .
@xcite and the goldstone - boson - exchange model of ref . @xcite .
quite similar results are obtained within the two models , the su(6 ) breaking contribution present in the gbe wave functions being rather small . a strong @xmath88 and
a weak @xmath29 dependence has been found in all cases , confirming the results obtained within the mit bag model @xcite . keeping in mind the limitation @xmath118 due to the inclusion of the lowest order fock - space components with three valence quarks
only , the results obtained show that all the phenomenology for large @xmath68 and small @xmath88 can be studied within the present approach .
we acknowledge m. diehl for useful comments .
the structure of the nucleon wave function in the hypercentral quark model of ref .
@xcite is given by eq .
( [ eq : separated ] ) where a product is assumed of a symmetric function of the momenta with a symmetric function of the spin - isospin variables as in eq .
( [ eq : separated ] ) .
the spin function @xmath120 is symmetric or antisymmetric under the interchange of quark 1 and quark 2 for the total spin of the pair @xmath121 and @xmath122 , respectively .
the third quark spin is then coupled to @xmath123 to obtain the nucleon spin @xmath124 .
the same is done for isospin according to su(2 ) symmetry .
the resulting spin - isospin function , & & _ ( _ 1,_2,_3,_1,_2,_3 ) + & & = , + is then fully symmetric under all permutations . the space part of the nucleon wave function is taken with total orbital momentum @xmath125 and is written in momentum representation as ( _ 1,_2,_3 ) = _ 00(y)y^(0,0)_[0,0,0 ] ( ) , where @xmath126 is the hyperradial wave function solution in momentum space of an eigenvalue problem for the mass operator @xmath127 as a sum of the free mass operator ( [ eq : freemass ] ) and the hypercentral potential given by eq .
( [ eq : hyperv ] ) .
the hyperspherical harmonics @xmath128}$ ] are defined on the hypersphere of unit radius .
such wave function is transformed to a front - form wave function according to eq .
( [ eq : transform ] ) and inserted into eq .
( [ eq : valence ] ) .
the summation over isospin variables gives @xmath129/3 $ ] for the proton and @xmath130/3 $ ] for the neutron .
summation over spin variables requires much more effort because of the presence of the melosh rotations but is straightforward along the lines of ref .
@xcite . for the proton
we can finally rewrite eq .
( [ eq : valence ] ) as f^q_ & = & _ 1=1 ^ 3 dx_i(1-_i=1 ^ 3x_i ) ( x - x_3 ) + & & _ i=1 ^ 3 d^2_,i(_i=1 ^ 3_,i ) ^*(\{y_i},\{_,i } ) ( \{y_i},\{_,i } ) + & & _ _ q_3\ { x^00_( , ) _ _ 31/2 + x^11_( , ) [ _ _ 31/2 + 2__3 - 1/2 ] } , + where ( \{x_i},\{_,i } ) = ( _ 1,_2,_3 ) , x^00_( , ) = _
i=1 ^ 3 n^-1(_i ) n^-1(_i ) a_3 + i_3 ( a_1a_2 + _ 1_2 ) , x^11_( , ) & = & _ i=1 ^ 3 n^-1(_i ) n^-1(_i ) _ jj + & & a_3_jj + _ k_jjkb_3,k + i(_k a_3_jjk_k + & & + _ jb_3,j + _
jb_3,j -_3_jj ) , + with n ( ) = [ ( m+ xm_0)^2 + ^2_]^1/2 , a_i = ( m+ x_im_0)(m+ x_i m_0 ) + k_y k_y + k_x k_x , b_i , x = - ( m+ x_im_0 ) k_y + ( m+ x_i m_0 ) k_y , b_i , y = ( m+ x_im_0 ) k_x - ( m+ x_i m_0 ) k_x , b_i , z = k_x k_y - k_y k_x . in the above equations the primed ( unprimed ) kinematical variables refer to the final ( initial ) nucleon state ( see eqs .
( [ eq : finalconf ] ) and ( [ eq : initialconf ] ) ) and : m_0 = _ i , m_0 = _ i. in the gbe model the nucleon wave functions are expanded on a basis where the spin - isospin part is combined with a space part in the form of correlated gaussian functions of the jacobi coordinates referring to a particular partition .
the total wave function is a symmetrized linear combination of such basis functions over the three possible partitions thus ultimately violating su(6 ) symmetry .
specifically , we have [ eq : gbewave ] ^[c]_(\{_i},\{_i},\{_i } ) = _ n c_n _ _ n(\{_i},\{_i},\{_i } ) , where each @xmath131 is summed over all possible partitions , i.e. _ = _ ( 1,23 ) + _ ( 2,31 ) + _ ( 3,12 ) . in turn , for each partition @xmath132 _ ( k , pq ) = _ j _ ( _ p,_q,_k ) , where _ lm(_k,_k ) = x_k^2+y_k^2n+le^-x_k^2 -y_k^2 + _ k_k y^lm_l(_k,_k ) , with @xmath133 , @xmath36 being the principal quantum number , and y^lm_l(_k,_k ) = _ m ( l mlm ) y_(_k ) y_lm(_k ) . in the above equations @xmath134 are the jacobi coordinates of partition @xmath135 .
the parameters @xmath38 , @xmath136 and @xmath137 are fixed by solving the eigenvalue problem according to , e.g. , the stochastic variational method @xcite as in ref .
@xcite . for the nucleon , @xmath138 .
the calculation with the gbe wave function requires repeating the same steps as with the hypercentral wave functions for each partition of the partial contribution to the total initial ( final ) nucleon wave function ( [ eq : gbewave ] ) .
f. cardarelli , e. pace , g. salm , and s. simula , phys .
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wagenbrunn , s. boffi , w. klink , w. plessas and m. radici , phys .
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b 516 ( 2001 ) 183 ; s. boffi , l.ya .
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j. a 14 ( 2002 ) 17 - 21 . | arxiv |
Marco Alessi is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Felice Arena. He made his first screen appearance as Marco during the episode broadcast on 5 May 1992. Marco was the first character introduced from the show's new Alessi family. He joined cousins and established characters Caroline Alessi Gillian Blakeney and Christina Robinson Gayle Blakeney in Ramsay Street. His parents Benito George Spartels and Cathy Alessi Elspeth Ballantyne with sibling Rick Alessi Dan Falzon soon followed. Arena was happy to portray an Italian character because it resembled himself - noting that characters of different ethnicity was rare on the show.
The character is passionate about everything he chooses to do. He has a big ego and a lot of pride. Marco's first storyline was an unrequited love with Beth Brennan Natalie Imbruglia. Marco has an Italian hotheadedness character trait that leads him into trouble where money is concerned. His involvement with loan sharks builds up to his departure storyline. Off-screen Arena had decided to leave the show and Marco last appeared on-screen in the episode dated 18 November 1992.
Development
Introduction and family
Arena played Marco during 1992. He previously played the bit part of Bob Cooper in the serial, after winning a talent-spotting competition. Arena had to audition in front of a casting director and Neighbours cast members. A year later, he was offered the role of Marco. Alex Cramb from Inside Soap detailed how as Elspeth Ballantyne had been cast as Cathy Alessi, the head of the show's hottest new family. She brings her two hunky sons Marco and younger brother Rick Alessi Dan Falzon. Marco was the first member of the new Alessi family to arrive in Ramsay Street. He joined his cousins and already established characters Caroline Alessi Gillian Blakeney and Christina Robinson Gayle Blakeney on-screen. Rick along with mother and father, Cathy and Benito George Spartels soon followed. Born to Italian parents, Arena was delighted to portray a character with a similar background to his own. He stated that it's a real breakthrough and about time, I'm not your usual Aussie surfer type. He was not nervous about joining the cast. But on his first day of filming he became nervous during scenes in the Coffee Shop. But Marco secures a job as a waiter there and Arena told an Inside Soap writer that a majority of his scenes occurred on that particular set.
Marco develops feelings for Beth Brennan Natalie Imbruglia following an instant attraction and a stolen kiss. Arena stated that Marco is obsessed with Beth even though she does not reciprocate. The kiss leads to nothing but Marco remains confident he can change her mind. Arena explained he's passionate about everything he does, but he's got an ego and a certain amount of pride that won't allow him to admit to himself that maybe this is a lost cause. Marco then believes that changing his hair and picking the correct attire could make himself more appealing to her. But Arena concluded that Marco is ultimately in for disappointment where Beth is concerned.
Monroe said that Marco's family ties were tested to the limit when he learns that Christina's husband Paul Stefan Dennis, has kissed Caroline. She added Marco was so upset by the betrayal and seeing Christina hurt. He threatens to tell the truth but Paul guilts him into silence, reminding him that the truth will hurt more.
Marco and Rick notice Cathy becoming broody around Phoebe Bright Simone Robertson and she decides that she wants another child. Her behaviour results in her admitting that she had a daughter and adopted her. Arena told Josephine Monroe from Inside Soap that her confession hurts Marco the most because he always believed himself to be Cathy's oldest child. The Alessi's decide that it is best forget about it, but Marco cannot. Arena explained that Marco becomes very secretive and starts searching for his sister. Rick pleads with Marco not to fearing it will destroy the family, but he is stubborn and continues the search. Arena added Marco's really pissed off that they never told him and he's especially hurt that his mum kept a secret from him because his mum is his best friend. The adoption agency locate her, now living as Lindsay Steiner Jane Longhurst. She refuses to return contact with Marco. Monroe noted that Marco is deeply disappointed because he has expected to have an instant rapport with his long lost sister. But Lindsay later begins to follow Marco around. When he discovers her identity he decides to introduce her to Cathy and Benito. Arena billed the scenes as lots of shouting and slamming of doors which he enjoyed playing. He credited the scenes as his favourite and working so closely with Ballantyne and Spartels created his best acting work.
Departure
Arena decided to leave Neighbours because he was unhappy with his characters first storylines. He filmed his final scenes in October. He told Mark McGowan from TV Week that I sat down with the producers and the writers and it was decided the storylines weren't going to go on. They are leaving it open for the character to return. Neighbours: The First 10 Years author Josephine Monroe detailed how Marco's Italian hotheadedness would get him into trouble where money was concerned. Despite not being able to afford designer luxuries Marco would ensure that he purchased them. Monroe added that it was only a matter of time before he found himself in debt. But with a disciplinarian father like Benito he cannot not request money and turns to loan sharks to pay his way. This saw the transition of debt to trouble as Marco is pursued by the loan shark's heavies daily. Marco's exit storyline saw him traveling to London with Rick and Debbie Martin Marnie Reece-Wilmore to watch Michael Jackson on tour. But Marco decides not to return to Australia to escape the loan sharks. Arena later told Heather Gallagher from The Age that he ran the coffee shop and he was on for an entire year and he was a good guy until they turned him into a gangster. Rick was soon the only remaining Alessi in the show. Falzon admitted he missed working with Arena and the comedy he brought to the role.
Storylines
Marco first appears when he is mistaken for a burglar at Number 32 Ramsay Street by Faye Hudson Lorraine Bayly. Faye's brother, Doug Willis Terence Donovan, rushes to her aid and confronts Marco. Marco explains that he thought that Number 32 was where his cousin Christina and her husband Paul lived. After settling in with the family at Number 22, Marco helps out in the coffee shop and befriends several of the locals including Brad Willis Scott Michaelson, Lucy Robinson Melissa Bell and Beth. One day, Marco accidentally overhears Christina's sister, Caroline conversation with Paul about a kiss they shared. Marco threatens to tell Christina everything unless Caroline comes clean. This results in Caroline fleeing to Milan.
When Paul and Caroline's affair is revealed over Andrew's Shannon Holmes baby monitor, Christina throws Paul out and takes legal proceedings against him. Marco is then asked to testify in court about Paul harassing Christina but cannot lie under oath when the judge asks whether Paul has been aggressive to Christina, as Marco has seen no such evidence. When Beth moves to Erinsborough full-time, Marco is smitten with her but she rejects his advances as she prefers Brad. Rick, Marco's teenage brother, arrives in Ramsay Street after being expelled from boarding school and asks him for a job. Marco refuses and insists Rick attend Erinsborough High School. The brothers later move in with Cameron Hudson Benjamin Grant Mitchell at Number 32 in order to give Paul and Christina some space to reconcile.
Benito and Cathy arrive in Ramsay Street to get Rick to come home but with very little success. In the end, The Alessis move into Number 22 after Paul and Christina renew their vows and move to Hawaii. After hearing his parents talk about a daughter they gave up for adoption when they were only 16, Marco goes to track down his sister, Lindsay. Marco brings Lindsay home and Benito and Cathy assume that she is Marco's girlfriend. The truth is revealed and things are awkward between Marco and his parents for a while, but Lindsay agrees to keep in touch with her new family. Marco finds himself indebted to loan sharks who make threats against him and his family including phone calls and vandalising the house. When Rick and Debbie win tickets to see Michael Jackson in London, Marco agrees to go as Rick's chaperone and disappears. Benito and Cathy are relieved to hear he is staying with relatives in Italy and later visit him in Milan.
Reception
The BBC said Marco's most notable moment was Finding his long lost sister who was adopted out by his parents before he was born.
A reporter from the Daily Mail branded him gorgeous Marco Alessi. Author Josephine Monroe said it didn't take much brain power to guess that beautiful Caroline and Christina Alessi came from good looking stock, but when their cousins Marco and Rick arrived in Ramsay Street the viewers went wild for their hunky Italian looks. An Inside Soap reporter said that Arena's latin looks could break a few hearts but as Marco Alessi, Felice's less lucky. A loser in the romance stakes. Jason Herbison of the same publication branded him a lovable Coffee Shop assistant, and said that Marco had us laughing and crying with his hare-brained schemes. Herbison also noted that despite only being in the show for a year, Arena acquired an army of female fans.
References
External links
Character profile at BBC Online
Character profile at Internet Movie Database
Category:Neighbours characters
Category:Television characters introduced in 1992
Category:Fictional waiting staff
Category:Male characters in television | wikipedia |
cervical spine injuries are reported to occur in 3% to 4% of all trauma patients and among them there are 12,000 people associated with spinal cord injury per annum in the united states . according to previous reports , fractures of the axis account for 17% to 27% of all cervical spine injuries .
fractures of the axis can be divided into three clinically relevant categories : odontoid fractures , hangman 's fracture injuries ( traumatic spondylolisthesis ) , and fractures of the axis body , involving all other fracture injuries to the axis vertebra .
fractures of the odontoid process and hangman fractures are the most common types of axis fractures and are reported in a series of recent studies . however , fractures of the axis body have been little reported and the treatment strategies remain controversial and individualized
. tear drop fracture , characterized by the separation and downward and forward displacement of the anterior inferior margin of the involved vertebral body , was first described by kahn and schneider in 1956 .
tear drop fracture of the axis is rarely seen and it accounts for only 1% to 3% of all cervical spine fractures .
the exact definition of a huge tear drop fracture of the axis ( htdfa ) remains controversial ; however , if the fracture line lies over half of lower endplate of the axis in the sagittal plane , it is often regarded as huge as described by yang et al in their case report .
a small tear fracture of the axis is often treated by nonoperative method such as immobilization by plaster casts or orthoses , or skull traction .
however , the treatment method adopted for htdfa remains so controversial that a lot of spinal surgeons are confused .
not more than 10 cases of htdfa were reported in previous studies and the treatment method varies from conservative treatment to anterior or posterior approach surgery . considering the paucity of knowledge of htdfa , we present this special case report to share our experience and to explore the safety and effectiveness of anterior reduction and fusion to treat htdfa with a minor follow - up some 3 months later .
this case report was approved by the medical ethical committee of west china hospital , sichuan university .
a 24-year - old man was referred to our department who presented with neck pain that had lasted for 12 h since his involvement in a roll - over motor vehicle accident .
the physical examination of the patient showed myodynamia of four limbs grade 5 , hoffmann sign ( ) , and babinski sign ( ) .
three - dimensional reconstruction computed tomography ( ct ) confirmed the huge tear drop fracture of the anterior inferior corner of the axis , and the discontinuity of the cortex of the axis ( figure 2 ) .
cervical magnetic resonance imaging ( mri ) showed hyperintensity in the c2/3 intervertebral disc and pre - cervical soft tissue ( figure 3 ) .
preoperative anteroposterior and lateral x - rays revealed huge tear drop fracture of anterior inferior corner of the axis .
preoperative three - dimensional reconstruction ct confirmed huge tear drop fracture of anterior - inferior corner of the axis , and the discontinuity of the cortex thereof .
preoperative cervical mri showed hyperintensity in c2/3 intervertebral disc and pre - cervical soft tissue .
after discussion with the spinal surgery team in the department and an effective conversation with the patient , a surgical plan involving anterior reduction , discectomy , and three cortical iliac bone grafts with instrumentation was planned .
the surgery was performed using a classical anterior approach by an experienced surgeon after transnasal induction of general anesthesia on 31 july 2015 .
the operation took 90 min and the estimated blood loss was 100 ml . one day postoperative x - ray and ct scans showed a good position of the huge tear drop fracture fragment , the three cortical iliac bones , and anterior cervical plate ( figure 4 ) .
the patient was instructed to wear a cervical collar until their return to the department for a follow - up examination some 3 months after their surgery .
the 3 months postoperative x - ray and ct scan showed a good position of the implant and bony fusion at the c2/3 segment ( figure 5 ) .
one day postoperative x - ray and ct scan showed a good position of the huge tear drop fracture fragment , three cortical iliac bones , and the anterior cervical plate .
three months postoperative x - ray and ct scan showed a good position of the implant and bony fusion at the c2/3 segment .
this case report was approved by the medical ethical committee of west china hospital , sichuan university .
a 24-year - old man was referred to our department who presented with neck pain that had lasted for 12 h since his involvement in a roll - over motor vehicle accident .
the physical examination of the patient showed myodynamia of four limbs grade 5 , hoffmann sign ( ) , and babinski sign ( ) .
three - dimensional reconstruction computed tomography ( ct ) confirmed the huge tear drop fracture of the anterior inferior corner of the axis , and the discontinuity of the cortex of the axis ( figure 2 ) .
cervical magnetic resonance imaging ( mri ) showed hyperintensity in the c2/3 intervertebral disc and pre - cervical soft tissue ( figure 3 ) .
preoperative anteroposterior and lateral x - rays revealed huge tear drop fracture of anterior inferior corner of the axis .
preoperative three - dimensional reconstruction ct confirmed huge tear drop fracture of anterior - inferior corner of the axis , and the discontinuity of the cortex thereof .
preoperative cervical mri showed hyperintensity in c2/3 intervertebral disc and pre - cervical soft tissue .
after discussion with the spinal surgery team in the department and an effective conversation with the patient , a surgical plan involving anterior reduction , discectomy , and three cortical iliac bone grafts with instrumentation was planned .
the surgery was performed using a classical anterior approach by an experienced surgeon after transnasal induction of general anesthesia on 31 july 2015 .
the operation took 90 min and the estimated blood loss was 100 ml . one day postoperative x - ray and ct scans showed a good position of the huge tear drop fracture fragment , the three cortical iliac bones , and anterior cervical plate ( figure 4 ) .
the patient was instructed to wear a cervical collar until their return to the department for a follow - up examination some 3 months after their surgery .
the 3 months postoperative x - ray and ct scan showed a good position of the implant and bony fusion at the c2/3 segment ( figure 5 ) .
one day postoperative x - ray and ct scan showed a good position of the huge tear drop fracture fragment , three cortical iliac bones , and the anterior cervical plate .
three months postoperative x - ray and ct scan showed a good position of the implant and bony fusion at the c2/3 segment .
generally , the mechanism of injury underpinning an axial tear drop fracture is regarded as hyperextension .
the surgical strategy should be aimed at restoring stability and cervical alignment but should also be effective , safe , and simple . how to treat htdfa remains very controversial that many spinal surgeons remain unsure how to proceed . in this case , all of the spinal surgeons in the department took part in the discussion of treatment strategies and a literature search was also undertaken .
we found that only a few cases of htdfa were reported in previous studies ( table 1 ) .
results from these case reports indicated that both conservative and surgical treatment methods seemed effective in the treatment of htdfa .
in addition , both anterior and posterior approaches were reported to be effective with regards achieving bone fusion .
summary of huge tear drop fracture of axis reported in previous studies hu et al retrospectively reviewed 16 patients with tear drop fracture of the axis and concluded that most patients with an extension tear drop fracture of the axis can be treated conservatively but large fragment size , displacement or angulation , intervertebral disc injury , neurologic deficit , or signs of instability are reasonable indications for surgical treatment .
opinions from the spinal surgeons in our department can also be grouped into three strategies : conservative treatment , anterior approach , or posterior approach . some surgeons in our department preferred conservative treatment as they believed that the cervical spine was almost stable because its posterior structure remained undamaged ; a halo - vest or skull traction was enough to prevent hyperextension ; some surgeons in the department preferred the anterior approach because they believed that the large fragment ( as in this case ) was associated with c2/3 intervertebral disc injury and anterior stabilization was therefore a better method because it allowed direct reduction of the fracture fragment ; some surgeons in the department suggested the posterior approach because they believed that posterior fixation may provide better stability .
after discussion , a surgical plan of anterior reduction , discectomy , and three cortical iliac bone grafts with instrumentation was reached .
the reasons for this choice were as follows : even though the cervical spine was almost stable and conservative treatment was reported to be effective in some case reports , long - term external fixation such as that offered by use of a halo vest or skull traction would have caused discomfort for the patient .
conservative treatment may also be associated with chronic dysphagia as the large fracture fragment compresses the esophagus .
c2/3 can only reach bony fusion with great difficulty and the c2/3 intervertebral disc was damaged in this patient so conservative treatment may have contributed to post - traumatic cervical kyphosis.although posterior fixation may provide better stability , patient positioning is more difficult , and it may result in iatrogenic damage to stabilizing posterior structures . similarly , the posterior approach does not allow direct reduction of the fracture fragment and this may also cause chronic dysphagia and post - traumatic cervical kyphosis .
the pedicles of the vertebral arch and posterior structure in this patient were not damaged and thus ensured cervical stability : a posterior approach may have caused iatrogenic damage to the posterior structure such as the ligaments and muscles and may have caused axial pain after surgery.anterior-only stabilization using anterior plating can be sufficient to stabilize single - level injuries , which is consistent with a recent biomechanical study .
hu et al believed that anterior stabilization is a better method because it allows direct reduction of the fracture fragment .
thus , the anterior approach can decrease the possibility of chronic dysphagia and post - traumatic cervical kyphosis .
even though the cervical spine was almost stable and conservative treatment was reported to be effective in some case reports , long - term external fixation such as that offered by use of a halo vest or skull traction would have caused discomfort for the patient .
conservative treatment may also be associated with chronic dysphagia as the large fracture fragment compresses the esophagus .
c2/3 can only reach bony fusion with great difficulty and the c2/3 intervertebral disc was damaged in this patient so conservative treatment may have contributed to post - traumatic cervical kyphosis .
although posterior fixation may provide better stability , patient positioning is more difficult , and it may result in iatrogenic damage to stabilizing posterior structures .
similarly , the posterior approach does not allow direct reduction of the fracture fragment and this may also cause chronic dysphagia and post - traumatic cervical kyphosis .
the pedicles of the vertebral arch and posterior structure in this patient were not damaged and thus ensured cervical stability : a posterior approach may have caused iatrogenic damage to the posterior structure such as the ligaments and muscles and may have caused axial pain after surgery .
anterior - only stabilization using anterior plating can be sufficient to stabilize single - level injuries , which is consistent with a recent biomechanical study .
hu et al believed that anterior stabilization is a better method because it allows direct reduction of the fracture fragment .
thus , the anterior approach can decrease the possibility of chronic dysphagia and post - traumatic cervical kyphosis .
this represented the application of a basic theory which is widely used in spinal surgery and associated research , namely : denis three - column spine theory .
a pure htdfa is an injury to the anterior column , the cervical spine is stable under hyperflexion but not so stable when under hyperextension .
anterior reduction , discectomy , and three cortical iliac bone grafts with instrumentation can restore the stability of the cervical spine under hyperextension , maintain the disc height of c2/3 , and realize bony fusion at c2/3 .
yang et al performed surgery with a self - designed tricortical trapezoidal iliac bone , even they also used an anterior approach .
their case is interesting : through a classic anterior approach , they remove the huge fractured bone , burr the proximal end of the defect to form a trapezoidal shape , and then insert the self - designed tricortical trapezoidal iliac bone into the matching defect .
they believe that this method can avoid the sliding of the grafted bone and restore normal intervertebral height and upper cervical alignment to a greater extent .
although we admit that their method is interesting and novel , we hold different opinions as outlined further : in such a case of htdfa , the aim of the anterior approach is to deal with the huge fracture fragment , and restore c2/3 disc height and upper cervical alignment .
we did not think that the anterior part of the axis vertebra was required to bear the load of head and atlas ; in such a case since the posterior part of the axis vertebra was undamaged and could bear the load if we inserted a cylindrical three cortical iliac bone graft into the c2/3 disc space .
the cervical spine was stable under flexion and what was required was the reconstruction of its stability under hyperextension.if we removed the fracture fragment , the periosteum would have been damaged which meant that the blood supply in this area was also damaged.if we burred the proximal end of the defect to form a trapezoidal shape , the axis vertebra would be re - impaired , and this may have affected the strength of the axis vertebra and caused secondary fracturing , perhaps of the transverse axial type.a self - designed tri - cortical trapezoidal iliac bone graft necessitated a much larger volume of iliac bone graft and a greater surgical trauma to the patient.the fracture fragment was removed and thus wasted , the burring of the axis and iliac bone graft may waste more of the bone available .
the whole complex procedure would have meant a longer surgical time demand and more blood loss in our opinion .
in such a case of htdfa , the aim of the anterior approach is to deal with the huge fracture fragment , and restore c2/3 disc height and upper cervical alignment .
we did not think that the anterior part of the axis vertebra was required to bear the load of head and atlas ; in such a case since the posterior part of the axis vertebra was undamaged and could bear the load if we inserted a cylindrical three cortical iliac bone graft into the c2/3 disc space .
the cervical spine was stable under flexion and what was required was the reconstruction of its stability under hyperextension .
if we removed the fracture fragment , the periosteum would have been damaged which meant that the blood supply in this area was also damaged .
if we burred the proximal end of the defect to form a trapezoidal shape , the axis vertebra would be re - impaired , and this may have affected the strength of the axis vertebra and caused secondary fracturing , perhaps of the transverse axial type .
a self - designed tri - cortical trapezoidal iliac bone graft necessitated a much larger volume of iliac bone graft and a greater surgical trauma to the patient .
the fracture fragment was removed and thus wasted , the burring of the axis and iliac bone graft may waste more of the bone available .
the whole complex procedure would have meant a longer surgical time demand and more blood loss in our opinion .
another discussion point was the transnasal induction of general anesthesia during which the mouth of the patient would have been closed .
this method of anesthesia can generate a larger mandibular angle which meant a better exposure space , which , in turn , would have rendered the procedure less complex .
in summary , how to treat htdfa remains controversial and the decision should be individualized while also considering : the fracture fragment size , displacement or angulation , intervertebral disc injury , neurologic deficit , or signs of instability and whether treatment will incorporate that for other fractures such as a fracture of the vertebral pedicle , a fracture of the vertebral lamina , or an odontoid fracture .
conservative treatment can be effective in most small , and pure , tear drop fractures of the axis but anterior reduction , discectomy , and bone grafting with instrumentation are warranted for most htdfa .
however , if htdfa incorporates other complex fractures such as a fracture of the vertebral pedicle , a fracture of the vertebral lamina , or an odontoid fracture , anterior and posterior union surgery is recommended in these complex cases . after a 3-month postoperative follow - up examination
, the outcome showed that anterior reduction , discectomy , and three cortical iliac bone grafts with instrumentation were effective , safe , and simple in the treatment of htdfa .
of course , longer follow - up duration and more cases were warranted to verify this procedure . | pubmed |
Cancellation of electric and magnetic forces
Charged particles in a magnetic field $\vec{B}$ usually perform some type of circular motion, unless they move parallel to the field lines, due to the Lorentz force $\vec{F} = q(\vec{E} + \vec{v} \times \vec{B})$.
However, in the case where $\vec{E} = -\vec{v} \times \vec{B}$, a charged particle will translate uniformly. Given the link between special relativity and electrodynamics, is there some 'deeper' meaning behind this special case?
Actually E is symmetric while B is anti symmetric.
So finding a E field that matches -vXB is highly improbable.
Either static or dynamic (by Maxwell laws any time variation of E will induce an additional B field).
| stackexchange/physics |
Showing results for tags 'crossx'.
I have been wondering for a while what the history of Cross-x.com is and what happened to it. Apparently no one has spoken to the owner in a long time and at some point a bunch of evidence authors got ripped off. What happened to this owner? Why are there old posts about Cross-x "not being dead"? Was cross-x much larger at some point and if so what happened? | slim_pajama |
dislocation of the intraocular lens ( iol ) after cataract surgery has been reported to occur in 0.2% to 1.8% of the patients [ 1 , 2 ] .
this uncommon ocular complication is important because it leads to serious visual disturbance that may need complicated surgical correction .
iol dislocation during the early postoperative period occurs because of inadequate capsular bag or ciliary sulcus support , whereas optic or haptic induced capsular damage can lead to iol dislocation at a later stage [ 3 , 4 ] .
a variety of techniques for managing dislocated iols have been reported which can generally be classified into open- and closed - eye procedures [ 512 ] .
extraction of the dislocated iol in the open eye method involves removal of a dislocated iol through a large corneal incision followed by exchanging with a new secondary iol .
it accompanies the risk of vitreous prolapse , ocular collapse , intraocular hemorrhage , and induction of large amounts of astigmatism .
repositioning of the dislocated iol using a closed - eye method is a desirable alternative ; however , it entails disadvantages such as surgical difficulty and multiple instrument passages . during surgical intervention ,
an important consideration is whether to remove , exchange , or reposition the dislocated iol .
the decision to undertake exchange or refixation of a dislocated iol is usually made based on the clinical features of an individual case .
if dislocated iol is not adequate for reposition , it may be removed and exchanged .
however , when there is no contraindication to reposition and sclera fixation of dislocated original iol , the patient may receive a sclerally sutured iol .
several previous studies have already identified improved best corrected visual acuity ( bcva ) after sclerally fixated sutured posterior chamber intraocular lens ( pciol ) in patients with dislocated iols [ 1 , 4 , 12 ] .
the aim of this study was first to introduce in situ refixation technique , which is a novel repositioning technique using a bilimbal small incision to manage posteriorly dislocated iol , and then to evaluate its surgical efficacy in a retrospective comparative study .
the study protocol was approved by the institutional review board of the kyungpook national university school of medicine .
a retrospective review was conducted on the medical records of 34 eyes of 34 patients with dislocated iols who underwent iol exchange or in situ refixation combined with vitrectomy between january 2010 and may 2015 .
all surgeries were performed by one surgeon ( h. k. kim ) at kyungpook national university hospital , daegu , republic of korea .
patients aging 18 or older , who have suffered dislocated iol without ample capsular support and so have to undergo scleral fixation surgery of dislocated iol , were included .
the exclusion criteria were as follows : ( 1 ) history of underlying corneal disease ( e.g. , corneal laceration , bullous keratopathy , or fuchs ' dystrophy ) ; ( 2 ) glaucoma ; ( 3 ) history of optic neuritis ; ( 4 ) state of aphakia ; ( 5 ) history of previous iol dislocation ; and ( 6 ) follow - up duration less than 6 months .
the 34 patients in the study were divided into two groups based on the surgical techniques for managing dislocated iols : the iol exchange group and the in situ refixation group .
the patients in the iol exchange group underwent removal of dislocated iol and concurrent secondary iol implantation with scleral fixation .
the patients in the in situ refixation group underwent repositioning of the dislocated iol using a bilimbal small incision with double haptic scleral fixation .
the surgical technique was chosen with the following considerations : iol design , kinds of optic material , presence of deformation of the iol , and necessity of refractive change .
patients with dislocated iol , which was 3-piece design without any deformation , were chosen for in situ refixation technique .
patients , who had late haptic or single piece designed iol , any deformation or breakdown of iol , and the needs for refractive correction , were undergone with iol exchange technique .
all patients underwent vitrectomy for anteriorly prolapsed vitreous before the scleral fixation of iol under general anesthesia .
vitrectomy techniques were chosen at the surgeon 's discretion according to the states of dislocated iols and vitreoretinal pathology .
pars plana approach was performed in cases with complete iol dislocation into the vitreous cavity or dislocation posteriorly with one haptics adherent to the vitreous base .
a 23-gauge standard three - port vitrectomy was setup to remove the vitreous and free the dislocated iol from vitreous adhesions .
following placement of the infusion cannula , two sclerotomies were placed through the pars plana . in each cases of ppv ,
the surgeon attempted a complete vitrectomy that extended to the periphery to remove as much vitreous as possible , because the residual vitreous might induce iol kinking and vitreoretinal traction afterward .
after core vitrectomy , the peripheral retina was carefully examined with sclera indentation to remove the vitreous gel and find any retinal break .
two 23-gauge peeling forceps were introduced into the vitreous cavity through the two previously positioned port sites to grasp and raise the dislocated iol up to the back of the iris plane so the iol could be clearly visualized .
in contrast , when prolapsed vitreous was present in the anterior chamber , av was performed with introducing a bimanual port through a corneal incision site to remove and prevent traction on vitreous strands .
after vitrectomy , an iol was sclerally fixated with the two different surgical methods : conventional iol exchange or iol refixation .
a conjunctival incision was created and two - half thickness triangular scleral flaps with 180 apart were performed . in the iol exchange group ,
a slit knife was used to make an approximately 6.0 mm superior corneal incision .
in contrast , 1.5 mm sized two limbal incisions on opposite sides of direction were made in the iol refixation group ( figure 1(a ) ) .
the dislocated iol is visualized at the back of the iris plane after being floated from the vitreous cavity through vitrectomy procedure .
the anterior chamber was maintained using an ophthalmic viscosurgical device ( ovd ) ( sodium hyaluronate 1.65% , chondroitin sulfate 4% [ discovisc ] ) during scleral fixation .
a 10 - 0 polypropylene ( prolene ) suture was inserted with a curved needle under the scleral flap about 1.52.0 mm posterior to the limbus and it was pulled out to the opposite sclera flap ( figure 1(b ) ) . in the iol refixation group , the suture thread was hooked out of the eye through limbal incision site and cut in two pieces .
each haptics was externalized through one of the limbal incision sites , and the cut suture threads were tied to each haptics ( figures 1(c ) and 1(d ) ) .
once the suture was tied and tensed to the haptics , it was reinserted intraocularly . after tightening sutured haptics , centration of the lens
a stromal hydration was performed at both edges of the two limbal incision sites instead of suture to help seal it . in the iol exchange group ,
when we used iol cutter or refolding technique for the removal of dislocated iol , we made 3.5 mm superior limbal incision . in cases of rigid optic material , such as poly(methyl methacrylate ) ( pmma ) , 6 mm sized superior scleral tunnel incision was used .
the dislocated original iol was grasped with an intraocular forceps and carefully extracted through superior incision .
after the dislocated iol was removed , a retrieved suture was pulled out through the same site with h - hook and cut . in all patients in the iol exchange group ,
a new secondary iol was chosen as model mn60ac ( alcon laboratories , inc . ) , which is a foldable 3-piece acrylic iol .
the corneal incision site was sutured using 10 - 0 ethilon and conjunctival suture was made with 8 - 0 vicryl .
the following parameters were included before and after surgery : age , gender , bcva , intraocular pressure ( iop ) , endothelial cell density , and spherical equivalent as determined by biometry using an autorefractometer ( topcon , kr-8800 , autokeratorefractometer , tokyo , japan ) and iol master ( carl zeiss meditec , jena , germany ) . surgically induced astigmatism ( sia ) and surgical complications were also assessed .
potential postoperative complications included marked iop elevation higher than 25 mmhg , corneal decompensation , iol redislocation or capture , suture knot exposure , cystoids macular edema ( cme ) , vitreous hemorrhage , retinal break or detachment , and endophthalmitis .
visual acuities were measured with snellen 's chart , and values were converted to the logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution ( logmar ) .
corneal endothelial cell density ( cells / mm ) was inspected in central corneal endothelial cells with a noncontact specular microscope ( topcon corp .
, sp-3000p , japan ) , and analyzed by manual check of the automatic analysis software before the operation and 3 months after the operation .
macular optical coherence tomography ( oct ) ( carl zeiss meditec , dublin , ca ) was performed in the case of the presence of metamorphopsia or reduced bcva during the follow - up .
all patients in this study underwent ppv or av before the sclera fixation of iol .
undergoing ppv may influence the surgical outcomes and induce the difference among patients so the subjects were also classified into two groups according to the surgical option of vitreous management .
the ppv group included patients with sclera fixation of iol who underwent full vitrectomy , and the av group comprised patients with sclera fixation of iol who underwent av only .
the relationship between the iol exchange and iol refixation groups was compared using student 's t - test .
the subjects included 29 men and 5 women , ranging in the age from 40 to 79 years .
the mean postoperative follow - up was 8.3 months ( range : 612 months ) . of 34 eyes , 17 eyes ( 50% )
were assigned to the iol exchange group and 17 eyes ( 50% ) were assigned to the iol refixation group .
there was no significant difference in terms of preoperative age , axial length , and postoperative follow - up duration between the two groups .
the cause of iol dislocation seemed to be eye trauma in four eyes , pseudoexfoliation syndrome in three eyes , inadequate capsular support after neodymium : yttrium - aluminum - garnet ( nd : yag ) capsulotomy in three eyes , inadequate capsular or zonular support in the absence of nd : yag capsulotomy in four eyes , and unknown cause in 20 eyes .
the preoperative underlying ocular diseases in the iol exchange group were previous rhegmatogenous retinal detachment in 3 eyes ( 2 eyes underwent ppv and 1 eye underwent segmental scleral buckle procedure ) and diabetic retinopathy in 2 eyes .
the iol refixation group included 1 vitrectomized eye owing to previous retinal detachment , 1 eye with diabetic retinopathy , and 1 eye with previous branch retinal vein occlusion history .
mean bcva ( logmar ) significantly improved from 0.35 0.24 preoperatively to 0.11 0.08 postoperatively at 3 months in the iol exchange group and from 0.31 0.20 preoperatively to 0.10 0.08 postoperatively in the iol refixation group ( p < 0.001 , for both groups ) .
however , both preoperative and postoperative visual results were similar between the eyes that underwent iol exchange and the eyes that underwent iol refixation ( p = 0.613 and p = 0.790 , resp . ) . no statistically significant difference was found between bcva at 3 months and bcva at 6 months ( 0.10 0.03 ) ( p = 0.096 ) in iol exchange group and iol refixation group ( 0.10 0.05 ) ( p = 0.065 ) .
notably , the iol refixation group exhibited significantly less sia ( 0.79 0.41 ) compared to the iol exchange group ( 1.29 0.46 ) 3 months after surgery ( p = 0.004 ) .
this significant difference in sia persisted to 6 months ( 1.13 0.18 in the iol exchange group and 0.74 0.11 in the refixation group ; p = 0.006 ) . in the iol exchange group , the mean spherical equivalent ( diopter ) changed from 2.34 6.84 to 0.73 1.29 ( p = 0.083 ) , while , in the iol refixation group , the parameter significantly improved from 2.80 5.97 to 1.18 0.96 ( p = 0.02 ) .
the preoperative and postoperative mean spherical equivalents were similar between the two groups ( p = 0.842 and p = 0.271 , resp . ) .
we also analyzed visual outcomes of the two groups classified according to the surgical method of vitreous management : ppv or av .
mean preoperative bcva ( logmar ) were 0.42 0.63 in ppv group and 0.33 0.30 in av group ( p = 0.56 ) .
mean postoperative bcva ( logmar ) were also similar between the ppv group ( 0.21 0.21 ) and the av group ( 0.10 0.14 ) ( p = 0.08 ) . both groups showed a significant decrease in postoperative endothelial cell density compared to the density before surgery ( p = 0.003 in the iol exchange group and p = 0.015 in the iol refixation group , resp . ) .
however , no significant between - group difference was found before surgery ( p = 0.232 ) and at 6 months after surgery ( p = 0.612 ) ( table 4 ) .
iop elevation over 25 mmhg occurred in 2 out of 34 eyes ( 5.9% ) from the first day after surgery .
elevated iop was well controlled with antiglaucoma topical medication , and iop was maintained within the normal range at the final visit time .
furthermore , the two groups showed reduction of iop from 17.1 4.7 preoperatively to 16.5 2.8 postoperatively in the iol exchange group and from 16.0 3.3 preoperatively to 14.8 3.0 postoperatively in the iol refixation group .
the between - group difference was not statistically significant before surgery ( p = 0.747 ) and after surgery ( p = 0.230 ) .
in addition , the iop reduction was not significantly different between the two groups ( p = 0.421 and p = 0.163 , resp . ) ( table 5 ) .
postoperative complications developed in 3 eyes ( retinal break , transient vitreous hemorrhage , iop elevation ) that underwent iol exchange and 2 eyes ( pupillary optic capture of iol , iop elevation ) that underwent iol refixation .
one case of vitreous hemorrhage developed in the iol exchange group , but it was transient and resolved at the final visit without needing additional vitreous surgery .
after pupil dilatation , the patient remained in a supine position and optic capture resolved spontaneously .
other postoperative complications , such as redislocation of iol , cme , retinal detachment , hypotony , secondary glaucoma , and infective endophthalmitis , were not observed .
in our retrospective study , the results showed that the in situ refixation technique had less sia than iol exchange at 3 months and it persisted at 6-month postoperative follow - up time .
the iol exchange method requires a larger corneal incision to remove dislocated iol , but the in situ refixation technique minimized the cornea incision size .
therapeutic options were typically decided based on the clinical features of individual cases . a variety of methods for managing dislocated iol have been reported , including observation , iol exchange , and iol refixation [ 511 ] .
several comparative clinical studies have been reported , but relatively few studies have considered postoperative outcomes , particularly in terms of sia after iol scleral fixation surgery . theoretically , iol refixation is the optimal surgical option because it is less traumatic than extracting the dislocated iol and it provides structural stability . in the iol exchange technique , extraction of the dislocated iol with an open - system method
carries the risk of ocular structural damage , vitreous prolapse , hypotony , and corneal astigmatism induced by a large corneal wound .
therefore , iol refixation using a closed - eye method is a more preferred surgical technique if it can be performed with intact haptics .
oh et al . reported that there was no significant difference in sia between iol exchange and iol refixation groups despite the considerable sia by corneal incision performed during surgery in the iol exchange group .
however , our study showed significantly less sia in the iol refixation group at postoperative 6 months .
bilimbal incision for haptic externalization might have an impact on lowering sia when compared to the sutureless iol fixation method of the previous study .
notably , the most common postoperative complication was a significant decrease in endothelial cell density in both the iol exchange and the iol refixation groups .
wang et al . reported that corneal endothelial cell density decreased remarkably after iol exchange or refixation surgery without a significant difference in the decrease between the two groups .
we initially predicted that the iol refixation group would have less decrease in endothelial cell density than the iol exchange group because the smaller incision would cause less trauma to the corneal endothelium .
however , all patients in the two groups underwent scleral fixation and the loss of endothelial cell density might be attributable to this increased surgical manipulation .
similar to the previous studies , our results showed significantly decreased endothelial cell density in both groups , but there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups .
there was 1 case of iop elevation in each group during the follow - up period . increased iop occurred in 5.9% of the patients who underwent iol exchange and iol refixation , respectively , which is a relatively lower incidence compared to the previous studies [ 9 , 17 ] .
although we excluded patients with preexisting glaucoma in this study , the reason for a lower incidence of iop elevation remains to be explained .
iop increase in two patients was well managed with iop - lowering medication within 1 month after surgery , so iop elevation may not affect the final functional outcome in the long term . during the follow - up time , both groups showed slight decrease of mean iop at final visit compared to preoperative values .
although the magnitude of iop reduction was not statistically significant either iol exchange or iol refixation group , the reason for iop lowering effect after surgery should be further studied for a longer period .
the iol refixation group had 1 case of pupillary optic capture of iol , and it was spontaneously resolved with pupil dilatation and position change . moreover ,
1 case of postoperative retinal break and transient vitreous hemorrhage occurred in the iol exchange group .
sclerally fixated iol implantation in the posterior capsule carries the risk of vitreous hemorrhage and retinal breaks with consequent retinal detachment . in spite of these postoperative vitreoretinal complications ,
bellamy has reported that 22% of eyes that underwent ppv with iol removal and exchange to open loop anterior chamber iol presented cme . in this study ,
manipulating iol while extracting it through incision site , especially avoiding contact with uvea , might induce this result .
suture - related complications , such as knot exposure , suture degradation or breakage , and iol decentration or tilting were not found in either the iol exchange or the refixation group . a significantly improved final mean bcva was achieved in both groups , but the between - group difference was not statistically significant .
surgical techniques should be selected based on the ophthalmological features of individual patients with regard to the status of the dislocated iol , adequate capsular support , and concurrent ocular complications . in this study ,
the most important factor for consideration was the status of the dislocated iol , such as damaged or highly flexible haptics that were unsuitable for adequate suture support and the size and material of optics .
the postoperative results showed that the iol refixation group had a lower magnitude of sia than the iol exchange group .
although iol exchange technique has the advantage of being useful no matter the type of iol and degree of dislocation , it necessarily leads to a large corneal incision and sia .
removal of the dislocated iol through a large corneal incision site is also accompanied by the possibility of vitreous prolapse , cornea endothelium and iris damage , hypotony , and retinal damage , such as retinal break or retinal detachment [ 21 , 22 ] .
in contrast , iol refixation has the advantage of leading to relatively less sia than iol exchange , owing to the small incision size maintaining structural stability .
however , this surgical technique has limited indication because it can only be conducted in case of intact haptics with adequate suture support .
this technique has disadvantage for the difficulty in manipulating the haptics while extracting it through bilimbal incision site .
iol refixation includes scleral sutured pciol procedure so it also has comparable potential complication like other sclera refixation , such as iol redislocation or capture , suture breakage or suture knot exposure , vitreous hemorrhage , and cme .
[ 8 , 23 ] previously reported that refixation of dislocated iol into the ciliary sulcus using residual capsule for support is the most commonly used surgical technique .
this nonsuturing technique is the least traumatic to the ocular structure compared to fixating the iol into the sclera by suture because it avoids excessive surgical manipulation .
however , it can be performed for selected patients who have adequate residual peripheral capsular support . in patients with a lack of suitable capsular support
numerous methods are currently used for transscleral fixation of iols and each technique has its advantages and drawbacks .
hoffman et al . reported modified sclera fixation technique using a sclera pocket through a clear corneal incision which avoids the need for conjunctival dissection or sclera cautery .
reported sutureless intrascleral pciol fixation technique using a limbus - parallel tunnel of 50% sclera thickness starting from the ciliary sulcus sclerotomies without the need for suturing procedures .
previously reported studies have disadvantages for potential complications of suture erosion , suture - knot exposure , and recurrent dislocation . despite a variety of surgical techniques for managing dislocated iols , a definitive surgical technique for dislocated iol rescue
the surgical option is generally decided based on a surgeon 's best judgment given an individual patient 's characteristics , and it usually provides significantly improved visual acuity without serious irreparable postoperative complications . in this study , we also reorganized the patients into two groups according to the surgical method of vitreous management as ppv group and av group .
a previous study reported similar degree of visual improvement in patients who underwent sclera fixation of pciol with ppv or av .
. limitations of this study include analyses from retrospective design and small number of cases ( 34 eyes ) with relatively short follow - up periods ( 6 months ) .
this study includes lack of measurements with evaluating astigmatism using corneal topography or scheimpflug imaging .
furthermore , we did not consider the effect of ppv except for preoperative and postoperative bcva .
previous studies have reported that the performance of a combined ppv has an impact on a more complicated condition .
future studies with larger scales in patients and longer follow - up with evaluating sia from various methods are highly recommended to confirm true statistical significant difference . in conclusion , in situ iol refixation is a beneficial surgical technique in iol dislocation , producing less sia compared to iol exchange with scleral fixation .
the two groups had similar results for bcva , iop , endothelial cell density , and postoperative complications , with no significant difference at the final follow - up visit .
therefore , iol refixation technique can be the preferred surgical option because it provides early visual rehabilitation in patient with a dislocated iol but no damage in haptics . in situ iol refixation for managing iol dislocation | pubmed |
On March 14, 2019, the Board of Directors of Pledge Petroleum Corp. (the "Company") retained Accell Audit and Compliance, P.A. ("Accell") as its independent registered public accounting firm responsible for auditing its financial statements, to replace RBSM LLP ("RBSM") who was dismissed as its independent registered public accounting firm.
RBSM's reports on the Company's financial statements as of and for the two years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, did not contain an adverse opinion or disclaimer of opinion, and were not qualified or modified as to uncertainty, audit scope, or accounting principles.
The decision to dismiss RBSM and the selection of Accell was unanimously approved by the Company's board of directors.
During the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, and in the subsequent interim period through March 14, 2019 (the date of dismissal of RBSM), there were no disagreements with RBSM on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure, or auditing scope or procedure, which disagreements, if not resolved to the satisfaction of RBSM, would have caused it to make reference to the subject matter of the disagreement in connection with its reports on the Company's financial statements for such years.
During the year ended December 31, 2017 and in the subsequent interim period through March 14, 2019, there were no events otherwise reportable under Item 304(a)(1)(v) of Regulation S-K.
During the Company's two most recent years and in the subsequent interim period through March 14, 2019, the Company did not consult with Accell regarding the application of accounting principles to a specified transaction, either contemplated or proposed, or the type of audit opinion that might be rendered on the Company's financial statements, and neither a written report nor oral advice was provided that was an important factor considered by the Company in reaching a decision as to the accounting, auditing or financial reporting issue, or with any of the matters outlined in Item 304(a)(2)(ii) of Regulation S-K.
The Company provided RBSM with a copy of this Current Report on Form 8-K prior to its filing with the SEC, and requested RBSM furnish the Company with a letter addressed to the SEC stating whether it agrees with the statements made by the Company above, and if not, stating the respects in which it does not agree. A copy of RBSM's letter dated March 15, 2019, is attached hereto as Exhibit 16.1.
Dated: March 18, 2019 PLEDGE PETROLEUM CORP. | slim_pajama |
Solomon Davis was baptized February 9, 1979. Bro. Davis has served as a group leader for Zone 8, church treasurer, song director, and youth group helper. He is currently the co-coordinator of the Membership Committee and the Transportation Ministry. He is married to Jacqueline, his wife of more than 35 years. They have two adult children, Yolonda and Kim. | slim_pajama |
Glee Hold On To That Connection
Honestly I don't know how I feel bout this… it was midnight when I wrote it an it kinda just came into my head and I started writing. When I was done with the first version of this story I deleted it on accident :/ oh well here goes nothing
**Disclaimer: Oh the things I would do if I owned Chris Colfer and Glee **
Kurt Hummel missed his father. He missed the traditional Friday dinners, he missed the way he used to dress (like a monkey with no eyes) he missed having that one person he could always talk to no matter what only an arms length away. He missed having a father who could respond to him, hold his hand and get up from his bed. He missed all the simple this, the things normal people usually take for granted like the way someone smells (like car oil and cigarette smoke) or the way someone's voice sounds (deep and raspy). Now Kurt's father was not dead, no he was not gone... Not yet. You see Burt Hummel had a heart attack leaving him comatose and for Kurt that was the only biological parent he had left. He knew he had Carole but she was not his real mom. His real mom was buried six feet under ground, her bones decaying more and more everyday. Kurt stood by his locker clad in designer clothes going all the way down to his underwear he exchanged his English book for his Spanish book and turned around almost running into Quinn Fabray. She was standing behind his eyes wet and dressed in her red and white cheerios uniform, blonde hair pulled up into a tight high pony tail curled in the back she stared at him
" When I was eleven my dad called me fat," she said eyes drifting to the floor. He rolled his eyes and lifted an eyebrow. He didn't need this right now. He quickly sidestepped her and made a move to try and walk down the hallway but she grasped his wrist pulling him back
" What the hell Quinn?" he said pulling his wrist out of her hand
" Please just let me continue," she begged and he sighed nodding. He shrugged and gestured for her to continue talking and she closed her eyes for a brief second before looking back at him. She started again " When I was eleven my dad called me fat, when I was twelve my father called me a slut, when I was twelve my dad hit me for the first time, when I was fourteen my father hit me so hard I got a black eye, when I was fifteen my dad's abuse got so bad I ended up in the hospital blaming my injuries on stupidity and clumsiness and last year when I was sixteen my father threw me out into the streets because he found out that I had had premarital sex and was pregnant," she said tears welling up in her eyes " I have never told anyone this," she whispered " I was always to afraid of what my dad would do when he found out that someone else knew about his abusive behavior. I was afraid he would come after me and I would land in the hospital again... Or worse." she scanned his face looking for any sort of emotion at all and he looked away avoiding her gaze " I never had a connection with my father. To him I was always the other daughter. The imperfect one, the disgrace, the daughter he didn't even want in the first place, the mistake, the one who made the fabrays sinners. I was the one who never followed the rules. I was the daughter he hated. My father doesn't know the first thing about me. Not my favorite color, not my favorite food he doesn't even know that I named my daughter Beth. You have a connection with your father... Don't loose it." she put her hand to his cheek and moved his face so he was looking directly at her. She wiped the tears off his cheeks and continued " I know you don't believe in god and this whole faith thing but you needa know that your fathers gonna be okay. God wouldn't take away someone who you need. You love your dad so much I can see it in your eyes you don't know what you'd do without him and I wish I got a chance to know what that feels like. Just remember Kurt... Everything happens for a reason and I have a feeling this will only make your bond even stronger... Just hold onto that little bit of hope Kurt. Okay?" she turned away books clutched tightly against her chest and ran the other way.
" Quinn!" he yelled and she turned around looking at him " Thank you." she nodded and disappeared from view.
The next day Kurt Hummel sat in a straight backed chair next to his father's bed clutching his hand in his and listening to the steady beep of the heart monitor.
" You know dad I didn't really believe in this whole religion thing before this week," he said closing his eyes " I hated the idea of god I thought it was stupid and over rated but seeing you... Like this it made me realize something. Dad you mean the world to me." he said and gasped opening his eyes he saw his father's hand tighten around his. Quinn was right everything was going to be just fine.
End file.
| fanfiction |
a wide range of devices may be implanted in and around the jaws therapeutically , accidentally , or for social reasons , many of which are not endosseous dental implants .
the orthodontic implants are used for specific time periods and do not always have osseointegration .
other terms such as miniscrews , miniscrew implants , microscrews , microscrew implants , and temporary anchorage devices have been used . in the literature
[ 1 , 2 ] terms such as mini / microimplants and mini / microscrews are often used interchangeably .
terminology to a variety of internal fixation devices intended to aid in the alignment and stabilization of fractures to the skeletal system until healing has occurred.screws are fabricated from stainless steel , titanium alloy ( tialv , tinbzr , timozr ) , cr - co alloy , and rigid polyurethane .
dental implants are made from commercially pure titanium and ti-6al-4v eli ( extra low interstitial ) .
however , the standard iso 16443 ( dentistry vocabulary of oral implantology ) specifies terms and definitions for dental implants , instruments and accessories , and the most commonly used clinical terms in the field of dental implantology . in this standard ,
a dental implant is defined as a device especially designed to be placed within , through , or upon the bones of the craniofacial complex , the primary purposes of which are to support and to resist displacement of a dental prosthesis . according to this standard
, the orthodontic implant is a device specially designed to be placed within , through , or upon the bones of the cranio - facial complex , the primary purpose of which is to provide anchorage for an orthodontic appliance .
we do not have the terms or definitions of miniscrew and mini - implant . in the present work we will use the term orthodontic implant ( oi ) .
orthodontic implants have become broadly accepted as alternatives to extraoral devices in patients who either have insufficient dental support suitable for orthodontic anchorage or are not compliant in wearing extraoral devices .
traditional biomechanical techniques , such as the use of extraoral anchorage by headgear or intraoral , one by bars , palatal / lingual arches or intermaxillary elastics , can not effectively control anchorage , either due to lack of patient compliance or due to inaccuracies in the support structures ( figure 1 ) .
the orthodontic anchorage can be classified according to the ratio of anterior retraction to posterior teeth protraction .
mild anchorage refers to slight retraction of anterior teeth while absolute anchorage means that the majority of space closure needs to be achieved by incisors retraction .
moderate anchorage entails a reciprocal management of anterior retraction and posterior protraction . traditionally , mechanical orthodontics principles are based on the support ( anchorage ) provided by the surrounding dental units from which reactive forces may result in anchorage loss ( protraction of posterior teeth ) . in order to avoid undesirable dental movements , several anchorage situations require patient compliance , including headgear appliances .
this subjection is substantially vulnerable to mechanical failure which results in an undesired orthodontic finish . in order to improve anchorage ,
although the absolute anchorage is achieved , limitations are present , such as longer healing time , difficulty of matching sites with implant sizes , the need for invasive surgery , cleaning problems , and , mainly , the difficulty of removing the implant after the orthodontic treatment is completed .
hence , in 1997 , kanomi proposed the use of titanium orthodontic implants with 1.2 mm in diameter and 6 mm in length for orthodontic anchorage . although not suitable for skeletal anchorage , these devices were effective for dental anchorage and provided enough stability for orthodontic purposes .
the orthodontic implants for anchorage ( figure 2 ) can be further classified according to : head design : button ( figure 2(b ) ) or bracket ( figure 2(c)),diameter : from 1.2 to 2.0 mm , length : from 5.0 to 12.0 mm , body design : tapered or cylindric , transmucosal profile : from 0.0 to 3.0 mm , insertion technique : self - tapping ( figure 2(d ) ) or self - drilling ( figure 2(e)),thread orientation : left or right drilling insertion , alloy used for fabrication : titanium alloy astm grade 5 or stainless steel .
head design : button ( figure 2(b ) ) or bracket ( figure 2(c ) ) , diameter : from 1.2 to 2.0 mm , length : from 5.0 to 12.0 mm , body design : tapered or cylindric , transmucosal profile : from 0.0 to 3.0 mm , insertion technique : self - tapping ( figure 2(d ) ) or self - drilling ( figure 2(e ) ) , thread orientation : left or right drilling insertion , alloy used for fabrication : titanium alloy astm grade 5 or stainless steel .
typically , the orthodontic implants are made of titanium alloy astm grade 5 ( ti-6al-4v ) and are not subjected to surface treatment ( figure 3(a ) ) .
the surface of the dental implant is treated , which increases its roughness and osseointegration .
the implant surface roughness governs cell interactions , allowing adhesion , proliferation , and differentiation .
an adequate implant surface increases the bone - implant contact ( bic ) and makes the orthodontic implants most suitable for immediately loading .
these devices can be employed to allow corrections in : vertical dimension : molar intrusion in anterior open bite cases , lower molar intrusion in high angle patients , incisor intrusion in deep bite with gingival display , and undesirable occlusal plane angulation;anteroposterior dimension : full - step class ii malocclusions associated with unpleasant profile , biprotrusive patients which are unwilling to cooperate with headgear or intermaxillary mechanics , cases where full canine anterior movement is necessary in order to substitute a missing lateral incisor ( agenesis ) , and molars ; premolars protraction cases are also indicated when great space closure is necessary;prosthetic cases which need single tooth movement without a complete fixed appliance .
vertical dimension : molar intrusion in anterior open bite cases , lower molar intrusion in high angle patients , incisor intrusion in deep bite with gingival display , and undesirable occlusal plane angulation ; anteroposterior dimension : full - step class ii malocclusions associated with unpleasant profile , biprotrusive patients which are unwilling to cooperate with headgear or intermaxillary mechanics , cases where full canine anterior movement is necessary in order to substitute a missing lateral incisor ( agenesis ) , and molars ; premolars protraction cases are also indicated when great space closure is necessary ; prosthetic cases which need single tooth movement without a complete fixed appliance .
the size and design of the orthodontic implants should be compatible with the quantity and quality of bone available at the installation site and depends on the orthodontic mechanics demanded and on how long the orthodontic implant will remain in situ .
only three or four steps are needed for oi insertion : determination of the height of the installation site with a probe , taking into account the position of adjacent tooth roots and other anatomical structures such as inferior alveolar nerves , arteries , veins , mental foramen , and nasal cavity;soft tissue anesthesia;pilot drilling with a lance;insertion of oi .
determination of the height of the installation site with a probe , taking into account the position of adjacent tooth roots and other anatomical structures such as inferior alveolar nerves , arteries , veins , mental foramen , and nasal cavity ; soft tissue anesthesia ; pilot drilling with a lance ;
the insertion of orthodontic implants can be performed with or without prior drilling , depending on the insertion site and the tip of the orthodontic implant .
to reduce the fracture risk , prior drilling is necessary in the case of high bone density and large cortical thickness .
the orthodontic implant placement procedure is usually performed by the orthodontist with high success rates , since it is a minimally invasive procedure .
alves et al . found that , although the oi is meant to provide stable skeletal anchorage , it has some degree of displacement ( 0.78 mm ) . according to volumetric tomography evaluations , the safest insertion sites in maxilla are the anterior and apical region . in the palate , midpalate , and a site
distant 6 to 9 mm from the incisive foramen are suitable for implantation of small length ( ranging from 4 to 6 mm ) orthodontic implants . in the mandible ,
the safest area is between first and second premolars and the same site between molars .
factors such as the type of desired movement , biomechanics , distance between roots , attached soft tissue , palate bony height , torque , moment , and bone density should be also analyzed when choosing the site of installation .
the insertion of oi in the palate ( figure 5 ) may be performed with the digital key or with angle guide . it is recommended to protect the patient 's throat with gauze to prevent injuries ( figure 5(b ) ) .
orthodontic implants may be placed under an angulation between 10 and 20 and maybe up to 45. in maxilla , particularly , a 30 to 40 angulation to the long axes of adjacent teeth and a 10 to 20 angulation in the mandible are recommended to avoid dental injuries .
besides , this angle increases the area of bone contact and ensures greater primary stability .
figure 6 shows that changes in oi angulation increase the contact length between oi and cortical bone .
table 1 shows the influence of angulation of the orthodontic implant on the interface oi - bone contact .
another important factor for the successful installation of the orthodontic implants is the control of the insertion torque .
an ideal torque should be large enough to provide sufficient primary stability yet low enough to maintain the vitality of the surrounding tissues responsible for the healing process which results in secondary stability .
it is recommended to use a torque wrench attached to a key insertion coupled with a torque limiter .
the insertion and removal torques depend on the contact area between the implant surface and the bone , which is directly proportional to the length of insertion and the cube of the radius .
for example , when the length of the orthodontic implant increases to 0.5 mm , the oi - bone contact length increases 33% and insertion area also increases by 33% .
however , when the diameter of orthodontic implants increases from 1.5 mm to 2.0 mm , the diameter increases 33% but the mi - bone surface contact increases by 77.8% . the average torque to insert an orthodontic implant with 2.0 mm diameter ( 23.2 ncm ) is 84.1% higher than the torque to insert the 1.5 mm ( 12.6 ncm ) .
the insertion torque of orthodontic implants with 1.5 mm in high bone density is closer to the fracture torque and requires special care .
this has clinical implications for the inclusion of oi in the mandible , where the higher insertion torque due to increased bone density may negatively affect the surrounding tissues .
a oi placed with excessive torque might show adequate primary stability but over time would loosen and fail .
the patient feedback from discomfort can alert practitioner before the implant penetrates sensitive structures and may prevent irreversible damage during implant insertion .
kim et al . inserted 32 orthodontic implants in two beagle dogs and analyzed the influence of the use of prior drilling of the alveolus for placement of the oi .
implants with larger diameters and self - tapping can increase the possibility of damage of cortical bone , which can affect bone remodeling , and stability .
thus , it is recommended prior to drilling for insertion of self - tapping oi .
this drilling is meant only to overcome the cortical thickness , since a true pilot hole extending into the bone the entire length of the implant is not necessary .
the stability of orthodontic implants is associated with several factors such as patient age and gender , the density , and thickness of cortical bone , oi threads design , immediate loading , and oral hygiene [ 13 , 14 ] .
primary stability ( ps ) or initial stability refers to the mechanical stability in the bone immediately after oi insertion .
it is a prerequisite for healing , constituting one of the most important factors for the success rate of oi .
ps is a function of the implant diameter , the implant length , the number , and design of threads , the cortical thickness , and the cortical bone density .
after installation , the initial stability is tested by attempting to move it with a tweezer ( figure 7 ) .
the success rate is assessed during the first four months of installation [ 13 , 14 ] .
the primary stability of orthodontic implants should be analyzed in terms of tensile , compressive and shear stress , the intensity of the applied forces , and the deformation of the surrounding structures .
after oi insertion , the preload induces compression forces on the thread surface which tend to maintain oi stability . considering that orthodontic loads are applied perpendicular or angled , the removal resistance is greater than a simply pull - out test .
the orthodontic forces are between 0.3 and 4.0 n , smaller than the oi tensile strength .
the exact relationship between the applied force in the axial direction of the oi and the applied force in the tangential direction remains unknown . increased torsional stress during implant placement generates shear stress which can lead to bending and fracture of the implant .
if the implant become loose , a twist is necessary in order to allow activation of the insertion instead of its removal .
figure 8 shows the application of a reverse threaded oi ( left ) , allowing the activation of the intrusion of the posterior segment without the occurrence of the rotation in the opposite direction .
the device would not become loose since the reactive force in oi tightens the device .
note that an excessive reactive force should be avoided to prevent the development of microcracks in the peri - implant bone that may affect the implant stability .
another important factor to prevent oi failure is control of compressive stress in the soft tissue during implant insertion .
the correct choice of the transmucosal profile ensures that the implant head will not penetrate the alveolar bone .
orthodontic implants with large diameter and conical shape can induce excessive compression of the cortical bone with higher insertion torque .
this can cause microdamage to the cortical bone in the form of cracks and possible fracture .
the accumulation of minor damage can produce local ischemia , bone necrosis , bone remodeling , and premature loss of the oi .
possible complications after oi insertion are inflammation of the soft tissue around the oi , difficulty inserting the elastic chain because of soft tissue covering the head of the oi ( figure 9 ) , loss of stability ( discussed above ) , and fracture .
it helps to prevent peri - implantitis or the inflammation of the tissues around the orthodontic implant .
it is recommended that the implant site be cleaned with an interdental brush dipped in 0.12% chlorhexidine ( figure 10 ) .
the main risk of oi fracture occurs during insertion and is mainly a result of excessive torque .
the development of the sense of touch , feeling the resistance to insertion , appropriate selection of the site , the use of digital twist , previous perforation of the cortical ( if necessary , in edentulous cortical areas ) , attention to pain symptoms , and signs of excessive increase of resistance to the penetration of the oi are essential to prevent fractures .
fracture of the orthodontic implant during removal may occur if the neck of the orthodontic implant is too narrow .
it is advisable to use orthodontic implants with a minimum diameter of 1.6 mm and 8.0 mm of length when placed in dense cortical bone .
if oi fracture occurs , two procedures can be done : ( a ) removing the fractured part or ( b ) keeping the fractured part buried ( figure 11 ) , since it is not necessary to move the tooth in the area .
removal of the oi is done without anesthesia and twisting in the opposite direction to that used in the insertion .
therefore , it is recommended to note the type of orthodontic implant thread used ( right or left ) to prevent fracture during removal . the removal torque is always less than the insertion one [ 6 , 18 ] . in vitro tests
showed that the removal torque ( 5.4 ncm ) of orthodontic implants 2.0 mm from of the tibia of rabbits was 44.5% lower than the insertion torque ( 9.6 ncm ) . in the same test ,
the removal torque of oi from bovine cortical ( 6.8 ncm ) of mi 1.5 mm was 45.6% lower than the insertion torque ( 12.6 ncm ) .
histological analyses showed that when the oi loading is made immediately after insertion , osseointegration in the oi - bone interface is smaller than when loading is delayed . on the other hand ,
some authors think this phenomenon is favorable because it facilitates the removal after treatment [ 19 , 20 ] . | pubmed |
{{Infobox ancient site
| name = Andone Castrum
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| alternate_name =
| image = Andone2.JPG
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption = Overgrown wall of the fort in 2010
| map_type = France
| map_alt =
| map_caption =
| map_size =
| relief = yes
| coordinates =
| map_dot_label =
| location = Villejoubert, Charente, France
| region =
| type =
| part_of =
| length =
| width =
| area =
| volume =
| diameter =
| circumference =
| height =
| builder =
| material =
| built =
| abandoned =
| epochs = 10th 11th centuries
| cultures =
| dependency_of =
| occupants =
| event =
| excavations =
| archaeologists =
| condition =
| ownership = Private
| management =
| public_access =
| other_designation = Monument historique as of 13 August 1986
| notes =
}}
The Andone Castrum French: Castrum d'Andone or d'Andonne is a ruined fortification in Villejoubert, Charente, France. It dates from the 11th century.
Location
The Andone castrum was built in the medieval diocese of Angoulême.
It is now to the south of the Boixe forest, but in the 10th century the forest was much larger, and began no more than away.
It is about to the east of Montignac on the Charente River, which meanders from north to south.
It lay to the north of the great road from Saintes via Limoges to Lyon, which crossed the Charente at Montignac.
The castrum is in an isolated location on a natural mound known as the butte de la Garenne.
The site was occupied by an Iron Age necropolis, and then by a Gallo-Roman villa.
The villa was abandoned in the 4th century.
History
Around 950 Angoulême went through a disturbed period as the Carolingian political structures disintegrated.
Count Guillaume II Taillefer resigned his power as Count of Angoulême. around 945 and became a monk at the Abbey of Saint-Cybard.
He left a bastard son, Arnaud Manzer, but was succeeded by his cousin, Count Bernard of Périgord.
After Bernard's death in 962 there was a power struggle between Bernard's sons and Arnaud Manzer.
Arnaud established himself of Count of Angoulême in 975.
It seems that he reoccupied Andone during this period of struggle.
The site was most likely occupied from around 970980 until 1028.
The site may have been abandoned in part due to lacks of an interior water supply or to the cramped interior.
More important, the transfer of the count's residence to Montignac, on the banks of the Charente, may have been due to the count's wish to ally himself to the bishop who controlled that area.
The move seems to have taken place at the same time as the move of the monastery of Saint-Amant-de-Boixe, which had been close to Andone.
The site has been relatively undisturbed since being abandoned.
Between 1971 and 1995 André Debord undertook an investigation of the castrum.
His findings were reviewed, reinterpreted and published in 2009 under the direction of Luc Bourgeois.
The excavation gives useful insights into daily life around the year 1000 in an aristocratic home.
The fort has been classified Monument historique since 13 August 1986.
Structure
The fortification was surrounded by a stone wall, around which there was a walkway, then a large U-shape ditch up to wide.
It was thought by Debord that there may have been a second moat, but this has been shown to be incorrect.
The surrounding woods contained oak, beech and maple, which were used indiscriminately for fuel.
The woods had clearings for pasture or crops.
The stone wall was jointed with mortar, and may have had a walkway on top protected by a parapet.
The wall was protected by an earth rampart on the outside.
The irregular oval outline of the wall, in 14 juxtaposed sections, conforms to the shape of the hill.
The remains of the wall are about wide but rise no more than above their foundations.
They may have originally been high.
There were two gates, wide, giving access to the enclosed space from the east and the west.
The enclosure was about in area and held seven stone buildings and two courts.
In the northeast there was a long room connected to two others, which appears to have been the base of the ducal hall.
There was no fireplace on the ground floor, so there may have been a second-floor room above, about .
The ground level would have been a service area.
In the south there were four buildings, of which three shared the same facade.
The function of the smaller buildings to the south is not clear, but they may have been used for workshops, storage and for housing the count's staff.
The stone construction is unusual, since most buildings of that period in France were of wood, other than the great royal residences.
Lifestyle
Findings include coins, tools, weapons, many horse fittings, small glass vessels, flat glass plates, furniture of stone, bone and wood, ceramic vessels and small earthenware objects.
There is evidence of weaving and a smithy, with abundant metal objects.
These include ironwork from doors, furniture and chests.
The weapons do not include swords or lances, and suggest hunting rather than combat.
Locally made chess pieces give evidence of an aristocratic lifestyle.
80 of the domestic animals used for meat were pigs, the remainder being cattle and sheep.
Wild game accounted for 4 of the total, including deer 63, hare 20, birds 10 and wild boar 6.
The remains of four horses and seven donkeys were found, as well as a few bones of dog, squirrel, badger, cats and black rats, which were numerous.
Notes
Sources
Category:Castles in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Category:Ringwork castles | wikipedia |
the development of crc finds its base in genetic and epigenetic aberrancies that are gained during life ( environmental , lifestyle ) , inherited , or both ( 1 ) .
epidemiologic studies have determined a number of risk factors for crc including age , family history of colon cancer or inflammatory bowel disease , cigarette smoking , diet , race , obesity , physical inactivity , and intake of alcohol ( 2 ) .
these risk factors cause genetic and epigenetic changes in colorectal epithelial cells that , together with genetic makeup that was inherited , may result in the development of a tumor ( 1 , 3 , 4 ) .
in general , 3 pathways are distinguished in crc that are characterized by three distinct pathways of genomic instability : ( i ) mutations in dna mismatch repair genes , leading to a dna microsatellite instability ( msi ) phenotype , ( ii ) mutations in apc and other genes that activate wnt pathway , characterized by chromosomal instability ( cin ) phenotype , and ( iii ) global genome hypermethylation , resulting in switch off of tumor suppressor genes , indicated as cpg island methylator phenotype ( cimp ) ( 5 ) .
microsatellite instability ( msi ) is responsible for approximately 15 - 20 % of all crc cases .
msi tumorigenesis is driven by the inactivation of mismatch repair genes , which play a key role in promulgating genetic stability by repairing dna replication errors , inhibiting recombination between non - identical dna sequences and interfering in responses to dna damage .
sporadic msi tumors are generally affected by promoter hypermethylation of the mismatch repair gene mlh1 resulting in the inactivation of this gene ( 6 ) .
the familial form of msi crc is hereditary non polyposis crc ( hnpcc , or lynch syndrome ) , which is caused by germline mutations in the mismatch repair genes mlh1 , pms2 , msh6 , or msh2 , and accounts for about 3 - 5 % of all crc cases ( 5 , 6 ) .
compared to mss ( microsatellite stability ) , msi tumors are more often located in the proximal colon , poorly differentiated , and of a mucinous , or signet ring , histological type .
another prevalent finding in msi crc is the usual abundant presence of tumor - infiltrating t cells .
msi tumors have often been associated with a better patient prognosis compared with mss tumors ( 79 ) . the chromosomal instability ( cin )
is observed in 70%85% of crcs and is often described in terms of mss crcs ( 5 ) .
however , it should be noted that mss is not tantamount to chromosomal instability , since some tumors harbor only one of these two traits .
it is commonly accepted that the majority of mss tumors follow the cin pathway of tumorigenesis .
the accurate cause of chromosomal instability is not known , but it has been suggested to be a consequence of abnormalities in the mitotic checkpoint , centrosome number and function , telomere function , dna damage response , or loss of heterozygosity ( loh , generally found in chromosome 1 , 5 , 8 , 17 , and 18 ) , that lead to such large genomic aberrations ( 1012 ) . a number of key events related with the development of cin crc have been recognized , including mutations in tumor suppressor genes ( tsgs ) and oncogenes such as apc , tp53 , kras , ctnnb1 , and pik3ca , and loh in chromosome 18q ( containing the tumor suppressor genes smad2 , smad4 , and dcc ) ( 1015 ) . in 1999 , as another pathway of tumorigenesis , the cpg island methylator phenotype ( cimp ) was explained by toyota et al .
cpg island methylator phenotype ( cimp ) is a subset of colorectal cancers that happen through an epigenetic instability pathway and that are characterized by vast hypermethylation of promoter cpg island sites , resulting in the inactivation of several tumor suppressor genes or other tumor - related genes ( 17 ) .
epigenetic regulation of gene expression is a general key mechanism that is operative in normal tissues and has an important role in the preservation of genomic stability , embryonic development , and tissue differentiation ( 17 ) .
cpg ( cytosine preceding guanine ) islands are regions within the genome that are common in promoter sites rich in cpg dinucleotides .
more than 50% of human genes have been found to be regulated in this way , by promoters including cpg islands .
several cpg dinucleotides , which are methylated in normal cells , are unmethylated in cancer ( 1618 ) . in cancer cells , cpg islands
aberrant genomic methylation is thought to result in tumorigenesis by deregulating gene expression of key genes ( 1820 ) .
this phenotype has been reported in several tumor types , including gastric , lung , liver , ovarian , glioblastomas , endometrial , breast , leukemias and crc ( 18 ) .
dna methylation is an enzymatic process that adds a methyl group to the 5-position of cytosine by dna methyltransferases ( dnmt ) to produce 5-methylcytosine .
usually , the favorite substrate for dnmt is a cg dinucleotide sequence , which has therefore been termed cpg ( 17 ) .
cpg islands are short stretches of cpg rich regions that are often correlated with the promoter region of genes ( 21 ) .
methylation of cpg islands within the promoter region cause transcriptional silencing although it appear that decreased gene expression is only typical of a subgroup of methylated genes in colorectal cancer .
methylation that happens in cpg sites outside of promoter site , called gene body methylation , may cause transcriptional activation ( 2224 ) .
such studies revealed that in colorectal cancer , there appears to be two types of methylation that are associated with cancer progression : type a ( for age - related ) methylation , and type c ( for cancer - specific ) methylation .
initially , type a methylation arises as a function of age in normal colorectal epithelial cells . by affecting genes that regulate the growth and/or differentiation of these cells ,
such methylation may result in a predisposition state that precedes tumor formation in the colon ( 21 , 25 ) .
first , altered methylation of esr1 , igf2 , and tusc3 was observed to happen in histologically normal colon epithelium in an age - dependent vogue , and then other genes were also shown to prohibit age - dependent methylation ( 25 ) .
almost 50% of the genes that have age - related methylation are the same genes as those occupied in the pathogenesis of colon cancer ; suggesting a role for these genes in the increased cancer ability that is correlated with aging .
fascinating , aberrant hypermethylation of specific gene promoters and global loss of methylation were seen during the aging process , suggesting that the same mechanism(s ) involved for age - related and cancer - related dna methylation .
age - related hypermethylation happens as a consequence of development of local predisposing factors in dna that influence regions such as sp1 binding sites or tandem b1 ( 2226 ) .
type c methylation , by contrast , was found exclusively in a subset of cancers , which display a cpg island methylator phenotype ( cimp ) ( 21 ) .
many studies have expanded the idea of cpg islands to cpg island shores , which are also abnormally methylated in cancer .
cpg island shores are regions of dna with a low density of cpg dinucleotides that are up to 2 kb upstream of a cpg island . the methylation of cpg island shores is correlated with transcriptional inactivation and expression of splice variants .
the methylation of these cpg island shores appears to be tissue specific , and seems to be changed in colorectal cancer . nonetheless , the role of altered methylation of cpg island shores in the development of cancer is still contentious ( 27 , 28 ) .
dna hypermethylation in cpg - rich promoters is now recognized as a subgroup of crcs .
cancers can be classified according to their degree of methylation , and those cancers with high degrees of methylation ( the cpg island methylator phenotype , or cimp ) represent a clinically and aetiologically distinct group that is characterized by ' epigenetic instability ' . furthermore , cimp - associated cancers seem to have a distinct epidemiology , a distinct histology , distinct precursor lesions and distinct molecular features ( 2931 ) .
the intuition of cimp led to the proposal of a tumorigenic pathway of crc driven by promoter hypermethylation and hence epigenetic , rather than genetic , inactivation of tumor suppressor genes .
many genes ( though probably not all ) that have been identified to be affected in cimp have important functions in the cell , ( e.g. cdkn2a , the gene coding for the tumor suppressor p16 ) , whereas others have unknown functions ( 17 ) .
for instance , aberrant methylation of cxlc12 , a chemokine ligand , in human colorectal cancer can foster metastatic property of colon cancer cell lines ( 17 ) .
in addition , most cimp crcs are characterized by promoter cpg island methylation of the mismatch repair gene , mlh1 , resulting in its transcriptional inactivation ( 32 , 33 ) .
actually , which specific methylated loci should be used to define cimp is the main challenge in studying and evaluation of cimp tumors .
the majority of studies have commonly contained the classic panel : hmlh1 , p16 , mint1 , mint2 , and mint31 ( 3437 ) and in addition to these 5 loci , this panel may be further developed to contain : cacna1 g , crabp1 , igf2 , neurog1 , runx3 , socs1 , hic1 , igfbp3 , and wrn ( 3842 ) .
given that the loci marker panel and criteria for cimp vary , we should take a caution , when analyzing clinical outcome results from cimp studies .
classified crc into cimp - negative and cimp - positive cancers using methylight technology ( 32 ) .
subsequently , in an interesting paper , shen et al . have suggested the division of cimp colon cancers into three different groups cimp1 , cimp2 and cimp - negative ( 31 ) .
genetically , these three groups correspond to very distinct profiles . based upon a study of 97 primary crc cases , cimp1 tumors are often msi tumors ( 80% ) , and have braf mutations ( 53% ) , but cimp2 tumors have kras mutations ( 92% ) , but rarely are msi or have braf or tp53 mutations ( 31 ) . in another paper ,
quantified dna methylation in five cimp - specific gene promoters [ cacna1 g , cdkn2a ( p16 ) , crabp1 , mlh1 , and neurog1 ] and defined crc with 1/5 to 3/5 methylated promoters as cimp - low , with 4/5 or 5/5 methylated promoters as cimp - high and with 0/5 methylated promoters as cimp-0 tumors .
the study suggested that ; cimp - low crc is associated with male sex and kras mutations ( 38 ) .
defined three different subgroups of methylation ( no - cimp , cimp - low and cimp - high ) according to evaluation of methylation status for five markers ( hmlh1 , p16 , mint1 , mint2 , and mint31 ) .
they concluded that methylation is an independent prognostic factor in mss crc ( 37 ) . in another study ,
a total of 202 cpg sites were found to be differentially methylated between tumor and normal tissue ( 30 ) .
methylation data from these sites revealed the existence of three crc subgroups referred to as cimp - low ( cimp - l , 21% of cases ) , cimp - mid ( cimp - m , 14% ) and cimp - high ( cimp - h , 65% ) . in comparison to cimp - l tumors , cimp - h tumors were more often located in the proximal colon and showed more frequent mutation of kras and braf ( 30 ) .
suggested using eight markers ( cacna1 g , p16cdkn2a , crabp1 , igf2 , hmlh1 , neurog1 , runx3 , and socs1 ) to classification crc subgroups if 1 to 5 out of 8 markers methylated known as cimp - low , when none of each markers methylated means cimp-0 , and 6 to 8 out of 8 markers have promoters methyled are - cimp - high ( 41 ) . in a recent study ,
japanese scientists selected 44 new methylation markers , among 1,311 candidate silencing genes , on a genome - wide scale .
they classified crc clustered into high- , intermediate and low methylation epigenotypes ( 43 ) . in interesting paper by deng et al .
, methylation status of 31 proximal and 43 distal colorectal tumors was identified using 14 marker genes ( 44 ) .
these data showed that proximal and distal crc have distinct gene - specific methylation profiles .
pathological characterization of cimp tumors are the high rate of mutations ( kras or braf ) , wild type p53 , proximal colon location , mucinous histological type , higher age at diagnosis , poor differentiation , and higher occurrence in female gender and older patients ( 29 ) .
it is worthwhile to note that , several of the clinico - pathological characteristics correlated with cimp - high are also related to msi .
however , the associations between cimp - high and a right - sided location , mucinous histological type , and braf mutation were confirmed in analyses of msi and mss tumors separately , indicating that these traits are associated to cimp - high independently of msi screening status ( 7 , 18 , 2935 ) . though the ratio of crc patients who survive their illness has increased with oncologic therapy and surgery
although much effort has been put into identifying novel prognostic biomarkers , few have been utilized in clinical practice ( 45 ) . in recent years
much regard has been focused on dna hypermethylation of specific genes involved to development of crc to predict crc patient outcome . in general
, it seems that the aberrant dna methylation of genes is predominantly occurred in the early stages of colon cancer formation and less involved to progression events ( 36 ) .
however , a recent meta - analysis documented that the hypermethylation of cdkn2a is not an independent prognostic factor in crc ( 46 ) . although ling et al .
suggested that the presence of p16 hypermethylation predicts shorter survival in t3n0m0 stage ( 47 ) .
results have been reported for an abundance of other genes , but for none has a prognostic role been established .
although the results are not decisive , many studies have found a poor prognosis in mss cimp+ crc patients ( 3537 , 4850 ) .
kakar et al . suggested that cimp does not appear to play a key role in crc without msi and cin ( 5153 ) , although the microarray analysis revealed that cimp tumors represent a distinct molecular class within mss crc ( 54 ) .
documented that dna methylation is associated with a worse outcome in crc , but this adverse prognostic influence is lost in those methylated tumors showing msi ( 35 ) .
patients with cimp - high crc showed a trend of decreased cancer - specific survival compared with cimp - negative , which was not statistically significant in many studies ( 3537 ) .
however , in the mss tumor subgroup , cimp - high was associated with a very poor prognosis , which was statistically significant ( 37 , 42 ) . on the other hand
, patients with cimp - low crc had a worse prognosis compared with cimp - negative ( 43 ) .
show intermediate - methylation epigenotype with kras - mutation ( + ) correlated with worse prognosis ( 43 ) and barault et al . found a worse prognosis in patients with cimp - intermediate crc ( 37 ) .
most other studies have reported non - significant trends of a worse prognosis in cimp - intermediate compared to cimp - negative ( 35 , 36 , 3840 ) .
cpg island methylation may predict poor survival in metastatic mss crc treated with chemotherapy ( 40 ) and show shortened survival in advanced crc treated with 5- fluorouracil ( 36 ) .
many studies have found the association between cimp status and other important epidemiological and molecular factor ( 5560 ) .
interestingly , there has been an association reported between smoking and cimp . in smokers ,
there is increased cpg methylation at the bronchial epithelium ( 55 ) . in colon cancer , cigarette smoking
is associated with cimp tumors and has a significant relationship to the number of cigarettes smoked ( 56 ) .
also , the increased risk for colon cancer in inflammatory bowel disease ( ibd ) is hypothesized to have a link with dna methylation ( 57 ) .
however , studies have not shown an increased incidence of cimp in ibd - associated crc as compared to sporadic cancers ( 5760 ) .
studied methylation patterns of five genes in the normal and dysplastic mucosa of patients with ulcerative colitis ( uc ) , a condition associated with a marked increased risk of colon cancer ( 57 ) .
the result of this study are consistent with the hypothesis that age - related methylation marks ( and may lead to ) the field defect that reflects acquired predisposition to colorectal neoplasia .
this paper suggest that chronic inflammation is associated with high levels of methylation , perhaps as a result of increased cell turnover , and that uc can be viewed as resulting in premature aging of colorectal epithelial cells ( 57 ) .
studies show that aging , rather than inflammation per se , promotes cimp ( + ) crcs in ibd patients ( 59 , 60 ) .
epigenetic biomarkers can be used for prognosis , prediction and diagnosis of crc . with regard to the use of methylated genes as biomarkers specifically for crc ,
the most advanced uses are as dna - based colon cancer screening assays ( 16 ) .
aberrantly methylated genes affect a number of genes in colon cancer , such as cdkn2a / p16 , mgmt , thbs1 , timp3 , cdkn2a ( p14arf ) and mlh1 , some of which are found early in the polyp - cancer sequence making them useful as early detection markers(16 ) .
methylated mlh1 is currently being used as a marker for sporadic as in front of hereditary ( i.e. lynch syndrome ) msi cancers .
the most of sporadic msi tumors have methylated mlh1 , whereas it is rare in lynch syndrome tumors .
so , methylated mlh1 status can be used to detection patients who should be considered for genetic testing for lynch syndrome ( 61 ) .
used genome - wide screening for methylation - silenced genes and suggested that thsd 1 gene may play a important role in the developing of crc and can be applied in clinical use as a biomarker ( 62 ) .
the interactions between cimp status and response to chemotherapy have been investigated , but the results have been contradictive ( 6365 ) . despite the predictive role of cimp is controversial , it has been hypothesized that dna methylation is a useful biomarker of recurrence in resected stage iii proximal but not distal crc ( 64 ) .
many studies suggested that , the presence of cimp has predicted benefit of 5fu - based treatment in stages ii / iii colon cancer ( 36 , 65 ) ; however , there is also evidence showing a trend for resistance to chemotherapy in cimp tumors ( 63 ) . in the majority of the studies that have analyzed patients who did not receive chemotherapy treatment , tumors identified as mss , and cimp have a worse survival outcome ( 35 , 37 , 40 , 42 , 48 ) . in contrast , two studies report better outcomes with cimp tumors ( 63 , 66 ) .
the conflicting data may be due to the different criteria used across the studies to define cimp status , or that cimp tumors are heterogeneous and need to be further classified .
epigenetic regulation of gene expression is a general key mechanism that is operative in normal tissues and has an important role in the preservation of genomic stability , embryonic development , and tissue differentiation ( 17 ) .
cpg ( cytosine preceding guanine ) islands are regions within the genome that are common in promoter sites rich in cpg dinucleotides .
more than 50% of human genes have been found to be regulated in this way , by promoters including cpg islands .
several cpg dinucleotides , which are methylated in normal cells , are unmethylated in cancer ( 1618 ) . in cancer cells , cpg islands
aberrant genomic methylation is thought to result in tumorigenesis by deregulating gene expression of key genes ( 1820 ) .
this phenotype has been reported in several tumor types , including gastric , lung , liver , ovarian , glioblastomas , endometrial , breast , leukemias and crc ( 18 ) .
dna methylation is an enzymatic process that adds a methyl group to the 5-position of cytosine by dna methyltransferases ( dnmt ) to produce 5-methylcytosine .
usually , the favorite substrate for dnmt is a cg dinucleotide sequence , which has therefore been termed cpg ( 17 ) .
cpg islands are short stretches of cpg rich regions that are often correlated with the promoter region of genes ( 21 ) .
methylation of cpg islands within the promoter region cause transcriptional silencing although it appear that decreased gene expression is only typical of a subgroup of methylated genes in colorectal cancer .
methylation that happens in cpg sites outside of promoter site , called gene body methylation , may cause transcriptional activation ( 2224 ) .
such studies revealed that in colorectal cancer , there appears to be two types of methylation that are associated with cancer progression : type a ( for age - related ) methylation , and type c ( for cancer - specific ) methylation .
initially , type a methylation arises as a function of age in normal colorectal epithelial cells . by affecting genes that regulate the growth and/or differentiation of these cells ,
such methylation may result in a predisposition state that precedes tumor formation in the colon ( 21 , 25 ) .
first , altered methylation of esr1 , igf2 , and tusc3 was observed to happen in histologically normal colon epithelium in an age - dependent vogue , and then other genes were also shown to prohibit age - dependent methylation ( 25 ) .
almost 50% of the genes that have age - related methylation are the same genes as those occupied in the pathogenesis of colon cancer ; suggesting a role for these genes in the increased cancer ability that is correlated with aging .
fascinating , aberrant hypermethylation of specific gene promoters and global loss of methylation were seen during the aging process , suggesting that the same mechanism(s ) involved for age - related and cancer - related dna methylation .
age - related hypermethylation happens as a consequence of development of local predisposing factors in dna that influence regions such as sp1 binding sites or tandem b1 ( 2226 ) .
type c methylation , by contrast , was found exclusively in a subset of cancers , which display a cpg island methylator phenotype ( cimp ) ( 21 ) .
many studies have expanded the idea of cpg islands to cpg island shores , which are also abnormally methylated in cancer .
cpg island shores are regions of dna with a low density of cpg dinucleotides that are up to 2 kb upstream of a cpg island .
the methylation of cpg island shores is correlated with transcriptional inactivation and expression of splice variants .
the methylation of these cpg island shores appears to be tissue specific , and seems to be changed in colorectal cancer .
nonetheless , the role of altered methylation of cpg island shores in the development of cancer is still contentious ( 27 , 28 ) .
dna hypermethylation in cpg - rich promoters is now recognized as a subgroup of crcs .
cancers can be classified according to their degree of methylation , and those cancers with high degrees of methylation ( the cpg island methylator phenotype , or cimp ) represent a clinically and aetiologically distinct group that is characterized by ' epigenetic instability ' . furthermore , cimp - associated cancers seem to have a distinct epidemiology , a distinct histology , distinct precursor lesions and distinct molecular features ( 2931 ) .
the intuition of cimp led to the proposal of a tumorigenic pathway of crc driven by promoter hypermethylation and hence epigenetic , rather than genetic , inactivation of tumor suppressor genes .
many genes ( though probably not all ) that have been identified to be affected in cimp have important functions in the cell , ( e.g. cdkn2a , the gene coding for the tumor suppressor p16 ) , whereas others have unknown functions ( 17 ) .
for instance , aberrant methylation of cxlc12 , a chemokine ligand , in human colorectal cancer can foster metastatic property of colon cancer cell lines ( 17 ) .
in addition , most cimp crcs are characterized by promoter cpg island methylation of the mismatch repair gene , mlh1 , resulting in its transcriptional inactivation ( 32 , 33 ) .
actually , which specific methylated loci should be used to define cimp is the main challenge in studying and evaluation of cimp tumors .
the majority of studies have commonly contained the classic panel : hmlh1 , p16 , mint1 , mint2 , and mint31 ( 3437 ) and in addition to these 5 loci , this panel may be further developed to contain : cacna1 g , crabp1 , igf2 , neurog1 , runx3 , socs1 , hic1 , igfbp3 , and wrn ( 3842 ) .
given that the loci marker panel and criteria for cimp vary , we should take a caution , when analyzing clinical outcome results from cimp studies .
classified crc into cimp - negative and cimp - positive cancers using methylight technology ( 32 ) .
subsequently , in an interesting paper , shen et al . have suggested the division of cimp colon cancers into three different groups cimp1 , cimp2 and cimp - negative ( 31 ) .
genetically , these three groups correspond to very distinct profiles . based upon a study of 97 primary crc cases , cimp1 tumors are often msi tumors ( 80% ) , and have braf mutations ( 53% ) , but cimp2 tumors have kras mutations ( 92% ) , but rarely are msi or have braf or tp53 mutations ( 31 ) . in another paper ,
quantified dna methylation in five cimp - specific gene promoters [ cacna1 g , cdkn2a ( p16 ) , crabp1 , mlh1 , and neurog1 ] and defined crc with 1/5 to 3/5 methylated promoters as cimp - low , with 4/5 or 5/5 methylated promoters as cimp - high and with 0/5 methylated promoters as cimp-0 tumors .
the study suggested that ; cimp - low crc is associated with male sex and kras mutations ( 38 ) .
defined three different subgroups of methylation ( no - cimp , cimp - low and cimp - high ) according to evaluation of methylation status for five markers ( hmlh1 , p16 , mint1 , mint2 , and mint31 ) .
they concluded that methylation is an independent prognostic factor in mss crc ( 37 ) . in another study ,
a total of 202 cpg sites were found to be differentially methylated between tumor and normal tissue ( 30 ) .
methylation data from these sites revealed the existence of three crc subgroups referred to as cimp - low ( cimp - l , 21% of cases ) , cimp - mid ( cimp - m , 14% ) and cimp - high ( cimp - h , 65% ) . in comparison to cimp - l tumors , cimp - h tumors were more often located in the proximal colon and showed more frequent mutation of kras and braf ( 30 ) .
suggested using eight markers ( cacna1 g , p16cdkn2a , crabp1 , igf2 , hmlh1 , neurog1 , runx3 , and socs1 ) to classification crc subgroups if 1 to 5 out of 8 markers methylated known as cimp - low , when none of each markers methylated means cimp-0 , and 6 to 8 out of 8 markers have promoters methyled are - cimp - high ( 41 ) . in a recent study ,
japanese scientists selected 44 new methylation markers , among 1,311 candidate silencing genes , on a genome - wide scale .
they classified crc clustered into high- , intermediate and low methylation epigenotypes ( 43 ) .
in interesting paper by deng et al . , methylation status of 31 proximal and 43 distal colorectal tumors was identified using 14 marker genes ( 44 ) .
these data showed that proximal and distal crc have distinct gene - specific methylation profiles .
pathological characterization of cimp tumors are the high rate of mutations ( kras or braf ) , wild type p53 , proximal colon location , mucinous histological type , higher age at diagnosis , poor differentiation , and higher occurrence in female gender and older patients ( 29 ) .
it is worthwhile to note that , several of the clinico - pathological characteristics correlated with cimp - high are also related to msi .
however , the associations between cimp - high and a right - sided location , mucinous histological type , and braf mutation were confirmed in analyses of msi and mss tumors separately , indicating that these traits are associated to cimp - high independently of msi screening status ( 7 , 18 , 2935 ) .
though the ratio of crc patients who survive their illness has increased with oncologic therapy and surgery , crc mortality is still high .
although much effort has been put into identifying novel prognostic biomarkers , few have been utilized in clinical practice ( 45 ) . in recent years
much regard has been focused on dna hypermethylation of specific genes involved to development of crc to predict crc patient outcome . in general
, it seems that the aberrant dna methylation of genes is predominantly occurred in the early stages of colon cancer formation and less involved to progression events ( 36 ) .
however , a recent meta - analysis documented that the hypermethylation of cdkn2a is not an independent prognostic factor in crc ( 46 ) . although ling et al .
suggested that the presence of p16 hypermethylation predicts shorter survival in t3n0m0 stage ( 47 ) .
results have been reported for an abundance of other genes , but for none has a prognostic role been established .
although the results are not decisive , many studies have found a poor prognosis in mss cimp+ crc patients ( 3537 , 4850 ) .
kakar et al . suggested that cimp does not appear to play a key role in crc without msi and cin ( 5153 ) , although the microarray analysis revealed that cimp tumors represent a distinct molecular class within mss crc ( 54 ) .
documented that dna methylation is associated with a worse outcome in crc , but this adverse prognostic influence is lost in those methylated tumors showing msi ( 35 ) .
patients with cimp - high crc showed a trend of decreased cancer - specific survival compared with cimp - negative , which was not statistically significant in many studies ( 3537 ) .
however , in the mss tumor subgroup , cimp - high was associated with a very poor prognosis , which was statistically significant ( 37 , 42 ) . on the other hand ,
patients with cimp - low crc had a worse prognosis compared with cimp - negative ( 43 ) .
show intermediate - methylation epigenotype with kras - mutation ( + ) correlated with worse prognosis ( 43 ) and barault et al . found a worse prognosis in patients with cimp - intermediate crc ( 37 ) .
most other studies have reported non - significant trends of a worse prognosis in cimp - intermediate compared to cimp - negative ( 35 , 36 , 3840 ) .
cpg island methylation may predict poor survival in metastatic mss crc treated with chemotherapy ( 40 ) and show shortened survival in advanced crc treated with 5- fluorouracil ( 36 ) .
many studies have found the association between cimp status and other important epidemiological and molecular factor ( 5560 ) .
interestingly , there has been an association reported between smoking and cimp . in smokers ,
there is increased cpg methylation at the bronchial epithelium ( 55 ) . in colon cancer , cigarette smoking
is associated with cimp tumors and has a significant relationship to the number of cigarettes smoked ( 56 ) .
also , the increased risk for colon cancer in inflammatory bowel disease ( ibd ) is hypothesized to have a link with dna methylation ( 57 ) .
however , studies have not shown an increased incidence of cimp in ibd - associated crc as compared to sporadic cancers ( 5760 ) .
studied methylation patterns of five genes in the normal and dysplastic mucosa of patients with ulcerative colitis ( uc ) , a condition associated with a marked increased risk of colon cancer ( 57 ) .
the result of this study are consistent with the hypothesis that age - related methylation marks ( and may lead to ) the field defect that reflects acquired predisposition to colorectal neoplasia .
this paper suggest that chronic inflammation is associated with high levels of methylation , perhaps as a result of increased cell turnover , and that uc can be viewed as resulting in premature aging of colorectal epithelial cells ( 57 ) .
studies show that aging , rather than inflammation per se , promotes cimp ( + ) crcs in ibd patients ( 59 , 60 ) .
epigenetic biomarkers can be used for prognosis , prediction and diagnosis of crc . with regard to the use of methylated genes as biomarkers specifically for crc ,
the most advanced uses are as dna - based colon cancer screening assays ( 16 ) .
aberrantly methylated genes affect a number of genes in colon cancer , such as cdkn2a / p16 , mgmt , thbs1 , timp3 , cdkn2a ( p14arf ) and mlh1 , some of which are found early in the polyp - cancer sequence making them useful as early detection markers(16 ) .
methylated mlh1 is currently being used as a marker for sporadic as in front of hereditary ( i.e. lynch syndrome ) msi cancers .
the most of sporadic msi tumors have methylated mlh1 , whereas it is rare in lynch syndrome tumors .
so , methylated mlh1 status can be used to detection patients who should be considered for genetic testing for lynch syndrome ( 61 ) .
used genome - wide screening for methylation - silenced genes and suggested that thsd 1 gene may play a important role in the developing of crc and can be applied in clinical use as a biomarker ( 62 ) .
the interactions between cimp status and response to chemotherapy have been investigated , but the results have been contradictive ( 6365 ) . despite the predictive role of cimp is controversial , it has been hypothesized that dna methylation is a useful biomarker of recurrence in resected stage iii proximal but not distal crc ( 64 ) .
many studies suggested that , the presence of cimp has predicted benefit of 5fu - based treatment in stages ii / iii colon cancer ( 36 , 65 ) ; however , there is also evidence showing a trend for resistance to chemotherapy in cimp tumors ( 63 ) . in the majority of the studies that have analyzed patients who did not receive chemotherapy treatment , tumors identified as mss , and cimp have a worse survival outcome ( 35 , 37 , 40 , 42 , 48 ) . in contrast , two studies report better outcomes with cimp tumors ( 63 , 66 ) .
the conflicting data may be due to the different criteria used across the studies to define cimp status , or that cimp tumors are heterogeneous and need to be further classified .
the development of colon adenomas to adenocarcinomas is believed to be driven by genetic alterations , such as mutations in tp53 , but may also be a result of epigenetic alterations .
this dysregulation includes hypomethylation , leading to oncogene activation and chromosomal instability ; and hypermethylation , leading to tumor suppressor gene silencing and chromatin modification , acting directly , and cooperatively with methylation changes , to modify gene expression .
although it has been more than a decade since cimp was first described in crc , its molecular basis and prognostic value has not been without controversy , and the cause of cimp remains unknown yet .
recent studies have showed a shorter survival in cimp+ patients , although the results have not always been statistically significant .
, personalized medicine has become a significant part of the modern management of crc cancer .
additionally , it is essential to have a consensus on a standardized panel of loci to define cimp , similar to the standardized panel utilized to identify msi . | pubmed |
"Batman", early draft, by Sam Hamm
BATMAN
Screenplay by
Sam Hamm
Based on the Character Created by
Bob Kane
FIRST DRAFT
October 20, 1986
FADE IN:
EXT. CITYSCAPE - NIGHT
The place is Gotham City. The time, 1987 -- once removed.
The city of Tomorrow: stark angles, creeping shadows,
dense, crowded, airless, a random tangle of steel and
concrete, self-generating, almost subterranean in its
aspect... as if hell had erupted through the sidewalks and
kept on growing. A dangling fat moon shines overhead, ready
to burst.
EXT. CATHEDRAL - NIGHT
Amid the chrome and glass sits a dark and ornate Gothic
anomaly: old City Cathedral, once grand, now abandoned --
long since boarded up and scheduled for demolition.
On the rooftop far above us, STONE GARGOYLES gaze down from
their shadowy, windswept perches, keeping monstrous watch
over the distant streets below, sightless guardians of the
Gotham night.
One of them is moving.
EXT. GOTHAM SQUARE - NIGHT
The pulsing heart of downtown Gotham, a neon nightmare of
big-city corruption, almost surreal in its oppressiveness.
Hookers wave to drug dealers. Street hustlers slap high-
fives with three-card monte dealers. They all seem to know
each other... with one conspicuous exception:
A TOURIST FAMILY, Mom, Dad, and little Jimmy, staring
straight ahead as they march in perfect lockstep down the
main drag. They've just come out of a bit show two blocks
over; the respectable theatre crowd has thinned out, and
now -- Playbills in hand -- they find themselves adrift in
the predatory traffic of Gotham's meanest street.
MOM
For God's sake, Harold, can we
please just get a taxi??
DAD
I'm trying to get a --
(shouting)
TAXI!!
Three cabs streak pass and disappear. MOM grimaces in
frustration as LITTLE JIMMY consults a subway map.
JIMMY
We're going the wrong way.
Nearby, STREET TYPES are beginning to snicker. DAD surveys
them nervously, gestures toward the subway map.
DAD
Put that away. We'll look like
tourists.
TWO COPS lean on their patrol car outside an all-night
souvlaki stand, sipping coffee and chatting with a HOOKER.
The HOOKER smiles at JIMMY. JIMMY smiles back. MOM yanks
him off down the street and glowers at DAD.
DAD (cont.)
We'll never get a cab here. Let's
cut over to Seventh.
JIMMY
Seventh is that way.
DAD
I know where we are!
EXT. SIDE STREET - THAT MOMENT - NIGHT
A deserted access street, sidewalks lined with the husks of
stripped-down cars. MOM, DAD, and JIMMY take a deep breath
and march down the darkened street. A VOICE startles them.
VOICE
Hey, mister. Gimme a dollar?
The VOICE belongs to a DERELICT -- nineteen or twenty,
acne-scarred -- who sits between two garbage cans, his palm
uplifted. His ratty t-shirt reads: 'I LOVE GOTHAM CITY.'
MOM, DAD, and JIMMY pause for the merest of seconds, then
move on -- pretending not to hear.
DERELICT
Mister. How about it. One dollar?
(standing up)
One dollar, man. Are you deaf?
Are you deaf? -- Do you speak
English??
By now the TOURISTS are halfway across the street.
Mercifully, the DERELICT doesn't seem to be following.
They pick up their pace. They don't see the SHADOWY FIGURE
in the alleyway. They don't see the GUN until a gloved hand
brings it down, butt-first, across the back of DAD's neck.
DAD crumples. MOM grabs JIMMY and backs up against a brick
wall, too terrified to scream. The DERELICT races across
the street to join his confederate, the STREET PUNK, who's
already searching for DAD's wallet.
MOM's mouth opens in panic. They can see she's about to
snap -- so the STREET PUNK, still in a crouch, trains his
gun on JIMMY.
STREET PUNK
Do the kid a favor, lady. Don't
scream.
The poor woman is utterly horrified. TEARS stream down her
face. But she keeps her wits about her, stifles the urge to
shriek, and hustles JIMMY off down the street.
The two PUNKS watch them break into a run -- then chuckle,
slap hands, race off in the opposite direction.
EXT. ROOFTOP - NIGHT
Six stories up. The PUNKS -- NICK and EDDIE -- hunker down
on the tar-and-gravel roof, sizing up their take.
NICK
(emptying the wallet)
All right. The Gold Card.
(tossing the credit card
in EDDIE's face)
Don't leave home without it.
A chill wind whips across the roof as NICK extracts the
cash and begins to count it. There's a distant, indistinct
CLANG: metal on metal. EDDIE hears it and tenses up.
EDDIE
Let's beat it, man. I don't like
being up here.
NICK
What, scared of heights?
EDDIE
I dunno, man. After what happened to
Johnny Gobs --
NICK
Look, Johnny Gobs got ripped and
walked off a roof, all right? No big
loss.
EDDIE
That ain't what I heard. That ain't
what I heard at all.
(beat)
I heard the bat got him.
NICK
Gimme a break, will you? Shut up...
EDDIE
Five stories, straight down. There
was no blood in the body.
NICK
No shit. It was all over the
pavement.
NICK has no patience with campfire tales -- but here on the
roof, in the pale moonlight, he can't ignore the slight
tingle at the base of his spine...
EDDIE
There was no blood, man.
(beat)
My brother says... all the bad things
you done... they come back and
haunt you...
NICK
Listen to this. How old are you?
There ain't no bat.
EDDIE
My brother's a priest, man.
NICK
No wonder you're such a chickenshit.
Now shut up.
(conclusively)
There ain't no bat.
As they speak our attention shifts to a point at the
opposite corner of the roof, some fifteen yards away...
where, at the end of a line, a STRANGE BLACK SILHOUETTE is
dropping slowly, implacably, into frame...
EDDIE
You shouldn'ta turned the gun on
that kid, man. You shouldn'ta --
NICK
Do you want this money or don't
you? Now shut up! Shut up --
BOTH PUNKS FREEZE at the sudden, inexplicable sound of
BOOTS CRUNCHING ON GRAVEL. They turn slowly. Their JAWS
DROP.
Standing at the edge of the roof, bathed in moonlight, is a
BLACK APPARITION. IT DOES NOT MOVE.
EDDIE stands rooted to the spot, a choked gurgle in his
throat, as if he's just seen his own death. The BLACK
FIGURE advances, spreading its arms. Or rather, its WINGS:
GREAT BLACK BATWINGS, flapping in the wind.
NICK drops to the gravel, gropes for the gun, brings it up.
And still the BLACK FIGURE draws closer, deliberate,
menacing. On its chest: THE EMBLEM OF A BAT, in an oval
yellow field, glowing like a target in the darkness...
NICK FIRES TWICE. TWO CLEAN HITS. The strange black figure
is knocked bodily to the roof.
Trembling, sweating buckets, NICK gets to his feet. He
whacks a motionless EDDIE on the arm --
NICK (cont.)
I'm gettin' outta here.
-- and bends to retrieve his loot. EDDIE lets out a
strange, pre-verbal squeal...
... and NICK sees THE HUMAN BAT, BACK ON ITS FEET,
NIGHTMARISH, UNDEAD, MOVING SLOWLY AND INEVITABLY CLOSER.
Panic. Sheer, raw, unrelenting panic. Stolen money flutters
out of NICK's hands. He scuttles around the periphery of
the roof, his feet skidding on the gravel as he searches
for a way down. The BLACK SPECTRE is blocking his path to
the fire escape. Trapped like a rat, NICK FIRES WILDLY.
EDDIE is frozen in place, his eyes glazed over, his face
drained of blood. The BAT treads calmly past. A LEG snakes
out. A BLACK BOOT catches EDDIE high on the chest --
-- LIFTS HIM CLEANLY OFF HIS FEET --
-- AND SENDS HIM FLYING THROUGH THE AIR. EDDIE slams into a
brick chimney and slumps to the roof unconscious, a broken,
weightless puppet.
THIS ACTION IS SO SMOOTH, SO AUTOMATIC, THAT THE BAT DOES
NOT EVEN BREAK HIS STRIDE. NICK sees his chance and CHARGES
past the black wraith, scrambling toward the fire escape...
A GLOVED HAND slices through the air, and NICK pitches
forward, his legs ensnared in a tangle of WIRES. Screaming
now, he drags himself across the gravel roof, the looming
figure of the BAT at his heels...
... until there's no place left to go. NICK cowers against
the ledge, his pants torn, his hands and knees bloody. He
has dissolved into total mindless hysteria.
Almost by reflex, NICK keeps shooting. He'd do better if he
could manage to open his eyes. By now the hammer is falling
on an empty chamber, but NICK continues, obsessively, to
pull the trigger. He weeps; he moans; he wails...
THE BAT grabs a fistful of NICK's shirt, and with
supernatural ease HOISTS HIM into the air.
NICK (cont.)
Don't kill me... don't kill me...
When NICK finally opens his eyes, he realizes THE BAT is
standing on the ledge of the roof -- HOLDING HIM OUT, at
arm's length, over six stories of nothingness.
The gruesome black apparition speaks, in a rasping whisper:
BATMAN
I won't kill you. I want you to do
me a favor.
NICK looks down. Far, far below, CARS wink silently past.
He looks up. And sees, in the mirrored lenses where
BATMAN's eyes should be, the twin reflections of his own
stricken face.
BATMAN (cont.)
Tell your friends. Tell all your
friends.
NICK HOWLS. Almost as an afterthought, THE BATMAN heaves
him roughly back onto the roof. And then -- casually,
without a moment's hesitation -- STEPS OFF THE LEDGE OF THE
ROOF, INTO MIDAIR.
Trembling, NICK crawls to the ledge and looks over...
finding ABSOLUTELY NO TRACE of the Batman.
NICK is still screaming as we PAN UP to the bilious yellow
globe of Gotham's moon. MAIN CREDITS ROLL:
BATMAN
CUT TO:
INT. GOTHAM CITY DEMOCRATS' CLUB - NIGHT
An oversized CAMPAIGN POSTER fills one wall: "A NEW GOTHAM.
HARVEY DENT FOR DISTRICT ATTORNEY". We TILT DOWN to find
the man himself, determined, dynamic HARVEY DENT,
addressing a crowd from behind his podium.
DENT
... it is no longer enough to go
after the small-time punks and petty
criminals who infest the streets of
Gotham City. Crime and corruption
must be attacked at the root!
ANOTHER ANGLE - THE AUDIENCE
Civic-minded politicos decked out in fund-raiser finery.
They applaud DENT's tough talk wildly. They've just shelled
out $500 a plate for a chicken dinner, and by God they're
going to enjoy this.
Tuxedoed WAITERS move among the tables, deftly refilling
water glasses. As they do, we SEE an EMPTY PLACE SETTING --
the only one in the hall. Some well-meaning moneybags has
laid out half a grand and then neglected to show up.
The engraved placecard reads: BRUCE WAYNE.
ANGLE ON DENT
DENT
If elected, my first act as district
attorney will be to return an
indictment against Boss Carl
Grissom!
CUT TO:
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
A woman's apartment, decorated in pastel pinks and mauves.
Original paintings and sculptures everywhere. The place
reeks of money.
In the foreground: a MAN'S HAND, long, elegant, manicured.
Manipulating a DECK OF CARDS, doing a one-handed shuffle
with extraordinary finesse.
In the background: a TV set tuned to the 11 o'clock news,
with highlights of HARVEY DENT's campaign speech.
DENT
(on the TV screen)
Together we can make Gotham city a
safe place for decent people to live
and work and play.
THE HAND sets the deck on an end table, raps it twice,
turns up four aces off the top. This most unusual deck
sports a .22 calibre BULLET HOLE straight through the
middle.
JACK NAPIER
Decent people shouldn't live here.
They'd be much happier someplace
else.
JACK NAPIER, 32, is right-hand man and chief enforcer to
Boss Carl Grissom. His features are delicate, almost
feminine, and he takes a vain, gangsterish pride in his
appearance. He is also absolutely merciless.
He trains a cold eye on DENT's televised image as ALICIA
HUNT -- 26, beautiful, Carl Grissom's kept woman -- glides
over in her negligee and snuggles up.
ALICIA
Anything new?
JACK
The usual gas. If this clown could
lay a hand on Grissom... I would've
had to kill him by now.
ALICIA finds JACK's necktie draped over a nearby chair. She
begins knotting it playfully about his neck.
ALICIA
If Grissom knew about us... he
might kill you.
JACK seems uninterested in her affections. His eye darts
back and forth between the TV and his own reflection in a
nearby vanity.
JACK
Don't think so, angel. I'm too
valuable. That's the way I've
planned it.
(pause)
And besides, he doesn't know.
JACK checks his watch, reaches for his topcoat, and stands
in front of the vanity. He runs a hand through sculpted
hair, checks out his Albert Nipon ensemble.
ALICIA
You look just fine, Jack.
He smiles at himself before turning to the door.
JACK
... I didn't ask.
CUT TO:
EXT. ALLEYWAY - NIGHT
The scene of the earlier mugging, a half-block off Gotham
Square. Only now, the deserted alleyway is a beehive of
activity: police cars, an ambulance, a forensics van.
EDDIE THE PUNK goes past on a stretcher, catatonic.
Watching him are a porcine cop, LT. ECKHARDT, and a POLICE
MEDIC.
MEDIC
That one there won't say a word. The
other one's raving his head off.
ECKHARDT
Variety, huh? The spice of life.
At the mouth of the alley, we find ALEXANDER KNOX --
thirty, hyperactive, a crime reporter for the Gotham
Gazette. At the moment, he's chatting with a uniformed
PATROLMAN.
PATROLMAN
They found him hugging a drainpipe.
He was scared to come off the roof.
KNOX
Great, but tell me: is this another
you-know-what? 'Cause if so, it's
the third one this week.
PATROLMAN
(testily)
I dunno. What's "what"?
KNOX
Good answer. I'm gonna put you in
for a commendation.
KNOX spots ECKHARDT and the MEDIC, waves cheerily, and
saunters down the alley. ECKHARDT curses under his breath.
ECKHARDT
Oh Christ, it's Knox.
KNOX
Hiya, gents. This anything I should
know about?
ECKHARDT
Nothing out of the routine.
At this exact moment two uniformed PATROLMEN drag a brain-
fried NICK past the mouth of the alley.
NICK
A bat, I tell you, a giant bat!
He wanted me to do him a favor...!
KNOX tilts one eyebrow. ECKHARDT and the MEDIC trade
disgusted looks.
KNOX
No offense, boys, but these guys are
seeing something up there.
ECKHARDT
No comment. Print what you like.
KNOX
Come on. One question. Is there a
six-foot bat in Gotham City?
KNOX's tone is jokey, but only half-jokey. ECKHARDT snorts
in disgust and turns away. KNOX shouts after him:
KNOX (cont.)
If so, is he on the police payroll?
If so, what's he pulling down after
taxes?
EXT. STREET - THAT MOMENT - NIGHT
We pick up LT. ECKHARDT as he emerges onto the side street.
He's headed for his car when he spies a STRETCH LIMO idling
across the street. Leaning on the hood, waving hi, is the
dandyish JACK NAPIER -- flanked by two impressive GOONS.
ECKHARDT throws a nervous glance back in KNOX's direction.
He turns left, gestures to JACK to meet him farther up the
block. By the time he reaches the corner JACK has swaggered
up alongside him.
ECKHARDT takes a fat brown envelope from JACK and stuffs it
quickly in his coat.
JACK
You didn't show up.
ECKHARDT
We had another bat sighting.
JACK
I'm sure that was vitally important.
Listen: things are heating up.
Someone is leaking information to
Harvey Dent.
ECKHARDT bristles. There's no love lost between these two.
ECKHARDT
I'm doing the best I can. If it's a
problem --
JACK
Eckhardt... our problems are your
problems.
ECKHARDT
I'll work on it.
JACK reaches out and grabs ECKHARDT by the lapels of his
topcoat -- an Italian job, obviously expensive. He rubs the
material between his fingers.
JACK
Very nice, Lieutenant. But a little
ostentatious on a cop's salary,
don't you think?
ECKHARDT
(knocking his hands away)
I answer to Grissom, punk. Not to
you.
JACK
You're a smart boy, Eckhardt. You
should be thinking about the future.
ECKHARDT laughs in his face.
ECKHARDT
Ambition.
(nodding his head)
Forget it, Jack. You'll never run
that organization.
JACK
And why's that?
ECKHARDT
You're a psycho, friend. You're an
A-one crazy boy and Grissom knows
it.
JACK lashes out and BACKHANDS ECKHARDT across the face. The
fat cop, stunned, turns bright red and CHARGES JACK.
JACK claps a hand on ECKHARDT's face and shoves him back
full-force. The cop sprawls on his ass in the doorway of an
all-night Cuban-Chinese restaurant.
By now PATRONS are staring out of the restaurant windows.
ECKHARDT is livid. His hand goes instinctively to his gun.
JACK
Here. Use mine.
JACK pulls an automatic from his pocket and tosses it in
ECKHARDT's lap. He looks down and laughs, daring ECKHARDT
to pick it up -- just as the two enormous GOONS from the
stretch limo appear behind him for reinforcement.
ECKHARDT wipes blood from his mouth as JACK -- an A-one
crazy-boy grin on his face -- reaches down for the gun.
JACK (cont.)
It's all right, boys. Lt. Eckhardt
here is a good cop. A real good cop.
(pause; smiling)
Inexpensive.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. GOTHAM GLOBE - CITY ROOM - DAY
Gotham city's leading tabloid daily. COPY BOYS rush to and
fro; REPORTERS pound out articles on computer terminals.
ALEXANDER KNOX saunters in, a sheath of typed pages in his
hand, and pauses at a CARTOONIST's drawing table.
KNOX
What have you got for me, Jerry?
JERRY holds up a cartoon: a HUMAN BAT, with an awful,
fanged rodent's face, wearing a business suit. The caption
at the top reads: "HAVE YOU SEEN THIS MAN?" KNOX nods in
approval.
KNOX (cont.)
Nice, but... maybe a little more gore
on the fangs, huh?
He pats JERRY on the shoulder, moves on. A BESPECTACLED
COLLEAGUE spots him and calls out:
COLLEAGUE
Hey Knox, you got a visitor.
KNOX
I'm real busy, Clark. Be a pal and
dust him, okay?
COLLEAGUE
This one you might want to dust
yourself.
Curiosity piqued, KNOX moves toward his desk... and stops
in his tracks. Propped up on the desk are a PAIR OF LEGS.
The legs -- exceptionally nice ones -- are attached to a
WOMAN leaning back in KNOX's swivel chair, taking a nap,
her face obscured by a big outrageous hat.
KNOX
... Vicki Vale.
The hat tips back. VICKI VALE, her face framed by a shock
of bright red hair, flashes a dazzling smile. She pulls
KNOX over for a quick smooch and laughs.
VICKI
How'd you know it was me?
KNOX
Honey -- I would know any randomly
selected square inch of Vicki
Vale.
(grinning)
If I had a good enough hint.
He points at the oversized CAMERA BAG on his desk. It bears
the monogram "V.V." VICKI catches on, makes a face at him.
KNOX (cont.)
Where the hell have you been?
VICKI
A nice, restful vacation.
She reaches into the camera bag and pulls out a stack of
glossy 8x10's: COMBAT PHOTOS from some unspecified war-torn
corner of the world. KNOX leafs though them, impressed.
KNOX
God, a girl could get hurt doing
this.
VICKI
I do get hurt.
She unbuttons her sleeve, rolls it back to show KNOX a long
fresh scar on the inside of her arm. He winces -- then
points to the scar and adds, slyly:
KNOX
Got any more of those?
VICKI
Nothing I'm at liberty to reveal
here. What's new and hot in Gotham
City?
KNOX
It's too good, Vick. We got a six-
foot bat that swoops out of the
night and preys on evildoers.
VICKI
(laughing)
Evildoers, huh? Big or small?
KNOX
Small so far. I mean -- they don't
allow bats in boardrooms, do they.
VICKI
Speaking of which... I hear the
notorious Bruce Wayne is throwing a
big do for the Harvey Dent campaign.
KNOX
Yeah. Hottest ticket in town. Every
law'n'order freak in the city's
gonna be there.
KNOX suddenly freezes. It's just occurred to him that VICKI
may have a purpose in all this.
KNOX (cont.)
Wa-a-it. Vicki. You're not saying --
She reaches back into her camera bag and hands over an
INVITATION. KNOX is all but panting with excitement.
KNOX (cont.)
Aw, Vicki. Vicki!
(apprehensively)
Got a date?
She flutters her great big eyelashes, shakes her head no.
KNOX grabs her face and plants a kiss on her forehead,
nearly knocking her out of the swivel chair.
KNOX (cont.)
Vicki, baby, I love you, I've always
loved you. Will you marry me?
VICKI
(straightening her clothes)
No.
KNOX
Well, I'm starving. Will you at
least buy me a hamburger?
VICKI
Yes, but please -- be gentle.
Overwhelmed with glee, he offers her his arm.
CUT TO:
INT. PENTHOUSE - DAY
A HUGE PLATE GLASS WINDOW opens on the best view in Gotham.
This spectacular penthouse suite is just one of the power
perks available to CARL GRISSOM, kingpin of the Gotham City
rackets, fat, fifty, and utterly without charm.
GRISSOM, behind a big broad desk, addresses his LIEUTENANTS
-- a fearsome assemblage of bloodless white-collar types
and few outright goons, sprawled in chairs throughout this
makeshift 'boardroom.' The big boss waves a copy of the
Gotham Globe -- with HARVEY DENT's face on the cover.
GRISSOM
Nine points ahead in the new poll. I
don't like the way this is shaping
up.
JACK NAPIER slouches in an easy chair off to GRISSOM's
right, doing his trademark one-handed shuffle.
JACK
We can always pop him. -- Or pop
someone close to him.
LIEUTENANT
Let's feed him to the bat.
This suggestion draws CHUCKLES from several members of the
crowd. GRISSOM is unamused.
GRISSOM
He's going after our front
companies. Specifically Ace
Chemical. Which would tie us
in with Councilman Kane, Senator
Miller... on up the line.
(pause)
We have to clean out our files
before the subpoena comes down.
LIEUTENANT
How do we go? The usual fire?
GRISSOM
I'm thinking break-in. Trash the
office, remove the relevant
documents...
JACK
"Industrial espionage."
GRISSOM
That's right. And Jack --
(pause)
I'd like you to handle this
operation personally.
JACK has just turned up the third ace off the top of the
deck. His hand freezes in midair.
JACK
... Me?
At this exact moment, METAL DOORS slide back -- and ALICIA
HUNT steps out of GRISSOM's private penthouse elevator.
She's carrying a handful of SHOPPING BAGS.
GRISSOM
Hello, sweetheart. I wonder if you'd
mind waiting in the other room.
ALICIA's gaze meets JACK's as she vanishes through a side
door. The eye contact is not lost on GRISSOM.
JACK
Why do you need me to handle a
simple break-in?
GRISSOM
(emphatically)
Because I want someone I can
trust.
JACK bridles, but doesn't protest. Nervously, he turns the
fourth card off the top of the deck. It's not an ace.
It's a JOKER -- a Joker with a neat, round, .22 calibre
HOLE through its face.
GRISSOM (cont.)
We'll work out the details later.
But it's got to be soon. -- All
right, that's all for now.
GRISSOM'S CRONIES get up to go. JACK, troubled, lingers
behind a moment.
GRISSOM (cont.)
You don't mind, do you Jack? It's an
important job. I can't trust it to
somebody who'll screw up.
JACK
I understand.
GRISSOM
(smiling)
Jack. Don't forget your lucky deck.
JACK pockets the deck and leaves. GRISSOM sits behind the
big desk and GRINS WOLFISHLY.
GRISSOM (cont.)
My friend, your luck is just about
to change.
He reaches for the phone. ALICIA appears in the doorway
nearby, modeling her new purchases for him. He smiles
coolly at her as he speaks into the receiver.
GRISSOM (cont.)
Get me Lieutenant Eckhardt.
CUT TO:
EXT. WAYNE MANOR - ESTABLISHING - NIGHT
A vast, rambling mansion on sixty wooded acres a half-
hour's drive from Gotham: old money, and how. Out front, a
team of red-jacketed VALETS are parking expensive cars.
INT. BALLROOM - NIGHT
A DEALER'S HAND pushes cards out of a shoe (the card kind,
not the Florsheim kind). It's casino night at Wayne Manor;
the ballroom has been outfitted with roulette wheels,
blackjack tables, etc., and the various members of Gotham's
power elite are happily -- and legally -- throwing money
into Harvey Dent's campaign kitty.
DENT himself is surrounded by a gang of political cronies,
telling jokes, calling in favors. VICKI's off in another
group, looking luscious, drawing compliments from big shots
and envious, furtive glances from their wives. And, in a
corner of the room, all alone in his cheap suit, stands
ALEXANDER KNOX -- staring inquisitively up at the ceiling.
A butler, ALFRED, appears alongside KNOX with a trayful of
champagne glasses. He too looks up at the ceiling.
KNOX
How high up would you say that is?
ALFRED
I'd say about thirty feet, sir.
KNOX
You know, if you cut your bathroom
in half, you'd have my apartment.
ALFRED
Which bathroom is that, air?
KNOX
The small one.
KNOX takes a drink and ALFRED moves on. A moment later,
VICKI detaches herself from her little circle of admirers
and hooks up with KNOX.
KNOX (cont.)
Man, I feel like Robin Leach. You
actually know all these people?
VICKI
Some. I am a rich bitch, remember.
(pause)
I'm quoting.
KNOX winces at the reminder. She smiles and takes his arm.
KNOX
Yeah, I guess we move in different
circles. -- Though I did meet a
one-eyed pimp last week.
ANGLE ON JAMES W. GORDON
Gotham's Police Commissioner, a distinguished-looking gent
in his late fifties. He's at a craps table, blowing into
his fist. ONLOOKERS root him on as he lets the dice fly.
Snake eyes. Crapped out. GORDON passes the dice as KNOX and
VICKI wander up alongside him.
KNOX
Commissioner Gordon! What do you
hear from our pointy-eared friend?
KNOX puts his hands up behind his head and wiggles his
fingers -- like little bat ears. GORDON groans.
GORDON
Knox, for the ninth time, and you
can quote me -- there is no bat.
KNOX
Aww, Commissioner. There's gotta be
one honest cop in Gotham city.
HARVEY DENT is working the room. He ambles up, claps a
friendly hand on GORDON's shoulder.
DENT
How's your luck, Jim?
KNOX
Mr. Dent. What's your stand on
winged vigilantes?
DENT exchanges a meaningful look with GORDON.
DENT
Mr. Knox, I think we have enough
real problems in this city without
worrying about ghosts and goblins
and Halloween characters.
CUT TO:
EXT. ACE CHEMICAL CO. ESTABLISHING - NIGHT
A NEON SIGN reads: "ACE CHEMICAL. FOR A MODERN TOMORROW."
From the SIGN we pan over to a METAL SLUICE GATE -- dumping
TONS of CHURNING TOXIC SLUDGE into Gotham's East River.
INT. VAN - THAT MOMENT - NIGHT
TIGHT ON the rear-view mirror. JACK NAPIER is meticulously
applying BLACK CAMOUFLAGE PAINT to his face. He could be
getting ready for a date.
The van is parked outside a chain-link fence which
surrounds the Ace Chemical complex.
JACK'S POV - THROUGH WINDSHIELD
The SECURITY GUARD in a glass booth at the entrance to the
parking lot. ONE OF JACK'S BOYS creeps up behind the booth
and takes the GUARD out.
INT. VAN - ON JACK
He turns the key in the ignition, shifts into first.
CUT TO:
INT. WAYNE MANOR - NIGHT
KNOX and VICKI are taking an unauthorized tour of BRUCE's
house, wandering through rooms decorated in wildly
divergent motifs, eyeing an astounding collection of
artworks and antiques from every corner of the world.
KNOX
My question is, where does one man
get all this junk.
VICKI
All over the world. They say he
spends most of the year overseas --
until recently, anyway.
KNOX
Holy shit...
KNOX goes goggle-eyed as they enter the LIBRARY.
INT. BRUCE WAYNE'S LIBRARY - NIGHT
KNOX (cont.)
... We found the arsenal.
One wall is lined to the ceiling with leather-bound
volumes. On the other walls hang EXOTIC WEAPONS. Halberds.
Maces. Blowguns. Bolas. Thugee ropes and samurai swords...
every arcane implement of death the human mind has ever
devised. KNOX lets out a low whistle.
KNOX (cont.)
This guy has just gotten
interesting. What else do you know?
VICKI
Just what I've heard. Rich.
Reclusive. Old money and lots of it.
KNOX
Likes to kill?
VICKI
(smiling)
Women find him magnetic.
KNOX
I bet they like him for his big
charity balls.
VICKI
That, and the sweet smell of two
hundred million bucks.
KNOX
Well, you know me. The more they've
got, the less they're worth.
(scanning the room)
This guy must be the most worthless
man in America.
Just then, A VOICE FROM BEHIND intrudes.
BRUCE WAYNE
You disappoint me. Why not the
world?
KNOX turns. We get our first good look at the smiling face
of BRUCE WAYNE: 32, tall, athletic, impeccably mannered...
and intensely handsome.
KNOX
I assume in my usual charming manner
I've just insulted the host.
(extending a hand)
Alexander Knox.
BRUCE
Bruce Wayne. -- I've read your work.
I quite like it.
KNOX
Great. Give me a grant.
BRUCE
I might consider it if you introduce
me to Miss Vale.
KNOX blinks at VICKI. BRUCE already seems to know who she
is. KNOX shrugs and forges bravely ahead:
KNOX
"This is Miss Vale." -- That felt
redundant.
BRUCE
(to VICKI)
You're just back from Corto Maltese.
I saw your combat photos. Quite a
departure for you.
VICKI
That's intriguing. They haven't been
published yet.
BRUCE smiles and ignores the implied question.
BRUCE
... You have an extraordinary eye.
He's laying on the charm now. KNOX, his territorial
instincts aroused, pipes up:
KNOX
Some people think she has two.
VICKI shoots KNOX a sidelong glance:
VICKI
Don't mind my friend. He's a little
nervous tonight.
KNOX, chastened, calls off the dogs and sizes up his
competition. BRUCE is charming, all right, but there's
something formal, maybe even calculating about it -- he
could be reading his clever remarks off cue cards. It's
almost as though he's an actor doing a brilliant imitation
of charm.
This is a man who thinks three moves ahead. KNOX doesn't
like him. But VICKI -- who's used to seeing male charm
turned on and off, at will -- doesn't seem to mind at all:
VICKI (cont.)
This is an amazing house. I'd love
to shoot it sometime.
BRUCE
I don't... seek publicity. -- Will
you be staying in Gotham for a
while?
VICKI
As far as I know.
BRUCE
Good. Then with any luck we'll run
into each other.
Suddenly ALFRED, the butler, appears in the doorway behind
them. He clears his throat. BRUCE turns.
ALFRED
Excuse me, sir. Commissioner Gordon
was compelled to leave -- very
unexpectedly. He asked me to convey
his regrets.
BRUCE
Thank you, Alfred.
(to VICKI)
I hope you'll excuse me. It was a
great pleasure meeting you.
(to KNOX)
And you.
Without bothering to shake hands BRUCE does a sharp 180 and
strides hurriedly out of the room.
KNOX
I know the rich are different, but
that guy is real different.
VICKI, staring off after BRUCE, doesn't seem to hear him.
KNOX (cont.)
Hello? Vicki?
VICKI
Oh. Sorry. I was thinking.
KNOX
What were you thinking?
VICKI
Yum, yum.
KNOX
Well, he must like the way he
looks. He's got a mirror in every
room.
And indeed, the two of them are standing before an enormous
WALL MIRROR, eight feet wide, running from floor to
ceiling.
VICKI
I get it. Bruce Vain.
She pokes KNOX. He groans at the dumb pun. And suddenly we
CUT TO:
REVERSE ANGLE - THROUGH THE MIRROR
looking DOWN ON KNOX and VICKI -- THROUGH ONE-WAY GLASS --
as they continue to chat. Behind the mirror... recording
everything that happens in the room... is a small, silent,
state-of-the-art SURVEILLANCE CAMERA.
CLOSEUP - VIDEO MONITOR
showing KNOX and VICKI in the library. CAMERA PULLS BACK to
reveal that the screen we're watching is only one in a
whole vast bank of video monitors. From this control
center, we can see everything that's happening in the
house.
Now we ZERO IN on a single screen: GUESTS moving backward,
with exaggerated speed, as a videotape REWINDS.
At the panel, BRUCE WAYNE hits a button. And now we see
COMMISSIONER GORDON talking to a uniformed POLICEMAN.
PATROLMAN
... anonymous tip. Tonight. The Ace
Chemical Company.
GORDON
(obviously agitated)
Good Lord, it we could put our hands
on Jack Napier... Why wasn't I told
about this? Who's in charge of
the --
PATROLMAN
Lt. Eckhardt, sir.
GORDON
Eckhardt. Oh my God...
And suddenly COMMISSIONER GORDON is grabbing for his coat.
The monitor goes black. BRUCE reaches up, loosens his tie.
CUT TO:
EXT. ACE CHEMICAL CO. - PARKING LOT - NIGHT
UNMARKED POLICE CARS are pulling into the lot, headlights
off. ECKHARDT circulates among his ARMED SWAT TEAM, handing
out xeroxed copies of a PHOTOGRAPH.
The PHOTOGRAPH is a full-face shot of JACK NAPIER.
ECKHARDT
Shoot to kill.
INT. ACE CHEMICAL - FILE ROOM - NIGHT
SPARKS FLY. A SAFECRACKER, in welder's mask, trains a
blowtorch on the office safe. Behind him, JACK'S HOODS are
at work on the filing cabinets.
The SAFECRACKER kills his blowtorch and opens the metal
door of the safe, giving JACK a good look at its contents:
SAFECRACKER
... Empty.
HOOD I
Just like the file cabinets.
HOOD II
I don't get it. If this place is
cleaned out already, what do we need
five men?
JACK shakes his head. His boys are antsy, ready to mutiny.
By now it's depressingly obvious: they've been set up.
Then, as if they needed any proof -- a SIREN blares
outside.
EXT. ACE CHEMICAL - NIGHT
ECKHARDT'S SWAT TEAM goes wide-eyed as a CONVOY OF POLICE
BLACK-AND-WHITES roars into the Ace parking lot. UNIFORMED
COPS pile out of their squad cars, relieving the SWAT TEAM.
ECKHARDT goes livid as COMMISSIONER GORDON approaches.
ECKHARDT
What are you trying to do, blow the
collar?
GORDON
(to SWAT TEAM)
You men are dismissed. We'll take
over from here.
(to UNIFORMED COPS)
Any man who opens fire on Jack
Napier... will answer to me.
ECKHARDT tries to slink off. GORDON grabs him roughly.
GORDON (cont.)
You. Stick around.
INT. ACE CHEMICAL - THAT MOMENT
JACK and his HOODS ducking out of the office. It's two
stories above the refinery floor, accessible by a network
of steel ladders and CATWALKS running between the walls.
Down below, a CORRUGATED METAL DOOR begins to rise.
COP
Freeze!
One hood goes into a crouch and OPENS FIRE. Half of his
colleagues dive back into the office, looking for a rear
exit. The others take off across the CATWALKS.
ANGLE ON GORDON
standing in the doorway as his MEN rush into the building
and take their places behind heavy machinery. SHOTS RING
OUT as the HOODS scatter.
ECKHARDT
(snidely)
Nice work, Commissioner.
GORDON
I'm in charge here. Not Carl
Grissom.
INT. HALLWAY - THAT MOMENT
TWO HOODS run down a tiled corridor in the office section
of the complex. They're almost at the end of the hall when
a CAPED BLACK SHADOW steps into their path.
It stands there, motionless. EXTENDS ITS ARMS -- like giant
WINGS -- revealing the yellow-and-black insigne on its
massive chest. BATMAN.
One millisecond later, the shocked HOODS are racing back in
the opposite direction.
THE BATMAN flings a handful of STEEL BALL-BEARINGS across
the tiled floor. HOOD I tumbles to the floor and lands
hard, losing his breath. HOOD II rolls and pulls a GUN.
BATMAN hurls a BOOMERANG -- its edges scalloped, like a
bat's wing. HOOD II finds his gun hand PINNED TO THE WALL
by the twin prongs of the BATARANG.
THE BATMAN strides briskly toward them, businesslike,
taking his time. He grabs a handful of HOOD I's hair, lifts
his head off the floor, KNEES HIM IN THE FACE.
He turns to the petrified HOOD II. CHROME-STEEL TALONS
spring out of his fingertips. He strolls past HOOD II,
reaching out casually to give him a QUICK NICK on the chin.
HOOD II slumps against the wall, unconscious.
ANGLE ON JACK
down on the floor, racing along a wall, THROWING SWITCHES
-- anything to create a diversion. With every switch he
throws, ANOTHER GIGANTIC MACHINE roars to life. CENTRIFUGES
SPIN. HUGE POLYMER EXTRUDERS spit out thick strands of
plastic gunk. OVERHEAD CHEMICAL TANKS rotate into place
over giant basins.
JACK SEES a squad of COPS on his tail, moving from machine
to machine, keeping covered. He SHOOTS AND RUNS.
ANGLE ON CATWALKS
BLASTING AWAY, HOODS III and IV scuttle across the elevated
walkways, keeping down, avoiding police fire. One of them
starts up a vertical ladder leading to the next catwalk up.
BATMAN plunges past on the end of a rope. A BLACK-GLOVED
HAND snatches at HOOD III's collar as he climbs and YANKS
HIM CLEANLY OFF THE LADDER. They drop to the lower catwalk.
HOOD IV gapes. He LEVELS HIS GUN at BATMAN, who stands his
ground, holding onto the rails of the catwalk for support.
A bullet hits him squarely in the chest. He does not fall.
HOOD IV turns and scrambles. BATMAN goes to his belt for a
miniature SPEAR GUN. He points it at HOOD IV and FIRES...
planting a BARBED HOOK in the HOOD'S LEG.
ANGLE ON COPS
staring up in utter disbelief at the action on the catwalk.
COP
LOOK!
GORDON
My God... it's him.
ANGLE ON CATWALK
HOOD III, on his feet now, charges BATMAN from behind.
BATMAN -- not even turning to face him -- DROPS HOOD III
with an ELBOW. Now he has a HOOD on either side.
He takes a STEEL BILLY CLUB from his belt, whips it once
through the air. It telescopes out into a FOUR-FOOT STAFF.
Like a drum majorette from hell, he WHIRLS THE STAFF as the
HOODS CONVERGE on him. HOOD III takes a debilitating JAB
UNDER THE JAW. BATMAN SPINS on his heels and SLAMS THE
STAFF into HOOD IV's BACK -- knocking him OFF THE CATWALK
to the factory floor forty feet below!
INT. ACE LOADING BAY - THAT MOMENT
JACK spots a possible out. He hits a button on the wall;
STEEL DOORS RISE to reveal ACE CARGO TRUCKS in the parking
lot outside. Beyond the trucks... AN ARMY OF COPS waiting
for JACK to make his move.
No go. He turns. Behind him, other cops -- the inside team
-- are rushing at him in full riot gear. JACK ducks behind
a forklift and darts into the adjacent room.
INT. CHEMICAL SUPPLY ROOM - A MOMENT LATER
JACK sprints through the room, firing FOUR SHOTS at the
metal CHEMICAL TANKS on the wall. TOXIC CHEMICALS gush out
onto the floor in streams. The streams run together...
begin to SMOKE and SIZZLE.
COPS RIGHT BEHIND HIM. JACK can't resist taking one last
pot-shot at a FIFTH CHEMICAL TANK.
AN EXPLOSION knocks him off his feet.
INT. FACTORY FLOOR - A MOMENT LATER
COPS LOOK ON IN PUZZLEMENT as a RIVER OF CHEMICALS courses
out into the main refinery. A second later, they go UP IN
FLAMES. A WALL OF FIRE bisects the factory floor.
JACK RACES ALONG behind the spreading wall of flame. The
cops can't see him now. He ducks behind a huge machine,
hits a switch -- and SLUICE GATES OPEN. CHEMICAL SLUDGE
begins to churn. A big HOLE IN THE WALL appears as a gate
opens on the East River. It's the waste dump!
Up on the catwalk, BATMAN has a perfect view of JACK. If
JACK can just sprint through the flames without getting
shot, he'll make it to the river. BATMAN hooks a rope to
his Batarang, FLINGS IT at a catwalk across the floor.
JACK bolts. BURSTS THROUGH the wall of fire. And just as he
does --
BATMAN leaps off the catwalk and swings down toward him!
His foot catches a THIRTY-FOOT ROLL of plastic, six feet in
diameter, one of several standing upright on the floor. The
plastic roll DROPS into JACK's path, BLOCKING HIS EXIT.
An instant later, BATMAN lands on top of JACK. Wraps an arm
around his throat and RAISES his free hand. DRUG-TIPPED
STEEL TALONS appear. But before he can paralyze JACK...
VOICE
HOLD IT!
In all the ruckus, HOOD V has managed to circle back behind
the heavy machinery. Now he's got a GUN pointed DIRECTLY AT
COMMISSIONER GORDON'S HEAD.
HOOD V
Let him go or I'll do it.
BATMAN releases JACK and stands back. JACK chuckles to
himself: what loyalty. Then, with plenty of time, he
strolls across the floor to a Jacob's ladder mounted on the
back wall... and BEGINS TO CLIMB toward the catwalks.
All action stops. BATMAN doesn't move. The COPS don't move.
HOOD V stands there sweating, his gun hand shaking as he
waits for JACK to climb safely out of shooting range.
ECKHARDT's pig-like eyes glisten. His hand drops to his
side. He's half-tempted to pull a gun and get the
Commissioner plugged.
ANGLE ON JACK
at a crouch, groping his way along the rail of the catwalk.
He reaches a paneled glass window propped open by a
supporting rod. It's a forty-foot drop to the swirling
black currents of the East River... and freedom.
He's about to climb out when his eye falls on a .38
AUTOMATIC -- which lies, abandoned, on the gridwork floor
of the catwalk mere yards away.
ANGLE ON FACTORY FLOOR
The HOOD, one arm around GORDON. With his gun at the
Commissioner's temple, he backs slowly toward the door.
HOOD V
Nobody makes a move. We go out
clean.
JACK'S VOICE
ECKHARDT!!
ALL EYES TURN to the catwalk overhead, where JACK stands
poised with the .38 in his fist. A SINGLE SHOT drops
ECKHARDT cleanly.
The moment's distraction is all BATMAN needs. He hurls a
NINJA WHEEL -- a small, ratcheted, razor-sharp disc -- at
the FOREARM of HOOD V. One jerk of a thin filament WIRE --
a sudden SHRIEK -- and GORDON IS FREE.
The THUG lurches forward. His GUN DROPS to the floor,
DISCHARGING ACCIDENTALLY.
AN UNGODLY HOWL OF PAIN echoes out from the catwalk above.
JACK REELS and STAGGERS, his hands CLUTCHING AT HIS CHEEKS.
BLOOD GUSHES from between his fingers.
JACK NAPIER HAS BEEN SHOT THROUGH THE FACE.
A YOUNG COP, unnerved by the sight of JACK's agonized
pirouette, draws his gun and OPENS FIRE.
GORDON
NO!!
But the bullet has caught JACK in the arm. He spins,
totters to the edge of the catwalk... and TOPPLES OVER. The
COPS look on helplessly as JACK plunges TWO STORIES DOWN
into a CATCH BASIN full of BUBBLING TOXIC WASTE, SCREAMING
ALL THE WAY.
GORDON (cont.)
Goddammit, we had him. We --
And suddenly, with JACK out of the picture, all attention
focusses on THE BATMAN. COPS reach for their guns, circle
warily around him. Cornered now, he backs off slowly, HANDS
ON HIS BELT.
GORDON (cont.)
Hold it right there, Mister.
THE BATMAN raises his hands in a gesture of surrender. Then
-- as the COPS advance -- he flicks TWO TINY CAPSULES onto
the factory floor.
A BLINDING FLASH OF LIGHT. COLORS BURST in a wild
pyrotechnic display. COPS stumble backwards, momentarily
dazzled, as a THICK WALL OF BLACK SMOKE conceals BATMAN
from view.
A TINY GRAPPLING HOOK rockets out of the dense curling
cloud and CATCHES on a catwalk overhead.
COP
LOOK!
The COPS are firing wildly into the smoke. But it's too
late. At the end of a cord, THE BLACK MAJESTIC FIGURE OF
THE BATMAN whips upward, rising out of the smoke like an
avenging angel -- and DISAPPEARING into the shadowy
heights, safely out of range.
GORDON
HOLD YOUR FIRE!
COP
... Who is this guy?
GORDON
I don't know, but he's one hell of a
showman.
CUT TO:
EXT. ACE CHEMICAL CO. - THAT MOMENT - NIGHT
A BLACK SHADOW scurries across the roof. From the
illuminated sign with its neon ace, WE PAN DOWN past the
chemical sluice to a SECOND ACE... a card from JACK's lucky
deck, pierced by a neat, round bullet hole, bobbing on the
oily surface of the foul, polluted river.
As deadly toxins gush forth, OTHER CARDS from the deck
swirl past: a nine. A deuce. A queen. And finally, a JOKER
-- SHOT CLEANLY THROUGH THE FACE.
A BONE-WHITE HAND BREAKS THE SURFACE as we
SHOCK CUT TO:
INT. GOTHAM GLOBE - CITY ROOM - DAY
A BANNER HEADLINE on the late edition of the Globe: "BAT
MAN FOILS ROBBERY. WHO IS MASKED VIGILANTE?"
Behind the newspaper, feet propped up on his desk, is a
jubilant KNOX. He's on the horn to COMMISSIONER GORDON.
KNOX
Commissioner. Do us both a favor.
Don't tell me some lie you'll have
to retract later.
CLICK. KNOX grins, lowers the paper, finds himself looking
up at the smiling face of VICKI VALE.
KNOX (cont.)
Vick! Looks like our friend the bat
is getting ambitious. -- Why the
dopey grin?
VICKI
Guess who's got a date with Bruce
Wayne.
KNOX
Bruce Wayne? Date? He called you up
and asked you for a date?... Shit.
(shouting)
HEY MIRANDA! C'MERE!
(to VICKI)
I want you to pay close attention to
this. Miranda -- tell my friend here
what you told me about Bruce Wayne.
A SUPERANNUATED SOUTHERN BELLE toddles over. MIRANDA REITZ,
60, is the society editor of the Globe.
MIRANDA
You mean Mister One-Nighter?
KNOX
Yeah. "Mister One-Nighter."
(to VICKI)
Because that's the average length of
his relationships with women.
MIRANDA
The current record is almost two
weeks. That cover girl -- what's her
name? You must've shot her, Vicki --
KNOX
Tell her about the peanuts.
VICKI
Peanuts?
KNOX
Yeah. Peanuts. Which is how he goes
through women.
MIRANDA
Like Planter's Peanuts.
VICKI is about to break out into helpless giggles.
VICKI
Plain or roasted?
(standing up)
Alex, I'm very flattered that you've
gone out and done all this research.
KNOX
Why?
(blushing suddenly)
Aw, come on, Vicki, I'm a reporter.
I'm curious. I do this for a living.
-- What'd you tell him?
VICKI
I told him yes.
KNOX fumes. VICKI shakes her head and laughs. She takes
KNOX's face in her hands, plants a kiss on his forehead.
VICKI (cont.)
You're awfully sweet to be
concerned, but it's really not
necessary. I'll call you, okay?
She exits. KNOX stands there looking poleaxed.
KNOX
... What was that?
MIRANDA
That was one of the most gracious
fuck-yous it's ever been my pleasure
to watch. -- What a nice girl.
KNOX, totally flustered, sighs and sinks into his chair.
KNOX
Miranda, I'm busy. Go be productive.
CUT TO:
EXT. COASTLINE - DAY
A CABIN CRUISER slices through the waves. In the distance,
closer to the shore, we see a throng of SAILBOATS.
EXT. DECK - YACHT - DAY
BRUCE's forty-foot cabin cruiser, aptly christened "DIE
FLEIDERMAUS." BRUCE and VICKI are on the deck, in chairs,
soaking up sun, gazing off at the sailboats.
VICKI
Do you sail?
BRUCE
Too much work. I'm not really the
physical type. -- Thank you, Alfred.
ALFRED has just appeared from belowdecks with a tray of
drinks for BRUCE and VICKI. VICKI watches as BRUCE reaches
for his glass. His forearm looks like a thin layer of skin
over braided telephone cables.
VICKI
You do a very convincing imitation.
(sipping her drink)
Mm, this is tasty. What's yours?
He smiles, slides the drink over toward her, gestures for
her to try a sip.
VICKI (cont.)
... Ginger ale?
BRUCE
Two drinks and I start swinging from
the rooftops.
(beat)
Tell me, Vicki. There's something
I'm very curious about. What took
you down to Corto Maltese?
VICKI
... I guess I needed a change.
BRUCE
You were one of the most successful
magazine photographers in the city.
Everyone wanted you.
VICKI
Have you ever been to Corto Maltese?
BRUCE
Not since the shooting started.
VICKI
We went there once when I was
little. I played on the beach. And
at nights -- they had a band -- I
danced with my father on the hotel
patio.
(shrugging)
That was Corto Maltese. When the war
broke out I had to go back. And I
promised myself that this time... I
wouldn't look away.
BRUCE
What did you see?
VICKI
... Terror.
The conversation is getting rather intense -- at both ends.
VICKI seems to have hit some weird chord within BRUCE.
BRUCE
There's terror everywhere. Some
types are just more -- familiar
than others.
For a moment BRUCE seems to be drifting back into his
familiar 'preoccupied' mode. VICKI laughs apologetically.
VICKI
I'm sorry. I didn't mean to -- I
know it all seems a million miles
away, out here on the water, with
all this --
BRUCE
Insulation?
VICKI is momentarily stuck for a reply. In some way she
can't quite grasp, he seems to be challenging her.
VICKI
Bruce, really, when I say these
things I don't mean to criticize
you.
BRUCE
I think you see things very clearly.
VICKI
I'm happy to talk about something
else. I don't want to be depressing.
BRUCE
(smiling)
Do you assume that if I know you
better I won't like you as much?
VICKI starts laughing. BRUCE is a notorious womanizer, but
if this is a come-on, it's like no come-on she's ever seen.
VICKI
I'm sorry, Bruce, I have to ask. Are
you like this with the other women
you know? -- Because I just can't
seem to get a handle on this
conversation.
BRUCE
(taking her hand)
Vicki, if I say anything cryptic, or...
ambiguous, I think you should put
the most flattering possible
interpretation on it. Because even
if it doesn't sound that way...
that's how I'll mean it.
Bingo. The guy's a chessplayer, but on the other hand he's
also rather touchingly, almost childishly, sincere. Before
she knows it, VICKI finds herself melting.
CUT TO:
INT. GOTHAM CITY OPERA HOUSE - NIGHT
Rigoletto. THE DUKE onstage, launching into his big
crowd-pleaser, "La Donna e Mobile."
WE PAN THE AUDIENCE, finding several mobile young DONNAS in
the crowd -- drop-dead beauties in slinky gowns. Although
most eyes are fixed, reasonably enough, on the stage, DONNA
#1 is staring with undisguised envy at a PRIVATE BOX above
the orchestra seats. Her mouth twists in disgust.
She scans the crowd, finds her counterpart (DONNA #2) some
rows back, on the arm of a bald bigwig. DONNA #2 is wearing
a similar sour expression, staring up at the same box.
DONNA #3 is even less discreet than her comrades. She has
her opera glasses trained on the couple in the box.
HER POV - THROUGH OPERA GLASSES - THE BOX
BRUCE and VICKI. He whispers in her ear. She smiles and
whispers back.
A beat. He whispers again. This time she doesn't laugh. But
her lips part slightly. SCREEN GOES BLACK as the opera
glasses SNAP SHUT.
ANGLE ON CROWD - DONNA #3
staring icily at the DUKE as he finishes up to a round of
TUMULTUOUS APPLAUSE.
CUT TO:
INT. WAYNE MANOR - NIGHT
BRUCE and VICKI enter. He takes her coat, drops it on a
chair by the door. VICKI is giddy, all champagned up.
VICKI
-- but it's not fair. I'm half
drunk and you're not even --
BRUCE
Would you like me to take you home?
VICKI
God. You would.
(sidling up to him)
Come on, Bruce. I just want to get
two drinks in you. As an
experiment.
BRUCE
Maybe we should just kiss.
VICKI
... We could try that.
WIDER ANGLE
BRUCE embracing VICKI in the vastness of the darkened entry
hall, framed by long semicircular STAIRWAYS on opposite
walls. A SUDDEN FLASH OF LIGHTNING transports us to:
EXT. OFFICE BUILDING - ESTABLISHING - NIGHT
Broken windows, graffiti on the walls: a decrepit rathole
near the Gotham docks.
INT. DOCTOR'S OFFICE - NIGHT
TIGHT ON a face swathed in bandages. The patient sits erect
in a wooden chair, surrounded by the grimy paraphernalia of
an unlicensed gangland doctor.
The DOCTOR, a nervous little ferret with the bedside manner
of a back-alley abortionist, steps up with a scissors.
DOCTOR
Well, Mr. Napier, let's see how we
did.
He begins to snip away. As the bandages come off, we get:
JACK NAPIER'S POV
The last strands of gauze peel away. The DOCTOR stands
there, looking at his handiwork. His mouth falls open. His
eyes bug out. He GAGS.
JACK (V.O.)
Mirror.
The DOCTOR just stands there staring AT CAMERA, stock-
still, apparently transfixed by the sight of JACK's face.
JACK (V.O.)
Mirror.
ANGLE ON DOCTOR
He clears his throat, reaches apprehensively for a hand
mirror, and passes it out of frame to JACK. Two beats.
Then, the sound of GLASS SHATTERING as the mirror drops to
the floor.
JACK begins to laugh. THE DOCTOR gets a little edgy.
DOCTOR
You understand the facial muscles
were completely severed --
JACK keeps on laughing.
The DOCTOR turns uneasily away, gestures apologetically at
his seedy equipment.
DOCTOR (cont.)
-- you can see what I have to work
with here --
MORE LAUGHTER. The trembling DOCTOR covers his face with
one hand, whining now, not daring to look at JACK.
DOCTOR (cont.)
I'm sure that with proper recon--
recon-- reconstructive surgery --
A DOOR SLAMS. JACK is gone. The grateful DOCTOR breathes a
sigh of relief and steadies himself on an operating table.
EXT. OFFICE BUILDING - OVERHEAD ANGLE - NIGHT
From a point high above we see JACK emerging into the
alley, pulling on a hat, wrapping a muffler about his head.
We can't see his face. But we can't forget his LAUGH.
CUT TO:
INT. BRUCE WAYNE'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
VICKI nestled peacefully under the covers. Beside her is
BRUCE: hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling.
It's almost as though BRUCE is not used to sleeping at
night. He doesn't know what to do with himself.
He looks at VICKI. She's terribly lovely. But despite all
that, we can't shake the feeling that BRUCE... would really
rather be somewhere else.
CUT TO:
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
LOUD MUSIC. KIDS in punk regalia stand outside a rock club
as JACK stalks past. The wind knocks his hat off.
KID
Nice hair, dude!
JACK ignores them as he bends to retrieve his hat. Then he
gazes up at the steel-and-glass facade of a SKYSCRAPER --
and strides deliberately across the street.
INT. GRISSOM'S PENTHOUSE - NIGHT
The spectacular Gotham skyline, seen through the plate-
glass window of GRISSOM's conference room. The doors to the
private elevator hiss open and JACK wanders in. He plops in
the big plush swivel chair behind GRISSOM's desk.
GRISSOM (O.S.)
That you, sugar bumps?
GRISSOM waddles in unsuspectingly from the adjoining room.
He's fresh out of the shower, a towel wrapped around his
impressive girth. He's using a smaller towel to dry his
hair, and so it's a moment before he sees the bundled-up
figure at his desk.
GRISSOM (cont.)
Who the hell are you?
JACK
It's me. "Sugar Bumps."
GRISSOM
(recognizing his voice)
Jack?
(advancing cautiously)
Thank God. I can't believe it's you.
I heard you'd been --
JACK
(standing up)
Is that what you "heard"?
JACK gestures him over to the empty chair. GRISSOM doesn't
move until he sees the GUN pointed at his belly.
JACK (cont.)
YOU SET ME UP!
(beat)
Over a girl. You must be insane!
GRISSOM surreptitiously reaches for a desk drawer.
JACK (cont.)
Keep your hands on the desk.
GRISSOM
Sooner or later you would've tried
to take me, Jack. You may get me
now, but your life won't be worth a
dime.
JACK
I've died once already. It wasn't so
bad. -- In fact I recommend it.
GRISSOM is beginning to panic now. It's obvious that JACK
is utterly, hopelessly deranged.
GRISSOM
Jack, listen -- we'll cut a deal --
JACK
JACK? JACK? DO I LOOK LIKE A JACK??
And now, for the first time, he flings away the hat. RIPS
THE MUFFLER from his face. And -- as GRISSOM gasps in shock
-- STANDS REVEALED in his full horrendous glory.
His flesh is bleached bone-white. His hair is a luminous
seaweed-green. And his cheeks are torn and puckered from
the bullet wound, TWISTING HIS MOUTH INTO A HIDEOUS,
PERPETUAL HARLEQUIN'S GRIN.
JACK (cont.)
I'm not a Jack any more.
(pause; cackling)
You made me a Joker!
THE CACKLE BUILDS INTO FURIOUS, HYSTERICAL LAUGHTER.
GRISSOM, revulsed, terrified, pushes himself away from the
desk, back toward the window which overlooks the city.
GRISSOM
Jack -- I'm warning you. WIPE THAT
LUNATIC GRIN OFF YOUR FACE.
JACK
HA! That's the best part. I CAN'T!!
And with that JACK pulls the trigger. And fires. And fires
again until the CLIP IS EMPTY.
EXT. GRISSOM'S BUILDING - NIGHT
We TILT UP the chrome-and-glass facade of the skyscraper,
arriving finally at the TOP FLOOR: a PLATE GLASS WINDOW
spiderwebbed with cracks where Jack's bullets hit.
INT. GRISSOM'S PENTHOUSE - THAT MOMENT - NIGHT
The room is still dark. JACK -- or, as we'll know him from
this moment on, THE JOKER -- sits in GRISSOM's swivel
chair, staring out at the moon-drenched skyline.
JOKER
What a view. Our little city. It
always brings a smile to my face.
He reaches for a nearby glass of liquor and glances down at
GRISSOM -- who lies dead on the floor, the towel still
wrapped around him. THE JOKER laughs softly to himself.
JOKER (cont.)
Guess it's my little city now.
Wonder what it'll look like when I
get done with it.
(pause)
I bet it'll be something real fine.
Real fine and pretty.
DISSOLVE T0:
INT. BRUCE WAYNE'S BEDROOM - MORNING
The sun is just up, and VICKI finds herself alone in bed. A
SOFT, OFF-KEY BARITONE VOICE drifts out of the adjacent
bathroom: BRUCE in the shower, singing "Honeysuckle Rose."
She breaks into a huge smile and climbs out of bed. Somehow
she's wound up wearing BRUCE's ribbed formal shirt.
INT. BATHROOM - A MOMENT LATER - MORNING
BRUCE in his opulent deco shower stall, still SINGING to
himself. VICKI sneaks up behind him, opens the door. He
instantly STOPS SINGING -- as if he's been hit by a brick.
VICKI
I didn't mean to scare you. I just
had to come in here and see it that
was really you singing.
She smiles, teasing him. He doesn't respond. He acts as if
she's caught him doing something shameful -- exposed him.
VICKI (cont.)
(singing)
"Don't buy sugar -- you just have to
touch my cup." Come on. "You're my
sugar --"
(no response from BRUCE)
Bruce, you are such a case.
BRUCE seems somehow unable to sing along. But be quickly
recovers his composure -- and forces a crooked, almost
childish smile.
BRUCE
I don't sing very well.
VICKI
Then there's one thing in the world
you don't do very well. And I know
what it is. -- Now you'll have to
kill me.
He kisses her good morning, steps out and reaches for a
towel. His body is one big mass of BRUISES AND ABRASIONS.
VICKI (cont.)
Poor thing. You should stay off that
horse.
CUT TO:
INT. GLOBE - CITY ROOM - DAY
KNOX, in a surly mood, examines the morning edition of the
Globe. He's turned to page six -- the gossip page -- and
there, under Miranda Reitz's byline, is a picture of VICKI.
It seems she and BRUCE are the talk of the town.
KNOX
(disgusted)
...Peanut.
A COPY BOY approaches his desk with a MANILA FOLDER:
COPY BOY
Here's that morgue file you wanted.
KNOX leans back in his chair. The file is labelled "BRUCE
WAYNE: 1982-1987." KNOX opens it and begins to leaf
through old clippings from back issues of the Globe.
WAYNE FOUNDATION TO FUND LOW-COST HOUSING. MILLIONAIRE
HEADS CHARITY DRIVE FOR GOTHAM HANDICAPPED. HURRICANE
VICTIMS SAY 'THANK YOU' TO BRUCE WAYNE. KNOX's face sags in
dismay. Every article seems to be telling us just how swell
a rich philanthropist can be.
KNOX
Come on. Gimme some dirt!
Then he notices something odd. In the whole fat file of
clippings, there are no pictures of Bruce Wayne -- with two
partial exceptions.
One is a group shot, Bruce in the middle, waving at the
camera and blocking our view of his face. The other is an
ancient picture of a collegiate Bruce, stern-faced, hair
down to his collar. The caption reads "BRUCE WAYNE IN
1973" -- years out of date even when it ran in the paper.
KNOX (cont.)
... Why don't you like your picture
taken?
CUT TO:
INT. APARTMENT LOBBY - NIGHT
A DOORMAN DOZES in the plush lobby of ALICIA HUNT's
apartment building on the East Side of Gotham. Through the
glass doors we see ALICIA outside in the chill wind,
peering inside, hesitant to enter.
As silently as possible she uses her key and steps in,
tiptoeing past the doorman, trying not to wake him. She's
almost made it when he SITS BOLT UPRIGHT, startling her.
DOORMAN
Miss Hunt!
(smiling)
No need to sneak in. The rent's been
taken care of.
ALICIA
... The rent? Paid?
INT. ALICIA'S APARTMENT - NIGHT
ALICIA, mystified, lets herself in and turns to lock the
door. She's startled once more by a VOICE FROM BEHIND.
VOICE
Honey -- I'm home!
She pivots. Her eyes widen. She SHRIEKS.
Sitting cross-legged in an easy chair, a twisted grin on
his loathesome face, is THE JOKER. He's in a smoking jacket
and slippers, reading the paper, a dry martini at his side.
This grim parody of domesticity sends poor ALICIA into a
dead faint.
INT. PENTHOUSE SUITE - DAY
It looks for all the world like a corporate boardroom. At a
long table sit Gotham's most distinguished criminals:
GANGLORDS and RACKETS BOSSES from every corner of the city.
They stare suspiciously at the head of the table.
JOKER (O.S.)
So that's how it is, gents. Until
Grissom decides it's safe to come up
for air... I'm running the show.
Now we see what they see: THE JOKER, dressed rather
flamboyantly in a big slouch hat. His FACE is layered with
flesh-toned makeup, and his HAIR's been rinsed black.
Unfortunately, he can't conceal his ghoulish SMILE.
GANG BOSS
So why don't we hear this from
Grissom?
RACKETEER
I got something I'd like to know.
How come you're wearing that stupid
smirk?
JOKER
'Cause I got an army, chum. And I
got Grissom's army. And this city
is mine.
CARMINE ROTELLI, an especially oily mobster, speaks up:
ROTELLI
I don't like taking orders, from
Grissom. And I especially don't like
taking orders from Grissom's goon.
JOKER
I've considered that possibility.
ROTELLI
And what happens if we say no?
JOKER
(chuckling)
Nobody wants a war, Carmine. If we
can't do business, we shake hands
and part friends.
ROTELLI
That's it?
JOKER
That's it.
THE JOKER extends a hand. ROTELLI reaches out to shake it.
He doesn't see the JOY BUZZER concealed in the JOKER's
palm.
40,000 VOLTS course through ROTELLI's body. He drops back
into his seat a blackened husk, SMOKE pouring out from his
sleeves and shirt collar.
The CRIMELORDS recoil in horror. Before they can make a
move, a squad of ARMED THUGS burst into the room.
JOKER (cont.)
Looks like Carmine got a little hot
under the collar.
CRIMELORD
... You're insane!
The JOKER is a wee bit agitated. He removes the hat and
mops sweat from his brow, exposing a patch of CHALK-WHITE
FLESH -- to the great bewilderment of the ONLOOKERS.
JOKER
That's what they said about Lee
Iacocca. Now GET OUT OF HERE. -- And
THINK IT OVER!
The sickened CRIMINALS file out cautiously. That leaves THE
JOKER alone in the room with the charred corpse of ROTELLI.
THE JOKER sinks into a chair and -- as is his wont --
ADDRESSES THE STIFF:
JOKER (cont.)
Heck, they're not such bad guys. I
say we give 'em a couple of days to
come around.
(thoughtful pause)
We-e-ll... maybe one day.
(then, casually)
Aaah, screw it. Let's grease 'em.
CUT TO:
INT. SMALL BACK ROOM - NIGHT
A poker game. A CRIMELORD from the JOKER's board meeting
picks up his hand and fans out the cards. FIVE JOKERS.
He looks up, puzzled. The last thing he sees is a HIRED
KILLER bursting in through the door, GUN IN HAND.
EXT. GOTHAM PARK - DAY
A COSTUMED CLOWN with a wheeled cart, filling balloons from
a helium tank, passing them out to the kids. CRIMELORD #2
strolls past. The CLOWN offers him a balloon, which be
politely refuses.
THE CLOWN reaches into his cart for a RED METAL TANK. But,
as we quickly find out, it's not a helium tank -- it's a
FLAMETHROWER.
EXT. HALLIDAY PLAZA - DAY
A sunny, landscaped quad surrounded by corporate
skyscrapers: trees, grass, marble fountains, flags of many
nations. Amid the pedestrians we catch BRUCE and VICKI, all
smiles, cutting through the plaza on the way to lunch.
VICKI
... To tell you the truth, I'd just
about given up waiting.
BRUCE
I said I'd call you the minute I got
free. And I did. -- And here we are.
VICKI
(teasing him)
Hm hmm. Lunch. Not even dinner.
He stops in his tracks, takes her by the shoulders.
BRUCE
Vicki. Do you want the whole truth?
All coyness aside?
(long pause)
I wish I had more time to give you.
Every day I don't see you, I miss
you.
(beat)
Now. Are you going to waste this
lovely afternoon being all mad at
me?
All this, of course, is delivered with devastating
sincerity. VICKI finds herself totally disarmed.
VICKI
Okay, I'm a sucker. You sound so
much like someone I used to...
(stopping suddenly)
Bruce? I know this is silly, but --
you're not married, are you?
He stops and laughs. She smiles crookedly, takes his arm.
ANOTHER ANGLE - ACROSS PLAZA - THAT MOMENT
PHILLY RICORSO -- another CRIMELORD from the boardroom --
enters the plaza flanked by a cadre of PAID BODYGUARDS.
ON BRUCE AND VICKI
A PAINTED STREET MIME walks alongside them, feeling his way
along an imaginary wall. VICKI groans.
VICKI
All street mimes should be executed.
BRUCE
... Looks like a convention.
And indeed, there are HALF A DOZEN STREET MIMES converging
on the center of the plaza.
RICORSO and co. approach the mirrored-glass entrance of a
skyscraper. In the lobby, A MIME -- who's been annoying the
passersby -- THROWS A BOLT, LOCKING THE DOORS from inside.
A BODYGUARD bangs on the glass. Nearby, ANOTHER MIME
reaches into a trash bin -- and pulls out a MACHINE GUN.
SUDDEN SCREAMS OF TERROR from the onlookers.
VICKI turns to BRUCE. Before she can get his name out, he's
HOISTED HER BODILY and THROWN HER behind a marble fountain.
SERIES OF SHOTS
BRUCE'S EYES darting birdlike around the plaza -- INTERCUT
with the following POV SHOTS, ALL IN SLOW MOTION:
- TWO MIMES with machine guns. One of them lining PHILLY
and co. up against the glass doors, the other holding
the CROWD at bay;
- A WOMAN in the crowd fainting. A THIRD MIME gleefully
imitating her swoon, to no one's amusement;
- PHILLY and his goons, COWERING, hands in the air, as
OTHER MIMES cruelly mimic their terrified poses...
... and suddenly BRUCE is RUNNING FRANTICALLY, looking for
a secluded spot, an alleyway, anything. No go. He's out in
the open, with onlookers everywhere. In his civvies, he's
just another citizen... TOTALLY IMPOTENT.
He darts around a corner, backs against a wall. WOMEN,
CHILDREN, GROWN MEN race past. No privacy. He's
practically quaking now, in the throes of some terrible
anxiety. He looks up at the sky overhead, terrified.
A BRILLIANT SUN bears down on him as MACHINE GUNS CHATTER.
ANGLE ON PHILLY AND BODYGUARDS
BODIES JERKING as GLASS rains down in shards.
ANGLE ON BRUCE
his back arched, his mouth agape, his face drained of blood
as the sounds of carnage echo through the plaza. It's
almost as if the bullets are striking him.
A moment later, it's all over but the screaming. VICKI
emerges from the crowd and finds BRUCE slumped against the
wall, nearly catatonic. She moves to touch him.
As if by reflex he reaches out and GRABS HER BY THE ARMS --
with a grip so strong it could crush bone. She GASPS, looks
up -- and sees, in his traumatized EYES, a look so raw, so
desperate, that it virtually defies comprehension.
VICKI
BRUCE!!
He blinks rapidly. He relaxes his grip. Before VICKI's
eyes, he's changing... becoming the BRUCE she knows.
BRUCE
Oh my God... are you all right?
He reaches for her. Involuntarily, she steps back.
He sees her reaction and his face goes slack -- frightened,
pleading. This time she lets him embrace her... but her
face is full of bewilderment and doubt.
INSERT - TELEVISION SCREEN
ANCHORWOMAN
... live from Halliday Plaza, where a
gangland-style execution claimed the
life of racketeer Philly Ricorso.
Ricorso's death is the third in a
rash of underworld killings...
CUT TO TWO-SHOT: the ANCHORWOMAN and COMMISSIONER GORDON.
ANCHORWOMAN (cont.)
Commissioner, you've heard the
rumors. Are these murders the work
of the mysterious 'Batman'?
A PIERCING CACKLE fills the air. CAMERA PULLS BACK from the
TV, placing us in the JOKER's boardroom. Behind the big
desk he SWIVELS INTO VIEW, phone in hand.
JOKER
All reet! I think it's about time
we called another meeting, huh?
CUT TO:
INT. WAYNE MANOR - DAY
ALFRED on the phone, a feather duster in his hand.
ALFRED
I'm sorry, Miss Vale. I've given him
your messages. That's all I can do.
ANGLE WIDENS. BRUCE is sitting mere feet away, obviously
distraught, locked in some sort of internal struggle.
INT. VICKI'S APARTMENT - THAT MOMENT - DAY
VICKI
Please tell him... I'm not trying to
make his life difficult. I'd just --
I'd just like to know what's going
on.
A KNOCK at the door as VICKI hangs up. She goes to open it,
finds KNOX -- wearing a big, cheshire-cat smile.
KNOX
Hiya, peanut. I got something I'd
like you to see.
INT. LIBRARY - DAY
A MICROFILM MACHINE. As VICKI looks on curiously, KNOX --
all eagerness now -- threads up a roll of film and begins
cranking through back-issue newspapers.
KNOX
Okay, here we go. Check it out.
He steps back. VICKI stares down at the display screen. A
FRONT-PAGE BANNER HEADLINE reads:
THOMAS WAYNE MURDERED
Prominent Doctor, Wife Slain in Robbery
Unidentified Gunman Leaves Child Unharmed
Beneath it, a PHOTO: cops kneeling over corpses. Medics
with stretchers. And off to one side, a YOUNG BOY -- BRUCE
WAYNE -- his arms wrapped around the waist of a BEAT COP.
The BOY stares straight at the camera. His face is a mask
of UNFORGETTABLE AGONY. You can't take your eyes off it.
VICKI
Oh my God... I've seen this picture.
KNOX
I guess so. Pulitzer Prize, 1963.
VICKI
His face. Allie, look at his face.
TIGHT ON THE BOY'S contorted face, staring out in shock and
disbelief, his features recognizable across all the years
-- permanently, indelibly traumatized. The same face VICKI
saw in Halliday Plaza.
KNOX
Yep. He watched the whole thing
happen. -- Recognize the beat cop?
Jim Gordon.
VICKI
Oh, Bruce...
KNOX
Something like this -- what do you
suppose this could drive a guy to?
INT. RESTAURANT - DAY
A greasy spoon off the lobby of the Globe building. KNOX
and VICKI in a booth.
VICKI
Alexander, you are on drugs.
KNOX
He walks out on his own party. Half
an hour later, the Caped Crusader
turns up in full bat-drag.
(beat)
Sees an execution, freaks out in an
alleyway. No place to change.
(smiling)
Yeah, Vicki, he's "married" all
right.
VICKI
You're pissing me off, Allie. I know
exactly why you're doing this.
KNOX
(leaning forward)
Oh? Why is that, Vicki?
VICKI wilts under the challenge. She holds her silence for
a second, then changes the subject.
VICKI
He's best friends with Jim Gordon
and Harvey Dent. They would know.
KNOX
... Okay, Vicki, I have a confession
to make. I'm the Batman.
VICKI snorts, rolls her eyes impatiently.
KNOX (cont.)
Don't believe me? Why not?
VICKI
Alexander... I know you.
KNOX
Right. And they know him. And
that's why it would never occur to
them for a minute that their old
buddy Bruce puts on a cape at night
and goes out looking for --
VICKI
This is pointless. I'm leaving.
KNOX
(grabbing her arm)
Your little chum is out of his mind.
(relaxing his grip)
Next time you call him up and he
can't go out Friday night -- think
it over.
CUT TO:
INT. ACE CHEMICAL CO. - DAY
LOW ANGLE on the JOKER. He stands on a catwalk high above
the refinery floor, lord of all he surveys, overseeing
production like a demented middle manager.
INT. STOREROOM - DAY
A dank, windowless room in the bowels of Ace Chemical,
which the JOKER has converted into a makeshift lair. SAP-
LIKE GOO drips in puddles from exposed pipes overhead.
CAMERA DRIFTS across the JOKER's cluttered desk. Shipping
manifests. Ledgers. PSYCHOTIC DOODLES scrawled in crayon.
More significantly: an old CONTRACT dating back to the mid-
seventies. It's half-obscured by other papers, but the
initials 'CIA' are plainly visible.
Then: a BOUND REPORT with the title 'DDID NERVE GAS:
RESULTS OF PRELIMINARY EXPERIMENTATION.' Across its title
page, a diagonal rubber stamp: 'DISCONTINUED January 1977.'
And finally: a sheaf of PHOTOS. Laboratory apes, chimps and
orangutans, all DEAD. Their LIPS are drawn back, exposing
HIDEOUS, CHEMICAL-INDUCED GRIMACES.
ON ONE WALL: POSTER-SIZED BLOWUPS of the grinning apes.
ON THE OPPOSITE WALL: a large-scale photographic
reproduction of the Gotham City skyline, its bottom half
HIDDEN FROM VIEW by the JOKER's desk.
The PHONE RINGS. The JOKER -- who has been sitting on the
floor by the cityscape -- POPS INTO FRAME and picks it up.
JOKER
How's that first shipment coming?
VOICE ON PHONE
Right on schedule. Oh, we got that
address for you -- 79 East End,
#12-C.
JOKER
Mmm. How'd you find it?
VOICE ON PHONE
Called her agent.
The JOKER nods in satisfaction and resumes his place on the
floor. Like a happy kindergartener, with paste pot and
scissors, he's CLIPPING PHOTOS from a magazine -- horrible
scenes of death, destruction, panic, mutilation.
One by one, he's PASTING these shots on the blowup of
Gotham city -- all along sidewalk level -- creating a
massive photomontage of ANARCHY IN THE STREETS.
We've seen these photos before. VICKI VALE took them... in
Corto Maltese.
INT. PHOTOGRAPHER'S STUDIO - DAY
In foreground, ROWS OF MAKEUP in startling profusion:
mascara, blusher, eyeliner, lipstick. HALF A DOZEN
BEAUTIFUL MODELS giggle into their makeup mirrors.
In the background VICKI wanders past with a stylish friend,
CLAIRE, who owns and operates the studio.
CLAIRE
... of course, after Corto Maltese,
this must all seem pretty tame.
VICKI
Not to me. I need a job.
CLAIRE
Now Vicki. Everyone knows you've
got your hooks in Bruce Wayne.
VICKI
Then "everyone" must know something
I don't.
CLAIRE
(cattily)
Oh. Really. Well. -- Come on,
dear, Tony's dying to see you.
In a corner of the studio, TONY, a gaunt, tubercular Brit,
is shooting a swimsuit layout with two SUPERMODELS. They
all ad lib greetings to VICKI as TONY darts around
hyperkinetically, snapping the girls in a series of poses.
TONY
Yes, ladies, smiles, show me
those smiles, fabulous, tropical
smiles, think Tahiti, I want to
see teeth, yes, those glorious
teeth --
As VICKI looks on, the SUPERMODELS freeze in place
simultaneously, a strange, STRICKEN LOOK on their faces.
TONY (cont.)
My God no, don't stop now, those
smiles, I need those smiles --
Suddenly the girls are LAUGHING -- but the laughter is
unnatural, involuntary. VICKI, sensing that something is
terribly wrong, lays a hand on CLAIRE's arm.
The MODELS, now wearing HUGE SMILES, begin to TWITCH
SPASMODICALLY. TONY snaps away.
TONY (cont.)
Yes! Oh baby, YES! That's --
(beat)
No! Too far, too far! Pull back,
pull back!
(dropping the camera)
OH MY GOD!
The SUPERMODELS PITCH TO THE FLOOR, shuddering
convulsively, their LIPS drawn back in FRIGHTFUL, FROZEN,
LAB-APE GRINS. VICKI GASPS. CLAIRE SCREAMS. TONY SCREAMS.
CUT TO:
INT. TELEVISION STUDIO - EVENING
The Eyewitness News set, with anchors PATSY NARITA and
DAVE McELROY. Behind them, BLOWUPS of the two dead
SUPERMODELS.
PATSY
The fashion world was stunned today
by the sudden deaths of top models
Kelly Brinkley and Christie Emberg.
Cause of death has been attributed
to a violent allergic reaction,
although authorities have not yet
ruled out the possibility of drug
use. Dave?
Behind DAVE, on the bluescreen: a HUGE STATUE, covered in
canvas -- not unlike New York's Statue of Liberty.
DAVE
In Gotham, plans continue for the
city's 300th birthday celebration.
The four-day event will conclude
with the unveiling, in Gotham
Harbor, of the newly restored 'Lady
Gotham'...
A TECHNICIAN'S HAND passes a slip of paper into frame.
DAVE (cont.)
This bulletin just in. Nine more
mysterious deaths at a beauty parlor
in --
Off to the left, PATSY begins to LAUGH. DAVE FROWNS.
DAVE (cont.)
Patsy! This is hardly the --
(his eyes widen)
PATSY!!
An offscreen CRASH. Suddenly DAVE is up out of his seat,
mouth agape in horror.
PATSY HAS GONE INTO CONVULSIONS. CAMERA WHIPS VIOLENTLY
RIGHT AND LEFT as she jerks out of her seat and TOTTERS
UNCONTROLLABLY across the set, LAUGHING INSANELY.
TECHNICIANS rush the soundstage in an unrehearsed frenzy.
PATSY spins like a dervish and LURCHES BACKWARD over the
newsdesk in a death spasm, giving us a quick look at the
grisly Joker's grin etched on her now-lifeless face.
DAVE gestures frantically to the cameraman:
DAVE (cont.)
KILL THE CAMERA!! KILL THE --
Suddenly, CRACKLING VIDEO STATIC wipes out the screen. A
moment later, we're looking at:
SPLITSCREEN CLOSEUP - THE SUPERMODELS
Their gorgeous faces sprout BIG, ANIMATED-CARTOON GRINS as
a BOUNCY TUNE -- "Put on a Happy Face" -- comes up
underneath.
MODELS (CARTOON VOICE)
... Love that Joker!
INT. SUPERMARKET - DAY
THEME MUSIC CONTINUES as a grinning, deranged pitchman --
THE JOKER -- pushes his shopping cart down the aisle. The
shelves are filled with products bearing his TRADEMARK
HARLEQUIN'S FACE. He waves merrily in time to the music.
INT. STUDIO - VIDEO CONTROL BOOTH - THAT MOMENT
PANICKED TECHNICIANS swarm the booth. The studio feed has
been JAMMED. Every monitor shows THE JOKER'S COMMERCIAL.
DIRECTOR
WHERE'S IT COMING FROM??
TECHNICIAN
I DON'T KNOW!
CLOSEUP - THE JOKER
JOKER
... new improved Joker brand. With
the secret ingredient... SMYLENOL!
(a sweep of the hand)
Let's go to our blind taste test.
TIGHT ON an anonymous MAN -- GAGGED AND BLINDFOLDED, tied
to his chair, squirming, struggling. On the table before
him is a package labelled "BRAND X." A SUPERIMPOSED TITLE
reads: "NOT AN ACTOR."
JOKER (cont.)
Ooh. He's tense. Irritable. Out of
sorts.
(wagging a finger)
He's been using Brand X! But with
new improved Joker brand...
ANGLE WIDENS to include a BLINDFOLDED CORPSE, limp in his
chair, GRINNING HORRIFICALLY.
JOKER (cont.)
... it's a SMILE EVERY TIME!!
EXT. IDYLLIC PASTORAL SETTING - DAY
THE JOKER in a field of wheat. On a picnic blanket before
him are TWO CLEAN-CUT MODELS -- one male, one female, BOTH
DEAD... and GRIMACING HORRIBLY.
JOKER (cont.)
-- and the world smiles with you!
Irresistable -- oh-so-kissable --
He grabs the dead MODELS by the hair. THEIR TEETH CLINK as
he forces their heads together for a post-mortem kiss.
SERIES OF SHOTS
Television sets all over Gotham, as startled citizens react
to the JOKER's maniacal promo.
JOKER
I know what you're saying. Where can
I buy these fine, fine products?
Well, that's the gag, folks, you
never know. Chances are... you've
bought 'em already!!!
As his RANT CONTINUES, we SEE:
- A YOUNG MAN watching the bedroom TV as he dresses for
a date. He's got an aerosol deodorant can poised under
one arm, ready to spray. He looks down at the can,
suddenly uncertain. Could it be...?
- A FAMILY in their kitchen, eyeing a 12-inch portable
as MOM serves dinner. They dig in automatically, then
FREEZE with their forks in midair.
- A MIDDLE-AGED MATRON at the living-room TV. Shocked,
she calls to her husband -- and gets no reply. We
FOLLOW HER to the bathroom door.
On the floor she sees AN OVERTURNED SHAMPOO BOTTLE.
Then: her HUSBAND, slumped down in the tub, a lethal
GRIN on his face. She lets out a SHRIEK.
INT. WAYNE MANOR - STUDY - NIGHT
ALFRED THE BUTLER in a crouch, glued to the tube.
ALFRED
... Sir!
HIS POV: THE JOKER in tight closeup. Offscreen, an INFANT
begins to squall. THE JOKER cocks an eyebrow.
JOKER
Baby's got a tummyache? Here's
something that'll fix him quick!
He tosses a JOKER PRODUCT out of frame. Then -- leering --
he gives the camera a BIG JUICY WINK.
JOKER (cont.)
Now on your grocer's shelf. So
remember -- use Joker brand -- and
put on a happy face!!
MUSIC UP. VIDEO SNOW fills the screen as the jammed
transmission end. ALFRED looks over his shoulder.
TRACK IN ON THE GRIM, DETERMINED FACE OF BRUCE WAYNE.
SERIES OF SHOTS
- The Gotham Globe cartwheeling into frame:
PANIC GRIPS GOTHAM
Contaminated Products Claim 72 Lives
WHO IS THE MYSTERIOUS "JOKER"?
- An ANCHORWOMAN on the evening news. Her complexion is
curiously sallow. BLACK BAGS show under her eyes.
ANCHORWOMAN
... sixteen new deaths, with no clues
as to the Joker's identity or
demands. The list at potentially
lethal products now includes:
perfume -- mascara -- cold cream --
- The makeover counter at Bloomingdale's. SECURITY
GUARDS rush to the scene as THREE MATRONLY CUSTOMERS
go into simultaneous smiling fits.
- An ANCHORMAN with a BIG UGLY ZIT on his nose:
ANCHORMAN
Men's cologne toothpaste mouthwash
-- underarm deodorant --
- A SUBWAY CAR jammed with STRAPHANGERS. HUGE PATCHES OF
SWEAT under every arm. The doors slide open; ONCOMING
PASSENGERS RECOIL VISIBLY at the unendurable stench.
- The original ANCHORWOMAN, whose look is now 100%
natural. Her hair is frizzy. Her eyebrows are missing
altogether. Every wrinkle on her face is plainly
visible.
ANCHORWOMAN
Hair spray -- eyebrow pencil --
moisturizing cream --
- A LARGE DRUGSTORE. CASHIERS sit idly by the registers.
The store is utterly devoid of customers.
CUT TO:
EXT. STREET - DUSK
From across the street we see VICKI headed down the
sidewalk toward a museum. A GLOVED HAND reaches for a pay
phone.
VOICE
She's outside the Fluegelheim.
INT. ALICIA HUNT'S PENTHOUSE - THAT MOMENT
A BONE-WHITE HAND slams a phone receiver down. THE JOKER is
at his vanity. He's rinsed his hair black. He's applying
pounds of pancake makeup to his bleached face, his puckered
cheeks. In the right light he could almost pass for human.
In all the city, he's the only person still using
cosmetics.
A DREAMY, DRUGGED VOICE intrudes:
ALICIA
Jack? Who was that?
As he looks up at the mirror, we get a quick glimpse of
ALICIA behind him. The voice, the long blonde hair, are
unmistakable. But for some reason, ALICIA'S FACE is
COVERED... by a SHINY WHITE PORCELAIN DOLL'S MASK.
JOKER
Get dressed. We're going out.
INT. FLUEGELHEIM MUSEUM - EVENING
A Gotham landmark, the Fluegelheim looks like something
Frank Lloyd Wright would've dreamed up -- a large open
atrium encircled by a stucco RAMP, which spirals up along
the interior walls to the CEILING four stories above. You
walk up this gently-inclined ramp to view the paintings.
INT. FLUEGELHEIM - ROOFTOP TEA ROOM - EVENING
The upper terminus of the ramp opens on an airy, fern-
filled dining room popular with tourists and elderly
matrons who work up an appetite looking at art. VICKI
enters, camera bag slung over one shoulder, portfolio in
hand.
VICKI
I'm meeting Mr. Wayne. Is he here?
MAITRE D'
No, but your table is ready.
INT. TEA ROOM - TWENTY MINUTES LATER - EVENING
VICKI, sipping on a gin and tonic, checks her watch. A
WAITER brings her a small parcel, wrapped in brown paper,
bearing a single word: URGENT.
WAITER
Miss Vale, this just arrived for
you.
As the WAITER leaves, she tears off the wrapper. Inside is
a small white box and a NOTE -- SCRIBBLED IN CRAYON.
DEAR V. VALE,
PUT THIS ON RIGHT NOW.
Unsigned, of course. VICKI, puzzled, opens the box to find
a MINIATURE GAS MASK.
She hears a strange HISSING NOISE. A few feet away, GREEN
SMOKE is billowing out of an air-conditioning vent.
TRAYS OF FOOD CRASH TO THE FLOOR as WAITERS pass out. ART
LOVERS drop forks, go face down in their pasta salad.
VICKI hurriedly fits the gas mask over her nose and mouth.
Within seconds, she's the only one conscious in the room.
INT. MUSEUM - THAT MOMENT
GREEN SMOKE plumes up toward the ceiling as we TILT DOWN
toward the floor of the atrium. PATRONS and SECURITY GUARDS
lie sprawled on the floor, twisted at odd angles, out cold.
The mist is beginning to clear now. The doors swing open
and in strolls THE JOKER, looking quite dapper in his
street makeup and BIG PURPLE PIMP'S HAT.
A SQUAD OF GOONS enters behind him. Some of them are
carrying large cartons. They lock the entry doors, place a
"CLOSED" sign in front of them, and begin uncrating LARGE
CANS OF BLACK PAINT.
The JOKER steps up onto the ramp, examines the artwork with
an appreciative eye.
JOKER
Okay, boys, let's broaden our minds.
He stops in front of an Ingres odalisque. Stands back a
pace or two to get a better look. Then pulls out a STRAIGHT
RAZOR and cuts a LONG DIAGONAL GASH in the canvas.
He ambles up the ramp, stepping over collapsed patrons,
pausing at every fourth or fifth painting. Monet water
lilies, a Degas ballerina -- all get the razor treatment.
Behind him his CRONIES work their way up the ramp, HEAVING
BLACK PAINT on every canvas the JOKER has missed.
He cocks an eyebrow at Edvard Munch's "THE SCREAM."
JOKER (cont.)
I kinda like this one. Leave it.
INT. TEA ROOM - A MOMENT LATER - EVENING
VICKI at her table, still wearing the gas mask, scared as
hell. The overhead lights wink out and the room goes dark.
The JOKER saunters over and pulls up a chair.
JOKER
I think it's safe to take that off.
VICKI recognizes the deranged smile instantly. She removes
the gas mask, tries to gather her wits.
JOKER (cont.)
You're quite beautiful.
VICKI
... Thank you.
JOKER
Unfortunate, but I think we can work
around it.
He sets a couple of CANDLESTICKS on the table and reaches
for his lighter. A LONG JET OF FLAME shoots out, Jerry
Lewis-style, as he lights the candles.
JOKER (cont.)
You're Vicki Vale. I guess you know
who I am. -- Is this your
portfolio?
She nods. He opens it, begins leafing through the record of
VICKI's career. Newspaper photos from the Globe, at first.
Then fashion layouts, magazine covers of celebrities.
Artier B&W shots from VICKI's first couple of exhibitions.
JOKER (cont.)
Crap. Crap. Crap, crap, crap...
Ahhh. Now here's what caught my eye.
He's come to the COMBAT PHOTOS from Corto Maltese.
JOKER (cont.)
The panic. The bloody skulls. The
armless screaming fellows... you
know, the atrocities.
(smirking)
Somehow, when you shoot it, it all
comes out so clean, so lovely.
VICKI is squirming, but she doesn't think it wise to debate
the point. Not with this lunatic, anyway.
JOKER (cont.)
I guess I'm just an old cornball,
but... I live for beauty. I look
around at my little city, it gets me
down.
(indicating the photos)
We don't have anything like this.
Well, it came to me that what this
city needs... is beautification. Kind
of a big makeover.
(enraptured)
Miss Vale, I finally realized that
one man can make a difference. You
know the saying. "In his image...
created he them"?
VICKI gazes at the awful face of this deranged visionary,
getting more frightened by the minute.
VICKI
And you want a --
JOKER
A visual record, yes. A before-and-
after kind of thing.
(leaning closer)
This could make your reputation.
Her first impulse is to get up and run. But she fights the
impulse. She won't run... not until she gets this maniac
on film. She reaches for her camera bag.
VICKI
Maybe we should start with a
portrait of the artist. People might
like to see the face behind the
makeup.
JOKER
(momentarily puzzled)
... Behind the makeup?
Then it sinks in. By candlelight, in the darkened
restaurant, with his pancake makeup and his black rinse
job, he looks practically normal. VICKI must think she's
looking at his real face!
JOKER (cont.)
Oh. Yes. I see what you mean.
He finds a pitcher, pours a glass of water, and very
carefully SETS IT ON THE TABLE in front of VICKI. Then --
suddenly, inexplicably -- HE BARKS AT HER:
JOKER (cont.)
Silly little TWIT -- I can't take
you ANYWHERE!
He sits back and grins expectantly. VICKI is thoroughly
nonplussed by this bizarre outburst. A moment passes.
He obviously wants her to do something, but she hasn't
got a clue as to what it is. Growing impatient now, he
POINTS at the WATER GLASS:
JOKER (cont.)
Well? What are you waiting for??
Now VICKI gets the point. She picks up the glass and HURLS
ITS CONTENTS in THE JOKER'S FACE.
His hands go up. He writhes. He shrieks -- like the Wicked
Witch of the West dissolving. He reaches for a napkin to
wipe his face clean... and begins to CACKLE.
His awful white-and-green clown's face revealed behind the
running makeup, he LEERS at her.
JOKER (cont.)
You see, Miss Vale -- that was my
makeup.
(leaning forward)
What do you think?
VICKI is repulsed, but she's determined to tough it out.
VICKI
I've seen worse. Much worse.
JOKER
Strong stomach, huh? I like that in
a woman. -- Maybe we can do business
after all.
He seems to have calmed down a bit. It's almost as if he's
coming on to her. But just then, a tiny BELL sounds behind
them... and a VOICE intrudes:
VOICE
Jack?
The JOKER turns. ALICIA steps out of a ROOFTOP ELEVATOR and
moves toward them, drugged, wraithlike. She's still wearing
the porcelain DOLL'S MASK we saw earlier.
JOKER
(to VICKI)
Christ, it's my girlfriend.
(to ALICIA)
WHAT?
ALICIA
You said I could look at the
pictures before you -- before you --
JOKER
Shucks, honey, I forgot.
(rolling his eyes at
VICKI)
I'm in trouble now.
(to ALICIA)
This is business, sweetie. Why don't
you go outside and see how the boys
are coming?
VICKI can't take her eyes off this strange figure drifting
eerily through the abandoned tea room.
VICKI
(hesitantly)
... Why the mask?
JOKER
Alicia! Come here, have a seat. Show
Miss Vale why you wear the mask.
ALICIA sits down numbly and begins to undo the mask.
JOKER (cont.)
You see, Miss Vale, Alicia's beautiful.
One in a million. A work of art. In
fact...
We're looking at ALICIA's profile as the mask comes off.
The side that's turned to us is indeed beautiful. But the
side we can't see... SENDS VICKI RIGHT OVER THE EDGE.
JOKER (cont.)
She makes you look sick.
VICKI lurches out of her seat, knocking it over, HER FACE
FROZEN IN HORROR. She finds her CAMERA, holds it out like a
weapon as THE JOKER advances on her.
VICKI
You SCUM! You SICK FILTH!... You DID
THAT to her!
JOKER
What? I improved her a little...
VICKI backs away, snapping the shutter on her camera. HE
BLINKS as the flash gun goes off repeatedly.
VICKI
I'll see you burn. I'll see you dead.
-- GET AWAY FROM ME!!
JOKER
Miss Vale, was it something I said?
(brightly)
Do you want to sniff my flower?
There's a BRIGHT PURPLE BOUTONNIERE in his lapel. He holds
it up for VICKI's inspection as he moves menacingly closer.
VICKI
NO!
The JOKER squeezes a concealed BULB. A JET OF CLEAR LIQUID
spurts out of the FLOWER, NARROWLY MISSING VICKI.
She GASPS. BUMPS INTO A TABLE. ACRID BLACK SMOKE rises from
the floor where the clear liquid hit. Acid.
JOKER
Come on, Miss Vale... STOP AND SMELL
THE ROSES!!
He backs VICKI into a corner. And then -- abruptly --
A SKYLIGHT SHATTERS IN A HAIL OF GLASS! A CAPED SHADOW
DROPS TO THE FLOOR OF THE RESTAURANT! And THE JOKER is face
to face with...
THE BATMAN!
On his wrist is a STEEL GAUNTLET. Ha AIMS IT at the JOKER
like a weapon. Then PIVOTS SUDDENLY -- POINTS HIS ARM
THROUGH THE DOOR OF THE RESTAURANT --
-- AND FIRES A METAL SPIKE into the adobe wall of the RAMP
OUTSIDE!!
JOKER (cont.)
... YOU!!
On the end of the spike is a CORD leading to BATMAN's belt.
In the wink of an eye he's GRABBED VICKI -- DRAGGED HER OUT
OF the tea room -- and PLUNGED OVER THE RAMP WALL, FOUR
STORIES STRAIGHT DOWN TO THE ATRIUM FLOOR BELOW!!!
The JOKER races to the edge of the ramp.
JOKER (cont.)
GET 'EM!! GET 'EM!!
His GOONS are stationed at various points along the ramp,
still defacing masterpieces. They pull their guns and OPEN
FIRE as BATMAN and VICKI plummet past.
ANGLE ON BATMAN AND VICKI - AS THEY FALL
He holds the gauntlet overhead, ROPE whistling through it.
As we watch, the gauntlet sprouts STEEL WINGS -- forming a
BULLETPROOF SHIELD over their heads!
TWO FEET ABOVE the marble floor, THE ROPE jerks them up
short -- like a bunjee cord. GUNS BLAZE as BATMAN and VICKI
drop safely to earth and MAKE FOR THE EXIT.
The doors are LOCKED. BATMAN spots the black "CLOSED" sign
on a metal stand. He HEAVES IT through the glass doors.
VICKI hustles through. He points her to a side alley.
EXT. SIDE ALLEY - THAT MOMENT - DUSK
VICKI rounds the corner just as BATMAN lobs a SMOKE PELLET
into the doorway of the Fluegelheim.
BATMAN
GET IN THE CAR!
VICKI
WHICH CAR?
VICKI suddenly feels quite stupid. Because -- while there
are many cars parked along the side alley -- there is only
one BATMOBILE.
VICKI (cont.)
... Oh.
The BATMOBILE is sleek, futuristic, and... well,
indescribable. Imagine your own. VICKI climbs into the
passenger seat and is immediately dazzled by a stunning
array of electronic gadgetry.
BATMAN
Ignition!
As BATMAN sprints down the alley, a COMPUTER DISPLAY on the
dashboard registers his unique voiceprint. A tinny,
synthesized VOICE repeats the command:
COMPUTER
Ignition.
The engines are revving up even as BATMAN vaults into the
cockpit alongside VICKI.
Guns in hand, the JOKER'S GOONS Are stumbling out of the
Fluegelheim, hacking, coughing, blinded by smoke. They DIVE
FOR THEIR LIVES as the BATMOBILE comes barrelling out of
the alley at ninety miles an hour.
THE JOKER emerges just as the BATMOBILE careens off.
JOKER
I WANT HIM!! I WANT HIM!!
The JOKER climbs into the back of a van labelled "MONARCH
PLAYING CARDS." Half his GOONS pile into the van behind
him, the other half into a second car nearby.
EXT. STREETS - THAT MOMENT
SIRENS HOWL as POLICE CARS converge on the Flugelheim.
INT. BATMOBILE - THAT MOMENT
roaring out into CITY TRAFFIC.
VICKI
Look! Police!
BATMAN
I called them.
VICKI
Shouldn't we --
A POLICE CAR whizzes past the BATMOBILE. TIRES SKID. The
COP CAR does a quick 180 and sets out in hot pursuit of the
BATMOBILE. BATMAN FLOORS THE ACCELERATOR in response.
INT. VAN - THAT MOMENT
TIGHT ON the demented face of THE JOKER. A GOON calls out
from the front of the van.
GOON
There they are! Dead ahead!
THE JOKER screams into a RADIO DISPATCHER'S MIKE.
JOKER
ALL UNITS! SOUTHBOUND ON RIVERVIEW!
SERIES OF SHOTS
The JOKER'S ARMY. THUGS in cars. CREEPS in Italian
restaurants. CROOKED COPS at a coffee shop. LIGHTS FLASH,
BEEPERS SOUND, and within seconds they're racing to the
streets, eager to join the chase.
SERIES OF SHOTS - THE STREETS
COP CARS. GOON CARS. THE BATMOBILE streaks through an
intersection, nearly causing a pileup. THE JOKER'S VAN
makes short work of a SABRETT'S HOT DOG STAND in its path.
INT. BATMOBILE - THAT MOMENT
PEDESTRIANS GAWK as the sleek supercar RIPS UP THE
PAVEMENT.
VICKI
What about her? What about the girl?
BATMAN
He won't kill her.
(gritting his teeth)
GODDAMMIT!
They're moving up on an EMPTY BLOCK -- a NIGHT CONSTRUCTION
TEAM. A HUGE PIECE OF HEAVY MACHINERY backs up slowly and
inexorably, BLOCKING THE INTERSECTION.
BATMAN GUNS THE ENGINE. SWERVES LEFT. TRIES TO SLIDE PAST.
And HITS THE BRAKES -- stopping inches short of a head-on
collision with a lamppost.
He jumps out of the car. No chance to get through. THE
JOKER'S VAN is two blocks back and coming up fast.
ONLOOKERS and CONSTRUCTION WORKERS are beginning to form a
crowd around them.
VICKI
Can't we --
BATMAN
Too many people. Come on!
(as she scrambles out)
SHIELDS!!
The BATMOBILE's computerized VOICE replies:
COMPUTER
Shields.
With a series or CLANGS, CHROME-STEEL PLATES slide into
place -- across the cockpit, over the tires -- leaving the
BATMOBILE an inert, impenetrable BLOCK OF BLACK METAL.
BATMAN and VICKI sprint through the CONSTRUCTION SITE,
vaulting over mounds of loose dirt and concrete rubble.
INT. VAN - MOVING - NIGHT
THREE POLICE CARS, red lights blazing, OVERTAKE THE JOKER'S
VAN and bear down on the abandoned BATMOBILE.
GOON AT WHEEL
Are they ours?
JOKER
... I don't know. We'd better get out
of here.
(into RADIO MIKE)
Westbound on 36th. DO YOU COPY??
The VAN does a discreet U-turn and rumbles off sedately
down the street.
EXT. SIDE STREET - THAT MOMENT - NIGHT
BATMAN and VICKI zigzag past storefronts and candy stands,
dodging astonished PEDESTRIANS.
INT. CAR - MOVING - THAT MOMENT
FOUR GOONS with GUNS. They spot BATMAN and VICKI coming off
the side street. GOON I, the driver, speaks into a radio:
GOON I
We got 'em!
JOKER (V.O.)
(over radio)
Take 'em! I want his head!
EXT. STREET - THAT MOMENT - NIGHT
BATMAN and VICKI race down the sidewalk. The car is gaining
on them; and then, from behind --
BATMAN and VICKI are caught in a SPRAY OF BULLETS. They
dive. Drop behind a parked car. And don't come up.
They've ducked into a BLIND ALLEY.
INT. ALLEYWAY - NIGHT
Hunkered on the pavement, they watch the car glide past the
mouth of the alley. VICKI sighs in relief. BATMAN -- still
alert, his muscles tensed -- puts a restraining hand on her
arm. He looks overhead, sees a catwalk spanning the width
of the alleyway five stories up.
BATMAN
How much do you weigh?
VICKI
... A hundred and eight?
He does some quick mental calculations. A beat. Then the
CAR reappears -- backing up -- blocking their only avenue
of escape. BATMAN unfurls a rope, HEAVES A BATARANG UPWARD,
and grabs VICKI roughly about the waist.
BATMAN
HANG ON!
The JOKER'S THUGS pile out of the car. The BATARANG catches
on the catwalk, and BATMAN triggers the spring-action REEL
on his utility belt -- jerking him and VICKI INTO THE AIR.
BULLETS zing past as they whip upward like fish on a line.
One story; two stories; and then...
They slow. They STOP. They DANGLE IN MIDAIR as the Joker's
goons advance. BATMAN wriggles, twists. They lurch upward
another few feet -- and stop again. VICKI SCREAMS.
Her additional weight is too much for the reel mechanism. They're
stranded two stories up -- SITTING DUCKS.
BATMAN (cont.)
Whatever happens -- DON'T LET GO!!
In the wink of an eye he's detached the reel from his own
waist and hitched it around VICKI's belt. Before she has a
chance to protest, he LETS GO.
VICKI rockets upward at blinding speed, shrieking all the
way. BATMAN, his cape billowing, PLUMMETS DOWNWARD.
VICKI slams up into the catwalk and BOBS on the end of the
line as BATMAN lands with a loud crash, overturning a row
of garbage cans. The GOONS are on him in a flash -- one per
limb. Random kicking and flailing. BATMAN manages to slam
two GOONS into a wall, but before he can get to his feet --
-- GOON #3 slams a lead pipe into the back of his skull.
BATMAN is down for the count. The THUGS dust themselves off
and circle around his prostrate form, still wary.
The LEAD THUG holds his colleagues back, draws his gun, and
fires TWO SHOTS, point-blank, at the yellow-and-black
INSIGNE on BATMAN's chest. The body jerks.
They move closer. And stop.
GOON I
... No blood.
GOON II
Jesus.
GOON III
Wait a minute.
GOON III screws up his courage and crouches beside the
body. He examines THE BATMAN'S TUNIC... and RIPS IT OPEN.
GOON IV
... What is that?
GOON III
Some kind of body armor.
GOON I
He's human after all. -- Take that
mask off.
EXT. ROOFTOP - ON VICKI
Five stories overhead, VICKI has pulled herself up onto the
roof of the adjacent building. She watches transfixed as
the THUGS bend over to remove BATMAN's cowl. But at this
height -- and this angle -- she can't see his face. On a
sudden impulse she reaches for her CAMERA BAG.
ANGLE ON GOONS
peering-down open-mouthed at the unconscious face of BRUCE
WAYNE. Blood seeps from BRUCE's left nostril.
GOON I
Well?... Who is this guy?
GOON II
I dunno. You seen him before?
GOON III
Maybe he's got some kind of I.D.
GOON IV
Good idea. Let's check his wallet.
GOON I
We'll worry about it later. Plug
him.
(beat)
In the head.
GOON II draws his automatic. And at that very instant... A
FLASH GUN EXPLODES OVERHEAD.
Startled, the THUGS look up. ANOTHER CAMERA FLASH.
GOON III
Goddam, it's the redhead!
ON VICKI
A chunk of ledge chips off mere inches from her head as the
GOONS OPEN FIRE. She ducks back behind the overhang, holds
the camera out over the ledge, and KEEPS ON FLASHING.
ON BRUCE
HIS EYES WINK OPEN.
ON VICKI
momentarily idle. She's used up her roll. The GOONS KEEP
SHOOTING as she reaches in her bag for new film. She finds
it, loads the camera with astonishing dexterity -- and
then, on instinct, reaches back inside the bag for a
TELEPHOTO LENS. All the better to see you with, Batman...
ON THE THUGS
No response from VICKI. They begin to relax a little.
GOON II
Did you hit her?
GOON I
Who cares? Wax that freak.
They turn their attention to BRUCE. A GLOVED HAND snakes
out with lightning speed -- GRABBING GOON I BY THE COATTAIL
and pulling him DIRECTLY INTO THE LINE OF FIRE. GOON II bas
pulled the trigger twice before he knows what's happened.
In one fluid motion BRUCE HEAVES GOON I's lifeless body
THROUGH THE AIR, knocking GOON II backward over a garbage
can. GOON II falls and CRACKS HIS HEAD on the nearest wall.
GOON III takes a rabbit punch to the throat. He's on the
way down when he catches a STEEL-TOED BOOT in the gut.
Four seconds after all this began, BRUCE is alone in the
alleyway with GOON IV. GOON IV has his gun pointed right at
BRUCE, but he's shaking too much to pull the trigger.
BRUCE smiles. GOON IV SCREAMS and RUNS FOR HIS LIFE.
Through all this, VICKI's telephoto camera has been poised
on the ledge, snapping away. BRUCE looks up at the FLASH
GUN and shakes his head. He bends to retrieve his cowl.
ON VICKI
She finally dares to peek down at the alley. Limp goons
everywhere. And, in addition, THE BATMAN -- leaping up,
grabbing the edge of a fire escape, climbing up to meet
her.
VICKI thinks fast. She may have a clean shot of BATMAN'S
FACE. She advances the film in the camera and removes the
roll, then drops it down her blouse.
But BATMAN is likely to want that roll. So she straightens
her skirt and scurries across the roof, away from the
alley. She should have a minute or so before be gets there.
It's a three-foot drop to the next roof over. VICKI
clambers down and quickens her pace, tossing a nervous
glance over her shoulder every couple of steps.
Then, somehow -- and she'll be damned if she can figure out
how -- she walks smack into THE BATMAN. And GASPS.
BATMAN
... Not even a 'thank you'?
VICKI
Well -- I think you might consider
thanking me. You were good as
dead.
BATMAN
That's because you lied about your
weight.
(a long pause)
Thank you.
VICKI NODS and tries to walk past him. He grabs her arm.
BATMAN (cont.)
I'll have to ask you for that film.
VICKI
I just wanted to distract them. I
wasn't trying to get a picture of
you.
BATMAN looks down at the camera hanging from her neck. The
telephoto lens must jut out six inches. VICKI gulps.
BATMAN
Please.
VICKI
I won't let you have it.
THE BATMAN is amused. He smiles menacingly.
VICKI (cont.)
I know you can break my neck and
take it. But the Joker's on that
same roll. I --
BATMAN
The Joker is a murderer. And you
were as good as dead. So --
VICKI
Look, I appreciate what you did for
me. But this is my job. And I'm
keeping those pictures.
BATMAN
All right, here's a compromise. I'll
develop the photos. You keep the
Jokers and I'll keep the rest.
VICKI
How do I know you won't keep them
all?
BATMAN
Because I'll take you with me.
He reaches out, holds her gently by the shoulders. His
voice is deep and soothing. True, VICKI is a little dizzy
from all that's happened, but she's undeniably drawn to
him.
Still cautious, though. She reaches into her bag and hands
over a roll of film. The original roll -- not the telephoto
shots, which are still stashed in her blouse.
BATMAN (cont.)
Thank you, Vicki.
VICKI
... Where are you going to take me?
No reply. She looks up into his mirrored eyes. He pulls her
closer to him. Brushes back her hair, runs one hand
delicately along the line of her cheek...
... AND BREAKS A TINY CAPSULE under her nose. VICKI SLUMPS
into BATMAN's arms.
CUT TO:
EXT. ALLEYWAY - NIGHT
Street level. BATMAN emerges carrying VICKI's inert form in
his arms. He pauses and peers around the edge of a wall at
the BATMOBILE two blocks down.
The car is still there, the chrome-steel shields intact.
But DOZENS OF COPS and CURIOSITY-SEEKERS are SWARMING ALL
OVER the fearsome machine.
BATMAN snorts in frustration. AN ENORMOUS THREE-TON
CATERPILLAR WINCH rumbles up the street toward the
Batmobile.
He's about to get towed. BATMAN takes a RADIO TRANSMITTER
from his utility belt and SPEAKS INTO IT.
BATMAN
Shields open.
EXT. STREET - ON BATMOBILE
TWO COPS are crawling along the hood of the car. From
within they hear the tinny computerized voice:
COMPUTER
Shields open.
The steel plates begin to retract.
BATMAN (V.O.)
(over radio)
Ignition.
COMPUTER
Ignition.
The stunned COPS gaze into the Batmobile's cockpit.
COP
There's somebody in there!
They TUMBLE OFF THE HOOD as the turbine engines ROAR TO
LIFE and THE BATMOBILE BEGINS TO MOVE.
COPS AND ONLOOKERS quickly clear a path. They stand there
stunned as the futuristic auto PICKS UP SPEED and advances
toward the end of the block. The LEFT TURN SIGNAL flashes
dutifully. And the BATMOBILE VANISHES AROUND THE CORNER.
PANDEMONIUM BREAKS LOOSE as the COPS bolt for their cars.
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
SIRENS WAIL. PASSERSBY STARE SLACKJAWED at the driverless
BATMOBILE as it tears down the street, passing, darting,
dodging buses and CUTTING OFF TAXIS -- all with a squad of
COP CARS in hot pursuit.
EXT. ALLEYWAY - NIGHT
BATMAN sees the BATMOBILE rounding the corner and
approaching on the straightaway. He takes VICKI in his arms
and STEPS DIRECTLY INTO THE PATH OF THE ONRUSHING
HEADLIGHTS.
BATMAN
STOP!
BRAKES SQUEAL. The BATMOBILE stops one yard short of BATMAN
and VICKI. A moment later BATMAN is AT THE WHEEL.
SIRENS BUILD. LIGHTS FLASH. The COP CARS are now visible
behind them. BATMAN floors the pedal; the Batmobile's
powerful AFTERBURNERS kick in; and the hapless cops KILL
THEIR SIRENS as BATMAN zooms off into the night at 140 mph.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. BACK ROAD - NIGHT
A deserted stretch of road, lined by ancient tall pines on
either side. The BATMOBILE roars past.
INT. BATMOBILE - NIGHT
VICKI is gradually coming to on the passenger's side.
VICKI
... How long have I been out?
BATMAN
Quite a while. I took the scenic
route.
VICKI
(gazing around her)
Well, I've certainly enjoyed it.
What's that?
He's just hit a BUTTON on the dashboard.
BATMAN
Garage door.
EXT. ROAD - THAT MOMENT - NIGHT
At the side of the road, a FALLEN TREE, surrounded by
underbrush, RISES HYDRAULICALLY INTO THE AIR -- revealing a
SECRET ROAD invisible from the main thoroughfare.
Doing sixty, the BATMOBILE makes a hairpin turn. Seconds
later, the FALLEN TREE drops back magically into place.
INT. BATMOBILE - A MOMENT LATER - NIGHT
As they cruise down the hidden road, VICKI STUDIES BATMAN'S
FACE. KNOX's words are very much on her mind.
VICKI
I meant to ask you. Up on the roof
-- how did you know my name?
BATMAN SMILES in response. VICKI smiles with him.
VICKI (cont.)
I'm serious. How did you know?
No reply. VICKI frowns, looks through the windshield, and
SEES -- much to her horror -- an enormous SHEER CLIFF WALL
LOOMING DEAD AHEAD.
Wide-eyed, she looks at BATMAN. Still smiling, he HITS THE
GAS -- SPEEDING UP. She lets out a SCREAM.
ANGLE ON CLIFF WALL
One second to impact. Suddenly the cliff wall VANISHES
ALTOGETHER -- revealing, in its place, the GAPING MOUTH OF
AN UNDERGROUND CAVERN.
The Batmobile zooms through. A moment later, the CLIFF WALL
-- which is nothing more than a HOLOGRAPHIC PROJECTION --
winks back into existence, showing no trace of the cavern.
INT. BATCAVE - NIGHT
We all know this place. Although we haven't had time to
acquire the familiar mementos -- the dinosaur, the giant
penny -- the BATCAVE is unmistakable. Vast banks of
blinking computers. A state-of-the-art crime lab. A fully-
equipped workshop for hammering out new toys. It's the
biggest and best secret clubhouse a boy could wish for.
BATMAN climbs out of the car. He removes his cape, strips
off his bullet-riddled jersey and his body armor. There are
TWO BIG BRUISES on the center of his chest.
VICKI looks on as he goes to a rack along one wall and
picks out a fresh tunic -- one of four. She wanders over to
examine the row of bat-suits -- and the BODY ARMOR.
VICKI
What is this stuff? Kevlar?
BATMAN
Better. It's not on the market yet.
VICKI
It doesn't protect your head,
though.
BATMAN
That's why I wear a target on my
chest.
THE BATMAN takes obvious pleasure in showing her his
futuristic bachelor's pad. His tone is jokey, almost
flirtatious. Behind the mask, he's a lot looser, more
carefree, than some guys we could name...
... like Bruce Wayne.
VICKI is, to put it mildly, awed. She wanders around gaping
at millions of dollars' worth of equipment.
VICKI
How'd you find this place?
BATMAN
Stumbled across it when I was a boy.
VICKI'S HEAD jerks up abruptly. In the dim recesses
overhead, BATS ARE SCREAMING. She shivers.
BATMAN (cont.)
They don't come down here. They're
afraid of the lights.
VICKI
I don't like bats. Not that kind.
BATMAN
They used to terrify me. But I
forced myself to keep coming back,
and --
(smiling)
-- I guess I became the thing I
feared the most. I'll do your photos
now.
He goes to a HIGH-SPEED PHOTO PROCESSING MACHINE -- the
kind they have at Fotomat, only better -- and loads the
roll.
VICKI wanders over to the edge of a DEEP BLACK PIT. She
kicks a pebble over. Long seconds pass; no sound.
She looks up. Suspended over the bottomless pit are a pair
of GYMNAST'S RINGS. This guy is dedicated.
VICKI
Who pays for all this?
BATMAN
I have sponsors.
VICKI
The computers?
BATMAN
I'm running a check on the tainted
products. There is a pattern.
Beauty products. Personal hygiene.
VICKI
No more makeup. -- Looks like we'll
all be showing our true faces now.
She looks straight at him. It's almost a direct request.
But BATMAN is preoccupied with the matter at hand.
BATMAN
I've tracked all the records. Every
shipment, every warehouse, every
loading dock. Nothing. No
opportunities for tampering. Somehow
the Joker is supplying tainted
ingredients... at the source.
VICKI
Wait. You can just tap into any
corporate database you want?
Anywhere?
BATMAN
Oh, no. I let the FBI do that. Then
I tap into the FBI. -- Your photos
are ready.
He holds up a hand to VICKI: stand back. Then he checks out
the pictures -- SMILING as he shuffles through the prints.
VICKI
You could've killed him, you know.
You could have killed the Joker.
BATMAN
I had to save you, Vicki.
(turning to face her)
Here you go. I think I'll let you
keep the whole set.
She looks at the photos. Joker. Joker. Joker. And four
shots of the BATMAN in action. He's without his mask, but
there's no clean angle on his face.
VICKI doesn't quite know why, but her head is reeling.
BATMAN (cont.)
Care for an autograph?
He takes one of the prints, scrawls on it, hands it to her
with the inscription: "TO VICKI. LOVE, B."
Now he turns to shut down the photo machine. VICKI is
trembling. Her hand goes to her belt, finds the telephoto
roll concealed in her blouse. She steps up silently behind
him, reaches for his cowl. At the last second... she STOPS.
VICKI
... Bruce?
HE FREEZES IN PLACE for an indecisive moment. Then:
BATMAN
Are you talking to me?
He turns in seeming incomprehension. And shows her a
SMILE... the same crooked, curious, childlike smile she saw
on BRUCE's face that morning when she caught him singing.
BATMAN (cont.)
Maybe we've had enough for one
night. I'll take you home.
Almost in a trance now, she lets him lead her to the
BATMOBILE. As she takes her seat he reaches into his
utility belt for another KNOCKOUT CAPSULE.
BATMAN (cont.)
Do you want to do it this time?
VICKI doesn't move. She looks at the capsule in her hand as
he walks over to the driver's side and gets in.
BATMAN (cont.)
Don't be afraid. I'm here.
She takes one last look at the familiar SMILE beneath the
mask... then breaks the capsule and BREATHES DEEP.
FLAME ERUPTS from the rear of the Batmobile as the after-
burners kick in and BATMAN screeches off. A FIERY RED GLOW
fills the screen, BURNING OUT THE IMAGE as we
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. GOTHAM STREET - 1963 - NIGHT (DREAM SEQUENCE)
The red glow resolves itself into a DREAMLIKE STREET SCENE:
liquid, weightless figures moving in a tinted, soundless
cityscape as DISTANT, TINKLY CARNIVAL MUSIC plays
underneath. We're outside a theatre watching first-nighters
emerge from the opening of a hit musical.
In the crowd we pick out THREE FIGURES: DR. THOMAS WAYNE,
his wife MARTHA, and -- in THOMAS's arms -- their young son
BRUCE. BRUCE hasn't made it through the show. He's asleep,
head nestled peacefully against his father's shoulder.
THOMAS rouses the boy gently, sets him down on the
sidewalk. BRUCE rubs the sleep from his eyes as THOMAS puts
an arm around his wife. Together they begin walking.
IN A SINGLE CUT the crowd has DISAPPEARED, and the WAYNES
are walking toward us up a deserted street. THOMAS and
MARTHA are laughing, making jokes, reaching down to tousle
BRUCE's hair. Their FACES, as they draw closer, are FULL OF
JOY. And then, without warning --
A HANDGUN enters frame.
The WAYNES freeze in their tracks. THOMAS steps
protectively in front of his wife, reaches for his wallet,
begins unbuckling his watch. He won't put up a fight.
MARTHA's hand goes involuntarily to the PEARL NECKLACE at
her throat.
The GUNMAN sees it, gestures for her to hand it over. But
MARTHA is paralyzed, afraid to move.
The GUNMAN steps past THOMAS, SNATCHES AT THE NECKLACE.
The instant his wife is threatened, THOMAS ATTACKS. The
pearl strand BREAKS in the GUNMAN'S HAND as he drops toward
the sidewalk.
A SILENT BURST OF FLAME erupts from the muzzle of the gun.
THOMAS CRUMPLES. MARTHA emits a PIERCING SHRIEK -- a shriek
we cannot hear --
-- a shriek cut short by a second burst of flame.
BRUCE stands paralyzed in shock. THE GUNMAN scoops a
handful of pearls off the sidewalk, reaches for MARTHA's
purse, and rises slowly -- his gun levelled directly at the
boy.
Almost catatonic, BRUCE stares down at the corpses of his
parents. At their hands, somehow intertwined. At the tiny
glinting pearls and the spreading pool of blood around
them.
He looks up with a gaze so bleak, so petrifying... that the
GUNMAN turns and runs.
AND WE CUT. To an exact reproduction of the Pulitzer Prize-
winning photo... the cops bent over the bodies, the medics
with their stretchers, the boy BRUCE, his arms wrapped
tightly around the waist of OFFICER GORDON.
There's only one difference. BRUCE's head is turned away
from us. We can't see his face.
And now a HAND enters the frame. Much like the GUNMAN's
hand, but feminine, beckoning. BRUCE, hearing his name,
LOOKS UP; then, agonized, ashamed, he BURIES HIS FACE in
GORDON's side. GORDON gestures angrily at the intruder.
But the hand keeps beckoning. And ultimately BRUCE turns.
Showing us the tear-stained face from the famous photo. A
face slack with horror. The horror of his parents' death...
and more importantly, the horror that someone would dare to
violate this most private and terrible of moments.
At last we see what BRUCE sees: a WOMAN crouched on the
sidewalk nearby. The WOMAN is holding a camera. The WOMAN
is smiling prettily at BRUCE.
The WOMAN is VICKI VALE.
A FLASHBULB EXPLODES. FILLING. THE SCREEN with its blinding
white light, SCORCHING OUT THE IMAGE as a HARSH RINGING
SOUND cuts through the silence.
CUT TO:
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
VICKI AWAKENS. She sits up in bed, tremulous, distraught.
The bedside phone is ringing. She reaches for it, but her
hand freezes in midair. She knows who's calling.
Three rings later, she manages to lift the receiver. To her
amazement, she finds she cannot speak. Finally, she hears a
VOICE at the other end of the line.
BRUCE (V.O.)
Vicki... ?
INT. BRUCE WAYNE'S STUDY - NIGHT
BRUCE at a big mahogany desk in his somber, book-lined
study. The room is dark but for a small table lamp.
BRUCE
Vicki, I've been thinking about you.
(long pause)
I know it's late. I'm sorry. I --
Are you there?
INTERCUT BRUCE AND VICKI
VICKI
Yes, Bruce -- I'm here --
BRUCE
I'm sorry about the way things went
between us. I'd very much like to
see you again.
VICKI
Well, Bruce... I don't think... that
would be possible.
BRUCE
I wish you'd reconsider.
(groping)
I didn't stand you up today. The
museum was closed when I got there.
VICKI
I, uh...
ON VICKI
Her voice trails off. She's profoundly shaken. She knows.
BRUCE (V.O.)
Vicki? Vi --
She returns the receiver to its cradle.
ON BRUCE
He hears the click. His lips part slightly. He hangs up and
sits there at the desk, staring straight ahead.
CUT TO:
INT. VICKI'S BATHROOM - NIGHT
TOTAL DARKNESS. VICKI stands before the bathroom mirror.
She holds the OPENED ROLL OF TELEPHOTO SHOTS over the sink.
Then she strikes a match. IGNITES the film. Drops it into
the sink, and -- with hollow eyes -- WATCHES IT BURN.
CUT TO:
INT. VICKI'S APARTMENT - LATER - NIGHT
It's four in the morning. VICKI, wrapped in a bathrobe,
still shaky, pours her fifth cup of coffee. Sitting across
from her is a rumpled and stubbly ALEXANDER KNOX.
KNOX
Vicki, it all fits. The stuff you're
telling me -- the car, the equipment
-- somebody's paying for it.
VICKI
I just can't --
KNOX
The FBI. You know who's got the FBI
computer contract? Wayne
Technologies.
(shaking his head)
The guy's bats all right. He's bat
shit crazy. This is gonna be the
most incredible --
VICKI
But he's not.
KNOX
Not what?
VICKI
He's not crazy.
KNOX slaps his forehead in frustration, sprawls back in his
chair.
KNOX
Vicki. We got a wealthy millionaire
here... who dresses up like a bat. He
goes out at night and swings around
-- in his cape -- on a rope.
(throwing up his hands)
Okay. Maybe I'm crazy.
VICKI
Allie... he wants to tell me.
That's why he took me there. Because
he's trying to tell me.
KNOX
Gimme a break. If he wants to chat,
he can talk to his car.
The joke dies. VICKI stares dead ahead. KNOX looks on in
utter disbelief as it all comes into focus: he's lost her
loyalty. VICKI is in over her head with BRUCE.
VICKI
He has to tell someone. And I'm the
one. He's trying to tell me.
KNOX, hurt in a way he doesn't fully understand, gets up
and pulls on his coat. He stares at her coldly:
KNOX
Well, when he does you know my
number.
CUT TO:
EXT. NEWSSTAND - DAY
CUSTOMERS are lining up to buy the early edition of the
Globe, which carries the full-page banner headline:
WAR OF THE FREAKS
Batman, Joker in Fluegelheim Shootout
In the midst of the hubbub a DELIVERY TRUCK cruises past,
dumping a bundle of AFTERNOON EDITIONS on the sidewalk.
"WAR OF THE FREAKS" has been relegated to the lower right-
hand corner of the page -- supplanted by more pressing
news:
STOCK MARKET CRASHES
Product Scare Drops Dow to 1100
Biggest One-Day Decline in History
INT. WAYNE FOUNDATION - DAY
BRUCE in a plush office suite downtown, on the phone to his
broker. Behind his desk is a big plate-glass window with a
fortieth-floor view of the financial district, so he can
wave at his fellow millionaires on their way down.
BRUCE
Don't sell. It won't last. We'll
ride it out.
With exaggerated calm, he hangs up. He lifts the receiver
to dial another number, then hesitates and hangs up again.
INT. RECEPTION AREA - A MOMENT LATER - DAY
BRUCE, affecting an air of nonchalance, strolls past a
squad of SECRETARIES at desks. Phones are ringing off the
hook.
INT. HALLWAY - A MOMENT LATER - DAY
BRUCE ambles past a couple of COLLEAGUES. One of them is
shambling catatonically down the hall, bumping into walls.
The other is WAILING HYSTERICALLY.
WAILING COLLEAGUE
... a nine-million-dollar bath!
BRUCE nods in sympathy as they pass. He stops outside the
door to a men's room, looks around cautiously, then enters.
INT. MEN'S ROOM - A MOMENT LATER - DAY
A small anteroom outside the bathroom proper, with a bank
of PAY PHONES on one wall. BRUCE checks the bathroom to
make sure it's empty, then digs out a quarter and dials a
number. He cups one hand confidentially over the receiver:
BRUCE
(the familiar rasp)
Vicki?... This is Batman. I thought
I'd call and see how you're doing.
INT. VICKI'S APARTMENT - DAY
VICKI
(hesitantly)
... I know it's you, Bruce. I'm not
going to talk to you unless we can
discuss it.
INT. MEN'S ROOM - ON BRUCE
BRUCE
(a little smile)
Who's this "Bruce"? Are you trying
to make me jealous?
VICKI (V.O.)
(filter)
I'm serious, Bruce. We have to --
At this very moment, a DAZED FINANCIER enters from behind.
FINANCIER
Hi, Bruce.
BRUCE automatically claps a hand over the mouthpiece. His
face goes slack as he hangs up -- with VICKI'S TINNY VOICE
still squeaking on the other end of the line.
CUT TO:
INT. DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE - NIGHT
HARVEY DENT at a big desk, flanked by a number of
POLITICOS.
DENT
... We deal.
ADVISER
Harvey, please. I mean --
(shaking his head)
If your first official act as D.A.
is to cut a deal with a
terrorist...
DENT
Screw that, Ed. We've got a market
panic of national proportions.
-- We've got 786 people dead.
(beat)
I won't sacrifice one more life for
the sake of appearing strong.
POLITICO
Harvey's right. We've got the 300th
anniversary gala coming up. The
networks won't even send in a crew.
ADVISER
Harvey, the police are working round
the clock, the feds are coming in.
This thing could break any minute
now.
(turning)
Tell him, Jim.
COMMISSIONER GORDON reaches into his vest pocket for a
cigar. He clips the end off, lights it, takes a long
drag... and STARES GLUMLY at the floor.
GORDON
Cut the deal.
INT. CITY HALL - NIGHT
The MAYOR sits impatiently at a long table, flanked by JIM
GORDON, HARVEY DENT, and other prominent officials. The
room is packed with REPORTERS and TV NEWS CREWS.
NEWS ANCHOR
... at City Hall, where the mayor is
waiting to open negotiations with
the clown-faced terrorist known as
the Joker. It is now eight minutes
past the appointed deadline, and
still no word from --
INT. GOTHAM GLOBE - CITY ROOM - THAT MOMENT - NIGHT
REPORTERS cluster around a bank of four TV sets, each tuned
to a different station, all broadcasting from city Hall.
REPORTER I
Look at 'em sweat. Can't wait for
the next Gallup Poll.
REPORTER II
Hey Knox, cheer up. It ain't the
Batman but it's pretty choice.
KNOX, who has recently taken up smoking, responds with a
grunt. SUDDEN HUBBUB from the ONLOOKERS as a wave of VIDEO
NOISE wipes half the screen away.
INSERT - TELEVISION SCREEN
Split-screen. On one side is the MAYOR. On the other --
sitting in a director's chair with a big yellow HAPPY-FACE
BACKDROP behind him -- is the JOKER, grinning fiendishly.
JOKER
Joker here. Can we talk?
The MAYOR fumbles for his prepared statement.
MAYOR
"While this administration remains
vehemently opposed to terrorism in
any form, we are prepared to
negotiate any reasonable demands
which will guarantee the safety of
the populace."
JOKER
Huh. Demands. Well, gents, this is
kinda embarrassing, but... I'm having
such a swell time, I just haven't
thought any up.
He shrugs. STARTLED REACTIONS from the city officials.
JOKER (cont.)
But I'm a reasonable fella. If you
want to make me an offer...
Panicked, the MAYOR and co. go into a quick huddle.
MAYOR
All right, all right. Here's the
deal. Total amnesty... and the sum of
ten million dollars, payable in --
JOKER
Ten million dollars. Ten million
dollars.
(flying off the handle)
Ten mi-- YOU CHEAPSKATES! I've just
wiped out the stock market. I've
cost you billions!
(petulantly)
I want ten million and one.
MAYOR
No, wait, please! We'll talk. Just
tell us what you expect.
JOKER
Goddammit, I expect to be treated
like an ARTIST. GET OFF MY SCREEN!!
MORE VIDEO STATIC sweeps across the screen, pushing the
MAYOR clean out of frame. The JOKER leers at the camera.
JOKER (cont.)
I might just think up some demands.
And I'm gonna talk to all my
friends, and see what they want,
too. And then maybe we'll get
together -- have a little party --
exchange presents.
(waving goodbye)
Happy Birthday, Gotham.
"The Shadow of Your Smile" comes up UNDERNEATH as the
JOKER's transmission ends and the SCREEN GOES BLACK.
INT. GLOBE CITY ROOM - THAT MOMENT - NIGHT
FRANTIC ACTIVITY as REPORTERS rush to their telephones and
typewriters. KNOX strolls slowly back to his desk. He's
sitting on the biggest story of his career... and now, as
he realizes grimly, nobody knows or cares.
CUT TO:
EXT. ANDREWS ISLAND - DAY
A tiny island in Gotham Harbor, homesite of LADY GOTHAM --
the huge, newly restored stone statue that welcomes
incoming ships. Her upper half is draped in a huge TARP
prior to the unveiling ceremony scheduled for this Sunday.
At the base of the statue, WORKMEN are assembling a big
wooden platform, complete with microphones, amplifiers and
spotlights. They raise a gigantic BANNER which reads:
"GOTHAM CITY -- 300TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION."
CUT TO:
EXT. WAYNE MANOR - DAY
A TAXI pulls away from the wrought-iron gate at the
entrance to the estate. KNOX ambles up to a stone pillar,
glances up at a VIDEO CAMERA mounted over the gate, and
hits a BUZZER.
ALFRED (V.O.)
(through loudspeaker)
Yes?
KNOX
Alexander Knox. Gotham Globe.
ALFRED (V.O.)
Mr. Wayne is out for the day.
KNOX
Actually, I wanted to talk to
Batman. Pass that on to Mr. Wayne,
would you?
KNOX starts cockily off down the driveway -- then STOPS.
Behind him, the iron gates are SLIDING OPEN.
INT. BRUCE'S LIBRARY - TEN MINUTES LATER - DAY
KNOX, agitated, drums his fingers on the edge of a big
leather chair. BRUCE stands across from him.
BRUCE
I've been expecting to hear from
you.
KNOX
Well, that's how it is, chum. She
tells me everything.
BRUCE
What is it you want?
KNOX
Simple. You know the score. One
column -- and I can bring all this
tumbling down. I can take you off
the streets once and for all.
(a shaky pause)
I want you to hang up the suit. And
I want you to stay away from Vicki.
BRUCE
I can't do that. Not while the
Joker's still out there.
KNOX
Then stay away from Vicki. That's
all I want, man. I just want your
word.
BRUCE turns away, evading his gaze. KNOX fumbles in his
jacket for a cigarette.
KNOX (cont.)
See, I don't know how it happened --
she's a smart girl and you are an
extraordinarily screwed-up guy -- but
she's in love with you.
BRUCE
There's something I don't
understand. If you've got the story,
why haven't you printed it?
KNOX
Because I --
(beat)
Because she'd never speak to me
again.
KNOX is a bundle of nerves now. No longer cocky, he stubs
out his newly-lit cigarette -- and begins to PLEAD OPENLY.
KNOX (cont.)
Come on, Bruce. Be straight. What
have you got to offer? You gonna
marry her? Batman and Mrs. Batman?
(laughing bitterly)
Gimme a break, huh? Who's gonna be
Best Rodent?
BRUCE sinks into a chair, exhales sharply. He can't even
put up an argument. The two of them sit there, not looking
at each other, as ALFRED appears in the doorway.
BRUCE
Do you want a drink?
KNOX
Yeah, a drink. "Civilized." Man-to-
man, right?
BRUCE
Alfred, bring something for Mr.
Knox. -- I'll have one too.
CUT TO:
EXT. GOTHAM PARK - LATE AFTERNOON
The weekend-long BIRTHDAY GALA is getting underway, and
Gotham Park is mobbed with CELEBRANTS enjoying a FREE
CONCERT. Onstage: FIVE ELVIS IMITATORS, dressed in
everything from black leather to white spangled jumpsuits,
representing the King in progressive stages of
deterioration.
INT. VICKI'S APARTMENT - DUSK
She's on the sofa beside a disconsolate BRUCE.
VICKI
... So we just pretend none of this
ever happened. We never met. We --
(frightened)
You're going to get yourself killed,
Bruce. You know that, don't you?
BRUCE
It wouldn't matter much.
VICKI
I don't understand it. You can do so
much good for people. As Bruce
Wayne.
He sinks back on the sofa, closes his eyes. He's had the
same argument with himself a thousand times.
BRUCE
Money makes money, Vicki. The
foundation runs itself. -- I'm
extraneous to the process.
VICKI
You're one man. You can't save
everybody.
BRUCE
What it I could save a handful?
-- What if I could save one?
VICKI is sick of watching BRUCE torment himself. She stands
up, almost crying now, and ACCUSES HIM DIRECTLY:
VICKI
Bruce, at the rate you're going, you
can't even save yourself.
BRUCE
(staring right at her)
Sometimes... I don't know if there's
enough of me left to save.
VICKI is totally drained. She heads for the kitchen.
VICKI
Oh, God. I've got to have some
coffee or something.
A moment's breather as BRUCE sits on the sofa reflecting.
Then, suddenly, a KNOCK at the door.
VICKI reappears and moves to answer the door. BRUCE -- on
his feet instantly -- grabs her by the shoulder.
BRUCE
Are you expecting anyone?
She nods no. He goes to the peephole in the door.
BRUCE (cont.)
Who's there?
THROUGH THE PEEPHOLE he sees a DELIVERY BOY.
DELIVERY BOY
Package tor Miss Vale.
BRUCE
Set it down by the door. On the
left-hand side.
The DELIVERY BOY sets the package down and wanders off,
tipless, muttering something about "cheap shits." After a
moment's interval, BRUCE opens the door and bends to pick
up the mysterious package.
Another brown-paper parcel... ADDRESSED IN CRAYON.
VICKI
BRUCE!
He strides past her, handling the parcel gingerly, and sets
it down on the kitchen counter.
VICKI (cont.)
It's just like the last time. He
sent me a present before he --
BRUCE
Very thoughtful. Don't touch it.
As VICKI watches, he goes into the living-room and finds
his ALLIGATOR ATTACHE CASE. He opens the case, removes a
LAPTOP COMPUTER and a handful of business papers... then
lifts out a false bottom to reveal his UTILITY BELT.
VICKI
Oh, Bruce. Don't tell me you carry
it around with you.
BRUCE
I feel naked without it.
He takes out a tiny ULTRASOUND SCANNER -- rather like a
stethoscope, with a miniature sonar display where the
earpieces should be -- and runs it over the package.
BRUCE (cont.)
Not a bomb. But it could be rigged.
Wait in the next room.
He takes a small GAS MASK from his belt, puts it on, then
SLITS THE WRAPPING with a steak knife.
Nothing. Cautiously, he pulls back the flaps. The box is
full of STYROFOAM POPCORN. BRUCE shoves a hand down into
the popcorn... and extracts a HUMAN EAR.
In the doorway behind him, VICKI lets out a squeal.
BRUCE grabs the box and dumps TWO DOZEN EARS on the
counter.
BRUCE
... They're wax.
VICKI finds a hand-scrawled NOTE among the ears.
VICKI
"It worked for Van Gogh. Let's make
up. I'll need you soon." -- Whew.
BRUCE
(lost in thought)
That does it. It's going to be this
weekend.
The KITCHEN PHONE rings. VICKI reaches for the receiver.
Her eyes go wide and she gestures him over.
INT. ALICIA HUNT'S APARTMENT - THAT MOMENT
ALICIA, in her porcelain mask, on the phone.
ALICIA
I thought you ought to know -- he's
coming for you...
ON BRUCE AND VICKI
Faces pressed together as they listen in. BRUCE covers the
mouthpiece with one hand.
BRUCE
Keep her on the line!
VICKI
... Where are you calling from?
As VICKI struggles to keep the conversation alive, BRUCE
rushes into the living room and crouches beside his LAPTOP
COMPUTER. He plugs it in, flips open the screen, punches up
a telecommunications program.
A moment later VICKI enters from the kitchen.
VICKI
I'm sorry, she hung up. What are --
BRUCE
Finding out where she is.
VICKI
How can you do that if she's already
off the line?
BRUCE
I've had an automatic tracer on this
number ever since he tracked you to
the museum.
INT. BATCAVE - THAT MOMENT
MASSIVE COMPUTERS click and whir. At BRUCE's prodding,
INFORMATION comes up on the monitor: a number, a name --
ALICIA HUNT -- and an East Side address.
INT. VICKI'S APARTMENT - THAT MOMENT - EVENING
THE SAME INFORMATION scrolls across BRUCE's screen.
BRUCE
Got it!
VICKI
What now!
BRUCE
Hang on. I have to leave a message.
HE FREEZES. He's heard something in the hallway outside.
INT. HALLWAY - THAT MOMENT
ELEVATOR DOORS open on THREE THUGS. One of them uses a key
to lock the car in place on VICKI's floor. The key is on
the end of a ring which contains dozens of other keys.
The KEY RING belongs to a DOORMAN, who's riding in the
elevator with the JOKER's trio of thugs. He's dead, alas.
The THUGS dump him unceremoniously on the floor of the hall
and march toward VICKI's apartment.
INT. VICKI'S APARTMENT - A MOMENT LATER
BRUCE is nowhere in sight. VICKI is at the sink washing
dishes, acting nonchalant. She pretends not to hear the
DOOR unlocking behind her.
She turns -- and faces the THREE ADVANCING THUGS.
THUG I
Hi, Miss Vale. Let's not put up a
fight, huh? 'Cause we'd hate to have
to --
BRUCE steps into the doorway behind them. With a single
sweep of the arm, he flings THREE DRUG-TIPPED NINJA WHEELS
at the thugs, catching one in the neck, one in the
shoulder, one in the hip. They COLLAPSE in quick
succession.
BRUCE
There's a garage in this building?
VICKI nods yes. BRUCE -- all business now that he's in his
element -- disappears into VICKI's bedroom.
She peeks around the corner. He reemerges carrying a BLACK
NYLON STOCKING, which he stuffs into his pocket. VICKI is
full of question, but he shushes her before she can speak.
BRUCE (cont.)
I've got to take him out now.
He stoops down beside the THUGS and pulls the elevator key
off the key ring -- which he then tosses to VICKI.
BRUCE (cont.)
Pick an apartment and stay there.
And listen: call the police. Give
them that address. Every available
man.
He starts out the door, stops just long enough to take a
dumbfounded VICKI in his arms for a kiss.
INT. UNDERGROUND GARAGE - A MOMENT LATER - EVENING
THE JOKER'S VAN, bearing the Monarch Playing Card logo. TWO
ARMED GOONS lean against the hood. They watch as the
elevator opens and an ordinary fellow in a suit steps out.
BRUCE pulls car keys from his pocket and strolls past the
thugs, head down, whistling. As he walks around the van,
his hand brushes against it -- leaving a MAGNETIZED HOMING
DEVICE, almost too tiny to notice, stuck to the fender.
He walks another six paces, then stops short. He feels
around in all his pockets, making a big show of having
forgotten something.
BRUCE
Oh, hell!
The GOONS eye him curiously as he strides back toward the
elevator. The doors are closing before it strikes them that
something is amiss.
GOON
Hey, boss, something's up. The
elevator's working.
INT. VAN - ON JOKER
Frustrated, snarling, ready to throw a tantrum.
JOKER
DAMMIT! You can't get good help
these days. -- Let's move out.
EXT. STREET - EVENING - OVERHEAD ANGLE
From high above the street we see the JOKER'S VAN pulling
out of VICKI's building. We're up on the roof, with BRUCE.
He hits a button on his utility belt, and a RED SIGNAL
LIGHT begins to flash.
BRUCE clamps the utility belt around his waist. Pulls the
BLACK NYLON STOCKING over his head. And suddenly, he's
BOUNDING ACROSS THE ROOFTOPS in pursuit of the JOKER.
EXT. CROSS STREET - A MOMENT LATER - EVENING
The VAN turns right at the intersection. Nothing unusual.
But for some reason, PEDESTRIANS are pointing at the sky,
staring goggle-eyed at the rooftops.
Far above them, a MAN -- dressed in a suit, a tie, a yellow
belt and a BLACK STOCKING MASK -- is gliding across the
intersection on a ROPE.
INT. VAN - A MOMENT LATER
The VAN DRIVER guns through a red light. BRAKES SQUEAL on
either side. In the back of the van, the JOKER GROWLS:
JOKER
Slow down, you maniac!
EXT. INTERSECTION - THAT MOMENT - EVENING
As the VAN ROARS PAST, a MOUNTED POLICEMAN shakes his fist.
His horse shies, rears back, turns in a circle. He's just
about gotten the beast calmed down when a MAN IN A STOCKING
MASK plummets down on a rope from nowhere and lands
directly behind him on the horse's back.
BRUCE elbows the startled COP. Now there's only one rider.
The VAN turns left. BRUCE gallops straight ahead through
the intersection, hoping to cut the JOKER off.
INT. ALICIA HUNT'S APARTMENT - THAT MOMENT
ALICIA peers out through the window. On the street below,
UNMARKED CARS are converging.
INT. VAN - THAT MOMENT
The JOKER and co. are two blocks away from ALICIA's. They
see a POLICE SWAT TEAM sealing off the building.
DRIVER
Boss! Jesus! They've --
JOKER
They'll be sorry. They'll be
sorry. -- GET OUT OF HERE!
EXT. SIDE STREET - THAT MOMENT - EVENING
BRUCE on horseback, charging past elegant old brownstones,
drawing stares from passersby. We get a quick look at the
FLASHING RED SIGNAL LIGHT on his belt.
EXT. RIVERVIEW DRIVE - THAT MOMENT - EVENING
A YELLOW VW BUG rips up the street at 70 mph.
INT. VOLKSWAGEN BUG - THAT MOMENT
We can't see the driver. But we do see, on the seat
beside him, a VIDEO DISPLAY with a shifting grid map of the
city -- and on it, a FLASHING SIGNAL blinking in perfect
sync with the one on BRUCE's belt.
EXT. SIDE STREET - THAT MOMENT
BRUCE sees the VW bug rounding the corner and STREAKING
TOWARD HIM. He reins in the horse; it rears back on its
hind legs in a classic western pose; the BUG zooms past --
-- and ALFRED THE BUTLER heaves out a BROWN LAUNDRY BUNDLE,
neatly tied in string.
BRUCE snatches it out of the air, gives ALFRED a quick
salute -- and the BUG is gone.
INT. JOKER'S VAN - EVENING
The JOKER and his boys are stalled in heavy traffic at the
southern border of Gotham Park. POLICE BARRICADES are
everywhere; the surrounding streets have been roped off for
the birthday gala. HORNS HONK in anger.
JOKER
MOVE! Can't you do something??
DRIVER
It's some kind of detour. They're
backed up for blocks!
The JOKER snorts. He happens to glance into the side-view
mirror. What he sees there... CURDLES HIS BLOOD.
JOKER
Oh my God. How does he do it... ?
EXT. STREET - A BLOCK AWAY - THAT MOMENT
THE BATMAN, IN FULL COSTUMED GLORY, GALLOPING UP THE STREET
ON HORSEBACK -- passing stunned COPS, weaving in and around
the stalled autos, GAINING FAST on the JOKER.
INT. VAN - THAT MOMENT
THE JOKER climbing all over the DRIVER. He HITS THE GAS,
RUNS THE VAN UP ON THE SIDEWALK, and -- at the first
opening he sees -- CRASHES THROUGH A POLICE BARRICADE INTO
GOTHAM PARK ITSELF.
BATMAN is half a block behind him now. As he follows hot on
the JOKER's heels, TWO HELICOPTERS swing into the park from
overhead.
EXT. GOTHAM PARK - EVENING
CROWDS EVERYWHERE. On the central platform where we saw the
FREE CONCERT earlier, an EMCEE mans the microphone:
EMCEE
-- the most spectacular, most death-
defying aerial stunt ever devised.
Tonight -- for the first time
anywhere -- THE FLYING GRAYSONS!
He points up at the two approaching HELICOPTERS, flying
side-by-side in tight formation some forty feet apart.
ANGLE ON HELICOPTERS
ONLOOKERS GASP as TWO TRAPEZES drop from the bellies of the
twin copters. Dangling from the trapezes are the FLYING
GRAYSONS -- a husband-and-wife aerialist team in spangled
red-and-green suits. They begin swinging toward each other
in a plane perpendicular to the path of the copters.
EXT. GOTHAM PARK - GROUND LEVEL
PANIC DOWN BELOW as the JOKER's van barrels through the
crowd, HORN BLARING. BATMAN is moving up swiftly.
On each wrist he's wearing a MINIATURE ROCKET LAUNCHER. He
lets fly with TWO SALVOS. The first explodes harmlessly
against a tree. The second HITS THE REAR DOOR OF THE VAN --
driving it off the access road down into the brush, where
it nearly topples over sideways.
ANGLE ON FLYING GRAYSONS
GRAYSON has just completed a double somersault in midair,
landing in the capable hands of his wife. Now they're
swinging again, building momentum as he prepares to make
the return leap back to his own trapeze.
INT. HELICOPTER - THAT MOMENT
In the bay of the helicopter stands a kid, fifteen,
compact, tough, and wiry: DICK GRAYSON. Like his parents,
he's wearing a red-and-green suit. From the copter, he's
got a perfect bird's-eye view of the BATMAN-JOKER chase.
PILOT
Ready to go, Dick?
DICK
What's all the ruckus down there?
EXT. PARK - GROUND LEVEL - THAT MOMENT
The VAN bounces over rocks and bushes, narrowly avoiding
trees, with BATMAN in hot pursuit.
INT. VAN - THAT MOMENT
At the foot of a hill, the JOKER spies a truck. On its
side, in bright red letters, a WARNING: "DANGER -
FIREWORKS. FLAMMABLE LOAD."
The JOKER reaches into the back for a HIGHWAY FLARE.
JOKER
Head for the truck!
INT. HELICOPTER - THAT MOMENT
Hovering over the chase scene, DICK catches sight of the
JOKER. He GASPS IN SHOCK as a LIT FLARE flies from the back
of the VAN... directly into the FIREWORKS TRUCK.
EXT. PARK - GROUND LEVEL - A MOMENT LATER
THE BATMAN is thrown off his horse by the shock of a
massive EXPLOSION. All at once, THE SKY IS FULL of
BURSTING, INCANDESCENT COLORS!!
THE JOKER hangs out of the rear of the van, looking up, an
expression of PURE DELIGHT on his face.
JOKER
I love fireworks!
ANGLE ON HELICOPTERS
LURCHING AND SPINNING IN THE SKY as FIREWORKS rocket past.
One of them takes a dead hit on the rotor. JOHN GRAYSON
falls to his death instantly; a moment later, the COPTER
plummets into the trees with a resounding, fiery CRASH.
MARY GRAYSON hangs from the second copter as it bobs and
weaves out of control. ONLOOKERS SCREAM IN TERROR.
EXT. STREET - THAT MOMENT
THE JOKER'S VAN bursts out of the park and speeds up a
wide, cordoned-off avenue. Overhead, THE SECOND COPTER
veers wildly, out of the park now, swinging dangerously
close to the tall buildings along the avenue.
INT. HELICOPTER - THAT MOMENT
DICK GRAYSON at the mouth of the bay, hanging on by a
canvas strap. He watches helplessly as his MOTHER swings
into a POWER LINE and drops three stories to the pavement.
DICK
NO! NOOOOOOOO!!!!
His face is contorted with rage and pain. The PILOT
struggles desperately to right the copter, barely avoiding
a collision with the nearest building. And then -- before
THE PILOT can make a move to stop him -- DICK HAS JUMPED
OUT OF THE COPTER.
ANGLE ON DICK
With astonishing physical grace, he DIVES. GRABS A
FLAGPOLE. Executes a perfect somersault. FLIPS onto a
nearby fire escape. VAULTS to the next fire escape down.
And LEAPS OUT OVER THE STREET --
-- MAKING A PERFECT TWO-POINT LANDING on his intended
target... THE ROOF OF THE JOKER'S VAN!!
INT. VAN - THAT MOMENT
THE JOKER hears a THUNK overhead. He casually lifts his gun
and BLOWS A HOLE THROUGH THE ROOF OF THE VAN.
EXT. ROOF OF VAN - MOVING - THAT MOMENT
The blast just misses DICK. He sprawls flat, YANKS at the
chrome luggage rack on the roof of the van, and BREAKS OFF
A FOUR-FOOT SHAFT OF METAL.
ANOTHER SHOT through the roof. DICK rolls forward, hoists
his chrome spear over the windshield.
INT. VAN - THAT MOMENT
SPLINTERED GLASS flies everywhere as DICK RAMS THE SHAFT
THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD. THE DRIVER dodges left and LOSES
CONTROL OF THE WHEEL.
EXT. ROOF OF VAN - MOVING - THAT MOMENT
The VAN careens wildly toward an OVERPASS. DICK rises up
into a crouch just in time to see a sign which reads
"DANGER -- LOW CLEARANCE." He's about to get his head taken
off!
ONE SECOND BEFORE IMPACT a BLACK-CAPED SHADOW swings across
the street and SCOOPS DICK OFF THE ROOF OF THE VAN.
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
BATMAN AND DICK tumble to the pavement. THE VAN knocks over
a fire hydrant and STOPS. DICK is already on his feet,
ready to CHARGE THE VAN, when BATMAN throws a powerful arm
around his waist.
DICK
LET ME GO! LET ME --
THE JOKER steps casually out of the van. TWO GOONS with
MACHINE GUNS emerge behind him. PEDESTRIANS SCREAM as the
GOONS level their guns at the CROWD.
DICK (cont.)
YOU PIECE OF -- YOU MOTHERF--
DICK is kicking, screaming, clawing, biting. BATMAN has his
hands full restraining the kid.
JOKER
Like your boyfriend. He's kinda
hot.
(glowering at BATMAN)
Hands off the belt.
BATMAN
Take me. Let the boy go.
JOKER
Gosh, I could kill you, but then
you'd miss my party. And I'd be
real, real sad if you couldn't make
it.
BATMAN
What are you talking about?
JOKER
Batman! Don't you even recognize
your old pal Jack? After all...
(cackling insanely)
You made me what I am today.
BATMAN cocks his head in puzzlement as DISTANT SIRENS
BLARE. The JOKER and his HOODS -- guns still aimed at the
crowd -- back away and race off on foot, vanishing into the
night.
DICK BREAKS FREE and BOLTS AFTER THEM. BATMAN throws him to
the street with a flying tackle. The boy is hysterical.
DICK
HE KILLED MY PARENTS! HE KILLED
MY --
BATMAN flinches at the sound of the words. He reaches into
his belt and -- mercifully -- breaks a KNOCKOUT CAPSULE
under DICK's nose.
DISSOLVE TO:
INSERT - TELEVISION SCREEN
A taped report from the hallway outside ALICIA's apartment.
COPS and FORENSICS MEN mill about in the b.g.
REPORTER
... on a tip attributed to the
mysterious Batman. The apartment was
booby-trapped with the Joker's
laughing gas, leaving 17 policemen
dead.
(beat)
Also found dead at the scene was
Alicia Hunt, 26, a former model --
CAMERA PULLS BACK to reveal that the TV SCREEN is part of
BRUCE'S BANK OF MONITORS, deep in the Batcave. The other
screens show the various rooms of Wayne Manor, all empty.
We move now to the video display of a COMPUTER WORKSTATION,
showing TWO FACES side-by-side: a mug shot of JACK NAPIER
and a freeze-frame of the JOKER from one of his pirate
transmissions. A GRAPHICS PROGRAM abstracts the twin heads
into THREE-DIMENSIONAL, ROTATING TOPOLOGICAL GRIDS -- and,
as we watch, the two spinning heads COLLIDE AND MERGE.
Except for the fearsome grin, they MESH PERFECTLY.
Yet another terminal: BRUCE's database. The same phrase
flashes again and again, scrolling up the screen: ACE
CHEMICAL CO. ACE CHEMICAL CO. ACE CHEMICAL CO.
And, finally: BRUCE HIMSELF, slumped at a table, his head
in his hands. He's realized, to his horror, that he is
responsible for the birth of the Joker. And frankly...
he would just as soon be dead.
INT. WAYNE MANOR - GUEST BEDROOM - DAY
DICK GRAYSON is sprawled on a huge four-poster bed,
unconscious, softly moaning. He COMES TO with a jolt.
Breaking into a sweat almost instantly, he looks at his
unfamiliar surroundings. A shadowy figure stands nearby.
DICK
... Where am I?
BRUCE
My name is Bruce Wayne. You're
welcome to stay here as long as you
want.
BRUCE steps out just as ALFRED enters with a breakfast
tray. DICK makes a puzzled face. What the hell is going on
here?
INT. HALL OF JUSTICE - DAY
Beneath the statue of blind Justice, BRUCE and HARVEY DENT
march through the portico, engaged in a heated argument.
DENT
We'll send a team into Ace the
moment the warrant comes through.
BRUCE
He'll be ready when you do. Remember
what happened at the apartment.
DENT
All right, Bruce, what do you
suggest?
BRUCE
I suggest a nice big bomb.
DENT
Good. A bomb. On a blind tip from
Bruce Wayne. -- We do have laws.
BRUCE
Then for God's sake, Harvey, cancel
the anniversary celebration.
DENT
We've told him we'll deal. What
could he possibly have to gain by --
BRUCE
Do you still think the Joker cares
about money??
DENT
I don't know. I'm just a D.A. I
don't have access to all your
expert sources.
Mexican standoff. BRUCE stalks off fuming. DENT hangs back
a moment, then turns down the hall.
EXT. WAYNE MANOR - ESTABLISHING - DAY
The ornate, wrought-iron GATE which opens on the long
driveway snaking up toward Wayne Manor. It's bolted shut.
INT. WAYNE MANOR - DAY
A glass-enclosed room which houses an enormous HEATED
INDOOR SWIMMING POOL. DICK GRAYSON does a couple of laps,
then climbs out and towels himself off.
He looks out at the estate: tennis courts, a riding stable
in the distance. He's not happy. All this opulence could
drive a guy stark staring nuts in short order.
INT. GUEST BEDROOM - DAY
An OPEN SUITCASE on the bed. DICK fingers a gold ashtray
bearing the figure of Winged Victory -- then shrugs and
tosses it into the suitcase on top of his gymnast's
costume. When he looks up he sees BRUCE in the doorway
behind him.
DICK
... Your butler wouldn't gimme a ride
so I figured I'd hoof it.
BRUCE
Sorry. I can't let you leave.
DICK
You can't keep me here, man. That's
kidnapping.
BRUCE
If I let you leave, you'll do the
same thing again. You'll go after
the Joker... and you'll wind up dead.
(turning to go)
DICK
Hey, man. Look at you. You're
rich. You got everything you want.
How do you know what's in my mind?
BRUCE turns to face him. The little hellion's eyes are
filled with raw, burning hatred. BRUCE knows the feeling.
BRUCE
I don't care what's in your mind.
You're staying.
BRUCE reaches for a key in his pocket. Without warning, the
kid RUSHES him, throwing a rock-solid punch. With blinding
speed, BRUCE sidesteps him, parries the blow, and winds up
spinning DICK around -- INTO A WALL.
DICK is stunned, but he has to laugh. This rich boy has a
move or two. BRUCE stands there, silently challenging him.
A second later, the kid is airborne -- upping the ante with
a scissor-kick aimed squarely at BRUCE's gut. In a blur of
motion BRUCE checks the kick, swings an arm into DICK's
chest, and sends the boy sprawling flat on his back.
INT. WAYNE MANOR - KITCHEN - THAT MOMENT
ALFRED, in his apron, fixing a tray of snacks. He looks up
curiously at the ceiling. From the sound of it, a battle
royal is shaping up in the guest bedroom.
INT. GUEST BEDROOM - THAT MOMENT
DICK'S BODY -- head down, feet up -- flies through the air.
He SMASHES INTO a closet door and slumps to the carpet.
Shaken now, and sweating profusely, he looks up at BRUCE...
who stands calmly over him, adjusting his necktie.
A long, tense moment passes between them. Then:
DICK
... You're him.
No reply from BRUCE. Their gazes lock. And suddenly...
ALFRED (V.O.)
FREEZE!
DICK and BRUCE look around. The puny, mustachioed butler
stands in the doorway, feet spread in a Dirty Harry stance,
a .44 MAGNUM trained on DICK.
BRUCE
It's all right, Alfred. Everything's
under control.
ALFRED
... Very good, sir.
ALFRED relaxes, musters his dignity, and turns to go.
CUT TO:
INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - AFTERNOON
CANNED APPLAUSE as THE JOKER marches out onto a makeshift
STAGE to give his QUARTERLY REPORT to the stockholders.
JOKER
Thankya, thankya. Ladies and germs,
I'm here to tell you... we have had
one helluva quarter.
He waves a pointer at three SALES CHARTS on portable
easels.
JOKER (cont.)
Panic's up. Terror's up. And fear --
fear's gone straight through the
roof. You guys should be proud --
'cause I couldn'ta done it without
each and every one of you!
MORE CANNED APPLAUSE. The JOKER takes a bow.
JOKER (cont.)
I feel it's time to expand the
Joker line. I was askin' myself,
what are the products that every
consumer wants most? And that's when
it hit me: the water you drink, and
the air you breathe! Huh? Bingo!
(strutting across stage)
Now, some of you have your eye on
the profit margin. You're thinkin':
this boy's too ambitious. You
don't approve. In fact, some of you
have been talking about turning me
in to the cops. Or knocking me off.
He pauses. GLARES OUT at the audience. NO RESPONSE.
JOKER (cont.)
But that's okay. I understand. Not
everyone shares my eye for beauty.
And just to show there's no hard
feelings, I'm throwin' a little
shindig tonight -- and you're all
invited!
THE CANNED APPLAUSE goes right off the meter.
JOKER (cont.)
How 'bout it? IS EVERYBODY HAPPY??
REVERSE ANGLE - THE AUDIENCE
Familiar faces all around -- the major players of the
Gotham underworld. But despite the enormous twisted grins,
no one here is laughing or applauding. No one here is
living. The JOKER is playing to a roomful of smiling
corpses.
One of them topples out of his chair and lands with a plop.
JOKER
Look at that, folks. We got 'em
rolling in the aisles!
CUT TO:
INT. BRUCE'S BEDROOM - TOWARD DUSK
VICKI lies in BRUCE's bed, under the covers, propped up on
the pillows. BRUCE is in his robe over by the window,
looking out at his estate.
BRUCE
All this apparatus, Vicki... this
house, and the money, and the
power... it was never mine. It was
something I inherited. Bruce Wayne
was something I inherited.
(pause)
All I ever hoped for was someone who
could see through Bruce -- who could
see me -- and not be frightened.
VICKI
I'm not frightened of you, Bruce.
I'm frightened for you.
BRUCE
In all these years... why couldn't I
see how it would turn out?
He turns toward her. His face is ravaged with guilt. Now
she's truly afraid.
BRUCE (cont.)
I'm responsible, Vicki. If it wasn't
for me, there'd be no Joker.
CUT TO:
INT. BATCAVE - EVENING
TIGHT ON a tiny electronic device: two cylindrical steel
casings bracketed together, topped by a DIGITAL TIMER.
BRUCE makes a few adjustments with a jeweler's screwdriver,
hits a trigger, and watches the TIMER tick off seconds. 30.
29. 28. At 25 seconds, BRUCE kills the
countdown and CLAMPS THE DEVICE into an empty packet on his
utility belt.
He stands up wearily. He's in his bat-suit, minus the cape
and cowl. Behind him, hanging back discreetly in the
shadows, is his loyal butler ALFRED.
BRUCE
Where's the boy?
ALFRED
Upstairs. He's quite docile.
BRUCE
I know that feeling. It won't last.
BRUCE takes a moment to survey the Batcave as ALFRED looks
on tremulously.
BRUCE (cont.)
He's a long way ahead of where I was
at his age.
(taking ALFRED's
shoulders)
I want you to treat him just as if
he were me. Promise.
ALFRED
Yes, sir.
BRUCE
He'll be taken care of financially.
Beyond that... you know what to do.
Don't let all this go to waste.
Their eyes lock for a long moment. ALFRED is unable to
speak. Finally BRUCE turns and starts slowly up the long
circular stairway which leads from the Batcave to Wayne
Manor. On the third step he pauses:
BRUCE (cont.)
Alfred? -- Thank you.
As BRUCE disappears up the stairs, a shaken ALFRED steadies
himself against a lab table, fighting back tears.
INT. BRUCE'S BEDROOM - EVENING
BRUCE draws the curtains, sets an alarm clock. The current
time is 7:09 PM.
He sits cross-legged on the floor, slumps forward slightly,
and closes his eyes. He inhales, exhales, taking deep,
regular breaths. His muscles relax. Ten seconds later,
BRUCE has plunged into DEEP SLEEP.
Time passes. The clock shows 7:19, 7:32.
At 7:44 we TRACK IN on BRUCE's unconscious face, drawing
closer and closer until HIS EYELIDS FILL THE FRAME,
twitching with the irregular movement characteristic of
R.E.M. sleep. Without warning his EYES SNAP OPEN.
HOLD ON BRUCE'S GAZE -- grim, alert, determined -- as the
clock hits 7:45. An ALARM SOUNDS, BREAKING THE SILENCE with
its grating electronic WHINE.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. ACE CHEMICAL - AERIAL SHOT - NIGHT
The trademark ace on the illuminated sign. From our vantage
point high above, we can see THREE CARGO TRUCKS rolling out
the main gates. A half-mile away, THE BATMOBILE cruises up
the waterfront, approaching soundlessly, its headlights
off... preparing for a final showdown with the JOKER's
forces.
INT. ACE CHEMICAL - THAT MOMENT - NIGHT
The JOKER'S MINIONS, working late, readying a huge
shipment. At an open loading bay, we find a DISPATCHER with
a clipboard, directing MORE UNMARKED TRUCKS in the lot
outside.
DISPATCHER
Boston, Philly: loading bay one.
EXT. ACE CHEMICAL - THAT MOMENT - NIGHT
The BATMOBILE stops short of the main gate. ENGINES ROAR
and the supercar ACCELERATES, SMASHING THROUGH THE GATE and
taking half the chain-link fence with it.
In the guard's booth, ARMED GOONS pull guns as the
BATMOBILE streaks across the parking lot and LAUNCHES A
ROCKET at the corrugated metal door which opens on the
factory floor. A THUNDEROUS EXPLOSION tears a gaping hole
in the door.
INT. ACE CHEMICAL - THAT MOMENT - NIGHT
The BATMOBILE cruises through the flaming wreckage and
SKIDS TO A HALT on the refinery floor. The JOKER'S MEN are
everywhere. They take one look at the BATMOBILE, PANIC, and
PELT THE CAR with a barrage of MACHINE-GUN FIRE.
CRACKS begin to spread across the Batmobile's plexiglass
dome. Within moments, the windshield SHATTERS -- and
COLLAPSES ALTOGETHER.
INT. BATMOBILE - THAT MOMENT
BULLETS rip through the upholstered passenger seats. It
doesn't matter. The car is empty. No one's driving.
TRACK IN on the computer console -- where a familiar tinny
voice calmly repeats its pre-programmed command:
COMPUTER
... Detonate.
A beat. Then: BLAM.
INT. POLICE CAR - THAT MOMENT - NIGHT
A CONVOY approaches Ace Chemical -- GORDON's team preparing
to raid the plant. Inside each car: SPECIAL UNIT COPS
dressed in asbestos suits, gas masks in their laps.
All at once, a BRILLIANT RED GLARE suffuses the sky.
COP
Good Lord!
EXT. ACE CHEMICAL - THAT MOMENT - NIGHT
THE JOKER'S MEN running for their lives across the parking
lot, KNOCKED FLAT by the force of SIX DEAFENING EXPLOSIONS.
For a few seconds everything is flame and fury. And then --
All that's left of Ace Chemical is a pile of charred rubble
and a PILLAR OF THICK BLACK SMOKE, spiraling up to the sky.
CUT TO:
EXT. ANDREWS ISLAND - NIGHT
DAZZLING FIREWORKS explode in the night sky over Gotham
Harbor. SEARCHLIGHTS sweep across the mammoth, welcoming
stone figure of LADY GOTHAM -- still wrapped in canvas,
ready to be unveiled.
THOUSANDS OF RUBBERNECKERS jam every square inch of
Andrew's Island. COPS ON HORSEBACK speak into walkie-
talkies as they patrol the edges of the crowd. Across the
Harbor, Ace Chemical is going up in flames -- but as far as
the crowd can tell, with all the noise and excitement, it's
just another part of the celebration.
At the base of the statue, GOVERNOR GILROY speaks into a
microphone:
GOVERNOR GILROY
As Governor of this great state, it
is now my honor to unveil for you a
very special lady -- a lady who
stands tall for life and liberty --
America's favorite lady... LADY
GOTHAM!
The CROWD begins to APPLAUD RHYTHMICALLY, chanting 'LADY
GOTHAM! LADY GOTHAM!' It's like Times Square on New Year's
Eve, waiting for the big ball to drop. GILROY hoists a pair
of oversized scissors and cuts a ceremonial ribbon:
hydraulic CRANES kick into gear: CABLES DROP FREE, and the
canvas cover draws back from LADY GOTHAM's face...
... to a chorus of SCREAMS from the crowd. LADY GOTHAM IS
WEARING A GRISLY JOKER GRIN!!!
Suddenly -- in the midst of the hysteria -- THE
SEARCHLIGHTS DIE. The STAGE LIGHTS BLINK OUT. ANDREWS
ISLAND IS PLUNGED INTO DARKNESS. Instantaneous mass panic:
the GOVERNOR shouts to his aides as ONLOOKERS mob the
stage. COPS are knocked from their horses as the CROWD
stampedes. PANDEMONIUM RULES.
And across the harbor... block by block... GOTHAM CITY IS
GOING DARK.
EXT. GOTHAM SKIES - AERIAL SHOTS - NIGHT
QUICK SHOTS of FOUR HELICOPTERS hovering at different
points over the blacked-out city. LOUDSPEAKERS blare out a
PRE-RECORDED MESSAGE:
JOKER (V.O.)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Gotham. Here's a
little token of my esteem. HAVE
FUN... 'cause THE PARTY'S ON ME!
INSANE LAUGHTER echoes. CARGO BAYS open wide. The JOKER'S
HELICOPTERS begin LEAFLETING THE CITY... with MONEY!
SERIES OF SHOTS
ANARCHY IN GOTHAM as high-denomination bills flutter to
earth, blanketing the streets. HOPELESSLY OUTMANNED COPS
try to maintain order as SOLID CITIZENS trample one another
in a paroxysm of ANIMAL GREED. BUILDINGS EMPTY as APARTMENT
DWELLERS race outside. ALL TRAFFIC STOPS as DRIVERS climb
out of their cars to SNATCH MONEY FROM THE AIR.
DARKNESS EVERYWHERE. In the pitch-black subways, TERRIFIED
COMMUTERS are seized by claustrophobia. GLASS SHATTERS,
DOORS BREAK OPEN as they claw their way out of stalled
subway cars and SPILL OUT onto the tracks.
On the streets above, GOTHAM'S CRIMINAL ELEMENT is having a
field day. The cops are preoccupied, utterly helpless
against the first waves of RIOTING AND LOOTING.
FLAMES ERUPT. PUNKS race down the street carrying fur coats
and color TV's. LOOTERS break through the display window of
an electronics store, and climb in among the goodies...
only to FLY OUT, two seconds later, on the wrong end of a
SHOTGUN BLAST. THE JOKER'S DREAM IS COMING TRUE.
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
In a crouch on the pavement, snapping photos of the wild
street action, is VICKI -- fearless, professional, doing
her job. A battered FORD ESCORT cruises up behind her.
KNOX
VICKI!
VICKI sees KNOX, climbs into the passenger seat. He's
wearing a big smile. They're jazzed, oblivious to danger.
KNOX (cont.)
Couldn't turn down the job, huh? A
girl could get hurt this way.
VICKI
Yeah. Deja vu.
KNOX
What do you say? Let's head for the
lights.
In the distance, above the tops of the buildings, BEACONS
are sweeping the sky.
EXT. BROAD AVENUE - NIGHT
Stationed all up and down Gotham's widest thoroughfare are
huge portable SEARCHLIGHTS -- mounted on trucks with
portable generators, unaffected by the power outage.
On the money-covered sidewalks, TOTAL BEDLAM. But on the
street itself, a bizarre PARADE is taking place, just as if
nothing's wrong. Rumbling up the avenue at two-block
intervals, moored to floats, are DOZENS OF ENORMOUS
BALLOONS in the shapes of cartoon characters and historical
figures. It's like a hellish Thanksgiving's day procession.
The LEAD-OFF BALLOON is a gigantic, grotesque CLOWN --
smiling ghoulishly, dressed in white pierrot frills. We
TILT DOWN to the FLOAT BENEATH IT...
... and there, atop a mountain of roses where the prom
queen should be, sits the JOKER -- smiling, waving daintily
at the rioters and looters, presiding over the carnage like
some demented parade marshal.
CUT TO:
EXT. LAKE - NIGHT
A desolate rural setting. UTTER SILENCE. Moonlight glints
on placid waters. We track in on a small sign bearing the
legend: "GOTHAM CITY RESERVOIR."
Far off in the distance, HEADLIGHTS ARE APPROACHING.
EXT. ACCESS ROAD - AERIAL SHOT - MOVING - NIGHT
The THREE CARGO TRUCKS from Ace Chemical roll ominously
TOWARD THE RESERVOIR on their deadly mission. And then -- A
STREAKING BLACK SHADOW ENTERS FRAME, overtaking the TRUCKS.
THE BATWING! A phenomenal ULTRALIGHT AIRCRAFT, swift,
sleek, jet-black and infinitely maneuverable, it SOARS
EASILY past the trucks, swooping low just long enough to
release a BOMB over a concrete bridge.
EXT. ACCESS ROAD - A MOMENT LATER
The BRIDGE EXPLODES, blocking the trucks' path to the
reservoir. PUZZLED DRIVERS climb out of their cabs and
wonder what to do next.
They spot the BATWING in the distance -- banking, doing a
sharp 180. For a moment they gape in disbelief. Then they
HEAD FOR THE TREES as the BATWING DIVES DIRECTLY AT THE
TRUCKS, firing THREE ARMOR-PIERCING SHELLS... and
destroying the JOKER's lethal cargo once and for all.
ANGLE ON BATMAN
in the cockpit, his jaw set, not even looking back at the
wreckage as his plane screams off toward the Gotham
skyline.
EXT. GOTHAM STREET - NIGHT
FRIGHTENED PEDESTRIANS race past OVERTURNED CARS. A PARADE
FLOAT, run aground on the sidewalk, begins to BURN.
Above it, a damaged BALLOON -- the cartoon character
UNDERDOG -- is losing helium, warping and buckling in on
itself, sinking down gently toward the flames. Down the
street, KNOX'S FORD ESCORT is coming up fast.
INT. FORD - MOVING - THAT MOMENT
VICKI snapping photos out the window as UNDERDOG drifts
downward. FLAMES lick up at his belly -- and the cartoon
blimp EXPLODES.
KNOX
So much for Underdog.
THEN -- as they drive past -- A SECOND EXPLOSION. And all
at once the STREET IS FULL OF DEADLY GREENISH GAS!
VICKI
ALLIE!! THE WINDOWS!!
EXT. STREET - A MOMENT LATER - NIGHT
The Ford Escort, windows up, swerves out of a THICK
SPREADING CLOUD of GREEN LAUGHING GAS -- threatening to
engulf the entire block!
INT. FORD - MOVING - THAT MOMENT
KNOX
WHAT HAPPENED?!?
VICKI stares back at the green cloud. Turns. And sees, up
the street, THE JOKER'S PROCESSION: BALLOONS BY THE DOZEN!
VICKI
Oh my God. Compressor tanks. He's
got the balloons rigged with
compressor tanks!!
KNOX
Jesus Christ, the guy's a genius.
INT. BATWING - THAT MOMENT - NIGHT
BATMAN, at the controls, gliding over the Gotham streets.
He looks down, sees a BILLOWING HAZE of DENSE GREEN FUMES.
At its periphery: LOOTERS reeling and staggering, falling
to the pavement, LAUGHING THEMSELVES TO DEATH.
INT. FORD - MOVING - THAT MOMENT
VICKI staring through the windshield. Overhead, an AIRCRAFT
streaks past... an aircraft with SCALLOPED BLACK BAT WINGS.
VICKI
LOOK! IT'S BRUCE!!
(frantically)
Allie -- the balloons. We've got to
find some way to tell him!
KNOX
Great. How??
They speed up the street toward the PARADE. SPOTLIGHTS
SHINE. Suddenly KNOX's eyes bug out. He SLAMS ON THE BRAKES
and SKIDS TO A HALT.
KNOX (cont.)
COME ON!
EXT. AVENUE - A SECOND LATER - NIGHT
Before VICKI can speak, KNOX has grabbed a tire iron from
the back of the car and RACED OUT ONTO THE STREET. He
flings the TIRE IRON through a glass STOREFRONT.
It's a COSTUME SHOP. In the window, MANNEQUINS dressed in
party costumes: Frankenstein. Ronald Reagan. And, that
current popular sensation... THE BATMAN.
As VICKI catches up with him, KNOX drags the Batman dummy
out of the store window. RIPS OFF ITS BLACK CAPE. And
DASHES MANIACALLY UP THE SIDEWALK.
Waving the cape, he VAULTS onto the back of a SPOTLIGHT
TRUCK. VICKI's face goes slack. Now she gets it.
KNOX
GIMME A HAND UP HERE!
VICKI climbs aboard. They drape the cape over the face of
the spotlight. Then they put their shoulders to the swivel
assembly -- tilting the spotlight -- AIMING THE BEAM...
... DIRECTLY AT THE JOKER'S WHITE CLOWN BALLOON!!!
INT. BATWING - THAT MOMENT
BATMAN stares at the CLOWN BALLOON dead ahead. On its
massive distended belly... a BURNING YELLOW OVAL. And in
the center of the oval... THE BLACK SILHOUETTE OF A BAT.
BATMAN'S MOUTH drops open. He understands.
EXT. AVENUE - ON JOKER'S FLOAT - THAT MOMENT
THE JOKER reaches into a big sack and begins distributing
MINIATURE GAS MASKS, like party favors, to his cronies on
the float. Then he pulls out a radio-operated REMOTE
CONTROL DEVICE and points it up at the CLOWN BALLOON.
He hits a button. The CLOWN begins to INFLATE. Its joints
bulge. Its FACE SWELLS UP as the COMPRESSOR TANK concealed
inside it releases its noxious contents. The JOKER is
BEAMING, a look of PURE UNALLOYED JOY on his face...
... when his PARADE FLOAT BLOWS TO SMITHEREENS BENEATH HIM!
The JOKER and his men CARTWHEEL THROUGH THE AIR and TUMBLE
TO THE ASPHALT as THE BATWING WHIPS PAST OVERHEAD, soaring
through the stone canyons of Gotham at a 90-degree angle to
the ground!
JOKER
No... NOOOOO!!!
ANGLE ON CLOWN BALLOON
as it rises, rises, swelling to grotesque proportions in
the starless night. The tallest buildings are far below it
now. Finally it BURSTS -- and the deadly GAS inside it
disperses harmlessly in the wind.
EXT. AVENUE - THAT MOMENT
THE JOKER on the edge of a tantrum as he digs amid the
rubble of his float for the remote device. At last he finds
it; aims it up at the other balloons in the procession;
hits a button repeatedly...
... and HOWLS IN FRUSTRATION. Nothing's happening. The
damned thing is broken. He heaves it to the street in a
fit of pique.
A SCREAMING COMES ACROSS THE SKY as the BATWING swings back
for another pass, BUZZING the JOKER at an altitude of
twenty feet. SIZZLING LASER FIRE sweeps the street.
CABLES SNAP and BALLOONS DRIFT UPWARD as BATMAN'S LASERS
sever their moorings. The JOKER can only look on
helplessly, in stunned disbelief.
As he's watching his plans evaporate... HIS EYES FALL ON
THE MAKESHIFT BAT-SIGNAL.
JOKER
There. There. -- GET 'EM!!
ANGLE ON SPOTLIGHT TRUCK
A SPRAY OF MACHINE-GUN FIRE shatters the Bat-signal. KNOX
throws VICKI to the street, ducks down behind the
spotlight, and tosses her his CAR KEYS.
KNOX
GET THE CAR!
The JOKER'S GOONS are coming up fast as VICKI reaches the
Ford, starts it, and comes ROARING UP toward KNOX. He jumps
off the truck as VICKI twists the wheel, lays a track of
rubber, and noses the car back in the opposite direction.
GUNFIRE as KNOX jumps inside and they PEEL OUT.
INT. FORD ESCORT - MOVING - A MOMENT LATER
KNOX's breathing is ragged, but he breaks out in HYSTERICAL
LAUGHTER nonetheless. The two of them are totally
exhilarated. They can't believe what they've just done.
KNOX
HOLY SHIT!!
VICKI
You okay?
KNOX
Yeah. Yeah. Little winded. DID YOU
SEE THAT?!
VICKI
(laughing wildly)
God yes, Allie. I've gotta say --
that was the ballsiest move I
ever --
KNOX
(ecstatic)
Holy shit. Holy --
He GURGLES. AN ENORMOUS GOUT OF BLOOD bubbles up between
his lips -- and BURSTS.
VICKI
ALLIE!!
His hand goes to his stomach -- and comes away bloody. He
looks down in genuine bewilderment.
KNOX
Jesus, Vicki.
That quickly, he's dead. VICKI lets out an awful wail and
slams on the brakes. She sits there in the middle of the
street, POUNDING THE WHEEL, TEARS pouring down her face.
EXT. GOTHAM HARBOR - NIGHT
In the sky, CARTOON CHARACTERS drift lazily out to sea.
EXT. BROAD AVENUE - NIGHT
THE JOKER and his boys running like hell down the avenue,
past the parade. They reach the last of the floats -- the
one bringing up the rear -- then CLIMB ABOARD and disappear
through a CONCEALED HATCH.
WOOD SPLINTERS as the top of the float begins to ROTATE
mysteriously. The muzzle of a CANNON breaks through the
parade decorations. And one moment later...
A ROSE-COVERED TANK is rumbling up Broad Avenue!
INT. BATWING - THAT MOMENT
BATMAN sweeps past overhead. He sees the tank, unleashes a
burst of LASER FIRE. It bounces harmlessly off the tank,
leaves a trail of SMOKING ASPHALT on the street. He swoops
low overhead, hits a button on his control panel as he
streaks OVER THE TANK and into firing range.
INT. TANK - THAT MOMENT
THE JOKER and his MEN clap hands to their ears as an EAR-
SPLITTING ULTRASONIC SHRIEK reverberates in the tank. The
JOKER screams out commands, to no avail. No one can hear
him. He falls on the controls, begins hitting buttons.
EXT. STREET - THAT MOMENT
The TANK TURRET swings wildly. A HEAT-SEEKING MISSILE rips
through the night, narrowly missing the BATWING... and
BLOWING A HOLE in the side of a skyscraper.
INT. BATWING - THAT MOMENT
THE BLAST all but knocks the BATWING out of the sky. BATMAN
stabilizes the plane, climbs for the clouds. When he's
clear of the buildings, he grits his teeth and rolls out.
He's coming back for more!
INT. TANK - THAT MOMENT
The JOKER stares at a tiny BLIP on his radar screen.
JOKER
He'll be back... he'll be back!!
EXT. BROAD AVENUE - ON BATWING
The black ultralight hurtles down Broad Avenue at full
speed, on a suicide mission. MISSILES streak past on either
side. MACHINE GUN FIRE peppers the dome of the cockpit. The
REAR STABILIZER WING takes a direct hit... and BURSTS INTO
FLAME!
The BATWING, trailing thick black smoke, bears down on the
tank like a kamikaze plane. BOMB BAYS OPEN as BATMAN dumps
the last of his high explosives DIRECTLY INTO THE PATH OF
THE TANK. The BATWING takes a hard bounce off the top of
the tank and CRASHES TO THE STREET.
And suddenly a GAPING CHASM opens underneath the tank as
the bombs go off -- and BROAD AVENUE BEGINS TO SPLIT WIDE
OPEN!
INT. SUBWAY TUNNEL - THAT MOMENT
BROKEN CONCRETE SLABS rain down on a SUBWAY CAR stalled in
the tunnel DIRECTLY BENEATH BROAD AVENUE. SUPPORT GIRDERS
groan and GIVE WAY as the STREET ITSELF COLLAPSES -- and
the front end of the TANK drops through, CRUSHING THE
SUBWAY TRAIN BENEATH IT!
EXT. BROAD AVENUE - THAT MOMENT - NIGHT
The rear end of the TANK projects out through the rubble. A
hatch pops open. The JOKER crawls out through the smoke and
pulls himself up to the street.
He's down to his last three GOONS. He points to the
BATWING: bent, broken, WEDGED ON ITS SIDE in the asphalt
SEAM running up Broad Avenue -- half in, half out of the
tunnel.
JOKER
You do him. I'm outta here.
The GOONS look on in dismay as the JOKER scurries off. They
sidestep blackened debris and move up cautiously on the
Batwing. Through the cockpit dome they can see BATMAN...
inert in his harness, beaten to a pulp, all but dead.
A JET OF FLAME drives them back momentarily. They reach for
their guns, move in warily...
VOICE
Yo.
The frightened GOONS turn in unison. An abrupt flurry of
motion -- feet and fists flying -- quick flashes of red and
green --
-- and THREE GOONS lie paralyzed on the street. The only
one left standing is a fifteen-year-old boy garbed in a
red-and-green aerialist's uniform... DICK GRAYSON.
INT. BATWING - THAT MOMENT
BATMAN slumps at the controls. Beneath him, asphalt SHIFTS
and BUCKLES. The Batwing lurches to the right, drops a foot
or two into the tunnel. Metal braces collapse and the
plexiglass dome of the cockpit SHATTERS LIKE AN EGGSHELL.
TONGUES OF FIRE lick at his face. He's helpless, pinned in
place. He manages to look up -- and SEES, through a dream-
like haze, A HAND extended toward him:
DICK
HEY! COME ON!
And suddenly DICK is clambering down into the flaming
wreckage. He gets an arm around BATMAN's chest and with an
extraordinary effort HAULS HIM OUT OF THE BATWING.
EXT. STREET - A MOMENT LATER - NIGHT
They stagger across the ruptured street. BATMAN grimaces in
agony. His right leg -- shattered -- is like rubber beneath
him. His ribs are crushed. He's barely conscious.
DICK
Now we're even, huh? Even up.
BATMAN
How did you...
DICK
I hitched. MOVE IT!
DICK drags BATMAN to safety as the Batwing ERUPTS INTO
FLAME behind them.
BATMAN
The Joker. Is he --?
DICK
Forget it. Relax.
(beat)
... He's mine now.
DICK snatches an abandoned .38 off the pavement.
BATMAN
DICK!
THE BATMAN tries to pull himself erect. The pain is
unendurable. His body has finally failed him.
He collapses on the pavement, powerless to intervene, as
DICK races off with murder in his eyes.
EXT. GOTHAM CATHEDRAL - NIGHT
A BELLTOWER's jagged spire, jutting up into the night sky,
piercing the moon. Down at street level, the JOKER is
scrambling up the marble steps at the entrance to the old
abandoned cathedral. He pulls a WALKIE-TALKIE off his belt.
JOKER
Gotham cathedral. Come and get me.
HEAVY PANELED DOORS groan on tired hinges as THE JOKER
forces his way inside. A beat. Then DICK GRAYSON appears,
hot on his trail, sprinting up the steps two at a time.
INT. CATHEDRAL - A MOMENT LATER - NIGHT
Ancient and creepy. A huge pipe organ, shattered stained
glass windows, row after row of mahogany pews... all
forgotten, covered with dust and cobwebs. The JOKER wanders
about, staring at the statuary, the rusted icons.
DICK enters silently behind him. He kneels behind a rear
pew, brings up the gun, and squeezes off THREE QUICK SHOTS
at the JOKER. The JOKER dives, takes cover, and RETURNS
DICK'S FIRE. Then: silence.
In a crouch, groping his way along the wall, THE JOKER
finds what he wants: a small door opening on a wooden
stairway, leading to the belltower. He ducks inside and
starts up.
DICK'S GUN drops with a thud. His hand slips from the back
of the pew. In the second before he slumps to the floor,
unconscious, he sees a curious sight: a TINY BLACK NINJA
WHEEL, imbedded in the flesh of his leg.
Behind him -- framed in the arched doorway -- A RAGGED
BLACK GHOST begins his final unholy march down the center
aisle of the old cathedral.
INT. CATHEDRAL - BELLTOWER - NIGHT
A tiny stone chamber, 8'x8', open on four sides to the
wind. The enormous church bell has long since been removed.
The JOKER stands in an archway, gazing at the gargoyles on
the roof below. He hits a button on the walkie-talkie:
JOKER
I'm in the belltower. Don't land.
INT. HELICOPTER - MOVING - NIGHT
A PILOT replies through his radio headset.
PILOT
E.T.A. two minutes. Hang on.
The PILOT swings the copter right in a wide, swooping arc.
INT. STAIRWAY TO BELLTOWER - THAT MOMENT - NIGHT
BATMAN. Broken, beaten, his right leg useless, he hauls
himself up the steps one at a time. He should be dead.
Dried blood cakes his face, his chest.
Dizzy, exhausted, his body strained to the limit, he slumps
against a wall to steady himself, then reaches into his
utility belt for a painkiller -- and forces the capsule
back onto his dry, swollen tongue.
Quaking all over, he tries to draw himself erect... and
TOPPLES OVER, landing with his full weight on the rotten
wood of the belltower stairs.
THE STAIRWAY COLLAPSES, turning to splinters beneath him.
And suddenly BATMAN finds himself DANGLING PRECARIOUSLY IN
MIDAIR, hanging by one hand to an upper step.
It would be so much easier to let go. He looks down at the
fragments of the shattered stairway, STILL FALLING,
vanishing into the dark depths of the stairwell.
Then he looks up. At the trapdoor. A mere six feet away.
His TEETH CLENCH in a monstrous grimace. AND WITH AN
INHUMAN EFFORT, HE HOISTS HIMSELF UP ONTO THE UPPER STEPS.
For a full five seconds he's blind with pain. A RAGGED
WOODEN SHAFT is buried in his right shoulder. Twitching,
trembling, he reaches up and YANKS IT OUT with his last
ounce of strength.
The trapdoor is a foot above his head. It could be a mile.
BATMAN finally realizes he's not going to make it.
He reaches down and rips open a Velcro seal on his utility
belt, revealing the strange TIMER DEVICE we saw him making
earlier. Before he can activate it his hand falls limply at
his side.
THE BATMAN is out like a light.
INT. BELLTOWER - THAT MOMENT - NIGHT
The JOKER glances casually down at the trapdoor, wondering
what all the noise is about. He draws his gun, moves
cautiously to the trapdoor, and lifts it a few inches...
just enough to see the unconscious form on the stairs.
JOKER
... Batman?
No reply. The JOKER stands there and lets out a little
snicker. He looks out through the archway, sees no sign of
his rescue copter. Then -- a look of curious amusement on
his face -- he steps down THROUGH THE TRAPDOOR and LUGS
BATMAN up into the belltower.
He props BATMAN up against a wall. Still no sign of life.
The JOKER crouches beside him and -- almost tenderly --
pats his face.
JOKER (cont.)
Batman? Batman?
THE BATMAN's lips part. But he's too weak to speak.
JOKER (cont.)
I thought you'd be more comfortable
here in the belfry.
(chuckling to himself)
Before I kill you I'd like to see
who you are. Would that be okay?
BATMAN emits a tiny low moan. The JOKER takes it as a yes
and reaches over to undo his cowl.
BRUCE WAYNE stares up with dulled, sightless eyes. The
JOKER reaches into his pocket for a purple handkerchief,
moistens it, dabs at the caked blood on BRUCE's face.
JOKER (cont.)
Oh my, aren't we pretty.
(brightening suddenly)
I know you! You're the rich boy!!
The JOKER is enormously tickled by this discovery. He claps
his hands together in sheer glee.
JOKER (cont.)
My goodness, what in the world made
you do it? It must've been
something pretty terrible!
He's practically dancing now. He's made a friend.
JOKER (cont.)
You know, we should've sat down and
had us a little heart-to-heart. I
bet we would have got on famously.
BATMAN
Mad... man...
JOKER
Well now, you're not exactly the
picture of mental health, are you.
BATMAN
... Murderer...
JOKER
Bruce, we're both murderers. Think
how many people you've killed by
letting me live.
A SPOTLIGHT cuts through the night sky. The JOKER hears his
helicopter approaching in the distance.
BRUCE reaches down furtively. Finds the timer on his
utility belt. FLICKS A SWITCH... and the countdown begins.
The JOKER pulls a straight razor from his pocket and opens
it gingerly.
JOKER (cont.)
I have to do it now, Bruce, but it
won't even hurt. Now relax. The
bat's in his belfry, all's right
with the world...
He has the razor almost up to BRUCE's throat when BRUCE
reaches out and GRABS HIS LAPELS in a death grip. The JOKER
is momentarily amused by this seeming display of affection.
JOKER (cont.)
Why, Bruce...
Then he hears ticking.
Looks down at the flashing digital display on BRUCE's belt.
0:26 seconds. 0:25 seconds.
He SHRIEKS HORRIFICALLY and DROPS THE RAZOR.
BRUCE won't let go of him. Finally he manages to lurch
convulsively away, sprawling on the floor of the belfry.
BRUCE is wearing a great big Joker smile.
JOKER (cont.)
IT'S NOT FUNNY!!!
BRUCE
No... sense... of humor?
The JOKER reaches out for the ticking time bomb. Thinks
better of it and retracts his shaking hand.
He can see the copter approaching now, slicing through the
clouds. He screams, waves a flashlight in the air: his
signal beacon. 0:20 and counting.
The JOKER scans the belltower frantically. His eyes fall on
the trapdoor. He races over, flings it open, starts down
the stairs in a frenzy.
There are no stairs. They've collapsed. 0:16 and
counting.
Screaming insanely, the JOKER vaults through the door and
makes for the open stone archway. The copter is directly
overhead now. A rope ladder drops from its belly.
EXT. BELLTOWER - THAT MOMENT
The helicopter descends, its whirling blades stirring up a
windstorm on the roof of the old abandoned cathedral. DEAD
LEAVES rise and swirl in the churning air.
INT. BELLTOWER
The JOKER makes a futile grab at the rope ladder, almost
losing his purchase on the archway parapet. He gestures
wildly for the copter to make another pass. 0:12 to go.
EXT. BELLTOWER
A maelstrom of swirling leaves. And now, among the leaves
-- roused from their resting place in the rotten rafters of
the old cathedral --
-- A HORDE OF SQUEALING, CHITTERING BATS!! Filling the air
like a black cloud, HUNDREDS OF THEM, taking flight in
blind uncomprehending fury --
INT. BELLTOWER
The JOKER leaps into empty space, grabs hold of the ladder,
cackles in mad triumph --
-- AND SUDDENLY THE BELLTOWER IS FULL OF BATS. A SCREECHING
SWARM, HIDEOUS, BLACK-WINGED -- SWOOPING THROUGH THE
ARCHWAYS DIRECTLY AT THE JOKER --
-- WHO SCREAMS IN TERROR -- LETS GO OF THE LADDER --
-- and plunges into the night.
TIGHT ON BATMAN. Six seconds remain. There is still time if
he makes his choice now.
Surrounded by the flapping of leathery wings, his body
working on pure adrenalin, he unbuckles the belt. Lurches
into position. Heaves it out into the darkness.
It snags on the bottom rung of the dangling rope ladder.
INT. HELICOPTER - POV CO-PILOT
The CO-PILOT is hanging out one side of the copter, just
enough to see what's going on.
CO-PILOT
PULL UP!! PULL --
EXT. CHURCHYARD - OVERHEAD ANGLE
It's as if time has stopped. The world has grown suddenly
silent. We're looking down at the JOKER, whose body lies
splayed and broken on the flagstone surface of the
churchyard. Slowly, elegantly -- we have all the time in
the world, now -- we DRIFT DOWNWARD, closer, until his FACE
FILLS THE SCREEN, the familiar chilling grin still intact.
Sad clown, A-one crazy boy, staring aimlessly at the stars.
Suddenly his face is bathed in a brilliant gasoline GLOW.
POV JOKER
Looking up he sees a beautiful display of fireworks,
bursting and burning, spirals of color snaking through the
sky as the helicopter explodes in eerie silence.
REVERSE ANGLE - THE JOKER'S FACE
It's all so lovely. The JOKER's expression is happy, almost
childlike, as he gazes up at this private show. Gradually,
though, the bright colors fade; and the JOKER's face begins
to relax, the twisted grin dissolving at last as darkness
sets in.
FADE THROUGH TO:
INT. TELEVISION STUDIO - NIGHT
AN ANCHORWOMAN delivering an oncamera EDITORIAL.
ANCHORWOMAN
As the details of the Joker's
heinous plan become known, a city's
gratitude goes out to the mysterious
Batman. His whereabouts remain
unknown, but Batman -- if you're
alive -- if you're listening --
thank you.
EXT. CEMETERY - DAY
VICKI at a fresh gravesite. She places a FLORAL ARRANGEMENT
in the urn at the head of the grave; stands back to examine
it; then bends once more to reposition the drooping
flowers.
VICKI
I loved you too.
As soon as the words come out, she begins to CRY. Then she
gets hold of herself; rises; turns up her collar; and goes.
The headstone reads: "ALEXANDER KNOX, 1956-1987."
INT. WAYNE MANOR - STUDY - DAY
ALFRED, in his apron, on the phone.
ALFRED
No, Mr. Wayne is in Thailand. I'm
afraid he's quite unreachable.
INT. WAYNE MANOR - DAY
The glass-enclosed room which houses BRUCE's Olympic-sized
SWIMMING POOL. Outside, snow is falling.
In the pool, on an inflatable rubber raft, is BRUCE WAYNE.
Beside him, waist-deep is the water, is VICKI -- helping
him rehabilitate his leg and shoulder.
VICKI
I don't know why I'm doing this. I
half wish you'd stay a cripple.
BRUCE
Ohhhh... you don't mean that.
VICKI
(grasping for words)
I don't, but... I do. It's just... I
love you, Bruce. I --
BRUCE
(taking her hand)
Vicki. Do you love half of me? Or
all of me?
A hard question for VICKI to answer. She thinks it over for
several beats, then SMILES... SLOWLY, SADLY.
VICKI
I guess you did it, didn't you. You
saved everyone.
(pause)
Almost.
For a moment he stares deeply into her eyes. Then he pulls
her over, takes her in a tight embrace.
BRUCE
I don't know how to explain this so
it makes sense... but you saved
me.
INT. BATCAVE - THAT MOMENT - DAY
DICK GRAYSON stands at the brink of the bottomless pit and
looks up at the GYMNAST'S RINGS suspended overhead. He sets
his jaw and then -- with only a moment's hesitation --
LEAPS INTO THE VOID.
His hands find the rings. He launches himself HIGH INTO THE
AIR and does a spectacular TRIPLE SOMERSAULT, catching the
rings on his way down.
Exhilarated, he makes a perfect landing on the edge of the
pit. 10-point-0. A SMILE OF PLEASURE comes to his lips.
CUT TO:
EXT. ROOFTOP - GOTHAM CITY - NIGHT
A dark, moonless night. LIGHTS OF THE CITY sparkle in the
distance. CAMERA DRIFTS across the rooftop, settling
finally on the broad back of a BLACK-CAPED FIGURE poised at
the edge of the roof, gazing down on the streets below.
A SECOND FIGURE enters frame. We get a brief glimpse of his
RED-AND-GREEN SUIT in the seconds before our EYES TURN
SKYWARD... to the SEARING YELLOW SPOTLIGHT sweeping through
the clouds. In its center: the VAST BLACK SILHOUETTE of a
BAT, wings extended, DOMINATING the night sky.
We HOLD on the GLARING BAT-SIGNAL as BATMAN and ROBIN
vanish over the edge of the roof, plunging down toward new
adventures. MUSIC BUILDS and we
FADE OUT.
Batman
Writers : Sam Hamm Warren Skaaren
Genres : Action Crime Fantasy Thriller
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the bending of light due to the large scale structure in the universe is a powerful probe in studying the underlying matter distribution .
this is due in part to the gravitational lensing being insensitive to the type of matter causing the light deflection .
there is the added benefit of lensing being sensitive to the geometry of the universe , making it useful in the study of dark energy @xcite . to date , almost all cosmic shear analyses have been conducted at optical wavelengths .
however , radio astronomy is currently going through a period of rapid expansion which will make future radio surveys competitive for lensing studies .
new radio telescopes will have sensitivities that will reach a level where the radio emission from ordinary galaxies will be routinely resolved ( e.g. with emerlin , lofar , and eventually ska ; c.f .
@xcite ) ; hence radio source densities will become comparable to those found at optical wavelengths .
also , radio interferometers have a well known and deterministic dirty beam pattern , which may be an advantage in deconvolving galaxy shapes for shear measurements . with the first survey @xcite
, @xcite made the first detection of cosmic shear with radio data .
this survey has a detection threshold of 1mjy , with @xmath0 resolved sources per square degree useable for weak lensing .
this is a much lower number density than found in deep optical shear surveys , with a correspondingly lower signal - to - noise on the final cosmological constraints .
however , the differential radio source counts at 1.4ghz show an increase at flux densities below 1mjy , ( e.g. @xcite ) , and it is this increase in the number density at the micro - jansky level that makes future radio weak lensing plausible .
the feasibility of weak lensing studies at radio wavelengths , and in particular at the micro - jansky flux levels , was demonstrated in @xcite . due to the low number density of sources used in that work , no significant cosmic signal was detected .
however , an upper bound was obtained on a combination of the cosmological parameters @xmath1 , the normalisation of the matter power spectrum , @xmath2 , the cosmic matter density parameter , and @xmath3 , the median redshift of the sources .
one of the main conclusions of that work was the need for a detailed study of the systematics involved in radio interferometry and the relevant imaging techniques . in this current paper
, we pursue that study
. we will explore possible systematics which will be important for weak lensing studies with future radio surveys ; for example , the systematics which might be introduced by steps such as the clean algorithm or a poor choice of shape measurement parameters . in tandem , we will quantify our current ability to measure realistic galaxy shapes from simulated radio data , increasing our confidence in current and future radio lensing measurements .
the paper is organised as follows : in [ sims ] we describe the whole of our radio image simulation and shape measurement pipeline .
we describe the shapelets method which is used throughout this work , and how deconvolution works within its framework and the shape estimator we use .
we then describe the shapelets based images that we created as the input for our simulations , before describing how the simulator works to produce realistic radio interferometer images that we use for our analysis .
we also describe the telescope configurations we use in this study , and the observational effects that we consider . in [ results ]
we describe the results of our shape measurements on the simulated images .
we assess the appropriate level of cleaning of images , and examine the modelling of point sources and the effect of changing the position on the sky at which images are observed .
we discuss the impact of the shapelet scale parameter in modelling galaxy ellipticities successfully , and the effect of slightly changing the uv sampling .
we then present the main result of the paper : how well we are able to recover the input ellipticities with our shape - measurement method .
we describe how we add realistic noise into the simulations and what effect this has on our results . in
[ discussion ] we end with a discussion of our results , their limitations , and suitable directions for further study .
the radio image simulation pipeline is built in two parts .
we first create a suite of input images , containing sources which constitute the inputs for the main part of the simulation code .
these input images are then fed into the simulator that ` observes ' and ` images ' them with a given telescope configuration and user defined observation parameters . in this section
we start by briefly describing the shapelets technique of @xcite and @xcite which we use to create the galaxy shapes in our input images ; we will also use shapelet techniques for shape measurement later .
we then describe the creation of the input images before discussing the radio observation pipeline .
the shapelets description of galaxy shapes is based on decomposing an object s surface brightness @xmath4 into a series of localised basis functions @xmath5 , called shapelets : @xmath6 we briefly describe the relevant parts of the method here and refer the reader to @xcite , @xcite and @xcite for a more detailed description .
the basis functions used ( in the cartesian formalism ) @xmath5 , are a localised orthonormal basis set : @xmath7 where @xmath8 is the @xmath9 order hermite polynomial , and @xmath10 describes the characteristic scale of the basis .
we will see that this quantity is very important in our psf and galaxy shape analysis .
@xmath11 refers to the order of the basis functions , and in practice all galaxy decompositions are truncated at some order @xmath12 .
@xmath13 needs to be chosen so that the galaxy model is sufficiently detailed to capture ellipticity information .
as the basis functions are orthogonal , we can find shapelet coefficients for a galaxy by calculating @xmath14 @xcite introduced the closely related polar shapelet formalism ( the polar basis set is an orthogonal transformation of the cartesian set ; see @xcite for details of this transformation ) , which has a different basis set @xmath15 , given by @xmath16!}{\pi\left[(n-|m|)/2\right]!}\right\}^{1/2 } \nonumber \\ & \times & \theta^{|m|}l^{|m|}_{(n-|m|)/2}\frac{\theta^{2}}{\beta^{2}}e^{-\theta^{2}/2\beta^{2}}e^{-im\phi}.\end{aligned}\ ] ] in this basis set @xmath17 is the modulus of the complex sky position vector @xmath18 , and @xmath19 .
@xmath20 are the associated laguerre polynomial defined as @xmath21 two integers , @xmath22 and @xmath23 uniquely describe every member of the basis set , with @xmath24 and @xmath25 .
the surface brightness of a galaxy @xmath26 is given by @xmath27 the polar basis set has rotational symmetries which are very useful for describing weak lensing , so in practice galaxies are decomposed using the cartesian basis set ( which easily describes square pixels ) and then transformed to the polar set .
both the cartesian and polar shapelet basis functions have simple behaviour under convolution @xcite and deconvolution @xcite , making them particularly well suited for describing and correcting the effects of a psf .
since this is important for our shape measurement analysis , we briefly describe deconvolution in the shapelet framework below .
the approach used in this work for deconvolution is to estimate the deconvolved shapelet coefficients @xmath28 by ` forward convolving ' the shapelet basis function with the psf model @xmath29 , in advance , creating a new basis set which we label @xmath30 with an equivalent expression for the polar shapelet basis functions . fitting the data @xmath31 using this new basis set @xmath32 , one obtains the deconvolved shapelet model for the galaxy as follows : @xmath33\nonumber \\ & = & \sum_{n_{1},n_{2}}^{\infty}f_{n_{1},n_{2}}\left[g(\mathbf{x})\ast b_{n_{1},n_{2}}(\mathbf{x};\beta)\right ] \nonumber \\ & = & \sum_{n_{1},n_{2}}^{\infty}f_{n_{1},n_{2}}d_{n_{1},n_{2}}(\mathbf{x};\beta ) \end{aligned}\ ] ] comparing with equation [ eq : decomp ] , the returned coefficients will reconstruct the the deconvolved image when used with the original basis set .
we use the publicly available shapelets software packagerjm / shapelets / code/ ] described in @xcite in order to make shapelet decompositions for all our objects .
this code is well tested using optical data ( c.f . @xcite and @xcite ) . in @xcite
we indicated the applicability of this code to radio data with some modifications ; with our radio image simulations , we are now in a position to demonstrate its ability to accurately recover ellipticities in [ results ] . in all that follows we have used the shapelet equivalent to gaussian weighted quadrupole moments to estimate ellipticities for all our objects . in the polar shapelet convention
this estimator takes the form @xmath34 as is fully discussed in @xcite . in this section
we describe how the input images are created .
we generate two different sets of input images : the first set contains point sources , consisting of a collection of single illuminated pixels at random locations .
the second suite are images containing detailed galaxy shapes and morphologies , but each with a centroid at the same locations as the point sources in the previous image set .
we will use the point sources to study the behaviour of the dirty beam or point spread function of the telescope .
the galaxy images provide a more realistic challenge , with the goal being to recover the ( known ) shapes of galaxies in the presence of all the systematics that distort them .
the galaxy images are created using the shapelets based formalism described above .
the method of populating the images is based on the @xcite pipeline , which was used as part of the step2 shear methods testing programme @xcite .
the motivation for the use of shapelets galaxy models , as discussed in @xcite , is to simulate deep sky images which include some degree of realistic galaxy morphology .
the procedure used to generate simulated galaxy images in this paper most closely follows that described by @xcite for the generation of simulations of _ hubble space telescope _
( _ hst _ ) data . using a psf and real noise properties estimated directly from real _ hst _
survey data ( specifically the gems survey : see , e.g. , @xcite , @xcite ) , @xcite created realistic simulations of advanced camera for surveys ( acs ) images in the f606w filter .
these were then used to investigate shear and higher order lensing shape measurements in acs data .
as we are simulating radio observations , we do not require a high level of similarity to optical images , in terms of noise , psf or even shape ; in our previous work , @xcite , we found that on a galaxy - by - galaxy basis , optical and radio shapes of galaxies are only weakly correlated .
however , we also showed that the overall distribution of ellipticities in the optical and radio sky were very similar , so we choose to follow the optical distribution of shapelets in this study .
this is a reasonable choice given the current absence of a large observed sample of highly resolved radio objects at @xmath35jy flux density thresholds , which could inform us about the details of the radio shapelet distribution .
a ` starter set ' of galaxy shapelet models was created using shapelet decompositions of gems images , modelled according to @xcite using a spatially and temporally varying model of the acs psf .
the temporal variation of each shapelet coefficient in an @xmath36 model of the psf was modelled in three epochs as described by @xcite , using a third order polynomial surface to describe the spatial variation on each acs chip .
the resulting psf - deconvolved shapelet models are then sampled from to produce the simulated galaxy images .
when creating the simulated galaxies from the starter set , the models are randomly rotated and/or inverted to eradicate any remaining signature of gravitational lensing .
we also note that the starter set represents a large but ultimately limited sample of galaxy morphologies .
this is alleviated by introducing small random perturbations to the shapelet models ( see @xcite & @xcite for details ) .
using this prescription , a suite of 100 images of size @xmath37 pixels with a pixel scale of @xmath38 were created .
we have constructed these images such that all the sources ( galaxies and point sources ) were at a constant flux .
galaxies have been assigned the same flux , as the process of calibration should in principle remove all brighter galaxies in a radio image .
the brighter galaxies furthermore will be present in smaller numbers per square arcmin , and hence produce less side lobe noise .
therefore it is the galaxies which are at the sensitivity limit of the survey which will dominate the side lobe contribution to the image .
we could have produced a simulation with a luminosity function , but this is unknown at the faintest magnitude limits , so the approximation we have made should suffice .
we also inspected the relationship between the @xmath10 values of the simulated galaxies , derived from gems , and the @xmath10 parameters that were derived from the shapelet modelling of the actual radio sources in @xcite .
it was found that the distribution of the @xmath10 parameters from the best - fitting shapelet models of the gems data had a systematically lower value @xmath39 than the radio shapelet models from @xcite ( @xmath40 for the silver catalogue in that work ) . to make the simulations a more realistic representation of radio data
we therefore add 0.185@xmath41 to the @xmath10 scale parameter for our galaxy models ; these then provide a close match to the distribution of the derived @xmath10 values from @xcite . for each image , we have a corresponding catalogue containing the input shapelet coefficients of each source in the image , as well as the centroid of the objects .
an example of one of our images containing galaxies is shown in figure [ fig : simeg ] . ]
we note that these images represent an ambitious imaging scenario , as they are very densely populated fields representing deep pointings .
the input images contain a number density of @xmath42 arcmin@xmath43 , which is far larger than current lensing studies , even those in space .
the reason for setting this high number density is to probe systematic errors related to radio interferometers deriving from both the instrumental setup and the radio imaging pipeline .
while a large number of point sources allows one to better probe the dirty beam behaviour across the field , a larger number density in the galaxies means a more challenging imaging problem , since sidelobe noise will be greater in densely packed images .
note that the simulated galaxies have not been sheared ; in this analysis we are not concerned with trying to recover a cosmic shear signal from galaxies ; rather , we are examining how well we can recover known input ellipticities , which is the basis for recovering such a signal .
having described the details of the input images , we now describe the details of our simulated configurations .
we aim to create observations from radio arrays of our choice , including imaging steps such as dirty beam deconvolution and visibility weighting , in order to create realistic restored images .
our simulation pipeline is implemented using the meqtrees software system .
meqtrees is a software package for implementing the measurement equation for radio interferometers and is fully described in and .
the heart of a measurement equation is formed by the @xmath44 jones matrices @xcite which describes the various effects associated with observations that can corrupt the measured visibilities .
the formulation for a generic radio interferometer measurement equation ( rime ) was developed by , after preparatory work by @xcite .
then recast the formalism into @xmath44 matrix form which is used within meqtrees mueller matrices @xcite , which are entirely equivalent . ] .
the rime provides an elegant mathematical framework for generic radio instruments , both existing and future , to be better understood , simulated and calibrated . for a full description of the mathematical formalism for the measurement equation of interferometers
we refer the reader to , and references therein .
the meqtrees software was originally designed to implement the measurement equations for the purposes of simulation and calibrating .
we use meqtrees in this work to simulate the sky as would be observed by a specific radio interferometer.the galaxy images created above are fed into the meqtrees simulator , which calculates observed visibilities ; these visibilities are then imaged .
the user can specify many options such as the level of noise on the visibilities , the specific method used to deconvolve the dirty beam , and the weighting scheme applied to the visibility data prior to imaging .
one subtlety is that the input in our work is an image rather than a set of visibilities . in order to obtain @xmath45 samples from the image
, we use a module of the meqtrees software that implements a ` de - gridding ' algorithm .
this algorithm is an interpolation scheme that allows one to transform between the regularly gridded image and a sparsely sampled fourier ( or @xmath45 ) plane .
the details of how this algorithm work is explained fully in @xcite .
the well known relationship between observed visibilities and the true sky brightness for an interferometer is given by : @xmath46 equation [ eq : simvis ] should also include the _ sampling function _
term , @xmath47 on the left hand side .
the sampling function accounts for the fact that the visibilities are collected at a set of discrete locations in the @xmath45 plane .
its functional form is simply a linear combination of dirac delta functions at all @xmath48 where data is collected .
the fourier inversion of equation [ eq : simvis ] leads to the _ dirty image _ , which is the convolution between the sampling function ( in the image plane ) and true sky brightness .
since direct fourier transforms become computationally expensive with large datasets , fast fourier transforms ( ffts ) need to be used .
although the use of ffts speeds up computations , it requires that we grid the data .
the process by which this de - gridding is done , and its implication for the recovered image is described in @xcite .
the meqtrees software employs the use of prolate spheroidal functions in the de - gridding process , which have been shown to reduce the effect of aliasing @xcite . in figure
[ fig : simpipeline ] we illustrate the simulation setup from start to finish .
( note that in this work we have focused on one particular method of deconvolution of the dirty beam , namely the clean algorithm , which we shall describe in section [ sec : clean ] ) .
we start with an image that is fourier transformed to create the set of simulated visibilities .
these are then modified by the rime formalism for our given set of parameters to create a set of visibilities as observed by our given array .
these visibilities are fourier transformed again to produce the dirty image , which is then cleaned as our setup defines to produce the clean component image . the residual of the dirty image is then added to the clean components once convolved with the clean beam ( usually an elliptical gaussian measured from the main lobe of the dirty beam ) .
the final step involves convolving the cleaned image with the clean beam .
the clean beam is usually a gaussian fitted to the main lobe of the psf and it is this final beam that the point source simulations will characterise .
this is also what we shall deconvolve from the galaxies to produce our final images from which the shapes of our sources will be measured . in this section
we describe the different experiments we have carried out to examine a variety of potential causes of systematic effects .
we choose to concentrate on two specific interferometers : emerlin and lofar .
the emerlin array is an upgrade to the existing merlin array , maintaining the same number of dishes .
the emerlin array upgrade is designed to increase sensitivity by more than an order of magnitude by using new receivers and telescope electronics .
the array spans 217 km , with observing bands at 1.3 - 1.8 ghz , 4 - 8 ghz and 22 - 24 ghz , with a total bandwidth of 4 ghz .
it also has resolution capabilities of between 10 - 150 mas and sensitivity of @xmath49jy .
lofar is a new generation radio interferometer , with the ultimate goal of surveying the universe at low frequencies with high resolution and sensitivity .
it operates in the less explored low frequency range of 10 - 250 mhz .
lofar belongs to a new generation of telescopes , with the concept of utilising many inexpensive dipole antennae arranged in stations without any moving parts , in contrast to the usual notion of radio dishes as used by emerlin .
different parts of the sky are observed by steering the beam electronically .
the spatial resolution of the netherlands part of the array is governed by the @xmath50 km baselines , leading to a resolution of a few arc minutes at 240 mhz .
the lofar array has now been extended over europe , with stations in the uk , germany , sweden and france .
these europe wide baselines reach @xmath51 km , leading to sub - arcsecond resolution above 100 mhz . in our study
we include these larger , europe - wide baselines . for both arrays we create two different measurement sets ( mss )
centred on a fixed ra @xmath52 , but with differing dec @xmath53 and dec @xmath54 .
a measurement set is a specific definition of how visibility data is stored , designed to be compatible with the measurement equation formalism . for our purposes we can think of it as a large table containing information about the particular observation in question . for the emerlin mss
we use a central frequency @xmath55 ghz while for the corresponding lofar mss we use a central frequency @xmath56 mhz . in both cases
we set our bandwidth specifications to 128 channels each of 125 khz resulting in a 16 mhz bandwidth .
we have also employed a 20 sec time averaging over a 24 hour observation .
the @xmath45 coverage corresponding to these four mss are shown in figure [ fig : uvcoverage ] .
we use the meqtrees imager to create restored ( deconvolved ) images for these telescope configurations .
we image an area twice the size of the original input image , and use a portion of this extra image to estimate the rms of the residuals as described below .
our default imaging option uses the clark clean deconvolution algorithm ; we shall describe below how we estimate the number of clean components used for each simulation . in creating the restored images
we have kept our pixel scale the same as that of the original input images , @xmath38 . in some runs of the analysis
we do not include measurement noise ( i.e. the visibilities are not corrupted in any way ) .
clearly this is unrealistic , but allows us to distinguish between systematic effects and noise effects .
once we have analysed these noise - free images , we explore the effect of adding measurement noise to see what effect that has on our results .
below we list and briefly discuss the telescope effects we study in this work .
we have created mss for both arrays observing at differing declination angles to examine what effect this has on our shape measurements .
it can be shown that the equation for the ellipse traced in the @xmath45 plane by a particular baseline is given by @xcite @xmath57 where @xmath58 are the coordinate separations between the two antennae and @xmath59 is the declination of the phase tracking centre ( usually where the field - of - view is centred ) . as the interferometer observes a point on the celestial sphere , the rotation of the earth causes the @xmath60 and @xmath61 components of the baseline to trace out an elliptical locus according to this equation . since the sampling function is effectively a collection of these elliptical loci ( c.f .
figure [ fig : uvcoverage ] ) , we see that it depends on the declination of the observation and the antenna spacings .
the sampling function , as already mentioned , determines the psf ( or dirty beam ) for the experiment .
our different declination observations give us the means to see how the variation of the sampling function ( measured from the point sources ) affects the recovered galaxy shape distributions .
we have mentioned above the fourier relationship between the observed visibilities and the desired sky intensity .
we discussed how the fft of the visibilities leads to an estimate of the dirty image , which is the sky brightness convolved with the sampling function . in order to obtain an estimate of the sky intensity we need some way to perform a deconvolution .
the commonly used algorithm clean is one way to perform this deconvolution .
devised by it assumes that the radio sky can be represented by a collection of point sources ( clean components ) in an otherwise empty field .
the intensity distribution @xmath62 is then approximated by superposition of these point sources which have a positive intensity @xmath63 , at the locations @xmath64 .
the clean algorithm then aims to determine @xmath65 such that @xmath66 where @xmath67 is the dirty image that is obtained from the inversion of the visibilities , @xmath68 is the dirty beam which is the inverted sampling function and , @xmath69 is the residual brightness distribution . the approximation is deemed to have been successful if this residual noise is similar to that of the measured visibilities .
this decomposition can not be analytically computed and an iterative approach is required . the original clean algorithm is applied entirely in the image plane .
it uses a simple iterative procedure to find the position and strengths of the sources in the dirty image , from which a dirty beam multiplied by the peak strength is subtracted .
all positions where this occurs are recorded as well as the corresponding peak flux .
the procedure stops when all remaining peaks fall below some specified level .
the recorded positions and fluxes constitute the point source model , which is then convolved with the idealised clean beam ( usually the central lobe of the dirty beam ) and the residuals from the dirty image are added to produce the final , deconvolved image .
we refer the reader to and @xcite for further details .
our imaging pipeline can implement a variety of clean algorithms ; in this paper we choose a widely used version , the clark clean , which efficiently implements the algorithm and can provide improved speed for larger images .
it is important for us to study the effect of the clean method ( and the process of deconvolution as a whole ) on shape measurement .
although clean is well tested and appropriate for many imaging applications , it is non - linear and does not necessarily converge in a well - defined manner .
it is not immediately clear if it is suitable for the purpose of shape measurement as required for weak lensing ; we will test this in the next section . in creating the mss ,
we have examined 2 different sampling configurations .
as described above , our default mss were created using a regularly sampled @xmath45 coverage by sampling a 24 hour observation every 20 seconds .
further to this we created an irregularly sampled @xmath45 coverage by sampling a 1000 hour observation every 20 minutes .
this provides a similar density of visibility samples to the previous configuration , but these samples are not uniformly spaced along the tracks .
although this particular configuration is unlikely to arise in a normal observation , irregular sampling of the @xmath45 plane can come from , for example , data flagging at some given interval . since the @xmath45 coverage determines the psf , which we know to be important for weak lensing studies , it is useful to see if the results are sensitive to the sampling configuration .
in this section we present the results from the shape measurement analyses of both point sources and galaxies .
we firstly address the question of how many clean components are required to adequately represent these images .
we then examine the behaviour of point source ellipticities , for different telescope configurations and declinations .
next we assess the modelling of galaxy shapes , in relation to the shapelet scale parameter and uv sampling .
all this is in preparation for the main result of the paper , which is the presentation of whether output ellipticity estimates are in line with true input ellipticities .
finally , we discuss the impact of realistic noise on the measurement of ellipticity .
we aim to find the lowest number of components that suitably deconvolve the sources in the images , since this reduces computation time and avoids fitting noise . to assess this issue
, we set several different target numbers of clean components on one of the images from our set of simulations .
we ran this experiment on all four mss with the point sources and the galaxies .
since the point sources have a much simpler set of source structures , it would be expected that they would require fewer clean iterations .
we examine the residuals ( of the dirty image ) in order to compare the relative merits of the different numbers of clean components used .
we examine where we find the minimum rms residuals as a function of number of clean iterations .
we image the residuals just outside the patch where we have sources in order to estimate the residual side lobe noise from the sources inside the central part of the image . to estimate the rms of the residuals , we select a frame around the inner image containing the sources , with a width 16 pixels @xmath70 which we split into 20 cells , from which we calculate a mean rms . in figure
[ fig : clean ] we show how the mean point source and galaxy rms residuals vary with the number of clean components for each of our mss .
we wish to perform our analyses on the images with the smallest rms residuals . for the point source images ,
the lowest tested number of clean components , @xmath71 , has smallest rms , and we adopt this value for point source analysis . we see that in the emerlin galaxy simulations there is a minimum in the rms residuals near @xmath72 , while for the lofar cases the minimum lies near @xmath73 ; these are the iteration numbers that we have adopted for galaxies in the rest of this paper .
we note that these values are not dependent on the declination of the observations .
since the images we create have known source positions , we bypass the source extraction stage of a lensing analysis .
we instead use sextractor in the assoc mode whereby we input a catalogue of positions where objects are known to lie .
of course , even in this mode we will only detect objects which meet the internal requirements to be classified as an object .
we use the default sextractor settings of table [ tab : sexsettings ] ; with these settings we find that we are able to detect @xmath74 of the objects that are in the original images , with detected number densities ranging from @xmath75 arcmin@xmath43 .
.table summarising main sextractor parameters .
[ tab : sexsettings ] [ cols="^,^",options="header " , ] coverage . also shown ( bottom ) is the difference between the two psfs .
[ fig:20minsecpsfs ] ] the simulations above contain background fluctuations due to side - lobes , but do not contain measurement noise on the visibilities ; we now consider the addition of this noise to the simulations . within meqtrees ,
the required input is the standard deviation of the gaussian from which the noise for each visibility datum is drawn . for this test
we restrict ourselves to the lofar dec @xmath76 measurement set .
to assess the noise levels in the image plane corresponding to the noise input parameter in the meqtrees software , we write the total noise @xmath77 in an image as @xmath78 where @xmath79 is noise associated with side lobes ( which is present even in the absence of measurement noise ) and @xmath80 is the contribution arising from the corruption of the visibilities .
we use the noise - free simulations described in the previous section to estimate the @xmath79 term , and we run test simulations with varying noise in the visiblilities to estimate the @xmath77 terms . hence we can estimate the @xmath80 terms using the equation above .
we find that the relationship between the measured @xmath80 and the visibility noise is linear , and calibrate the chosen level of noise accordingly .
we calculate the snr of each object in the image by measuring the flux density in an aperture of 0.75@xmath41 around its known position , and dividing through by the total noise @xmath77 integrated in the aperture .
we choose the noise level such that our objects have snr @xmath81 ; this is the level to which weak lensing measurements might plausibly be made .
we found that in meqtrees parameter units , a choice of 20 for the visibility noise creates an image where the mean of the snr distribution of the objects is @xmath82 , and this is the value that we adopted . with this choice of visibility noise
we carry out the same procedure as before .
we first determine how many clean components we need to sufficiently deconvolve the beam , by running a similar test to the noise free case , the result of which is shown in figure [ fig : noisecleans ] . case . [
fig : noisecleans ] ] we find that there is a different behaviour to that seen in the noise free case ( c.f .
figure [ fig : clean ] ) .
we see that there is a reduction in the residuals as we increase the number of clean components ; at high numbers of components , both the point source and galaxy rms flattens out . in our noise free simulations we adopted a value of @xmath83 and @xmath84 clean components for point sources and galaxies respectively for this ms
we see that with the addition of noise , point sources require more cleaning than before , while for the galaxies @xmath84 iterations still seems sufficient .
we do not find a minimum in the rms residuals for either the point sources or the galaxies , but since after @xmath73 there is only slow reduction , this is the value we have chosen .
the choice will be vindicated if there is good correlation between measured and input ellipticities .
we now consider the noisy point source shape measurements .
we perform a similar analysis for the shapelet modelling as in section [ sec : point ] to find a good choice for the @xmath10 parameter .
we decompose all the sources using the shapelet optimisation algorithm as well as using our fixed @xmath10 and @xmath13 approach .
again , we use a fixed @xmath85 and use @xmath10 values of 1 , 1.5 and 2 pixels . we show the corresponding results in figure [ fig : noisedelhists ] .
, for the noisy lofar dec @xmath76 case .
red curves correspond to the shapelet optimisation algorithm of @xcite , and the yellow , blue and green curves correspond to decompositions done with fixed @xmath85 and @xmath86 pixels respectively .
the solid lines show @xmath87 and the dashed show @xmath88 .
[ fig : noisedelhists ] ] immediately we note that the addition of noise has broadened out the ellipticity distributions in contrast to those measured in figure [ fig : delhists ] .
as before , we find that fixing the @xmath10 parameter seems to produce a cleaner measurement than the standard shapelet optimisation algorithm , and we see again that a choice of @xmath89 pixels produces the most tightly peaked histogram .
we again adopt this value for @xmath10 and an @xmath85 in our modelling of the point sources and the psf .
we use the estimated psf to deconvolve the noisy galaxies . from the previous section
, we expect that the @xmath10 parameter choice for the galaxies is important , so we shapelet - decompose the galaxies with a variety of @xmath10 choices . as before we find a strong @xmath10 dependence when we examine how the measured ellipticities compare to the input ellipticities , as shown in figure [ fig : noisebeta ] , again we only show the smallest and largest error bars for clarity . similarly to the noise - free case , we find that fixing @xmath10 to 0.2 @xmath90 estimate yields the best results for @xmath23 when we compare the measured and input ellipticities .
we show in figure [ fig : noisegals ] our final result of comparing the input and measured ellipticities in our noisy lofar dec @xmath76 simulation , also summarised in table [ tab : gals ] as lofar ( n ) .
we find that the addition of the visibility noise has degraded our slope measurement to @xmath91 , and @xmath92 .
while this represents an increase in the calibration bias over the noise - free case , the calibration bias remains at a modest 10% level .
in this paper , we have made an exploratory study of a radio imaging pipeline suitable for studying weak gravitational lensing , and have tested a shear measurement pipeline which has been adapted for radio data . using our simulations ,
we can obtain a better understanding of suitable shear measurement techniques to use with emerlin , lofar and ultimately the ska .
we have constructed a pipeline to simulate current and future weak lensing observations with radio interferometers .
we were motivated by @xcite in which we attempted to measure a weak lensing signal using radio data from merlin and vla . in that work
we found systematic contamination in the data ; indeed , a primary conclusion of that work was the need for a detailed study of the systematics involved in trying to measure weak lensing using radio datasets .
in the current work , we have been able to assess some of the possible systematics , and have demonstrated the reliability of our shape measurement method on realistic simulated radio images . using the shapelets method
we have created a set of images containing a collection of point sources and realistic galaxy shapes .
the point sources were used to probe the behaviour of the beam , while the galaxies were used to test how well one can recover known ellipticities in the presence of a radio data reduction and imaging pipeline .
the ` true ' images were run through our simulator to mimic observations made with the emerlin and lofar arrays , at two different declinations , and with different numbers of clean iterations .
we measured ellipticities for galaxies via a shapelets decomposition , including deconvolution of the psf .
as in our previous analysis , we have found that best results with shapelet decomposition were obtained by fixing the @xmath13 and @xmath10 parameters .
the galaxy simulations showed a very strong @xmath10 dependance when we compared their true and measured ellipticities ; we found that @xmath93 fwhm gave the most faithful galaxy ellipticities .
given our best shapelet models , we were then able to compare the true and measured ellipticities in our catalogues .
we found highly correlated results , with all four mss having pearson correlation coefficients close to one .
all mss showed no evidence for an additive bias to the ellipticity measurements , and showed a modest ( @xmath81% ) multiplicative bias .
we added measurement noise to our simulations , fixing the visibility noise so that the resulting galaxies had a snr distribution peaking at snr @xmath94 . in this case
, we found similar results for the shapelet ellipticity measurements as with the simulations only containing side - lobe noise ; the multiplicative bias for ellipticity measurement remains at the 10% level .
these results are encouraging since they suggest that we can already recover well the true shape of sources from radio data , with well - motivated choices for the number of cleans , and the shapelet scale size .
given further studies of systematics effects , we hope to further reduce the calibration bias . in this work
we have demonstrated the feasibility of making weak lensing measurements in the presence of realistic features of radio observations .
clearly , there are important extensions to what has been explored here : * in this study we have confined ourselves to small scale images , in order to clean in a reasonably short time .
ithe image size needs to be upscaled in order to probe position dependent psf effects .
* we have restricted ourselves to one clean algorithm ; the performance of a range of deconvolution techniques should be tested .
* we have used a uniform weighting scheme ; weighting this way should maximise the contribution from the longer baselines , resulting in better resolution images . natural weighting also exists , which give more sensitive images .
weak lensing is unique in that it requires both sensitivity and high angular resolution images ; there are weighting schemes that try to find a compromise between these two criteria ( e.g. briggs weighting , @xcite ) .
assessing the shape measurement improvement / degradation between uniform , natural and intermediate weighting , and comparing this to any increase / decrease in source counts will be valuable . * in our construction of the mss
we have used particular frequency and time averaging configurations ; these can dramatically increase / decrease the size of the ms . examining how different frequency and time averaging configurations affect shear estimates
is a further important line of enquiry . *
in this work we have used the shapelet method for shape measurement .
the use of the shapelets method for radio data is well motivated , particularly by the fourier invariance of the shapelet basis functions and the possibility of shape measurement directly in the @xmath45 plane .
however , in weak lensing , there are a considerable number of methods for shape measurement , see for example @xcite .
exploration of radio weak lensing should include a study of how these existing methods fare with radio image simulations .
in this analysis we have demonstrated an approach to weak lensing measurements at radio wavelengths ; encouragingly we have seen that our shape measurement methods and deconvolution techniques provide us with shape measurements that are only modestly biased .
we have pointed out several open questions that still remain to be answered in this field , some of which this pipeline should be able to answer . these simulations can be extended to simulate actual weak lensing fields , where the input images contain realistic lensing shear , and we can assess how well we recover a cosmic signal .
there are a range of new radio facilities that are / will be capable of producing data with which weak lensing measurements will be made .
understanding the relevant systematics , and knowing how well shape - measurement methods perform , is an important step towards using arrays such as a full europe - wide lofar , and ultimately the ska , for weak lensing .
pp is funded by a nrf ska postdoctoral fellowship .
pp would like to thank mathew smith , russell johnston and matt jarvis for all the helpful discussions during the length of this project .
br acknowledges support from the european research council in the form of a starting grant with number 240672 .
fba acknowledges the support of the royal society via an rsurf .
oms s research supported by the south african research chairs initiative of the department of science and technology and national research foundation .
any opinion , findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and therefore the nrf and dst do not accept any liability with regard thereto . | arxiv |
a retrospective review was performed for all the patients diagnosed with pc who had undergone surgery at the korea cancer center hospital from january 2007 to december 2011 .
patients who were diagnosed with pc via the surgical specimen , and those who underwent preoperative fna were included in this study .
we excluded patients who had received preoperative chemotherapy or radiotherapy because of possible modifications of the shape and size of the tumor cells . in the end , 7 of the patients ( 5 men , 2 women ) with a mean age of 67 years ( range , 60 to 78 years )
clinicopathological parameters such as tumor size , tumor location , stage , and distant metastases were collected from the patients ' medical records .
the aspirated material was smeared onto 4 glass slides , immediately fixed in 95% alcohol and stained with a papanicolaou stain .
immunocytochemical studies for cytokeratin and vimentin were performed on paraffin sections of the cell blocks in all cases .
all of the surgical resection specimens had been fixed with 10% formalin and embedded in paraffin .
a mean of 6.5 ( range , 5 to 8) hematoxylin and eosin - stained slides per tumor was available .
the cytological features were assessed and compared with the histopathological features of the corresponding surgical specimen .
we defined the epithelial component of pc as malignant tumor cells with glandular or squamous differentiation .
a component of large cell carcinoma was also included in the epithelial component of pc .
we defined the large cell carcinoma component as tumor cells with a tendency to form loosely structured clusters composed of epithelial cells of unequal sizes without glandular or squamous differentiation .
we defined the sarcomatoid component of pc as malignant giant and/or spindle cells.14 the investigated cytological parameters were as follows : component of tumor cells , architectural pattern ( fascicles , single cells , and cluster ) , adhesion ( loose or tight ) , nuclei ( pleomorphism , variability in size , number , and size of nucleoli , nuclear membrane , and chromatin texture ) , nature of the cytoplasm , nuclear - to - cytoplasmic ratio and background .
a retrospective review was performed for all the patients diagnosed with pc who had undergone surgery at the korea cancer center hospital from january 2007 to december 2011 .
patients who were diagnosed with pc via the surgical specimen , and those who underwent preoperative fna were included in this study .
we excluded patients who had received preoperative chemotherapy or radiotherapy because of possible modifications of the shape and size of the tumor cells . in the end , 7 of the patients ( 5 men , 2 women ) with a mean age of 67 years ( range , 60 to 78 years )
clinicopathological parameters such as tumor size , tumor location , stage , and distant metastases were collected from the patients ' medical records .
the aspirated material was smeared onto 4 glass slides , immediately fixed in 95% alcohol and stained with a papanicolaou stain .
immunocytochemical studies for cytokeratin and vimentin were performed on paraffin sections of the cell blocks in all cases .
all of the surgical resection specimens had been fixed with 10% formalin and embedded in paraffin .
a mean of 6.5 ( range , 5 to 8) hematoxylin and eosin - stained slides per tumor was available .
the cytological features were assessed and compared with the histopathological features of the corresponding surgical specimen .
we defined the epithelial component of pc as malignant tumor cells with glandular or squamous differentiation .
a component of large cell carcinoma was also included in the epithelial component of pc .
we defined the large cell carcinoma component as tumor cells with a tendency to form loosely structured clusters composed of epithelial cells of unequal sizes without glandular or squamous differentiation .
we defined the sarcomatoid component of pc as malignant giant and/or spindle cells.14 the investigated cytological parameters were as follows : component of tumor cells , architectural pattern ( fascicles , single cells , and cluster ) , adhesion ( loose or tight ) , nuclei ( pleomorphism , variability in size , number , and size of nucleoli , nuclear membrane , and chromatin texture ) , nature of the cytoplasm , nuclear - to - cytoplasmic ratio and background .
the clinico - pathological data and the original cytological diagnosis are summarized in table 1 .
the mean tumor was 41 mm in diameter ( range , 25 to 70 mm ) .
lobectomy with lymph node dissection was performed in 6 cases , and metastasectomy was performed in only 1 case ( case 5 ) .
case 1 had multiple bronchioloalveolar carcinomas of both lungs and renal cell carcinoma at the time of surgery .
two patients had pleura and chest wall invasion and four had regional lymph node metastasis .
three patients had distant metastases in the brain , adrenal glands , intestine , bone , and lung .
the tumor stages were iia in 1 case , iib in 1 case , iiia in 3 cases , and iv in 2 cases .
adjuvant chemotherapy was performed in 3 patients and adjuvant chemoradiation therapy was performed in 2 patients .
the cell component of the cytological specimens usually reflected the components of the corresponding surgical specimen .
the epithelial component indicated large cell carcinoma in 6 cases , and adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma in 1 case each .
the spindle cell component was observed in 4 cases , and the gc component was observed in 6 cases ( fig .
the components of tumor cells in the pathological and cytological specimens are listed in table 2 .
the tumor cells were arranged in monolayers , 3-dimensional clusters , or were scattered as single cells .
cohesive clusters were observed in some cases , but loose clusters were observed in most of the cases .
the epithelial tumor cells had an irregular nuclear membrane and a coarsely granular chromatin ( fig .
the nucleus of the giant tumor cells was hyperchromatic to vesicular , bizarre in shape , and more than 5 times the size of the resting lymphocytes , and often much larger .
two different cellular patterns were seen : areas with aggregating pleomorphic sarcomatoid cells and/or entrapped spindle cells , and epithelioid tumor cells .
immunoreactivity to cytokeratin was present in the epithelial cells in all of the cases and in some of the spindle cells in 2 cases ( focal , weakly positive ) .
vimentin was expressed in some of the epithelial components in 4 cases ( focal , strongly positive ) and in the sarcomatoid component of all the cases ( fig .
the clinico - pathological data and the original cytological diagnosis are summarized in table 1 .
the mean tumor was 41 mm in diameter ( range , 25 to 70 mm ) .
lobectomy with lymph node dissection was performed in 6 cases , and metastasectomy was performed in only 1 case ( case 5 ) .
case 1 had multiple bronchioloalveolar carcinomas of both lungs and renal cell carcinoma at the time of surgery .
two patients had pleura and chest wall invasion and four had regional lymph node metastasis .
three patients had distant metastases in the brain , adrenal glands , intestine , bone , and lung .
the tumor stages were iia in 1 case , iib in 1 case , iiia in 3 cases , and iv in 2 cases .
adjuvant chemotherapy was performed in 3 patients and adjuvant chemoradiation therapy was performed in 2 patients .
the cell component of the cytological specimens usually reflected the components of the corresponding surgical specimen .
the epithelial component indicated large cell carcinoma in 6 cases , and adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma in 1 case each .
the spindle cell component was observed in 4 cases , and the gc component was observed in 6 cases ( fig .
the components of tumor cells in the pathological and cytological specimens are listed in table 2 .
the tumor cells were arranged in monolayers , 3-dimensional clusters , or were scattered as single cells .
cohesive clusters were observed in some cases , but loose clusters were observed in most of the cases .
the epithelial tumor cells had an irregular nuclear membrane and a coarsely granular chromatin ( fig .
the nucleus of the giant tumor cells was hyperchromatic to vesicular , bizarre in shape , and more than 5 times the size of the resting lymphocytes , and often much larger .
two different cellular patterns were seen : areas with aggregating pleomorphic sarcomatoid cells and/or entrapped spindle cells , and epithelioid tumor cells .
immunoreactivity to cytokeratin was present in the epithelial cells in all of the cases and in some of the spindle cells in 2 cases ( focal , weakly positive ) .
vimentin was expressed in some of the epithelial components in 4 cases ( focal , strongly positive ) and in the sarcomatoid component of all the cases ( fig .
there have been only a few reports of cytological analysis in cases of pulmonary pc.14 - 16 most of the previous cytological reports have revealed similar findings .
hummel et al.15 reported that the cytological findings of pc included a conspicuous population of pleomorphic spindle cells arranged singly , in loose clusters , and in fascicles , and as micro - tissue fragments in a necrotic background .
although malignant spindle cells and gcs can be helpful cytological features , pc of the lung is challenging to diagnose because it has very poor cellular differentiation , rare incidence and histological heterogeneity . in this context , histopathological correlation is an important prerequisite of a correct cytological evaluation .
the surgical specimens in case 2 were composed of gc carcinoma , large cell carcinoma , and moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma .
however , the cytologic specimen mainly consisted of clusters of adenocarcinoma and only a few scattered giant tumor cells . because of the morphological continuum and overlapping features that exist between giant tumor cells and poorly differentiated large cell carcinoma , the original cytological diagnosis of this case was " non - small cell carcinoma ( nscc ) , favoring adenocarcinoma . " the cytological specimen in case 4 , which was misdiagnosed as " nscc , favoring squamous cell carcinoma , " mainly revealed tumor diathesis and some malignant squamoid cells , but not spindle cells , although squamous cell carcinoma and spindle tumor cells were marked in the surgical specimens .
however , there is no clear borderline between giant tumor cells and poorly differentiated large cell carcinoma .
fishback et al.2 reported that the single large pleomorphic nucleus of a gc was 4 times larger than that of small resting lymphocytes .
guillan and zelman17 reported that the gcs varied in diameter from 50 m to 120 m , and hellstrom and fisher18 reported that the gcs measured from 80 m to 100 m .
this vague definition of gcs has caused confusion among pathologists . in our study , the size of gcs varied , ranging from 15 m to 65 m .
the nucleus of mononucleated giant tumor cells measured more than 5 times larger than that of small resting lymphocytes .
although the final diagnosis of pc relies in most cases on the close scrutiny of the hematoxylin and eosin stained sections , its immunohistochemical characterization may better highlight the different cell components occurring in these tumors . in several studies
, the epithelial component has been stained to various extents with antibodies to cytokeratin , whereas the sarcomatous component is consistently immunoreactive for vimentin.2,10,19 - 22 in this current study , all tumors displayed dual expression of cytokeratin and vimentin by immunocytochemistry on the cell blocks .
in contrast , the epithelioid tumor cells showed focal or diffuse positivity for cytokeratin and focally expressed vimentin .
the prognosis for pc is generally thought to be worse than that for conventional nsclc.2,9,10,12,23 - 25 a stage - adjusted comparison of 63 cases of psc with an equivalent number of propensity score - matched cases of nsclcs showed the 5-year survival to be significantly different between the 2 groups ( 24.5% for the psc group and 46.3% for the nsclc group),23 favoring the hypothesis that the prognosis of psc may be poorer than that of nsclc.24 the estimated 5-year survival rate in surgical series was up to 33% for pc ( with the median overall survival ranging from 5 to 19 months).2,9,10,23 - 25 pc has been reported to be highly metastatic .
chang et al.10 reported that 7 patients who had undergone surgical resections succumbed to early distant metastases in organs , such as the brain , bone , adrenal gland , and unusual sites including esophagus , jejunum , rectum , and kidney , within a few months . in the present study ,
metastasis was observed in 3 cases : one patient ( case 2 ) had metastasis in both adrenal glands ; one ( case 5 ) had brain , small intestine , and mesentery metastasis at the time of diagnosis ; and the third ( case 7 ) had metastasis to the brain , bone , lung , and both adrenal glands .
two patients died of the disease , 1 patient survived with metastasis , and 4 patients survived without recurrence or metastasis . in conclusion , recognition of pc may be possible when adequate cytological material is present .
the presence of loose clusters of poorly differentiated epithelial cells , malignant spindle cells , mono- , bi- , multi - nucleated gcs , and a necrotic background with lymphocytes and neutrophils is highly suggestive of pc . | pubmed |
Gladsaxe Theatre creates huge HCA musical
Gladsaxe Theatre presents the theatre's largest production ever with support from The Hans Christian Andersen 2005 Foundation, The County of Copenhagen and The Municipality of Gladsaxe. H.C. Andersen Hans Christian Andersen HCA HCA2005 - H.C. Andersen Life & Work - H.C. Andersen Education - H.C. Andersen HCA2005 Foundation - H.C. Andersen Visitdenmark - H.C. Andersen
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Gladsaxe Theatre presents the theatre's largest production ever with support from The Hans Christian Andersen 2005 Foundation, The County of Copenhagen and The Municipality of Gladsaxe.
By ms - H.C. Andersen 2005 - 06 September 2004
After more than 2 years in the making, Gladsaxe Theatre is proud to announce it's most ambitious production ever: MY FAIRY TALE - a multi-media musical about Hans Christian Andersen scheduled for world premiere on October 8th, 2005 at Gladsaxe Theatre.
MY FAIRY TALE is made possible with the support of The Hans Christian Andersen 2005 Foundation, the County of Copenhagen, and the Municipality of Gladsaxe in celebration of the bicentenary of the birth of Hans Christian Andersen in 2005, and it will become the biggest musical product in the bicentenary year.
Flemming Enevold, theatre manager at Gladsaxe Theatre, states:
"For the last 12 years, the Gladsaxe Theatre has nurtured the ambition of creating a major international groundbreaking musical performance that blazes the way for the theatre of tomorrow in both a Danish and international context. The Hans Christian Andersen bicentenary has provided the perfect opportunity to create a production with profound international impact, and thanks to The Hans Christian Andersen 2005 Foundation, the County of Copenhagen, and the Municipality of Gladsaxe, we will now be able to create an international dream production."
"There are three aspects to Hans Christian Andersen that I find carry special significance - Andersen as an artist, as a person and as an inspirer of theatre. As an artist, he is a travelling companion who guides us into deep, subconscious, and life-giving dimensions. As a person, I feel enriched by his existential courage. His inner, hyper-sensitive seismograph reflected his existential anxiety. He feared everything - travelling for instance - yet he travelled all the same! And then I love him for his ability to poke fingers at Danish pragmatism. But most of all, I perceive Andersen as an inspirer of theatre. I have sought to imagine how he would approach theatre-making today had he been alive, and had he been a playwright and not an author. I believe he would make Denmark able to set the stage for the theatre of the future that seeks dialogue with the world - a theatre of the future which turns away from convention and embraces all genres; one that features state-of-the-art multimedia technology and embarks on archetypical non-linear storytelling - an integrated, adventurous and graphically visual style of theatre."
The Hans Christian Andersen 2005 Foundation supports the undertaking with DKK 1.7 million. Secretary General Lars Seeberg of the Hans Christian Andersen 2005 Foundation states:
"The term "ambitious' often features in press releases on theatrical productions, even when dealing with straightforward performances that run little risk beyond the ordinary. But with the ambitious Hans Christian Andersen musical, it is a whole different matter. With theatre manager Flemming Enevold at the helm, the theatre ambitiously investigates, develops, and expands upon the musical as genre in Denmark. The Hans Christian Andersen 2005 bicentenary will be an event that speaks to a wide audience as well as more narrow audience segments. I am convinced that with its magnificently conceived Andersen project, Gladsaxe Theatre will reach a great audience with this remarkably sensual musical of international scale. We are very pleased to have contributed to the project."
The County of Copenhagen has extraordinarily granted MY FAIRY TALE DKK 1.1 million. Lars Abel, Chairman of the Cultural Committee for the County of Copenhagen, states:
"Hans Christian Andersen is a national icon, and the value and beauty of such a massive artistic and cultural manifestation cannot be overrated. Gladsaxe Theatre's Hans Christian Andersen production is central to the visions and undertaking of the County of Copenhagen, which is why we are pleased to contribute to the 2005 bicentennial celebrations. The production will attract an audience of Danes and tourists alike, and not least an audience abroad, which will highlight the region internationally."
The Municipality of Gladsaxe has granted DKK 600,000 to the project. Mayor of Gladsaxe Karin Søjberg Holst states:
"This year it is precisely 40 years since the Municipality of Gladsaxe founded the private institution Gladsaxe Theatre, and next year it is 40 years since Gladsaxe Theatre held it's first opening night. We have always supported Gladsaxe Theatre financially, and we will also contribute to this major venture. Not only will Gladsaxe Theatre gain eben more acclaim for it's large-scale productions, the citizens of Gladsaxe will benefit culturally as well - and that makes us proud."
MY FAIRY TALE reflects the ambition of rejuvenating musical theatre at home and abroad. With few exceptions neither Broadway nor West End has contributed innovatively to the genre for the last two decades. MY FAIRY TALE will be a spectacular multimedia musical that embraces radical and innovative new approaches to theatre, setting the stage for the musical theatre of the future. It will be the most costly new musical production in Denmark ever with a current budget of DKK 20 million.
MY FAIRY TALE embraces a bold and innovative aesthetical idiom. Audiences will experience an onslaught of spectacular audiovisual effects and sweeping music. The performance will employ many different media - shadow play based on Andersen's own paper cuts, puppets, and marionettes in every conceivable size as well as laterna magica and world-class acrobatics. The ambition is to capture and adapt Andersen's unique fairytale universe on stage.
Væsthuset, the annex stage to Gladsaxe Theatre, will host a number of state-of-the-art theatre laboratories with the aim of developing cutting-edge multimedia special effects.
MY FAIRY TALE features the most important night in Andersen's life - the night he became Hans Christian Andersen. The performance is set at the Royal Danish Theatre on an October night in 1846. The poet has heard an old legend: He who dares spend a night alone in the darkness at the stage will see his biggest dream come true. Andersen decides to spite his fear and go the whole way. However, he wakes up to discover that he is imprisoned in his own fairytale world. In order to return to the real world he must embark on an amazing a perilous journey into the realm of his own imagination. A journey where Andersen lives out his own fairytales, experiences sweeping love, fights for his life against his own shadow and meets a travelling companion - a small boy called Hans Christian.
MY FAIRY TALE appeals to Andersen's own audience: those between 8 and 80 years of age.
MY FAIRY TALE will feature original score as well as existing compositions. The musical highlights will be a string of newly composed pop/rock songs created by one of the true heavyweights of the genre, American composer Stephen Schwartz.
Gladsaxe Theatre has succeeded in forging partnership with three-time Academy Award winner Stephen Schwartz, one of the hottest composers on Broadway and in Hollywood (Academy Awards for the song ?When You Believe' from animated featureThe Prince of Egypt, the song ?Colours of the Wind' and the soundtrack for Walt Disney's Pocahontas). Apart from The Prince of Egypt, and Disney's Pocahontas and The Hunchback from Notre Dame, he has also written the score for popular musicals, such as Pippin and Godspell and most recently this season's biggest hit on Broadway, the musical Wicked.
Stephen Schwartz states:
"I am looking forward to collaborating with the distinguished Danish artists, who will be creating this ambitious musical theatre piece to honour Hans Christian Andersen. The simplicity and charm of Andersen's stories conceal great depth and profundity, and we hope to celebrate and reflect that in the work we do for and about him."
Schwartz will be joined by another hot international star, the Chinese Rock icon Cui Jian, who has sold more than 10 million albums in Asia and is considered one of the pioneers of contemporary Chinese rock music. Cui Jian was born in 1961 and is a classically trained trumpeter. His breakthrough album from 1986 was entitled Nothing To My Name. He has visited Denmark before and has performed with his band at the Roskilde Festival.
Cui Jian will create the music for the scenes related to the Emperor of China from The Nightingale - one of the main features of MY FAIRY TALE. Additionally, the musical will feature bel canto opera, Danish psalms and children's songs and classical music from Andersen's day.
Flemming Enevold will direct the musical, which is based on his own idea and concept. The book is written by American scriptwriter Philip Lazebnik. He has previously worked with Stephen Schwartz on The Prince of Egypt, which he wrote the screenplay for. Furthermore he has co-written Disney's Mulan and Pocahontas and more than 20 different musicals.
The third key American player in the production team is acclaimed choreographer David Parsons, who will choreograph the musical. Parsons is the Artistic Director of the modern dance company, The Parsons Dance Company, and has created an extravaganza of modern ballets - productions that have toured theworld and secured Parsons a place among the world elite of choreographers.
The conductor will be Danish - Mikkel Rønnow - who along with Danish singer Stig Rossen co-produces and additionally conducts nationwide tours of musical performances such as Chess and Les Misérables and is currently conducting the musical Grease.
MY FAIRY TALE will be performed in Danish. The lead roles as Hans Christian Andersen and Jenny Lind and the rest of the cast will feature major Danish and Scandinavian actors and singer. The cast be announced as soon as it has been finalised. One of the major roles as Hans Christian Andersen's alter ego - the boy Hans Christian - will be selected through nationwide auditions to be held in the spring of 2005. The ensemble of singers, dancers, acrobats, and other performers will feature several international musical artists as well as a unique troupe of artists from China.
Extraordinarily, the box office sales for MY FAIRY TALE will open a year before the world premiere. Tickets are available as from today at the Gladsaxe Theatre box office at Tel.: +45 3967 6010 or from BILLETNet Tel.: +45 7015 6565.
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Danish Prime Minister about Andersen
According to Anders Fogh Rasmussen Hans Christian Andersen is a world legend. Watch the HCA Comment.
Three days of Andersen celebration
A gigantic TV show is to be the highlight of a three-day opening celebration of the bicentenary of the birth of the Danish storyteller and poet Hans Christian Andersen.
Never before have so many new works by Danish composers premiered so widely.
New Biography on Andersen
Major biography casts new light on the life and works of Hans Christian Andersen.
Watch videos from our press briefings and find out more about HCA2005 in our motion picture features!
HCA Comment
Experience personal views on Hans Christian Andersen in motion pictures.
Read the story about the Hans Christian Andersen biography by Jackie Wullschlager.
Hans Christian Andersen loved having his picture taken.
Which shoe size did Hans Christian Andersen use?
See who is behind the content of hca2005.com. | slim_pajama |
Why do we have an alkyl shift rather than epoxidation in a pinacol reaction?
Why do we have an alkyl shift rather than epoxidation in a pinacol reaction?
I don't understand why the hydroxyl group doesn't attack the positive charge.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/fWkT9.png)
Excellent question.
When the first Pinacol rearrangements were being studied, there was a suggestion that the product of the reaction was indeed the epoxide (migrations/shifts weren't well known reactions at this point in time, and methods of characterisaton were limited). The reaction that was being attempted is shown below (source: Wikipedia), however at this point there was even dispute over the structure of acetone, further adding to the complications.
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> **One of the first reports of a Pinacol rearrangement**
> [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/vXMFg.png)
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Today, we of course know that Pinacol and semi-Pinacol rearrangements occur when vicinal diols are treated with protic acid (or Lewis acids) to give the carbonyl product as a result of a [1,2]- alkyl shift.
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> [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1jO8D.png)
> **Source**: Strategic Applications Of Named Reactions. Wiley.
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Looking at the mechanism (below), we first have a rate-determining loss of water via protonation-elimination. This generates the all important cationic intermediate.
The simple answer to your question is that rearrangement occurs faster than epoxidation (which is never observed to any significant extent), this is intuitive if we consider that:
1. Under the acidic conditions, the alcohol required to form the epoxide is fully protonated, and hence not a very good nucleophile (in agreement with R-OH generally being a poor nucleophile except in basic conditions where we get the anionic alkoxide RO(-)
2. The migration generates a more stabilised carbocation by the influence of the oxygen LP donating into the carbocation to form the resulting ketone.
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> [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/3kZ9P.png)
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> > **Source**: Strategic Applications Of Named Reactions. Wiley.
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As an aside, if you'd kept reading through Clayden by another page or so, you would have discovered that epoxides also undergo Pinacol-type rearrangements, so realistically even *if* the epoxide did form, it would simply re-open under the acidic/Lewis-acidic conditions before undergoing a rearrangement reaction.
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> [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1cyCl.png)
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> **Source**: Organic Chemistry, 1 ed. Oxford University Press (Warren & Clayden)
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| stackexchange/chemistry |
Lewis structure of benzenediazonium [closed]
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In the benzenediazonium $\ce{C6H5N2+}$ the nitrogen contributes its lone pair to the carbon in benzene. So where is one electron of that carbon, since it is not used for bonding with nitrogen where has one of the electron of carbon gone?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/lexQv.png)
If the diazonium ion were formed in the way you described, it would be formed by N2 acting as a nucleophile and attacking the ring with a lone pair, displacing a leaving group - a nucleophilic aromatic substituion. In this case, the "one electron of carbon" would have left with the leaving group that was on the ring before. The carbon would now be neutral as it had lost an electron and essentially gained one from the dative bond from the N.
However, this isn't the usual way to form a diazonium ion. In fact, we normally start with a primary aromatic amine, and react it with a diazotizing mixture of NaNO2 and HCl. In this case, the positive charge on the N ends up, not from the N forming a dative bond whilst acting as a nucleophile towards the ring but in the final elimination of water to form the triple bond in the diazonium ion:
[](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandmeyer_reaction)
Image: [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandmeyer_reaction)
| stackexchange/chemistry |
Joseph Rupert Benjamin November 4, 1919 January 26, 1974 was an American jazz bassist.
Born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Benjamin played with numerous high-profile jazz musicians in a variety of idioms. Early in his career he played in the big bands of Artie Shaw, Fletcher Henderson, Sy Oliver, and Duke Ellington.
Later credits include work with Roland Kirk, Hank Garland, Dave Brubeck, Marian McPartland, Louis Armstrong in his later years, Mal Waldron, Jo Jones, Gary Burton, Sarah Vaughan, Roy Haynes, Art Taylor, and Brother Jack McDuff.
Benjamin never recorded as a leader.
Partial discography
As sideman
With Bob Brookmeyer
Traditionalism Revisited World Pacific, 1957
With Kenny Burrell
Weaver of Dreams Columbia, 196061
Guitar Forms Verve, 196465
With Dave Brubeck
Jazz Impressions of Eurasia Columbia, 1958
With Harry Edison
The Swinger Verve, 1958
Mr. Swing Verve, 1958 [1960]
Harry Edison Swings Buck Clayton Verve, 1958 with Buck Clayton
With Duke Ellington
All Star Road Band Doctor Jazz, 1957 [1983]
With Dizzy Gillespie
The Great Blue Star Sessions 1952-1953 EmArcy, 1952-53 [2004]
With Barry Harris
Preminado Riverside, 1961
With Roy Haynes
Jazz Abroad Emarcy, 1955
With Johnny Hodges
Triple Play RCA Victor, 1967
With Budd Johnson
Blues a la Mode Felsted, 1958
Budd Johnson and the Four Brass Giants Riverside, 1960
With Roland Kirk
Kirk's Work Prestige, 1961
With Gary McFarland
The Jazz Version of How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying Verve, 1962
With Carmen McRae
Book of Ballads Kapp, 1958
With Gerry Mulligan
The Teddy Wilson Trio & Gerry Mulligan Quartet with Bob Brookmeyer at Newport Verve, 1957
Blues in Time Verve, 1957 with Paul Desmond
Two of a Mind RCA Victor, 1962 with Paul Desmond
With Jerome Richardson
Midnight Oil New Jazz, 1959
With Al Sears
Things Ain't What They Used to Be Swingville, 1961 as part of the Prestige Swing Festival
With Joya Sherrill
Joya Sherrill Sings Duke 20th Century Fox, 1965
With Rex Stewart
Rendezvous with Rex Felsted, 1958
With Sonny Stitt
Sonny Stitt & the Top Brass Atlantic, 1962
With Buddy Tate
Swinging Like Tate Felsted, 1958
With Clark Terry
Color Changes Candid, 1960
Everything's Mellow Moodsville, 1961
With The Three Playmates
The Three Playmates - The Three Playmates with George Barrow, Jerome Richardson, Budd Johnson, Sam Price, Kenny Burrell, Joe Benjamin, Bobby Donaldson, Ernie Wilkins arranger Savoy Records, 1957
With Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown EmArcy, 1954
In the Land of Hi-Fi EmArcy, 1955
Swingin' Easy EmArcy, 1957
With Mal Waldron
The Quest New Jazz, 1961
With Kai Winding
Dance to the City Beat Columbia, 1959
References
[ Joe Benjamin] at Allmusic
Category:1919 births
Category:1974 deaths
Category:American jazz double-bassists
Category:Male double-bassists
Category:Musicians from New Jersey
Category:20th-century American musicians
Category:20th-century double-bassists
Category:20th-century American male musicians
Category:Male jazz musicians | wikipedia |
Congelation ice is ice that forms on the bottom of an established ice cover.
Seawater
On seawater, congelation ice is ice that forms on the bottom of an established sea ice cover, usually in the form of platelets which coalesce to form solid ice.
Only the water freezes to ice, the salt from the seawater is concentrated into brine, some of which is contained in pockets in the new ice. Due to the brine pockets, congelation ice on seawater is neither as hard nor as transparent as fresh water ice.
Fresh water
On the surface of lakes, or other bodies of still freshwater, congelation ice is often called black Ice. This ice has frozen without many air bubbles trapped inside, making it transparent. Its transparency reveals the colour, usually black, of the water beneath it, hence the name. This is in contrast to snow ice, sometimes called slush ice, which is formed when slush water saturated snow refreezes. Snow ice is white due to the presence of air bubbles.
Black ice grows downward from the bottom of the existing ice surface. The growth rate of the ice is proportional to the rate that heat is transferred from the water below the ice surface to the air above the ice surface. The total ice thickness can be approximated from Stefan's equation.
Black ice is very hard, strong and smooth, which makes it ideal for ice skating, skate sailing, ice yachting and some other ice sports.
Thin, clear ice also has acoustic properties which are useful to tour skaters. Skating on clear ice radiates a tone whose frequency depends on the thickness of the ice.
References
Category:Water ice
Category:Sea ice | wikipedia |
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