ACT THREE

FADE IN:

EXT. WOODS - INTERIOR - DAY

Gabrielle blindly waves her sais before her, obviously frightened and desperate.

MAN

Watch her!  Careful!

The men remove blowpipes from their belts and fit darts inside them. One blows a dart.  It hits Gabrielle on the cheek. She gasps, and reaches up to the spot.

MAN

(Cont’d)

Now!

They all blow darts, covering Gabrielle’s skin with them. Gabrielle slowly crumples to the ground.

GABRIELLE

(whispering)

Xena... help....

Gabrielle becomes unconscious.  Her sais fall from her hands. The men close in on her.

CUT TO:

EXT. ROAD OUTSIDE POTADEIA - DAY

Xena’s head jerks up. She senses that something’s happened to Gabrielle.

LILA

What is it? Is it Gabrielle?

Xena, go find her.

See if she’s all right.

Xena lets out a long, loud whistle, then listens.  A man comes running down the road, waving that them.

MAN #2

Hello! Help!  Help!!! My wagons overturned...

my children are inside it! Please help me!

LILA

Go on, Xena! Something must

have happened to Gabrielle!

Xena turns on Lila.

XENA

How’d you figure that out?

Lila falls silent, Sarah looks very nervous.

LILA

I just figured.

XENA

Tell you what. How about you going

to see where she is, if that’s what

you’re worried about? I’m thinking

those kids need help over there.

Sarah and Lila hesitate.  This is not going as they were told it would.  They expected Xena to rush off and find Gabrielle.

SARAH

C’mon, Xena. Gabrielle’s your best

friend, isn’t she? I thought you’d

caremore about her than that.

XENA

Gabrielle’s a very good fighter

who can take care of herself.

Now what’s it going to be?

LILA

I guess we’d better go help

those kids. Come on, Sarah.

They walk on. Xena follows, but casts an anxious look up at the woods.

CUT TO:

EXT. WOODS - DAY

A group of men gather, and put Gabrielle’s unconscious body on a stretcher. The look around, then move off through the trees silently.  Janos sits on a horse, watching Xena and the rest walk by.

JANOS

Xena, why don’t you come running?

You always have before... well, I

guess we activate our second plan.

Janos holds up a hand. A posse member runs over.

JANOS

(Cont’d)

Tell the men to get ready. Xena will

be cautious.  She might check

the wounded first to make sure.

The man nods, and runs off.

CUT TO:

EXT. ROAD - ACCIDENT - DAY

They reach the accident.  Wagons are overturned and burning.  Smoke and debris are everywhere.  Bodies lay scattered in the center of the burning wagons.  It looks real.

LILA

Oh, those poor people. Let’s go help.

Sarah, Lila, and Sarah’s husband rush forward.  Xena’s eyes dart everywhere, then she yells out.

XENA

Stop!

Lila turns.

LILA

Stop? There are people dying in there!

Maybe you can watch them SCREAMING

in pain and not care, like you don’t seem to

care what’s happening to Gabrielle, but I won’t!

Xena gets hold of them and hauls them to a stop. The screaming is unbearable, and we start to wonder if Xena’s really lost it this time.  Then a horn sounds, and a volley of arrows falls from the sky. The ‘injured’ people get up and start attacking Xena and Gab’s family.

XENA

Get down!

Sarah and Lila look very confused. A crossbowman takes aim at Sarah and let’s fly. Xena intercepts the arrow at the last moment. She dives to knock Sarah’s husband down, but an arrow hits Xena in the leg, and one hits Sarah’s husband, who cries out in pain.

LILA

This wasn’t supposed to happen!!!

Xena glares at Lila, understanding all.

XENA

That’s what happens when you

take sides. You become a target.

It is chaos. Everyone is shooting at them. Suddenly Janos rides into the center of the wagons and holds up the chakram, which reflects the sun into Xena’s eyes.

JANOS

Xena!  I have it all. I have this. I have

your Gabrielle.  It’s time for you to face

your crimes, Xena.  We’ll be waiting.

Janos rides off. The men redouble their attack on Xena and her party.  Xena pulls the arrow out of her leg and throws it away.

XENA

Stay here.

LILA

What? Where are you going!

XENA

It’s me they want. It’s me they’ll get.

They’ll leave you alone once I’m gone.

Xena examines Sarah’s husband’s wound. It’s not critical. She grabs hold of her sword and takes off running, straight towards the men fighting them, twirling her sword and scaring the hell out of them with her battle yell.   She cuts through them like a hot knife and they converge around her, leaving Sarah and Lila completely alone.

CUT TO:

INT. WARLORD’S CAVE/HQ

Gabrielle is carried inside and put on a pallet. One of the posse brings a bowl over. Janos unstops a small stone vial and holds it to Gab’s nose. Gab wakes, reaches out and grabs Janos’s hand.

GABRIELLE

Wh....

JANOS

Easy there, Gabrielle.

We’re not going to hurt you.

Janos takes the bowl and sponges Gabrielle’s eyes as the man holds Gab’s hands still.

JANOS

In fact, we’re here to do

just the opposite. There.

Gab blinks as her vision is restored.

GABRIELLE

Who are you?

Janos gives the bowl up and stands, wiping his hands off.

JANOS

My name is Janos.  Don’t wrack

your mind.  You don’t know me. 

We’ve never met.

Gabrielle sits up, watching Janos warily.

GABRIELLE

If we’ve never met, why am I here?

Why are you attacking us?

What do you want?

JANOS

Not us, Gabrielle. Not you. It’s Xena

we’re after.  Me, and all these people

here, who have joined together to do

what everyone told us wasn’t possible.

To kill Xena. To stop her from

hurting anyone else.

GABRIELLE

Why?  What has she done to you?

The posse snorts, and whispers.

JANOS

Every person in this room, Gabrielle,

was... touched... by Xena or the scourge

she spawned and let loose on the land.

Janos walks over and sits.

JANOS

(Cont’d)

Me? My grandparents’ village was

burned to the ground by Xena’s army.

My parents were sold into slavery by her

daughter. My brothers and sisters died

from hunger in the streets of Athens alone.

GABRIELLE

I’m sorry.

(beat)

But you’re wrong about her. She’s changed.

She’s not the person who did those things

anymore. And Eve is a disciple of Eli.

She teaches love and peace.

JANOS

Do you think that changes

what they did to all of us?

GABRIELLE

Nothing can change that. But

vengeance serves no one, Janos.

JANOS

It serves the memory of our pasts, and the

promise of our futures. . She’s rampaged

across the land for far too long   Which

brings me to you, Gabrielle. What price

have you paid, because of Xena?

Gabrielle stands up. Janos stands and faces her.

GABRIELLE

Our partnership isn’t about

who owes who what, Janos.

JANOS

Why not? Look what you’ve become.

A killer. Full of anger, full of hatred, of

pain... for her? Think of this as a second

chance... a last chance. Join us, and help

us destroy her, Gabrielle, and you can have

peace. You want that, don’t you? Peace?

Home? A family?  You must be so tired.

GABRIELLE

You don’t know what you’re asking.

JANOS

How much is your soul worth, then?

You’re losing it to her, bit by bit. 

Becoming what she is, aren’t you?

Everyone stares intently at Gabrielle. Janos holds out his hand invitingly.

GABRIELLE

That’s true.

The crowd reacts.

GABRIELLE

(Cont’d)

Every time we fight, every time

I kill, I lose part of myself.

JANOS

Join us.

GABRIELLE

But every time I help someone,

or save a life, I gain a part of

it back. Just like Xena does.

Janos frowns.

GABRIELLE

(Cont’d)

She’s the cornerstone my life is built on.

Without our love, I would truly be lost.

 I’ll never betray her, Janos.

Janos seems sad to hear this.

JANOS

You already have. You’re here,

and you’re alive.  And she’ll

come for you at any cost.

(beat)

Even her life. Won’t she?

Janos walks away. The posse take hold of Gabrielle, who knows it’s the truth.

CUT TO:

INT. TRAP CAVE - DAY

Xena enters cautiously, her sword drawn. She looks around, sees nothing.

XENA

Gabrielle!

Janos appears on a ledge above her.

JANOS

Come in, Xena.

I’ve been waiting for you.

GABRIELLE

(V.O.)

Xena! Get out of here!

It’s a trap!

Xena looks at the trap door above her, looks at Janos, then steps very deliberately inside. The door slams shut behind her.

JANOS

Welcome.

XENA

Who are you?

Janos leans on the balcony and studies her. The rest of the posse watches in the shadows, just a mass of bodies, whispering.

JANOS

I am the ghost of your evil past, Xena.

I am the son of the people your daughter

slaughtered, and the grandson of the

thousands in villages you burned to the ground.

XENA

That was a long time ago.

JANOS

Yes, it was, wasn’t it? You’ve outlived

your time, Xena. You’re old, and your life

has gone on too long and hurt too many

people.  I, and the people like me

who’ve gathered here, will stop you.

XENA

Where’s Gabrielle?

Janos shakes his head in pity.

JANOS

Make it easy on yourself, Xena.

Don’t make us kill you. Do it yourself.

You’ll even be remembered as a martyr.

XENA

I’ve heard all that before. No thanks.

JANOS

No, you’re too selfish to do that, aren’t you?

Leave your blood on someone else's hands.

That’s your style, isn’t it?   Well, don’t worry.

I guarantee, one way or the other, Xena -

you’ll change your mind in the caverns.

XENA

Don’t hold your breath.

JANOS

Mark my words...

you’ll choose your own death.

Janos smiles, and pulls a rope. The ground drops out from under Xena and she disappears.

FADE OUT.

END OF ACT THREE

ACT FOUR