SCENE 2: School auditorium, Sunnyvale HS, Present-day.
[On the auditorium stage are several students engaged in a formal
debate for their social studies class. A podium is flanked by two
tables. Students sit at the two tables, preparing their notes and
listening. Other students are scattered widely among the audience
seats. In the back row, their teacher listens to the debate and
takes notes on her clipboard.]
Debater 1: [At podium, speaking into mounted microphone] In
conclusion, it is safe to say that guns don't kill people. People
kill people. Guns are merely tools, inanimate objects neither good
nor bad. We must restrain those who misuse them, not the guns.
Thank you. [Returns to table. A student debating on the side of "pro
gun control", Susie, takes the podium.]
Susie: Let me begin by saying that guns are pure evil.
[View shifts to teacher, who checks her clipboard to grade the
students. She looks up again.]
Susie: Evil, evil, evil.
[Meanwhile we see the teacher's clipboard and the list of students.
The sheet is divided into two columns representing both sides of the
debate. We scan the list and see "Buffy Summers" written near the
bottom for the "pro gun control" side. Pulling away from the
clipboard, we see that we are not looking from the teacher's eyes,
but rather from the viewpoint of the killer handgun (from Part One),
now hovering behind the teacher, reading over her shoulder. Its
hammer begins to draw back.]
Susie: [Heard in background over the loudspeaker system while we were
observing the clipboard list] We have enough evil in this world
already. We don't need handguns, or any guns, making things worse.
Frankly, anyone who disagrees with this small step towards a peaceful
world should be taken out and shot.
SCENE 3: School Cafeteria
[Willow, Xander, and Buffy sit at a round table for lunch. They
carry trays of less-than-appetizing cafeteria food.]
Xander: [Sniffing at a brown substance] This sure puts the 'mmm'
back in 'Mmmystery meat'.
Willow: Don't eat that, Xander. Please?
Buffy: And they wonder why school test scores are down?
Xander: No, it's good. It just needs some pepper. [He sprinkles a
heavy dose of pepper from a shaker onto the meat. It comes out a
little too fast and it scatters onto the rest of his food -- things
not too tasty with pepper on them: jell-o, peaches, etc.] Great.
Buffy: [Smiling at his mistake] You've gotta break that h-h- [she
begins a sneeze worthy of a Slayer] a-A-ACHOO! [The windows shake.
The entire cafeteria hushes and stares at her.] Habit. Whew. [She
blows her nose. The cafeteria gradually returns to normal].
Willow: [Shaking her head at the ferocity of Buffy's sneeze] I think
I just went deaf. Xander, say something.
Xander: [Thinking Buffy's sneeze was strangely adorable] I didn't
know you sneezed. Are there any other bodily functions we should
know about?
Willow: [Turning her ear closer] What?
Buffy: I'm still human, you know. It's that pepper.
Xander: This guy in my social studies class is allergic to cats.
Man, can he sneeze.
Willow: [Giggling] Once, we tied him down...
Buffy: [Checking the clock] Oh sorry, that reminds me. I'm late for
my gun-control debate. [She stands.]
Xander: Come on, Buffy. It's a funny story. We put this cat on
his...
Buffy: I am like *super* late -- it's probably my turn by now. I
really really need the extra credit. Later, I promise. [She
leaves.]
SCENE 4:
[Cut to hallway: we see Buffy hurrying from the cafeteria to the
nearby auditorium. As she is about to open the double doors, we hear
a gunshot from within the auditorium. She enters, calmly ready for
anything, but the other students are screaming and running in panic.
Susie is slumped down at the base of the podium. The edge of the
wooden podium is splintered halfway down, radiating away from a
ragged bullet hole.]
Screaming voices: Susie! Susie's hurt! Someone call an ambulance!
[Some students tend to her. She has a bloody mark on her abdomen,
(but it is not severe since the thick edge of the podium absorbed
most of the bullet's impact) and she has fainted from the shock.]
SCENE 5: Back of auditorium.
[Yellow police lines are draped everywhere. Several detectives are
crawling around on the chairs, examining the floor etc. Uniformed
police are taking witness statements. Other investigators are taking
pictures for evidence.]
Teacher: It was all so sudden.
Police 1: Did you hear which direction the gunshot came from?
Teacher: It was behind me. I was so scared, [on the verge of tears]
poor Susie! [She breaks down and cries.]
Police 1: Thank you ma'am. I'll get back to you. [Almost shouting]
Lieutenant, I think the suspect got away through the back door here.
[Pan to Buffy and Giles at the front of a crowd of students gawking
at the sight.]
Giles: Didn't you say you came through that door? [Indicating the
back door.]
Buffy: Uh huh, I was just about to open it when, blamo. Whoever shot
Susie didn't get past me. Kids were running everywhere -- it could
have been any of them.
Giles: I think it's best to let the police handle this one. There's
no evidence of the supernatural at work.
[They begin walking back to the library, leaving the crowd of people
behind them.]
Buffy: But don't forget that we live on the Mouth of Hell. We could
have another invisible girl among us. [She scans the hallway with
fearful eyes.]
Giles: If that is the case, she has certainly upgraded the weapon of
choice.
Buffy: I know. First it was baseball bats, now guns. What's next?
Hand grenades? I bet the police won't catch him -- or her. They
won't know what to look for. I should check it out.
Giles: Now Buffy, don't be so rash. Until we know otherwise, we
should assume this is a purely mundane incident and let the police
investigate it. Are we agreed on this?
Buffy: [Suppressing a devilish smile] Sure.
SCENE 6: Exterior school building: Roof of auditorium.
[It is around midnight. Buffy is wearing her night attire: black
leather jacket, wooden cross, and stakes at the ready.]
[Climbing some pipes, Buffy scrambles up and over the wall of the
auditorium to gain access to the roof. Crunching along on the rough
surface, she creeps to the roof/catwalk passageway. She enters the
auditorium and scans the seats below from her perch. She shines a
flashlight into the numerous places where someone could hide.
Finding no one below, she focuses on the nooks between I-beams and
struts that line the walls and ceiling. She spots a candy-bar
wrapper at the base of a particularly dark hiding place and inches
forward.]
Buffy: [Timidly] I know you're there. [She glances around --
there's not much space to maneuver up on the catwalks.]
Buffy: Come out of there so we can talk. I promise not to hurt you.
I know why you're invisible. Maybe I can help you.
[The pistol darts from the hole and races towards Buffy.]
Buffy: Wait! Please! [She assumes a combat stance.]
[The gun still comes at her. She dives to catch the invisible
person, but incredibly, she misses. It continues past her towards
the roof exit.]
[Buffy chases in pursuit, hunched over, banging her head along the
way on the overhead beams. Each time she bangs her head, she lets
out a 'Doh!' The roof door squeaks open ahead of her.]
[The gun slips out the door. Buffy runs up the short stair-ladder
and follows.]
[We see Buffy emerge from the hatch, scanning the roof for any
movement. Something higher up catches her eye, and she tilts her
head to see it. Her jaw drops open, and then we see what she sees:
gradually fading into the darkness, the handgun floats higher in the
starry sky as easily as a bird.]
Buffy: [With a feeling of dread] Oh boy.
[END PART 2/5]
