[Jason and Foster enter chamber containing large statue.]

Joe - [voice-over] A lifelong search came to an end for Professor Jason Landry.

[DM looks at page from Landry's journal.]

Allison - He believed the Zoroastrian myths of ancient Persia held the truth about a cycle of evil that comes to the Earth every thousand years.

Jason - [reads inscription on stone wall] "Ahriman."

Jason - The time is at hand. He is coming!

[Horton, wearing red scarf, surrounded by red fog.]

Joe - [voice-over] Ahriman had risen and threatened to destroy the world with evil.

[The statue is illuminated in red light as the spear held in its hand glows white and disappears. A beam of white light shoots from the statue's hand.]

Joe - [voice-over] Only a champion of good could defeat it.

[Red fog surrounds Jason. He grabs at his neck, screams, falls to his knees.]

[DM stares at the words "The next warrior / MAC LEOD", written in Landry's journal.]

Joe - [voice-over] The myth foretold of a warrior who would come to challenge the demon.

Allison - [voice-over] You're the champion, aren't you?

RR - Nobody knows the reason that Immortals exist, and maybe this is it.

Joe - Yeah, this has been going on for thousands of years and no one has ever heard of it?

[Jason laughs and the room bursts into flames.]

Joe - We think you're in trouble, Mac.

DM - You think I'm in trouble?

RR - [into phone] Look, I saw him. He's got Joe.

DM - [into phone] That's impossible.

RR - [into phone] No, look. I know what I saw. [on phone] I think they headed into the old racetrack.

[Horton rides escalator down, shoots DM with a gun. RR, elsewhere in racetrack, hears gunshot.]

Kronos - I existed before time began

Horton - I am Set.

Ahriman-Richie - I am Ahriman.

[There are two of each of them now, all circling around DM, laughing.]

Joe - [voice-over] The forces of darkness walked the earth...

[DM sees them all around him, laughing. He fights off Kronos...]

Joe - [voice-over] ...and Duncan MacLeod fought to destroy them. Until the unthinkable happened.

[DM turns, sees Richie behind him, swings his katana. Richie's body falls to the floor. Joe & Methos arrive after Quickening ends. Methos comforts Joe as he cries. Duncan's katana, lying beside RR's body, glows red.]
 

[Super: Kampak Monastery / Outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia]

[Super: One Year Later]

[Montage of DM performing Chi Gung.]

[DM & RR hug. (After DM tells RR he missed him.)]

(resume previous scene)

[Montage of DM performing Chi Gung.]

[DM walks toward prow as boat with bright lights passes behind him. RR turns to face him.]

(resume previous scene)

[Montage of DM performing Chi Gung.]

[RR & DM walks past sign reading: FOREIGN FILM Festival.]

(resume previous scene)

[Montage of DM performing Chi Gung.]

[DM hands bottle to RR.]

[Kneeling on woven mat, DM picks up knife resting in front of small mirror. He uses the knife to cut his hair. Cut to DM's reflection in the mirror, his hair now stylishly short.]

DM - No more tears. [tosses knife at Landry's journal propped up nearby, pinning the open page]

Joe - I guess it's just you and me, Richie. I can't believe it's been a year already. I wish I could tell you why this happened. That it all makes sense now... But I can't. I'm sorry.

[DM approaches Joe standing at Richie's grave. Gravestone reads: RICHIE RYAN / 22 YEARS / FRIEND]

DM - He knows why.

Joe - [looks over his shoulder at DM] Well. Welcome back.

DM - I'm glad you stayed in Paris.

Joe - Somebody had to. CUT [re the grave] I buried him with his sword. [They look at gravestone.] <I didn't know what else to put on the headstone. This seemed right.> CUT

DM - 'Friend' is good. Because that's what he was.

Joe - You know, I have had fifty Watchers beating the bushes looking for you. Where the hell have you been?

DM - Does it matter?

Joe - Yeah! To me it does! I thought WE were friends.

DM - We are.

Joe - Well, then what happened to you?

DM - I had some things to work out.

Joe - Hey, look, I-- I know what you must have gone through after... After the accident.

DM - It wasn't an accident, Joe. Richie was murdered. What, do you want me to say that it was a mistake? That I was out of my head and hallucinating?

Joe - Yeah, that would help.

DM - I was a weapon... This thing used me to kill Richie.

Joe - Don't you think I want to believe you? I mean, that the bad guy in this thing is a-- is a Zoroastrian demon named Ahriman. A thing that comes back every thousand years to try to take over the world. Will you listen to how that sounds? ¹

DM - But it's true, Joe. CUT

Joe - And you... are the Champion? You're the guy who's been chosen to go up against this thing.

DM - That's right.

Joe - And why you?

DM - I don't know.

Joe - And if this thing is so powerful, why doesn't it just -- I don't know -- strike you with a lightning bolt or something?

<DM - CUT Maybe it can't. Maybe that's the rules to the game.> Will you help me? I need the Watchers. I need you.

Joe - You disappear for over a year. No one knows if you're alive, you're dead... Then you pop up out of nowhere and you want ME to get the Watchers to help you? Well, you don't want much, do you?

DM - When Richie died, I wanted to die. But I realized that if his death was to mean anything, I had to survive. I had to understand what happened. I had to believe what happened. This thing is evil, Joe, and I'm the only thing that can stop it. And I will stop it. I'm going to find it and I'm going to destroy it. Will you help me?

Joe - I don't know. [walks off]

[DM wakes from his nightmare, sits up with a gasp.] ²

CUT

<Anna - You know what you need, Sophie? A husband. [Sophie groans.] What was wrong with Henry?

Sophie - Henry? He just wasn't my type.>

Anna - And Andrew didn't like him.

Sophie - Well--

Anna - One of these days your baby brother is going to have to make it on his own.

Sophie - But I'm all he has.

Anna - You're too good for your own good, Sophie Baines. [takes Sophie's hand, looks at her palm] I see a man in your future. Tall, dark, mysterious.

[The bus stop sign they are standing next to reads: "Dante".]

Sophie - Uh-huh. I know that guy. He delivers my mail.

Anna - I hope he's faster than this bus. [looks down street]

CUT

[Close on white rose 'bleeding' a trail of red liquid from its center.]

Horton - Even the flowers weep. You're such a sad story, MacLeod. All alone and no one to believe you. Perhaps your friend Richie would listen.

DM - Richie's dead.

CUT

Horton - So now the Champion's back to fight me. You want to die, MacLeod? You know that's what's going to happen. Why don't you just be smart? Go back to that little monastery you've been hiding away in. I wonder what it would it take to make you leave.

<DM - CUT Destroying you.>

Horton - I love the new hair. [disappears]

[Joe sits at a table in the empty bar, playing his guitar.]

DM - [voice-over] Follow your instincts. That's all you can do.

Joe - What if you're wrong?

DM - Then you're wrong.

(resume previous scene)

[Joe continues strumming guitar.]

DM - [voice-over] I've spent my entire existence fighting other Immortals.

DM - Men who hold life cheap. I live-- No, I survive... because I value life.

(resume previous scene)

[Joe continues strumming guitar.]

Joe - I know your strength. I know your will. I know your goodness. And whatever monsters are in you now, I know you're still in there, too.

(resume previous scene)

[Joe continues strumming guitar.]

DM - [voice-over] You can't kill him with that, Joe.

[Joe continues strumming guitar.] ³

DM - [voice-over] I can quote a whole bunch of people, Joe, but it basically boils down to one thing.

Joe - And that is?

DM - Faith, Joe. Faith.

(resume previous scene)

[Joe sits in thought, no longer playing guitar.]
 

Moving assistant - [as Mover goes back to moving van] Close it up.

[DM enters barge, walks down steps ⁵ and past the fireplace. He uses his foot to move a small wooden stool closer to the fireplace, walks toward the bed dais. The barge is empty of almost everything except the stool, bed, some candle stands, and a very few other accessories.]

[DM comes back onto deck. Joe drives Jeep up, gets out, walks toward barge.]

Joe - You know this is insane, MacLeod. I mean, you're asking me to believe in a demon... something that I cannot see... maybe never will see. How do I do it, MacLeod?

DM - Thanks for thinking about it. [starts to turn away]

Joe - Hey, wait. I'm not finished yet. CUT Now maybe I can't believe in a demon, but, MacLeod, I believe in you. Whatever this thing is and wherever it takes you... I'm in.

[DM joins Joe on quay, clasps his hand.]

CUT

[Sophie walks along bridge, holding red rose, still in a daze. She stops at the railing, facing the river.]

Joe - Just what is it we're looking for?

DM - Information. Knowledge. Look into the legends, look into the history.

Joe - The history of what?

DM - Of evil. ⁶ We have to find something we can use against it, some flaw, some weakness.

Joe - Yeah, okay. Assuming-- Assuming that it has one.

DM - Oh, it has one. Evil isn't perfect, Joe. It's got a crack somewhere. I couldn't have stopped it with a sword, but it has been stopped before.

CUT

[Sophie drops rose over railing into river.]

Joe - Listen, I, uh -- I got something for you. [opens rear hatch of jeep] See, I, uh-- [removes cloth-wrapped katana from jeep] --figured you might want this.

DM - [hesitates] No.

Joe - What do you mean, 'no'?

DM - I mean no. The last time I held it, Richie died.

Joe - But you're still an Immortal, MacLeod. Somebody's going to come with a sword.

DM - Yeah. Well, I'll find another way.

Joe - What are you going to do, dance with them? [DM opens driver-side door of Jeep in response. Joe sighs.] You always were a stubborn son-of-a-bitch. Yeah. [puts katana back in Jeep, closes hatch] All right. Soon as I have anything, I'll call you. Assuming you're still wearing that head. [gets in Jeep]

[Sophie jumps off bridge into river, starts flailing about in the water. DM looks around, then sees her, runs onto bridge & dives in after her. He surfaces, dives, surfaces, dives again, then surfaces with Sophie in his arms. He pulls her from the water and performs CPR.]

DM - Come on. Breathe. Breathe! Breathe! Breathe! [Sophie coughs, spits out river water.] It's okay. It's all right. It's all right. Come on. [helps her sit up]

Sophie - [confused] What happened?

DM - Looks like you went for a swim.

Sophie - I was in the river?

DM - Under it, actually, for a while. What happened?

Sophie - I don't know. I-- I must have slipped...

DM - [doubtful] From the railing?

Sophie - I don't remember. I-- I was at the bus stop and-- [looks around frantically] My books!

DM - It's okay.

Sophie - My glasses!

DM - It's okay. It's okay. Easy, easy, easy, easy. It's all right.

Sophie - I need to go home.

DM - I think you should see a doctor.

Sophie - No, no, really, I'm all right. I'll be all right.

DM - You're sure?

Sophie - [nods] Yeah.

DM - Come on. I'll give you a ride. CUT I'm Duncan MacLeod.

Sophie - I'm Sophie Baines. [shakes his hand awkwardly] Thank you for saving my life.

DM - Come on.

[Behind them, the red rose floats on the water briefly, then disappears.]

[Two men splash down boat ramp to body floating in river. A white rose 'bleeds' a trail of red liquid from its center. The two men drag the body from the water. The white rose begins to turn red. The drowning victim is Sophie. The rose turns completely red. Horton looks on. The red rose floats on the water.]

Joe - What, you had a garage sale; you didn't call me?

DM - Clearing out the cobwebs, Joe. No distractions. No diversions.

Joe - Yeah. And not much of anything, really. Were you, uh, were you working out?

DM - In a way. It's a form of meditation called Chi Gung. Helps me empty my mind and focus. Illusions and chaos are his weapons, Joe. The more I can focus, the better I can fight him.

Joe - Okay. If you say so... But, uh, I still vote for the sword. You, uh, you got anything stronger than this tea? I don't need to be quite so focused. [DM reaches under bar, pulls out a liquor bottle and a glass.] Thanks. I'll, uh, meditate when I retire. [pours himself a drink]

DM - What did you find out?

Joe - Well, Landry had an assistant at the university, and she might know something.

DM - Did you get her name?

Joe - Yeah. Sophie Baines.

DM - About twenty-five, lives in a suburb outside of Paris?

Joe - Yeah. You know her?

DM - We met yesterday. Check the university, see what you can find out.

Joe - MacLeod... you're telling me that you just happened to meet the one person you needed to find? I mean, doesn't that sound pretty damn weird to you?

DM - Compared to what?

Joe - Yeah. Right. Compared to what.

Joe - That's a good question. ⁷

[DM approaches gate for #130, presses buzzer, looks over gate.]

DM - Hi.

Andrew - [looks up from motorcycle] What do you want?

DM - I'm looking for Sophie Baines.

Andrew - What for?

DM - I need to talk to her.

Andrew - [opens gate a crack to continue conversation] About what?

DM - It's personal.

Andrew - She's out.

DM - Then when will she be home?

Andrew - Beats the hell out of me. [tries to close gate. DM stops him.]

DM - This is important. Do you know where I can find her?

Andrew - Look, mister, I've never seen you before and I don't know who the hell you are. So why don't you go away before somebody gets hurt?

DM - Tell her Duncan MacLeod came by.

[Andrew slams the gate closed in his face. DM turns, sees Sophie standing by car with Horton in driver's seat. Horton looks over at DM, smiles. Sophie turns as DM starts toward them. Horton speeds away in car.]

Sophie - Mr. MacLeod, what are you doing here?

DM - That man you were talking to, who was he?

Sophie - Nobody. He was just asking directions. Why?

DM - Try again.

Sophie - What? What do you mean?

DM - Your field at the university is Near East studies. You knew about Ahriman.

Sophie - Yeah.

DM - That's why he's here. That was Ahriman.

[Andrew opens gate, peeks out at them.]

Sophie - Ahriman? Right.

DM - Yes, Ahriman.

Sophie - Oh, I get it. This is a joke, right? Anna sent you.

DM - It's no joke.

Sophie - No, no, you see, Ahriman isn't real. He's a myth. He's... a metaphor.

DM - Listen to me, Sophie. You and I both know he's not some mythological character. [Andrew comes out onto sidewalk.] He's real. [DM grabs Sophie's arm.] And you know it, Sophie. Listen to me. It's the end of the millennium and he's here. [Andrew starts toward them, a wrench in his hand. DM turns, blocks his attack.]

Sophie - Andrew! Andrew, stop it! [DM throws Andrew down, brings his hand back to strike. Sophie stops him.] Please, don't hurt him! He's my brother. He was just trying to protect me.

DM - Why was Ahriman here?

Sophie - He's-- I don't know. I don't know anything. Just leave us alone. [DM backs off, walks away. Andrew starts back toward Sophie's house.] Andrew, wait.

[Horton's car sits halfway down a narrow alley. DM walks past alley entrance, sees car. Car starts toward him, stops, revs engine. The driver can't be seen behind the dark windscreen. The car continues toward DM. DM walks away from it, then starts running. The car chases DM onto a narrow street as pedestrians jump out of the way. ⁸ The car chases DM around a corner, then down a dead end street. DM jumps onto a car parked in the dead end, then rolls over the roof of Horton's car as it crashes into the parked car. DM jumps to his feet and cautiously approaches Horton's car. Both front windows roll down. The seats are empty.]

<Horton - CUT [over car radio] And you're listening to H - E - Double L, the voice of the millennium. Now here's an oldie but goody for my old friend, Duncan MacLeod.>

[Loud, discordant guitar music blasts from the speakers. DM covers his ears, then leans in through the open passenger window and tries to turn off the radio. The noise continues. He winces, covers his ears again, then yanks the radio completely out of the dash, stopping the 'music'.]

CUT

<Sophie - Why do you always have to be the man around the house?>

Andrew - I am the man of the house.

Sophie - You're my little brother. You're not my protector.

Andrew - I'm sorry.

Sophie - [sighs] Come here. [hugs him] I love you, Andrew.

Andrew - I love you, too.

[Camera pans to vase holding white rose that 'bleeds' drops of red liquid, then turns completely red.]
 

DM - I saw him, Joe.

Joe - You saw him today?

DM - And yesterday. He was at Richie's grave.

Joe - I've got two dozen Watchers on this thing. Field guys and every archaeologist we can spare.

DM - What'd you tell them?

Joe - That I have a lead on an Immortal older than Methos. I hate lying to 'em, Mac.

DM - Yeah? Well, you think they can handle the truth?

Joe - Well, sure. Right after they lock me up.

DM - They find anything out yet?

Joe - No. You know, some scholars think that the ancient Hebrews didn't even believe in a devil until they were exiled in Babylon. And when they got there, guess who the Babylonian boogeyman was.

DM - Ahriman.

Joe - Yeah. Good answer. CUT See, to some cultures he's Set, to some he's Mara, to some he's Mephistopheles.

DM - Yeah. Different names and faces, same M.O., same place.

Joe - And there's always a champion of the good.

DM - An avatar. A human with god-like qualities sent to face evil.

Joe - Like Immortals. Damn, man.

DM - Yeah, but knowing it doesn't get us any nearer to finding his weakness. What about the university?

Joe - No help there. All of Dr. Baines' research was destroyed in a fire. And then they had a helluva time finding her.

DM - Well, she was at home talking to me.

Joe - Uh-uh. Not today, Mac. Not this woman.

DM - No, I saw her.

Joe - They found Sophie Baines in the river. [Flash of men pulling Sophie's body out of the river.] She's dead.

CUT

Horton - I know it's hard, Sophie, but I am trying to help you.

Sophie - By telling me I'm dead? I know what you are. You're insane.

Horton - I am many things, Sophie, but I'm not insane. So you must be dead. You died yesterday in the river. Don't you remember? The cold... the light fading as you sank into the dark...

Sophie - I don't remember. [Flash of Sophie under the water.] I blacked out. I don't remember anything.

<Horton - CUT So, you must be dead.>

Sophie - I don't know who you are or what you want! [grabs cordless phone, dials] [into phone] Police? There's somebody in my house!

Horton - [on phone] Why won't you believe me, Sophie? You died yesterday in the river. Don't you remember?

Sophie - [into phone] Who is this?

Horton - [on phone] It's me. [in room] I'm over here, Sophie. And you're beginning to hurt my feelings. [on phone] And believe me, you don't want to hurt my feelings.

[Sophie drops the phone, runs out of the house.]

[Sophie runs to her car, unlocks it.]

Horton's voice - [echoing around her] Don't leave me, Sophie.

[Horton hasn't come out of the house yet. Sophie drives away. Horton walks out onto street after she's gone.]

[Sophie drives down street, past camera. She continues driving, sees Horton standing in crosswalk in front of her. They watch each other as she drives past him. She turns right at intersection, continues driving. Close on Horton watching her drive away. ⁹ Close on Sophie as she drives. Horton appears standing in next crosswalk in front of her. She slams her foot on the gas and speeds toward him. He crashes against the windshield and falls to the road as she speeds past.]

Horton - [appears in backseat, unharmed] That wasn't very nice, Sophie. [Sophie gasps, turns to look in backseat. Horton appears in passenger seat beside her.] You should keep your eyes on the road, Sophie. Someone could get hurt like that.

[Sophie's broken windshield fixes itself, the spiderweb of cracks disappearing. Sophie gasps, continues driving.]

DM - If you couldn't find the next of kin, how did you identify the body?

Morgue employee - Her cards, Monsieur. She carried a wallet.

DM - Then you could be mistaken.

Morgue employee - [pulls gurney from locker] It's possible. Death is never an easy thing to accept. I'll leave you alone. [leaves]

[DM flips back sheet covering corpse's face.]

[Sophie drives quickly up to the morgue, Horton still in passenger seat. She parks, stumbles out of car.]

Sophie - Help me! Somebody, please, help me! Help me!

Horton - [standing at morgue entrance] I'm trying, Sophie, but you keep running away. [walks toward her]

Sophie - Who... who are you? What are you?

Horton - I think you know, Sophie. I think you've always known. [points to morgue building] Look.

Sophie - I d-- I don't understand...

Horton - You soon will, Sophie. It's the morgue. [whispers in her ear] Off you go.

Sophie - [enters] What are you doing here?

DM - Trying to find some answers.

Sophie - You're hiding something. What are you hiding?

CUT

DM - Who are you, Sophie?

Sophie - I have to see who's in there! I have to.

[DM steps away from gurney. Sophie slowly approaches, pulls sheet away from corpse's face, reacts to seeing herself lying there.]

Sophie - Oh, my God. Oh, my God. I'm dead. I'm dead. [runs from room, crying]

[DM replaces sheet, pushes gurney back into locker.]

[Sophie runs out of morgue, startles when Horton appears beside her.]

Horton - Where would you run to, Sophie? Back there? Is that what you want? It could be arranged.

[In a daze, Sophie walks back to car, gets in passenger side. Horton gets in driver's side, drives away. ¹⁰ DM comes out of morgue, looks around.]
 

DM - [enters, lights candle] I can feel you. I know you're here. [turns to face Horton]

Horton - Very good, MacLeod. <And they say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. CUT So you did learn something in that little monastery. Did you find peace, MacLeod? Will you be calm when I begin to destroy all the things you know and all the people you love?> [DM grabs Horton by the throat.] What are you trying to do, MacLeod? Strangle me or guess my weight?

[Suddenly, it's Sophie's neck his hand is around. She chokes. He drops her. Horton appears behind him.]

Horton - You're such a soft touch, Duncan. CUT Duncan... I can call you Duncan, can't I? I see no reason for us to be enemies. After all, you're a warrior. You're a champion. We could help each other.

DM - I don't think so.

Horton - Why not? Because I'm evil? [chuckles] It's so limited, so human. What is good? And what is evil? CUT Such a limited world, the human mind. I couldn't describe to you what I really am, MacLeod. You wouldn't begin to understand.

DM - So that's it, is it? A thousand years of bad P.R.?

Horton - But I CAN give you a world you've never imagined. I can give you anything.

<DM - CUT There's nothing I want from you.>

Horton - Is that right? Think about it, MacLeod. I brought Sophie back from the dead. I could bring anyone back.

DM - No.

Horton - Don't be hasty, MacLeod. Don't be hasty. [closes his eyes, inhales through his nose] There are so many memories in here. <Now, I wonder, what would it be? Oh, yes. A blast from the past. CUT

[Shot of Richie from "The Hunters". DM steps forward.]

RR - [clip from "The Hunters"] I never thought one of the good guys would lose.

DM - No, he's dead. [shakes his head] No, you can't. It won't work. You can't tempt me.

Horton - I'm only just getting warmed up. There are plenty more surprises in store.>

Tessa - [offscreen] Duncan... [Shot of Tessa from "Avenging Angel".]

DM - Tess?

Tessa - [clip from "Avenging Angel"] Mac... you're mad at yourself, I can tell.

DM - No, she's gone... She's not real.

Horton - Real enough, MacLeod. You could have her back forever. Just say the word. Say "yes".

CUT

DM - No!

[Horton and his 'ghosts' disappear.]

Horton - Don't take it so hard, Sophie. We all have to go sometime.

Sophie - But I don't understand. How can I be there... and here? How? It can't happen. None of this can happen.

Horton - You're here, Sophie. Walking, breathing, alive, smelling the flowers because I made it so. I saved you. I gave you another chance.

Sophie - You're not... him?

Horton - Of course I am. [Sophie stares at him, frowns. Horton catches blue rubber ball a boy kicks at him. Ball turns red. Horton throws ball back to the boy.] Come on, Sophie. Of course you know it's me. After all, if you didn't know me so well, you would never have got your PhD.

Sophie - You're Ahriman.

Horton - Amongst other things.

Sophie - You really exist. You're real. ¹¹ But I don't understand. What do you want from me? I'm nobody.

Horton - Oh, no. You're good. You're kind. You're perfect... for a small favor. The man who pulled you out of the river yesterday.

Sophie - Duncan MacLeod.

Horton - I want you to kill him.

Sophie - [scoffs] What? I couldn't do that.

Horton - Oh, don't be so modest. Of course you could. As far as he's concerned, you're a victim. His defenses are down. He's vulnerable. Of course, I could MAKE you do it, like I made you jump off the bridge... but then he would know that I was in here. [places his hand on her chest] No, this must be because you want it to happen.

Sophie - But I don't want it to happen.

Horton - But you will, considering what's at stake.

Sophie - It-- It doesn't matter. I won't kill him.

Horton - I'm disappointed in you, Sophie. CUT [He holds up his hand. She takes it hesitantly, then gasps in pain.] You feel that, Sophie? That's the life going out of you, draining away. Now it's in your hand... Now it's going up your arm. Feel that, Sophie? That's death. How does it feel? [Sophie pulls her hand away.] Will you kill Duncan MacLeod? Think of your brother. Think of Andrew.

Girl - [offscreen] Give it here. [laughs] Give it to me.

Horton - A troubled boy, prone to violence. What will become of him without you? Drugs, prison?

Andrew - [walks toward boys playing keep-away with a plaid shirt] Oi! Give it back to her. [Girl snatches shirt away as one of the boys tosses it in the air again.]

Horton - Imagine... on top of a roof with a rifle. [offscreen, as Andrew gets into scuffle with one of the boys] All that anger. [grabs Sophie's hand again] I could do that, Sophie.

Sophie - No, please. I beg you, leave him alone.

Horton - Then you know what you have to do. I don't think it's such a difficult decision.

DM - [walks onto bridge, where Sophie is standing at rail] Sophie?

Sophie - He wants me to kill you. He offered me my life. He told me it would be easy. It's not.

DM - It never is.

Sophie - I shouldn't even be here. You saved me once. You're the Champion, aren't you? [DM nods.] Then-- Then you're the only one who can defeat him. Is there anything-- Is there any way you can-- Please, I want so much to live.

DM - I'm sorry.

Sophie - What he did to me... what he does... it's wrong. It's evil.

DM - Then help me destroy him. You've studied him, you've studied the legends... How do I defeat him?

Sophie - I don't know. I think every champion has to find his own way.

DM - Sophie, what does that mean? I need to know more. I need to know how. [is suddenly shot from offscreen, falls with a cry]

Andrew - [lowers gun] He told me everything. He said if I kill him, you'll live. He said you'll be all right. He promised me.

Sophie - Andrew, no.

Andrew - He said you'd live. Don't you see? It's you or him.

Sophie - You can't kill for me. I won't let you!

Andrew - I have to! [pushes Sophie away, raises machete over DM]

Sophie - Andrew! [climbs onto bridge railing] Andrew! Andrew, no! He said I would do anything because I loved you. He was right. [climbs over railing]

Andrew - No, no. No, don't! [runs toward her] No! [She jumps into the river.] CUT <Why?

DM - Because she loved you.

[Red rose floating on the water turns white.]>
 

[Close on stone tablet engraved with Y shape surrounded by 3 dots.] ¹⁴

To Be Continued...