Tears of God: The PeacemakersPilot Episode: "Sons of Thunder" Part 1

By

Aaron McDonald

INT. MONTYS BEDROOM - NIGHT 1

OVER THE SHOULDER: A male Asian-American artist, MONTY, 30,is FRANTICALLY drawing on a sketchpad what looks like aSTORYBOARD for a film.

He is sitting at an old CLUTTERED desk with barely enoughroom for his pad and laptop, which is playing "Laugh, INearly Died" by The Rolling Stones.

PAN DOWN: The storyboard depicts what is going to happennext, showing a group sitting around a conference table;

in another panel, there are FOUR individuals sitting aroundsome microphones during a PODCAST;

in the last panel there is a black man with an AFRO holdinga package.

FADE TO

INT. MEEK PIE STUDIOS, CONFERENCE ROOM - MORNING 2

ELIJAH "ELI" MCPHOSTER is leaning back in his chair at theconference table, feet on the table, his hands behind hishead as he stares BLANKLY up at the ceiling.

Eli has long curly brown hair, brown eyes behind a pair ofSLEEK and SLIM glasses, a SLIGHT beard, and is of averageheight and weight. He wears black cargo pants, black combatboots, a WHITE tie, and BRIGHT blue dress shirt. On the backof his chair is his black VELVET blazer.

The only audible sound is muffled speaking and a nearlyimperceptible HUM of low frequency energy.

NATHANIEL (OS)McPhoster!

Suddenly Eli is broken from his trance by his DIRECTSUPERVISOR yelling his surname.

Looking over at NATHANIEL SKOONER, 34, Elis eyes widenslightly with renewed attention as he removes his feet fromthe table.

ELIOh, sorry Nate. What you say?Something about the direction ofthe show or the company or...?

Nathaniel Skooner is wearing a dark gray T-shirt, jeans, andsneakers. He has a square head and a five-oclock shadow.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 2.

Nathaniel sighs with IRRITATION and GLANCES over at THEADMINISTRATOR, the boss of Meek Pie Productions.

The Administrator is wearing a GRAY suit jacket over a NAVYBLUE POLO shirt. He is also wearing a baseball cap. TheAdministrator is slightly stocky and has dark curly hair anda beard. He wears glasses with black rims.

The Admin leans forward, folding his hands on the table andsmiles apologetically.

ADMINElijah. We hired you a year agobecause you told us you could bringa fresh perspective to the show, aunique humor and creative flow. Sofar, weve seen a lot of (beat)not-that. The stuff weve seen fromyou, we really like. Right?

The Admin turns to Nathaniel to confirm, who does.

NATHANIELYeah, we really liked your initialstuff, but it seems like recentlyyouve hit a wall (beat)writing-wise.

ADMINWriters block.

NATHANIELWell, I dunno if its writersblock, because he still writes.

Eli leans back and sighs.

ELILook. I know, okay? Its just(beat) Ive always struggled withhow to write: affect the readers orviewers with emotional and artsycreativity that takes ages toprogress the story-line, orprogress the story-line to get tothe point of the show at the riskof the art.

The Admin and Nathaniel look at each other; The Admin looksRUEFUL, but Nathaniel appears a little PERPLEXED andANNOYED.

The Admin turns back to Eli.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 3.

ADMINAnd why cant we do both?

ELIWell, for one, most of our showsare like five or ten minutes longper episode.

ADMINYeah, and we still get all thefeels out there, Eli.

Eli shakes his head with a sigh.

ELIThats because theyre comedy; itseasier. With four minutes of humor,its not hard to do somethingdramatic or sad for one minute,Admin. When you write forty-fiveminute long episodes like me,sometimes its hard to know whenand where to put those (beat)feels, or whatever.

NATHANIELSo write shorter episodes.

ELII cant, Nathaniel. Id be writingfifty episodes a day, and Id feellike Im not progressing thestoryline at all. It makes no senseto me to do that. Im sorry, itsjust not how I write.

ADMINYou make short video blogs.

ELIYeah, but I dont write a scriptfor those. I can sit there and rantabout religion or politics for fiveminutes and upload that to theinternet the same day with verylittle editing. But writing anentire story. Come on, man, youwere a writer. You know how it is.

The Admin nods and glances at Nathaniel before giving Eli aSOLEMN look.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 4.

ADMINRight, heres what Im gonna do...

Eli rolls his eyes and turns away from the table, NODDINGwith an expectant smirk.

ADMINYoure going to write a ten minutepilot for a new show, with tons offeels and artsyness plotprogression, or Im going to haveto let you go.

Eli is already on his feet and heading toward the conferenceroom door.

ELIAlright, Admin. Whatever you say,man.

The Admin and Nathaniel STAND UP looking at him.

Eli stops and turns back.

ELIOh, and another thing. Ive watcheda lot of TV shows, okay? Some havereally great plot writing, butterrible character writing. Thishappens when the writers dontunderstand psychology or dialogue.Other shows have great dialogue andcharacter writing, but their plotand action writing sucks. Thishappens when the writers understandpeople and dialogue, but have noconcept of cause and effect or, Idunno, how the world worksgenerally. Physics maybe. So theyusually manufacture conflictbetween people. Admin, youre thattype of writer. Your stories makeno sense but damn if they dontmake people cry. You hired mebecause I am a good -writer-. Iunderstand psychology and Iunderstand cause and effect, andhow this and every other stupidworld -should- work. If you fireme, your company will be gone intwo years. Also, Jason is a uselessdouche.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 5.

Eli walks out, leaving the Admin and Nathaniel staringwide-eyed at the door.

ADMINDamn if he aint right.

CUT TO

INT. PODCAST SET - DAY 3

On the podcast set there is a SOFA in the CENTER and twoCOMFORTABLE CHAIRS on either side. Microphones are set upfor the FOUR individuals talking on the podcast.

SOPHIA, 19, is sitting in one of the chairs. She is a goofythin BLOND girl with GLASSES. She wears a turtleneck sweaterand jeans.In the chair across from her is JASON, 24. Jason is alsoTHIN, except more on the FRAIL side. He has LONG STRAIGHTDARK hair that he keeps bundled up in his baseball CAP. Hewears glasses as well, and BAGGY black pants and aFLAMBOYANT dress shirt thats buttoned only HALFWAY, showinghis hairy chest and OBNOXIOUS GOLD chain.

The two men on the sofa are JOHN, 34, and THEO, 27. John isa muscular square-faced BROWN-haired man with MUTTONCHOPS,wearing corduroy trousers, a green polo shirt, and BROWNLEATHER jacket.Theo is a LANKY REDHEAD with a BEARD and a speechimpediment. He wears KHAKIS and a light blue T-shirt under aGRAY jacket.The podcast crew are laughing and joking around but Eli, whois watching behind the scenes, barely hears them as heSTANDS there with his arms FOLDED over his chest staring atthe FLOOR in front of them.

In the studio/booth behind him, Nathaniel is directing abunch of people doing things with computers and cameras andother equipment.

Eli breaks from his trance and walks into the booth, carefulnot to make noise.

Back on the podcast set, Sophia laughs at something Theo hassaid.

SOPHIAYou mean (beat) Penis-cilin. Getit? Its penicillin for your -

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 6.

JASONGod damn it Soph!

THEOWe get it, Sophia!

Eli smirks behind the GLASS of the booth.

Theo shakes his head, chuckling.

THEOYour puns are tewwible.

JASONAnyway, moving on to the gamingsegment of the podcast...

JOHNSo the Jason-and-Theo podcast.

Sophia laughs.

JASONWe started out reviewing videogames.

SOPHIAYeah, thats true. But were nowdoing series. Yall barely evenplay games anymore.

THEOYeah, it sucks.

JOHNI thought you liked being acameraman and a comedic actor.

THEOI do. But I like games too. Haha,that rhymed (beat) and I wasnteven try-ing. Im a poet and Ididnt even know I was doing that.

Sophia laughs hysterically.

JASONWow. You are an idiot.

SOPHIAYou totally stole that from -

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 7.

THEONah, I really didnt mean to -

JASONAnyway, so did anyone play the newFPS that came out today yet?

JOHNHey, did yall hear about the copwho got shot?

Jason gives John an angry look. Theo and Sophia look to Johnwith interest.

THEOYou rhymed a bunch of words there.

SOPHIAWas he arresting someone for havinga lot of pot and no (beat) thought?

Eli shakes his head and sighs.

His cellphone vibrates and he looks at it.

He turns to leave. Nathaniel watches him leave, concerned.

INT. MEEK PIE STUDIOS - DAY 4

Eli walks out of the podcast studio and goes to the lobby ofthe Meek Pie building.

KATHERINE is talking to CLARENCE by the front doors.

Katherine, 23, is a tall dirty-BLOND woman wearing blackpants and a tight, low-cut, long-sleeved TURQUOISE top.

Clarence is a black deliveryman with an AFRO and anobnoxious laugh and LOUD voice.

When Eli walks up to them, Katherine steps aside.

KATHERINEHe says he has a package you haveto sign for.

Eli sighs as Clarence displays a thumbprint scanner.

Eli shakes his head and pulls a PEN from his pocket.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 8.

ELIIll sign it, with a pen.

Clarence rolls his eyes as he smirks and hands Eli hisCLIPBOARD.

CLARENCEEli, stop being so paranoid. Yougotta get with the program sometime. This aint the eighties.

He laughs hysterically and obnoxiously at his own bad joke.Eli shakes his head with a smirk and hands the signeddocument back to Clarence.

ELII dont gotta do that actually.

KATHERINEI thought he was gonna say "thefuture is now" or some shit.

Katherine gestures with her hands the magnitude of thequotation in the area.

CLARENCENah. That saying is so dumb.

ELIIt really is.

Clarence turns to leave after handing the package to Eli.

CLARENCEHave a nice day, Eli. Try not toget fired.

Clarence laughs MANIACALLY as he walks through the exit anddisappears.

Eli rolls his eyes and shakes his head, turning withKatherine to head toward his office.

He stops at the office door and looks at Katherine.

ELIWhat?

KATHERINEI wanna see what it is.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 9.

ELIUuuuh, no.

Eli walks into his office and closes the DOOR in her face.

Alone, Eli goes to his DESK and someone knocks on the door.

He leaves the package on the desk and goes to open the door.

ELIWhat Katherine?

KATHERINEWhat if its dangerous? It could bea bobble-head dinosaur trap orsomething.

Eli looks at her like shes crazy until they both laugh.

ELII thought you were gonna say bomb.

Simon walks nearby, hears Eli say "bomb", and comes overwith a serious, SHOCKED expression on his face.

Simon, 17, is a blue-eyed BLOND teenager with a boyish face.He wears a BROWN leather jacket, blue jeans, and a greenbutton-up shirt.

SIMONDid you say "bomb"?

Eli groans.

ELIIts not a bomb.

KATHERINEHow do you know?

ELICause its not. First of all, itstoo light.

SIMONWhat are you talking about, Eli?

KATHERINESomething came for him in the mailand he wont let us see what it is.

Eli gives Katherine a look of ANNOYANCE and SURPRISE foranswering for him.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 10.

He chuckles at her ridiculousness.

ELIIts probably just another box offan art or something. You know Igot that cousin in Texas who lovesdrawing me as (beat) chibis orwhatever they are.

Katherine laughs.

SIMONWell, at least let me see.

Eli sighs and moves aside.

ELIFine.

Simon walks past Katherine and Eli and into the officebehind Eli, much to Katherines chagrin.

KATHERINEThats so unfair.

Eli gives her a look of incredulous disbelief.

ELISeriously?

He closes the door in her face and locks it.

He walks over to the desk, where Simon is staring at thePACKAGE.

SIMONYoud think a fan would send you aless boring box.

ELIIts not a bomb.

Eli removes a POCKETKNIFE from his belt and sits down to cutinto it.

SIMONI didnt say it was a bomb. I saidthe packaging was boring.

Eli CUTS into the tape and opens the small box.

Simon leans forward over the desk to see better.

Eli opens it slowly to see crumpled newspaper.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 11.

He removes the paper and unravels it.

A CELTIC CROSS falls from the newspaper and onto his desk.

Taken aback, Eli BLINKS and GASPS.

When he sees a little bit of RED on the CHAIN of thenecklace, he INHALES SHARPLY with fear.

SIMONWho sent that?

Eli doesnt answer.

He leans down and inspects the chain on the table, butdoesnt touch it.

ELIThats blood.

Eli leans back slowly, his face blank, though he isQUIVERING from head to toe.

SIMONWhat?

Simon leans down to look at the blood-splattered chain.

SIMONOh. Do you know who its from?

Eli SWALLOWS fearfully and forces himself to SHAKILY stand.

ELIFollow.

Simon is WORRIED as he watches Eli carefully, and followshim out of the office.

Eli leads Simon to the podcast set where they are nearlyfinished.

JASONWell, were almost done so Soph, goahead and tell that story you weregonna tell earlier.

Eli approaches Sophia.

She looks into his eyes, and is about to protest hisinterruption, but notices his DREAD and ANGER.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 12.

SOPHIAEli, whats the matter?

ELIPM business. Come on.

He turns to leave, with Simon following.

Sophia, John, and Theo rush to get up and follow, leavingJason.

From the booth, Nathaniel watches them go with CONFUSION andCONCERN.

JASONWhat - what the hell? Whats PMmean?

John hollers back.

JOHNIf you were meant to know, youwould.

INT. MEEK PIE BACKROOM - DAY 5

The backroom is lit DIMLY by a slightly flickering light barhanging over an OLD WOODEN ROUND table.

The backroom is where props and equipment is stored oncetheir use is finished.

Eli closes the backroom DOOR behind him and the fivePeacemakers take SEATS around the round table.

Sophia and Simons expressions are those of WORRY and FEARas they watch Eli.

Eli is both angry and afraid.

ELIYears ago I sent Sonja - youremember her?

Simon, Sophia, and John nod, but Theo shakes his head.

ELIWell refer to her as, um, Serenityhere. Anyway, I sent her anecklace, a cross. It came in themail today with blood on it.

Simon looks SAD and worried while Sophia GASPS with SHOCK.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 13.

John looks SERIOUS and CONCERNED, but not as worried orafraid as the others.

THEOWhos (beat) Serenity? Anothercrazy ex of yours?

Eli shakes his head RUEFULLY as he CLENCHES his eyes shutand removes his GLASSES.

ELINo, Red Tongues. She wasnt crazy.She was the one I thought was(beat) the one.

Eli rubs his TEAR-STRICKEN eyes.

SIMONObviously she didnt send it.

Eli looks at Simon, exhales, and nods.

ELISomeones screwin with me. Itssomeone who knows me well. Theyknow where I work, when I work, andthat Id know exactly what thebloody cross means.

SOPHIADoes it mean shes dead?

When Eli looks at Sophia, she looks like shes about to cry.

ELINo, shes not dead, Muse. At leastI dont think so. I think it meanssomeones kidnapped her.

SIMONOr some-thing-.

JOHNIsnt she in Canada?

ELILast time I checked.

JOHNSo are we going to Canada?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 14.

ELINo, not yet. I mean (beat) maybe. Idont know...

Eli shakes his head and then lowers his face into his hands,unable to think.

SOPHIAIts okay, well figure somethingout.

THEOI think you should try to call heror something first.

Eli looks up and sighs.

ELII doubt shed answer even if shewasnt kidnapped. But I guess Illtry. Rock Green and Muse, getonline and look her up. See if allher social media stuff disappearedlike with Phoenix.

Simon nods.

SIMONGot it, bro.

Sophia sniffles and removes her glasses to rub her eyes.

SOPHIAAlright.

JOHN-My- brother might be able to help.

Eli gives John an expression of UNCERTAINTY.

ELIAre you sure? I mean, you did tellme he said he wasnt ever gonnahelp you again since you left thecompany to join this one.

JOHNYeah, Im sure. Ill go meet him inan hour or so.

ELIAlright, man.

Thats when a KNOCK comes at the door.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 15.

Eli goes and answers the door. Its Nathaniel.

NATHANIELIs everything alright?

ELIIt will be. Dont worry, wellprobably film everything anyway andthen youll have some footage foryour Mad Master show.

Nathaniel looks confused and backs away slowly.

NATHANIELUm, okay. Just let me know if youneed anything.

ELIYeah, sure.

Eli closes the door and turns back to the group.

He walks over to the table, looking STOIC.

ELIBlessed are the Peacemakers...

ALL FIVE PEACEMAKERSFor they shall be called the Tearsof God.

FADE TO

INT. MONTYS BEDROOM - DAY 6

The Asian man SCRIBBLES a drawing with his pencil that isunseen until PAN OVER SHOULDER.

AWOLNations "Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf)" is playing from hislaptop.

The storyboard now shows a PANEL of the five Peacemakerswalking side-by-side. Eli in the center is wearing a BLACKTRENCH COAT.

When the artist is finished, he writes at the top of thestoryboard "Later that night..."

PAN over to his bedroom window and show the BRIGHT sun.

FADE TO

16.

EXT. SUPERMARKET PARKING LOT - NIGHT 7

PAN DOWN from the FULL MOON to show Eli and the Peacemakerswalking side-by-side in SLOW MOTION.

They approach the main entrance of the supermarket whereJAMES brother of JOHN is waiting, smoking a CIGARILLO.

A few people are standing around acting as if theyrecustomers or on the phone or using a vending machine.

Eli points to a fat black man with short DREADLOCKS on hisCELLPHONE standing right next to the automatic front doors.This is MORRIS, 29.

He then indicates Cal, 25, to his crew. Cal is a white manwith SHAGGY brown hair, a clean-shaven face, and glasses.Cal is acting like hes trying to force a vending machine togive him his soda.

Eli indicates to his crew a SHORT muscular BLOND womanwalking out of the supermarket with nothing except clenchedFISTS. This is PAMELA, 33.

Eli walks up to James and both are smiling, though Elissmile is filled with sadness.

Eli and James shake hands.

ELIWhats up, man? Long time, no see.

JAMESHey, man. What you been up to,troublemaker?

James has a very country accent.

Eli chuckles and gestures to James crew.

ELIYou can tell your peeps to stopbein paranoid, James.

James grins and blows a puff of smoke into the wind.

He turns and gestures for them to come over to meet thePeacemakers.

JAMESThis is Pamela Marr, Morris Brown,and Cal Carlin. On duty, I callthem Cyborg, Monster, and Hacker.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 17.

Eli glances around at their very public surroundings.

ELICan we walk somewhere with lesspeople?

JAMESSure. The vans over there, in themiddle of the parking lot.

As the two groups start walking, Eli introduces his.

ELIThis is Theo "Red Tongues" Burney,my brother and sister Simon andSophia Sharp, also known as RockGreen and Muse, and you alreadyknow your brother, Ghost Skull.

JAMESYeah. He tells me you need helpwith security at your company.

ELIHonestly, I could probably handle abunch of looters if I had to. Butthis is something more insidious.

Theo comically leans over and whispers to Eli.

THEOWow. "Insidious" - thats a bigword.

Eli shakes his head and chuckles before he lightly ELBOWSTheo away.

JAMESYeah. From what John told me, itmight be related to the Activation.

Eli turns and gives James a QUIZZICAL look.

ELIYou think so? I didnt even thinkof that. Damn, youre probablyright.

JAMESWe may be of no help to you,Elijah. You might not to call onsomeone or something more powerful.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 18.

ELILook man, I think we can do this.Weve all grown a lot over the lastyear. I think if this is a DarkActivation, we can beat it.

They approach an old blue VAN in the middle of the parkinglot. On the side of the van in BOLD letters is "Sons ofThunder Security."

JAMESDid you bring the cross?

ELINo, I forgot it.

JAMESOh, for the love of God.

ELIWhat? You know I have a terriblememory. If its not an emotion, Imliable to forget it within minutes.

JAMESWell, remember the emotion of thatcross. Did you at least lock it upsomewhere?

ELIYeah, its in my desk at theoffice. The only thief at Meek Pieis Jason but he has no idea I evenhave it. Only my Peacemakers know.

James nods slowly and extinguishes the cigarillo beforeleaning his back against the side of the van.

JAMESAlright. What do yall know so far?

SOPHIASonja, code-name "Serenity", hasntbeen online in days, so we know shewas fine up until, at least threedays ago.

ELIAnd she didnt answer her cellphoneor her house phone. Obviously.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 19.

JAMESAlright. Ill get Hacker to do somedata-mining and have Morris talk tohis gang contacts. We first gottafigure out if this is just akidnapping or an abduction.

Eli nods NERVOUSLY with a DEEP, SHAKY breath.

ELIOkay, good. Just let me knowwhatever you find out.

As James answers, Eli gets a FEELING and turns around to seea young woman about a hundred yards away walking toward thestore entrance.

JAMES (OS)Sure thing, buddy.

The girl is ALYCE, 22. She has VERY SHORT black hair and isVERY thin, but despite possibly being the second skinniestgirl Eli has ever seen, she doesnt look grotesque orunhealthy. Her height is slightly taller than the averagegirl, the same height as Elis.

She is wearing black jeans and a black hoodie, but Elicannot discern anything else about her due to the distance.He notices the way she walks SLOW as being DEPRESSED.

When he turns back to the group, everyones eyes are on him.

ELIWhat?

THEOYou know that girl?

Eli shakes his head.

ELINo. I just got a feeling is all.Probably nothing.

SOPHIAElijah, youre empathic. Its nevernothing when you get a feeling.

ELIRight.

Eli looks back to the girl to see her entering the store.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 20.

When he turns back to his friends, theyre looking at himEXPECTANTLY.

ELII guess Ill (beat) go talk to her.

Eli begins coolly walking away from the group, but thenbreaks into a jog.

CUT TO

INT. SUPERMARKET - NIGHT 8

Eli enters the store and looks around but doesnt see themysterious dark girl.

He SUBTLEY lifts a HAND and BRIEFLY closes his eyes as hefeels for the girl.

He opens his eyes and fast-walks for the BACK of thesupermarket.

When he gets to the back, he looks around, CONFUSED.

Again he raises his hand SLIGHTLY to sense her, and SQUINTSslightly.

His shoulders slouch as he realizes she is in the FEMALESRESTROOM.

Eli turns to a shelf to look at ELECTRONIC merchandise.

Clarence, wearing a supermarket namebadge, walks up to him.

CLARENCEOh lord, its you.

Eli turns and smirks at Clarence.

ELIWhats up man? You work both jobstoday I see.

CLARENCEYeah. What are you looking for? Mp3player?

Eli shakes his head.

ELINah. A girl.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 21.

CLARENCEYoure in the wrong store then.

Clarence laughs hysterically.

Eli laughs and shakes his head.

ELIA really skinny girl with shorthair came this way. You seen her?

CLARENCEYou mean Alyce? With a "y"? Shewent in the back. She works here.

Eli gives Clarence a RELIEVED look.

ELIOoooh. Good. Ill see her someother time then.

He starts to leave.

CLARENCEWhoa. Dude, did you really justcome in here to stalk and chick andthen leave?

Eli rolls his eyes and shrugs.

ELIMaybe.

Clarence laughs loudly again.

CLARENCEGet outta here, man.

Eli smiles and NUDGES Clarence with his elbow in a friendlyway.

ELIAlright Clarence. Ill see youlater.

CLARENCENot if I see you first.

Eli stops and turns to give Clarence a SKEPTICAL expression.

CLARENCEYeah, sorry. I forgot who I wastalkin too.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 22.

Eli smirks and walks away.

FADE TO

INT. MONTYS BEDROOM - NIGHT 9

"Her Name is Alice" by Shinedown is playing from theartists laptop.

OVER THE SHOULDER VIEW: The panel right next to the one withthe five Peacemakers is showing Alyce crying in a publicrestroom.

The artist scribbles half of her body black; the other halfis white as the paper.

Then the artist gets up and goes to lay down in his bed, hisface still unseen.

FADE TO

EXT. HIGHWAY - NIGHT 10

A PRIMER-colored 1964 4-door Chevy IMPALA RUMBLES down thehighway; theres almost no other cars on the road.

Eli is driving LISTLESSLY, with a million mile BLANK STARE.

"Forever" by Papa Roach is playing at a low volume in thecar.

Simon is SLEEPING in the back seat.

Sophia is in the passenger seat. She is about to sleep too.

Eli takes a turn down an avenue and after driving on a verywinding road, slows down at a DIRT road called WANDERINGWAY.

CUT TO

INT. ELIS HOUSE - NIGHT 11

Eli and his siblings enter the house and Eli closes andlocks the door behind him.

Simon goes to his bedroom and closes the door behind him.

Sophia tries to smile warmly at her brother and she HUGShim.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 23.

SOPHIADont be sad, bro.

Eli CLENCHES his eyes tightly shut as he holds his sister.

ELIYeah, okay. Ill get right on that.

After they stop hugging, Sophia gives him a SYMPATHETIClook.

ELIGo to bed, Sophie. Ill be alright.

SOPHIAAre you sure?

ELIYeah, Ill be fine after a nicecry. And I gotta do that alone.

Sophia nods SADLY and walks toward her room.

SOPHIAOkay. Good night, Eli.

ELINight.

Eli goes to make something to eat, but cant, as his hand isSHAKING.

Eli looks at his other hand as it does the same and thenCLENCHES his fists and his eyes closed.

He leans his SHOULDER up against the refridgerator andbegins to cry.

Eli slides sideways down the fridge as he softly and quietlysobs.

Eli does this for a few seconds before he STRUGGLES to hisfeet.

Eli makes his way to his bedroom and COLLAPSES onto the bed,burying his face in his PILLOW.

Despite the pillow, his crying his barely muffled.

In the next room, Sophia can hear her brother crying, andshe is crying too.

FADE TO

24.

INT. MEEK PIE STUDIOS - MORNING 12

The Admin comes RUSHING down the CORRIDOR, quite UPSET withthe four-man security detail that is carrying computerequipment, weapons, and some very questionable mysticalitems into the building through the BACK door.

ADMINWho the hell are you people?

When the Admin sees a thick Bible in James hand, he GROANS.

ADMINYour Elis friends, arent you?Look, I told him wed hire asecurity guard if he feels like hislife is in danger, but this is justridiculous. There is no demon orghost or monster coming after him,okay?

James breaks out of formation, handing off his briefcase toOmar, as they move down the hall toward the old backroom.

James stands in front of the Administrator with a slightsmile of ARROGANCE. James chews on a toothpick.

JAMESElijah told me about you. Said youlike to fancy yourself the nextMichael Bay.

ADMINWhat? No! Id never insult myselflike that!

JAMESHe also says you like people tocall you "The Administrator." Saysyou only gave your real name toyour director, Nathaniel Skooner.

ADMINWell (beat) you know how it is.Were an internet video comp - Hey,stop tryin to distract me! Im incharge here and I say you peoplecant bring all that crap in here!

James removes his toothpick and laughs at the Admin.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 25.

JAMESWell be using the backroom. Dontworry. You wont even know werehere.

James turns and walks away toward the backroom, leaving theAdmin stewing in ANGER.

CUT TO

INT. MEEK PIE STUDIOS, CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY 13

Eli, the Admin, and Nathaniel are sitting at the conferencetable.

Across from them is GINGER, 25, a light-skinned black girlwith beautiful CURLY shoulder-length hair and LIGHT browneyes. She is sitting there NERVOUSLY wearing BLACK pants, awhite womens dress shirt, and a dark blue denim jacket.The Admin lightly taps Nathaniel on his shoulder.

ADMINGo ahead and ask the importantquestions, Mister Skooner.

Nathaniel leans forward to speak, but is interrupted by Eli,who is sitting NONCHALLANTLY with his arm hanging over theback off his chair.

ELIYoure very beautiful, Ginger.

Ginger nervously smiles, but looks up and away slightly.

Eli smirks.

GINGERThank you.

ELIYou dont like hearing that do you.But its not because you dontthink youre good-looking. You knowthat you are, and youve heard itmillions of times. And youre sickof it, arent you?

Ginger looks at him with DISBELIEF and SURPRISE.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 26.

GINGERUm. Sure, I guess? I mean, yes.Kinda.

The Admin purses his lips in FRUSTRATION and turns to Eli.

ADMINI said, "important questions",Elijah.

Eli looks over at his boss.

ELIOh, this is important, Admin. Tome.

ADMINBut is it important to the company?

ELIYeah. Ginger, youre wearing adenim jacket today. Why?

Ginger blinks, CONFUSED by the question.

Nathaniel lowers his head in DESPAIR while the Admin looksat him with DISBELIEF.

GINGERUm, I dunno. It goes with theoutfit?

ELINah. Youre wearing black pants,and a white shirt. Are youseriously telling me you dont havea black jacket?

GINGERNo, I do. Im sorry, what does thishave to do with me working at MeekPie Productions?

Nathaniel is SLOUCHED in his chair, chin conformed to thepalm of his hand.

NATHANIELAbsolutely nothing.

ELITrust me, guys.

The Admin raises his hands in surrender and leans back witha sigh.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 27.

ELIGinger, what kind of car do youdrive?

GINGERA BMW.

ELIOh, so the valley girl thing isntan act.

Ginger gives Eli an ANGRY, demeaning look.

GINGERIts from the eighties.

Eli leans back with a smirk.

ELIOh really? You live with yourmother, right?

GINGERUh, yeah. How did you know that?

ELIJust a feeling.

Eli stands up, looking down at the Admin.

ELIHire her.

Eli walks out of the conference room, leaving the Admin,Ginger, and Nathaniel in SHOCK and IRRITATION.

GINGERIs he always like that?

Nathaniel scoffs.

NATHANIELWriters. Am I right?

Nathaniel turns to the Admin, nervous.

ADMINHey!

NATHANIELMy bad.

CUT TO

28.

INT. MEEK PIE BACKROOM - DAY 14

Eli enters the backroom and closes the door behind him.

The four members of Sons of Thunder Security have seteverything up: a surveillance system, computers, an armory,a small library of books, and a small refridgerator andcoolers of snacks and drinks, some alcoholic.

Eli looks around at the new setup. The only thing herecognizes is the round table in the center of the room.

"House of the Rising Son" is playing from a radio low in thebackground.

ELIUh, yeah. Iron Bones, would youcare to explain what all this is?

James PROUDLY walks over to Eli.

JAMESThis is our new temporary base ofoperations, Elijah.

ELIYeah, we use our code-names inhere, in case someone bugged theroom. Nobody but Nathaniel and theAdmin know we use this room, andId like to keep it that way.

James nods, understanding perfectly.

JAMESAh. Good idea, Rebel Knight.

Eli curls his lip in DERISION at the code-name.

ELIRK is fine.

JAMESAlright, RK.

ELIThe Admin isnt too keen on youbringing weapons and Bibles intohis building either. He isnt veryreligious, or Constitutionallyeducated.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 29.

JAMESWell, if you want us to leave, wewill.

ELINo, Bones, I was just lettin youknow the Admins a power-hungrymadman. If it were up to me, wedhave pinups all over the place ofnuns with guns.

Eli pulls out a notebook and pen.

CAL"Nuns with Guns" would make a goodrock band name.

ELIThats why Im writing it down,Hacker.

Afterward, Eli looks back up to James.

ELISome of them will try to run youout, probably start a petition orsome shit. Screw em. Without me,this company would be nothing.

Eli turns to leave but James taps his arm and Eli turnsback.

James leans in and speaks low.

JAMESRK (beat) Hacker found Serenityslast online status update. Shedmet a new man and couldnt wait togo on her first date since...

James leans back slightly, pursing his lips with regret athaving to tell Eli this.

Elli nods slowly and pats James shoulder.

ELIThanks, man. Keep mining, keeplooking. Theres someone I gottasee.

Eli walks out the door.

CUT TO

30.

INT. MEEK PIE STUDIOS, BREAKROOM - DAY 15

Eli walks into the breakroom to find Ginger talking toJason. She laughs at one of his jokes, which disgusts Eli.

ELIUm, Ginger, can I talk to you for asec?

Both Ginger and Jason look over at Eli, but Jason looks overat Eli with the slightest of ANNOYED expressions beforereturning his seductive gaze to Ginger.

As she gets to her feet, Jason nods with an ARROGANT smirk.

JASONGo on.

Ginger waves bye and walks over to the breakroom entrancewhere Eli is standing.

Just outside the breakroom, Eli moves out of sight andearshot of Jason.

ELIDont trust anyone here, Ginger.Not even me. Everyone in thiscompany will betray you ormanipulate you for their own good,or just for the sheer enjoyment ofit.

Ginger gives Eli a look of surprise and nervousness, whichshe quickly masks with a smile.

GINGEROh dont worry, I wont. I donttrust easily.

Eli nods, not believing her.

ELIRight.

As Eli walks away, he casts a GLARE into the breakroom atJason, who is still sipping his soda.

CUT TO

31.

INT. SUPERMARKET - NIGHT 16

Eli walks into the supermarket and looks around.

He heads toward the general merchandise section and goes toAlyces cosmetic aisle as if he already knows she is there.

Alyce is crouching to stock the bottom of the shelf withcosmetics. She wears glasses.

Due to her posture, her shirt is lifted and Eli can see thebottom tips of the large angel wings tattooed onto her back.

He can also see small scars on her back, cut into her liketiger stripes.

ELIHi Alyce.

Alyce doesnt acknowledge him.

ELIHey!

SHOCKED, Alyce QUICKLY stands up and removes the EARBUDSblasting music into her ears.

Eli notices her braces when she speaks.

ALYCEIm sorry. How can I help you?

Eli smiles at her braces and her general MEEK CUTENESS.

ELIAre you empathic?

Alyce is both NERVOUS and CONFUSED.

ALYCEUh, what?

ELICan you feel other peoplesemotions? Project your own feelingsover other people?

Now she is AFRAID, intrigued, and surprised, but she masksit with more confusion and nervousness.

ALYCEUm, I dont think so.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 32.

Eli blinks and cocks his head at her as he stares into herEYES.

ELIAlright. Do you wanna be in amovie? I need someone to play avampire queen and you match thephysical requirements.

Eli pulls out a business card and offers.

Alyce SLOWLY takes the business card and looks at it brieflybefore pocketting it.

ALYCESure. I love vampires.

Eli nods, masking his nervousness with confidence andarrogance, as he smoothly turns away.

ELICool. Call that number tomorrow andwell talk. Ill see ya around,Alyce.

After he leaves, Alyce looks down with CONFUSION at hernamebadge to see its turned backwards.

FADE TO

INT. MEEK PIE STUDIOS - MORNING 17

The Administrator is in his office at his desk. He picks upa phone and presses the button to the PA system.

Eli, Theo, Sophia, and Ginger are shooting a video of Gingerdancing beautifully and Sophia dancing like a moron.

James, Cal, Katherine, and others come to watch and laughwith Eli and Theo.

Eli sees KRISTEN, 34, and Jason watching from a doorway.

The PA system beeps.

ADMIN (OS)Attention Meek Pie entertainers. Donot forget about the mandatorymorning meeting at nine AM.

Eli rolls his eyes at the announcement and the dancingstops.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 33.

People disperse from the studio. Jason and Kristen standnear the door as everyone leaves; Ginger walks out and Jasonfollows and talk with her.

Eli darts over to Kristen, who rolls her eyes at Ginger.

Kristen is Jasons girlfriend, a beautiful woman with longstraight hair dyed black and bright blue eyes. She iswearing faded blue jeans, a maroon T-shirt, and a hoodie.

ELIKristen, can I talk to you for asecond.

KRISTENSure. Whats up?

ELIWhats going on with Jason andGinger?

KRISTENI dunno. Theyre friends, I guess.Why?

ELIWell, I was going to ask Gingerout, cause yesterday she laughedat all my jokes, but it looks likeshes more interested in him.

Kristen snickers.

KRISTENYeah, he just likes to make girlsthink he likes them, but not doanything. Its a control thing.

Eli nods THOUGHTFULLY.

ELII see. Oh, by the way, thanks fortelling me about him and Lydia. Iknow you didnt have to.

KRISTENYoure welcome. What he does iswrong.

ELIYeah, I dont see why you ever wentout with him, or how you could bebest friends with him after. Imean, hes basically a kid.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 34.

KRISTENYeah.

They approach the conference room so they dont say anymore.

Everyone sits at the table and if there is no room, some menstand at the back.

The Admin and the director Nathaniel stand at the front.

ADMINGood morning, Meek Pie!

Everyone except Eli laboriously repeat the mantra.

EVERYONEGood morning, Administrator.

ADMINLast week, we hired a brand newemployee; Miss Ginger Wellington.

As he gestures to her, Ginger smiles SHEEPISHLY.

ADMINAnd so far everyone has made herfeel welcome. Now, for the next fewweeks, were going to be filming...

Eli ignores the rest of what the Admin says when he seesJames at the door motioning for him.

Eli gets up and leaves, much to the bosses ANNOYANCE.

James leads Eli toward the lobby.

JAMESYou have a visitor. She says shellonly talk to you.

ELIWhats her name?

As Eli and James round the corner and enter the lobby, Elisees her: Alyce.

Standing with her is Pamela.

JAMESHer name is Alyce.

Alyces FEARFUL expression is slightly RELIEVED when shesees Eli.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 35.

ELIAlyce, hey. You didnt have to comeall the way down here. You couldvejust called.

Like a MEEK, NERVOUS cat, Alyce goes over to Eli, though shekeeps her EYES on his.

ALYCECan we talk alone?

Alyce slowly looks out of the corner of her eyes nervously.

Eli nods and takes her to the backroom.

CUT TO

INT. MEEK PIE BACKROOM - DAY 18

Eli closes the door behind them and turns to face Alyce, whois ANXIOUSLY opening and closing her hands.

ELIPlease, take a seat.

Alyce sits down in a chair and looks around at all theequipment, weapons, and books.

ALYCEThank you.

She turns to Eli.

ELIYoure afraid of something. What isit?

ALYCEDo you remember the first thing youasked me?

ELIYes.

ALYCEI think - I think the answer isyes.

Eli blinks, swallows, and almost smiles.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 36.

ELIAre you sure? I mean, we have to besure.

ALYCENo, Im not a hundred percent sure.But when someone close to me feelssomething, I feel it. Thats it,right?

ELIUm, yeah. Do you mean "close" likephysically close or emotionallyclose?

ALYCEEmotionally. I dont feel anythingfrom strangers.

Eli nods thoughtfully and rubs his chin thoughtfully.

ELIAnd when did this start?

ALYCEA couple weeks before you saw me atwork? At first I didnt thinkanything of it, but a week afteryou asked me, it was obvious thatit wasnt a coincidence.

ELIHmm. Well, before you decideanything, I need to tell yousomething. Have you heard of theActivation?

Alyce shakes her head.

ELIIts what the new agers callEnlightenment, or the neo-paganscall the Awakening. We call it theActivation, because both good andevil, light and darkness, are being"awakened."

Eli makes quotation marks with his fingers.

ALYCEWe?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 37.

ELII run a group called thePeacemakers. I cant tell you muchmore than that before I know forsure which side you join.

ALYCEWhat do you mean?

Eli sits beside her.

ELIDo you believe in supernaturalthings? Ghosts, demons, vampires?

ALYCEYeah, give or take. I wish I couldbe a vampire.

Eli looks at her with shock.

ELINo, you dont. Real vamps arentlike the ones in the movies.Theyre vicious and they dont makepeople into vamps like them, atleast not in the traditional sense.

ALYCEWhat does this have to do withwhich side I join?

ELIA very small percentage of goodpeople are being activated - givenpowers or abilities to fight evil.A larger portion of bad people arebeing activated by the dark side.Their powers are more (beat)obvious, at least for the moment.Theyre like satanic witches andpeople possessed with demons.

Alyce blinks, confused and scared.

ALYCEIm not sure if I believe all ofthat.

ELIWell, thats up to you. If you haveany questions, Ill answer them.Just ask.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 38.

Alyce nods slowly.

ALYCEIm just so confused. I dont knowwhat to do, or if anything Imfeeling is me or someone else.

ELIThats normal for newly activatedempaths. Its natural for usempaths to sink into the darkness,so we have to make that consciouschoice to join the good side.

ALYCEI see.

ELII will help you, teach you, if youwant me to. But it will probably bethe hardest thing youve ever doneor ever have to do.

Alyce looks at him with renewed FEAR.

She masks her fear with mild stubbornness and obstinancebefore getting up.

ALYCEOkay, thank you. I have a lot tothink about.

Eli stands up as she heads for the door.

ELIAlyce.

She stops at the door and turns.

ELIIf you choose to join us, I willnever give up on you.

Alyces eyes begin to well with tears.

ELII will not give up unless you do.

Alyce nods and she rubs her face as she turns and walks outof the backroom.

CUT TO

39.

INT. MEEK PIE STUDIOS - DAY 19

SLOW MOTION: Alyce walks out and down the hall, with Elifollowing her. Eli looks over and sees Jason LEERING at herfrom a SHADOWY corner hall.

Eli holds open the door for her and she leaves.

When Eli closes the door and turns back, Jason is gone.

Eli exhales DEEPLY and goes to Kristen, who is at thereceptionist desk.

ELIThat sociopath of yours is pissingme off. If he hurts Ginger, I mighthave to kill him.

KRISTENYou already warned her, so if shegets hurt, its her own faultreally.

ELIYeah, I guess. Did you know thesociopath is the empaths naturalenemy?

KRISTENReally?

Kristen continues working at her computer as if she doesntcare.

ELIReally. Sociopaths have practicallyno emotion and live only tomentally torment and manipulatepeople. They can get angry forawhile, but they cant love.

KRISTENSounds like Jason to me.

ELIYeah. But hey, its all my fault,right? Maybe if I was moreconfident, I couldve saved Gingerfrom him.

KRISTENIts not confidence. Its fake. Heactually has very low self-esteem.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 40.

ELIYeah, thats obvious.

Eli narrows his eyes as he mulls something over and slowlyturns from Kristens desk.

ELIHmm. That gives me an idea.

Eli turns and goes to the breakroom.

CUT TO

INT. MEEK PIE STUDIOS, BREAKROOM - DAY 20

Katherine is stocking the fridge with water.

Eli walks up behind her and after looking around to makesure no one is nearby to hear them, he leans over her.

ELIBoo.

Katherine jumps, ALARMED.She grins nervously and playfully punches Elis shoulder.

KATHERINEYoure so funny.

ELIThats why I work here.

KATHERINEWhat do you want?

After briefly smirking LUSTFULLY at Eli only inches from hisface, Katherine returns to stocking the fridge.

ELIApparently Jasons been tellingGinger stuff about you.

Katherine turns, annoyed, to Eli.

KATHERINEDamn it. It was one moment ofweakness.

ELIWhat are you talking about?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 41.

KATHERINEI kissed him once, when I was in arelationship. He messed my head upfor weeks.

ELIWow. I was totally going to lie andsay he told Ginger he kissed you,but I guess I dont have to.

KATHERINEOne kiss had me thinking I was inlove with the prick for awhile. Imglad nothing else happened.

ELIInteresting.

Eli turns to leave the breakroom.

KATHERINEDont tell anyone please.

ELIDont worry, you can trust me.

CUT TO

INT. ELIS OFFICE - DAY 21

Eli goes into his office and sits at his desk.

Eli thinks for a bit before opening the desk drawer andfinding the chain missing.

After frantically looking for it, Eli angrily walks out ofthe office.

INT. MEEK PIE BACKROOM - DAY 22

Eli storms into the backroom to find the Sons of Thunderdoing things.

ELIIts been weeks since MeekPie contracted Sons of Thunder tolocate Serenity. Tell me somethingI wanna hear.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: 42.

CALBased on the lack of obituaries andmissing person reports, wereassuming shes still at her house.

JAMESMorriss gang contacts up inOntario gave us the name of herboyfriend.

ELIHes in a gang?

JAMESCollin Forsythe of the HansonStreet Crew. Theyre not big atall. Maybe a couple dozen people,but theyre growing, and hes incharge.

ELIWell we cant just go up there andkick his ass. We need a plan, andmoney. And I need another empath.-And- I cant find the cross thatwas sent to me. Someone in thiscompany stole it.

JAMESDamn. I told you -

ELIYeah, okay. Our first priority isto find out who stole the cross.You set up security cameras sobring me everyone who came into myoffice without me.

JAMESYou got it, man.

James and his team leave the backroom.

Eli steps forward to the round table and places his KNUCKLESon the edge as he leans on it.

Eli stares down at the table, TREMBLING with anger andsadness.

ELII will kill Collin Forsythe.

FADE TO

43.

INT. MONTYS BEDROOM - NIGHT 23

PAN AROUND to show Montys face as he STARES blankly at theHUNDREDS of storyboards that are pinned, taped, nailed, orstapled to his wall.

They all depict the events of the Peacemakers from the startof the episode to the end.

Monty is holding one last piece of paper.

He holds it up and places it in the last empty spot on thewall.

This panel shows half of Elis body jet black, the otherhalf white as the paper.

MONTYI have to find these people.

FADE TO BLACK