Blood
Brother
Written by
(copywright): Caina Q. Fuller
Episode
#4 in “The Messenger” series.
Teaser
Fade
In
Int-Tunnels of
Tartarus
Close up on the booted
feet of a mysterious woman as she walks toward the camera. The camera glides up the woman’s figure
until it reaches her face. We see
it is Persephone, wife of Hades and new ruler of the underworld in her husband’s
absence.
She makes her way through
the tunnels of Tartarus. To her
left is a pit where CONDEMNED SOULS are being kept. One soul attempts to pull himself out,
and as his hand reaches over the surface we see it is covered in snakes.
Persephone! Help me
please!
Persephone cruelly kicks
him in the face as she passes, sending him plummeting back down to unknowable
depths. On her right are chambers
full of tortured men and women.
Demon-like creatures are beating some while others are being burned with
hot pokers.
Persephone turns a corner
and comes to a rock wall and waves her hand over the surface. It becomes transparent and we see Eve
lies on a smooth floor. The room is
round and large, with rock walls as smooth as polished steel. In the center of the room is an empty
pedestal.
Eve’s attention is
captured by images playing out on the ceiling of Callisto fighting Xena. She
also watches Livia raid villages and murder innocent villagers. Persephone decides to spice up Eve’s
torment with a little subliminal suggestion.
Eve. It’s hot in this room. Very
hot.
Eve reacts as the room
suddenly becomes hot. Sweat pours
from her face and she looks around for the source of the intense heat, even
though she cannot see Persephone. A
glass of icy cold water appears on the pedestal in the center of the room, but
when Eve moves for it the floor disappears from beneath her feet and she barely
manages to catch the edge as she falls in.
Eve pulls herself out just as hissing snakes come out to bite at her bare
heels. The floor seals shut behind
her. Eve tries again but the same
thing happens.
You must have the water
Eve.
Don’t give
up.
Eve eases her way toward
the water. This time the floor
holds and she manages to wrap her hands around the glass, which is covered in
cool condensation. But just as Eve
is bringing it to her lips the water turns to blood and she screams in horror
and disappointment.
No!
She stares at the blood in
disgust, but her thirst gets the better of her and she gulps it down. When she does she begins to choke and
gag, and after awhile of writhing on the floor in misery she
calms.
I’m even thirstier than I
was before.
Somebody help
me!
Persephone begins to
laugh, relishing Eve’s torment.
Dissolve to:
Ext-Elysian
Fields
MARCUS, Xena’s old lover,
makes his way through the beautiful, grassy fields of paradise. A sword hangs on his back though he
doesn’t really need it here. The
handsome warrior looks about, searching for someone though he isn’t successful
finding him. Finally he stops a passerby.
Have you seen
him?
I think I saw him going to
Tartarus
again. Maybe an hour ago?
Marcus sighs with pure
irritation and takes off for an exit.
Cut
to
Int-Tunnels of
Tartarus
Marcus rounds a corner to
find another handsome young man with a fighting staff fighting off four
condemned souls of Tartarus. One by
one he defeats them by shoving them back into the pit they are climbing out
of. The young man is SOLON, Xena’s
son. He looks to be about 21
now. He’s got short, sandy brown
hair and blue eyes, and his form with the staff is superb. When Solon is
finished with the condemned souls, Marcus draws his sword.
What have I told you about
coming
here without back up? This place is
dangerous.
Actually, it’s not as
dangerous as
you think. These people look forward
to my
visits.
And how is
that?
I bring them food and
water. They
feel like fighting better
on a full
stomach.
Marcus rolls his eyes at
this news and begins to try and talk some sense into
Solon.
There’s a reason these
“people” as you
call them are in
here. They led
horrible
lives on Earth.
If I know my history right
so did you.
But
look where you are
Marcus. All
because
someone loved you. Someone showed
you mercy.
Marcus recants a little
and his anger subsides. The young
man is right after all. Had Xena
not loved him as much as she did, he’d be rotting in this place along with the
same souls that Solan was fighting now.
You are your mother’s son,
you know
that?
Besides that, I need some
excitement.
After awhile even Elysia
can become
hopelessly
boring.
(grinning
playfully)
You know, sometimes I have
half a mind
to toss you in one of
those pits myself. I’ll
bet a few hours in there
would teach you
not to venture in here
alone.
(good
naturedly)
Oh yeah? Then bring it on
old man.
Marcus moves in on Solon,
a wide grin on his face and his sword in his hand.
Cut to:
Int-Eve’s Torture
Chamber
Eve is staring once more
at the scenes on the ceiling when Persephone enters and circles
her.
What do you
want?
I want to see you suffer
of course.
Can’t you do that from
the
comfort of your own
chambers?
Yes, but it’s not nearly
as entertaining
as seeing your pain up
close. It’s a
lot
like making love. Watching others is
entertaining. Actually doing it is even
better.
Eve jumps to her feet,
angry.
You want some thrills
Persephone?
I’ve got plenty for
you.
Persephone isn’t prepared
for Eve’s sudden attack. Eve drives
her fist across the other woman’s face then follows through with a kick to the
jaw. She moves to kick her again
but Persephone is ready and she catches Eve’s foot.
Persephone twists Eve’s
ankle but Eve turns with it and drives her other foot into Persephone’s
face. From there on the new ruler
of the underworld is hopelessly outmatched by Eve’s skill. Eve begins beating up on her until
Persephone steps back to put some distance between them.
Cerberus!
Hades three headed dog
MATERIALIZES before Eve and charges her.
She dodges the dog easily and he goes flying through the wall, leaving a
gateway that begins to MELT shut.
Eve begins to run for it.
No!
Persephone dives for her
but they both end up falling through the hole and into a
pit.
Cut to:
Int-Tunnels of
Tartarus
Marcus and Solon fight
sword to staff, but it doesn’t take Marcus too long to cut Solon’s staff in
half. When Solon attempts to use
the two halves like chobo’s Marcus grabs each half and yanks Solon to him, hard.
Marcus and Solon crash heads and Solon stumbles back in pain. He is just about to fall into the pit
when Marcus grabs him by the collar, saving him.
You make the same mistake
every single time
boy. You
hold the staff too low and
when
you spin you leave your
center
open for attack. Depending
on your opponents weapon
and
physical strength they can
either
disarm you
or-
Marcus’ lesson is
interrupted by the sound of growling and two women’s screams from above. When they look up, they watch as
Cerberus falls from the ceiling and continues down into the pit behind Solon
while Persephone and Eve land on the dusty floor at Marcus and Solon’s
feet. There is the distinctive
sound of breaking bones when Persephone lands atop Eve.
Solon looks down into
Eve’s eyes, which are full of pain, and an image of Xena is superimposed over
her face. Solon recognizes her
immediately as who she is: His sister.
Eve!
Persephone stands,
uninjured, and Solon kneels beside his sister to examine her. Eve’s body is
slowly covering with bruises from the injuries she sustained in the fall with
Persephone.
You’re going to be
alright.
Who are
you?
My name is Solon. I’m your brother.
Close up on Eve’s shocked
expression.
Fade
Out.
End of
Teaser
***************
Blood Brother-Act
1
Fade In
on-Persephone
Persephone stands over Eve
and Solon
Step away from her
Solon. You
shouldn’t even be in
Tartarus. You
know
that.
What has she done to
deserve
eternal damnation?
Persephone gives a bitter
laugh. She knows Solon is oblivious
to Eve’s past as Livia as well as her role in the death of the Olympian
gods.
You don’t want to know
that Solon.
Trust me. Now move away from
her!
Solon snatches one of the
pieces of his staff from Marcus and stands Persephone down when Persephone leans
in to grab Eve. The new Queen of
the underworld stares at him in almost comical shock, for she is not used to the
souls she governs challenging her in this fashion.
I won’t let you torture
her.
You have a good heart
Solon. I know
you come in here to try
and offer these
scum relief by giving them
food and
water. I also understand she’s your
sister,
but if you don’t get out
of my
way I will condemn you to
eternity
in Tartarus with her. Do you want
that?
Marcus may not want Solan coming into Tartarus the way he does, but he loves Solan like the boy was his own son, and he’s not about to stand by and allow Persephone to try and bully him.
Hades decreed that no good
soul
should ever lose his place
in Paradise.
Well, Hades isn’t here now
is he?
Thanks to her and
her bitch mother Xena.
I rule the underworld now
and the
rules have changed. Step back Solon.
No, I don’t think so. Marcus,
If you’re truly my
friend…
Say no more son. Run with her. I’ll
hold this so called
goddess off.
Marcus draws his sword and
Persephone backs away in surprise, more than a little touch of anxiety on her
face. All she’d wanted to do was
have a little fun torturing Eve, not start a war with two warriors she didn’t
have the skill to deal with. What had started out as a game was quickly turning
into a coup.
You two are making a big
mistake.
Neither of you want me for an enemy.
She’s right. I deserve
what I’m
getting. Go on now. I can take
care of
myself.
Shhh. Your bones are broken. This is
going to hurt, so get
ready.
Solon picks Eve up and she
screams in pain. Every bone in her
body was shattered by the long fall into the cavern, and her body feels like
mush in his strong arms. Solon
takes off with Eve down the tunnels of Tartarus, heading for the healing waters
of the Elysian Fields.
Cerberus! Find them. As for you
Marcus…I think you should
take
on someone who can match
your skill. Draco!
Cut to:
Draco. Draco fights off another condemned soul
inside one of the pits of Tartarus.
He is dressed in rags and caked with dirt, but when he hears Persephone’s
voice he begins to DISSOLVE.
Cut to:
Draco APPEARS beside
Marcus wearing his old outfit from Xena. He looks at his clean body in a mixture
of confusion and relief.
Cut him up into little
pieces Draco.
He’ll
be spending eternity here
in Tartarus.
Draco looks Marcus over
then stares Persephone down hatefully.
I have nothing against
this man
Persephone. Why should I help
you?
That’s right. Her husband put
you
in Tartarus. You owe her
nothing.
((rolling her eyes in
exasperation)
You should help me because
you
will be rewarded an
eternal place
in the Asphodel
Meadows.
Asphodel Meadows
huh?
(looks Marcus
over)
It’s not paradise, but it
beats
Tartarus any day. Sorry friend, but
I have to think of my
future. It’s
nothing
personal, I assure
you.
Believe me, I
understand. I just
Hope that you understand
that I
also have my future to
consider?
I’ll fight
you.
(grinning
evilly)
I’d be sorely disappointed
if you didn’t.
Dissolve To:
A Gateway to the Elysian
Fields
Solon holds Eve as he
stares at the Gate to the Elysian Fields.
Solon, you shouldn’t be
doing this.
I’m not worth it, believe
me.
You’re family. That makes you worth
it to
me.
I don’t want you to lose
your place in
paradise for me. Please take me
back to Persephone. Maybe she’ll
forgive
you-
Persephone is an
anal-retentive bitch
who takes a sick pleasure
in torturing her
victims. She wasn’t always
like that but she’s
changed
recently.
That’s because of
me.
Solon
No, it’s the way she
chooses to be. No
more
talk of guilt huh? I have a plan in mind to
get
you out of here. But first…
Eve
First
what?
I can smell doggie
breath.
Cerberus comes charging
from the left and Solon barely ducks before the beast tackles him. Each move he makes with Eve causes her
incredible pain because of her broken bones. Without wasting time Solon lays Eve
down, holds out his right hand and a crossbow appears. When Cerberus charges him again, Solon
takes aim at the center head.
Sorry boy, but you leave
me no choice.
Solon fires the crossbow
and it sticks in the right eye of the center head. The dog begins to whine and yelp, as he
takes off in the opposite direction, running for his mistress. Solon picks Eve up
again.
It’s time to mend your
broken bones.
come
on.
Solon picks his sister up
and continues on with her into the Elysian Fields.
Dissolve To:
Virgil’s
stables-Morning
Virgil sits in the loft of
his stables, watching some villagers build the pyre for Eve’s funeral. Beside him is Eve’s body, wrapped from
head to toe with only her face showing.
There is a rustle behind him and Virgil turns to find Calantha climbing
the ladder behind him.
Virgil? I have some fruits cut for
your breakfast. Why don’t you
come down and eat
something huh?
Thanks sis, but I’m not
hungry. Go
on without
me.
She’s been gone for two
days. It
feels a lot longer than
that somehow.
Virgil studies his
sister,s profile as she looks down on Eve’s peaceful face.
She killed our father then
turned around
and save you from a life
long mistake.
Amazing what one person
can do isn’t it?
Yes it is. That’s what I feel every time I
think
of Eli’s God and what the
power of his love
can do to change us. Virgil, this isn’t your
fault. Phobos did this. Why don’t you eat?
Just a little
something?
I can’t. I just can’t.
All right. I’ll be in the house. You’ve
left it a mess you
know. I feel
sorry for your future
wife, whoever she is.
Calantha leaves and when
she does Virgil strokes Eve’s face as he breaks down into
tears.
Cut to:
Off of Virgil’s
face
Ext. The surface of a
lake
A body splashes into the
water. The camera pulls back to
show Solon dipping his sister into the water of a lake. When she comes up she is clean and all
of her wounds are healed.
Solon
There. Doesn’t that feel
better?
Eve
Oh God. I feel…I feel better than I
ever have before. It’s incredible.
Solon
Come on. Let’s get you something to eat
and then you can tell me
all about how you
ended up here while we
start working to get
you out of
here.
Cut To:
Marcus and Draco clash
swords while Persephone strides down the tunnel. She is heading towards the Elysian
Fields after Eve.
Marcus
Listen, Draco. We should work
together. Persephone is going to
condemn
an innocent boy to
Tartarus just
because he wants to save
his sister.
Draco
Look at my face. Do I look like the
type
to care about such
things?
Marcus
I used to be like you.
Then someone
changed me. You may know her.
Xena.
At Xena’s name Marcus
gives a howl of RAGE and tries to behead Marcus.
Draco
That bitch convinced Cupid
to
allow a love spell to stay
on me! I spent
my entire life pining
after her sidekick
Gabrielle. I never found
love again
because of that! I died
barely a year
after they did because I
was distracted
by grief over
Gabrielle. I hate
Xena!
Marcus
Ok. Wrong example
then.
Draco tackles Marcus and
they go falling into another room, off camera.
Cut to:
Persephone-Tunnels of
Tartarus
Persephone makes her way
through the tunnels of Tartarus until she reaches the gate to the Elysian
Fields. When she does she hears the sound of a whining dog. Cerberus comes toward her, pawing at the
arrow in his eye.
Persephone
Cerberus! What has Solon done
to
you? You poor thing. Come here.
Let Mama help
you.
Persephone removes the
arrow and lays her hand over the wound and heals it.
Persephone
Don’t worry boy. You will have your
revenge soon enough. Go to my quarters.
I’ll deal with Solon and
Eve.
Cut To:
Off of Persephone’s
face
Solon and Eve make their
way through the beautiful fields of Elysia. Eve tears up an apple hungrily, and
gulps down juice from a decanter.
Solon
We’re almost there. Once you’re
inside I need you to stay
where I put
you while I find
Marcus. If this plan is going
to work I’m going to need
him.
Eve
Are you sure about
this? I mean,
once
I’m gone you’ll still have
to stay here.
There’s no telling what
she will do to you
and Marcus for helping
me.
Solon
You let me worry about
that. I’ve
tasted
paradise and I don’t plan
to let it go
that easily. Tell me something
sister.
How is
mother?
Eve
Isn’t she
here?
A look of panic claims
Solan’s face at these words.
Solon
Here? Why would she be
here?
Eve
Mother is dead Solon. I thought
you would have been
re-united
with her by now.
Persephone
Your mother was probably
sentenced
to a fate worse than
Tartarus. She
deserves every bit of what
she gets too.
Eve and Solon turn to find
Persephone glaring at them. With
her are about fifteen guards.
Each man is armed with swords and throwing knives.
Solon
Persephone.
End of Act
One
**************************************
Blood Brother-Act
2
Fade In-Eve and
Solon
Eve and Solon stare down
Persephone and her guards.
Persephone
You have a choice here
Solon:
You can surrender Eve and
keep
your place in the Elysian
Fields, or,
you can resist and I take
Eve anyway.
If I have to go through
the trouble
you’d better believe I’m
sentencing
you to Tartarus. What’s it going to be?
Solon
I’ll take my chances in
Tartarus.
Eve
No, you won’t. I’ll come with you
Persephone.
Solon
But Eve
she’s-
Eve
No. I’m not going to allow
you
to throw away your future
in
paradise for me. I know we don’t
know each other very well,
but I
feel a bond with you. I
won’t let
you sacrifice yourself for
me.
Eve hugs Solon then turns
to Persephone.
Eve
I’ll come with you
Persephone.
Just
leave Solon
alone.
Persephone
You’re being so noble I
could
just lose my
lunch.
Persephone nods at her
guards.
Persephone
He defied me. Now you’ll both
be spending the rest of
eternity
together. In
Tartarus.
Seeing that Persephone
openly intends to betray the deal she made only seconds ago, Solon hold out his
hands and a pair of Sai’s appear.
He looks sheepishly at Eve who is staring at him.
What can I say? Gabrielle is
my hero.
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