Revelations lead to confrontations. When secrets from Dr. Helen Magnus's past refuse to remain hidden, what will the ramifications be for Ashley and the rest of the Sanctuary team?
[Opening scene of a DARK and RAINY street which then DESCENDS BELOW GROUND past pipeline tunnels and subway tunnels to where Ashley is TIED to a chair with Druitt NEARBY while Alexei is PLAYING on the stairs with a marionette.]
DRUITT
What would you do if you did manage to free yourself? Attack me? Or go after the boy and hope I didn't interfere?
ASHLEY
Oh, I'd definitely do you first... [sneers] ..."Dad".
DRUITT
Yes, I wouldn't believe it, either. Such an outlandish, not to mention sordid tale.
ASHLEY
I know my mother. You're not even close to her type. For starters, she likes her men sane and a lot less talky.
DRUITT
Oh, she liked me well enough when she agreed to marry me.
ASHLEY
Okay, well, you have me. You have the ghoul. What's next? My butt's getting cold.
DRUITT
Imagine spending every hour of every day, every penny of your fortune, trying to find someone, only to discover you were looking in the wrong bloody century. Imagine the frustration, the anger, as the search went on, a fool's errand. I moved from decade to decade, holding on to the one hope that I would finally land in the right time and place... ...to find you, Ashley.
ASHLEY
My father is dead.
DRUITT
Who told you that?
DRUITT
Oh, the good doctor? My God, her gall never ceases to amaze me! Who is she to play nursemaid to every deviant who's lost its way? Or more to the point, to decide that you should never know your own flesh and blood?
[Druitt RAISES his cane in ANGER and RUSHES TOWARD Ashley as if to STRIKE her.]
DRUITT
(angrily yells)
-Who is she to say?
MAGNUS
-I'm her mother, that's who!
[Magnus's ARRIVAL causes Druitt to PAUSE and LOWER his cane.]
I'm still waiting for the "it's a total lie" part. Mom, he's not my dad, right?
MAGNUS
Please. This is neither the time nor the place.
[Druitt YANKS Ashley UP out of the chair. Magnus RAISES her gun at Druitt.]
MAGNUS
Whatever you're going to do, don't.
DRUITT
Actually, it is you who's going to do it all, Helen. Look what you've made of our daughter! A foul-mouthed, willful, violent child. But at the core... ...a needy little girl... [Druitt places a kiss to Ashley's temple] ...who just misses her dad. [Druitt shoves Ashley back down into the chair] And this... [Druitt gestures to Alexei, placing his hand on his back, forcing Alexei to step forward and closer to Ashley] ...your beloved creatures. the damned souls you so tirelessly try to save. It is all up to you, Helen. Make your [yells] choice! [whispers] What will it be?
ASHLEY
(to Alexei)
Don't.
[Alexei EXTENDS his APPENDAGE towards Ashley. Magnus SHOOTS Alexei and Druitt WARPS to Magnus.]
DRUITT
This is entertaining.
[Will DROPS DOWN from the crawlspace, STARTLING Ashley.]
MAGNUS
I know you are quick, John, but if memory serves, bullets are quicker.
[Magnus DROPS a syringe DOWN from her sleeve INTO her hand.]
ALEXEI
You want to hurt me.
WILL
No, I don't. I want to help you. Other people might be afraid of you, but I'm not.
ALEXEI
Why?
WILL
Because... ...there's no such thing... ...as monsters.
[Bigfoot RUNS IN, Druitt WARPS and REMATERIALIZES with his HAND THROUGH Bigfoot's side. Bigfoot DROPS to the ground but then Druitt STAGGERS and LOOKS DOWN to his thigh where the syringe is STICKING OUT.]
[Will APPROACHES Bigfoot who is ASLEEP on a table with an IV ATTACHED to his arm.]
WILL
You actually exist. I was.... I am scared of you. But I know it's just the idea of you. The concept. You see, I saw this movie when I was a kid, and I had an overactive imagination, and.... Never mind. Just get better.
1123 Seneca Boulevard. Before I met the doctor, I -- I was angry. I enjoyed scaring people. Kids. I knew that movie was playing that night, and.... And I'm sorry.
WILL
It was you?
BIGFOOT
I know it is late in coming, but... ...no hard feelings?
Yeah, well, if you're thinking about working here, um, you should really see this.
[Ashley STARTS a HOLOGRAM video player.]
BARNEY
Will you stop fiddling with that thing? Let's just get this over with. Huh? Come on, make yourself useful or something, huh? Go get me a cream soda. What the heck was I talking about? Oh, yeah. New guy, if you're watching this, that means she's dragged you into this whole little circus of hers, huh? Well, I was once young like you. A year out of medical school. It was 1932 or something. I was finishing night shift at the hospital, walking home, she came outta the shadows, this woman. She hands me this business card. After that I was just caught in her web. You know, we were studying the abnormals, and we got to be very close. We had a.... A special bond, Helen and I. She had ideas about things--
ASHLEY
He rambles a bit here.
[She FAST FORWARDS the video.]
BARNEY
I begged and I pleaded with her to stop. I didn't think I could take it anymore, you know? Different things from the fridge--
ASHLEY
No, no.
[Ashley FAST FORWARDS the video again.]
BARNEY
...been given an opportunity to learn things. Things that no one else can ever know. And there will be risks. There will be sacrifices. At best, a chance of light death, is maiming, could be in the cards. But what is that in the face of knowing the truth, the truth about humankind? Oh. Hey, glue guy. Glue guy, I just lost another fingernail. What do I gotta do? Where are you? Ah. Don't sneak up on me like that. Anyway.... Good luck, new guy. Just keep your head up, keep your eyes open. And stay away from anything, anything radioactive. I don't care how cute and fluffy it is. And you tell Helen.... You tell Helen that.... Tell her that Barney says hello. She'll know what that means. Anyway, I gotta get someone to husk down my corns--
No, no, no. Let's just forget about the very disturbing fact that you have a basement full of monsters and your butler shouldn't exist. Let's talk about you and this guy, okay? [Will walks over to a nearby display cabinet shelf and picks up a framed photo of Albert Einstein and Helen Magnus together.] You claim that your first patient was Montague John Druitt, a man who also happens to be Scotland Yard's prime suspect in the Ripper killings in 1888.
MAGNUS
I told you he could bend dimensional space. -Why not time as well?
WILL
-So he's the actual Ripper? Come on, you can't know that, not for sure.
But you said that Ashley was your flesh and blood, so --
MAGNUS
She is. I kept the embryo frozen for over a century, until I could bear the loneliness no longer. I brought it to term, believing John was gone for good. I underestimated his determination.
WILL
How is any of this possible?
MAGNUS
When you treat beings with extraordinary powers, sometimes the rewards are.... Well, unexpected.
WILL
-So that means that you....
MAGNUS
-I am 157 years old.
[Will LAUGHS.]
MAGNUS
Weren't you leaving? Your gratuitous jello awaits.
WILL
You know, I hoped that at least you would be normal.
MAGNUS
Sorry to disappoint.
WILL
Can you promise me that I'm not going to end up like Barney?
MAGNUS
No, I can't do that. But I can promise you the adventure of many, many lifetimes. Shall we begin?
