ACT FOUR

FADE IN:

INT. EGYPTIAN TEMPLE - INNER CHAMBER - SHORT TIME LATER

The room is in an absolute shambles. It is obvious that Xena has attempted to use every single piece of furniture or wall decoration to try and open the door.

Xena lifts a marble statue and walks over, hurling it against the door in an act of utter frustration. It smashes to bits with a huge noise but the portal remains untouched.

XENA

(yelling)

Son of a Bacchae.

Gabrielle enters.

GABRIELLE

Thanks. I was having a

little trouble finding you.

Xena turns and picks up a goblet, flinging it against the far wall. It bounces off and lands with a clatter.

XENA

Damn it.

Gabrielle walks to her and removes the Eye of Hephaestus from under her robes.

GABRIELLE

Got it.

Xena stares at the Eye.

GABRIELLE

(Cont’d)

Did you find Ares?

XENA

Oh, I found him all right. He's got

some guy with a dog's head

breaking up the chakram in THERE!

Gabrielle looks at the door.

GABRIELLE

In there? What do you

mean, breaking it?

Xena sits down in the one remaining chair. She is visibly upset.

XENA

He's splitting it up into its

dark and light sides.

(beat, disgustedly)

Guess which one he wants.

Gabrielle walks to the inner door and studies it.

GABRIELLE

To draw you back to him?

XENA

Something like that.

Gabrielle shakes her head.

GABRIELLE

Same old, same old.

(sighing)

Well, we've got the Eye.

Let's go use it.

Xena gets up and walks over to Gabrielle. She takes the Eye from her, and looks at it.

XENA

You got it. Their goddess

just gave it up?

GABRIELLE

No. Qetesh had it. She's

their goddess of love.

XENA

And?

GABRIELLE

(coolly)

I gave her something

she valued in return.

Xena stares at Gabrielle. Gabrielle looks evenly back at her. After a minute, Xena's eyes drop.

XENA

All right. Let's go.

Xena and Gabrielle turn to leave, when they hear running footsteps approaching.

GABRIELLE

Uh oh.

XENA

Yeah. C'mon.

Xena pulls Gabrielle behind the door in the room and holds her tightly as the door bursts open and a squad of Egyptian guards rushes in. They look at the destruction in the room.

The leader of the guards tries the inner door, then turns around, apparently satisfied.

GUARD CAPTAIN

That way! They must be

headed for the treasury!

The guards rush out. After a moment of quiet, Xena swings the door open and releases Gabrielle. They peer out the door cautiously, then leave at a run.

CUT TO:

INT. ARES’ TEMPLE - NIGHT

Ares stands in the center of his temple. He is surrounded by a dark purple glow, which outlines his body and lights up the inside of the temple.

ARES

Mmm.....  How could I

have let this go?

He slowly begins to turn. As he does, light extends out and touches the interior of the temple. Where it touches, the temple transforms from a beaten up, rubble filled room to a seductive palace.

The broken altar is remade, and the walls close in and become whole and draped with scarlet and black velvet.

Ares holds the Dark Chakram up. It is a familiar perfect circle, with glowing stones in its rim, simple and glittering with power.

ARES

(Cont’d)

Now for the fun part.

Ares closes his eyes and outside a rumble of thunder is heard.

CUT TO:

INT/ EGYPTIAN TEMPLE - CATACOMBS - NIGHT

Xena and Gabrielle run down the hallway towards an open door, with the squad of soldiers pelting after them.  They raced into the room and in perfect synchronicity, draw their weapons, turn to face their pursuers, and let out yells at the top of their voices.

XENA AND GABRIELLE

YEAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

The guards find themselves in a fight for their lives. They battle Xena and Gabrielle, but it soon becomes obvious they are way overmatched.

Xena engages the closest one, trading slashes between her sword and his curved ax like weapon. He tries to hack her hand off, but Xena whirls and hooks the axe on her sword blade, pulling the man over her shoulder and dumping him on the floor.

Gabrielle catches another man's curved, sharp hook on her sais, booting him in the groin as they struggle to overcome each other. The man bends over, and Gabrielle pulls her sais loose and slams the hilts of them on the top of his head. He falls.

Two other men attack in a group, two of them attempting to spit Gabrielle and Xena on their spears, while the others stab at them with swords.

Working as a team, Xena and Gabrielle disarm them one after the other, Xena grabbing one man's sword arm while Gabrielle kicks the sword out of his hand, then Gabrielle letting a spear go past her and catching hold of it as Xena leaps into the air and turns in a flip, catching them man around the neck with both feet and sending him to the ground.

GUARD CAPTAIN

They are demons!

XENA

Not this time.

Xena slugs a guard, who flips backwards over Gabrielle's kneeling form. Gabrielle nails him in the jaw with her elbow as he falls.

The last man turns and runs, calling for help.

Xena dusts her hands off, and sheathes her sword. She grabs Gabrielle's arm and they run down the steps into the catacombs.

CUT TO:

EXT. ARES’ TEMPLE - MORNING

The sun rises over Ares restored temple. He walks outside and stretches, admiring his handiwork.  In front of the temple is a road, and as he looks down the road, we can see towns in the distance.

There is a gong outside.  Ares picks up the ringer next to it and lets fly, making the gong ring out with a hideous noise.

The echoes flow down the road. Far off, moving figures stop, and look up towards the temple.

Ares looks behind him. The restored temple glows with a red/gold light, throbbing against the clouds.  He laughs. He beats the gong again and again, sending out a call the people below seem to hear, and begin to obey.

CUT TO:

EXT. SHIP - AT SEA - EVENING

Gabrielle sits near the bow. It is overcast, and a spray comes over the boat's rail from the stormy seas. Gabrielle's face is roughly the same color as the water, and she looks miserable.

Xena appears and sits down next to her. She holds a cup, and after swirling it in her hands, she offers it to Gabrielle.

XENA

This should help.

Gabrielle takes the cup. She drinks from it, then sets it down and looks out at the clouds.

GABRIELLE

I'm sorry now we ran for the boat.

XENA

It was the last one back home,

Gabrielle. You rather walk?

GABRIELLE

Let me get back to you on that.

They sit quietly together for a while.

XENA

I've been thinking.

GABRIELLE

Mm.

XENA

This time it has to be for good,

Gabrielle. We can't just... bust up

whatever game Ares is playing this time.

Gabrielle shifts and looks at Xena.

GABRIELLE

Ah. For the greater good, right?

Xena rests her arm on her knee and shakes her head.

XENA

No. For us.

GABRIELLE

Us?

XENA

As long as he's out there, he'll

want me. As long as he wants me,

you and I will never have peace.

Gabrielle seems speechless. Xena doesn't look at her. She studies the endless sea.

XENA

(Cont’d)

I want peace.

(nodding)

For us.

Gabrielle turns and faces Xena.

GABRIELLE

Xena, I'm going to ask you

something, and I want you to tell

me the truth, no matter what it is.

Xena waits.

GABRIELLE

(Cont’d)

Is he your father?

Xena seems almost relieved at the question, as though she had been expecting something else.

XENA

No.

GABRIELLE

Even though he....

XENA

Even though he said so. He lied.

Gabrielle nods.

XENA

(Cont’d)

Now, I'm gonna ask you

something, and I want the truth.

Gabrielle waits.

XENA

(Cont’d)

About the Eye....

GABRIELLE

It was given to Qetesh as

protection, from Set,

the god of lust.

XENA

Yeah, but....

GABRIELLE

I traded her one

protection for another.

Xena frowns, then her eyes go from Gabrielle's face to her back, hidden under her cloak. She looks back at Gabrielle's face in question.  Gabrielle smiles.

XENA

You gave up the dragon?

Gabrielle, that....

GABRIELLE

That was meant... to replace you.

Gabrielle looks out over the sea.

GABRIELLE

(Cont’d)

You had them give it to me because

you knew you wouldn't be around any

more and you thought it would help me.

Xena is silent.

GABRIELLE

(Cont’d)

I hated it.

Xena nods in understanding.

XENA

This is not going to be easy.

By the time we get back, he'll have

had time to build up a following.

GABRIELLE

Whatever it takes, we'll do it.

Gabrielle puts her hand on Xena's cheek, then she leans forward and kisses her passionately. They part.

XENA

Feeling better?

Gabrielle smiles.

GABRIELLE

Much. You?

Xena nods, and also smiles. The ship pitches up suddenly, and crashes down and a wave sweeps over the bow and drenches them.

CUT TO:

EXT. ARES’ TEMPLE - WEEKS LATER - NIGHT

The scene is totally different now. Outside Ares' temple is a huge camp, full of hundreds of men and women.  Ares' banner flies over the tent, and it is obvious these are his new acolytes.

It is a camp of war, with weapons stacked everywhere, and men sparring in every corner, hoping to attract Ares eye. But there are women here also. Fighting, and as servants. They cook and clean around the fighters, wearing Ares' red colors tied to their upper arms proudly.

Ares’ Temple is now a magnificent edifice. Gold panels line the front, and the steps have been laid with marble slabs. Torches line the entrance, and a line of guards stands before the temple, weapons shined to an almost painful glare.

Ares appears on the roof of his temple, laying down on his side and reviewing his new worshippers with a big, sexy grin.

ARES

Now this is more like it.

A group of six men march up the steps, bearing a chest. They walk inside the temple.

ARES

(Cont’d)

Oo... Wonder if there’s

a virgin in there.

Ares laughs, then he rolls over and looks up at the stars, putting his hands behind his head.

ARES

(Cont’d)

Perfect.

(pausing)

Almost.

Ares sits up and dangles his legs off the edge of the roof. He looks out into the darkness... past the crowd, past the torches.

ARES

(Cont’d)

Where are you, Xena? I can

feel you out there... I know

you can feel me calling you.

Ares lifts the Dark Chakram and looks up at the moon through it.

ARES

(Cont’d)

You can feel this. You want it.

You always have.

(pausing)

Come to me.

Ares closes his eyes, and the chakram glows.

CUT TO:

WOODS OUTSIDE ARES’ TEMPLE - NIGHT - SAME TIME

A bar of moonlight outlines Xena's eyes.  She stands in the shadows of the trees, looking out over Ares' new temple, and the crowd around it.

Gabrielle steps up next to her.

GABRIELLE

Look at them.

XENA

Fools.

Gabrielle hesitantly shakes her head.

GABRIELLE

Are they? Maybe some people do

need something to believe in, Xena.

Xena turns and looks at her as though she has lost her mind.

XENA

What?

Gabrielle smiles briefly.

GABRIELLE

I don't mean him. In general. I used

to think somewhere out there, I'd

find something I could put my faith in.

That I could believe in and have

that make my life make sense.

Xena's lips tense.

XENA

Guess you know better now, huh?

Gabrielle smiles and looks at Xena, though Xena can't see her in the dark.