ACT I

FADE IN:

4. EVE'S DREAMSCAPE - DESERT

Callisto snaps her fingers and a simple, sturdy chair appears behind Eve. The Prophetess looks behind her at the chair, then at Callisto.

Are you ready to be taught, little one?

I don't think I want to know what you have to teach me.

Callisto smirks.

Sit.

Unable to stop herself, Eve complies.

Good girl..

I've seen you...in the throes of bloodlust You enjoyed it, didn't you...Livia.

I'm not Livia...not anymore.

And not any less... Of course you're Livia. You'll always be Livia.

Eve stands, angry, but in control.

I don't need you to tell me who I am.

Apparently, you do. The name you were given is Eve, but the name you grew up with is Livia. So confusing for one of such questionable mental stability anyway...

Callisto circles Eve.

If only you could take a look at yourself...really look at yourself. Maybe a few questions could be answered and we could move on...

Callisto grins, points at Eve, then crooks her finger, beckoning her closer. Eve starts to walk forward.

No...not you.

Something starts to melt out of Eve. Someone with wild Roman-style hair, Roman armor and weapons. The figure steps forward a half-stride then turns around - it's Livia.

With a low growl, Livia pushes Eve down into the chair, then bends down to be nose-to-nose with her. Callisto smirks. Eve grips the armrests of her chair tighter and tighter.

I know who you are, too. A weak, pious, whiney, little nothing!

WE used to be feared. No one, much less that peon Darius, would have dared touch us...not without having their earthly affairs in order.

Livia pushes herself away from Eve, who looks from Callisto to her Roman self. Her knuckles are white from the strain.

Callisto approaches and bends to look her in the eye, her hands on her own knees.

All that power...and you threw it all away. For what? For worthless soldiers like Darius to knock you out and take you back to Rome to be fed to the lions?

Callisto stands up and circles Eve again.

What did you hope to accomplish by letting yourself get pushed around?

All I wanted was peace...

Callisto and Livia laugh.

You of all people should know that peace comes at a cost...

What made you into -

- her?

A-Ares...I followed the War God...

Sure, he's charming, handsome and fills out leathers REALLY well, but that's the WRONG ANSWER! He didn't make you, just shaped you...guided you, if you will. Take responsibility for yourself...don't blame it on Gods or Demons. You have a mind - at least, you USED to - you can think for yourself. What made you YOU? What made even your shadow a thing to be feared?

Eve glares at Livia.

I was ruthless! I wanted power! I wanted to destroy anyone who stood in my way! Because it's in my blood, handed down to me by my mother, Xena!

At the mention of Xena's name, Evil Callisto, a sneer on her lips, circles around the seated Eve.

XENA?! WRONG AGAIN!

She bends down and leans into Eve's face.

Your mother at least took responsibility for her crimes and set out to make them right, no matter who tried to stop her or convince her otherwise...like Ares. You...you run away from your past and hide behind the robes of Eli, shouting non-violence and expecting everything to be okay.

Callisto steps back and straightens up, a pensive look on her face.

Do you know who I am?

No. And why should I care!?

Because you are me.

And I am you...

You may call me, Callisto.

Eve's expression is one of confusion and shock.

CUT TO:

5. CARAVAN

Roman soldiers surround the cage that's being carted by two horses on a well-used desert road. Darius and one other Roman soldier ride on their own horses in the lead of the caravan as the rest walk.

Inside the cage, a few Elijans stand back and eye the unconscious Eve suspiciously. They talk amongst themselves, glancing anxiously at a visibly disturbed Darren.

She's supposed to be a healer...the giver of Eli's word...the prophetess we've all placed our faith in. And she was knocked out by Romans. Eli's supposed to be the one we turn to when things get tough and THIS is what He lets happen?!

Darren watches as a bandage made from the torn remnant of someone's garment, is bound around Eve's forehead. He looks confused and upset.

We all follow the teachings of Eli. Love and Peace. And what does it get us?

The Elijans, hearing his words, murmur among themselves.

It gets us hunted down like animals.

This is His answer to our problems?

The Elijan tending to Eve's injury looks at him while he works.

Sometimes, you have to pay a price to be heard...

Quiet!

The Roman smacks the side of the cage with the flat of his blade.

Darius hears the commotion. He looks at his fellow Praetorian, Gregor, and gives a nod. He pulls back to ride alongside the cage.

No... it's okay.

All of the Elijans, except Darren, shrink back from Darius.

What's your name?

Darren.

Though you may have heard it when Livia said it, I am Darius...not too different a name for two people who are not so different ourselves, right?

Why do you keep calling her Livia? She is Eve.

Be that as it may, I knew her as Livia. She was my commander.

Some of the Elijans look confused... others, like Darren, look indifferent..

She is Eve, now...

Yes, I think we've covered that. You know her as a pious mouthpiece for -

Eli... and I know her as the Bitch of Rome, one of the most blood-thirsty warlords the Empire had in its employ.

Surely you knew all of that...

Darius gives a kick to the side of his steed and rides ahead, leaving the Elijans to stew in the thought.

Is he telling us the truth?

No... he's Roman. His words aren't to be trusted.

I've heard the name Livia before. Could Eve really be... HER?

Quiet...it's just a Roman mind-trick. Divide and conquer. If Eve were really Livia, do you think we'd be where we are right now? Livia wouldn't be able to stop herself from gutting them all...

... or us, too?

CUT TO:

6. EVE'S DREAMSCAPE - DESERT

Callisto and Livia are facing Eve, who looks surprised.

You're Callisto?

The one and only.

Thank the Gods for that. If there were two of you, there wouldn't be any world left to conquer...

Don't forget, Livia... you are me and I am you..

What is it with you?

What do you mean?

Who are you trying to fool with this holier-than-thou peacenik act?

It's not an act. I saw my evil ways... Eli showed me the way. I have to make up for what I've done.

He might have showed you the way, but you aren't using it wisely! You've lost your 'edge' sweetie. You're getting people killed.

Or is that your intention?

No! It's not my intention!

Oh. Well. You could've fooled me.

You've got to know there are better ways to accomplish making up for your past deeds...

Like you would know.

Oh, I would... You see...

Around them, the scene changes to Cirra, the day Xena came to town. The village is in chaos with fire consuming everything around that burns. Men, women and children run insanely back and forth. The soldiers wear the sigil of Xena's army. Others are just normal villagers.

My life changed forever that day.

Callisto gestures to her younger self, who is in the chaos behind Eve. Eve turns to look just as her mother rides up. The Conqueror and the child look at each other for a beat or two before Xena whoops and rides off.

I couldn't shake the sight of Xena's cold blue eyes staring into mine. They were imprinted on my mind and always, through everything that happened, they were the first things I saw when I awoke and last things I saw when I fell asleep. From that day on, I could think of nothing but revenge...

In a whirl, the scene around them changes to the ladder fight between Xena and Callisto. Gabrielle, in the brown halter and skirt with blue trim of her days as an Amazon princess, dangles above a bed of razor sharp stakes, all of which are at least four feet high.

The ropes holding her up are just starting to burn through.

Callisto is fighting to prevent Xena from savng Gabrielle from a very painful end...

Ooh...check this out...

Callisto spins on her ladder in her attack on Xena.

I love that part...

I hated Xena for what she'd done to me, and my hatred blinded me to what I had become...and what she had made of herself...

The scene around them changes to the Roman prison in "Ides of March." Gabrielle, in her prisoner's rags, is slicing and dicing Roman soldiers as a wounded Xena looks on through her tears.

I had no idea that what I did that day would make Gabrielle see that even Xena could need to be protected and that if she wasn't going to do it, who would?

What do you mean what YOU did?

I broke Xena's back with her own chakram. Quite poetic when you think about it. I helped set up what was going to happen in our Afterlife...

The scene then changes to Hell. Demon Callisto and Demon Gabrielle are fighting. Callisto crouches to observe her demon self.

A little moisturizer might clear that up...

I knew what Xena professed to do - she claimed to fight for the Greater Good. I just could not believe it. The same woman who terrorized the world with her ruthlessness was going around trying to do good to make up for the things she'd done? What a crock. She couldn't bring my family back.

Archangel Xena, followed by a few others, arrive in Hell.

Gabrielle is grabbed and taken to Heaven to be purified, but Xena looks at Callisto, regret etched on her face.

I never really believed any of it until this day... the day she gave up her place in Heaven for me.

Xena touches Callisto and in a flash of light, their roles are reversed.

The warrior princess becomes a vicious, snarling demon and Callisto is taken to Heaven, clad in white without a shred of evil in her eyes. Meanwhile, Xena begins to plan an attack on Heaven.

With a wave of Callisto's hand, the scene goes back to the desert.

She was eventually saved, of course, by Gabrielle, big shock there. But I finally understood everything. I finally understood how a bloodthirsty warlord like your mother could make that complete turn around.

Although it was a little too late for you, right?

It's never too late.

Why are you telling me all of this? What does this have to do with me?

Callisto is oddly patient with Eve, rolling her eyes back into her head and breathing; however, Livia has lost any shred of patience she had and advances, ready to kick some sense into Eve, but the self-proclaimed Warrior Queen puts her arm out to stop her.

Look, you little twerp. The sooner you realize that you weren't cut out for this pious Eli crap, the sooner I get to come back!

But I don't want you to come back...

Well, we don't always get what we want now, do we?

You might do better to remember that yourself.

In her own crude way, Livia is right. There are going to be circumstances where your mother won't be able to get you out of trouble...how you've survived so long without fighting back is beyond me, and don't give me that Eli crap.

If I die, then it is Eli's will. If I live, that, too, is Eli's will.

Tell me something.

Isn't there a part of you that sees someone doing wrong and you just want to stop them?

Yes, of course... I stop them and tell them about the love of Eli.

Livia rolls her eyes and pushes away from Callisto.

How often has that worked? Honestly...

Eve considers this.

Sometimes, the only way to stop someone from doing harm to someone else is to -

RUN THEM THROUGH!

Take up arms against them.

But it's against the will of Eli.

So, is letting someone kill you and your loved ones, or sell you into slavery, the will of Eli?

Y-yes...it's a test of faith. Besides, who are you to talk to me about saving people? You've never spared anyone.

I know...but there comes a time when you have to fight back, to fight for the Greater Good...

And you call ME weak... isn't she also saying everything you're against?

Yeah, I do. Callisto is saying that you should try to stand up for yourself and your friends because no one else is going to. The only one who is going to protect you is you.

No. Eli watches over us.

I'm not saying stop believing in Eli. I'm saying that if you want to live to spread His word, you need to take up arms and protect yourself.

Do you want others to spill blood to protect you?

Are you willing to live with your mother's death because you wouldn't protect yourself?

Martyrs are all well and good, but they're no longer here to spread the word of their Gods...

No! Eli tells us to love and respect each other. To do unto others as you would have them do unto you...

Then, following that train of thought, if someone hits you, wouldn't it be only fair - and perfectly within the doctrines of Eli - to hit them back or to stop them from hitting someone else?

Violence only begets violence. The way to end violence is through love.

You sound so much like Gabrielle, but she finally realized that it does no good to let other people fight and die because you refuse to defend yourself.

I can't! I can't!! I can't!!! I've done so much evil that the only way I can make up for it is to let myself be killed if that is my fate.

Livia grunts and walks away with her arms crossed.

Callisto squats down in front of the seated Eve and places her hands on Eve's knees.

Even in Heaven the Archangels bare arms, Eve. There's a reason for it! It's to FIGHT evil! To defend the faith!

Eve studies Callisto for a moment and shakes her head.

No! I don't trust you! And I don't believe you!

Callisto stands and begins to pace.

Okay...let's try this... Do you know what I meant when I said I was you and you are me?

No.

Of course not...

The scene around them changes. They are now in a cave. Xena and Gabrielle's bodies, with the stigmata of crucifixion, lay on cold gray slabs. Eli, Amarice and Joxer are there. Eli has placed a hand on the heads of both women and is deep in prayer.

The battle raged between the demons of hell and the angels of heaven. Xena, Gabrielle and Michael fought bravely against the minions of evil. However, Eli's prayers to his God brought back the souls of Xena and Gabrielle.

And soon after Xena was sent back to her body, I was sent back as a messenger...

Good Callisto steps out from within Evil Callisto, her white robes brighter next to her once-evil counterpart.

Xena and Gabrielle are resurrected and the reunion with Amarice, Joxer and Eli is joyous.

I was sent back as you.

As such, I am part of the reason you were and are so powerful.

Our essence merged with a little bit of Xena and a little bit of Gabrielle -

- and made you.

But the gods were petty, jealous and fearful... They didn't want their powers usurped by a god more powerful... They wanted to destroy us... They felt they had to destroy us because we were the messenger that was to teach the people that evil ways can be changed... that forgiveness was the way to find peace... And they nearly succeeded.

And in order to protect you - or rather US - the Bringer of the Twilight, from the Gods, Xena had to hide you with Augustus.

And from that, you should know that the best peacekeeper is the one who has experienced the horrors of war -

- but instead, you followed Ares...giving him control over your destiny. Instead of following mother's example, you let Ares manipulate your thinking and by doing so, you became a puppet who now allows guilt to rule your actions. Now...you let others die for you instead of facing your problems. How pathetic.

The scene changes back to the desert.

Do you think I want that to happen? Do you think I want people to die for me? I want peace.

Everyone wants peace, Eve, the only problem is that you have to fight for it.

Utopia doesn't exist on earth...you have to shape your own in your time here.

Fight back.

'Cause if you don't, others will dominate you...they will put you beneath their boot and stomp on you because you won't stop them.

CUT TO:

7. CARAVAN - DAY

Eve is unconscious in the cage. The Elijans are sitting on the dirt floor of the cage, praying. Some are brooding, but none more so than Darren.

A Roman foot soldier smacks the cage with the flat of his blade then laughs as the Elijans jump and babies cry.

Darren looks into the Roman's eyes, his own eyes burning with anger and hatred.

The soldier approaches Darren and looks at him with a superior, smug look. He then reaches up, grabs Darren by the face and pushes him backwards into his fellow Elijans.

Darius, up ahead, hears the commotion and turns the horse around to see what happened.

Darius hears the commotion and pulls his horse around to investigate.

What's going on here?

Darren stands and rubs his left arm.

Like you care.

I don't want the lions to receive damaged goods.

Darius goes back to the front of the caravan. Darren's rage is starting to bubble over.

Relax, Darren...trust in Eli.

Darren snaps his gaze towards the Elijan.

Yeah, I'll trust that Eli is giving his Romans plenty of amusement.

Darren sits in a corner of the cage, his angry, brooding eyes on the unconscious Eve.

END ACT I

FADE TO BLACK:

ACT II