| ACT I
6. EXT. DESERT - MID-DAY
The figure trips and falls for a moment before getting to its feet
and continuing towards them.
GABRIELLE
I suppose that qualifies as something new.
XENA
Come on, Gabrielle!
Xena clicks with her tongue and then hits her camel lightly with her
heels to send it into a quick trot towards the fallen figure. Gabrielle follows after her.
CUT TO:
Xena comes to a stop a few yards from the stumbling figure who is
the same woman from the tomb. She gets off her camel and rushes towards the woman who
falls down onto her hands and knees in the sand.
Xena reaches her and crouches down, pulling the top off of the water
skin and offering it to her.
XENA
You all right?
Gabrielle rides up and gets off her camel, rushing to Xena’s
side.
GABRIELLE
What happened?
The woman takes a sip of water before glancing at Xena and
Gabrielle. She glances back over her shoulder and then back at them.
WOMAN
(breathlessly)
W... We must go. Quickly...
Xena offers a hand and helps the woman to her feet before glancing
out over the empty sand dunes.
XENA
I don’t know who you think is following you, but there
isn’t anyone there –
WOMAN
No, you don’t understand. The dead have risen. It’s not a who…
it’s a what.
Just as Gabrielle is about respond, a scream is heard. They all turn
to see a lone mummy on the horizon line.
He stands still, gazing at the three women. Then he lets out another
scream and begins to stagger slowly in their direction.
Xena glances at Gabrielle and then at the woman.
XENA
Let's go.
WOMAN
You have no idea how relieved I am to have found you.
XENA
I’m Xena and this is Gabrielle.
She motions to Gabrielle who smiles and nods. The woman eyes them
for a moment, especially Gabrielle, before responding.
WOMAN
I’m Airyn.
Xena pulls herself up on her camel and reaches down to help
Gabrielle up behind her. Airyn pauses a moment, looking at the figure staggering towards
them, then climbs up onto Gabrielle’s camel and clicks gently with her tongue,
sending the camel in a trot back towards civilization.
Gabrielle wraps her arms around Xena’s waist and looks over her
shoulder at the horizon line.
GABRIELLE
We’re definitely getting to see something interesting out here.
XENA
(jokingly)
Hang on tight. We wouldn’t want you to fall.
With that Xena clicks her tongue and follows after Airyn.
CUT TO:
7. EXT. DESERT – MID-DAY
The mummy stops for a moment and watches as the two camels and their
riders vanish off into the desert. As he watches we pan down the hill behind him to see
hundreds of mummies making their way slowly after him.
CUT TO:
8. EXT. MEMPHIS – LATE DAY
Xena, Gabrielle, and Airyn are heading down a busy market street on
foot, Airyn leaning in and speaking quickly to them. They pass a stall filled with bolts
of fabric and various blankets and bags and hats. A small monkey sits quietly on the edge
of the table, eating dates.
XENA
We should find someone who might know what's going on.
AIRYN
I know of a very wise man that works at the palace. He knows a great
deal about this area and should be able to help us.
GABRIELLE
Airyn, if you don’t mind my asking, what were you doing so far
out in the desert?
Airyn stops and glances at Xena for a moment before answering.
AIRYN
I was searching for the truth.
GABRIELLE
The truth?
Gabrielle throws Xena a puzzled look, which is met with a smile.
They start walking again.
AIRYN
Yes, the truth. History, as we know it, is wrong. It is written by
bar... by those who glorify and shift it to meet their view of it. They are incapable of
reflecting the truth behind events.
Gabrielle catches what she is saying and looks a bit offended,
although she tries not to show it.
GABRIELLE
I don’t agree with that. Bards record human history as they
perceive it –
AIRYN
(impassioned)
But that’s the problem. They write it as they see it. If they,
for example, love the person they speak of...
(she glances at Xena)
...they shift the truth behind the events to reflect that person in
a favorable light. They are incapable of recording the facts.
(pause)
There are so few who record the facts.
GABRIELLE
But by writing events as we perceive them we are showing the human
quality in the event. It is a reflection of one's soul.
AIRYN
But, the emotions of the soul will be of no use to future
generations. The facts still remain wrong.
GABRIELLE
I don’t agree with that.
AIRYN
Of course you don’t. If you did, you wouldn’t record
Xena’s life as you do. You’d record the facts. That way, she would be preserved
for who she is and not for who you see her to be.
GABRIELLE
But I know who she is. Better than anyone...
Gabrielle grows quiet. Xena, who hasn’t been paying much
attention, takes the momentary silence as an opportunity to ask a question.
XENA
Airyn, how far are we from the palace?
AIRYN
Not far, just ahead.
As they weave through the city, the light becomes the golden hue of
late afternoon.
CUT TO:
9. EXT. PALACE COURTYARD - SUNSET
The white walls of the courtyard are bathed in a rich golden light,
casting long shadows across the ground. A slight breeze blows, rustling the palms and
causing their shadows to create the illusion of figures waltzing.
Airyn leads them off to the left to a small door and knocks
confidently at it. Behind her, servants rush about carrying torches, and lighting oil
lamps to ward off the night.
Suddenly the door opens and an old, bald man peers out and then
smiles upon seeing Airyn and opens the door.
AIRYN
Nefertum, it’s good to see you.
She embraces him warmly.
NEFERTUM
It’s always nice to see you my child.
AIRYN
This is Xena and Gabrielle.
She pauses a moment to allow him to recognize the names she has
spoken.
AIRYN
(continued)
They saved my life.
At this last bit Nefertum’s thoughts are interrupted and he
turns to her with worry evident in his eyes.
NEFERTUM
What?! Are you all right? What happened?
He glances at Airyn, then at Xena and Gabrielle, then back to Airyn
again.
AIRYN
Let’s go inside and I’ll tell you all about it. We need
your advice.
He smiles and then ushers everyone through the door. As they enter,
the last rays of sunlight dip behind the horizon and dusk falls upon Memphis.
CUT TO:
10. INT. NEFERTUM’S QUARTERS – EVENING
Nefertum’s quarters are cluttered with scrolls and various
Egyptian artifacts. He goes to a low couch and removes a pile of scrolls, indicating that
they should sit while he collects another chair and pulls it up so he can face them.
NEFERTUM
Now tell me what happened, Airyn.
AIRYN
I was at Saqqara last night, doing research.
She leans forward and looks deep into Nefertum’s eyes.
AIRYN
(continued)
They awoke.
NEFERTUM
Who awoke?
AIRYN
The dead.
NEFERTUM
Are you certain?
AIRYN
Yes.
Nefertum frowns and then gets up and begins to dig through a pile of
scrolls on a low table.
NEFERTUM
Tell me exactly what you were doing when it happened -
AIRYN
(cutting him off)
Nefertum, there must be some explanation. Surely it must be a hoax
or something. The dead do not simply arise. You can’t bring the dead back to life!
That’s ridiculous!
Xena and Gabrielle exchange glances and then Xena touches
Airyn’s arm gently.
XENA
I wouldn’t be so sure of that.
Nefertum looks at Xena with a twinkle in his eye.
NEFERTUM
You would know.
Gabrielle glances up at Nefertum.
GABRIELLE
Do you know why this happened?
NEFERTUM
There have been cases when the gods have brought the dead back to
life, but the mummies of Saqqara have been dead too long. Airyn, did you open any of the
sarcophagi?
AIRYN
No. All I found were some scrolls and a book about the -
Airyn puts a hand to her mouth as the others wait for her to finish.
AIRYN
(continued)
It was beautiful, bound in silk with a carved stone cover –
some sort of black stone.
NEFERTUM
And...?
AIRYN
And I read from it. But, it wasn’t anything except prophecy.
Surely it couldn’t have -
NEFERTUM
Airyn, you fool! You must have stumbled upon the Book of Ptah. Lost
for centuries. Did you bring it back with you?
AIRYN
(quietly)
No. The mummy awoke and...
NEFERTUM
There is only one mummy?
AIRYN
I saw one in the tomb... and another outside... but I could hear
them. Clawing to get out.
She shivers at the memory of it and then glances at the window and
at the torchlight flickering outside. The breeze has begun to pick up and one of the
shutters on the window bangs open and shut, causing the small lamp Nefertum had lit to
flicker.
XENA
What do we need to do?
Nefertum carries the lamp towards the couch and sits down in his
chair, the lamplight casting shadows upon the walls of the room.
NEFERTUM
We need to get that book.
The wind suddenly howls and bangs the shutter closed again, against
the night.
FADE OUT.
END OF ACT ONE
ACT
II
|
