! ! ! ! ! ! ! “Paradise” by! Chris !Haigh ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Based on ‘Runaways’, a publication, and characters created by Brian K. Vaughan & FADE IN: INT. UNDERWATER TEMPLE - MAIN - NIGHT The BEAM OF LIGHT continues to pulse through the dome of the chamber, illuminating the faces below: THE , in various states of disarray, all looking up in something almost like reverence. Almost. ALEX WILDER stands amongst them. At the back are our heroes - , , , and . GIBBORIM We demand the sacrifice. Only then will our powers be restored and - BOOOOOMMM!! A back wall of the chamber EXPLODES in a sea of brick and debris! Everyone is sent skittering back, the Gibborim themselves taking a small step back as the dust clears, revealing...... THE LEAPFROG, with a familiar face at the helm: ! ON CHASE as he ducks his head out of the cockpit window. He WHISTLES. CHASE Sorry. Was I interrupting? VICTOR What the Hell are you doing in that? You break her, I swear I'll - GERT Try it, Mr Stein, and your last words will be just those. KAROLINA (to Nico) What do we do? NICO I'm thinking! ALEX Dad! We have to finish the ritual now or - 2.

LESLIE So you can cheat us and our family out of paradise? Not a chance, squirt. TINA Try it, you freak and I'll - MOLLY (O.S.) (screams) Stop it!! All eyes snap to MOLLY. She's on the ledge, the GLOWING ORB containing the soul of the unfortunate Mandy in her hands. CATHERINE Molly... be careful. That has a little girl's soul in it. MOLLY I know! All you do is fight and hurt people! And I won't let you do this! GEOFFERY Little girl... put it down, right now. MOLLY No! I'm not scared of you or those big monsters who want to kill everyone! You're just mean, bad people! Dale and Stacey take a step towards Molly, but Nico stops them, STAFF OF ONE ready. NICO Try it and I zap you back to the Dark Ages. ROBERT We're running out of time! Someone just kill her! GENE No! ON THE GIBBORIM as he leans down, looking right at Molly: GIBBORIM Who is this weak child? MOLLY I'm a hero... She SWINGS the orb around, right into a wall... 3.

MOLLY (CONT'D) And my name is Princess Powerful! BANG! The orb EXPLODES, shattering into glass under Molly's superhuman strength - and the BLUE ENERGY inside EVAPORATES instantly with a SIGH! A beat. And then the entire temple begins to SHAKE violently, the energy from the portal changing from a serene turquoise to a BLAZING RED! GIBBORIM The Rite has been disrupted! You will pay for this! CHASE Well, crap. GIBBORIM The children will die first. The progeny shall be removed. Nico and the others step forward. NICO Nice try, ugly, but I think you've picked on the wrong kids. GIBBORIM You are nothing but the dust beneath our feet, particles that will form the throne on which we shall sit and... NICO (to Karolina; sotto) Oh my God, he's really doing the entire 'evil guy speech' thing. KAROLINA He really is. The whole thing. GIBBORIM Your interference has doomed you all. ALEX (O.S.) No! The Gibborim turn to Alex who moves to face them directly, standing tall and proud. 4.

ALEX (CONT'D) It's time for me to face my mistakes. I'm the one who led to your ritual being disrupted. I'm the one behind this. Don't punish my parents. I'm an adult now. I should be treated like one. GIBBORIM (long beat) We can respect your decision, child. Consider it done. And the Gibborim's hand PULSES with FIRE, it pulsing down...... and INCINERATING Alex instantly, he barely getting out the chance to SCREAM! Karolina SCREAMS in horror, Catherine falling to her knees in shock, utterly apoplectic with grief! Alex’s corpse drops to the ground, a singed SKELETON with the skull’s mouth caught in a death grimace! GEOFFERY (distraught) No! You bastards! GIBBORIM All these years of work... of sacrifice... they have all been for nothing. You have been undone by your offspring. Your progeny have led to your downfall, the unravelling of years of sacrifice. (beat) We shall continue with your destruction and that of your kin! The entire Pride scatters as FIRE blooms across where they were stood moments ago! ON NICO as she gazes at the beam of light, still pulsing strong. She wipes away unshed tears. NICO (beat) Gert, find something mirrored. Something reflective. GERT What, why? NICO Because that beam could tear a hole in LA and we need to stop it. Chase! 5.

CHASE Yo! NICO If that thing has a weapons system, send something right for this beam when I say so! CHASE Okay. NICO Karolina... use all your mojo on that thing when I tell you to! ON GERT as she grabs part of the shattered orb, cutting her fingers in the process but ignoring this. ON CHASE as he starts pushing buttons and pulling levers. ON KAROLINA as she charges up, ENERGY collecting around her hands. NICO (CONT'D) Ready.... now! Chase FIRES a blast of ENERGY at the beam, Gert flinging the glass up into the beam of light: And it CHANNELS backwards, spiking off into different directions and PUNCHING holes in the entire chamber! Karolina PUSHES with her energy, several of the smaller beams cutting off and becoming one massive BEAM...... which SLAMS right into the Gibborim, KNOCKING them back a little as the energy of the portal channels right back into them! CHASE Nice one, Sister Grimm! MOLLY How did you know that work? NICO I didn't. I think I saw something like it in a movie once. ON THE PRIDE as the Gibborim flails, sending a GOUT of FLAME which ignites several pieces of equipment...... and sends a massive EXPLOSION out across the entire chamber! Nico tucks Molly down, covering her body with her own - but Karolina brings her hands up: 6.

And a SHIMMERING FORCEFIELD forms around her hands, shielding herself, Nico, Molly, Gert and Old Lace! ON KAROLINA as she keeps up focus, her entire body glowing and shimmering with energy. NICO Kar! KAROLINA Now might be a good time for a plan, Nico, because I am exhausted and the sun isn't coming up for another eight hours. GERT Problem! Nico looks up to where Gert is pointing - several of the beams of energy have punched HOLES in the ceiling, WATER beginning to pound through into the chamber! NICO Chase, fire up the... whatever the hell that thing is! Evacuate now! The group move forward as the fire settles, smoke settling as the Gibborim are revealed once more: Two of them have already been dragged and pushed backwards through the portal while the lead one is still clinging on! GIBBORIM This is not the design! Our Paradise is gone! You cannot have done this! It is illogical! ON NICO as she leads the group to the Leapfrog, leaping over flames and keeping her eyes on the target. ON GEOFFERY as he cradles the body of Catherine, she gravely injured. GEOFFERY We almost had it all. CATHERINE (weak smile) It was fun while it lasted. Twenty five years at the top... Geoffery looks around - some of the Pride are dying. Janet Stein is still and pale. Gene Hayes is convulsing in his death throes. All being comforted by loved ones. ON TINA as she looks around - and brings up a SHIELD of MAGIC against the Gibborim who tries to claw at her! 7.

TINA Go! We'll buy you time! Nico looks over, sharing a brief look with her mother, something unspoken in that look - and then she's off, racing to the Leapfrog. The back of the Leapfrog is opening up, the ramp emerging, and Molly and Karolina are the first on board. ON DALE AND STACEY, the pair clinging to each other as they lie trapped beneath a COLUMN. They watch Gert and Old Lace race up the ramp into the Leapfrog. DALE Looks like we're empty nesters now, love. They hold each other as the end comes. INT. LEAPFROG - CARGO ENTRANCE - SAME TIME ON CHASE, standing at the edge of the ramp, hurrying the girls on board. He stops Gert, GRINS at her. CHASE Milady. She blushes, shoves at his shoulder and moves on off-screen. Nico is the last one on board, Chase moving past her. CHASE (CONT'D) Strap in, I need to grab something. NICO Chase, what - But he's gone, racing down the ramp. ON NICO as she looks around, taking in the inside of the Leapfrog. It's a single space with a pair of PILOT and CO-PILOT SEATS up front and more behind them in neat rows of padded seats, some along the walls. INSTRUMENT PANELS line at least two of the walls with plenty of screens and equipment to accompany it. ON NICO as she takes a seat beside Karolina, the pair buckling up. In front, Gert is in the co-pilot chair while Molly and Old Lace share another row of seats in the back along a wall. 8.

Nico grips her staff tightly. Karolina lays a hand on her forearm comfortingly. The pair look out through the windshield. INT. UNDERWATER TEMPLE - MAIN CHAMBER - SAME TIME ON CHASE as he races out, finding a scene of utter destruction out there. Entire CHUNKS of the ceiling have caved in, massive waves of water piling in by the second. EXPLOSIONS are springing up all over, some dampened by the incoming whatever. Tina and the Gibborim are still fighting, MAGICAL ENERGY cutting chunks of masonry out of the walls as we move on. Tina's looking hurt, almost down but not out yet. Chase hurries over to Alex's charred skeleton and removes the fistigons from the remains of his hands. He examines them for a second - they're charred but still good despite the intense flames. VICTOR (O.S.) Son. Chase looks up - VICTOR is sat, a WOUND in his chest. He's dying. VICTOR (CONT'D) I just... wanted you to know that... CHASE (angry) No. You don't... you don’t get to do that. Not to me. Not now. And Chase races off back to the Leapfrog, fistigons in hand. ON VICTOR as he watches him go, sad realisation in his face...... just as a massive CHUNK from the ceiling drops down towards him. INT. LEAPFROG - NEXT ON CHASE as he races into the pilot's chair, handing the fistigons over to Gert. GERT Seriously? That's disgusting. CHASE And yet you'll find it endearing, honeybunch. 9.

NICO Stop... flirting or whatever it is you're doing and get us out of here! THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD, we see another swathe of ceiling fall and crash to the ground, ENERGY and water causing a maelstrom outside. ON CHASE as he looks down at the instrument panel. KAROLINA How do you even know - ? CHASE Oh, I got bored after ten minutes and got lost trying to find you guys. Ended up finding this beauty in a chamber next door. Took me about an hour but I think I figured him out. He hits a button - and a MISSILE fires out, DETONATING a pillar! CHASE (CONT'D) Almost figured him out. Alright, let's see how this thing can go. ON CHASE as he PUSHES FORWARD with the levers... SMASH CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN DEPTHS - NEXT A long beat as we take in the strange beauty of the crumbling UNDERWATER TEMPLE. Then the LEAPFROG races past, escaping the destruction! INT. LEAPFROG - SAME TIME ON CHASE as he struggles, pushing at the controls, trying to regain control. GERT I thought you knew how to fly this thing! CHASE Babe, we're not flying! GERT Don't call me - CHASE Ha! Found you! 10.

Chase SLAMS his palm down onto a button, the Leapfrog ROCKETING upwards... EXT. OCEAN - SAME TIME ...and BURSTING OUT onto the surface of the ocean! WIDE ANGLE to reveal an empty, abandoned beach, right where the gang descended several hours ago. The Leapfrog moves forward, heading towards the shoreline. TIME CUT TO: Later. The group have emerged onto the beach. Their clothes are wet. They're exhausted. They've been through way too much. CHASE (to Gert) So... about that ki - SPOTLIGHTS shine down onto the group, blinding them! WIDE ANGLE to reveal several JEEPS have appeared on the shoreline within seconds, AGENTS stepping out of them and pointing weapons at the group! One MAN steps in front of the group, his tall frame and features hidden by the glare from the spotlights. MAN (O.S.) Now, then. I have one question to ask. TILT UP to reveal the man as the group stand, Nico at the front, staff in hand. He's in his fifties. Muscular. Black. Grizzled. A leather jacket and a scar down one side of his face. And an EYEPATCH covering his left eye. Or rather, where it used to be. This is NICK FURY. FURY (CONT'D) Are you allowed to be driving that thing? ON NICO as she locks a gaze with Fury, not letting down for a single moment. NICO (long beat) How long have you got? 11.

WIDE ANGLE as the agents - their Jeeps stamped with the eagle- shaped insignia of 'SHIELD' - watch Fury and the Runaways together. BLACK OUT.

END OF SHOW ! ! ! ! ! RUNAWAYS!