Daylight - First Draft

Act III - Scene 52: The Destroyer

SC52 - The Destroyer

INT. EMERALD INDUSTRIES - REACTOR ROOM. NIGHT.

Eleanor takes a step away from the advancing Delia, but she backs into the wall. With nowhere left to run she raises her hands to defend herself. Delia laughs mockingly as she walks slowly closer, stepping over the bodies of the dead soldiers.

DELIA: You're brave, I can't fault you for that. Oh how I will enjoy killing you.

As Delia raises a clawed hand to strike, Balfor yells out behind her.

BALFOR: Stand down Delia!

Delia whips her head around and glares at him.

DELIA: What did you say?

BALFOR: I said stand down! We may have more company and it would be wise to save the girl as leverage if we run into trouble.

DELIA: You're not the boss of me Balfor!

BALFOR: You weren't even supposed to be here Delia. This was my task!

Delia strikes Eleanor to the ground with the back of her hand in frustration and turns around to advance on Balfor instead.

DELIA: Oh so I'm supposed to trust you with that? Demencia might rely on you but to me you're nothing but failure after failure and I don't see you breaking that streak!

BALFOR: You're the one with whom he misplaces his trust. Demencia was too secretive with his plans. If perhaps you had provided more assistance I might have had...

DELIA: Shut up! You really think Demencia will make you Emperor after all this is over? We will hunt down every remaining human. There can be no co-existence between our races as much as you might cling to that hope.

BALFOR: And yet I still live! If Demencia was not true to his word I'd be dead already! You simply refuse to abide that your master wishes to place his faith in more... reliable individuals.

Delia grabs Balfor by the throat and slams him against the wall, roaring at him in anger. Eleanor - still on the ground after being knocked down - takes this opportunity to whisper into her comm.

ELEANOR: Doc, what do I gotta do?

Adams replies in a low voice.

DR. ADAMS: Main console. Type 'run system ventilation' and hit the center button.

Eleanor creeps over to the console as silently as possible. Balfor's feet have now left the ground as Delia lifts him higher and tightens her grip around his neck.

DELIA: You're nothing but vermin. We are destined to rule this world, just as it is humanities destiny to be crushed. And how I have longed to have a hand that destiny.

Balfor struggles to speak. Delia loosens her grip slightly.

DELIA: Final words perhaps? I love it when they beg for mercy...

BALFOR: The... reac...

DELIA: I don't give a damn about the stupid reactor, all that matters is it blows apart half this city as planned.

BALFOR: She's...

Delia turns and looks over her shoulder. Eleanor is gone. She drops Balfor and runs over to the console. The screen reads 'Operation Successful'.

DELIA: No... NO!

Delia slams her fist into the screen, smashing it into pieces. She dashes out of the room and down the hallway. Up ahead, Eleanor is climbing the maintinence ladder. Delia passes underneath her but stops and looks up as she hears the clatter of the metal rungs. Eleanor climbs as fast as she can as Delia leaps up after her. As they emerge into an elevator shaft, Delia throws a ball of dark energy at her. Eleanor swings to one side to dodge it but it hits the ladder above instead. As the ladder collapses she makes a leap for the top of an elevator, barely making it. She clambers to her feet and looks around desperately for a way up, spotting a climbable series of metal supports which she runs towards and starts to climb again. Delia sees her from the top of the ladder and throws another ball of darkness at her. This time Eleanor deflects it and it returns to Delia, crashing into what remains of the ladder and forcing her to leap onto the elevator as well.

DELIA: Oh it's going to be like that is it? Well I don't need my magic to kill you and you can't run forever.

Delia leaps up and grabs the closest support with ease, using her momentum to quickly swing to the next one. Eleanor notices her catching up and tries to pick up her pace but she is not quick enough to escape. She notices another elevator just below her and she jumps down on top of it.

DELIA: There's no way back down girl. You're trapped!

Eleanor pulls open the elevators emergency hatch and leaps inside. There are two unmarked buttons and she jams her fist into to the top one. The elevator begins to move upwards and Delia screams in fury. Soon everything falls silent and there is a soft chime as the elevator reaches its destination. The doors slide open and Eleanor runs outside onto the roof of the facility. She stops at the edge as she realises there is nowhere left to go.

DELIA: End of the line.

Eleanor turns around slowly to see Delia making her way over from the elevator. The facility suddenly shakes again, throwing them both to the ground. Behind Delia at the top of the building, a beam of light erupts - the excess energy from the reactor is vented through the roof. Eleanor picks herself up and runs up a set of stairs to the beam, hiding behind an air duct. Delia follows her, taking her time.

DELIA: There's no way down. You're trapped up here.

ELEANOR: It's over! Your plan failed.

DELIA: You think you've won? This is just a setback. Our army vastly outmatches yours. Your defeat is inevitable.

ELEANOR: If you've already won then why'd you need the reactor?

DELIA: It was a means of victory that would ensure far less casulaties on our part. We do not lightly send our people off to die like you. To think your 'friends' sent you to face me alone. You're the monsters here, not us!

Delia rounds the corner and grabs Eleanor by the collar. She throws her toward the beam of light, then lunges in to pin her down. Then she looks up at the light as Eleanor struggles to escape.

DELIA: Maybe it's fate. This what you wanted, now you can die from it. Any last words before you go?

As Delia lifts the struggling Eleanor up to throw her into the beam, Eleanor raises her free arm to the light.

ELEANOR: I'm not going anywhere!

Eleanor slams her hand into Delia's chest sending cascades of light from the beam straight through her. Still holding Eleanor, Delia looks down and stumbles backwards. The light continues to flow around Eleanor and through Delia, dissapating in the night sky above them and illuminating the duo. Delia's grip loosens and Eleanor drops back onto the rooftop, while Delia hovers just off the ground, suspended by the lingering energy. Then the light fades and the building falls still again. Delia's eyes close and she slumps to the ground, dead. Eleanor clambers to her hands and knees, breathing rapidly. She gives the demons body one last look then she too closes her eyes and collapses.