Iris

ACT SIX - Flashbacks

Characters: Iris Ash, Sara, Sashique, human trafficking victims, little girl (human trafficking victim), human trafficker

Iris bursts through the Night Plague's headquarters' front doors, fuming. Sashique is close on her heels.

SASHIQUE: Iris - please - just stop for a second-

Iris whirls around suddenly, her eyes sparking with pure fury.

IRIS: My demonic father has kidnapped my best friend and I have no idea where either of them are. This plan was supposed to work! I was supposed to get Sara back!

She whirls around and storms down the hallway, Sashique in hot pursuit.

SASHIQUE: [rapidly] You're letting the demon side of you win out, Iris; I need you to make the angel fight harder. Iris. Iris!

Desperate, Sashique grabs at Iris's sleeve. As if on instinct, Iris turns on her heel, raising her hand as if to slap Sashique. Tendrils of black are sneaking into her eyes. Iris's hand stops centimeters away from the woman's face. She blinks, the black draining from her eyes. Sashique sucks in a breath, her eyes closed, already flinching away from the slap. She opens them slowly, staring at Iris in shock.

Iris looks as if she is about to apologize before taking a deep breath, wrenching her arm from Sashique's grip, and hurrying down the hall.

In her bedroom, Iris paces the floor, her hands running through her hair and fidgeting idly at her sides. She looks like she is in great pain, her eyes squeezing shut as she stops and bends over herself. When she straightens back up, her eyes open. They are purely black.

She walks over to the mirror and stares at herself, breathing heavily. Then, she notices the Polaroid of herself and Sara shoved in the corner of the frame. Removing it, she stares at the photograph. Slowly, tendrils creep in from the edges of her eyes and overtake the black until her eyes are pure white. She smiles fondly, and one tear slips out.

Iris closes her eyes, shaking her head as she replaces the picture. When she opens them, they are reverted to their usual blood red irises.

IRIS: [quietly, as if talking to the woman herself] I will find you Sara. I promise.

The scene changes, a nostalgic lighting thrown over it, making it clear that this is a flashback. Iris is sitting on her bed, writing something. A knock sounds at her door and she raises her head, looking very surprised.

IRIS: [distractedly] Come in.

She bends her head to continue her work but pauses when she sees who it is - Sara.

IRIS: [hesitantly] Did...you need something?

SARA: [shrugging] Just wanted to say hey.

She stands awkwardly, watching Iris silently. Finally, Iris pats the bed next to her and Sara gratefully hurries to sit next to her.

SARA: [like a curious child] Writing a mission report?

IRIS: [nervously] Yes.

SARA: [leaning over to read what Iris is writing] You have nice handwriting

IRIS: [uncertainly] Thank you.

SARA: [casually] So what'd you get this guy for?

IRIS: [absentmindedly] He was continually harassing a transgender girl at his school and it was getting violent.

SARA: [thinking] Okay, here's something I don't understand. From what I've heard, you only go after people on the verge of doing horrible things, but you're the most powerful person in the Night Plague. Why don't they send you after the truly awful people, like the...the rapists, the slave owners? I've been here for a grand total of three weeks and I've already killed two of those men.

IRIS: [getting a distant look in her eyes] They did send me after one of them - the truly awful men - once.

The scene changes, the coloring black and white. Iris is holding a handgun with both hands, the weapon raised and her back pressed against a wall just outside of a door. With a sudden movement, she whirls and easily kicks the steel door open, weapon raised and already pointing into the exposed room.

Shrieks greet her. The room is filled with girls, half naked, in filthy clothing and none older than sixteen. They are filthy and many of them have tear tracks tracing paths down the dirt covering their faces. At the sight of a terrifying woman who has a gun, several girls start crying again. Iris stares around in shock, her gaze slowly hardening as she takes in their inhumane conditions.

IRIS: [shortly] You're free. Go, run, before they catch up with you. The front doors are open.

The girls leap to their feet, the healthy ones helping those who are too weak or wounded to walk alone. They straggle out of the room as fast as possible, mostly ignoring Iris. The last girl out of the room is about nine or ten years old, her hair pulled up in scraggly pigtails.

LITTLE GIRL: [staring up with love] Thank you.

Iris stares at her for a moment before dropping to her knees and hugging her fiercely for a second. Then, she releases her, pushing the child away.

IRIS: [gruffly] Go.

The little girl smiles once more and then dashes from the room. After a few moments of silence, Iris follows, turning down a different hallway from the one that the escaping girls are using.

The scene changes to show Iris walking purposefully toward a closed door, gun held relaxedly in her right hand. Barely stopping, she raises her leg and kicks down the door effortlessly, sliding her gun back in her holster.

A man is sitting at a desk in the office-like room. He startles into a standing position as she forcibly enters, his eyes widening at the sight of her. A look passes over his face - it is clear that he is giving up, readying himself for death. He closes his eyes and raises his hands.

TRAFFICKER: [quietly begging] Just kill me now. Kill me before the cops can get me.

Iris smiles coldly, reaching into her waistband and pulling out a wicked knife.

IRIS: [as if discussing the weather] I find it amusing that you think I plan to just kill you.

She moves forward, and within seconds, the tortured screams of the human trafficker fills the small room.

The scene changes back to Iris staring at the file in her lap, Sara watching at her with wide eyes.

SARA: [almost as if fearing the answer] What...happened to him?

IRIS: [hesitantly] It took the police 48 hours to find all the...pieces.

SARA: [softly] Oh.

IRIS glances at her.

IRIS: [ruefully] This is the part when people usually leave.

SARA: [laughing shakily, shaking her head] I'm not going anywhere.

The scene returns to Iris in present day. With sudden determination in her eyes, Iris turns away from the mirror and moves over to her closet.

She yanks out a duffel bag and throws it onto her bed decisively.