The Avengers Page #10

Coughing. Then Emma, sputtering straw as Steed's face appears. He tries to conceal

his relief at seeing her.

STEED:

What, Lady Disdain? Are you yet

breathing?

EMMA:

Barely.

STEED:

You will let me know if you find

that queen who's in need of

protection, won't you?

He pulls her out. She's annoyed.

143 OUTSIDE HAYSTACK

Emma brushes herself off; pulls off a piece of straw.

EMMA:

(holding it ruefully)

This must be the last straw.

STEED:

(takes one off

her back)

Here's the one that broke the

camel's back.

EMMA:

Someone didn't want us to get to

the party.

STEED:

I expect we'll have to gatecrash.

OLD LADY:

I may be able to help you.

144 EXT. STATELY HOME FROM POSTCARD - DAY

comes to life. Steed, Emma and the Old Lady survey ...

STEED:

(checks postcard)

Wonderland Weather Ltd.

OLD LADY:

This way ...

145 EXT. HALLUCINOGEN HALL - GROTTO AND MAZE - DAY

On a lawn, a peacock flares its thousand eye tail. A MECHANICAL CLICK, its eyes

conceal hidden cameras, recording Emma, Steed and the Old Lady, who've landed

inside the walled grounds. They move stealthily forward, unaware ...

OLD LADY:

Over here ...

The Old Lady waves them on. They enter a tunnel into

146 MAZE

Tall hedges surround Steed and Emma and the Old Lady on all sides. They follow the

path, slopes , round, curves, turns into hairpin bends and U-turns. At first intrigued ...

Then perplexed. Emma leads the way, Steed following. The Old Lady slips OUT OF

VIEW. Steed stops to pick a rose, puts it in his lapel. Emma rushes ahead.

EMMA:

Aha ... Yes ... It's clear now. A

trapezoid shape, dictated by twin

diagonal paths and a single

curving path. A late Seventeenth

Century design, originally for

King William of Orange, copied...

Ah ...

Steed sees Emma slip 'round a corner. He pursues her. Glimpses her. Then loses her.

Another glimpse. Sees her thru hedges, then seemingly --

Thru the other side of the hedge. In two places at once.

STEED:

... Mrs. Peel? I think I'm seeing

double again.

Out of sight, Emma rushes on. Around her, the hedges grow taller. She seems to

grow smaller. Emma begins to realize things are not what they seem. As she pushes

her way thru --

147 FROM ABOVE

the maze as a formal patter-n. Three tiny figures dart round.

DISSOLVE THRU TO:

148 INT. HALLUCINOGEN HALL - CONTROL ROOM - DAY

A pattern on a screen. The lines of the maze reformulated as abstract lines. Steed,

Emma and the Old Lady as three flashing dots. Someone, somewhere is watching

them. Laughter, then a familiar voice --

VOICE (O.S.)

Now this is more like it ...

149 EXT. MAZE - DAY

Steed searches for an exit.

150 ANOTHER PART OF MAZE

Emma sees a statue of a Butler. Which springs to life. Summons Emma. She follows

down a path strewn with leaves.

As Emma steps on the leaves, she --

Falls down -- a giant rabbit hole.

151 INT. RABBIT HOLE

Emma spins through darkness, like Alice in Wonderland ...

EMMA:

Steed ... !

STEED (V.O.)

Mrs. Peel ... ?

152 EXT. MAZE - DAY

The identical face of Emma on a marble statue, as --

Steed studies the classical statue ...

STEED:

Mrs. Peel ... ?

Steed hears a noise, turns to see --

Emma walking towards him. She picks the rose from his lapel, slowly coils an arm

around his neck. Pulls Steed towards her, closes her eyes -- kisses him full an the

mouth.

STEED:

Mrs. Peel ... !

(more kiss)

Mrs. Peel ...

The kiss ends. Steed recovers his composure, lips coated with her lipstick. His tongue

traces his lips; smarts ...

STEED:

Your lipstick ...

Poison. He goes dizzy. Steed collapses to the ground.

153 INT. HALLUCINOGEN HALL - DAY

Inside the house, a grand hall. Deserted. A cobweb hangs from ceiling. A velvet

curtain tattered and torn.

Emma.

A CUCKOO CLOCK RINGS the hour. Ahead, the real Emma sees --

A giant staircase. There on the stairs -- a glass eye.

She picks it up. Puts it in a pocket. Emma goes --

154 UPSTAIRS

Sees a series of family portraits an the staircase. One of herself in ornate aristocratic

regalia.

155 LONG CORRIDOR UPSTAIRS

Rooms on either side. Emma goes down the hall, pushes doors.

156 INSIDE ROOMS

A mad child's collections of ... toys... rocking horses ... train sets ... ventriloquists'

dummies... and ...

Butterflies ... scarabs ... beetles ... glass eyes, staring at her from the blackness ...

Then Emma turns into a whole room of ...

Snow shakers ... A wall of them in glass cabinets like insect specimens or fossils.

Emma picks up one snow scene.

She shakes it.

157 EXT. HOUSE

as if in response, a storm gathers. Shadowy clouds roll in.

158 IN MAZE

A drop of rain starts to fall. Steed's eyes flicker open.

STEED:

(re:
rain)

Not again.

He rises, looks down, reacts --

Alice, the Old Lady, lies near him in the maze, her neck snapped... Steed kneels, next to

her in the rain

OLD LADY:

It's a trap. Tell Mother, beware.

Tell Father.

She dies in his arms.

Wind picks up, too.

Steed looks about, frowning with discouragement --

159 INT. HALLUCINOGEN HALL PLAYROOM - DAY

THUNDER and lightning outside. Inside the room of snow shakers, a CHILDHOOD

TUNE PLAYS. Emma shakes the snow scene. The weather seems to grow darker.

160 FROM BEHIND

Emma hears the unmistakable chilling voice:

VOICE (V.O.)

I wouldn't shake that too hard.

The weather might turn nasty.

From the shadows ... a man. A silhouette. Behind a distorting lens. His shape and

face unclear. Emma puts down the shaker.

EMMA:

Quite a collection.

VOICE (V.O.)

If nature gives a man a collector's mind,

it doesn't matter what he collects.

Butterflies. Old China. Penny farthings.

A true collector grows more obsessive

as the years pass.

Outside the big window the weather is turning nasty ...

EMMA:

Your voice -- it's so familiar ...

VOICE (V.O.)

We have met ...

From the shadows, a man moves out, revealing:

Peter Peel, Emma's husband! THUNDER.

EMMA:

Peter ... ?

Instinctively Emma moves towards him. A long pause.

EMMA:

I must be dreaming ...

Emma pulls back. Before she can turn, Peter takes her hand, places it over his heart.

BA-BOOM, BA-BOOM, BA-BOOM ...

PETER:

Listen... Very much alive.

Peter touches her hand. Emma looks into his eyes. Intrigued but alarmed, disbelief.

Peter raises her hand to his lips.

PETER:

Darling, it's me...

Emma shudders, battles with herself.

EMMA:

Peter ...

Emma is tempted, yet filled with terror.

161 CLOSEUP - EMMA'S EYES

Inside her pupil --

FLASH CUTS TO:

162 MEMORY FLASHES

His face as he kissed her -- his ring on her finger -the visor cracking -- the glass

obscuring his face.

163 BACK TO SCENE

EMMA:

Impossible ... how?

Peter smiles disarmingly. As if the answer was obvious.

PETER:

For you ... all for you ...

Peter comes over, folds her in his arms. Takes her head between his hands. Emma

leans over to him, about to kiss him, both closing their eyes, until --

Lips parted. Before they kiss, Emma pulls back --

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