01x02 - Parallax

[bunniefuu]

NARRATOR: Sara Pezzini, a New York City detective drawn into a chance encounter with a supernatural w*apon.

Each day, each mystery, each encounter, will ultimately reveal her true destiny.

MAN: Rintrah roars and shakes his fires In the burdened air; The sneaking serpent walks SARA: It all started three weeks ago.

That's when I first encountered the Witchblade.

It saved my life.

Since then, I've learned a little more about the Witchblade from one of the city's most powerful men You can use the Witchblade to pierce the veil of the senses.

SARA: - lost my partner found out who k*lled my father [g*nsh*t]

and met some very strange people.

Today is gonna be a tough one.

Your explanation of what happened at the Rialto leaves much too much to the imagination.

I don't like to have to use my imagination, detective.

Five men were k*lled and partially dismembered.

Traces of an unidentifiable metal were found in their bodies and your new partner, Jake McCartey, can't give us any information except that a man dressed in black knocked him out.

Captain, they k*lled my partner right before my eyes.

[g*nsh*t THEN MAN YELLS]

I honestly don't know exactly what happened after that.

Captain Dante in Detective Pezzini's defense, we took 14 weapons off of Gallo's men.

[g*nf*re]

It was a ballistic free-for-all.

Ballistics don't explain the wounds that came from some kind of a blade.

[MAN YELLS]

All right.

What about this man in black that hit McCartey?

Did you happen to see him?

[JAKE SCREAMS]

Answer the question please, detective.

I don't know who knocked Jake out, sir.

Pezzini, you're hiding something.

I don't know what, but I'm gonna find out.

For someone who just lost a partner you seem remarkably uncommunicative about what happened.

You're a lot like your father.

A loner.

A rogue.

You've got absolutely no right to talk about my father like that.

- Who the hell do you think you are?

- Your new boss.

Excuse me?

Captain Siri's retiring.

I'll be heading up Homicide as well as Special Investigations.

Your future with this department is riding on the decision of this board.

We'll try to be quick, Miss Pezzini.

Thank you Mr.

Dante.

[SIGHS]

JAKE: Hey, Pez, what do you say I buy you some lunch after we get changed?

Let her walk on this.

Let the feud die.

I can't do that, Joe.

Look, you do this for me, and I owe you big.

I do this for you, I'll collect big.

[CHATTERING OVER RADIO]

You're wearing the Witchblade.

That's why you can see me.

Keep it on.

DISPATCHER [OVER RADIO]

: Units 32 and 33, burglary reported at 2nd and 11th.

Requesting assistance.

Please respond.

You okay?

I've never been okay.

OFFICER [OVER RADIO]

: Dispatch, we have a canine I can't believe Joe is retiring, and I cannot believe I had to find out like that.

Yeah, that pretty much sucks.

Sure does.

Thanks for the lunch offer, Jake.

Oh, hey, it's the least I can do.

You are my partner.

Ex-partner from the looks of it.

I'm sure they'll reinstate you before we even get to the fortune cookies.

You know what?

Whatever.

I could use a break.

DANNY: Embrace your destiny, Sara.

[g*nf*re]

OFFICER [OVER RADIO]

: Dispatch, sh*ts fired at the corner of Bleecker and George.

All units please respond.

[SIREN WAILING]

[ENGINES REVVING]

[g*nf*re]

[GRUNTS]

[GRUNTING AND YELLING]

[SIREN WAILING]

Police! Stop! - You okay?

- Yeah.

Go, go, go.

[g*nf*re]

SARA: How's your arm?

JAKE: Ah, just a flesh wound.

You all right?

Yeah, lost him.

He was good.

Sure you're okay?

I've never been okay.

SARA: I hear that.

Fill me in.

He's alive.

He was dead by the time I got there.

Broken neck.

He never made it out of the tunnel.

The witness said there were four people involved.

Said it looked like some kind of an ambush.

Three bikers against a guy dressed in black.

Said the guy in black caught the b*ll*ts in his hands.

Doesn't look like the most reliable witness in the world.

No kidding.

A young woman was caught in the crossfire.

She's dead too.

[OFFICERS CHATTERING]

Waiting to confirm casualty counts, sir.

The shadows of the valley fear evil.

Black Dragon.

Fearless.

[MAN PANTING]

[MAN GRUNTS]

Come not between the dragon and his wrath.

[GASPS]

MAN: All that can be annihilated Must be annihilated The negation must be destroyed To redeem the contraries.

All that can be annihilated Must be annihilated The negation must be destroyed To redeem the contraries.

[KNOCKING ON DOOR]

Yeah, it's open.

JOE: Had to say goodbye.

Look, I wanted to tell you myself but Dante b*at me to the punch.

- Yeah, he's good like that.

I'm not dying, Pez, I'm retiring.

I have a phone, you know.

Sure.

We'll talk at Christmas and then see each other at cops' funerals.

- Sara.

- Uh I've seen your mug every day for six years, Joe.

I'm just, uh I'm gonna miss it, that's all.

Especially if I do get reinstated, heh.

You will, believe me.

Come here.

SARA: Hmm.

What, 20 years in service, and that's all you're bringing home with you?

No, I'm leaving this here with you, as per instructions from James Pezzini.

I believe there is some information in here about your birth parents.

Pass, Joe.

Jim Pezzini was my father.

I could care less about some stranger who left me on a doorstep.

- Come on, Sara.

- No.

Don't push it, Joe.

I've had a hard day.

I'll call you next week.

- We'll have lunch.

- Great.

So long, Pez.

Bye, captain.

[DOOR OPENS]

[DOOR CLOSES]

Joe A bizarre sequence of events on Manhattan's Lower East Side has left two men and one woman dead.

At approximately 11 A.

M.

, sh*ts were fired in this alley just behind me.

Mute.

Freeze.

It's not true what they say.

A picture is worth a million words.

How could things possibly get worse?

DANNY: Want a list?

SARA: If I didn't know you were a hallucination I might actually be glad to see you.

However, under the circumstances I am starting to believe that I really am insane.

There's a fine line between clarity and insanity, Pez.

Ha.

And I've obviously crossed it.

No, you just need to work on your confusion tolerance a bit.

- My what?

DANNY: Confusion tolerance.

The ability to endure confusion.

[PHONE RINGING]

- Hello?

JAKE [OVER PHONE]

: Hey, how are you?

Confused.

JAKE: I've got good news, partner.

Partner.

Partner.

Captain Dante wanted me to be the one to tell you.

You're back on.

You there?

Yeah.

Thanks, Jake.

MAN: Rintrah roars and shakes his fires In the burdened air; The sneaking serpent walks.

Hungry clouds swag on the deep.

The swirling viper strikes And the blood-red ice cracks.

[GROWLS]

[YELLS]

It's strange, but it comes from a good source.

It seems the two dead guys were in an experimental warfare program where troops were used as guinea pigs.

They were given dr*gs and made to watch films designed to induce obedience and aggression.

What, like South Park reruns?

I'm serious.

It was an internationally recruited unit.

They also went through extremely realistic and dangerous w*r games.

The name of the unit was the Black Dragons.

Black Dragons.

The guy I sh*t was mumbling something about dragons.

Plus, that other guy had a dragon tattoo on his neck.

Exactly.

There were 11 men in the Black Dragon unit.

The program was disbanded three years ago.

As of today, only two of the 11 are still alive.

The others have all d*ed under mysterious circumstances in the past year.

The two Black Dragons left alive are a guy named Hector Mobius, a.k.a.

Moby and a guy named Nottingham.

My guess is that one of them is responsible for the dead girl and the lead that went through my shoulder yesterday.

You got federal connections you're not telling me about?

I wish.

[COMPUTER BEEPS]

Good morning, officer.

Mr.

Irons is expecting you.

Somehow that doesn't surprise me.

Thank you.

[TICKING]

Do you like the visions, or are they making you nervous?

I came here to talk about Ian Nottingham.

The visions make some wielders paranoid, but you should trust them.

They are showing you things that are real.

As real as what you would normally see, if not more so.

Yeah, that makes sense.

Common sense has never been a reliable guide to understanding the universe.

I'm not trying to understand the universe, Mr.

Irons.

I'm trying to solve a crime.

You see things that other people don't, Sara.

You see the periphery, the fringes, the faces in the shadows.

Mightn't this ability help you solve your crimes?

Mightn't you tell me where I can find your boyfriend, Ian Nottingham?

Ian is his own man.

He is in my employ, although not in that capacity.

As you've observed, he's got an independent streak.

I try not to micromanage him.

Do you know anything about Nottingham's m*llitary background?

RECEPTIONIST [OVER INTERCOM]

: Greg Meady on the line.

Oh.

Perhaps you'd like to come by my home this evening.

I could tell you more then.

Why don't you just have Nottingham call me?

[PHONE RINGS]

Homicide, McCartey.

Yeah, got any info?

Yeah, I couldn't find anything on Nottingham, but check this.

I just got an anonymous email response to an online search about the Black Dragons.

It said to check out a space in Tribeca, 111 George Street.

- That's right by the crime scene.

- Exactly.

I'll meet you there.

[SIGHS]

- Weird.

- Yeah, no kidding.

Why would he leave these?

I don't know.

MARY POPPINS [ON RECORDING]

: In every job that must be done there is an element of fun.

[ROCK MUSIC PLAYING ON HEADSET]

The Dragons of wrath are wiser than the horses of instruction.

Wow.

It's like some overamped homemade motivational film.

It makes you want to hit something.

Let me see.

[ROCK MUSIC PLAYING ON HEADSET]

Whoa.

[CELL PHONE RINGS]

SARA: Hello.

MAN [OVER PHONE]

: The roaring of lions, the howling of wolves and the destructive sword are portions of eternity too great for the eye of man.

Who is this?

MAN: A dead body revenges not injuries.

[DIAL TONE HUMS]

SARA: Hey, Jake?

Jake.

JAKE: What?

- Let's get out of here.

Whew.

- I wanted to see the rest of that.

- That place was creeping me out.

While you were watching, I got this weird phone call.

I think it was from Mobius.

JAKE: What's up with the dragon imagery?

SARA: Not sure.

He's on a mission.

The question is, what mission?

JAKE: I wish we had a clue about the other guy, Nottingham.

Can't seem to find out anything about him.

- Wonder if he's working with Moby.

- Yeah, me too.

Catch you back at the office.

[CELL PHONE RINGING]

MAN [OVER PHONE]

: You're in danger.

SARA: From?

MAN: Mobius.

You k*lled his comrade.

Don't get on your motorcycle.

Walk away.

SARA: What?

MAN: Walk away now.

- Why should I trust you?

- Sara, start running.

Confusion tolerance, my ass.

COMPUTER: Blueprint loading.

Sending mail.

You're gonna love this.

We just got another anonymous e-mail.

I bet it's from Moby.

He set us up at George Street.

What do you mean?

Just an instinct.

What else you got?

Guess who had a contract with the Defense Department till three years ago, according to this e-mail?

Vorschlag Industries.

Vorschlag, as in Kenneth Irons?

The same.

Battle-simulation software.

They also provided the dr*gs for the Black Dragons unit.

Supposedly, Irons was deeply involved in the research and the training.

IRONS: Yes, my company was involved with the m*llitary.

And, yes, we did develop aggression-enhancing substances but they were also intelligence-enhancing.

The Pentagon specifically requested our services, and we provided them but to my deep regret, there were occasionally unfortunate side effects.

Delusions of grandeur, excessive aggression, paranoia.

Warfare is a messy business, not unlike police work.

Is there anything that you can tell me about Hector Mobius?

He is extremely intelligent, highly skilled as an operator and, uh, totally insane.

Ian Nottingham, on the other hand, was an example of the training working perfectly.

He is both lethal and loyal.

- So the other members weren't loyal?

- Oh, yes, they were, to each other.

Which is part of the training.

Unfortunately, most of them became exceedingly dangerous and delusional.

Have you ever eaten monkey's brains?

What?

IRONS: They are considered a delicacy in Burma.

What does that have to do with anything?

You think you want direct answers to direct questions.

I know I do.

Where is Ian Nottingham now?

Come with me, Sara.

Leave your pedestrian w*r zone behind.

Let's travel the world together.

Learn together.

Prepare for greatness together.

That's quite a generous offer, Mr.

Irons.

Just you and me and the Witchblade.

Don't think I'm the only one after it.

You should let me take you under my wing, protect you.

SARA: Actually, I think that you need protection, Mr.

Irons.

I think that you were deeply involved in the Black Dragons program.

I think that the last standing member, other than Nottingham has you in his crosshairs, and I think Nottingham has systematically eliminated the rest of the unit.

Now, I don't know what kind of private w*r you have going on here, and I don't care.

I've got two homicides and a wounded partner, and if I were you I'd be looking over my shoulder.

A lot.

As long as Ian Nottingham is on the job, I have nothing to fear.

Have you ever eaten monkey's brains?

Have you ever eaten monkey's brains?

[PHONE RINGS]

Yeah, morgue.

Vicky Po.

Yeah, Vic, it's Pez.

I need you to check the brains of the two guys we brought in.

- Their brains?

Why?

Because I asked you to.

Okay, well, it'll probably be just one brain since there's not much left of number two.

[TAPPING ON DOOR]

VICKY: Hey.

So, uh, how did you know?

- Know what?

- The brain examination.

Your, uh, dead guy's brain was tweaked.

Do you wanna go see it?

Uh, no.

No, thanks.

I'll take your word for it.

Okay, look.

His R brain or his reptilian brain, was much larger than usual.

- His reptilian brain?

- Yeah, it's this part of the brain left over from when we crawled from the ooze.

But it's the source of all fear and aggression.

So?

VICKY: So this guy was probably really smart.

Also really dangerous.

He had an inordinate amount of glial cells, which are neural connectors.

Basically, his whole sub-brain was turbocharged.

A brain like this would be very sensitive to certain frequencies of sound as well as strobing lights.

In Tokyo, just three years ago, went into simultaneous seizures while watching light strobing from a cartoon.

So a guy like my victim could either be energized or disabled depending on the sights and sounds around him?

There is a school of thought that postulates that our fear of the reptiles is really just a fear of ourselves the reptilian part of ourselves.

So you mean, like, why people get freaked by snakes and lizards?

VICKY: Yeah.

Yes, exactly.

The history of evolution is synonymous with the development of the brain.

What this corpse shows is that someone's been playing God trying to rewind and fast-forward evolution all at the same time.

[SIGHS]

DANNY: Confusion tolerance, Pez.

Hey, it's just another boring day.

Enlarged reptilian brains ghosts, nightmares, hallucinations, the Witchblade.

Nothing confusing there.

So enlighten me, wise Asian master.

So foul a sky clears not without a storm.

What does that even mean?

How you doing?

Why do you think Moby is after Kenneth Irons?

Maybe he holds him responsible for the side effects of the Black Dragon training.

- Maybe the side effects have made him - Insane.

That writing on the wall that said, "Fight fire with fire.

" Moby thinks he is both the dragon and the dragon slayer.

Hello, boys.

On the hungry craving wind My Spectre follows thee behind.

Nice to see that you have remained true to your poet-warrior training.

If the fool would persist in his folly he would become wise.

The weak in courage is strong in cunning.

If the lion were advised by the fox he would be cunning.

The fox condemns the trap, not himself.

Active evil is better than passive good.

[SPEAKING IN FRENCH]

JAKE: So if Irons is the big nasty dragon do you think he needs protection from this lunatic?

He's got the best protection money can buy.

If that Moby guy was after me, I'd want an army.

I gotta go see the doc again.

Back in a couple hours.

Stay safe.

Yeah.

Later.

The iron hand crushed the tyrant's head And became the tyrant in his stead.

No bird soars too high If he soars with his own wings.

You took my wings.

I gave you your wings.

What is it that you want?

Repentance and revenge.

It is easier to forgive an enemy Than a friend.

[PHONE RINGS]

MOBY [OVER PHONE]

: Without his flame, the dragon is nothing.

I'm afraid you're mixing your metaphors, son.

[YELLS]

It all makes sense.

You are the dragon.

He is your flame.

And Sara Pezzini is the maiden.

Only you have corrupted her somehow.

So now she, too, will die.

Now I am the dragon and you shall be licked by my flame.

[IRONS GROANING]

Now you perhaps know the fear my comrades felt as you hunted them down.

Was it because you were afraid they would fly too high?

[GRUNTS]

Was it because you thought we were crazy?

Dangerous?

Was it because you couldn't control us?

Or is it because you're a leech on a lesion full of lust, greed and morbid curiosity?

Does it surprise you that I choose this as your final memory?

[IRONS YELLING]

Freeze! [MOBY GRUNTING]

[SARA GRUNTING]

[YELLS]

[MOBY GRUNTS]

Beware.

You got the wrong dragon.

[SARA GRUNTS]

Yes.

Well done, detective.

[GRUNTING]

Have you had any time to think about my offer?

Excuse me?

Would you like to come under my wing, see the world?

You protecting me?

The answer is no.

NOTTINGHAM: Thank you, Sara.

Do not thank me for saving your wretched life.

NOTTINGHAM: I'm not.

I'm thanking you for finishing my job for me.

I did nothing for you.

Of course you did, Sara.

A dead body revenges not injuries.

MOBY: Beware.

You got the wrong dragon.