ACT FOUR

FADE IN:

27 INT. JAIL - DAY

Xena looks at the furnace surrounding her. Things look hopeless. She grabs a fallen beam, uses a chair as a fulcrum, and stands on one end of the beam. Another part of the roof collapses and lands on the other end of the beam.

28 EXT. JAIL - DAY

Melas watches, stunned, as the jail burns. Suddenly, we HEAR THE XENA YELL.

ON XENA

Phoenix-like, she explodes out of the flames, does a flip in the air and lands on her feet in front of Melas.

XENA
Where is she?

Melas looks horrified.

XENA
What's the matter?

MELAS
(cracking)
She was right.

XENA
Who? What are you talking about?

MELAS
(close to tears)
Gabrielle. She said my hate would lead
to others being hurt.

XENA
What are you saying?

MELAS
Callisto captured Gabrielle on her way
out of town. What have I done, what
have I done? I've betrayed everything
I believed in.

He begins to cry. Xena is not unmoved but she doesn't have time for sentiment. She mounts her horse and is about to ride off but she pauses and looks at Melas.

XENA
People like us need to listen to people
like Gabrielle.

Melas nods, gasping back sobs. Xena gives Argo a kick and gallops off.

29 INT. CALLISTO'S STRONGHOLD - DAY

ON CALLISTO

She dances effortlessly up the ladders. Using one ladder like a stilt she walks out to:

GABRIELLE

who's hanging from a rope suspended from the ceiling.

CALLISTO
What do you think?

GABRIELLE
I think Xena's gonna wipe the floor
with you.

CALLISTO
I share your respect for Xena's
abilities. I know what she can do.

GABRIELLE
Then you must be scared witless.

CALLISTO
Not at all. I relish the challenge.
I can take her.

GABRIELLE
In your dreams.

CALLISTO
We'll find out soon. It won't take long for
her to find us. I made sure I left a very clear
track to follow. I'll have a nice surprise waiting
for her when she gets here. You know, either way, I win.

Theodorus enters, dragging Joxer with him. Joxer wears a bandage over his nose.

THEODORUS
I found this worm sneaking around
again.

CALLISTO
(to Joxer)
What do you want? I told you what you had to do
to gain my favor. You failed.

JOXER
I got you the girl.

CALLISTO
I captured the girl.

JOXER
But I softened her up for you. Just minutes
before you grabbed her I was pummeling her senseless.

CALLISTO
What were you hitting her with,
your nose?

Theodorus and the other warriors roar with laughter. A wicked grin crawls onto Callisto's face.

CALLISTO
(to her men)
Quiet.

If a pin dropped, you'd hear it.

CALLISTO
There is another way to prove your
worth.

JOXER
Name it and I'll do it.

Callisto pulls a dagger from her waist and sticks it in the ground in front of Joxer. She then lowers Gabrielle down to the ground.

CALLISTO
(with a jerk of her head towards Gabrielle)
Do her.

JOXER
(totally confused)
Do who?

CALLISTO
Her. The irritating blonde. Cut her throat.

JOXER
(stammering with fear)
What do you mean, cut her throat?

CALLISTO
(like she's talking to a slow child)
Pierce the skin under the chin with the
blade and then tear a hole this way.

She draws her forefinger across her throat in a slashing fashion. A frightened Joxer throws a glance at Gabrielle who looks a bit frightened herself.

JOXER
Don't you think she'd be worth more
alive? You could use her to torment
Xena.

CALLISTO
I want her dead. Do it!

Joxer takes the dagger and walks toward Gabrielle. He puts the blade against her throat and pauses.

CALLISTO
Kill her and you're a warrior in my
army.

Joxer holds the blade quivering against her throat for a moment and then drops it. He looks devastated.

CALLISTO
(laughs)
Just as I thought. The man's backbone
is made of mush.
(to Theodorus)
Chain him up, too. We'll have some
sport killing the jellyfish later on.

CUT TO:

30 EXT. COUNTRYSIDE - DAY

Xena, riding Argo, tracks Callisto.

31 INT. CALLISTO'S STRONGHOLD - DAY

Gabrielle and Joxer sit tied together on the floor. Joxer looks devastated.

GABRIELLE
(eyeing Joxer)
If anybody can save us it's Xena.

JOXER
I don't want to be saved.

GABRIELLE
Why not?

JOXER
I couldn't kill you. My father would have hacked
off your entire head and eaten your brains. Now
he was a man. Callisto's right. I'm a jellyfish.

GABRIELLE
Joxer, from where I sit, you not being able to
kill me is a big plus. Why couldn't you do it?

JOXER
Stupid thoughts kept popping into my head.

GABRIELLE
Like what?

JOXER
Like you were a nice kid, you gave me your
scarf when you broke my nose, you didn't deserve
to die -- that kind of sentimental stuff.
(shaking his head in despair)
I'm a disgrace.

GABRIELLE
(with a little smile)
I don't agree. I think you have the
makings of a hero.

JOXER
Oh, come on. You beat me up twice. What kind of
hero gets beat up by a young girl?

GABRIELLE
I'm not talking about that kind of hero. I mean
the kind that does the right thing when doing the
wrong thing is easier.

Joxer darts a look at Gabrielle.

GABRIELLE
It took a lot of courage not to kill me. You were
listening to your good self. It's always easier
to listen to your bad self but you didn't. I think
you're a good man and you don't even know it.

Joxer eyes her carefully.

JOXER
You really think I'm a good man?

GABRIELLE
Definitely.

JOXER
If we get out of this, will you put a
good word in for me with Xena?

GABRIELLE
Sure.

JOXER
I've got a business proposition for her. I'd
like to follow her around and collect the gold
teeth off warriors she kills. I'll split the
profits with her fifty-fifty.

Pause.

GABRIELLE
Of course, there's still plenty of room
for growth.

CUT TO:

32 EXT. CALLISTOIS STRONGHOLD - DAY

Xena approaches on Argo and spots Callisto's horse out front. She dismounts, draws her sword and enters:

33 INT. CALLISTO'S STRONGHOLD - DAY

Xena enters and spots:

CALLISTO

standing in the center of the room. She holds a torch in one hand and a sword in the other. HER MEN stand around on the different levels, waiting for the fun to begin. Behind Callisto is a huge vat of wood. Hanging above the vat is:

GABRIELLE

Once again she's suspended from the rope. Above her, attached to the rope, is a pan.

ON CALLISTO

CALLISTO
Now we determine once and for all who's the best.
You and I in a fight to the death. To make it even
more interesting...

She holds the torch to the vat. The wood explodes into flames.

ON THEODORUS

standing on one of the higher levels. He puts a torch to the pan and fire erupts in it, burning the rope that holds Gabrielle above the burning vat.

CALLISTO
Any time you're ready.

THE LADDER FIGHT

This fight is modeled after the Hong Kong-style ladder fight that is on the "Asian Stunts I" tape. Callisto is only interested in killing Xena. Xena, on the other hand, has to worry about fighting Callisto at the same time she tries to reach Gabrielle. Xena immediately takes to the ladders. It becomes a fight-chase on ladders as Xena tries to free Gabrielle and Callisto tries to kill Xena.

Throughout this, the ladders move and break. Callisto's men push Xena's ladder from time to time. She proceeds to knock them out one at a time. (By the end of the fight, all of them are knocked out.)

Xena grabs one of the men and uses him as a human bridge to cross from one ladder to the next. Callisto immediately does the same thing with another of her men.

Finally, Xena reaches a point right above Gabrielle. She's about to reach out to Gabrielle when Callisto, pushing her ladder away from the wall, lands with her ladder- leaning against Xena's ladder.

She slams Xena's sword out of her hand. (Throughout all of this we're INTERCUTTING WITH Gabrielle's rope burning.) All seems lost as Callisto readies herself for the kill.

CALLISTO
In a way, I'm disappointed, Xena.
There was a part of me that hoped you'd win and
put out the rage in my heart. Sometimes it
even scares me.

With a scream she lunges at Xena.

ON XENA

She lets herself drop through the ladder she stands on, grabs a rung and swings herself up like a trapeze artist, smashing the rungs of Callisto's ladder with her feet as she does. Callisto's ladder comes apart and Callisto falls toward the fiery vat. The back of her tunic catches on a piece of one of the ladders and she hangs suspended inches above the vat. She tries to reach up to the ladder but each movement causes her tunic to tear. She's screwed.

ON GABRIELLE

The rope burns through and she falls.

ON XENA

She dives and grabs Gabrielle by the ankles while her legs are locked in the rungs of the ladder. She pulls Gabrielle to safety.

ON CALLISTO

Her tunic is tearing. She'll be toast in seconds. Xena springs onto Callisto's ladder just above her head.

CALLISTO
Let me go.

Xena looks into her pain-wracked face for a moment. The tunic tears free and Callisto drops. Xena reaches down and grabs her hair as she falls. She shoves the ladder toward one of the levels, pulls a rope from around her waist and hogties Callisto in seconds, like rodeo riders do with calves.

CALLISTO
You saved me.
(beat)
I hate you now more than ever.

CUT TO:

34 EXT. CALLISTO'S STRONGHOLD - DAY

Melas is there with a posse of citizens from Delphi. They're in the process of putting foot chains on Theodorus and the other prisoners. Xena, Joxer and Gabrielle look on. Sitting next to Xena is a bound Callisto. She seems to be muttering to herself. Melas walks up to Gabrielle.

MELAS
Thank the gods you're alright.

GABRIELLE
Thank Xena while you're at it.

MELAS
You were so right. I was becoming the
force that killed my son.
(to Xena)
If you want to put Callisto with the other
prisoners I'll make sure she gets a fair trial.

Xena nods, takes Callisto over to the others and puts leg irons on her. Gabrielle turns to Joxer.

GABRIELLE
Good-bye, Joxer. Thanks for not
cutting my throat.

JOXER
It was nothing really.

Xena returns to Gabrielle.

GABRIELLE
I'm glad you saved Callisto. It was
the right thing to do.

Xena nods and they walk away. WE STAY on Callisto who stares after them.

CALLISTO
The right thing to do.
(a half-mad chuckle)
That's what they think.

FADE OUT.

THE END

Xenaphile | Callisto Act 1 | Callisto Act 2 | Callisto Act 3 | Callisto Act 4