Maze - Screenplay - 6

INT: CONFERENCE ROOM – DAY

A circular room. Its ceiling is painted with clouds in soft pastels, rectangular windows cut into the tops of the high wall. White stone columns run along the pearly,  light-colored wooden walls (which have a slightly golden finish),  meeting a creamy marble floor. There are about two dozen ornate, high-backed chairs made of dark wood, arranged in a circle around the perimeter of the room, and most of them are filled with beautiful men and women in long robes or other formal dress, their hair varying from silver-white to burnt orange to none at all. Red-Haired Man sits with an anxious look, two seats away from a SILVER-HAIRED WOMAN. She is regal-looking (not old), her hair done up in an elegant knot with half of it loose down her back. She appears calm, but there is a troubled look about the stern set of her eyebrows. Between them is an empty seat, but on Red-Haired Man's other side, a STRANGE MAN with dark brown skin and extremely deep-set, fiery-colored eyes is settling into his seat, his body, head, and hands obscured with a shapeless brownish colored robe. The silver-haired woman glances at him with interested surprise, then goes back to staring into space impatiently. All other figures in the circle are similarly good-looking and yet diverse in height, build, and coloration, except for one smallish, RAGGED MAN, his face disfigured by a large burn, and a blindfold over his eyes. He is sitting very straight,  with both hands on the pommel of his walking stick. Red-Haired Man is fidgety.

RED-HAIRED MAN
Is anyone else coming?

RAGGED MAN
There are three others on their way. They'll be here in a moment.

Red-Haired Man relaxes a little. The silver-haired woman SIGHS. Large wooden double-doors on one side of the room open and three people trail in—FOOTSTEPS. One is a shortish, pale, young-looking man with long black hair. He walks across the room and takes the seat between Red-Haired Man and the silver-haired woman. His gait seems too relaxed in the tense atmosphere of the room. The second person is a wizened woman with long grey hair in a braid. She takes another empty seat. Behind her comes a TALL MAN with short, neat, dark brown hair, and sits opposite from the wizened woman.

RED-HAIRED MAN
(relieved voice)
Good. We're all here.

He stands, and everyone turns their attention to him. He frowns slightly.

RED-HAIRED MAN
As I'm sure you've all heard by now, one of the assistants on guard duty reported to me that Maxence is loose in the underworld.

RAGGED MAN
Are you sure of this?

RED-HAIRED MAN
I have the testimony of the assistant who saw him. The description fit exactly what we know of him. Besides that, I have reason to believe it myself. He may have been hiding out on one of the worlds I am responsible for.

TALL MAN
How did he get to the underworld? From what we know, he prefers to change hosts after killing one. I can't imagine why he would want to get into the underworld when he knows as well as anyone that his power is suppressed there.

The Red-Haired Man sighs and shakes his head.

RED-HAIRED MAN
I don't think he meant to end up there. I'm afraid I may be the one who has set these events in motion. Just a few days ago, I took a young man to the gate at his own request, though I know that normally that is considered a crime. He was bent on getting there by any means possible, even suicide if need be. The story was that he murdered his family and wanted to find them, but the way he spoke made it clear to me that he, at least, felt that he had had no choice in the matter. Now that I think of it, that sounds exactly like Maxence's work. A friend of mine on that world had managed to suppress Maxence's power, I think, when she asked me to talk to this young man, so he wouldn't have realized or been able to do anything about his host's decision to go to the underworld.

He pauses, waiting. RAGGED MAN leans back in his chair, frowning deeply.

RAGGED MAN
Sisera, who went with you when you went to investigate Maxence's last victims in that case... a couple of decades ago?

Sisera, the SILVER-HAIRED WOMAN, straightens in attention.

SISERA
It was Darius and Emeril. Emeril took care of cleaning up, and Darius and I tried to track Maxence, but we lost the trail very quickly. It's likely that he jumped worlds right away.

TALL MAN
(troubled)
I suppose it was only a matter of time before Maxence turned up again. I just hope this isn't a false alarm.

Red-Haired Man raises a hand slightly, as if nervous, and turns to the STRANGE MAN in the brown robe, who looks back at him, his head resting on one slightly disfigured fist, his mouth curved in an amused smile. He has rough, weathered skin, even on his lips, which are the same color as the rest of his face.

RED-HAIRED MAN
Zaiaxus? You know more about what goes on in that place than any of us. Have you seen Maxence in the underworld?

Zaiaxus, the strange man, straightens, pulling his hand—two fingers and a thumb, all three without nails, and the fingers are slightly wider around the ends—back into his robe.

ZAIAXUS
That depends. I see many strange happenings in that place. You'd have to describe him to me.

RED-HAIRED MAN
(impatient)
Surely you would notice if a living person entered the underworld. Is there a spirit connected with that young man?

Zaiaxus smiles as if enjoying a private joke.

ZAIAXUS
Yes, he's quite a malicious spirit... tied to the boy. I always know when someone doesn't belong.

Sisera holds up a hand suddenly.

SISERA
(impatient)
If it's a spirit tied to a living person, then I don't doubt it's Maxence. We're wasting time if we're not discussing what to do about him by now!

Red-Haired Man looks relieved.

RED-HAIRED MAN
Yes, exactly. This is the first sighting we've had of him in years, and since his power is reduced, this is the perfect time to stop him.

NERVOUS MURMURS around the group. Ragged Man leans over to whisper something to the person next to him. Tall Man nods to himself, looking thoughtful. Red-Haired Man looks around at them all, noting their varying expressions of interest and unease. He SIGHS and Tall Man stands up suddenly.

TALL MAN
We can take a group to capture him right away. Whoever has no objection to entering that place is welcome!

People begin CALLING OUT their agreement or disagreement.

SISERA
How are we going about this, exactly?

RAGGED MAN
Yes. Are we going to leave Maxence in the underworld, or imprison   him here?

RED-HAIRED MAN
We can't leave him there; he'll find a way to get out again! Our best chance is to capture him and bring him here.

More MURMURS. Sisera stands and the noise dies down a bit.

SISERA
I'm afraid you're all forgetting something very important. Our powers are just as muted there as his are. I'm not even sure if all of us combined could manage to enter the gate, seize him, and find our way out again.

Tall Man frowns deeply as everyone appears to consider this.

TALL MAN
Then how are we going to get rid of him?

A pause as the group loses itself in thought. Ragged Man GRUMBLES softly to himself and scrapes the end of his stick along the floor. A SOFT LAUGH comes from the other side of the room. Sisera turns to look at Zaiaxus, who is still at ease in his chair with a most amused look on his face.

ZAIAXUS
This is perfect....

Red-Haired Man looks surprised by relieved. He clears his throat and turns to Zaiaxus.

RED-HAIRED MAN
You have a suggestion, Zaiaxus?

Zaiaxus inclines his head a little in a gesture of agreement and sits up straighter, seeming very pleased, and adjusting his garment with unseen hands.

ZAIAXUS
Well, it's really quite simple.

The others wait for him to speak again, and he smiles, drawing out the suspense on purpose.

SISERA
(annoyed)
Perhaps you'd like to explain this supposedly simple solution in greater detail.

Zaiaxus turns his yellow gaze on Sisera with a very smug look.

ZAIAXUS
(politely)
Certainly.

Another pause. Sisera's brow furrows in irritation.

ZAIAXUS
As I'm sure you're all very aware... the underworld's draining effect upon people of great power has been somewhat influenced by me. The hopeless atmosphere is also purposeful.

Red-Haired Man seems uneasy but attentive. Everyone else just looks slightly uncomfortable.

TALL MAN
Yes, go on.

ZAIAXUS
I've long since completed one of the prominent fixtures of the underworld. My maze is specifically designed to isolate people... even people of great power... and drain them of their memories and identity. In that maze, Maxence would be, first of all, confined to his host... and second of all, if the host took the place of the maze's current consciousness....

He trails off with a smirk.

ZAIAXUS
I think it would only be wise of me to keep things fresh and running smoothly, mm?

TALL MAN
(uneasy)
The maze's consciousness?

Zaiaxus adjusts again, shifting in his seat as if enjoying himself.

ZAIAXUS
Yes. It's how the maze is able to isolate so many people. The paths are always changing, and never lead to an exit unless it is truly time for them to move on. It's quite genius, I think. All it took was to lock the first spirit who wandered into the maze in the center chamber, and now that person knows nothing of itself other than its job as the maze's heart.

More uncomfortable looks, but Tall Man looks satisfied and a bit relieved.

TALL MAN
So you're suggesting that once Maxence's host is in the maze, and Maxence is confined within his host, that we trade Maxence and his host for the maze's current consciousness?

ZAIAXUS
Yes.

TALL MAN
And you are certain your maze will be enough to contain him?

Zaiaxus LAUGHS SOFTLY again, causing those seated near him to frown uncomfortably. He then sobers, though still with a confident smile curving his rough-skinned mouth.

ZAIAXUS
It's not going to contain him. It's going to destroy him. He will have no memory of anything, and no desire for anything. He will be like a machine.

A pause. Ragged Man THUMPS his stick on the ground.

RAGGED MAN
Sounds good to me!

ZAIAXUS
He may already be at the maze by now. They were heading that way earlier.

SIGHS of relief move around the circle and people relax. Tall Man smiles.

TALL MAN
Well, that IS simpler than I expected.

Red-Haired Man stands in the midst of the others as they rise to talk about it. VOICES MURMURING in the background. His face is troubled and after a moment of others shifting around him in blurs of colorful robes, dresses, and other outfits, he raises his head.

RED-HAIRED MAN
What about the boy?

A few people turn to look at him, having heard him over the talking. Sisera looks but says nothing. Tall Man seems surprised.

TALL MAN
(matter-of-fact)
The host? Well, he will have to be a casualty of course. This is Maxence, after all. Better that one person be sacrificed than that we let Maxence continue to terrorize other people... who knows how far he would get if we didn't catch him now?

Red-Haired Man nods reluctantly, glancing at Zaiaxus, who is staring back at him with a creepy smile from under his robe's hood. Red-Haired Man then looks at Sisera, who casts him one look that seems fleetingly pitying, before it turns back to her usual stern gaze and she passes him by.