FADE IN

Previously on Xena...

[MONTAGE]

Ares is facing the Fates at a crumbling loom.

CLOTHO:
     You--God of War--

LACHESIS:
     --will be--

ATROPOS:
     --the next to fall.

Fear begins to fill Ares' face.

CUT TO

Ares and Xena in a temple.

ARES (quietly):
     Being the God of War--isn't what it used to be.

XENA (puts her hand on his arm):
     You were mortal, Ares--and it's changed you.

CUT TO

Under a gray sky, Ares stands before Apollo and Artemis. He holds up both hands with the palms outwards. Apollo and Artemis each hold up a hand; Apollo's hand begins to glow gold, Artemis' a bright green. A blue glow starts to radiate from Ares' hands.

CUT TO

Apollo and Artemis stand in front of a tomb.

ARTEMIS:
     If we can increase our power at another god's expense...

APOLLO:
     You can count on me, sis.

CUT TO

Althea, at the head of her army, raises her sword.

ALTHEA (shouts):
     For you, great goddess!

CUT TO

A hilltop. It's raining. Artemis and Apollo stand completely dry, looking down on the battlefield. There is a flash of blue light and Ares appears standing between them.

CUT TO

ZEUS (shakes his head):
      Those fools.

CUT TO

The hilltop. Apollo falls, the dagger of Helios sticking out of his chest.

ZEUS (voice-over):
      Fighting amongst ourselves will only ensure our destruction.

ARTEMIS (screams in anguish and rage):
     Nooooooooooooooooo!

CUT TO

Xena and Ares in the temple, in the earlier scene.

ARES:
     Xena, if I decide to give it all up, it's going to be my choice--on my terms.

CUT TO

The hilltop. Artemis is holding a struggling Antigone with the right hand, Darion with the left.

ARTEMIS:
     I'll make it simple, Ares.

Artemis and Apollo drain Ares of his powers.

ARTEMIS (voice-over):
      Give up your godhood to us--or these two die.

CUT TO

Xena, Ares, Gabrielle, Hercules and Darion on a country road. Artemis stands in their path.

ARTEMIS:
     You killed my brother, Xena.

CUT TO

Artemis extends her hands and launches a surge of green lightning.

CUT TO

Xena dives away from the bolt, pulling Ares with her.

CUT TO

ATHENA:
     You aren't going to harm them!

Artemis sends another surge of lightning toward Athena; the lightning bolts of the two goddesses collide. The explosion creates a great ball of energy with a blue vortex at the center. The ball explodes and then dissipates, creating waves that ripple through the air.

CUT TO

Gabrielle, Hercules, Darion, and Athena are standing on the road. Argo and Klio are behind them. There is no sign of Xena or Ares.

HERCULES (shouts):
     Xena? Ares?

There is only silence.

GABRIELLE:
     What happened to them?

[END OF MONTAGE]

Gabrielle, Hercules, Athena, and Darion are in the field, with the two horses nearby.

ATHENA:
     That--vortex that opened up... (she shakes her head) they could have been thrown to some distant land. Or even to another world. I will try to find out what I can.

She vanishes.

DARION:
     What if they're dead?

Gabrielle whirls around and grabs Darion's shoulders.

GABRIELLE (vehemently):
     Don't say that! Xena is not dead! She can't be--

CUT TO

Xena lies in a field, unconscious, on her back. She stirs and groans.

CUT TO

Gabrielle clutching at Darion's shoulders.

GABRIELLE:
     She can't be dead.

Darion's face crumples and he bursts into tears.

GABRIELLE (continues):
      She--

She stops suddenly in her tracks, realizing that she has frightened Darion. Hercules comes up and puts a calming hand on her arm.

GABRIELLE (takes a deep breath):
      I--I'm sorry. Darion, I didn't mean to-- (she hugs him, then lets go and stands up) I'm just--so worried about...

She shakes her head, trailing off.

Hercules picks up the still-tearful Darion in his arms.

HERCULES:
     It's all right, Darion. (To Gabrielle) It's going to be all right.

CUT TO

Close-up on Ares. He is lying face down on the ground. Slowly, he opens an eye and looks around.

The camera pans around to show a brick wall and a garbage heap, from the angle of someone lying on the ground. Then we see a beggar rummaging in the garbage.

Ares groans and sits up, rubbing his forehead. The beggar, a middle-aged man with shaggy hair and graying beard, turns toward him.

BEGGAR:
     Well now, my friend. You were out for a while. (He chuckles)

ARES (still somewhat groggy):
     How... (he clears his throat) how did I get here?

BEGGAR (chuckles):
     Funny you should ask. Strangest thing--I could'a sworn there was a huge ball of light that came outta nowhere, and then it was gone and--well, there you were. (chuckles again) But you know how it is, sir. The cheap wine sure does play tricks on the eyes.

ARES:
     Right.

He scrambles to his feet and walks unsteadily toward the beggar. The beggar contemplates him with evident curiosity.

BEGGAR:
     Then again--looks like you don't know how you got here, either, huh? (he bursts into a hoarse laughter that turns to a cough) Looks like you've been hitting the wineskin yourself, haventch'a!

With another guffaw, he slaps Ares fraternally on the shoulder. Ares gives him a startled look.

ARES:
     So--where is "here," anyway?

The beggar gapes at him, then starts laughing again, breathing wine fumes right in Ares' face. Ares backs away a little.

BEGGAR:
     Ooh-hoo-hoo! It's worse than I thought.

ARES (winces at the smell):
     Yeah, it sure is.

BEGGAR (shakes his head and finally manages to control his mirth):
     You want to know where we are? I'll tell you, my friend. You're in the great city of Corinth.

ARES (stares at him, nonplussed):
     You mean Thebes?

BEGGAR (starts laughing again):
     Thebes. Oh, you are a joker. No, no. Not Thebes. (chokes back laughter) This is Corinth all right.

ARES (mutters to himself):
     Corinth. How in Tartarus-- (glances at the beggar) Oh, never mind. (mutters) I've got to find Xena.

He starts to walk away.

BEGGAR:
     Hey, my friend! How 'bout a little--somethin'?

He makes a "give me money" gesture with his fingers. Ares walks away, ignoring him.

BEGGAR (yells after him angrily):
     Thanks for nothin'! Ya lousy drunk! (pauses) Shouldn't be walking around like that, anyway! Ya'll only get into trouble!

Ares glances back at him but and continues to walk away.

CUT TO

Xena sits up in the field, rubbing her head.

XENA:
     Gabrielle? (after a pause) Ares?

She looks around. She is in the middle of a wheat field. A tattered scarecrow is perched on a pole nearby.

XENA:
     What in the--

Xena scrambles to her feet, looking somewhat disoriented.

Xena looks around. The scarecrow seems to be staring at her with an expression resembling curiosity.

XENA (sighs):
     Zapped into the middle of nowhere by a psycho goddess... without my horse. (to the scarecrow) Don't you just hate when that happens.

She starts walking toward the edge of the field.

DISSOLVE TO

Xena walks down a road, looking around suspiciously.

A long shot of the road. Ahead, a crowd seems to have gathered; there are five tall poles looming over the crowd.

Close-up on Xena. She frowns and walks faster.

DISSOLVE TO

A crowd of shabbily dressed, grim-looking peasants. The camera pans over the crowd, then to the several warriors in black and silver uniforms, two on horses and others with horses by their side, and finally to five crosses with people hanging from them--four men and one woman. All five look badly beaten, their clothes torn. All seem either dead or unconscious.

One of the soldiers nudges another, pointing to something.

Pan to Xena, who approaches, a look of horror and revulsion on her face.

XENA:
     What have these people done?

One of the men on horseback, who seems to be the leader of the group, turns toward her.

CAPTAIN:
      Done? They incited rebellion. I don't know who you are, but you should keep out of this for your own good.

XENA (contemptuously):
     Yeah, I've heard that one before.

The villagers look up at her, shocked, as a nervous murmur runs through their ranks.

XENA (continues):
     I never seem to listen.

She throws her chakram. It slams into the Captain's helmet, knocking him off his horse, then slices the tops of three warriors' spears as they gape in shock, and returns to Xena who hooks it on her belt.

The second warrior on horseback charges her with a yell. With an ululating battle cry, Xena leaps into the air, somersaults, and slams her feet into his chest, knocking him off his horse.

Drawing her sword, she spars with two men, using a spinning kick to repel a third; then jumps and downs her two opponents with a split kick. Another soldier comes at her from behind; with a grimace of rage, she drives her sword into him with a backward thrust. He falls.

Pan to the villagers, who gasp and murmur, terrified; one of them can be heard saying, "She killed him!"

XENA:
     Had enough?

Four soldiers still standing advance on her, driving her toward the crosses. Xena backs away, holding them at bay; then, gaining enough distance to charge, she sprints forward and leaps up, somersaulting over the soldiers' head. On landing, she slams her boots into two of the soldiers just as they start to turn around, and knocks down all four. As the first of them tries to rise, she points a sword at his neck.

XENA (dangerously suave):
     I don't know who you are, or who you serve--but you better get out of here before I start to play rough.

WARRIOR:
     All right...all right!

He drops his sword. Xena steps back, allowing him to get up. The other soldiers go to their horses; two pick up the still-unconscious captain and sling him over the saddle of another warrior's horse, then mount their own horses, glancing back at Xena in fear and bewilderment. They ride away leaving the dead soldier and two horses behind.

Xena looks at the five crucified people, then at the villagers, who are standing still, staring at her.

XENA:
     Come on. (gestures toward the crosses) Help me get them down.

No one moves. One of the crucified men groans.

CRUCIFIED MAN (off-camera, hoarsely):
     Help me!

XENA:
     Didn't you hear me? I said, help me--

A middle-aged villager interrupts her, stepping forward.

VILLAGER #1:
     Are you mad? Now, they'll be back with an army and they'll be after us!

XENA:
     Whose army?

VILLAGER #1 (looks at her with an expression of shock and disbelief):
     Whose army! The Monarch's army, of course.

XENA (shocked and disbelieving in turn):
     The monarch? What monarch?

VILLAGER #2 (an old woman):
     Maybe she is mad! (to Xena) The monarch. The one that rules everything.

XENA (puzzled):
     Everything. You mean, this whole province?

VILLAGER #2 (laughs bitterly):
     Province! How about all Greece--all of the Roman Empire--the lands to the North--Britannia. Where have you been the last five years? Asleep in a cave?

Close-up on Xena's face, willed with bewilderment and shock as we:

FADE OUT

END OF TEASER