INT. STUDIO. FOSSIL ROOM.
MUSEUM. DAY.
A TEMPORARILY SHUT-OFF ROOM OF THE MUSEUM - GLASS CASES CONTAINING SPECIMENS. A MAMMOTH SKELETON, MAYBE A RECONSTRUCTION OF A DINOSAUR. CATHY GALE IS WORKING AT A TABLE. SHE LOOKS UP.
CATHY: Mr Steed? Do come and sit down.
STEED (SURPRISED): Mrs Gale?
CATHY: Yes.
STEED: I'm sorry — it's just that I didn't expect to find you so attractive.
CATHY: Just because you have to meet me at the British Museum you expect tweeds and glasses. Isn't that a bit old-fashioned of you, Mr Steed?
STEED: Perhaps, but I find it a relief in this fast-moving world.
CATHY: I was told that you wanted some information about Black Magic practices.
STEED: Yes. (HE HANDS HER HEX FEATHER.) I think this is called a hex symbol.

STEED EDGES NEAR CATHY, WHO CARRIES A SKULL ACROSS THE ROOM
STEED POINTS AT SKULL CATHY IS HOLDING, PAUSES, THEN SAYS
STEED: I know the face, but I forget the name...
HE CLICKS HIS FINGERS AND SMILES
STEED: Ah yes, poor Yorick. I knew him well you know, fellow of infinite jest.
CATHY (SMILES AT HIM): Which is more than can be said for you.
HE GAZES, PUZZLED, AS SHE PUT THE SKULL AWAY
CATHY: Now what do you want Steed? I really am very buzy.
STEED: (HE HOLDS UP HEX FEATHER.) I believe this is called a hex symbol, Now you know something about Black Magic, don't you?
CATHY: (SHE TAKES IT) Yes, where'd you get it?
STEED: From a man's hand - he was ill, some kind of shock
CATHY: What does this man do?
STEED: He's a scientist
CATHY: Is he interested in the occult?
STEED: Well... he's interested in psychic research, spiritualism..
CATHY SHAKES HER HEAD ABRUPTLY
CATHY: That's not a connection, anything else?
STEED: This. (HE HANDS HER GRIMOIRE)
CATHY PURSES HER LIPS AS SHE TURN?S THE PAGES
CATHY: This is a very rare book. Your scientist might have let his interest lead him into a Black Magic circle. They sometimes go in for this sort of thing. If he were in such a circle, they might have put a hex on him - like a spell. That could account for his state of shock.
STEED: (GRINS DISMISSIVELY) A spell, like the sleeping beauty eh?
CATHY: I suppose that is a parallel.
STEED: This man's a scientist! Logical! Intelligent!
CATHY: It's not a question of intelligence, Steed but of faith. Black Magic is based on the premise that evil, intelligently controlled, is more powerful than good. A man was murdered in this country a few years ago. The police now admit he was a victim, a sacrifice, for a Black Magic ritual. There's plenty of evidence!
SHE TURNS AND APPROACHES A LARGE BOOKCASE
CATHY: (LOCATES A BOOK) There's a famous case in France.. in here I think. Yuh, here we are - in 1925, the village of Barreigne in Northern France was terrorised by what was thought to be a mad dog or wolf. One night after a young child had been mauled in its cot an animal like a wolf was seen running from the house and fired at and wounded by a policeman. The next day the police followed the blood trail which led to the cottage of a farm labourer, long suspected of practicing witchcraft. They found the man in bed, suffering from gunshot wounds he wouldn't or couldn't explain, and from which he subsequently died.
[CUT BACK TO ORIGINAL]
CATHY: Read for yourself, the facts are taken from court transcripts, post mortem records, police evidence, sworn testimony.

INT. STUDIO. COVENT GARDEN PUB. NIGHT.
BARMAID BRINGS DRINK TO ONE-TEN WHO PAYS.
BARMAID: Thank you, sir.
ONE-TEN: Have you any crisps?
BARMAID: Yes, sir.
ONE-TEN: I'll have a packet.
BARMAID PRODUCES THEM. ONE-TEN OPENS PACKET. STARTS TO EAT. BARMAID BRINGS CHANGE.
ONE-TEN: Thank you.
HE EATS ANOTHER CRISP THEN TURNS AS STEED AND CATHY ENTER.
ONE-TEN (TO STEED): You're late!
STEED: I'm sorry. (TO CATHY) I'd like you to meet...
ONE-TEN (SMILES): Hello, Cathy. Half a bitter as usual?
CATHY: Please.
ONE-TEN TURNS TO BARMAID.
STEED (TO CATHY): Is this where you get your laugh?
CATHY: That's right. (BEAT) One-Ten wanted a woman used on this one. We knew you'd hate to work with a woman, so I didn't give you a chance to say no.
STEED: I should have been told.
CATHY: Well, you did try to find out, didn't you?
STEED (SMILES): You keep your secrets very well.
CATHY: No better than any other woman.
STEED: That stuff about you being a widow? Was that true?
CATHY: Oh yes... there were one or two things I wanted you to know.
ONE-TEN (RETURNS WITH DRINKS): Cheers.
CATHY/STEED: Cheers.
ONE-TEN: We've identified the dead man as Sergei Ilyich Markel. He's been on our list for some time. The other thing is the verdict on Cosmo Gallion. Coronary thrombosis — just like Peter Neville.
(TO CATHY) He must have got quite a shock when he saw that you were immune to his... power.
STEED (TO ONE-TEN): It was a clever trick.
ONE-TEN: Yes. You should get on well together.

FADE TO BLACK. F/U SLIDE F/U GRAMS.
Theme music.