"Power Play"
In a dimly lit stone room, a man is shirtless, on his knees, being pummeled by robed figures wielding clubs. His head is covered with a cloth sack. The open entryway to the room is protected by a wall of flame.
Outside the room, Angel looks at the flames briefly then jumps through them.
Once he's inside, the robed figures beating the man stop and step back. Angel pulls the man to his feet, removes the bag from his head (the man is only shown from behind, his identity remains unknown) and grips the man by his shoulders.
The man weakly offers his thanks.
Angel morphs into game face, grabs the back of the man's head and sinks his fangs into his neck.
19 Hours Earlier
Angel lies on his back in his bed. Nina is lying next to him. She moves up beside him and lays her head on his chest. He greets her as he puts his arm around her, "Hi."
She lifts her head and looks at him, "Okay, where did you learn how to do that?"
He asks, "Which part?"
She says it doesn't matter, "How are you?"
He says he's "good."
She wonders, "You're not perfectly happy, are you?" She lays over him and rifles through the nightstand drawer on the other side, "'Cause I got my wooden stake right here." She realizes she can't find what she's looking for.
Angel assures her she's safe.
She returns to her previous position, "And you? Good? You weren't thinking about your little Roman friend or --"
Angel answers, "Nina, for the last .. " He retrieves his watch from the nightstand, looks at it, "Whoa. Very long moment, I haven't had a coherent thought."
Nina smiles, "I'm gonna take that as a compliment."
Angel assures her she should.
Nina notices the furrowed brow has returned, "If she's not on your mind, then ..."
Angel stares at the ceiling, admitting, "There's a lot .... More than usual going on."
She asks if it's work.
He answers, "Always."
Nina suggests a vacation to Cabo, margaritas, making love on the beach. "Did you catch how I suddenly included myself in your vacation package?"
He says her name.
She backs off a bit, "Too pushy, too needy, I didn't even say it. You should make love on the beach all by yourself."
Angel continues to mostly avoid eye contact with her even though she's perched above his chest looking into his face. "It would be wonderful. I mean it."
She reckons there's a "but" coming.
She's right as Angel continues, "There ... there are things ... that ... that I have to do. Things I've already set in motion .." He sits up abruptly, resting his back against the headboard. "I know I've spent years fighting to get somewhere, to accomplish something and now that I'm close to it ... I don't like what I see, what I am."
Nina says he's a hero.
He pinches the bridge of his nose, "Oh, that word."
She grabs his wrist and moves his hand away from his face, "You're my hero."
He brushes the back of crooked his index finger down the side of her face. "I may not always be."
Illyria is walking down a hallway at W&H. She watches as an employee walks past her. Spike is leaning against the wall, "Like you're not even there."
She stops in front of him as he continues his observation. "World trembled before your feet once. Now, paddin' around a place you don't want to be in and the rabble don't even give you so much as a polite yawn."
Illyria assures him it doesn't matter, "Do not presume I require any creature's attention."
Spike is undeterred, "Wouldn't dream of it, Blue. Still, you can't enjoy haunting this place. Less than what you were. Not knowing what to do with yourself. Believe me, I've been there."
Illyria asks, "And what do you know of it?"
He answers, "Long and fascinating tale. Ghost story, in fact. Short of it is, take my advice. Get out once in awhile, before you go bats."
Illyria doesn't understand, "Out."
Spike explains, "Out. Outside. That place just on the other side of the window."
Illyria walks away, Spike joins her. "I've grown wary of this world since my powers were depleted." ("Time Bomb") "Strange, though I've been made more human, this place remains disconcerting."
Spike understands that, "Yeah, well I'm afraid that never goes away. Anyhow, I thought Wesley was giving you a primer on all things human."
Illyria answers, "He and I are no longer having intercourse."
That stops Spike in his tracks, "Y -- Ah -- You wh -- What?"
Illyria stops walking and turns, taking a few steps toward him. "He has ceased communication with me."
Spike responds, "Oh! Oh. Communi --"
Illyria interrupts, "My recent reversion to the Burkle persona disturbed him. And he will not tell me why." ("The Girl in Question")
Spike explains it, "You don't know? You may not think you're as powerful as you were, Highness, but looking like Fred, for some of us, it's the most devastating power you have."
Angel exits the office into the lobby accompanied by Gunn who's still opting for street clothes over the corporate suit. Hamilton approaches with a woman and a man. He greets Angel and introduces him to the woman, "Senator Brucker."
Angel shakes her hand, welcoming her to Wolfram and Hart.
She assures him it's a familiar place, "Oh, I go way back with this firm. Back when Holland Manners was in charge."
Gunn reckons she'll find things have changed since then. He extends his hand and introduces himself.
Hamilton informs the senator Gunn is head of the legal department.
She introduces the African-American man accompanying her as Ernesto, her personal aide.
Angel senses he's something else as well, "Vampire."
She notes her tendency to forget their kind can sense each other. "Well, I believe in diversity on my staff. It was a big part of my campaign."
Gunn offers a sarcastic, "How commendable."
Angel asks Harmony, who's sitting behind her desk, to get some coffee.
The senator declines, "But if it isn't any trouble, I think Ernesto might like some blood."
Ernesto agrees with that, "Virgin, if you have it. Room temperature's fine."
Harm offers apologies, "We have a 'no human blood' policy." She cheerfully offers an alternative. "I can offer you something in a rodent. We have some fruity, unassuming vole --"
Hamilton shoots her an annoyed look, "Oh, I think we can make an exception to our policy this time for the senator." He looks at Angel,
"Couldn't
we, Angel?"
Angel agrees, "Harmony, the lab might have something in the blood bank. Why don't you go check it out?"
Gunn gives Angel a disbelieving look.
Harmony starts for the lab as Angel smiles at the senator. "You're the boss, boss. Could I, maybe just have a teeny, weeny --"
Angel answers curtly, "No."
Harm thought it was worth a shot. She leaves.
Hamilton tells the senator to call him if she needs anything and assures her she's in good hands. He departs.
Angel directs the senator and her aide to his office, "Shall we?" They go into the office as he follows.
Wes approaches Angel before he enters the office, "Angel? There's been another fatality in Funville."
Angel doesn't know what he's talking about, "What?"
Wes fills him in. "That abandoned amusement park downtown? Third victim in as many nights. Teeth marks strongly indicate a Boretz demon."
Spike and Illyria approach. Spike's familiar with the species, "Oh, bloody Boretz. Nasty buggers. Stink to high heaven. Dress as transients to prey on the homeless, poor sods."
Wes says the last victim was a teenage girl, a runaway. "She was ripped apart."
Angel brushes him off, "Well, there's not much we can do about it now, huh?" He heads toward his office.
Wes persists, "Angel, we need to find this demon and destroy it before --"
Angel stops and turns to him, "Somebody else dies? Yeah, I know, Wes. People are dying every day all over. This girl is just one more statistic."
Wes informs him, "Stacy. The statistic's name was Stacy Bluth." He pulls a sheet of paper out of the file folder he's carrying..
Angel takes the paper, barely looking at it before offering it back to Wes. "Well, you know, we can't save everybody and we can't sweat the small stuff." He starts to head back to the office.
Wes doesn't understand, "Small?"
Angel tells him he has a senator waiting for him, Wes should find out what he can about the Boretz and they'll talk later. He goes into his office.
Wes is still wondering what's going on, "Small stuff?"
Spike offers to deal with the Boretz, "I haven't had a decent tussle since the Blue meanie and I stopped sparring."
Wes agrees, telling Spike to call him if he finds anything, he'll be in his office doing some research. He leaves.
Illyria watches him leave as she observes Wes didn't even seem to notice her presence.
Spike recalls her earlier comment, "Not that you require any creature's attention." He invites her along. "Hey! Wanna go find something to hit?"
In Angel's conference room, he's watching a campaign tape along with Senator Brucker, her aide and Gunn. The tape is promoting her opponent, Mike Conley; family man, war hero, defender of children, home and hearth.
Brucker stops the tape and tosses the remote across the table, "There. So you can see my concern."
Ernesto notes the candidate is building support and the senator is losing ground in the polls.
She's not pleased with the situation, "I didn't claw my way up from hell and get installed in a human body just to have some pedophile steal my senate seat."
Gunn asks, "Wait. He's a pedophile?"
Brucker answers, "Not yet. But the public better think he is when you guys get through."
Gunn isn't clear on this, "Pardon me?"
She offers in response, "Hell, convince Conley he is. You've got some sort of brainwashing capabilities here, don't you?" She looks at Ernesto, "What's that's doctor's name?"
He tells her, "Sparrow."
She reckons he'll be perfect for the job.
Gunn firmly disagrees, "Look, I don't care what kind of services you were used to getting with this firm but Holland Manners doesn't live here anymore. We're not about to ruin a man's life and reputation just so you can --"
Angel cuts him off, offering matter-of-factly, "We can do it."
Gunn is stunned, "What?"
Angel ignores him as he addresses the senator and her aide. "Not sure how long a reconditioning like that would take."
Ernesto reminds him the election is in November.
Gunn can't believe what he's hearing, "You're not seriously considering --"
Brucker assures Angel he's made himself a loyal friend in Washington.
Gunn gets to his feet, "Angel, we need to talk."
Angel is dismissive, "I'm with the senator now, Gunn."
In his office, Wes pulls out one of the source books and requests information on Boretz demons. He opens the book and lays it on his desk. The blank pages fill with text. As he begins to peruse the text, it disappears on one page, replaced by a message, "You're looking in the wrong place." Wes asks himself, "What am I looking --" The text on the opposite page disappears, replaced by a circular symbol with curved triangular shapes jutting out from it.
Gunn enters, "We got a serious problem. It's Angel, he's --"
Wes tells him, "Hold on." He looks back down at the book but the message and the symbol have disappeared, replaced by the text he'd originally requested.
Gunn asks, "Wes?"
Wes looks up at him.
Angel is playing racquetball with the red, long tailed, horned demon, Izzy. ( "You're Welcome") Taking a pause in the action, he asks Angel if he mentioned he recently ran into Ed, the leader of the Fell Brethren ("Time Bomb").
Angel asks how he's doing.
Izzy says Ed gushed about the baby and what a great ritual sacrifice he'll make. He adds Ed had a lot of nice things to say about Angel. "You're really coming through, big guy. There's a real buzz about you."
Angel wants to know how much longer he has to wait to get an answer.
Izzy says it takes time but it won't be too long now.
They return to their racquetball game.
Spike and Illyria are walking cautiously through the abandoned amusement park. "See? This isn't so bad now. Little field trip out in the ... well, what passes in this city for fresh air. All we need now is to bag ourselves a Boretz demon, we got ourselves a perfect date."
Illyria notes, "Angel does not think the casualties of this creature are important enough to avenge."
Spike reckons living the corporate life has taken away Angel's love for the hunt. "No worries. More for me then."
Illyria says it doesn't serve his interest.
Spike wonders what she's talking about.
She answers, I've seen this before with many rulers. Your leader has been corrupted."
Spike is confused, "Hey, hang on. In the first place, Angel's not my leader. In the second, what the bloody hell do you mean, corrupted?"
She offers, "It always begins the same. A ruler turns a blind eye to the dealings of battles from which he cannot gain and a deaf ear to the counsel of those closest to him. As his strength increases, so does the separation between him and his follow -- "
Spike senses something, "You smell that?"
Illyria didn't notice anything specific, she finds all earthly smells equally offensive.
Spike walks on, "You're wrong about Angel. Not that I don't think the sod could end up being a megalomaniacal bastard. It's just that if he did, I'd know it. I'd feel it."
Illyria tells him he'll have proof soon. "A corrupted ruler on such a path sees treachery and betrayal all around him. He cannot suffer intimates and will eventually turn against them."
Spike reckons he has nothing to worry about then, "'Cause Angel and me have never been intimate. Except that one ..."
Illyria is sure of it, "Mark me. He will murder one of you."
An obviously injured Drogyn ("A Hole in the World") staggers out of the shadows. "Actually, he already has."
Spike recognizes him.
Illyria takes several steps toward him, "Who is this?"
Spike answers, "The Guardian from the Deeper Well. Greenskeeper of your graveyard, so to speak."
Illyria understands, "My jailer."
Drogyn says her name.
Spike looks up, "Boretz". The demon leaps down on Spike. Fight ensues. Illyria watches as Spike gets thrown into an electrical box. A shower of sparks flies from it as Spike falls to the ground.
Illyria grabs the demon as Spike gets to his feet and offers advice, "Stay away from its mouth. It's poisonous. Go for its knees!"
Illyria kicks the demon several feet through the air. It doesn't get back up.
Spike finishes what he was saying, "I think there's a weak spot -- Okay. Yeah, that might do it."
Spike asks Drogyn what he's doing there.
He says he came to find Spike.
Spike is skeptical, "Oh, so you tacked up a sign on your tree, waved bye to the Keeblers, hopped the puddle and somehow managed to sniff me out in a city of ten million?"
Drogyn struggles to speak, "I can find anyone who's visited the Well, be they in this world or any other. I came to ... to warn you .." He starts to fall as his legs give out.
Spike catches him, "Warn?"
Illyria notices, "He's bleeding."
Spike sees the wound, "You're all torn up, mate. What did this to you? The Boretz, was it?"
Drogyn answers, "No. It was Angel."
Wes walks up to Harm's desk and grabs a pen. He opens the appointment book to a blank page and draws the symbol he saw appear in the source book.
Harm looks at what he's drawing, thinking it's a tattoo design. She suggests the calf would be good location for it.
Wes puts the pen down, tears the page out of the appointment book and walks into Angel's office as he looks down at the drawing. "Angel, something unusual came across one of my ..."
He looks up and notices Angel is seated behind his desk, Hamilton is sitting on the edge of the desk next to him holding a file folder. "Oh, I didn't realize you were occupied. If you don't mind, Hamilton ..."
Angel tells him he and Hamilton were in the middle of something. "Why don't you try me later?"
Wes reluctantly agrees, "Yes, later then." He heads for the door.
Angel calls after him, "Wes?"
Wes stops and turns toward him.
Angel directs him to "Shut the door on your way out."
Wes complies as Hamilton smiles.
Outside the office, Lorne approaches Wes, "Hey, is Angel in there?"
Wes confirms he is.
Lorne asks for a "weather report."
Wes gives him one as he walks across the lobby, "Cold. Icy, actually."
Lorne says Angel let six of his clients go, didn't even mention it to him. "I spent all day talking them off ledges and out of pill bottles."
Wes says, "I sense that suicidal celebrities are beneath Angel's concern."
Gunn joins them as they head into Wesley's office. He asks what Angel said.
Wes answers, "Nothing. He had Hamilton in his office. They're discussing business strategy." He takes a seat behind his desk.
Lorne snipes, "It's like Angel's suddenly started channeling Leona Helmsley."
Wes notes, "He's not himself, at any rate."
Gunn wonders what's going on with him.
Wes answers his phone. "Yes? Spike." He listens a moment then looks up at Lorne and Gunn, concerned.
Spike, Illyria, Wes, Gunn, Lorne and Drogyn are gathered at Spike's apartment. Drogyn tells them what happened. "It was a Sathari. Part of a demon clan of assassins. They fell upon me last night. The poison from his four blades wearing heavy on my limbs."
Spike urges him to get to the point.
Drogyn continues, "Once I bested him, I tortured the Sathari for hours until he confessed who had sent him. It was Angel."
Spike directs him to tell the others why.
Drogyn obliges, "He said Angel was afraid I'd find something in the Deeper Well. Something that would uncover the truth about his involvement."
Gunn asks, "In what?"
Drogyn answers, "Helping Illyria escape from her tomb."
Wes looks at Illyria then back to Drogyn, "I thought the release of her sarcophagus from the Deeper Well was predestined."
Drogyn concedes he believed that at the time, "But now, I believe Illyria's resurrection may have been planned."
Gunn realizes what he's saying, "By Angel."
Lorne isn't buying it. "That doesn't make a lick of sense. I mean, why would Angel want to spring an Old One?"
Drogyn doesn't think that was the point. "Before he died, the assassin said something about a sacrifice. Someone trusted and dear."
Wes asks, "Are you saying that Angel was responsible for what happened to Fred?"
Drogyn isn't sure, "Well he .. he may not have chosen her specifically, but --"
Lorne doesn't want to hear it. "Whoa. Let's put a kibosh on that sentence before it turns into an ass kicking."
Drogyn assures him he takes no pleasure in giving them this news. "I held Angel an ally, a brother."
Wes says quietly, "And you believe, he may have murdered Fred."
Drogyn confirms that, "I know this is difficult for you but Angel was involved. The information retrieved from the assassin --"
Gunn suggests the assassin could have been lying.
Drogyn is certain he wasn't. "No one lies when they're at the mercy of my wrath."
Gunn still doesn't believe it, "Then you're the liar, Aragorn."
Spike informs Gunn that Drogyn can't lie, "It's a curse or something."
Gunn doesn't see how they can be sure, noting he's a stranger to them.
Wes tells him, "Gunn, this is Drogyn, the Battlebrand. Given eternal youth a thousand years ago. Demon bane, truth sayer .."
Drogyn looks at him, a bit surprised.
Wes admits, "Watcher's Council."
Spike mocks, "Percy did a paper. Bully for him."
Wes unfolds the paper containing the sketch of the symbol he did at Harm's desk. He shows it to Drogyn and asks if he knows what the symbol means.
Drogyn doesn't recognize it.
Spike takes it from Wes, "Where'd you get that?"
Wes fills them in. "This afternoon, someone tapped into the template interface, sent a message to me and that symbol. Somebody's dropping clues."
Gunn thinks it's more likely someone is playing games.
Lorne still has a hard time believing Angel had anything to do with what happened to Fred or any of the rest of what's going on.
Wes notes, "Angel's been doing a number of things out of character lately. We all noticed it."
Lorne asks why it's happening now.
Wes wonders that as well. "Yes, why the sudden need to tie up loose ends like Drogyn? Unless ..."
Illyria figures it out, "He's preparing to make his move."
Gunn wonders what kind of move that would be.
Wes reckons they need to ask him. He thinks Drogyn should stay at Spike's, under guard.
Spike doesn't want to stay behind. "I'm not missing the fireworks." He looks at Illyria, "You don't care about any of this nonsense, do you?"
She confirms that, "The intricacies of your fates are meaningless."
Spike's glad to hear it. "Well and good. You mind watching over our friend, Drogyn?" Illyria glares at him. "Oh come on. New place will do you good. It's nice and cozy. Help yourself to some beer in the fridge. Switch on the telly if you get bored." He picks up a video game controller and hands it to her. "And uh, feel free to play a little 'Crash Bandicoot.' Give you lot something to pass the time." He leaves.
Illyria looks after him, "Crash Bandicoot?"
Angel finishes up some paperwork at Harm's desk, "Strike these four clauses and wire it back to them. See what they make of that."
Wes and the others arrive. He tells Angel they need to speak with him, now.
Gunn adds, "Boy's dead serious."
As they head for the office, Angel lags behind. Spike asks, "Are you coming then?" He joins Spike and follows them to the office.
Angel enters the office, "Okay. What's on your minds?"
Lorne asks what's on his.
Spike tells him, "Our friend Drogyn's in town."
Angel casually asks, "Is he?"
Spike confirms that, "Yeah, a bit marked up though. Somebody tried to have him killed. Know anything about that?"
Angel strolls across the office, stopping in front of his desk, "Course not. Where is he?"
Gunn says he's safe.
Angel turns to face them. "Good. Now, can we get back to business or was there something else?"
Wes wonders, "'Business.' What business are we in, Angel?"
Angel's tone is edgy, "Do I really have to explain this to you people? We're in the business of business. Oil, software, worldwide wickets. The product doesn't matter. It's the game that matters. Get to the top, be the best, have the most, win."
Wes asks, "Win what?"
Angel walks around behind his desk, "You're still missing the point."
Gunn notes he sounds more like Angelus than Angel.
Angel assures him, "Oh, if I were Angelus, half of you would already be dead. Just for the fun of it."
Spike stalks toward him, "One of us already is. We havin' fun yet?"
Angel answers, "You want to know the truth? The truth is there's only one of us who ever understood how things really work. Lorne."
Lorne isn't thrilled being singled out. "Whoa. Hey, hey, hey. Can I not be the poster child for your nervous breakdown?"
Angel continues, "You didn't judge. You didn't spend your life obsessed with good and evil. You do that, you get swallowed, lost in the minutia. Good, bad, Angel, Angelus, none of it makes a difference. I wish it did, but, you know, an ant with the best intentions or the most diabolical schemes is just exactly, an ant. There is one thing in this business, in this apocalypse that we call a world, that matters. Power. Power tips the scale. Power sets the course. And until I have real power, global power, I have nothing. I accomplish nothing."
Wes starts to ask, "And how you get this power --"
Angel answers, "Isn't pretty. Isn't fun. You think it's Wolfram and Hart getting to me here." He walks around the front of the desk. "And maybe you're right, because they've shown us what power is. From day one, they've been calling the shots. And all we've done? Is get shot at. I have a chance to change that."
Lorne asks, "And will you? I mean, not to play an old saw, but power does traditionally corrupt. You get high up enough and, well, the people, they do start to look like ants."
Angel responds, "I can't worry about that. The small stuff."
Harm enters to deliver a message, "Angel? That important phone call from ... that guy about that thing ... it's on line 3." She leaves.
Angel tells the others they're done, he has to take the call, then walks over to the open office door and waits, making it clear he expects them to leave.
As they file out, Spike mutters, "Yeah, the guy about the thing."
As Angel starts to close the door, Wes asks, "The small stuff, that you can't worry about? Would that include Fred?"
Angel answers, "I loved Fred."
Wes points out, "That's not an answer."
Angel snaps, "Then I guess you don't get one", and shuts the door in Wesley's face.
Wes and Lorne are in a room at W&H. Wes is sitting in front of a mirror, thinking there has to be something going on. "There's got to be something behind all this. A reason." He adds hopefully, "It could be a ploy." He looks at Lorne, "For God's sake, say something."
Lorne doesn't know what Wes wants him to say, "Tell you that Angel loved Fred and that in an eon of eons he would never harm her in any way? I wish I could but, if he believes what he's saying, and I believe he does --"
Wes can't make sense of it, Angel never cared about power.
Lorne notes he's never really had any before. "Not real power. Even as Angelus. And then, just like that, he's king of the mountain. It's quite a view from up there. Tends to make people want things. Even if they start with the best intentions. Angel's seen real power and he's not looking away. He's gonna go for it, Wes."
The door bursts open as Spike and Gunn roughly escort a manacled, chained Lindsey into the room.
Lindsey laughs, extending his arms toward Lorne and Wes, "You boys look like you could use a hug."
Angel meets up with Nina outside of the design school she's attending. She greets him with a kiss and a hug. He remains rigid, his arms at his sides. She says it's a nice surprise and asks if everything is okay.
He asks if they can sit down.
They take a seat next to each other on a nearby bench. He hands her plane tickets.
She's excited, "Plane tickets? I don't believe it. We're getting away? This is ... But I thought you didn't have time to ..." She notices something, "Wait. There are three tickets here. We taking a chaperone?" Angel avoids making eye contact with her. She realizes who the tickets are for. "My sister and Amanda?"
Angel says, "I need you out of here."
Nina isn't liking what she's hearing. "That's typical. You sleep with a guy and he sends your entire family out of the country. No, wait. That's actually not that typical at all. You couldn't just, not call?"
He tells her it's not safe to be there.
She asks, "Is it ever? I want to be with you if there's trouble."
Angel discourages her. "You don't want to be with me. You don't want to be near me."
She wonders, "Because I might get hurt?"
He answers, "Because I'm the thing that'll hurt you."
She asks, "What do you call this?"
Angel doesn't know what to say. "How can I convince you that I want to be with you?"
She suggests he show her a fourth ticket.
Angel still makes very little eye contact with her, "Okay ... if I get ... through this ... intact ... I'll come for you. We'll have time."
Nina isn't buying it. "You're the most amazing man I've ever met but you're a crappy liar."
Angel tells her to go, "I'm not asking."
She agrees, "I'll go. Why on earth would I stay?" She gets up and walks away.
At Spike's apartment, Illyria and Drogyn are sitting next to each other, playing a video game, trying to figure it out. Drogyn notes, "It is a test. A task of some sort." He points to the the television screen, "You must collect those crystals ... and fruit."
Illyria asks why.
Drogyn looks at her, "Old One, you have no right to walk this earth. Your time has past. You belong to the Well."
She doesn't disagree, "Truly. I wish now I'd never been brought out of it."
He wonders if that's true.
She answers as she looks at the screen, "I don't know. I play this game. It's pointless and annoys me and yet I'm compelled to play on. Does that not --"
The apartment door flies violently inward, off its hinges. A smug Hamilton enters. "Well, looky, looky who's making friends."
Drogyn recognizes him. There's a bit of surprise in his tone, "Marcus."
Hamilton greets him in return, "Dro. How have you been?"
Illyria asks, "You're acquainted with this creature?"
Hamilton answers, "Yes, we go way back, don't we?"
Drogyn notes, "Too far."
Hamilton says, "Hmm. The good old days. So, I hear you're living in a tree now."
Drogyn corrects him, "The tree is the entrance to the Deeper Well. I live in a cave. It's really quite pleasant."
Hamilton is sure it's nice, "Afraid you won't be returning to it again."
Illyria warns him not to harm Drogyn.
Hamilton grabs Drogyn and throws him across the room, slamming him into the wall.
Illyria tries to fight him but she's no match for his strength. Hamilton reckons this won't take too long. As Illyria throws punches and kicks, Hamilton deflects them all. His punches all hit the target. He's disappointed it isn't more of a challenge as he beats her down. "Didn't think a big, scary Old One bled this easily." He pulls her up from the floor, "Maybe it's this skinny little body you chose to infect." He punctuates his words with heavy blows to her face. "Or maybe it's that ray gun they shot you with to keep you from exploding." [punch] "Or maybe .." [punch] "You're [punch] just [punch] not [punch] that [punch] cool." [punch] She slumps to the floor. "Yes, that's probably it." He raises his foot and stomps her face.
At W&H, Lindsey is being cocky. "So, what are you gonna do? You gonna beat it outta me?"
Spike thinks that sounds good as he moves toward Lindsey.
Lindsey jumps to his feet, ready for a fight.
Gunn grabs Spike, "We all know how this goes." Spike shoves Lindsey back down into the chair. "Spike beats you to a bloody pulp. You beg for mercy and we get what we came for."
Lindsey insists he doesn't know why Angel gave up the baby, "Or anything else. Me and him? Not too close. I gotta get back to my game of solitaire."
Wes shows him the drawing of the symbol.
Lindsey obviously recognizes it. "Where did you get that?"
Wes asks what it means.
Lindsey chuckles. "Is that what all this is about? All these questions about Angel." He looks at the symbol. "No, no way. No way they'd take Angel."
Spike wants to know who "they" are.
Lindsey answers, "The Circle of the Black Thorn."
Lorne snipes, "Sounds like a little sewing club for pirates."
Lindsey says it's a "secret society."
Gunn notes he never heard of it.
Lindsey scoffs, "That's 'cause they're secret."
Spike is skeptical, "There's plenty of these cabals about. Usually spend a lot of time in basements, paddling one another's bums to prove their manhood."
Lindsey fills them in. "They're not frat boy's, Spike. The Circle's small. It's elite. They got connections you boys can't even comprehend."
Wes notes, "They're evil."
Lindsey concedes that, "Sure. But evil's not the point. Power is."
Wes repeats, "Power."
Gunn wants to know what they do.
Lindsey is amused. "Jeeze. You guys always this slow? Huh? Starts with 'A'. Ends in 'pocalypse'. It's a well oiled machine, this Circle. These people grease the wheels. Keep the parts in place. Make sure man's inhumanity to man keeps rolling along."
Wes says he thought the Senior Partners were the ones responsible for the apocalypse.
Lindsey explains, "The Senior Partners are on a different plane. Down here, it's the players in the Circle that make things happen. Hell, you get tapped by one of them, it's kinda like getting the keys to the chocolate factory."
Wes realizes this is why Lindsey returned to Los Angeles and tried to kill Angel, to get into the Circle. He takes a seat opposite Lindsey.
Lindsey doesn't deny it, "To be a Black Thorn is to be the Senior Partners instrument on earth. Doesn't get bigger than that."
Gunn reckons it appears Angel succeeded where Lindsey didn't.
Lindsey isn't convinced. "He doesn't have it in him."
Wes wants to know what.
Lindsey answers, "Well, for starters, he's gotta give up the champion angle. Quit saving girls in alleys." He considers a moment. "Probably wouldn't even make it on the Circle's radar till he killed one of his lieutenants."
The others exchange looks. Lorne breaks the silence, "The Senior Partners, the Circle, they're killing Angel by degrees."
Wes adds quietly, "And we all watched it happen."
Gunn notes, "The guy I knew wouldn't want this. Wouldn't wanna be this."
Wes tells them, "Angel dedicated his life to helping others. Not because he had to but because it was a path he'd chosen." He gets to his feet. "If he's been swayed from that, influenced, then maybe there's still time. We can bring him back. He'd do the same for any of us, regardless of our actions."
Lorne wonders, "And what if he's skipped too far down that evil brick road?"
Lindsey smiles.
Repeat the opening scene, only in more detail this time. Angel, outside the stone room, staring at the wall of flame that serves as the doorway. The sounds of a beating and a man crying out in pain can be heard. Angel jumps through the flames and enters the room. The beating stops as the masked, robed figures step back. He pulls the battered, bloodied man to his feet and removes the cloth bag from his head. This time we see the man's face, it's Drogyn.
Drogyn looks at him, trying to focus. He weakly offers his gratitude. "Thank you. Thank you."
Angel grabs him firmly by the shoulders, looks into his eyes a moment, morphs into game face and buries his fangs in Drogyn's neck. He drinks briefly then pulls back and snaps his victim's neck. The body slumps to the floor.
Angel stands in the dimly lit stone room, his shirt open. One of the robed figures reaches out his hand and holds it near Angel's chest. "The Circle entwined." The symbol of the Black Thorn is burned into his chest as the others chant. "Embrace this worthy son." The one doing the burning speaks, "The Thorn draws blood." The others chant, "The Thorn is the power, and the power is absolute."
Angel is welcomed as the demon who burned him extends his hand in greeting. The room suddenly becomes more brightly illuminated. The other robed figures remove their masks, revealing familiar faces in the crowd; Senator Brucker, Archduke Sebassis ("Life of the Party"), Cyvus Vail ("Origin"), and the Fell Leader. ("Time Bomb")
The demon who did the burning removes his hood and mask, revealing it's Izzy. "See? Didn't I tell you it was gonna happen? Now, about that lamb we got ya for the slaughter, any idea who that was?"
Drinks are served as Angel answers, "Drogyn. The Battlebrand."
Izzy is proud of that. "Damn straight. We got you some supercharged warrior juice not some schmuck. You must feel great." He toasts Angel then offers to introduce him to the other members.
Sebassis steps up. "Kudos, child. I must say it's gratifying to see you've returned to form, Angelus."
Angel informs him, "It's still Angel."
Sebassis accepts that, "Ah. Well, what's in a name, eh?" He makes an offer. "In the spirit of our new alliance, you must allow me to throw a dinner party in your honor."
Angel accepts with an insincere, "You know how much I love parties."
Senator Brucker approaches, "It's nice to see you again so soon, Angel."
Angel didn't realize she was so well connected.
She figures she'll need more than her wit and "funding from hostile governments" to gain the presidency in 2008.
Izzy interrupts, telling Angel someone would like to pay his respects. He leads him to a wheezing Cyvus Vail who's pushing his IV trolley alongside himself. He's heard Angel's been looking for him.
Angel clarifies, "Actually, I've been looking like I'm looking for you. Appearances, you know."
Izzy notes he told Cyvus things were okay. He suggests they shake hands.
Vail offers his hand. "No hard feelings, then."
Angel agrees as he takes Vail's hand, "Ultimately everything worked out for the best."
Vail pulls him closer, "Oh. Your son, he kills quite well."
Angel offers an uncomfortable "Thanks", and walks away.
Izzy is impressed with the turnout for the initiation. He offers to freshen Angel's drink as he takes the glass and departs.
Angel scans the faces in the room.
Angel steps off the upper floor lobby elevator and walks to his office. He enters the open door and walks about halfway in before being greeted by Spike punching him in the face and knocking him to the floor. Gunn, who is armed with a sword, slams the door shut. Lorne comes out of the conference room, crossbow at the ready. Wes enters the office with his shotgun.
Spike suggests Angel "Might wanna stay down."
Angel asks, "Or what?"
Spike steps back as Angel gets to his feet with a warning. "Careful. You don't wanna get yourselves hurt."
Gunn confronts him. "We know what you've been doin'. Giving up the baby to the Fell Brethren. Working for Senator Bitch. Trying to take out Drogyn to cover up what you did to Fred. And for what? To get in bed with the Circle of the Black Thorn?"
Angel realizes they've figured it out.
Lorne confirms that, "Yeah, a little singing from a jailbird we know, and loathe."
Angel scoffs, "Lindsey? And you believed him."
Spike points out Lindsey has no reason to lie.
Angel doesn't figure he needs one.
Wes notes, "Unlike you?"
Angel walks toward Wes who has the shotgun pointed at him. "What I do here is my business. You don't like how I conduct it, you can leave, before I kill you."
Wes snipes, "Kill us? Hard to believe we're having trouble trusting you."
Angel notes he's just "telling it like it is."
Wes cocks the shotgun. "Then we have a problem."
Angel reckons that's true. He pulls the gun out of Wesley's hands and knocks him to the floor, punches Spike, uses the shotgun to knock the sword out of Gunn's hands then tosses it to the floor. Lorne shoots him with the crossbow but the bolt embeds in his shoulder. Wes pulls out his handgun but Angel kicks it out of his hand. He knocks the crossbow out of Lorne's hands and grabs him, holding him in a headlock, threatening to break his neck. "Are we done?"
Wes demands he let Lorne go.
Angel reminds him, "You don't give the orders." He directs Lorne to pull the bolt out of his shoulder. "Easy, I'm not in a great mood." Lorne does as he's told. Angel reaches into his coat pocket. "Now, let's finish this." He pulls out a crystal and holds it up, "Involvere." The crystal grows bright, a wave of bright light comes off of it, filling the room, then disappears leaving everything looking the same.
Angel releases Lorne. "All right, we've got six minutes."
Spike asks, "Till what?"
Angel answers, "The glamour collapses. As far as anyone outside this room is concerned, we're still at each other's throats."
Wes wonders if that isn't the case.
Angel attempts to explain. "Look, we don't have a lot of time here so I'm going to have to make this short. Everything you think you know, everything you've heard is a lie."
Gunn wonders why they should believe him.
Angel answers, "Because I'm the one who told it." He looks at Wes, "Read any good books lately?"
Wes realizes Angel sent the message through his source book.
Angel confirms that, "And the assassin to kill Drogyn."
Spike notes, "So that part was true."
Angel responds, "I knew Drogyn could handle himself. I told the assassin just enough to lead Drogyn to think I played a part in resurrecting Illyria. I figured he'd come here looking for allies against me."
Wes wonders, "Why would you want us to believe you killed Fred?"
Angel answers impatiently, "Because they needed to believe it."
Gunn realizes he's referring to the Circle of the Black Thorn.
Angel confirms that. "They needed to believe my own people didn't trust me anymore. They needed to believe a person as good and as pure as Drogyn considered me an enemy. It was the only way to gain their confidence."
Spike asks when this all started.
Angel tells him it was two months ago. Flashback to Cordelia kissing Angel good-bye in "You're Welcome". This time a blue light is visible passing between them during the kiss. He says it didn't hit him until later. Flashback to Angel bolting upright in bed, with visions of the Black Thorn symbol and their bloody activities.
Wes asks if Cordy gave him her visions.
Angel says it was just the one time. "She put me on the path. Showed me where the real powers are. But I couldn't see who they were. And then, Fred died and I wasn't going to let that be another random, horrible event in another random, horrible world. So I decided to use it. To make her death matter. And it worked. I'm in. I've seen the faces of evil. I know who the real powers in the apocalypse are."
Gunn recalls what he said earlier, "So, all that power tilts the scales crap."
Angel tells him it's true, "We're in a machine. The machine's gonna be here long after our bodies are dust. But the Senior Partners will always exist in one form or another because mankind is weak."
Lorne asks, "Uh, do you want me to point my crossbow at him 'cause I think he's gonna start talking about ants again."
Angel continues, "We are weak. The powerful control everything, except our will to choose. Look, Lindsey's a pathetic half-wit but he was right about one thing. Heroes don't accept the way the world is. The Senior Partners may be eternal but we can make their existence painful."
Wes realizes what he's proposing, "You want to take them on."
Angel confirms it, "We're in a machine. The Black Thorn runs it. We can bring their gears to a grinding halt, even if it's just for a moment."
Spike's up for that, "About time we got our hands dirty."
Angel makes it understood, "This isn't a 'keep fighting the good fight' kind of deal. Let's be clear. I'm talking about killing every ... single ... member of the Black Thorn." He adds quietly, "We don't walk away from that."
Lorne wonders if they might crawl away, at least.
Angel continues, "We do this, the Senior Partners will rain their full wrath. They'll make an example of us. I'm talkin' full on hell. Not the fire-and-brimstone kind we're used to."
Gunn gets that, "We know the drill."
Angel disagrees, "No, you don't. Ten to one we're gone when the smoke clears. They will do everything in their power to destroy us. So .. I need you to be sure. Power endures. We can't bring down the Senior Partners but for one, bright, shining moment, we can show them that they don't own us. You need to decide for yourselves if that's worth dying for. I can't order you to do this. I can't do it without you. So, we'll vote. As a team. Think about what I'm asking you to do. Think about what I'm asking you to give."
Spike looks up at him, "Kill 'em all. Burn the house down while we're still in it."
Angel concedes, "Something like that."
There is silence as everyone ponders the question for themselves. Spike is the first to raise his hand, "I'm in."
Wes smiles slightly, looks at Angel, "I'm in."
Gunn raises his hand, then Lorne does the same.
Outside the office, Hamilton is peering through the window. The effect of the glamour is still in place as he sees the standoff, with Angel holding off the others by threatening to snap Lorne's neck.
A skeptical expression crosses Hamilton's face.
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S5/EPISODE 21
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| Written by: David
Fury |
Original Air Date: May 12, 2004 |
In a dimly lit stone room, a man is shirtless, on his knees, being pummeled by robed figures wielding clubs. His head is covered with a cloth sack. The open entryway to the room is protected by a wall of flame.
Outside the room, Angel looks at the flames briefly then jumps through them.
Once he's inside, the robed figures beating the man stop and step back. Angel pulls the man to his feet, removes the bag from his head (the man is only shown from behind, his identity remains unknown) and grips the man by his shoulders.
The man weakly offers his thanks.
Angel morphs into game face, grabs the back of the man's head and sinks his fangs into his neck.
19 Hours Earlier
Angel lies on his back in his bed. Nina is lying next to him. She moves up beside him and lays her head on his chest. He greets her as he puts his arm around her, "Hi."
She lifts her head and looks at him, "Okay, where did you learn how to do that?"
He asks, "Which part?"
She says it doesn't matter, "How are you?"
He says he's "good."
She wonders, "You're not perfectly happy, are you?" She lays over him and rifles through the nightstand drawer on the other side, "'Cause I got my wooden stake right here." She realizes she can't find what she's looking for.
Angel assures her she's safe.
She returns to her previous position, "And you? Good? You weren't thinking about your little Roman friend or --"
Angel answers, "Nina, for the last .. " He retrieves his watch from the nightstand, looks at it, "Whoa. Very long moment, I haven't had a coherent thought."
Nina smiles, "I'm gonna take that as a compliment."
Angel assures her she should.
Nina notices the furrowed brow has returned, "If she's not on your mind, then ..."
Angel stares at the ceiling, admitting, "There's a lot .... More than usual going on."
She asks if it's work.
He answers, "Always."
Nina suggests a vacation to Cabo, margaritas, making love on the beach. "Did you catch how I suddenly included myself in your vacation package?"
He says her name.
She backs off a bit, "Too pushy, too needy, I didn't even say it. You should make love on the beach all by yourself."
Angel continues to mostly avoid eye contact with her even though she's perched above his chest looking into his face. "It would be wonderful. I mean it."
She reckons there's a "but" coming.
She's right as Angel continues, "There ... there are things ... that ... that I have to do. Things I've already set in motion .." He sits up abruptly, resting his back against the headboard. "I know I've spent years fighting to get somewhere, to accomplish something and now that I'm close to it ... I don't like what I see, what I am."
Nina says he's a hero.
He pinches the bridge of his nose, "Oh, that word."
She grabs his wrist and moves his hand away from his face, "You're my hero."
He brushes the back of crooked his index finger down the side of her face. "I may not always be."
Illyria is walking down a hallway at W&H. She watches as an employee walks past her. Spike is leaning against the wall, "Like you're not even there."
She stops in front of him as he continues his observation. "World trembled before your feet once. Now, paddin' around a place you don't want to be in and the rabble don't even give you so much as a polite yawn."
Illyria assures him it doesn't matter, "Do not presume I require any creature's attention."
Spike is undeterred, "Wouldn't dream of it, Blue. Still, you can't enjoy haunting this place. Less than what you were. Not knowing what to do with yourself. Believe me, I've been there."
Illyria asks, "And what do you know of it?"
He answers, "Long and fascinating tale. Ghost story, in fact. Short of it is, take my advice. Get out once in awhile, before you go bats."
Illyria doesn't understand, "Out."
Spike explains, "Out. Outside. That place just on the other side of the window."
Illyria walks away, Spike joins her. "I've grown wary of this world since my powers were depleted." ("Time Bomb") "Strange, though I've been made more human, this place remains disconcerting."
Spike understands that, "Yeah, well I'm afraid that never goes away. Anyhow, I thought Wesley was giving you a primer on all things human."
Illyria answers, "He and I are no longer having intercourse."
That stops Spike in his tracks, "Y -- Ah -- You wh -- What?"
Illyria stops walking and turns, taking a few steps toward him. "He has ceased communication with me."
Spike responds, "Oh! Oh. Communi --"
Illyria interrupts, "My recent reversion to the Burkle persona disturbed him. And he will not tell me why." ("The Girl in Question")
Spike explains it, "You don't know? You may not think you're as powerful as you were, Highness, but looking like Fred, for some of us, it's the most devastating power you have."
Angel exits the office into the lobby accompanied by Gunn who's still opting for street clothes over the corporate suit. Hamilton approaches with a woman and a man. He greets Angel and introduces him to the woman, "Senator Brucker."
Angel shakes her hand, welcoming her to Wolfram and Hart.
She assures him it's a familiar place, "Oh, I go way back with this firm. Back when Holland Manners was in charge."
Gunn reckons she'll find things have changed since then. He extends his hand and introduces himself.
Hamilton informs the senator Gunn is head of the legal department.
She introduces the African-American man accompanying her as Ernesto, her personal aide.
Angel senses he's something else as well, "Vampire."
She notes her tendency to forget their kind can sense each other. "Well, I believe in diversity on my staff. It was a big part of my campaign."
Gunn offers a sarcastic, "How commendable."
Angel asks Harmony, who's sitting behind her desk, to get some coffee.
The senator declines, "But if it isn't any trouble, I think Ernesto might like some blood."
Ernesto agrees with that, "Virgin, if you have it. Room temperature's fine."
Harm offers apologies, "We have a 'no human blood' policy." She cheerfully offers an alternative. "I can offer you something in a rodent. We have some fruity, unassuming vole --"
Hamilton shoots her an annoyed look, "Oh, I think we can make an exception to our policy this time for the senator." He looks at Angel,
"Couldn't
we, Angel?" Angel agrees, "Harmony, the lab might have something in the blood bank. Why don't you go check it out?"
Gunn gives Angel a disbelieving look.
Harmony starts for the lab as Angel smiles at the senator. "You're the boss, boss. Could I, maybe just have a teeny, weeny --"
Angel answers curtly, "No."
Harm thought it was worth a shot. She leaves.
Hamilton tells the senator to call him if she needs anything and assures her she's in good hands. He departs.
Angel directs the senator and her aide to his office, "Shall we?" They go into the office as he follows.
Wes approaches Angel before he enters the office, "Angel? There's been another fatality in Funville."
Angel doesn't know what he's talking about, "What?"
Wes fills him in. "That abandoned amusement park downtown? Third victim in as many nights. Teeth marks strongly indicate a Boretz demon."
Spike and Illyria approach. Spike's familiar with the species, "Oh, bloody Boretz. Nasty buggers. Stink to high heaven. Dress as transients to prey on the homeless, poor sods."
Wes says the last victim was a teenage girl, a runaway. "She was ripped apart."
Angel brushes him off, "Well, there's not much we can do about it now, huh?" He heads toward his office.
Wes persists, "Angel, we need to find this demon and destroy it before --"
Angel stops and turns to him, "Somebody else dies? Yeah, I know, Wes. People are dying every day all over. This girl is just one more statistic."
Wes informs him, "Stacy. The statistic's name was Stacy Bluth." He pulls a sheet of paper out of the file folder he's carrying..
Angel takes the paper, barely looking at it before offering it back to Wes. "Well, you know, we can't save everybody and we can't sweat the small stuff." He starts to head back to the office.
Wes doesn't understand, "Small?"
Angel tells him he has a senator waiting for him, Wes should find out what he can about the Boretz and they'll talk later. He goes into his office.
Wes is still wondering what's going on, "Small stuff?"
Spike offers to deal with the Boretz, "I haven't had a decent tussle since the Blue meanie and I stopped sparring."
Wes agrees, telling Spike to call him if he finds anything, he'll be in his office doing some research. He leaves.
Illyria watches him leave as she observes Wes didn't even seem to notice her presence.
Spike recalls her earlier comment, "Not that you require any creature's attention." He invites her along. "Hey! Wanna go find something to hit?"
In Angel's conference room, he's watching a campaign tape along with Senator Brucker, her aide and Gunn. The tape is promoting her opponent, Mike Conley; family man, war hero, defender of children, home and hearth.
Brucker stops the tape and tosses the remote across the table, "There. So you can see my concern."
Ernesto notes the candidate is building support and the senator is losing ground in the polls.
She's not pleased with the situation, "I didn't claw my way up from hell and get installed in a human body just to have some pedophile steal my senate seat."
Gunn asks, "Wait. He's a pedophile?"
Brucker answers, "Not yet. But the public better think he is when you guys get through."
Gunn isn't clear on this, "Pardon me?"
She offers in response, "Hell, convince Conley he is. You've got some sort of brainwashing capabilities here, don't you?" She looks at Ernesto, "What's that's doctor's name?"
He tells her, "Sparrow."
She reckons he'll be perfect for the job.
Gunn firmly disagrees, "Look, I don't care what kind of services you were used to getting with this firm but Holland Manners doesn't live here anymore. We're not about to ruin a man's life and reputation just so you can --"
Angel cuts him off, offering matter-of-factly, "We can do it."
Gunn is stunned, "What?"
Angel ignores him as he addresses the senator and her aide. "Not sure how long a reconditioning like that would take."
Ernesto reminds him the election is in November.
Gunn can't believe what he's hearing, "You're not seriously considering --"
Brucker assures Angel he's made himself a loyal friend in Washington.
Gunn gets to his feet, "Angel, we need to talk."
Angel is dismissive, "I'm with the senator now, Gunn."
In his office, Wes pulls out one of the source books and requests information on Boretz demons. He opens the book and lays it on his desk. The blank pages fill with text. As he begins to peruse the text, it disappears on one page, replaced by a message, "You're looking in the wrong place." Wes asks himself, "What am I looking --" The text on the opposite page disappears, replaced by a circular symbol with curved triangular shapes jutting out from it.
Gunn enters, "We got a serious problem. It's Angel, he's --"
Wes tells him, "Hold on." He looks back down at the book but the message and the symbol have disappeared, replaced by the text he'd originally requested.
Gunn asks, "Wes?"
Wes looks up at him.
Angel is playing racquetball with the red, long tailed, horned demon, Izzy. ( "You're Welcome") Taking a pause in the action, he asks Angel if he mentioned he recently ran into Ed, the leader of the Fell Brethren ("Time Bomb").
Angel asks how he's doing.
Izzy says Ed gushed about the baby and what a great ritual sacrifice he'll make. He adds Ed had a lot of nice things to say about Angel. "You're really coming through, big guy. There's a real buzz about you."
Angel wants to know how much longer he has to wait to get an answer.
Izzy says it takes time but it won't be too long now.
They return to their racquetball game.
Spike and Illyria are walking cautiously through the abandoned amusement park. "See? This isn't so bad now. Little field trip out in the ... well, what passes in this city for fresh air. All we need now is to bag ourselves a Boretz demon, we got ourselves a perfect date."
Illyria notes, "Angel does not think the casualties of this creature are important enough to avenge."
Spike reckons living the corporate life has taken away Angel's love for the hunt. "No worries. More for me then."
Illyria says it doesn't serve his interest.
Spike wonders what she's talking about.
She answers, I've seen this before with many rulers. Your leader has been corrupted."
Spike is confused, "Hey, hang on. In the first place, Angel's not my leader. In the second, what the bloody hell do you mean, corrupted?"
She offers, "It always begins the same. A ruler turns a blind eye to the dealings of battles from which he cannot gain and a deaf ear to the counsel of those closest to him. As his strength increases, so does the separation between him and his follow -- "
Spike senses something, "You smell that?"
Illyria didn't notice anything specific, she finds all earthly smells equally offensive.
Spike walks on, "You're wrong about Angel. Not that I don't think the sod could end up being a megalomaniacal bastard. It's just that if he did, I'd know it. I'd feel it."
Illyria tells him he'll have proof soon. "A corrupted ruler on such a path sees treachery and betrayal all around him. He cannot suffer intimates and will eventually turn against them."
Spike reckons he has nothing to worry about then, "'Cause Angel and me have never been intimate. Except that one ..."
Illyria is sure of it, "Mark me. He will murder one of you."
An obviously injured Drogyn ("A Hole in the World") staggers out of the shadows. "Actually, he already has."
Spike recognizes him.
Illyria takes several steps toward him, "Who is this?"
Spike answers, "The Guardian from the Deeper Well. Greenskeeper of your graveyard, so to speak."
Illyria understands, "My jailer."
Drogyn says her name.
Spike looks up, "Boretz". The demon leaps down on Spike. Fight ensues. Illyria watches as Spike gets thrown into an electrical box. A shower of sparks flies from it as Spike falls to the ground.
Illyria grabs the demon as Spike gets to his feet and offers advice, "Stay away from its mouth. It's poisonous. Go for its knees!"
Illyria kicks the demon several feet through the air. It doesn't get back up.
Spike finishes what he was saying, "I think there's a weak spot -- Okay. Yeah, that might do it."
Spike asks Drogyn what he's doing there.
He says he came to find Spike.
Spike is skeptical, "Oh, so you tacked up a sign on your tree, waved bye to the Keeblers, hopped the puddle and somehow managed to sniff me out in a city of ten million?"
Drogyn struggles to speak, "I can find anyone who's visited the Well, be they in this world or any other. I came to ... to warn you .." He starts to fall as his legs give out.
Spike catches him, "Warn?"
Illyria notices, "He's bleeding."
Spike sees the wound, "You're all torn up, mate. What did this to you? The Boretz, was it?"
Drogyn answers, "No. It was Angel."
Wes walks up to Harm's desk and grabs a pen. He opens the appointment book to a blank page and draws the symbol he saw appear in the source book.
Harm looks at what he's drawing, thinking it's a tattoo design. She suggests the calf would be good location for it.
Wes puts the pen down, tears the page out of the appointment book and walks into Angel's office as he looks down at the drawing. "Angel, something unusual came across one of my ..."
He looks up and notices Angel is seated behind his desk, Hamilton is sitting on the edge of the desk next to him holding a file folder. "Oh, I didn't realize you were occupied. If you don't mind, Hamilton ..."
Angel tells him he and Hamilton were in the middle of something. "Why don't you try me later?"
Wes reluctantly agrees, "Yes, later then." He heads for the door.
Angel calls after him, "Wes?"
Wes stops and turns toward him.
Angel directs him to "Shut the door on your way out."
Wes complies as Hamilton smiles.
Outside the office, Lorne approaches Wes, "Hey, is Angel in there?"
Wes confirms he is.
Lorne asks for a "weather report."
Wes gives him one as he walks across the lobby, "Cold. Icy, actually."
Lorne says Angel let six of his clients go, didn't even mention it to him. "I spent all day talking them off ledges and out of pill bottles."
Wes says, "I sense that suicidal celebrities are beneath Angel's concern."
Gunn joins them as they head into Wesley's office. He asks what Angel said.
Wes answers, "Nothing. He had Hamilton in his office. They're discussing business strategy." He takes a seat behind his desk.
Lorne snipes, "It's like Angel's suddenly started channeling Leona Helmsley."
Wes notes, "He's not himself, at any rate."
Gunn wonders what's going on with him.
Wes answers his phone. "Yes? Spike." He listens a moment then looks up at Lorne and Gunn, concerned.
Spike, Illyria, Wes, Gunn, Lorne and Drogyn are gathered at Spike's apartment. Drogyn tells them what happened. "It was a Sathari. Part of a demon clan of assassins. They fell upon me last night. The poison from his four blades wearing heavy on my limbs."
Spike urges him to get to the point.
Drogyn continues, "Once I bested him, I tortured the Sathari for hours until he confessed who had sent him. It was Angel."
Spike directs him to tell the others why.
Drogyn obliges, "He said Angel was afraid I'd find something in the Deeper Well. Something that would uncover the truth about his involvement."
Gunn asks, "In what?"
Drogyn answers, "Helping Illyria escape from her tomb."
Wes looks at Illyria then back to Drogyn, "I thought the release of her sarcophagus from the Deeper Well was predestined."
Drogyn concedes he believed that at the time, "But now, I believe Illyria's resurrection may have been planned."
Gunn realizes what he's saying, "By Angel."
Lorne isn't buying it. "That doesn't make a lick of sense. I mean, why would Angel want to spring an Old One?"
Drogyn doesn't think that was the point. "Before he died, the assassin said something about a sacrifice. Someone trusted and dear."
Wes asks, "Are you saying that Angel was responsible for what happened to Fred?"
Drogyn isn't sure, "Well he .. he may not have chosen her specifically, but --"
Lorne doesn't want to hear it. "Whoa. Let's put a kibosh on that sentence before it turns into an ass kicking."
Drogyn assures him he takes no pleasure in giving them this news. "I held Angel an ally, a brother."
Wes says quietly, "And you believe, he may have murdered Fred."
Drogyn confirms that, "I know this is difficult for you but Angel was involved. The information retrieved from the assassin --"
Gunn suggests the assassin could have been lying.
Drogyn is certain he wasn't. "No one lies when they're at the mercy of my wrath."
Gunn still doesn't believe it, "Then you're the liar, Aragorn."
Spike informs Gunn that Drogyn can't lie, "It's a curse or something."
Gunn doesn't see how they can be sure, noting he's a stranger to them.
Wes tells him, "Gunn, this is Drogyn, the Battlebrand. Given eternal youth a thousand years ago. Demon bane, truth sayer .."
Drogyn looks at him, a bit surprised.
Wes admits, "Watcher's Council."
Spike mocks, "Percy did a paper. Bully for him."
Wes unfolds the paper containing the sketch of the symbol he did at Harm's desk. He shows it to Drogyn and asks if he knows what the symbol means.
Drogyn doesn't recognize it.
Spike takes it from Wes, "Where'd you get that?"
Wes fills them in. "This afternoon, someone tapped into the template interface, sent a message to me and that symbol. Somebody's dropping clues."
Gunn thinks it's more likely someone is playing games.
Lorne still has a hard time believing Angel had anything to do with what happened to Fred or any of the rest of what's going on.
Wes notes, "Angel's been doing a number of things out of character lately. We all noticed it."
Lorne asks why it's happening now.
Wes wonders that as well. "Yes, why the sudden need to tie up loose ends like Drogyn? Unless ..."
Illyria figures it out, "He's preparing to make his move."
Gunn wonders what kind of move that would be.
Wes reckons they need to ask him. He thinks Drogyn should stay at Spike's, under guard.
Spike doesn't want to stay behind. "I'm not missing the fireworks." He looks at Illyria, "You don't care about any of this nonsense, do you?"
She confirms that, "The intricacies of your fates are meaningless."
Spike's glad to hear it. "Well and good. You mind watching over our friend, Drogyn?" Illyria glares at him. "Oh come on. New place will do you good. It's nice and cozy. Help yourself to some beer in the fridge. Switch on the telly if you get bored." He picks up a video game controller and hands it to her. "And uh, feel free to play a little 'Crash Bandicoot.' Give you lot something to pass the time." He leaves.
Illyria looks after him, "Crash Bandicoot?"
Angel finishes up some paperwork at Harm's desk, "Strike these four clauses and wire it back to them. See what they make of that."
Wes and the others arrive. He tells Angel they need to speak with him, now.
Gunn adds, "Boy's dead serious."
As they head for the office, Angel lags behind. Spike asks, "Are you coming then?" He joins Spike and follows them to the office.
Angel enters the office, "Okay. What's on your minds?"
Lorne asks what's on his.
Spike tells him, "Our friend Drogyn's in town."
Angel casually asks, "Is he?"
Spike confirms that, "Yeah, a bit marked up though. Somebody tried to have him killed. Know anything about that?"
Angel strolls across the office, stopping in front of his desk, "Course not. Where is he?"
Gunn says he's safe.
Angel turns to face them. "Good. Now, can we get back to business or was there something else?"
Wes wonders, "'Business.' What business are we in, Angel?"
Angel's tone is edgy, "Do I really have to explain this to you people? We're in the business of business. Oil, software, worldwide wickets. The product doesn't matter. It's the game that matters. Get to the top, be the best, have the most, win."
Wes asks, "Win what?"
Angel walks around behind his desk, "You're still missing the point."
Gunn notes he sounds more like Angelus than Angel.
Angel assures him, "Oh, if I were Angelus, half of you would already be dead. Just for the fun of it."
Spike stalks toward him, "One of us already is. We havin' fun yet?"
Angel answers, "You want to know the truth? The truth is there's only one of us who ever understood how things really work. Lorne."
Lorne isn't thrilled being singled out. "Whoa. Hey, hey, hey. Can I not be the poster child for your nervous breakdown?"
Angel continues, "You didn't judge. You didn't spend your life obsessed with good and evil. You do that, you get swallowed, lost in the minutia. Good, bad, Angel, Angelus, none of it makes a difference. I wish it did, but, you know, an ant with the best intentions or the most diabolical schemes is just exactly, an ant. There is one thing in this business, in this apocalypse that we call a world, that matters. Power. Power tips the scale. Power sets the course. And until I have real power, global power, I have nothing. I accomplish nothing."
Wes starts to ask, "And how you get this power --"
Angel answers, "Isn't pretty. Isn't fun. You think it's Wolfram and Hart getting to me here." He walks around the front of the desk. "And maybe you're right, because they've shown us what power is. From day one, they've been calling the shots. And all we've done? Is get shot at. I have a chance to change that."
Lorne asks, "And will you? I mean, not to play an old saw, but power does traditionally corrupt. You get high up enough and, well, the people, they do start to look like ants."
Angel responds, "I can't worry about that. The small stuff."
Harm enters to deliver a message, "Angel? That important phone call from ... that guy about that thing ... it's on line 3." She leaves.
Angel tells the others they're done, he has to take the call, then walks over to the open office door and waits, making it clear he expects them to leave.
As they file out, Spike mutters, "Yeah, the guy about the thing."
As Angel starts to close the door, Wes asks, "The small stuff, that you can't worry about? Would that include Fred?"
Angel answers, "I loved Fred."
Wes points out, "That's not an answer."
Angel snaps, "Then I guess you don't get one", and shuts the door in Wesley's face.
Wes and Lorne are in a room at W&H. Wes is sitting in front of a mirror, thinking there has to be something going on. "There's got to be something behind all this. A reason." He adds hopefully, "It could be a ploy." He looks at Lorne, "For God's sake, say something."
Lorne doesn't know what Wes wants him to say, "Tell you that Angel loved Fred and that in an eon of eons he would never harm her in any way? I wish I could but, if he believes what he's saying, and I believe he does --"
Wes can't make sense of it, Angel never cared about power.
Lorne notes he's never really had any before. "Not real power. Even as Angelus. And then, just like that, he's king of the mountain. It's quite a view from up there. Tends to make people want things. Even if they start with the best intentions. Angel's seen real power and he's not looking away. He's gonna go for it, Wes."
The door bursts open as Spike and Gunn roughly escort a manacled, chained Lindsey into the room.
Lindsey laughs, extending his arms toward Lorne and Wes, "You boys look like you could use a hug."
Angel meets up with Nina outside of the design school she's attending. She greets him with a kiss and a hug. He remains rigid, his arms at his sides. She says it's a nice surprise and asks if everything is okay.
He asks if they can sit down.
They take a seat next to each other on a nearby bench. He hands her plane tickets.
She's excited, "Plane tickets? I don't believe it. We're getting away? This is ... But I thought you didn't have time to ..." She notices something, "Wait. There are three tickets here. We taking a chaperone?" Angel avoids making eye contact with her. She realizes who the tickets are for. "My sister and Amanda?"
Angel says, "I need you out of here."
Nina isn't liking what she's hearing. "That's typical. You sleep with a guy and he sends your entire family out of the country. No, wait. That's actually not that typical at all. You couldn't just, not call?"
He tells her it's not safe to be there.
She asks, "Is it ever? I want to be with you if there's trouble."
Angel discourages her. "You don't want to be with me. You don't want to be near me."
She wonders, "Because I might get hurt?"
He answers, "Because I'm the thing that'll hurt you."
She asks, "What do you call this?"
Angel doesn't know what to say. "How can I convince you that I want to be with you?"
She suggests he show her a fourth ticket.
Angel still makes very little eye contact with her, "Okay ... if I get ... through this ... intact ... I'll come for you. We'll have time."
Nina isn't buying it. "You're the most amazing man I've ever met but you're a crappy liar."
Angel tells her to go, "I'm not asking."
She agrees, "I'll go. Why on earth would I stay?" She gets up and walks away.
At Spike's apartment, Illyria and Drogyn are sitting next to each other, playing a video game, trying to figure it out. Drogyn notes, "It is a test. A task of some sort." He points to the the television screen, "You must collect those crystals ... and fruit."
Illyria asks why.
Drogyn looks at her, "Old One, you have no right to walk this earth. Your time has past. You belong to the Well."
She doesn't disagree, "Truly. I wish now I'd never been brought out of it."
He wonders if that's true.
She answers as she looks at the screen, "I don't know. I play this game. It's pointless and annoys me and yet I'm compelled to play on. Does that not --"
The apartment door flies violently inward, off its hinges. A smug Hamilton enters. "Well, looky, looky who's making friends."
Drogyn recognizes him. There's a bit of surprise in his tone, "Marcus."
Hamilton greets him in return, "Dro. How have you been?"
Illyria asks, "You're acquainted with this creature?"
Hamilton answers, "Yes, we go way back, don't we?"
Drogyn notes, "Too far."
Hamilton says, "Hmm. The good old days. So, I hear you're living in a tree now."
Drogyn corrects him, "The tree is the entrance to the Deeper Well. I live in a cave. It's really quite pleasant."
Hamilton is sure it's nice, "Afraid you won't be returning to it again."
Illyria warns him not to harm Drogyn.
Hamilton grabs Drogyn and throws him across the room, slamming him into the wall.
Illyria tries to fight him but she's no match for his strength. Hamilton reckons this won't take too long. As Illyria throws punches and kicks, Hamilton deflects them all. His punches all hit the target. He's disappointed it isn't more of a challenge as he beats her down. "Didn't think a big, scary Old One bled this easily." He pulls her up from the floor, "Maybe it's this skinny little body you chose to infect." He punctuates his words with heavy blows to her face. "Or maybe it's that ray gun they shot you with to keep you from exploding." [punch] "Or maybe .." [punch] "You're [punch] just [punch] not [punch] that [punch] cool." [punch] She slumps to the floor. "Yes, that's probably it." He raises his foot and stomps her face.
At W&H, Lindsey is being cocky. "So, what are you gonna do? You gonna beat it outta me?"
Spike thinks that sounds good as he moves toward Lindsey.
Lindsey jumps to his feet, ready for a fight.
Gunn grabs Spike, "We all know how this goes." Spike shoves Lindsey back down into the chair. "Spike beats you to a bloody pulp. You beg for mercy and we get what we came for."
Lindsey insists he doesn't know why Angel gave up the baby, "Or anything else. Me and him? Not too close. I gotta get back to my game of solitaire."
Wes shows him the drawing of the symbol.
Lindsey obviously recognizes it. "Where did you get that?"
Wes asks what it means.
Lindsey chuckles. "Is that what all this is about? All these questions about Angel." He looks at the symbol. "No, no way. No way they'd take Angel."
Spike wants to know who "they" are.
Lindsey answers, "The Circle of the Black Thorn."
Lorne snipes, "Sounds like a little sewing club for pirates."
Lindsey says it's a "secret society."
Gunn notes he never heard of it.
Lindsey scoffs, "That's 'cause they're secret."
Spike is skeptical, "There's plenty of these cabals about. Usually spend a lot of time in basements, paddling one another's bums to prove their manhood."
Lindsey fills them in. "They're not frat boy's, Spike. The Circle's small. It's elite. They got connections you boys can't even comprehend."
Wes notes, "They're evil."
Lindsey concedes that, "Sure. But evil's not the point. Power is."
Wes repeats, "Power."
Gunn wants to know what they do.
Lindsey is amused. "Jeeze. You guys always this slow? Huh? Starts with 'A'. Ends in 'pocalypse'. It's a well oiled machine, this Circle. These people grease the wheels. Keep the parts in place. Make sure man's inhumanity to man keeps rolling along."
Wes says he thought the Senior Partners were the ones responsible for the apocalypse.
Lindsey explains, "The Senior Partners are on a different plane. Down here, it's the players in the Circle that make things happen. Hell, you get tapped by one of them, it's kinda like getting the keys to the chocolate factory."
Wes realizes this is why Lindsey returned to Los Angeles and tried to kill Angel, to get into the Circle. He takes a seat opposite Lindsey.
Lindsey doesn't deny it, "To be a Black Thorn is to be the Senior Partners instrument on earth. Doesn't get bigger than that."
Gunn reckons it appears Angel succeeded where Lindsey didn't.
Lindsey isn't convinced. "He doesn't have it in him."
Wes wants to know what.
Lindsey answers, "Well, for starters, he's gotta give up the champion angle. Quit saving girls in alleys." He considers a moment. "Probably wouldn't even make it on the Circle's radar till he killed one of his lieutenants."
The others exchange looks. Lorne breaks the silence, "The Senior Partners, the Circle, they're killing Angel by degrees."
Wes adds quietly, "And we all watched it happen."
Gunn notes, "The guy I knew wouldn't want this. Wouldn't wanna be this."
Wes tells them, "Angel dedicated his life to helping others. Not because he had to but because it was a path he'd chosen." He gets to his feet. "If he's been swayed from that, influenced, then maybe there's still time. We can bring him back. He'd do the same for any of us, regardless of our actions."
Lorne wonders, "And what if he's skipped too far down that evil brick road?"
Lindsey smiles.
Repeat the opening scene, only in more detail this time. Angel, outside the stone room, staring at the wall of flame that serves as the doorway. The sounds of a beating and a man crying out in pain can be heard. Angel jumps through the flames and enters the room. The beating stops as the masked, robed figures step back. He pulls the battered, bloodied man to his feet and removes the cloth bag from his head. This time we see the man's face, it's Drogyn.
Drogyn looks at him, trying to focus. He weakly offers his gratitude. "Thank you. Thank you."
Angel grabs him firmly by the shoulders, looks into his eyes a moment, morphs into game face and buries his fangs in Drogyn's neck. He drinks briefly then pulls back and snaps his victim's neck. The body slumps to the floor.
Angel stands in the dimly lit stone room, his shirt open. One of the robed figures reaches out his hand and holds it near Angel's chest. "The Circle entwined." The symbol of the Black Thorn is burned into his chest as the others chant. "Embrace this worthy son." The one doing the burning speaks, "The Thorn draws blood." The others chant, "The Thorn is the power, and the power is absolute."
Angel is welcomed as the demon who burned him extends his hand in greeting. The room suddenly becomes more brightly illuminated. The other robed figures remove their masks, revealing familiar faces in the crowd; Senator Brucker, Archduke Sebassis ("Life of the Party"), Cyvus Vail ("Origin"), and the Fell Leader. ("Time Bomb")
The demon who did the burning removes his hood and mask, revealing it's Izzy. "See? Didn't I tell you it was gonna happen? Now, about that lamb we got ya for the slaughter, any idea who that was?"
Drinks are served as Angel answers, "Drogyn. The Battlebrand."
Izzy is proud of that. "Damn straight. We got you some supercharged warrior juice not some schmuck. You must feel great." He toasts Angel then offers to introduce him to the other members.
Sebassis steps up. "Kudos, child. I must say it's gratifying to see you've returned to form, Angelus."
Angel informs him, "It's still Angel."
Sebassis accepts that, "Ah. Well, what's in a name, eh?" He makes an offer. "In the spirit of our new alliance, you must allow me to throw a dinner party in your honor."
Angel accepts with an insincere, "You know how much I love parties."
Senator Brucker approaches, "It's nice to see you again so soon, Angel."
Angel didn't realize she was so well connected.
She figures she'll need more than her wit and "funding from hostile governments" to gain the presidency in 2008.
Izzy interrupts, telling Angel someone would like to pay his respects. He leads him to a wheezing Cyvus Vail who's pushing his IV trolley alongside himself. He's heard Angel's been looking for him.
Angel clarifies, "Actually, I've been looking like I'm looking for you. Appearances, you know."
Izzy notes he told Cyvus things were okay. He suggests they shake hands.
Vail offers his hand. "No hard feelings, then."
Angel agrees as he takes Vail's hand, "Ultimately everything worked out for the best."
Vail pulls him closer, "Oh. Your son, he kills quite well."
Angel offers an uncomfortable "Thanks", and walks away.
Izzy is impressed with the turnout for the initiation. He offers to freshen Angel's drink as he takes the glass and departs.
Angel scans the faces in the room.
Angel steps off the upper floor lobby elevator and walks to his office. He enters the open door and walks about halfway in before being greeted by Spike punching him in the face and knocking him to the floor. Gunn, who is armed with a sword, slams the door shut. Lorne comes out of the conference room, crossbow at the ready. Wes enters the office with his shotgun.
Spike suggests Angel "Might wanna stay down."
Angel asks, "Or what?"
Spike steps back as Angel gets to his feet with a warning. "Careful. You don't wanna get yourselves hurt."
Gunn confronts him. "We know what you've been doin'. Giving up the baby to the Fell Brethren. Working for Senator Bitch. Trying to take out Drogyn to cover up what you did to Fred. And for what? To get in bed with the Circle of the Black Thorn?"
Angel realizes they've figured it out.
Lorne confirms that, "Yeah, a little singing from a jailbird we know, and loathe."
Angel scoffs, "Lindsey? And you believed him."
Spike points out Lindsey has no reason to lie.
Angel doesn't figure he needs one.
Wes notes, "Unlike you?"
Angel walks toward Wes who has the shotgun pointed at him. "What I do here is my business. You don't like how I conduct it, you can leave, before I kill you."
Wes snipes, "Kill us? Hard to believe we're having trouble trusting you."
Angel notes he's just "telling it like it is."
Wes cocks the shotgun. "Then we have a problem."
Angel reckons that's true. He pulls the gun out of Wesley's hands and knocks him to the floor, punches Spike, uses the shotgun to knock the sword out of Gunn's hands then tosses it to the floor. Lorne shoots him with the crossbow but the bolt embeds in his shoulder. Wes pulls out his handgun but Angel kicks it out of his hand. He knocks the crossbow out of Lorne's hands and grabs him, holding him in a headlock, threatening to break his neck. "Are we done?"
Wes demands he let Lorne go.
Angel reminds him, "You don't give the orders." He directs Lorne to pull the bolt out of his shoulder. "Easy, I'm not in a great mood." Lorne does as he's told. Angel reaches into his coat pocket. "Now, let's finish this." He pulls out a crystal and holds it up, "Involvere." The crystal grows bright, a wave of bright light comes off of it, filling the room, then disappears leaving everything looking the same.
Angel releases Lorne. "All right, we've got six minutes."
Spike asks, "Till what?"
Angel answers, "The glamour collapses. As far as anyone outside this room is concerned, we're still at each other's throats."
Wes wonders if that isn't the case.
Angel attempts to explain. "Look, we don't have a lot of time here so I'm going to have to make this short. Everything you think you know, everything you've heard is a lie."
Gunn wonders why they should believe him.
Angel answers, "Because I'm the one who told it." He looks at Wes, "Read any good books lately?"
Wes realizes Angel sent the message through his source book.
Angel confirms that, "And the assassin to kill Drogyn."
Spike notes, "So that part was true."
Angel responds, "I knew Drogyn could handle himself. I told the assassin just enough to lead Drogyn to think I played a part in resurrecting Illyria. I figured he'd come here looking for allies against me."
Wes wonders, "Why would you want us to believe you killed Fred?"
Angel answers impatiently, "Because they needed to believe it."
Gunn realizes he's referring to the Circle of the Black Thorn.
Angel confirms that. "They needed to believe my own people didn't trust me anymore. They needed to believe a person as good and as pure as Drogyn considered me an enemy. It was the only way to gain their confidence."
Spike asks when this all started.
Angel tells him it was two months ago. Flashback to Cordelia kissing Angel good-bye in "You're Welcome". This time a blue light is visible passing between them during the kiss. He says it didn't hit him until later. Flashback to Angel bolting upright in bed, with visions of the Black Thorn symbol and their bloody activities.
Wes asks if Cordy gave him her visions.
Angel says it was just the one time. "She put me on the path. Showed me where the real powers are. But I couldn't see who they were. And then, Fred died and I wasn't going to let that be another random, horrible event in another random, horrible world. So I decided to use it. To make her death matter. And it worked. I'm in. I've seen the faces of evil. I know who the real powers in the apocalypse are."
Gunn recalls what he said earlier, "So, all that power tilts the scales crap."
Angel tells him it's true, "We're in a machine. The machine's gonna be here long after our bodies are dust. But the Senior Partners will always exist in one form or another because mankind is weak."
Lorne asks, "Uh, do you want me to point my crossbow at him 'cause I think he's gonna start talking about ants again."
Angel continues, "We are weak. The powerful control everything, except our will to choose. Look, Lindsey's a pathetic half-wit but he was right about one thing. Heroes don't accept the way the world is. The Senior Partners may be eternal but we can make their existence painful."
Wes realizes what he's proposing, "You want to take them on."
Angel confirms it, "We're in a machine. The Black Thorn runs it. We can bring their gears to a grinding halt, even if it's just for a moment."
Spike's up for that, "About time we got our hands dirty."
Angel makes it understood, "This isn't a 'keep fighting the good fight' kind of deal. Let's be clear. I'm talking about killing every ... single ... member of the Black Thorn." He adds quietly, "We don't walk away from that."
Lorne wonders if they might crawl away, at least.
Angel continues, "We do this, the Senior Partners will rain their full wrath. They'll make an example of us. I'm talkin' full on hell. Not the fire-and-brimstone kind we're used to."
Gunn gets that, "We know the drill."
Angel disagrees, "No, you don't. Ten to one we're gone when the smoke clears. They will do everything in their power to destroy us. So .. I need you to be sure. Power endures. We can't bring down the Senior Partners but for one, bright, shining moment, we can show them that they don't own us. You need to decide for yourselves if that's worth dying for. I can't order you to do this. I can't do it without you. So, we'll vote. As a team. Think about what I'm asking you to do. Think about what I'm asking you to give."
Spike looks up at him, "Kill 'em all. Burn the house down while we're still in it."
Angel concedes, "Something like that."
There is silence as everyone ponders the question for themselves. Spike is the first to raise his hand, "I'm in."
Wes smiles slightly, looks at Angel, "I'm in."
Gunn raises his hand, then Lorne does the same.
Outside the office, Hamilton is peering through the window. The effect of the glamour is still in place as he sees the standoff, with Angel holding off the others by threatening to snap Lorne's neck.
A skeptical expression crosses Hamilton's face.
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