In the lobby, ten minutes after Connor’s death, Angel lay Connor’s body down and turned to the unconscious employee.
Angel lifted the unconscious Donovan off of the floor and dragged him over to the huge orange “W and H” centrepiece.
Angel used the water that surrounded the centrepiece and splashed Donovan awake.
“What -” the man said as he woke.
Angel was wearing his vampirical face and so when Donovan came to and he saw was the face of Angel the first noise out of his mouth was understandably a scream.
Angel lifted the man off of the floor.
“Why where you being thrown out?”
“I-I don’t know. It must be a flaw with the spell.”
“How do you know it was a spell?”
Donovan struggled for words, “It had to be I guess…”
Angel threw the man across the room, “You knew. How?”
“I won’t tell you anything.”
“So now there’s something to tell?”
Angel leapt across the room and punched the man down again.
He continued, “You organised it didn’t you.”
Terror was in Donovan’s eyes. “No.”
“I can smell it.”
“Please, I needed the money.”
“You needed the money so you started a war? What are you sick?”
“Please don’t do anything, I beg you.”
“You’re responsible for my son’s death!” Angel screamed.
“I didn’t want anyone to die. I didn’t want it to get this far!”
“Well it did.”
Angel turned the man around positioned himself to snap Donovan’s neck.
“Angel!” said a voice form behind him.
Angel dropped the man and turned to the stairs. He saw Cordelia standing there.
Angel picked the man back up and threw him out of the main door and he joined the rest of the Ymojoi.
“Let’s go upstairs,” she said.
“What shall I do with Connor?” Angel asked with the innocence of a child.
“I’ll see to it,” Cordelia said holding her hand out for Angel to take.
The vampire with a soul, turned and walked over to his son, gave him a final kiss on the forehead and then went over to Cordelia, took her hand and went with her up the stairs.
ANGEL ANGEL ANGEL
Wesley was sitting down as he took in the events that had led up to this war.
I’ve been in Reseda for three days and now I’m in the middle of a war. The thoughts where almost too insane to take in.
Doyle and Willow where sitting in a corner together, not speaking but definitely together.
Buffy, Spike, Xander, Fred, Gunn and Lorne where all around the lobby practising and guiding a young Slayer each in both a physical and mental capacity.
Meanwhile Gwen and Harmony where patching each other up in the toilets.
Wesley looked at the troops, it was hard to imagine that these fifty people where going to take on the army of demons outside the window.
It had worked in Sunnydale but now it was looking impossible. Even with the Wolfram and Hart special operations team the fight was going to be tough.
Willow came over and put a hand on Wesley’s shoulder supportively, “Don’t worry. We did this all not even a month ago.”
Wesley forced a smile, “Yes but Ymojoi aren’t mindless killers like Turok-Hans, they are organised and they’ve had centuries to hone their hatred for vampires and now someone has convinced them that Wolfram and Hart are the ones that put vampires in their back gardens and did nothing about it.”
“Good point,” she answered. “We may need your help to complete a spell.”
“To do what?”
“To take the life out of the Ymojoi, we’d win but I’m not sure what the repercussions would be.”
“But it’s guaranteed to work?”
“One hundred per cent,” Willow said truthfully.
“Okay,” Wesley said, without a doubt in his mind.
ANGEL ANGEL ANGEL
Angel and Cordelia came into the lobby and Lorne put a supportive hand on Angel’s back but said nothing.
As Angel moved into the office he sat at the head of the conference table the rest of his friends came through.
The Slayers sat at the table with the others standing behind them.
Angel began. “You’ve seen that people you love can die easily. Don’t ever forget that, just see that their death is for the greater good.
“I’m not one for speeches and so I’m just going to shut up, but remember that if you don’t live through this then people will remember you and you will live on.”
They don’t know how true that is, Angel thought.
Suddenly Willow fell to the floor.
Buffy and Xander ran and picked her up.
“Willow what happened?” Xander asked as they put her in the seat that a young Slayer had vacated.
“The spell’s faded,” she said as she gasped for breath, “the Ymojoi can get in.”
And sure enough Ymojoi could be heard smashing through the windows down below.
“Looks like the party’s arrived,” Spike said offhand.
ANGEL ANGEL ANGEL
The group had paired off and where going down the stairs, totally armed, totally petrified.
Angel and Buffy led the way while Willow, Cordelia and Doyle bought up the rear, having made sure that Wesley was just in front of them.
The Slayers that where not creating a margin for error in Angel’s office with Spike where in the middle creating a strong centre that even the Ymojoi would struggle to get through.
The noises coming from the main lobby where not encouraging. Roars and explosions where all that could be heard.
This is just mindless destruction, Wesley thought, “They’re trying to put us off, keep going,” he shouted across his allies.
“Almost there,” Angel cried from the front.
“Ready, steady,” Buffy said quietly from beside Angel.
The Ymojoi turned and charged at the group.
Buffy’s simple war cry was, “Go.”
Angel, Buffy, and the two lines of Slayers behind them spread out and kept the demons away from the stairway.
Fred, Lorne, Gunn and Gwen all took their position in a third line followed again by more Slayers.
Ymojoi flooded towards them and they simply beat them away.
ANGEL ANGEL ANGEL
Gwen became frustrated and ran at a small group of demons, they began to take her seriously after the first two demons where sent flying just after being touched by her.
She was armed with just a metal pole and she used it to stab two demons and then sent an electrical charge via it and the demons exploded.
“That’s a tactic to remember for next time,” Gwen said out loud to a Slayer she expected to be standing next to her but was at that moment whipped away by a Ymojoi.
“No,” Gwen screamed, she turned and tried to take out another demon but was struck in the back of the head.
Gwen fell unconscious to the floor as a group of Ymojoi jumped on her and tore her limb from limb.
Gwen Raiden was the first casualty of war.
ANGEL ANGEL ANGEL
Buffy and Angel fought side by side and immediately gelled together, falling easily back into the old routine of slashing and killing demons.
“Just like old times Angel,” she said.
Angel smiled at the relief, but said nothing. I hadn’t just lost a son in the old times, he thought.
Angel turned and saw a second Slayer fall.
“Damn it,” he cried and instantly decapitated two Ymojoi with one swing.
ANGEL ANGEL ANGEL
Willow had told Cordelia to keep a careful eye on how many casualties had gone down.
As soon as the first ten fell Cordelia was to tell Willow and she would take Doyle and Wesley upstairs to perform the spell.
Seven had fallen. Six Slayers and Gwen.
They’d not died heroic deaths, they’d died heroes but their deaths had been messy and better forgotten. Their battle remembered but their deaths forgotten.
Soon Cordelia would be forced to call out ten. Meaning they where going to be reduced to the last resort.
One more Slayer had gone.
ANGEL ANGEL ANGEL
Fred and Gunn had begun side-by-side but had now been separated by the battle.
The fighting was fierce and many demons had been killed and Fred and Gunn had taken many wounds.
Blood was now covering the floor, the Ymojoi’s deep, deep red blood seemed to be in greater supply which lifted Fred spirits but she only had to look at the wrong angle to see Gwen’s dead body being trampled over by hundreds of demons.
Gunn used his customized axe to take down the demons, but one rebounded the axe off of his sword and the axe went flying, it cut his shoulder deeply and Gunn fell to the floor wincing in pain.
Fred looked over and saw a Ymojoi leaning over Gunn.
“Charles, get up,” she screamed.
Gunn looked up and saw the Ymojoi leering down at him. The demon raised his sword and drove it towards Gunn’s chest.
Fred pierced the demon through the waist and it fell.
She looked at Gunn but it was clear by his glazed look that it was too late.
Fred turned and continued to battle for her life as she was forced to dance around Gunn’s body.
ANGEL ANGEL ANGEL
Cordelia looked on. Oh no, Gunn, she thought and was silent for a moment before calling to Willow.
“That’s ten,” she called.
Willow turned and acknowledged Cordelia. Then she reached out mentally to Doyle and Wesley, Ten down, time to go.
Doyle and Wesley turned together and ran over to the staircase and began to scale them.
ANGEL ANGEL ANGEL
Fred was trying to take the demons down but it was becoming increasingly more difficult as the demons began to single her out.
Demons where coming at her from all angles and they seemed to be getting the advantage, more than ever the Ymojoi where cutting her.
“You don’t think that you’re winning do you?” A Ymojoi spat at her, “We’re just toying with you.”
“Don’t.” She spat back before punching the Ymojoi flat out.
She took a final stand and managed to vanquish three more Ymojoi.
ANGEL ANGEL ANGEL
Spike, Harmony and the Slayers where put even more on guard as Cordelia, Willow, Doyle and Wesley ran onto the lobby.
“Are they coming?” One Slayer asked.
“No,” Willow said, she looked to Spike, “make sure that nobody disturbs us.”
“Why?” Harmony supplied.
“Look Harmony,” Doyle said, “we’re gonna go try and save the universe so if it’s not too much trouble d’you think that you could make sure you keep that door shut?”
Harmony said, “Jeez she’s so touchy since she went all Uber witchy.”
Doyle, Cordelia and Wesley ignored them and went straight into Wesley’s office.
Willow joined them soon after.
They sat in a circle and all took an unnecessarily deep breath.
Then as Willow told them they put their hands into the centre of the circle and began to chant.
Willow began the proceedings.
IT’S TIME TO PULL IN THE ULTIMATE FAVOUR ALL YOU HIGHER POWERS, AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT YOU WILL NEED A SACRIFICE.
The rest of the group joined in:
we are it…
ANGEL ANGEL ANGEL
Fred had taken down three more demons when yet more came at her.
Fred fought on but now realised that unless somebody came to help her then this was her end.
She went to call for help but a Ymojoi punched her in the stomach and she went down winded. By Gunn’s side Fred fell.
A Ymojoi bore down on her.
ANGEL ANGEL ANGEL
In Wesley’s office the four sat and breathed heavily.
Willow struggled to continue with what she was saying, but she forced the words out.
ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?
PEOPLE ARE DYING DOWN THERE, NOW IF YOU COULD HURRY UP YOUR DISCUSSIONS AND DECIDE THAT OUR TERMS ARE GOOD ENOUGH WE’D APPRECIATE IT.
YOU NEED A SACRIFICE…
Again Wesley, Doyle and Cordelia echoed:
we are it!
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