That Vision Thing

Plot

Gunn and Wesley are standing at the counter in the hotel lobby eating Chinese food and talking. Cordelia enters from an office and they greet her with an overly cheery attitude. Gunn asks how he sounded and Wesley tells him it sounded very sincere. Fred’s voice grades them both and Wesley turns and looks at her as she’s crouched under a table eating Chinese food from the cardboard container with her fingers. Wesley invites her to finish the meal with them since she feels comfortable critiquing their sincerity and she joins them. Gunn gives her a fork to eat with instead of her fingers. Cordelia walks back into the lobby and they are overly cheery with their greetings again. She stops and tells them that she knows what they’re doing. They discuss her visions and Fred wants her to use a vision to find out where Angel is. They explain that Cordelia doesn’t control the visions. Gavin enters the lobby and Cordelia mistakes him for a new client and notices his expensive suit and shoes. Wesley explains that he’s a lawyer with Wolfram and Hart and tells him to “piss off.” Angel walks up and asks if there’s a problem. Gavin holds up a list of 57 code violations that he filed with the city planning office. Angel stares at him with no response and he drops the papers on a couch and leaves. Angel smiles at Fred and tells her it’s good to see her “out and about.” Cordelia cries out in pain and Gunn and Wesley grab her by the arms to keep her from falling to the floor as a vision hits her very hard. She reaches for her shoulder crying out as Angel comes over to her asking her if she’s ok and tells her to talk to him. She describes the vision. She says there are two things with claws, a coin with a hole in the center, and she thinks it’s in an herbalist shop in Chinatown. Angel helps her up off the floor and she cries out in pain as he does. He stares at her with a deeply concerned expression and she tells him she’s fine and that it just caught her off guard. He continues to watch her as she backs away toward the restroom. Gasping for breath, she tells him again that she’s fine and to go find the coin reminding him that it has a hole in it.

Cordelia closes the restroom door behind her as she tries to recover. Wesley knocks on the door and asks her if the beast has 4 or 5 claws. She says 5 and he asks if she’s sure. She lifts her shirt front and looks at 5 deep claw impressions on her stomach as she says she’s “pretty certain.”

Wesley asks Fred if she found anything in the phone book and she tells him she did and that H is a fascinating letter. She starts reading all the different things listed under the letter H and he politely interrupts her asking if she found any Herbalists. She tells him she found 5 in Chinatown. Angel wants to know if Wesley knows what kind of beast it is and Wesley tells him it’s either a “Wan Shan Dhole or a Cantonese Fook Beast.” Angel tells Fred he needs her to do something for him and her face lights up with a smile.

Cordelia returns an aspirin bottle to the shelf of the medicine cabinet and closes the cabinet door. As she puts the aspirin in her mouth, the claw marks on her right shoulder are visible in the mirror. She drinks the water and turns around pulling her bra strap down to look at the deep claw marks on her left shoulder blade. Angel knocks on the door and she tells him she’s fine. He refuses to leave until she opens the door. She opens it and has put her shirt back on to cover the claw marks. Angel asks her if the visions are getting worse and she maintains that she’s fine and just needs a “little protein.” He tells her he asked Fred to take her home and she protests. Angel insists and she finally agrees and closes the door again.

Gunn is driving Angel’s car while Wesley rides in the passenger seat and Angel is in the backseat behind Wesley. Gunn wonders why what they are looking for is always in the last place they look and Wesley says that he supposes that “it’s one of the unwritten rules of being a dick.” Gunn gives him a glare and Wesley clarifies that he means "detective." Gunn responds with “All I know is you use the word "dick" again and we gonna’ have a problem.” Gunn asks the name of the place and Wesley tells him it’s “Van Huo Duong. Gunn and Wesley look at each other and then look ahead in silence. Wesley asks Angel how Cordelia is and Angel tells him she says she’s fine. He asks Angel: “You don’t believe her?” and Angel’s expression indicates that he doesn’t. They pull up in front of the shop.

An old Asian man is behind the counter in the shop measuring something. And old Asian woman passes behind him and takes a jar from a shelf. The bell over the door rings and she looks in that direction. Angel, Wesley, and Gunn enter the shop. She says: “Your kind not welcome here.” Gunn protests, thinking she’s speaking to him but the man clarifies that she means Angel. Wesley says that “it’s a public facility and any being may enter” then tells the couple they are “looking for an ancient coin.” The couple look at each other and then flip acrobatically over the counter, attacking Angel, Wes, and Gunn. Their hands morph into claws and Angel fights the man while Gunn and Wesley fight the woman. The man lashes out at Angel but Angel moves out of the way and the man leaves 5 claw marks on a wooden chest behind Angel. They render the couple unconscious and find the key on a leather thong around the man’s neck.

In the hall at the Wolfram and Hart office, Lilah removes a document about asbestos disposal from the printer. Gavin walks up and tells her it’s his. He tells her it not official yet, but he’s being moved to the Special Projects division and he’s working on something aimed at Angel Investigations and would like to have her on his team. She mocks him telling him he doesn’t have a team and that Angel is probably terrified that he’s going after him for building code violations. She returns to her office and leaves Gavin alone in the hall staring after her.

Cordelia walks out of her bedroom saying she’s ready for bed so Fred can leave. She finds Fred crouched on the kitchen floor eating a jar of peanut butter with her finger. She helps Fred get up and offers her the jar of peanut butter as she ushers Fred to the front door. Fred protests but Cordelia insists that she’s fine and in fact is “right as rain.” The comment causes Fred to launch into a run on sentence that jumps through topics and ends up with Fred asking what it’s like to have a vision. Cordelia stares at her in amazement and says: “Wow! Next to you, I’m downright linear.” Fred continues with a barrage of questions about the visions completely unmoved. Cordelia doesn’t answer but pushes Fred closer to the door just as Fred compares Cordelia’s relationship with Angel to Timmy’s relationship with Lassie. Cordelia is annoyed to be compared to a dog and asks Dennis for help. The door opens by itself and Cordelia tells Fred that she has a ghost so she’s not alone. She starts to say goodbye to Fred but stops in mid sentence and stares at her with widening eyes. She spins around and falls face down on the floor as a vision hits her. Fred drops to her knees and asks Cordelia if she’s ok. Fred turns her over and boils erupt on the left side of her face as she lies on the floor.

Cordelia is sitting on the edge of her bed with Angel sitting next to her and Fred, Gunn, and Wesley standing around her. In a hoarse voice, she tells them about the boil demon and a key of some sort from her vision. Angel asks if the physical side effects have happened before and she tells them that the previous vision was the same. She lifts her shirt sleeve to reveal the deep claw marks on her upper arm. She wonders aloud why the Powers That Be are doing this to her.

Angel enters the living room shutting the bedroom door behind him. He wonders why the Powers would choose to communicate this way and Fred suggests that they ask them. They all stare at her with wonder and she explains that everything has a frequency so they could “trace the calls” if they could figure out the frequency the Powers use to communicate with Cordelia. Wesley says that’s a great idea and sends Fred and Gunn to the hotel for some of his books. When he tries to send Angel after the demon and the key, Angel refuses to leave Cordelia. Wesley reminds him that the Powers have sent Cordelia two visions in one night so it must be really important and the best way he can help her is to follow the lead the visions have given them and trust him because he has an idea.

Angel drives up in front of a building, gets out of his car with a sword, kicks the building door open, and walks in saying: “I want the key and I want it now.” An astonished locksmith asks him which key as he turns on a desk lamp to reveal walls filled with keys. Angel pulls a piece of paper from his pocket with a drawing of the key and shows it to the man. The man puts his hand under the table as he gazes at the drawing. The boil demon comes at Angel from behind with a sword, but Angel deflects the blow with his sword. They face each other and cross swords in preparation for a fight.

Fred and Gunn enter the hotel garden and are talking. She tells him that she’s still jumpy and he opens the door to the lobby. He jumps at the sight of a man in a gas mask who tells him they’re exterminating and nobody can enter. Gunn is suspicious because it’s the middle of the night and he tells Fred to go get Wesley’s books. After she disappears from view he tells them man to show him the work order.

There’s a knock on Cordelia’s front door and Wesley opens it to let Angel come inside. Angel asks how Cordelia is and gives the key to Wesley as he walks by on his way to the bedroom. Lorne asks Angel for his help because Cordelia is “resisting the process.” Wesley and Lorne explain that Lorne is linked to the Powers also and might be able to figure out how to communicate with them if he reads her. Angel sits on the bed next to her and she tells him that she’s afraid she’ll lose the visions and he won’t need her anymore. He tells her that she’s what’s important to him, not the visions. She agrees to let Lorne read her. Lorne takes Angel’s place on the bed and begins massaging her temples as she closes her eyes. He suggests that she picture herself as “Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music” spinning on a mountain top. She sends him a psychic jolt and apologizes explaining that the spinning was freaking her out. They begin again.

Lilah paces in her office glancing at her watch as a young man in a Fez signs some papers and puts them on her desk. He sits crossed legged on a table and begins to meditate. As a smiling Lilah watches him, he removes the Fez revealing an exposed throbbing brain.

Lorne is massaging Cordelia’s temples when a vision begins to hit her. She starts to convulse and Lorne is thrown across the room and into a wall which knocks him unconscious. She screams out in pain as she sees a man encased in fire guarded by a demon. She continues to convulse and cry out in pain. Suddenly, her arms are covered in third degree burns.

The young man replaces the Fez on his head and slowly floats back down to the table top. Lilah wants to know how it went. He opens his eyes and smiling, he says: “I think she got the message.” Lilah smirks with satisfaction.

Angel is sitting next to Cordelia who is lying in her bed. In a hoarse voice she asks how Lorne is and Angel tells her he’s unconscious but will be ok. Tearfully, she asks him if she’s a horrible person and if that is the reason the Powers are doing this to her. He tells her she’s not and that, if anything, this is happening because she’s strong. She tells him, she’s not strong and that she tried to be brave but she’s just scared now. Wesley opens the door and pokes his head in the room. Angel shakes his head indicating that he doesn’t want to leave Cordelia, but Wesley tells him he “should hear this.”

Angel enters the living room shutting the bedroom door behind him and says that “this better be important.” Fred blurts out that the visions aren’t being sent by the powers and Lorne explains that someone has intercepted the “celestial pipeline.” He suggests that Angel start with his enemies that have the resources to do it.

Lilah’s playing a computer golf game with her back turned to her office door when Angel startles her from behind. He explains that Gavin helped him get into the building without being detected. He holds up the coin and the key and tosses them on her desk telling her that she got what she wanted and it’s over. She tells him it’s not over because she has a mission for him. He refuses to work with her, but she uses what’s happening to Cordelia against him. Angel asks where the jail is and she tells him it’s in a “fortressed demon dimension.”

Wesley examines the coin with a magnifying glass and asks how Cordelia is doing when Angel enters his office. Angel tells him Fred and Gunn are watching her and asks about the coin and key. Wesley tells him that they are both aligned with good. He tells Angel that they work together to take him in and out of the demon dimension. As Angel walks away, Wesley reminds him that the mission can’t be good if Wolfram and Hart are involved. He follows Angel to the weapons cabinet in the hotel lobby and tells him that Lilah saying the young man was falsely imprisoned doesn’t make it true and that doing this goes against everything for which he stands. Angel gathers weapons and Wesley prepares to go with him, but Angel tells him he needs to stay in case something goes wrong and asks him to explain how the coin and key work. Wesley fits the key into the hole in the center of the coin, locks it into place, and throws it onto the lobby floor like a top. It starts to spin and emit a faint blue light. He asks Angel again if he’s sure he can’t come with him and Angel tells him to “take care of Cordy” just before stepping into the light. The blue glow widens and Angel disappears along with the key and coin. The light fades after him and his weapons fall to the floor as Wesley stares at them.

The blue light materializes in a dark dungeon and Angel appears there. It disappears and Angel realizes that he has no weapons. He walks forward and kicks the coin and key. He picks them up and puts them in the inside pocket of his jacket as he approaches a staircase that leads to a room where a fire is burning brightly. He descends the stairs and sees a cage made of fire holding a burning man inside it. As he walks toward the fire cage, a demon steps out of the shadows behind him. Angel and the demon greet each other and they chat about the man in the fire cage. The demon introduces himself as Skip and Angel reciprocates. As they watch the fire, Skip asks Angel if he can talk him out of saving the man and Angel says no. Suddenly, Skip punches Angel and sends him flying into the wall. Angel morphs into his vampiric visage, they fight, and Skip stumbles back to the edge of the cage. The man reaches out and grabs Skip’s shoulders holding him in the fire. Angel morphs back into his human self and pulls Skip away from the man. He asks a breathless Skip if he’s ok and knocks him unconscious after Skip nods in assent. The flames are extinguished and a naked soot covered man crouches on a stone slab where the cage had been.

Lilah paces between two limousines parked in a culvert as she glances at her watch with impatience. A car pulls up and Angel gets out. Lilah motions to the limousines and men get out of them as Angel approaches. Angel tells her to “take care of Cordelia” and she’ll get her man. Lilah walks over to one of the limousines, leans over, and speaks to the man with Fez sitting in the back seat. Wesley calls Fred and once she tells him that Cordelia is ok, he gets out of the car. The man, with hands bound, is sent over to Lilah and he smirks at Angel as he passes him. Lilah tells Angel that “it’s just business” and walks to the limousine. Angel picks up a metal rod and hurls it past Lilah smashing the limousine window. It punctures the Fez man’s head killing him. Lilah is startled when Angel suddenly whispers in her ear: “Don’t come at me though Cordelia ever again. You play that card a second time and I’ll kill you.” Angel walks back to his car leaving Lilah rattled and drives away.

Angel and Cordelia are in the lobby talking. She tells him she’s grateful for what he did but she’s worried that the man he set free will do something bad and that it will be her fault. He tells her he did what he had to do and he’ll “deal with the consequences when they happen.”

It’s storming in the Yoro Mountains in Honduras. A Shaman is reading some bones when Darla enters his dwelling and tells him he’s difficult to find. She tells him she’s tried everything to get rid of what is growing inside her, but she can’t and she wants to know what it is and how it’s possible. She tells him the father is also a vampire and he tells her he needs some blood. Twice, he tries to cut her with a knife, but is fearful. She takes the knife and cuts her own hand allowing the blood to drip into a cup. The Shaman mixes the blood with some herbs and crushes them together. He pours the mixture into his hands and rubs them together. He places his hands on Darla’s stomach and starts to tremble violently just before he is flung across the room. Trembling with fear, he tells her he can’t help and she says that it’s “time to go visit daddy."