The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco

Plot

A security guard thinks there is a break in. It's a plumber. Then the plumber and the guard are attacked by something. At the office, Lorne wants advice on dealing with the birthday of an aging beauty queen. He tries asking the mysterious mailman (who wears a mask with 5 on it), then tries Fred (who he sort of insults in the way he says she's a woman). She gives him a great answer. Gunn is getting Angel to sign some papers (in blood according to demon law). They're doing a lot of good, but Angel feels disconnected. Spike mocks him. Gunn says he understands, that he loves the law but misses the action. Wesley enters with news of demonic killings. The mailman starts and goes to leave. Gunn has mail for him. Angel takes the envelope and follows the mailman out trying to give it to him. Number 5 grabs Angel and tosses him aside, then goes.

Gunn, Wesley, and Spike run up. Spike tells everyone Angel attacked number 5. Fred comes up and is shocked. Lorne arrives and says there is talk on the web about it. He says they are spinning it to make Angel look really scary. Gunn has security find number 5 and escort him out of the building. He says they should fire him and Wesley agrees. Wesley gets news of another death, at a church service. He notes it is the Mexican day of the dead. Cut to Angel, Spike, Gunn, and Wesley driving to the church. Spike called shotgun and Wesley thought it was a weapons check. Wesley starts telling Angel where the church is when he suddenly comes to a screeching halt. Angel hops out and the others follow. They find a body. A fresh one. Spike explains Angel smelt the blood. Wesley notes the heart has been removed while beating. The demon shows up behind them. It's dressed like an Aztec warrior. They fight and the demon really seems to get the better of them. Spike tries to help, but while he can grab coffee cups in the office, he can't manage to grab a weapon under these conditions. The demon takes off for no apparent reason.

At the office, Fred is given some demon gunk for analysis. Spike pops in saying he wants to get away from grumpy Angel. Fred says he should know it's not easy being a champion. He says he doesn't. She says he saved the world and he says he just stood there and let the fire come. She says he saved her life. Cut to Wesley researching the demon. Angel comes in, but he realizes he's just disturbing Wesley and goes. Spike arrives and asks about the books and prophecies and shanshu. Wesley explains the prophecy is about a vampire with a soul who plays an important role in an apocalyptic battle and gets to live again. Spike points out the prophecy could apply to him. Wesley says it could if he weren't a ghost. Spike says it's all nonsense and that Angel told him so. Wesley's assistant calls him over and Spike goes to look at the prophecy book.

In Angel's office, Wesley explains the demon is Tezcatcatl and that he appeared last 50 years ago to the day. It was defeated by 5 brothers, but 4 of them were killed. Spike notes either they didn't kill it or it has a way of coming back. Angel says he'll talk to the surviving brother. Wesley says they have his address. Cut to Angel knocking on an apartment door. Number 5 opens it. He grabs Angel and says he must not have been clear in their previous conversation. Angel says they didn't have a conversation. Number 5 says he heard them and knew they wanted to drag them into the quest for the demon. Angel says he just wanted to give him mail. Number 5 apologizes. Angel says now he wants to drag him in. Number 5 says he's retired. Angel notes the mask makes it hard to hide what he was. He says he wears the mask to remind himself only a fool would be a champion. Angel asks if he thinks his brothers were fools. Number 5 slaps him and says not to disrespect his brothers. He says they were wrestlers, the greatest ever. They called themselves the number brothers. Angel sees a small shrine with a photo and it shows the 5 brothers each wearing a numbered mask - 1 to 5. Number 5 says it was a different time. He tells the story of how they were wrestling stars and champions, fighting evil like the robot the devil built. They spent all their time together. He says he can't remember how he killed the demon. He says he tried to carry on after his brothers died, but people stopped calling. Then Wolfram & Hart offered him a job. He knew they represented all he and his brothers despised, but with his brothers dead it didn't seem anything mattered. He explains that every year on the day of the dead he prepares an altar for his brothers (the small shrine Angel was looking at). But they never come because he's not worthy. Angel says number 5 has stopped caring and asks why.

Number 5 takes Angel to a wrestling match where midgets dressed as the 5 brothers perform. He sees this as a mockery of the heroes. Angel says he expects too much of people. He says you are a hero because you can. He says he believes some part of number 5 believes this. But when he turns, number 5 has gone. At the office, Wesley and Gunn try to figure out the demon m.o. Wesley asks Gunn if he thinks Angel is acting oddly and Gunn says he is disconnected. They realize all the dead were heroes of some sort, that's what the demon wants - the hearts of heroes. Angel walks out and sees number 5 leaving on a bus. The demon attacks him and nails him to the hood of a car with a sword. But it doesn't cut out his heart, it leaves. At the office, Angel says he thinks they are wrong, since the demon refused his heart. Wesley says the demon eats the hearts for sustenance, it wants the meat, not metaphor. Gunn says Angel has a dried up piece of jerky for a heart. Angel asks if Wesley knew about the devil's robot and he did. Gunn leaves to research contracts, thinking the demon has made some deal to come back every 50 years.

Wesley tells Angel he doesn't think the dried up heart is the problem. He says Angel's heart is not in his work. He says he knows Angel doesn't believe in the prophecy. Angel says prophecies are nonsense and reminds him about 'the father will kill the son'. Of course, Wesley remembers nothing of this. Angel says it doesn't matter if he believes. Wesley says hope is the only thing which can sustain Angel and keep him from becoming like number 5. Fred calls and they go to the lab. She explains the blood of heroes supercharges the demon, making it almost invulnerable. Spike says he could kill it. He'd take its heart. He says he sees that in the poetry of the thing. Gunn enters and says he'd be right. Gunn explains the demon was an Aztec warrior who forged a talisman to make himself all powerful. He was found out and sentenced to die. He got himself cursed, so every 50 years he comes back. If he can find the talisman, he can stay. The talisman was given to a hero to protect and has been passed down through the generations. Gunn describes it and Angel realizes he saw it on number 5's altar to his brothers.

Angel rushes to the apartment, but number 5 and the talisman are gone. Number 5 is at his brothers' grave, holding the talisman and calling out the demon. Later, Angel shows up at the grave. He asks for the talisman, but number 5 says he swallowed it. This way the demon will have to kill him so he can be with his brothers. He knocks Angel aside. The demon appears and attacks him. Angel rushes to help him. Then number 5 comes to Angel's assistance. The demon stabs him. He falls back to the gravestone and wipes his bloody hand on it. Angel is knocked back by the demon. The 4 brothers come out of their graves and go to fight the demon, calling a stunned Angel to fight with them. They pin the demon to the ground and he destroys its heart. It disintegrates. Angel rushes to the dying number 5 telling him the brothers returned because he proved himself worthy. Number 5 tells him the talisman is hidden in the coffee. He may not be a hero, but he's not a fool. Angel gets it. Number 5 dies. The brothers pick up the fallen number 5. All 5 vanish. Angel looks heavenward.

At the office, Angel gives Wesley the talisman to put somewhere safe. Wesley asks if he's ok and he says yes. Fred asks about number 5 and Angel says he died a hero. He walks away. Alone he gets the book on the shanshu prophecy and begins to read.