Angel: After the Fall #3

Plot

“The thing about hell. It’s kinda what you’d expect…”

Angel thinks about hell. Somehow it is just what you would expect: hot. More humid than hot, though. Besides, the sun and the moon are visible at the same time, 24/7. Werewolves are trapped in a state between human and animal. Vampires swing between euphoria and the feeling that they might burst into flames at any moment. But ancient demons from the primordial age, even those whose power has been bound, seem unaffected.

Angel flies through a glass door into a kitchen. Illyria appears in the doorway. She is pretty angry, more than usual. But Angel does not have the feeling that she blames him for sending them all to hell. From the floor Angel explains that a lord was killed and that ancient Sanskrit was written all over the walls there. Surely one of the Old Ones would not shift the blame onto…

Time jump: Angel finds himself as Liam again: he wonders what is wrong with this woman, who she is and where he himself is…

Present: Angel says that women were drained there. So it was either Illyria and her… companion, or someone who wants…

Angel wonders what just happened. Then it dawns on him: time shifts. So he has to correct himself – hell does have an effect on… Illyria hits Angel.

Outside, Spike asks his girls to stay back, because Illyria is in a pretty bad mood. He has had to find that out himself, which is why he is still limping a little. Inside, Illyria strikes at Angel. He dodges and grabs a few knives. They have to talk. Illyria would rather cut him into pieces and scatter them to the four winds. She says he is only half of what he was. Tell him about it. Angel stabs one of the knives into Illyria’s side – even through her protective armour. Illyria pulls the knife out, shoves Angel away, and slowly she is finding all this annoying. Angel notices a dead guard, and he will share his fate if he does nothing; he knows that. He takes the dead man’s gun and aims at Illyria. He will not leave until she has told him what she knows about Westwood.

Illyria comes at Angel with a whole assortment of knives. He does not want to kill Illyria, only get answers. Angel tries to shoot Illyria, but there is only a click. Illyria swings the knives at Angel, knocks the gun away and then drives the knives through his palms, nailing him to the wall – she is so damn fast, he thinks. Illyria wants him gone. She holds another knife in front of his face. Why does he keep showing up in front of her? “It is not…”, she begins, and hesitates. That was a mistake.

Time jump: Angel finds himself as a Smile Time puppet. He wonders why Fred is dressed like that and whether this is perhaps the effect of Smile Time on her.

Present: Illyria hesitates and Angel does not understand why. “…so…”, Illyria continues.

Time jump: Angel finds himself as his future self, who would not have thought he would ever see that face again.

Present: Angel wonders whether perhaps a little of Fred is left after all. Illyria continues her sentence: “…hard…”

Time jump: Now Angel is a helpless baby who only babbles.

Present: Angel wonders whether he can use that against Illyria. He should… Then he wonders what is going on and what Illyria actually said. She finishes her sentence: “…to understand. Even for you.”

Illyria is still standing in front of Angel with the knife. Spike joins them. She has had her fun, but that is enough. Spike finds the pose in which Illyria has nailed Angel to the wall a bit too symbolic. Illyria holds the knife to Angel’s throat. She tells Spike she can find another pet any time; one that does not try so obviously to watch her when she bathes… What? He only wanted to make sure that… she doesn’t have hell lice… and that is beside the point right now! Illyria should let Angel go. She scratches Angel’s throat and blood wells up. Once he is gone, they can finally move on.

Angel is still confused by the time jumps. A sound can be heard. Spike and Illyria wonder what it is. Illyria snaps at Angel: what is he doing? Angel knows it is the sound of huge leathery wings beating the air. He has a feeling they could sell tickets for what is about to happen. The next moment the dragon bursts through a wall. Illyria stabs the knife into Angel’s side and then goes towards the dragon. Spike tries to hold her back, because she is in no condition to… She only looks at Spike over her shoulder. He shuts up and meanwhile frees Angel.

Illyria stands in front of the dragon and tries a baseball line. The dragon is not impressed. It breathes fire right at Illyria. She smokes, but thanks to her body armour she is unhurt. Illyria is on her knees, looks up at the dragon and wants more. She leaps up and hangs on to the dragon’s ear while Spike gets Angel outside.

Angel knew all along where Spike was, didn’t he? Yes, he would have come by sooner, but… Who else knows, Spike interrupts him. In the garden one of the girls immediately offers to take care of Angel’s wounds. If she does, she is out of the top 12, Spike warns her. Then he demands an answer from Angel. The fire-breathing dragon with Illyria hanging on it breaks through the roof. Everyone looks up. Well, Angel answers the question, now probably everyone within twelve blocks knows.

The dragon wraps its tongue around Illyria, pulls her into its mouth and bites down.

Spike is furious: they have a good thing going, and as soon as Angel shows up everything gets botched. One of Spike’s women, named Spider, offers to kill Angel with his own axe and finds that rather ironic. Spike does not.

The dragon spits Illyria out. She lands in the middle of a blood fountain that Spike had installed in the garden and destroys it. Just wonderful, Spike comments. So, when “Fred Sonja” is done, Angel should discuss with her whatever he wanted and then disappear.

Illyria, dripping wet from the broken blood fountain, would like a little help from the pushy vampire. Spike calls to her that he is a bit busy right now – arguing with Angel. Angel makes clear that he will not leave until Spike tells him what he knows about… Angel just doesn’t get it! He has no idea what he is doing! Can’t Spike see that Illyria is acting strangely? She is showing feelings – evidently, but not very surprisingly, Spike is having a terrible influence on her!

Spike and Illyria had nothing to do with it, says Connor as he joins them. They do not put innocents in danger. He doesn’t know that, Angel thinks. He does. Spike is on their side – more precisely, on Connor’s. He is what?! While Illyria is still, or again, busy with the dragon, Angel, Spike, Connor and the girls go inside.

If Angel had told him he wanted to see Spike, he could have told him. In the basement of the mansion he shows Angel a shelter full of rescued people. Half the people at the Hyperion come from Spike, Connor explains. The problem is that Spike has rescued so many lately that there is no longer enough room at Connor’s, so Spike lets them live here until Connor has found bigger hiding places. So this whole “undead Hugh Hefner knock-off” is just a show, Angel asks. Give till it hurts, that is his motto, says Spike, and then asks Angel spitefully whether it hurts. By day he trains the ladies, by night… well. He works with Connor, Angel simply states, then goes outside. He tells his dragon to stop playing, because they are leaving. But Illyria is not satisfied yet. Then welcome to the club, says Angel, holding the bleeding wound in his side.

Connor wants to ask whether he… Angel says he is fine and then asks Connor whether he should give him a lift. Connor drove here – the dragon wanted him to fly with it, but that was a bit too creepy for him. Connor babbles: why doesn’t Angel… it would be cool if he… it’s just…

Angel drives home and sums up the facts for himself once more: he killed a lord’s son, put Connor in danger, and meanwhile Spike is playing champion and best buddy. But what did he expect? He was out of action for months, and at least Spike is not killing anyone… although it would be much easier if Spike were killing people.

The Wolfram & Hart building:

Wes is browsing through some books. Angel comes in. Wes tells him that the lords are gathering to discuss what happened to Burge’s son. Angel in turn tells him that whoever killed the lord in Westwood wanted to pin it on Spike, because they had a talk. With knives, Wes asks. It was not Spike; with him there is… Angel thinks better of it, because there is no need for Wes to feel the way he does now. So Angel just talks about a scantily clad protection squad that Spike is training. Someone wanted Angel to go there and play his or her or its game. So what should they do, Wesley asks. Change the game, says Angel grimly.

The lords’ meeting:

Seven of the lords of Los Angeles have gathered. Someone notes that the Lord of Silverlake has once again declined to attend the meeting – they should punish him for that (which, among lords, amounts to killing). The Lord of Beverly Hills is not present either – for which they should finish her off; besides, she killed Kr’ph, says the Lord of Compton. They do not know that, answers the Lord (or Lady) of Burbank. Nor do they know whether they could defeat them all. Burge (the Lord of downtown L.A., remember?) does not care about any of that. Angel killed his son, and he did not come here to discuss whether they should kill him, because they will. He only wants to discuss in what terrible way. The Lord of WeHo (West Hollywood) points out that Burge was warned by Wolfram & Hart not to do exactly that. Which makes Burge furious again, because he should not read his thoughts! He isn’t. It is just that Wolfram & Hart warned him too when he considered it right after the fall. Burge roars that he does not care at all about Wolfram & Hart; he only wants Angel!

Okay, says Angel as he strolls in with Wesley. Let’s go, then. He can’t be here, one of the lords marvels. Yet he is; that’s life. Angel says that his friendly neighbourhood Wolfram & Hart representative has something to tell them. Does he, Wes whispers. He wanted small steps, Angel whispers back. Out loud Wes then tells the lords to do with Angel as they please.

Angel leans towards Burge and says he should go ahead and start his revenge and do his worst, but if he defeats him like his son, then he, Angel, is the new Lord of downtown L.A. He wants control of his territory? Of thousands of human slaves? Of the territory, period, Angel makes clear. He has other plans for the humans – less enslaving ones. So, do they want to settle this right here or should they go outside, Angel asks. Outside is better, he thinks, because in here a spell binds magic – so these morons don’t kill each other.

Not here and not today – Burge wants to name a champion to fight in his place for supremacy over downtown L.A. Sounds good; Burge is not worth his time anyway, Angel says. He explains that he wants to challenge all the lords here – for all of Los Angeles. How dare he… the Lady of Burbank begins. Angel simply goes on: soon, right here, because he has had a long day. The Lord of Santa Monica cannot believe it: a vampire wants control over everything? Burge does not care. If all their champions face Angel alone, it will be a slaughter anyway.

It will be; he knows that, doesn’t he, Wes asks Angel. They will think of something. After all, they are the masters of last-minute rescues – except for that one time when he sent everyone to hell, Angel replies. The two leave. Two days, the Lord of WeHo calls after them – so they can pick their best people and he can make peace with whoever. Nice, Angel thinks – then their people should call his ghost people and set a time and place.

Was that a rash decision, he asks himself, and has to admit that it was. And he did not do it because Spike and Connor are best friends now – really not, Angel tells himself. Two days – to come up with a plan to take out half a dozen of hell’s most brutal minions. Two days – to heal from his mortal wounds. Angel presses his hand to the bleeding wound in his side and leans against the wall.

One more fact about hell: it does not affect vampires’ healing powers; they still heal fast. Only… that would mean a lot more to him if he were still a vampire…