Angel: After the Fall #8

Plot

For the last time we take a look back before the plot continues as normal. Gunn’s story is finally told, and anyone who wonders how perfectly ordinary people experienced the fall of L.A. gets an answer to that too (um, is anyone really interested?). And it starts again with the somehow lovable fish George…

Betta George:

George’s vampire guard does not like the fish rummaging around in his thoughts at all. George only took a short trip into his mind, but discovered all sorts of interesting things. George keeps “talking” at the vampire the whole time, even though the vampire repeatedly warns him to be quiet, until he finally hits George to shut him up.

The bloodsucker bends down to George and makes one thing clear: he may have been allowed to chatter like that before, and he surely had enough freaks protecting him then, but now he is only alive because Gunn wants it that way; because he needs him. And as soon as he has what he wants… well, then he (George’s guard) can do whatever he likes with the fish. And he is imagining quite a lot – he kills every day, but what he will do to George will top everything! And nobody will come to help him. He is on his own – like all of them…

Gwen:

On a wonderful evening Gwen is at the beach. She has had a picnic with a man named Nate and kisses him. He would like to do more than just kiss her, but Gwen wants to wait a little longer. Nate does not understand why – after all, they have been kissing for a good three hours. And touching, Gwen adds, more to herself. Yes, says Nate, lots of touching. Gwen likes that; she could not do it for a very long time and now… then she curses Nate for ruining the mood. He tries to pull Gwen close again and assures her that touching is okay, but she gets up. She should go, she thinks. She shouldn’t – because if she goes, he does not know when he will see her again, Nate fears. Well, Gwen knows where he works, and if she wants to see him she will just drop by, she answers.

Nate sits on the picnic blanket looking a little crestfallen. Then he asks Gwen whether, just for fun, when she drops by, she could pretend they did more than just make out. Because when his boss saw Gwen, he thought it was only a joke, and Nate kind of told him the two of them were… She really should go, Gwen stresses.

Nate tries to hold her back and asks her to wait. Gwen turns round once more and is about to say he should give it up when the sky literally explodes.

When the falling wall of fire hits the ocean, it starts to boil – Al Gore did warn her this would happen, but she did not want to listen because he is such a nerd, Gwen tries to joke. Only she did not think it would happen so fast…

At first she thinks it is a strange fireworks show, but realises that something else strange is going on here.

And it gets even stranger, says Nate, looking at the amusement park. There the Ferris wheel has developed a life of its own: it spins at incredible speed and flings the riders out, while fires break out on the pier.

Somebody has to do something, Nate thinks hysterically. Absolutely, Gwen agrees. And she has met a few people who can handle this better than Nate – and who are better to make out with, too, she adds quietly.

Nate is completely hysterical because she is just standing there. He grabs her arm before Gwen can warn him. Gwen shouts “no”, the next moment there is a flash of energy and Nate’s charred remains lie in the sand.

Gwen stares at her hands and then out at the boiling sea. Whatever is doing this to the world is also to blame for this; she realises that. And she deserves it, she thinks, and screams it at the hellish world, sending another energy discharge at the barrier.

Then she crouches next to Nate and cries as she looks at him.

She knew it could happen again. Only that it had to happen in an instant…

This will be put right, she promises the dead Nate. She was not lying when she said she knows a few people with experience in things like this – they are probably at it already.

Gwen gets up and wipes away the tears. If this should last – and it won’t – and she does not find someone or something again to “change her back” – and she will – then she would only have wished she had used the short time to date someone. Nothing against Nate, she explains to his corpse; it would just have been nice to know what it is like not to be alone – at least for a short while.

Gwen leaves the beach while her hands charge with energy again, which strikes the ground.

Ordinary Angelenos:

One of the many “the end is nigh” preachers stands with his sign in front of a small cinema, shouting his warnings at people. He does it for the people, but they only look at him strangely.

A woman from the cinema says he has to stop, but he reminds her that this is a free country – she doesn’t understand either, he knows that. He is scaring people. But he does not know what else to do – should he let them watch stupid movies instead of preparing for the coming end?

The young man remembers how he first met the woman from the cinema: he was standing on the ladder writing his message on the marquee above the entrance – and if the eternal powers had not wanted him to do that, why did they leave the ladder lying around?

She asks why he is always so negative. He isn’t; he is only saying what is coming and wants people to prepare. He has: laid in supplies and got himself a sword.

Why doesn’t he go and do something nice for a change? He is, and she will thank him for it yet. She is just about to tell him he is simply crazy when L.A. is sent to hell.

The two cannot believe what is happening. While the woman panics, the boy is totally thrilled – everyone thought he was crazy, but now they can all see he was right all along! He would like to celebrate. But the woman screams and runs away, like many people. The young man watches her go, then leaves, thinking that the woman, like everyone, is just stupid…

Two weeks later he is still hanging around there, still thinking the same thing. By now he has made himself at home in the cinema.

And he has left the woman a message on the marquee in case she ever comes by again – actually it is a lie: “the end of the end is nigh”…

The man charges with drawn sword at a few demons that have appeared outside the cinema…

Gunn:

Gunn slowly wakes up. He remembers the fight, how he asked for help.

Someone comes towards Gunn and asks how he feels.

Gunn lies bandaged in a bed. He wonders where he is. He thinks he has been taken prisoner, then notices the bandages.

Gunn is confused; he does not know what happened, what about the others or who rescued him…

A man comes closer. He tells Gunn that everything will be fine and he should calm down.

Gunn orders himself to breathe. He wants to calm down. He tries to take a breath and can’t. Why, Charles wonders.

The guy smells like a vampire, he notes. And he has a stake in his jacket pocket – just like Angel. Then Gunn realises what he just thought: smells like a vampire?

The man explains that they have been waiting for weeks to be able to talk to Gunn.

He asks Gunn what the last thing he remembers is.

Gunn wants to buy time. He remembers an overly friendly vampire telling him to calm down… and before that… the alley… and the odds they had…

Gunn remembers that they were no match for the demons. His eye was hit and he fell to the ground, bleeding. Angel ran to him and told him everything would be fine, but Gunn knew better. Then Angel spotted something – one of the demons controlling the dragon.

It was an orc, says Gunn with a smile, adding that with orcs and dragons all that is missing is the hobbits.

Gunn wanted Angel to wait. Angel promised to come back and then threw himself back into the fight. Gunn knows Angel did not hear him – he had a plan, and once that is the case, Angel notices nothing else. And his plan even worked: as soon as Angel had beheaded the orc, the spell was lifted from the dragon… only Angel did not come back.

Gunn saw the dragon fire burn the demons, then Gunn was grabbed – by the guy who is now talking to him. Someone asked whether this was the right one. They dragged Gunn along with them and he tried to call for Angel.

Then he was bitten by the vampire and turned.

The man explains to Gunn that it was the only way: Gunn was dying and nobody else could do anything; nobody else could save him.

Gunn grabs the vampire by the throat.

The vampire explains that they were there the whole time. They were watching, but they had to wait for the dragon. The vampire tries to make Gunn understand that there was some kind of plan and that he foresaw exactly this reaction.

Gunn does not want to hear it. He tells himself he is still human and wants the vampire to stop talking.

The vampire’s followers appear in the doorway to check on their boss. He only says everything is okay. This is exactly what they expected and it had to happen. Gunn is so much more important than he suspects; that is why they turned him…

Gunn gets angry and changes. He shouldn’t say that!

Gunn jumps up and grabs the stake from his sire’s jacket pocket. He wants to know who told them he is so damn important. Wolfram & Hart?

Does Gunn really think they would listen to them? Really! They even work under their radar. Gunn could too, says the vampire, and offers Gunn a place on his team. He knows all this must be confusing; besides, Gunn was out of action for weeks. Together they could… To make the guy finally stop talking, Gunn drives the stake through his throat.

Gunn thinks that he was in that alley because of Angel. But as soon as he was useless, he was simply forgotten, and now he is *this*!

But he is not like that – Gunn does not know why, but he is not like them. That cannot be…

He has torn off the bandages and his wounds have healed.

He looks at the other vampires and asks them whether there is anything else he should know.

Well, one begins, there is what is going on outside… er, someone else had better tell him that.

He doesn’t care who tells him, but Gunn damn well wants to know now!

One of the vampires pulls the curtain aside and shows Gunn hellish L.A.

“Oh,” says Gunn.

Then he pulls his sire up by the hair. So they can handle this, huh? They can, the vampire gasps.

Nicely put, Gunn thinks. But he will surely understand that Gunn’s supply of trust is exhausted. Gunn explains to the vampire that from now on he is taking over, calling the vampire “Angel” – then he drives the stake through his sire’s heart.

Gunn looks at the other vampires, stake in hand.

He wants to know what is going on here. He knew even before the curtain was pulled aside that he is in hell… and he wants out.

To be continued…