RETALIATION
Pieces of the Heart Series - Part Six
By S. J. Smith & D. M. Evans
Disclaimer - We don't own any of the characters. All characters belong to
Joss Whedon and we're just happy for the chance to play with them. We also
don't own "Ready To Take A Chance Again." Barry Manilow does, as of last
recollection.
A.N. - This is part six in a series. In order the other stories are:
"Pieces on the Ground", "Blood Will Tell", "Picking up the Pieces",
"Without Her" and "Roadhouse Blues" This story's name was originally Shadow
of a Dream!
Rating - PG-13
Summary - Angel and company along with Dawn Spike and a reluctant Lindsey
head to L.A. to break into Wolfram and Hart to retrieve spell books capable
of sending them into another dimension to rescue Buffy who might not be
dead after all.
CHAPTER ONE
It was quiet inside the motorhome. Cordelia and Dawn bedded down in the back while Wesley crashed in the bench seat, his snores faint over the sounds of the passing semis. Lindsey sat on the other end of the bench, his head propped up on his arm. Spike stared out the passenger window at the countryside rolling by as Angel drove.
Angel currently hated the ponderous vehicle. If he were in his own car, he could be roaring along the Interstate. Even though he pushed the Winnebago to a nice clip, it still couldn't reach the speeds his GTX did. Granted, he would've had to hole up somewhere during the day if he was in his car. That was the reason they'd rented the RV in the first place. But even the faint possibility of Buffy being alive urged him to floor the accelerator.
"Where are we?"
The voice broke both Angel and Spike from their reveries. "Still in the middle of B.F.E.," Spike said, twisting around to look at Lindsey.
Lindsey leaned between the two chairs to peer through the windscreen at the distant brake lights of the last semi that had passed them. "God's country," he said.
"God can keep it," Spike said. "Give me cities any night." He gestured. "Boring flat land. Bet you don't even get cable out here."
Lindsey snorted. "That's what satellite dishes are for." He dropped into the seat behind Spike and cocked his legs up on the opposite chair. "I was meaning to ask you."
"What?" Angel asked, over his shoulder.
"You all seem totally gung-ho about this. I mean, Slayer, sure. But why this particular girl? I mean, two vampires are taking care of her sister." He waved a hand towards the back of the motorhome. "You chased me all the way to Oklahoma when you could've used any lawyer in L.A. I just don't get it. What's inspiring this loyalty?"
"You've never met the Slayer," Spike said.
"I met Faith," Lindsey pointed out.
Spike shook his head. "Strictly second string." He swiveled his chair around to look at Lindsey. "I've come across two other Slayers before. Killed 'em for the sport of it. Not to say I didn't try to kill Buffy, I did." He gestured at Angel. "Hell, even Peaches here tried to kill her when he lost his soul." Spike's eyes narrowed. "If the Scourge of Europe and William the Bloody can't take out a lone Slayer, she must be special."
"But what is it about this girl?" Lindsey persisted, looking from one vampire to the other. "Angel has a soul. He's fighting on the side of good. I can understand that, well, no; I can't really, but you? What's in it for you?"
Lindsey'd asked the question Angel had been wondering about since Dawn confirmed his suspicions of Spike's feelings for Buffy. Spike sighed loudly, obviously contemplating a smoke, then settled for entwining his fingers behind the back of his head and rocking back in his seat. "I gotta chip in my head. It keeps me from harming humans. For some reason, the Slayer and her friends let me live rather than stake me."
"They did?" Angel asked, a little surprised.
"Yeah. I stayed with Harris for a while." At Lindsey's blank expression, Spike went on. "One of the Scoobies. Harris, Red, Rupert; you'll get a chance to meet them all."
"Scoobies," Lindsey repeated.
"Gotta tell you, Red's really come along in the magic department. She was throwing people right and left when we battled Glory," Spike said. "She attacked Glory on her own to get Tara's mind back."
"You mentioned Tara before," Angel said.
"Oh. Red's Wiccan girlfriend. Tara's not bad at it either but Red could be a real asset in the other dimension." Spike leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees. "She's strong, Angel. So is Harris. He's grown a lot. Not a bad man. Good Watcher material, if he weren't attached at the groin to that vengeance demon."
Angel felt as if he'd been left out of the loop. He vaguely remembered a vengeance demon. Tara? He had no clue. Spike didn't mention Oz and he wondered what happened to the young man. He was almost afraid to ask. Everyone had moved on in Sunnydale. He suddenly wondered how it would feel to return there and work with these people again. Somehow, he didn't think he'd actually be welcomed back with open arms, regardless of whether Buffy needed him or not.
Not that it mattered. "I'd go to hell to bring her back."
"Like Orpheus, huh?" Lindsey said, overhearing Angel's comment. "Better make sure you don't look over your shoulder for her, then."
Spike cocked an eyebrow at the exchange but said nothing, wriggling deeper into his seat to get more comfortable. He could hardly wait to see Chase and Harris together again. The show promised to be better than 'Passions.'
* * * Spike shoved some weaponry into his duffle. Angel had been all for driving straight to Sunnydale. Reason and much whining by Cordy about needing both fresh clothing and money swayed him. Wesley's logical remarks about their magical tomes being in the hotel and about the return date for the RV, him not wanting to be charged with grand theft auto, helped further. Lindsey pointed out that the reason he was along was they wanted him to break into Wolfram and Hart to steal some useful books sealed the return to L.A. That and the fact it was daylight by the time they hit California and Wesley was driving.
Spike drew his shotgun from the trunk and moved to put it in the duffle, too. He froze mid-action, feeling eyes on him.
"Should I even ask where you got a gun and why?"
He turned and looked at Angel. Spike tried to slam shut the trunk but Angel caught hold of the edge. He was stronger than the slim vampire.
"No," Spike muttered, preparing himself for an all-out fight once Angel realized what was in the trunk.
Angel stared half shocked and half expecting what he saw. He lifted out several photos of Buffy, many of them crumpled and a few scorched along the edges. "Where did you get these? This is wrong.this is sick. What would Buffy have felt if she saw this?" Angel raged, dropping the pictures.
"She knew." Spike snatched the photos away, clutching them to his chest.
"She would have killed you. She should have killed you. She would have.what did you say?"
Spike didn't look at Angel. He simply stowed away the gun before he was tempted to use it. "She knew. She saw them."
"And she let you live?" That did surprise Angel.
"Well, Dru did hit her with a cattle prod right afterwards."
"Dru?" Angel's brow creased. "Why?"
"So she could chain her up to play. I changed the game and used the prod on Dru. That's when I offered to kill her for Buffy." Spike's face grew morose.
"What stopped you?"
"Harmony shot me with an arrow and was planning to finish the job?"
"Harmony? What does she have to do with it?" Angel shoved aside the pictures and took out a crossbow, too bewildered to remain furious.
"She was mad because she thought she was my girlfriend and didn't want me playing with Dru and Buffy. The bint shot me!" Something between anger and amusement flavored Spike's tone.
"Your girlfriend?" Angel's brow furrowed. This was even more proof he was way out of the loop. "You and that.she didn't have a thing going on in her head."
"She was one of Chase's friends, is that a surprise?"
Angel wanted to say no. Instead, having met Harmony, he said nothing.
"Anyhow, Buffy got away. Dru left me again. So did Harmony, no big loss. Buffy knew about the pictures but she let me keep them." Spike said nothing about what he had done with those photos next. A wave of panic flooded him. If they went to Sunnydale, Angel might learn about the Buffy-Bot. Spike knew his grandsire just might kill him for it, provided he didn't die of embarrassment first. Or maybe Angel just might understand the desperation of not actually being able to have the real thing. A gambling man, Spike knew better than to bet on that. He just hoped Willow hadn't repaired the robot and everyone would be smart enough not to mention it to Angel. Of course with Harris and Anya around that wasn't a bet he'd take either.
"It's still wrong." Angel said but decided not to push it further. He would need Spike's help once they got to Glory's dimension and he knew antagonizing the younger vampire wouldn't help. "Are you about ready?"
"That's all the weapons I have. What about you?"
"I'm ready. Wesley's got the three books we got in Pylea plus others he thinks might help. We still need to get Lindsey into the law firm to find others," Angel answered.
"What about that scroll, the one that brought back Darla.just in case we're wrong about this and Buffy's not alive in that dimension?" Spike asked, turning to face Angel.
Angel glanced away. "I thought about it but haven't packed it." His eyes came up to meet Spike's. They held each other's gaze for long tense moments. "I'll get it."
Spike nodded and brushed past him heading for the staircase. Angel followed. Everyone else was down in the lobby chatting nervously about nothing. Lindsey looked up hearing the vampires coming down the stairs.
"Is it me or is this hotel exceedingly creepy?" Lindsey asked, his head whipping around as if he expected something to leap out at him.
"It's not you. A lot of people died in here to feed a Thesulac demon," Wesley said. "Angel, I was thinking, if Gunn's willing, he might be a help once we get across to the other dimension. Fred, too, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea to take her."
"Fred just made it home. Taking her to another dimension, it might not be fair to her." Angel gestured. "I'm betting this place will be worse than Pylea, if what Dawn and Spike have said about Glory is true."
Dawn nodded, her expression nervous. "It is."
"Perhaps we should contact Kate, then, see if she might be willing to take Fred on while we're in Sunnydale," Wesley said.
"I'll call her," Cordelia said, "while you guys go storm Wolfram and Hart."
"Thanks, Cordy. Dawn, you stay here." Angel pointed at Spike. "You guard them."
"You're not the boss of me, Peaches."
"As long as you're in my hotel, I am."
Spike jerked his head in irritation, fishing out his cigarettes as he stomped out into the courtyard to smoke. It'd be good to get back to Sunnydale. They respected him there, not like here, where the only person who really liked him was Dawn. Spike sucked on the end of his cigarette, grimacing. He wasn't even fooling himself. He was a fighter and they needed him. Just a body, to throw into the battle. He looked up at the night sky, wondering if Buffy could see it where she was. Wondering if she wanted to come back.
* * *
"I can't believe I agreed to this." Lindsey glanced up at his former place of employment.
"We need your help," Angel said for what felt like the hundredth time.
"I have to be insane," Lindsey grumbled, opening a hidden door, vaguely surprised the key still worked in the lock.
"It's a distinct possibility," Wesley said, fiddling with his black cap when Lindsey glared at him. He looked ill at ease in his "burglar's" garb. "I'd feel better if Gunn were coming with us."
"Too risky with that many people. You know what books we'll need. Gunn doesn't." Angel thumped a hand on the building. "I wish I could come in, too, but it'll just trip mystical alarms."
"Let's just do this," Lindsey growled and went in. Wesley followed him.
Both men crept along silently down the halls, eerie in the evening low lighting. Lindsey knew exactly where he was going and how to avoid the surveillance cameras. Finally he led them to a simple room that looked very unimpressive. Lindsey spoke a word too softly for Wesley to hear and one wall melted away. Behind the glamour was another room, crammed floor to ceiling with books and scrolls. Lindsey waved Wesley in.
Mustiness and the dust of untold ages held in paper and vellum overwhelmed them. Wesley shook it off, his eyes wide and eager. For the ex-Watcher, this was Elysium. He pulled out a tome, The Journals of Addis. His hand moved to a scroll, The Writings of the Gizzi Tribe. He grinned broadly. "Is that the Tome of Feronti?"
"Focus, Wesley. We can't take it all," Lindsey said.
"How are these referenced?"
"They aren't.yet. It's on of those things we were meaning to do but Wolfram and Hart have so much warehoused there's no time to get it organized."
"That's criminal." Wesley scowled.
Lindsey rolled his eyes and stabbed a finger at the far wall. "What we're after is roughly in those piles."
Wesley nodded and dug in. Between them they made off with several books and Wesley helped himself to The Pascoe Papers just because he had always wanted a copy. Lindsey led the way back out and a somewhat anxious-looking Angel met them on the sidewalk.
"Did you get what you need?" he asked.
"Yes."
"What took so long?" Angel asked, taking some of the books from Wesley and heading for the GTX.
"Your boy got a little over-stimulated by the books," Lindsey said wryly.
"Angel, you have no idea how much knowledge is locked up in there. It's criminal for them to have so much. I had to leave behind a beautiful copy of Croslov's Cryptics," Wesley said unashamedly.
"We can't take everything. They might not realize a few books are missing but they can't help noticing if you clear the room out with a forklift," Lindsey said.
"I was beginning to think something happened to you," Angel said as they piled into his car.
"It's killing me to leave all those books behind." Wesley cast a mournful look back at the building.
"It would have been a death sentence if you'd taken them all," Lindsey replied as Angel started them down the road.
Noticing Lindsey looking back at the law building, Angel asked, "Is there something wrong?"
"It was too easy," Lindsey replied, turning around, a frown settling onto his features.
"Don't fight good luck," Wesley said.
"I guess." Lindsey hoped that was that it was and not a set up for Wolfram and Hart to rain down vengeance.
CHAPTER ONE
It was quiet inside the motorhome. Cordelia and Dawn bedded down in the back while Wesley crashed in the bench seat, his snores faint over the sounds of the passing semis. Lindsey sat on the other end of the bench, his head propped up on his arm. Spike stared out the passenger window at the countryside rolling by as Angel drove.
Angel currently hated the ponderous vehicle. If he were in his own car, he could be roaring along the Interstate. Even though he pushed the Winnebago to a nice clip, it still couldn't reach the speeds his GTX did. Granted, he would've had to hole up somewhere during the day if he was in his car. That was the reason they'd rented the RV in the first place. But even the faint possibility of Buffy being alive urged him to floor the accelerator.
"Where are we?"
The voice broke both Angel and Spike from their reveries. "Still in the middle of B.F.E.," Spike said, twisting around to look at Lindsey.
Lindsey leaned between the two chairs to peer through the windscreen at the distant brake lights of the last semi that had passed them. "God's country," he said.
"God can keep it," Spike said. "Give me cities any night." He gestured. "Boring flat land. Bet you don't even get cable out here."
Lindsey snorted. "That's what satellite dishes are for." He dropped into the seat behind Spike and cocked his legs up on the opposite chair. "I was meaning to ask you."
"What?" Angel asked, over his shoulder.
"You all seem totally gung-ho about this. I mean, Slayer, sure. But why this particular girl? I mean, two vampires are taking care of her sister." He waved a hand towards the back of the motorhome. "You chased me all the way to Oklahoma when you could've used any lawyer in L.A. I just don't get it. What's inspiring this loyalty?"
"You've never met the Slayer," Spike said.
"I met Faith," Lindsey pointed out.
Spike shook his head. "Strictly second string." He swiveled his chair around to look at Lindsey. "I've come across two other Slayers before. Killed 'em for the sport of it. Not to say I didn't try to kill Buffy, I did." He gestured at Angel. "Hell, even Peaches here tried to kill her when he lost his soul." Spike's eyes narrowed. "If the Scourge of Europe and William the Bloody can't take out a lone Slayer, she must be special."
"But what is it about this girl?" Lindsey persisted, looking from one vampire to the other. "Angel has a soul. He's fighting on the side of good. I can understand that, well, no; I can't really, but you? What's in it for you?"
Lindsey'd asked the question Angel had been wondering about since Dawn confirmed his suspicions of Spike's feelings for Buffy. Spike sighed loudly, obviously contemplating a smoke, then settled for entwining his fingers behind the back of his head and rocking back in his seat. "I gotta chip in my head. It keeps me from harming humans. For some reason, the Slayer and her friends let me live rather than stake me."
"They did?" Angel asked, a little surprised.
"Yeah. I stayed with Harris for a while." At Lindsey's blank expression, Spike went on. "One of the Scoobies. Harris, Red, Rupert; you'll get a chance to meet them all."
"Scoobies," Lindsey repeated.
"Gotta tell you, Red's really come along in the magic department. She was throwing people right and left when we battled Glory," Spike said. "She attacked Glory on her own to get Tara's mind back."
"You mentioned Tara before," Angel said.
"Oh. Red's Wiccan girlfriend. Tara's not bad at it either but Red could be a real asset in the other dimension." Spike leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees. "She's strong, Angel. So is Harris. He's grown a lot. Not a bad man. Good Watcher material, if he weren't attached at the groin to that vengeance demon."
Angel felt as if he'd been left out of the loop. He vaguely remembered a vengeance demon. Tara? He had no clue. Spike didn't mention Oz and he wondered what happened to the young man. He was almost afraid to ask. Everyone had moved on in Sunnydale. He suddenly wondered how it would feel to return there and work with these people again. Somehow, he didn't think he'd actually be welcomed back with open arms, regardless of whether Buffy needed him or not.
Not that it mattered. "I'd go to hell to bring her back."
"Like Orpheus, huh?" Lindsey said, overhearing Angel's comment. "Better make sure you don't look over your shoulder for her, then."
Spike cocked an eyebrow at the exchange but said nothing, wriggling deeper into his seat to get more comfortable. He could hardly wait to see Chase and Harris together again. The show promised to be better than 'Passions.'
* * * Spike shoved some weaponry into his duffle. Angel had been all for driving straight to Sunnydale. Reason and much whining by Cordy about needing both fresh clothing and money swayed him. Wesley's logical remarks about their magical tomes being in the hotel and about the return date for the RV, him not wanting to be charged with grand theft auto, helped further. Lindsey pointed out that the reason he was along was they wanted him to break into Wolfram and Hart to steal some useful books sealed the return to L.A. That and the fact it was daylight by the time they hit California and Wesley was driving.
Spike drew his shotgun from the trunk and moved to put it in the duffle, too. He froze mid-action, feeling eyes on him.
"Should I even ask where you got a gun and why?"
He turned and looked at Angel. Spike tried to slam shut the trunk but Angel caught hold of the edge. He was stronger than the slim vampire.
"No," Spike muttered, preparing himself for an all-out fight once Angel realized what was in the trunk.
Angel stared half shocked and half expecting what he saw. He lifted out several photos of Buffy, many of them crumpled and a few scorched along the edges. "Where did you get these? This is wrong.this is sick. What would Buffy have felt if she saw this?" Angel raged, dropping the pictures.
"She knew." Spike snatched the photos away, clutching them to his chest.
"She would have killed you. She should have killed you. She would have.what did you say?"
Spike didn't look at Angel. He simply stowed away the gun before he was tempted to use it. "She knew. She saw them."
"And she let you live?" That did surprise Angel.
"Well, Dru did hit her with a cattle prod right afterwards."
"Dru?" Angel's brow creased. "Why?"
"So she could chain her up to play. I changed the game and used the prod on Dru. That's when I offered to kill her for Buffy." Spike's face grew morose.
"What stopped you?"
"Harmony shot me with an arrow and was planning to finish the job?"
"Harmony? What does she have to do with it?" Angel shoved aside the pictures and took out a crossbow, too bewildered to remain furious.
"She was mad because she thought she was my girlfriend and didn't want me playing with Dru and Buffy. The bint shot me!" Something between anger and amusement flavored Spike's tone.
"Your girlfriend?" Angel's brow furrowed. This was even more proof he was way out of the loop. "You and that.she didn't have a thing going on in her head."
"She was one of Chase's friends, is that a surprise?"
Angel wanted to say no. Instead, having met Harmony, he said nothing.
"Anyhow, Buffy got away. Dru left me again. So did Harmony, no big loss. Buffy knew about the pictures but she let me keep them." Spike said nothing about what he had done with those photos next. A wave of panic flooded him. If they went to Sunnydale, Angel might learn about the Buffy-Bot. Spike knew his grandsire just might kill him for it, provided he didn't die of embarrassment first. Or maybe Angel just might understand the desperation of not actually being able to have the real thing. A gambling man, Spike knew better than to bet on that. He just hoped Willow hadn't repaired the robot and everyone would be smart enough not to mention it to Angel. Of course with Harris and Anya around that wasn't a bet he'd take either.
"It's still wrong." Angel said but decided not to push it further. He would need Spike's help once they got to Glory's dimension and he knew antagonizing the younger vampire wouldn't help. "Are you about ready?"
"That's all the weapons I have. What about you?"
"I'm ready. Wesley's got the three books we got in Pylea plus others he thinks might help. We still need to get Lindsey into the law firm to find others," Angel answered.
"What about that scroll, the one that brought back Darla.just in case we're wrong about this and Buffy's not alive in that dimension?" Spike asked, turning to face Angel.
Angel glanced away. "I thought about it but haven't packed it." His eyes came up to meet Spike's. They held each other's gaze for long tense moments. "I'll get it."
Spike nodded and brushed past him heading for the staircase. Angel followed. Everyone else was down in the lobby chatting nervously about nothing. Lindsey looked up hearing the vampires coming down the stairs.
"Is it me or is this hotel exceedingly creepy?" Lindsey asked, his head whipping around as if he expected something to leap out at him.
"It's not you. A lot of people died in here to feed a Thesulac demon," Wesley said. "Angel, I was thinking, if Gunn's willing, he might be a help once we get across to the other dimension. Fred, too, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea to take her."
"Fred just made it home. Taking her to another dimension, it might not be fair to her." Angel gestured. "I'm betting this place will be worse than Pylea, if what Dawn and Spike have said about Glory is true."
Dawn nodded, her expression nervous. "It is."
"Perhaps we should contact Kate, then, see if she might be willing to take Fred on while we're in Sunnydale," Wesley said.
"I'll call her," Cordelia said, "while you guys go storm Wolfram and Hart."
"Thanks, Cordy. Dawn, you stay here." Angel pointed at Spike. "You guard them."
"You're not the boss of me, Peaches."
"As long as you're in my hotel, I am."
Spike jerked his head in irritation, fishing out his cigarettes as he stomped out into the courtyard to smoke. It'd be good to get back to Sunnydale. They respected him there, not like here, where the only person who really liked him was Dawn. Spike sucked on the end of his cigarette, grimacing. He wasn't even fooling himself. He was a fighter and they needed him. Just a body, to throw into the battle. He looked up at the night sky, wondering if Buffy could see it where she was. Wondering if she wanted to come back.
* * *
"I can't believe I agreed to this." Lindsey glanced up at his former place of employment.
"We need your help," Angel said for what felt like the hundredth time.
"I have to be insane," Lindsey grumbled, opening a hidden door, vaguely surprised the key still worked in the lock.
"It's a distinct possibility," Wesley said, fiddling with his black cap when Lindsey glared at him. He looked ill at ease in his "burglar's" garb. "I'd feel better if Gunn were coming with us."
"Too risky with that many people. You know what books we'll need. Gunn doesn't." Angel thumped a hand on the building. "I wish I could come in, too, but it'll just trip mystical alarms."
"Let's just do this," Lindsey growled and went in. Wesley followed him.
Both men crept along silently down the halls, eerie in the evening low lighting. Lindsey knew exactly where he was going and how to avoid the surveillance cameras. Finally he led them to a simple room that looked very unimpressive. Lindsey spoke a word too softly for Wesley to hear and one wall melted away. Behind the glamour was another room, crammed floor to ceiling with books and scrolls. Lindsey waved Wesley in.
Mustiness and the dust of untold ages held in paper and vellum overwhelmed them. Wesley shook it off, his eyes wide and eager. For the ex-Watcher, this was Elysium. He pulled out a tome, The Journals of Addis. His hand moved to a scroll, The Writings of the Gizzi Tribe. He grinned broadly. "Is that the Tome of Feronti?"
"Focus, Wesley. We can't take it all," Lindsey said.
"How are these referenced?"
"They aren't.yet. It's on of those things we were meaning to do but Wolfram and Hart have so much warehoused there's no time to get it organized."
"That's criminal." Wesley scowled.
Lindsey rolled his eyes and stabbed a finger at the far wall. "What we're after is roughly in those piles."
Wesley nodded and dug in. Between them they made off with several books and Wesley helped himself to The Pascoe Papers just because he had always wanted a copy. Lindsey led the way back out and a somewhat anxious-looking Angel met them on the sidewalk.
"Did you get what you need?" he asked.
"Yes."
"What took so long?" Angel asked, taking some of the books from Wesley and heading for the GTX.
"Your boy got a little over-stimulated by the books," Lindsey said wryly.
"Angel, you have no idea how much knowledge is locked up in there. It's criminal for them to have so much. I had to leave behind a beautiful copy of Croslov's Cryptics," Wesley said unashamedly.
"We can't take everything. They might not realize a few books are missing but they can't help noticing if you clear the room out with a forklift," Lindsey said.
"I was beginning to think something happened to you," Angel said as they piled into his car.
"It's killing me to leave all those books behind." Wesley cast a mournful look back at the building.
"It would have been a death sentence if you'd taken them all," Lindsey replied as Angel started them down the road.
Noticing Lindsey looking back at the law building, Angel asked, "Is there something wrong?"
"It was too easy," Lindsey replied, turning around, a frown settling onto his features.
"Don't fight good luck," Wesley said.
"I guess." Lindsey hoped that was that it was and not a set up for Wolfram and Hart to rain down vengeance.