Chapter 11: In the Kingdom of the Blind…
Warning: Entering Connor's mind. May get really really weird.
Also, the long awaitedfather and son fight between the Angelus Doppelganger and Connor fight.
Thanks to all the readers and reviewers for all the support.
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon owns Connor (even though the "expletive" killed him off in the comics) and everyone else in the Jossverse. This fic is just for fun and entertainment.
Dawn was dreaming and she knew it. Although she knew that Sunnydale was gone and that Glorificus would never threaten her again, she found herself standing atop the very same tower that was designed to bleed her open and collapse the worlds into chaos.
Only this time, there would be no Buffy to save her.
She's had this dream before. It was nothing important really, just residual nightmares that were, and dangers vanquished long ago - scars of old that bled only at the times of recollection and despairing memories.
Dawn closed her eyes. She knew the dream. She felt its truths, it's ultimate conclusion at the climax of a self-appointed drama. She, the actress of her own stage, an audience of one, her fall into nothing…
And Dawn leapt… into darkness, a consuming darkness that plunged her consciousness into a familiar shape, a familiar place at the very depths of something within her and yet outward.
She fell, and then she soared. She floated within the darkness until she plummeted to a place that was not in her own mind. This vortex, this unconscious umbra plunged her into another mind…
And right into a luxurious bed occupied by three half-naked sleeping figures:
Condolezza Rice, Maria Shriver and…
"Connor?" Dawn asked in surprise and nudged him into waking.
"Dawn?" Connor mumbled through the haziness. His chest was naked, and he was wearing only pants. Although Dawn was terrified, she couldn't help but waste a few seconds to stare at the lovely specimen's chest.
Beside Connor, Condolezza snuggled closer and mentioned something about the WTO, Iran and the Federal Reserve.
"Oh My God! Is this what you dream of?" Dawn asked with a look that might have been awe mixed with horror. "A three way with Condolezza Rice and Arnold's wife?"
"No!" Despite the outburst, the secretary of state and the Terminator's wife remained asleep. Although Maria tried to snuggle closer. "This is just a dream and… and it doesn't mean anything. I swear." Connor suddenly regained his composure. "And what are you even doing here? This is my dream!"
"Yes, your sick psycho, dream… Christ. These two are old enough to be your mothers."
"Okay, just hang on there! I did not ask you to come barging into my subconscious and wake me. And furthermore, they're not all old enough to be my mom."
"Not all?" Dawn was going to ask for further clarification, but it was cut short when Tracy and a bluish woman in leather entered the room. One was dressed in leather and spikes while the other was dressed in what looked liked a dominatrix/superhero get up. Both however, were carrying whips.
"Tracy!" Dawn exclaimed, but of course, being simple illusions within Connor's mind, they did not respond. Dawn then turned to Connor in disgust. "You sick bastard!"
"It's not what it looks like… Okay, it is. But let me explain something here. In my alternate lifetime, I was raised in a single sex environment with only-" Connor was going to say something but it was immediately cut short, by Tracy's interruption.
"It is time, slave," Dream Tracy said robotically. "Do you have the chocolate chip ice cream and turnips?"
"Slave? Ice cream and turnips? Oh My God! " Dawn exclaimed again. She covered both her ears and started singing to herself.
"Please pretend you didn't hear that, okay?" Connor wrapped his hands around himself. "Oh God! My subconscious is evil!"
As if one cue, Dream Condi and Dream Missis Terminator awoke and they too became magically garbed in leather and spikes. They surrounded the bed and looked as if they were going to make a very dark, very erotic and very inappropriate ritual…
Dawn took one look at the other females and it was enough to freak her out of her mind.
"There's no place like home. There's no place like home." Dawn kept saying like a mantra.
"Just to be clear, you're a part of this dream, right?" Connor asked.
"Yeah, you're also dreaming me," She then sucker punched him on the shoulders. "Does that feel like a dream?"
"Ow! Okay, look… um, there's no need to blow this out of proportion. I'm sure you've been inside a lot of guy's dreams…" She glared at him. "Okay, that did not come out right. What I mean to say is that…"
"Connor!" Condi interrupted. "Remove your clothing. The US federal reserve needs some lovin'."
"I married Arnold Schwarzenegger! I am the gubernator's wife!" Maria interrupted.
"Yes, Maria. I know and I'm sure that JFK would really proud of you right now. Condi. Condi. Hands. Hands. Owww!" Connor was whipped from behind by the bluish looking lady. "Dammit Illyria. Not now!"
"I desire to perform copulation immediately. I will not be denied." Illyria said.
"That's great… I… I mean don't. Not now, okay." Connor turned back to Dawn. "I swear. This isn't what it looks like."
"Connie," Tracey said in her turn. "The pleasure pearls are ready. Now please bend over so I can insert them into your–" Before dream Tracy could finish her sentence however, the dream sequence was lost and they were brought to a small room in what appeared to hotel room of the Hyperion.
When they were sure that this was not some complex plot, Dawn looked at Connor with a disgusted look.
"What the hell?" Connor said in surprise.
"Hey don't look at me. It's your brain."
"Yeah, my subconscious is simply fucked up. I don't even know where these dreams keep coming."
She then remembered something. "Pleasure pearls?"
"Yeah, they're actually a Japanese invention. Their purpose is to prolong climax by being inserted into one's a-"
"Shut up!"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Pleasure pearls," Dawn repeated the words to herself and shivered. She looked at Connor, who was still lacking some clothing on his body and wondered how the hell she would frame her questions. Okay, stop looking at his chest. Not bad. Nice ripple of muscles. Could use a little meat, but overall pretty damn… Dammit Dawn, focus…
"Okay, half naked weirdo that puts things in his ass, at this point I probably have tons of questions to ask." Dawn said.
"So do I," Connor answered calmly but slyly. "Whistler sent you and that certainly makes you very… interesting." He was actually going to say dangerous.
"You know Whistler?" Dawn asked excited, wanting desperately to find out about what happened to the demon.
"Up until a few days ago, yes. He and I were supposed to have a long talk but it was cut short when we were attacked."
"Attacked? Wha… Is he okay?"
"I don't know," Connor answered.
"God!" Dawn did her best to calm herself. "Fine, all this is obviously part of his plan," Dawn motioned around her, "me inside your head, my chance meeting with Tracy, that thing with the crystal thing-y - All of it. So the only question that's left to ask is why?"
"Hey, don't look at me… I just. Arrrgh!" Connor fell forward, clutching himself and looking like he was about to die.
"Connor!" Dawn exclaimed. "What's wrong. Please no more weird sex dreams!"
"Not that. Something's coming… it's… arggh…" Connor then crumbled completely on the floor, and but for the fact his eyes were open and his mouth was incoherently mumbling, Connor looked like he had passed out.
"Connor!" Dawn scooped up Connor and cradled him on her lap, trying to discern what exactly happened to him. Strangely enough, this reminded her of the first time that she had entered his mind. Like before, they were in a dream… and under attack from a dark presence.
"Yooouuu…" A demonic voice slurred just as the door of the Hyperion lobby blasted open and a powerful wind from the outside smashed into them. Beyond the doorway, a gaping space greeted Dawn, a terrifying void that was alive. "You do not belong here!"
The voice terrified Dawn but she would not abandon Connor. She kept her ground and stared into the void defiantly. There was something out there, some living creature that she could not understand, and yet had a common affinity to.
"You're not real," Connor mumbled through his pain.
"Connor?"
Connor screamed as agonizing pain wracked his body. He tossed and turned as the wind from the outside increased in intensity. The darkness wanted to get inside the room. And yet, something was stopping it.
And it occurred to Dawn that it was her - it couldn't enter because of her. Why? She could not answer – not yet. But the sudden revelation that she could fight back strengthened her resolve. That thing outside… that demon or whatever is impotent against her, and so she stayed where she was, protecting Connor.
The darkness continued to attack and batter its way through, determined to smash through to Connor who was still partially conscious, but was no good. With a final ounce of frustration, the darkness sent a strong gust of wind against Dawn as a parting gesture.
"You can't protect him forever," the darkness howled and then it was gone.
Connor regained slowly his senses and he was greeted by Dawn, who was looking sufficiently relieved to see him okay. Suddenly, Whistlers' words intruded into his mind. She will be your guide as you fight through the darkness within you. Within a mind of dreams, she is an anchor of reality.
"What happened?" Dawn asked.
"It's a long story." Connor answered. "But now, I'm beginning to understand why you're here. You're here to protect me… thanks, I guess."
"Yeah well," Dawn put her fists on her hips. "You can thank me by not letting me inside your Republican Sex Fantasies ever again."
Connor chuckled a bit. "It's a deal."
Connor laughed a bit.
"What's so funny?"
"Oh sorry. I was just thinking how nice it is to have one more voice inside my head." He was referring to Dawn.
He then got up and steadied himself on his feet while Dawn remained seated.
"What…" Dawn wracked her brain for a better word but could not find any. "What was that thing that attacked us?"
"That," Connor said while looking at her straight in the eye, "was a demon – at least that's what I think it is."
"Why does it want to hurt you?"
"Because, it wants to take control of my body…" Connor hesitated then gave another answer, "or kick me out of its body."
"Kick you out of… What are you?" Dawn exclaimed.
Connor took a deep breath and sighed. "Let's see," he started counting his fingers one by one, "I am some kind of demonic messiah, I can father hell gods and higher powers, I have a fake set of memories of being a normal kid, I know primal dark magicks, I have multiple mystical personality syndrome – a little term I coined myself and oh! Let's not forget! I am the miracle child of two vampires."
Dawn could only stand gaping. "Okay, just hold on right there a second! Back up! Child of two vampires? Do you expect me to believe that?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
Dawn then laughed derisively. "Oh and let me guess, your mom and dad are Dracula and Vampira."
Connor was relaxed. "You know them, Dawn."
Dawn became serious. "I know who they are?"
"Yes, you do. I know who you are Dawn. I did a little investigation and apparently, your family knew my vampire family. Care to guess?"
Dawn shook her head.
Connor smiled. "My dad is Angel and my mother was Darla."
"Wait! You're Angel's son, his son who happens to be as old as I am? You want me to believe that?"
"Why would Whistler contact you then?"
"This is insane!" She wanted to shrug it off as a joke but something inside of her said that it was the truth.
"Well, if I am insane then you're inside my insane head which makes you…"
"Shut up!" Dawn thought long and hard on which question to ask first. Who's your mother? Darla, right. Stupid Dawn. Never mind. What kind of super powers you got? Why is Whistler so interested in you? Should I tell Giles or Willow? And Buffy! Oh God! Buffy's Angel has a son!
"How?" Dawn asked, half screaming.
Connor was about to answer her but then she woke up.
Dawn blinked her eyes and exclaimed in a very clear voice, "Godammit!"
Connor woke up. He was back in the team's apartment/HQ and apparently, staying inside Tracy's room, half asleep. He was half naked and apparently, he and Tracy had another one of their ex-with-benefits moment.
On his pillow was a note, with Tracey's hand writing, that said: Yes, we did it again, and in little texts below, you're getting better.
Bit by bit, the events since his meeting with Whistler came back to him. He ran all the way back to here. He made sure that he wasn't followed and he wasn't. Once here, he was greeted by Tracey, who was pissed off that she had been left out while the boys ran off on their respective oh so secret missions.
Not surprisingly, they had an argument which also ended up, not surprisingly, in sex, a bitching session, sex, talk about politics and most importantly, more sex was involved. Well, that explains his overactive subconscious.
Connor then remembered his dream. Dawn! Okay, don't think about her right now. You have other problems. Just keep it organised and everything will be fine. Connor then grabbed his pants, got dressed and got out of the room.
"Well now," Malachi greeted as Connor got out the room, "Glad you could join us lover boy."
Connor straightened his tussled looking hair and looked out the window. It was already late afternoon. "What time is it?" he mumbled.
"Almost Two," Aidan answered. Lawin, Mal, and Aidan were all studying maps and documents in the living room. And as Connor regained his senses, he felt the tension all around.
"What are you guys doing?" He asked.
"Our latest intel says Demons are going to large scale attack on LA again today," Malachi answered. "We're trying to pinpoint where it's going to happen, so we can stop it."
"Why didn't you guys wake me?"
Mal, Lawin and Aidan looked at each other.
"I think I speak for the team," Lawin began, "when I say that you should have some rest after all the nookie last night."
The others snickered but Connor took it in stride.
"That's okay. I'm good." He then studied Aidan, Lawin and Malachi and sensed some hidden hostility among them. "Care to share what else you guys were talking about?"
Malachi snickered a bit at the question. "Sure, you can join in on that. Where did you go last night when Aidan and I left?"
So this is what the tension is about!" Connor answered back wryly, not even surprised at the question/accusation. "Why? Haven't you figured it out already?"
"No, but I'll find out eventually. You and I both know that. So why don't you be a good little boy and make things easier for me."
Connor didn't answer him. Instead, he looked at Lawin. "What about you. Where did you go last night?"
"I got an anonymous tip from someone I know," Lawin answered.
"Lawin met up with his former employer, Anash." Malachi elaborated. "He claims that he was given important information about an upcoming attempt to steal the Slayer scythe."
"So that's where you been?" Connor asked.
"That's right, and now it's you're turn." Malachi continued. "Where did you go last night?"
"If you must know, I met up with up with some guy named, Whistler."
This answer hit Malachi like a rock. He suspected that this might have happened but he never expected Connor to be so candid about it. Truth be told, he would have been more comfortable if Connor had attempted to lie. But he didn't.
"Okay," the mentalist swallowed hard, "so what did you two talk about?"
"He was going to tell me where Angel is."
"But you don't trust him."
"No," Connor answered, "but then again, he never had the chance to tell me. We were mysteriously attacked and now he's dead."
"Dead?" Malachi asked surprised. Well, this is certainly interesting. Connor and Whistler decided to meet up behind my back and they failed, but then again - "Who attacked him?"
"Don't know. It was dark at that time and the attack came from far away."
Malachi sighed deeply to straighten his mind and to gather up his thoughts. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who wanted Whistler removed. But then again, who else could it be? Could it be our mysterious puppeteer? The First? Those are certainly viable possibilities. But any of the dozen interests involved in this crisis could be suspect. Dammit! I hate my job.
"Okay, Connor. Look, we can work together to figure out what happened to you last night but you really should learn to let others in the lo-" Malachi stopped mid sentence when he saw Connor smiling with some amusement. "What?"
"Nothing. It's just that…" Connor scratched his head for a good word. "You really are some piece of work aren't you?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Malachi accused.
"Okay, let me spell it out for everybody. You promised to help me find Angel and I'm still in the same place where I started around a month ago. In contrast, Whistler offers me something real and he ends up dead. I don't know, Mal. You tell me."
Malachi came closer to Connor and said in an almost sneering tone, "I did not kill him, Connor. I don't want Whistler dead, but I'm glad that he is. He is a renegade and traitor to the powers." Aidan and Lawin looked on with amusement as Malachi began to loose his hold on his normally stable temper.
Malachi suddenly realized that he was losing his grip on himself and so he decided to salvage things before they could get out of hand. "Connor, look. Whistler had a lot of enemies and I'll admit that I am one of them. But don't think for one moment that you can trust him."
"And why not?" Connor asked defiantly.
Malachi snickered and walked to a nearby set of folders. He threw them at Connor for him to read. "That's why!"
Lawin and Aidan moved closer to see the contents of the folders. What greeted them was a series of pictures with several demons, sorcerers and very inhuman looking beings.
"You want to know why you can't trust Whistler? Fine. I'll tell you. Long before this mess started, the guy went renegade and started talking with the First evil, the ancients and the numerous other important interests. He may be working alone or for some other interest that has yet to reveal itself." He snuck a glance at Lawin and Aidan who were looking on intently at the contents of the folder and went back to talking. "I'm not gonna lie to you. The details are sketchy. But we do know that he is no longer on the side of the powers ergo that makes him evil." Malachi said the final words like an absolute truth.
"Those two aren't mutually exclusive," Connor said wryly as he threw down the folder, "and you still haven't convinced me that it wasn't you who killed him."
Connor and Malachi began arguing profusely over this issue, one side throwing unfounded accusation at the other. Lawin and Aidan joined in but they didn't really add anything new to the testosterone rally. What happened was yelling match that wholly irrational and filled with half baked theories.
However, it only looked like insane fighting on the surface. Underneath the rage and hormones, the guys were sparring for time, time to calculate what the others are plotting and how it may affect each of their own interests.
They could have gone on like this for the next hour or so had they not been interrupted.
"Hey, guys!" Tracy yelled.
"What!" Malachi snapped at her, signaling the other boys to stop as well.
"I hate to interrupt your bitching session but we have a situation."
"Oh boy! Let me guess? There's been another demonic attack reported on the news," Aidan said.
"Oh, there's no need for the news, Travers. Take a look outside."
They obeyed and they were greeted with rising pillar of smoke coming from the north, a few blocks from where they were staying.
"Shit. That's not far off."
"Okay, let's not get our panties off in a bunch. That could be any ordinary fire,"
Aidan suggested.
"You're wrong," Connor said with some tinge of worry, "I can smell demons. I can smell tons of them coming from that direction."
Lawin felt it as well. "Sulfur."
"Fuck!" Malachi swore again in what sounded like French. "Okay, we can continue our little drama later. Let's suit up."
"Suit up?" Connor asked. "What is this, the Justice League?"
"You can be Green Lantern," Malachi said as he signaled Aidan to follow. "You said you were sent some supplies by Sirk and Pryce?"
"That's right," Aidan answered.
"Good," Malachi said, "you and I can get them on the way there. Connor, you and De La Vega can link up with us there. Good luck."
"And what do we do when we get there?" Lawin asked.
"We'll figure something out," Malachi answered as he and Travers left.
"That is just bull."
"You got a better one? Good then move out."
"I'll see you there Reilly," Lawin then jumped out the window and turned himself into a goshawk.
"That is so cool," Tracy commented at the show of magicks.
"Show off," Connor snorted.
"So what's the plan?" Tracy asked.
"The plan? Let's see. I go out there then I kick some ass."
"Okay then. Let's do it," Tracey said in a tone of voice that said: let's saddle up!
"Sorry Trace. You're sitting this one out."
"Give me one good reason why I should!" Hands on hips, daring.
"Because, Lawin, Aidan, Mal and I got it covered. You want to help. Open the TV and call us if something big hits the news."
But Tracy would not have any of it. "Oh I get it! I'm not allowed to fight because I have vagina! Hows stupids could I be? Womens cant's has wars because we is stupids females. Wow, could you get any more sexist?"
"Dammit Trace! This isn't about that and you know it."
"Oh yeah and what is it about, Connor?"
"Let me think, is it because um… You're no match against demons."
"I can still help," She protested.
"You can't go."
"Give me one fucking reason why I can't!" She snapped.
Why not? Why not? The answers nearly made him laugh. Because Connor remembered a spectacled young physicist who got her soul torn apart by a hell goddess. Because he remembered a girl who died in order to give birth to a god. Because he remembered a girl who whispered words of love into his ear. Because he remembered a young girl who killed herself with medicine. Because he remembered a girl, a virgin, begging not to be killed. She had to die that a goddess be born. They're all dead.
Like all the bad things that keep happening in my life, it always starts with a girl… I have to get her away from this soon.
Tracey misinterpreted Connor's silence to be a sign of weakness.
"I'm not staying in this damn room while you run off and play the stereotypical superhe…" Tracey stopped when Connor cast a stony gaze at her direction. She almost wilted. For a brief moment, Connor almost didn't look human.
But the moment passed and Connor looked normal again. "Trace, please… please stay here, okay?"
"Why?" was all that she could say.
"Don't ask me to explain!
"But why…"
"Godammit!" Connor snapped with a tone of voice that Tracey had never heard before. "Just stay here!"
"Connor!"
"Don't ask me to explain! Please, just don't ask me to explain! It's complicated! I'm… I'm sorry, but you need to stay here." The images of the dead girls flooded back into Connor's eyes and he stormed out of the room, leaving a gaping Tracey in his wake.
Once he was sufficiently near the site where the demons were converging, Connor felt something terrible. It was inside his head. No, it wasn't his latest argument with Tracy. It was something that went much deeper.
"Hello Reilly," The Demon's voice rang soundly in his ear. "It's me again. Fully charged and twice as nasty. You feel that? No, not me. That. The demons. They're nearby. It's show time." Connor knew what the demon was talking about. He felt a surge of demonic energy coming from a certain direction.
"Get the fuck out of my head." Connor hissed.
"My head Reilly. You get the fuck out of my head!" The demon – the Destroyer - hissed back. "Remember Dawn? You know? That little bitch with the lovely chestnut hair and the nice rack. She may have saved you twice already, but she won't be there forever… and when she's no longer there… Wham! I'll be the only one left."
"Go. Fuck. Yourself."
The voice simply laughed some more. "You were right you know, Angel was just Angelus' mask. Well, guess what? You're my mask."
The demon within Connor's psyche dissipated and soon it was replaced by the life essence of several dozen demons surrounding the area. Connor knew what they were. Kluthu.
Connor summoned the Litany of the Abyss and the parasite with his thoughts. They answered his call in five minutes later and found their way to him in the alley, ready to do his bidding.
Connor took off his shirt and coat and took the parasite on his hand. He placed it near his chest and the creature buried its sharpened legs into Connor's exposed flesh like tiny knives. Connor winced as the creature buried itself deeper into his flesh. It kept doing this until all that was left was a big red protruding orb. From that orb, mucus-like membrane spread throughout Connor's body. Its colors were a mixture of black spots and reddish flesh that looked like thickened blood. At first, the material was a simple fluid but eventually it hardened into a sort of leathery material.
The whole thing covered Connor's body, enveloping him like a single parasitic suit. The only part that was spared was Connor's face, and even that was not completely bereft of the transformation, for the whites of Connor's eyes turned black and his pupils turned into a cruel hue of red. His soft brownish hair also turned black, and his face became somehow deathly pale and inhuman.
Connor whistled and the Litany approached her master's waiting hand. The serpentine creature hardened until it became the shape of a sword.
Eyes brimming with red demonic energy and the Litany of the abyss on his left hand, Connor walked off into battle.
Regardless of their brief detour to get Travers' stuff, Mal and Aidan were the first on the scene of the devastation. The incident was happening within two blocks only. The roads all around the area have been blocked off as a small but highly dense fog, not unlike the whirlwind that plagued Bel Air almost days ago, now blanketed the entire area. Police and Firemen tried to evacuate people but everything was a mess. People were rioting for no apparent reason and most of them were acting in a manner that could not even be considered sane. Flames erupted sporadically. Cars were overturned and smashed. Not to mention the debris that was flying off from every direction.
The chaos was not the worst problem however, for somewhere within the fog, unusual noises from unknown creatures pierced the dark night sky.
"Oh bugger! Looks like demons are rooting down there." Aidan said as he and Malachi got out of the car.
"You know it."
"Shouldn't we leave this for the slayers? I'm sure that the council will be sending in a team soon."
"We can't take any chances. If some unknown Kluthu champion is operating inside that place, we have to confront it."
"And then what?"
"We play tea party with it, what do you think?"
Aidan swore and took out the AK 47 that he had been hiding in his bag,
Malachi looked at this disdainfully and snorted his contempt at Aidan. "You really love subtlety don't you?"
"Oh bugger off. Sirk and Pryce spend a lot of money to give me the best boom boom sticks and I'm not about to waste their… trust," Aidan said as he cocked the rifle. "So what's the plan?"
"Judging from the size of this attack, this is just a skirmish."
"And?"
"It means that there's some low level lieutenant is directing the attack. We find him and kill him – quietly." Malachi then checked his watch. "Dammit! Where's Connor and Lawin. They should have been here by now!"
"We gonna wait for them?"
"No. On my mark, follow me." Malachi looked around to see the best possible path into the large body of smoke. He saw it in the form of an overturned car in flames. There weren't a lot of cops in that area and they could easily infiltrate through the perimeter.
"Go," Malachi ordered.
"On your tail, boss man," Aidan answered as he followed Malachi into the fray.
Just as predicted, everything within the smoke and fog was a mess. Demons were everywhere, Kluthu'kar, Horde and any other variety that sought to participate in the battle.
Malachi and Aidan were able to grab one demon and interrogate it for information. Apparently, the Kluthu started this attack, news that made Malachi wonder once more about the plans of his secret ally, Marastoth. The Kluthu attacked a small group of Horde demons retreating underground and then decided to bring the battle to the surface.
When asked for a reason for the battle, the demon told them that it was being led by some important Kluthu lieutenant. When they ascertained that the demon knew no more, they asked for directions on how to find this leader before killing it.
"Okay, Travers. Here's the plan…" Somewhere nearby the sound of an exploding gas tank could be heard. "You move to that building." Malachi pointed at the second floor of a nearby red building. "You provide me with covering fire from your little friend over there." He pointed at Aidan's rifle.
"These won't do much good against demons, mate."
"No, but I they're a good distraction as any. Clear the way for me so that I can find the leader and kill it."
Malachi then went to position. When Travers was in place, he signaled him to start shooting at some demons to clear the way. Aidan obeyed and shot at several combatants, causing them to dispel in various directions. And although they were hardly injured, the gunfire served to give Malachi the element of maneuver that he sorely required.
They repeated a process until Malachi was deep within heart of the battle. There, he managed to find the leader of the Kluthu attack. However, it wasn't Marastoth or some low level Kluthu lieutenant.
"You," Malachi muttered. Seeing it from afar was one thing but seeing it up front and in the flesh was an entirely different experience. "you're that creature…"
The Angelus doppelganger smiled and looked at Malachi with what may have been amusement. "You must be Malachi. Marastoth told me so much about you."
Before Malachi could react, Angelus attacked him with a solid punch to the gut that threw him several yards away. Upon landing, Malachi recovered his senses and unleashed a psionic lance that pierced the creature's shoulder.
It should have killed him, but it only injured it. And from its injury, the creature became more furious. "I am going to rip out your skinny little-"
Before Angelus could finish his sentence however, he was shot by a massive spike of red energy. The creature sought the source of the attack and he found it from a boy who was covered by a demonic carapace, entering the battle.
"Hi dad," Connor greeted.
Seeing his opportunity, Malachi made it a point to focus all his efforts at escaping, and he did by smashing a second psychic lance into Angelus body.
"You okay?" Connor asked as Malachi stumbled to his side.
"Peachy. By the way, you're imaginary Angelus is a dick."
"So was the real one, I believe."
Suddenly, gunfire and fire balls erupted amongst the demons that were fighting around the area.
"Lawin and Travers?" Connor asked.
"Those morons wouldn't understand subtlety if it kicked them in the ass."
"Help them," Connor said, "I'll stay here and deal with cheap knockoff Angelus."
Malachi hesitated however. "You sure you gonna be okay?"
"I'll be fine," Connor answered fearlessly.
"Oh, I wouldn't say that." That voice. It belonged to Marastoth. The Kluthu god appeared in front of them, and he stood next to Angelus as he materialized. "Hello Connie. How's my favorite raging psychopathic demon messiah?"
"He's fine, Mal. He's having a few issues but by and large, he's fine," Connor answered.
"Glad to hear it." Marastoth did not even spare a look at Malachi, who was glaring at him for another one of his unplanned and surprise attacks on LA.
"This isn't over demon," Malachi snarled as he departed from Connor to fight the other demons.
Marastoth pretended that he did not hear Malachi. He already knew that he and his secret ally would have much to talk about later. Instead, he focused his attention on Connor who was, of course, puzzling over the appearance of his father's doppelganger, a creature that he himself was responsible of creating.
"Looks like it's just you and me now kid," Angelus said.
"Yeah, it looks like it."
"Oh you two!" Marastoth chuckled. "Always straight to business. I mean look at Connor. Surely the poor boy has a lot of questions about how you were created. Don't you guys want to talk first?"
"No," Angelus and Connor snarled, now beginning to circle each other like two combatants.
"Well, that's just too bad," Marastoth said, "cause I am a big drama queen when it comes to exposition." He turned to Connor and in the manner of a lecturer he spoke his piece, "Angelus here is the Bane Crystal, made alive by a certain young boy's nightmares. You know this to be true, don't you?"
Connor spared a glance at the battle raging around him. Lawin, Malachi and Aidan were out there somewhere and he couldn't help them, nor can they help him.
"Don't pay attention to them," Marastoth said, "you're problem is with him," he pointed at Angelus, "the synthesis of Kluthu power and yours. Darkness incarnate."
"That's not possible," Connor said calmly, not taking his eyes off Angelus.
"Oh very possible," Marastoth said as the demon god snuck up behind him. "When you attempted to destroy the Crystal, you caused its energies to become unstable. And when your soul touched its power, well…" The Kluthu shrugged.
"The Bane Crystal was designed to turn the darkness found within living, conscious beings and then make them real." In a heartbeat, Marastoth was past Connor and right beside Angelus, patting the creature amiably on the back. "Guess what yours was? Look at him Connor. Here's everything you hate, fear and feel anguish for. Here's your father – the father that you dreamed of and shunned in your twisted little heart."
Connor was going to say something but he was cut short when Angelus leapt forwards and slammed a hard fist into his gut, sending him flying a few feet away.
"I'll let you two alone. You know? To catch up on the dad and son bonding." Marastoth said his piece quickly and then disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
Connor stood up just in time to block another kick from Angelus. He then grabbed Angelus and using his own momentum against him, Connor spun him around into a 180 degree throw which ended with Angelus smashing into a parked car.
"You're gonna have to do better than that if you want to beat me."
"Oh don't worry. I'm a lot stronger than I look." Angelus then shot Connor an arcing lighting bolt. Connor feinted left and managed to dodge the spiraling energy just in time.
"Great," Connor muttered as he got up. "You have Kluthu powers too."
"Yeah, and I have you to thanks for that. I came out of your head, remember?" Angelus said as he dashed forward and struck Connor in the chest with a left hook. Connor retaliated by grabbing the hand and then elbowed Angelus' jaw hard.
Angelus however, didn't even get weakened. Surprisingly, it still kept rampaging, raining blows on Connor left and right. One of the punches missed and smashed a section of wall, obliterating it.
Thinking quickly, Connor used the momentum to his advantage once more. He maneuvered one of Angelus' punches onto the side window of a nearby parked car. He then grabbed Angelus' hair and smashed his head onto the hood. Next, he summoned the litany of the Abyss and plunged the blade into Angelus back, nailing him to the car. He pulled it out, bloody and red and smashed its edge onto Angelus' shoulder.
Unfortunately, Angelus countered by smashing Connor on the face with his free hand. With little effort Angelus then extricated himself off of the car. The living blade scratched and scarred Angelus but he swatted it away like a twisting snake.
Weakened but not down, Angelus then began to heal his wounds. Apparently, it was also a part of his powers.
The litany slithered onto Connor's side and hardened itself once more into the shape of sword. "Ready for round two, hair gel?" Connor asked.
"You should talk," Angelus snickered as he staggered forward amidst his wounds, "your hairdo needs some work."
"Hmmm. Hair comments from Angelus." Connor attacked first, slashing his sword and then thrusting it forward into an exposed shoulder. "Why am I not surprised?"
"You little son of a bitch!" Angelus snarled as he swatted a bunched fist at Connor.
"Now, now, Angelus, Let's not talk about your weaknesses." Connor then turned and smashed the edge of the blade onto Angelus' left leg, forcing him to fall on his knees. He followed up this attack by smashing his fist into Angelus' face and then nailing him to the ground with his sword.
"Shit, I didn't even break a sweat."
"Arrrgh!" Angelus snarled his fury, raging at the closeness of defeat. "Nice fighting, kid! But I ain't down yet!"
Connor didn't understand what Angelus was talking about but soon he found himself being thrown across the pavement as a massive energy burst erupted from Angelus' body.
Connor was down. He had smashed the back of his neck into a street lamp and he was seeing circles. He couldn't focus and his mouth tasted of blood. He blinked fast, trying to sort out the pain and reality. Before he could respond however, Angelus was already behind him and he was carrying a very large blade that he intended to plunge into Connor's back.
"I'm sorry Steven," Angelus said the slip unconsciously and with mixture of sorrow and rage.
Steven? Connor asked through his haziness.
He was so sure that he was going to die, but his luck had help out. Before Angelus could make the finishing move, he was smashed from behind by Tracy's Honda. The doppelganger was thrown several yards away from Connor.
"You okay, bitch?" Tracy yelled from her driver's seat.
"Dammit Tracy! I told you to stay away from this fight!"
"You're welcome, you bastard!" Tracy snapped as she got out of the car to help Connor up. When she saw what he looked like, demon carapace and all, she gasped in awe and fear. "Dear God… That is so cool! You look like Satanist!"
"Tracy!" Connor snapped.
"Can I have costume like yours?"
"No, you can't and you need to get out of here before…"
Angelus however was already up and he ran at Connor and Tracy with a vengeance. Connor pushed Tracy out of the way and grabbed Angelus as he smashed into him. They brawled and grappled once more. The only difference this time was that both sides knew what to expect from the other and there would be no surprises this time.
At first, Angelus appeared to be on the winning side but Connor was able to adapt quickly and managed to dodge a couple of critical punches from Angelus, which allowed him to regain his footing.
"Fancy footwork," Angelus commented.
"Thanks. My real dad taught me that."
"Who's the girl?"
"Ex."
"Nice. Do you think she'd like my special attention?"
"How typical," Connor said with a smile, "my ex girlfriend arrives, you gotta make a play for her,"
Angelus smiled then charged at Connor but he was already prepared and the attack turned into chokehold, which in turn allowed Connor to plunge the Litany of the Abyss into Angelus chest repeatedly.
Once…
"Arrgh!" Angelus snarled as his blood gushed out.
Twice…
The doppelganger flailed to break free of the chokehold but it was of no good. The blade was driven once more into its chest.
Three, Four and Five more thrusts from Connor…
Angelus unleashed another burst of demonic energy to free himself. The only difference was that this time Connor was ready and he managed to leap away just before it could cause serious damage.
Ready for another round, Angelus and Connor attacked each other. But then, something happened. Connor was suddenly infused with unstable power and he unleashed numerous corrupting energies at Angelus, crippling his ability to continue the fight.
Connor fell down, panting and not sure of what had just transpired.
"Holy shit," he muttered nervously.
You can thank me later, the destroyer within laughed.
Angelus walked away weary and weak, powers depleted, his hands desperately trying to piece together the tattered pieces of his chest. Bone and flesh stuck out from Connor's handiwork and the Angelus doppelganger looked like it was ready to die.
But it didn't die. It just smiled at Connor and then past him…
…at Tracy.
"Tracy!" Connor tried to block the incoming spike of demonic energy but he failed. It was too fast and it was already hurtling right at Tracy before he could respond. By some stroke of luck however, Tracy was able to anticipate the attack and she managed to jump out of the way so that only her limbs were hit by Angelus' attack.
"You!" Connor's face contorted into a twisted, inhuman shape and he snarled in what may have been animal-like growl, "I will eat your soul!"
Angelus simply laughed as he and his Kluthu'kar escorts flew away, leaving a battlefield that did not see the end of combat.
"I'll see you around son!"
Tracy was hit on her left shoulder. Connor carried her to safer location near an alley and brought Aidan along for help, while Lawin and Malachi mopped up the remnants of the skirmish.
"Hey Travers," Connor greeted as he kicked open a door and lay an injured Tracy on the nearest table he could find.
"Hey Reilly. Nice Costume." The Kiwi pointed at the dark and red carapace that covered Connor's body. "Emo convention?"
"It's for protection." Connor pointed at AK 47. "Nice uh… gun."
"Thanks. So what happened here?"
The wound was spreading from her wounded left shoulder all the way down to her arm. She was crying and biting her lips in pain.
"It burns," she whimpered. Aidan cradled her head on his lap, horrified as he helplessly watched white fungus spread further down her arms.
"Trace!" Connor did his best to calm her down but his own fear and anxiety got the better of him. "What the hell were you thinking playing hero like that?" Connor snapped. Aidan grabbed his arm to calm him down. Connor relaxed and he began to nurse the wound and the infection.
"Oh you know me Reilly," she said with a smile and lots of hollow bravura, "I'm too bitchy to give a rat's ass."
Connor snapped at her like an angry father. "Travers, apply pressure on her wound." Connor tore off a piece of cloth and handed it to Aidan. "For chrissake, cover your hands. Don't let this thing make contact with your flesh. I wouldn't want to have to save two patients." Connor then to collected a bunch of dirt and began chanting on it.
"Okay luv, ready?" Tracey nodded and Aidan pushed down hard on the wound. Tracey cried out in agony and tears poured down her cheeks. Aidan was terrified – not at the screams but at what he pressed down on the wound. He felt the fungus moving.
"Connor! This bloody thing's moving."
"I know! Don't distract me!" Connor finished his chants. "Travers, give me your lighter." Aidan threw Connor his lighter, which Connor used to burn the dirt on his palm. He then walked towards a nearby Kluthu'kar corpse and milked some of its blood into the dirt.
When the mixture looked liked a piece of slime. Connor walked back to Tracey and motioned Aidan to leave. Aidan obeyed and Connor sat down right next to Tracey. The wound wasn't looking too well. Somehow, the fungus on Tracey's arm had mutated into some sort of reptilian like parasite with teeth and fangs.
"Oh Jesus!" Tracey cried out in terror as she saw it.
Aidan paled and he looked like he was going to puke.
Connor, in contrast, was calm and nonchalant.
"Trace! Tracy!" Connor said as he tried to grab Tracey's attention. "Look at me! Look at me! It's going to be okay. You hear me? Everything's going to be fine. Remember, you're Tracey Chapman, psycho schoolyard bitch! This is nothing. You're better than this."
"I am better than this, bitch!" Tracey snapped with terrified but defiant eyes.
"That's my girl, Connor said with a smile. "This is going to hurt like unholy hell, but I assure you that it will save your arm." Connor gave Tracey something to bite on. The pain would be unbearable. "Ready?"
Tracey nodded.
Connor plunged the mixture into Tracey's wound and the fungus-like demon parasite sizzled and hissed in agony. Tracey didn't look good. She looked like she was being tortured.
"Oh God!" Aidan looked sick.
"Almost… Got it." Connor removed the mixture and all that was left on Tracey's arm was an ugly cut along with some tattered flesh. "It's okay. It's okay. You're fine." Connor stroked Tracey's hair, whispering words of assurances into her ear – comforting her.
"Don't ever do that again!" Connor said in an angry tone that was largely out of fear. It was Connor Reilly who said this. He was the one who still loved Tracy. "And thanks for saving my life."
Tracy smiled smugly up at him, as if savoring her victory but she said nothing. She had seen the devastation. This was no longer a game or adventure to her. Once more, she was hit by a terrible epiphany. This was real. The demons were real. The pain was real. The nightmare was real.
"Connor!" Lawin entered the room and signaled for them to start moving out. "Malachi says that slayers are coming. He's already gone ahead to make sure everything's clear. We need to do the same thing fast and… Holy God!" Lawin muttered as he saw the carapace that covered Connor's body, but then his face turned into mischief. "It's super emo! With the power to wear black, he becomes the defender of whiny teenagers and crappy teen movies." The sorcerer then began to laugh out loud.
Not to be outdone, Aidan joined in as well, his fears replaced by boyish foolishness. "Super emo, who's only weakness are bright colours and Christmas holidays."
"Falcon. Sheep fucker. Shut up." He then pointed at the orb, at centre of his chest. "This happens to be very effective at keeping me alive."
"Hey, whatever you say, Cap'n emo?"
"I look badass." Connor muttered as he gently lifted Tracy on his arms.
"You really do look like an emo," Tracy said with some of her old mischief.
"You want me to drop you?" Connor asked annoyed.
"Shut up, and get me home Connie," Tracy muttered.
They brought her back safely to the car, but they had one last thing to talk about before they could go home.
"So it's official the doppelganger that you created of your dad is evil," Lawin said.
Connor sighed. "Yeah. Just what I needed, another father. Maybe I could start selling them on E-bay."
"What was that?" Lawin asked, suddenly tensing to hear incoming sirens and troop carriers."
"SWAT, Cops and probably Slayers." Aidan answered.
"Looks like that's our cue. Let's get out of here."
After the battle, Connor rendezvoused with Lawin in a small bar, not far from where the incident occurred. It was a good thing that there only about two or three other people in the bar. They had a lot to talk about.
"Lawin," Connor greeted.
"Connor," Lawin answered. "How's your ex?"
"She's fine. Shaken up and terrified but not in danger anymore. What did the news say?" Connor pointed at the bar's TV. The TV news was covering the recent chaos that occurred in LA.
"Apparently, everyone thinks that it was all just a terrible accident."
"Good. That's good. That'll make our job a lot easier."
"Hope so," Lawin answered sullenly.
Connor became a quiet for a moment and then his voice changed a bit. "I wish you'd waited until the last minute before you shot Whistler. He was about to tell me something important."
"Yeah, well. Anash was getting impatient. If I delayed any further, she'd think that something was wrong." Lawin said his words bitterly, some of the venom spilling out from all the self loathing at secretly betraying her trust.
Connor understood though. "Sorry. Does it trouble you that you tricked someone you love?"
"Shut up Connor," Lawin snapped, "I know I approached you when I got her message but… Shut up, Satan."
"If it makes you feel any better. All this was my idea."
"That's right. It was you're idea, but it doesn't change the fact that I still a betrayed someone I cared about."
"Cared about, but didn't trust enough." Connor said, "And judging from what she asked you to do, you were right not to trust her. And don't forget that what happened was just a contingency for when your friend wanted to have Whistler killed."
The night before Connor's meeting with Whistler, he approached Lawin and asked him if he had received any secret message that he might like to share. At first, Lawin hesitated but eventually, he shared Anash's call for a meeting.
At this point, Connor and Lawin did not like anonymous messages and secret meetings (not to mention the coincidence that they happened at the same night) and so they decided to share forces. They wanted to talk to Aidan too but Malachi was keeping an eye on him and they did not trust Malachi.
At the night of the meeting, their suspicions were vindicated. Lawin was ordered by Anash to kill Whistler as he talked to Connor. And he did… at least, that's what it looked like.
The truth was that it was all an illusion. Lawin's bolt of energy was actually a teleportation spell designed to send Whistler to a distant location. It only looked like he was destroyed but in truth, Whistler was still around, and Lawin and Connor were tracking him, waiting for the right time when they could meet up with him. This time, without the interference of outside forces.
"Yes, and you were right. But still, I couldn't wrap my head around it. Why would Ana want to kill Whistler?"
"I really don't know."
Lawin sighed deeply and emptied the contents of his glass. "So what now?"
"Right now, Malachi, Anash and everyone thinks that Whistler is dead; which means that we have found a secret source of information that could reveal to us a lot of things."
"I just hope it's worth it." Lawin responded.
"Yes, let's hope it is."
"All we gotta do now is find the guy and plan a meeting that doesn't involve prying eyes."
"Understood. Malachi will figure out the truth sooner or later."
"Let him. We know that he isn't playing a straight game and by the time he does figure out the real score, we will have what we need. For now, we just need to be the best liars in the world and make sure that Mal buys it."
"Oh don't worry about that," Lawin said, "I'm a consummate liar."
"I bet," Connor snorted.
"What about Travers?"
"What about him?"
"Do we bring him into this?"
Connor kept quiet. "Do we need to bring him into this?"
"Hmmm. Good point, but I'd like to think that we could trust him enough to-"
Connor's phone rang. "Dammit! Hold that thought." Connor opened his phone and was greeted by his mother. "Mom. Hi. Is dad okay… What? Really? When?" Connor was quiet for a while as his mother kept talking. "That's great."
Connor then closed the phone. Although he sounded happy, Lawin saw that Connor was visibly perturbed.
""What is it?" Lawin asked.
"It's my dad. He's recovered." Connor answered.
"That's great."
Connor looked at him seriously. "No one's supposed to recover from a Kluthu plague. It's mystical in nature. That only way to reverse the plague is to destroy its power source. Something's happened that shouldn't have happened."
Lawin raised a questioning eyebrow. "Believe it or not Satan, miracles do happen."
Connor chuckled a bit. "They called me the miracle child, Lawin. Tell me, did that turn out so well?"
Once they had been able to return to the wastelands of Nevada, Marastoth wasted no time to rub Angelus' defeat in his face. "Okay, say it."
Angelus snarled at its master. The creature was still suffering from the amount of damage that Connor inflicted on it. And even though it looked like it was going to die, Angelus only looked more and more tormented by his condition.
"Lost for words? Here, let me help. My lord and master, Marastoth warned me not to go pick a fight but I was too stupid to listen and now, I am thoroughly fucked!"
"Why don't you do both of us a favor and just kill me!" Angelus sneered.
"What? And waste fun and company? No way." Marastoth said as he floated around in thin air, treating it as if it was water. "As much as I enjoy watching you get your ass kicked, I still have plans for you."
"Then heal me!"
"Hmmm. Nope. Sorry. Can't heal you, not even if I wanted too." Marastoth said carelessly as he floated higher. "Aside from being a copy of Angelus and the product of Connor's twisted little soul, I don't really know anything about what makes you tick."
"So you're telling me that you can't stop me from bleeding?" Angelus snarled as he pointed two hands at his chest.
"Ye-ah. Afraid so. And besides, you wouldn't be in this mess if you hadn't picked a-"
"Shut up."
"-Fight."
Angelus attacked Marastoth with a spike of demonic lighting, but it was efficiently deflected with ease by the Kluthu god. Frustrated by his own impotence and by the pain in his chest, Angelus lashed out at the other entities closest to him, the Kluthu'kar demons who were attending them.
Unlike the Kluthu god, the Kluthu'kar were emotionless creatures and so they made no move to escape the attack from Angelus. Nor did they show any emotion about the possibility of death. Instead, they just stood impassively as they were destroyed.
The demons were consumed by spiraling and arcing energies, obliterating them into nothing. But then something unusual happened.
Instead of simply being destroyed, the remnants of the demons were disintegrated into small balls of putrid crackling red energy. In turn, these spheres were then absorbed by the doppelganger's body.
The energies entered Angelus system violently and it caused him to fall down on his knees in pain, but even these quickly subsided and Angelus was rewarded with a fully healed chest.
The spectacle did not escape Marastoth's watchful gaze and the Kluthu god was clearly mystified by what had just happened. "What did you just do?"
Angelus was surprised and speechless. On top of being healed, he felt stronger as well. Whatever it was that he just did, it was to his own advantage. Was it a new talent? No, he simply devoured the other demons. It was that simple. Natural. At least, it felt natural.
"What did you just do?" Marastoth asked again and this time, in a more violent tone.
"I… I'm not sure," Angelus answered.
"Well whatever it is, we better start understanding how and why it happened," Marastoth said excitedly.
