without spirit or cause
Part 5
"Angel! What are you...? Get off! Stop it, Angel, you're hurting me!" She yelped, trying to pry his fingers off her neck.
"I can't believe this. Do you really think I'm that stupid? That I'd fall for–" He gave her a once over; she could tell he was pleased with what he saw. "–this? You've got to be kidding me."
"What are you talking about?"
"First off, the only names you go by are Cordy and Cordelia. No one hardly calls you Cora, not even yourself. Second, you don't smell like her. After a couple years hanging around my Cordelia, I kind of pick these things up."
Before she could protest, his grip tightened on her throat.
"Third, by now Cordy would've passed out. But you're not her, are you?" He licked his fangs maliciously, getting a wince from her.
"Shut up! Let me go you bloodsucking freak! LET GO!"
"Fourth, Cordy would never call me that. Do you want me to go on? 'Cause in the stealth department, you suck. And lemme tell you, I'm really in the mood for torturing someone right now," Angel growled, slightly hurt by the insult that came from her mouth.
"Getoff!"
The vampire sighed. "Well, then I guess we'll just have to repeat the whole fake death thing. Except see, I make sure the person I kill is dead. Y'know, mutilating, maiming, whatever floats my boat."
'Cordy' quieted. "Let go of me."
"Give me a reason. I'll break your windpipe. And that's just what I'll do in the next minute! Imagine the pain I can do to you in the next oh, hours?"
"Fine, fine. Can youstop?"
"You run, and I'll break your kneecaps." Angel's grip on 'Cordy' loosened, and she fell to the ground, gasping for breath. He stood over her, arms folded in front of his chest.
"Okay. Spill." His feral yellow eyes narrowed, lip pulled back in a snarl. "What are you?"
"You already know what I am, vampire." She sat up, rubbing the back of her neck. Her cold gaze on Angel chilled him to the bone, such fury and malice in her eyes. "It's not like we need to play games."
"You're one of the Kaligar demons. Sent to what, distract me? I'm guessing your kind can change form."
"Not as dumb as I thought."
"You know, when I let you go, I didn't exactly say I wouldn't hurt you."
"Oh but you wouldn't hurt poor Cor-dee-lee-aaa, now would you?" She gave him one of those sad 'Precious Moments' doll looks. "Angel, I'm soso helpless. And I– want you. Do you want to playwith me? Come to - bite me?"
Angel growled, but didn't make a move.
The demon laughed. "Turns you on, doesn't it? You vampires are all alike. I knew you had a fancy for her the moment I laid eyes on you. Too bad the dear girl reciprocates. Lovers meant to die."
"Shut up!" Angel roared, backhanding her across the face. His mind reeled at the sudden digestion of thoughts, but thankfully– well, he thought it was good– he only smacked the demon with some strength.
Reciprocates
The demon wiped its chin, blood on Cordy's mouth. "You like it rough. Huh. Bet you'd like to use a couple of chains on that bit–"
Angel grabbed the demon by its hair, yanking it up to it's feet. 'Cordy' winced, shouting in pain. Angel's hand clamped over its mouth to block the sound.
"Who's doing the torturing here? Now after you tell me what I want to know, I'll kill you. Until you do, wellI won't let you die, no matter how much you beg."
"Wait! Waaaiiit! You can't get in there without me." It nodded to the building. "You need me."
"For what? I'd rather kill you instead. It's moreWell, fun!" Another lick of those fangs.
"I can get you in to her. I know where she is."
"How do I know I can trust you? Besides, just a minute ago, you were pretending to be the girl I – I can't trust you," Angel finished.
"Look." The demon pulled away from Angel. Its hands went on 'Cordy's' hips. "I don't even like my clan anymore. I was up for the sacrifice."
"And they threw you over the building" Angel murmured, realizing.
"Yeah. I went down, but I managed to grab onto a few ledges, slowing me down. I still hit the pavement, but I can survive things like that, not like humans. Including the broken neck thing." She craned her neck back, twisting it a little, stretching.
"So why the disguise?"
"They made me change while you weren't lookin'. Said they wanted to cause you pain to see her fall. While you and your little friends weren't looking, they took her away. 'Course, you were busy watching 'her' get killed. The whole thing.. It wasn't about me. Or her. It was about hurting you."
Angel's vampire face softened, his exceptionally handsome human features rising to the surface. "But you didn't wear the same clothes she did. That's what bugged me. Now what? You're one of the good guys now? Care to join the Justice League?"
"Oh, please. I just want to see them get their asses kicked. I've heard about you, heck, I even know some female demons that have crushes on you. 'Sides, I don't want my face smashed in."
Angel raised an eyebrow. "What's your name?"
"Derox."
"Figures. Come on, Demon," Angel muttered, grabbing Derox's elbow. He dragged the demon deeper into the alley with him.
"And..change your form. I can't stand seeing her talk with your words."
"Aww. Sentimental aren't ya? Oooh, a love sick vampire!"
A smacking sound echoed.
"Oww!"
"Where's the place?"
"There! Oh, you're gonna miss the turn!"
"I got it!"
Fred gripped onto the edge of her seat. She looked over at Gunn, chewing her lip. His fingers were gripped tightly on the steering wheel of his pick up truck, eyes looking about.
"You sure you know how to read that thing? Things have changed since the last time you been in LA." Gunn nodded towards the map Fred was holding in her lap.
"Sure. I'm not - stupid."
"Oh. 'Cause I figured you intellectual types learn how to read maps upside down." He made a left turn, while Fred sheepishly righted the map.
"We're not that far off."
"I don't know why English isn't here." Gunn frowned, continued to drive down the busy Los Angeles street. The lights from a nearby gas station slid over the truck like a snake, basking it in a red and blue glow for a few seconds.
Fred stayed quiet, looking down at the map. Her finger pointed to a small city block, outlined in red marker.
'Smith Movers Company'
"Cut it out! Let go of me, you big mosquito!"
"Sure."
"AHH!" The demon, or Derox as it would like to be called, flew a couple of feet, then fell into a heap near a manhole cover. Murmuring under its breath, it stood up, growling. It looked the same as the rest of those demons, Jurassic Park raptor rejects, except more humanoid.
Thankfully, it didn't look like Cordy anymore. Angel couldn't stand hurting 'her' again.
"This is it, right?" Angel stopped gesturing a hand towards the manhole. "The entrance. A couple demons came through here not long ago. I can smell it."
"Good for you." Derox rubbed the back of it's neck, wincing.
"It's a trap. Last time my friends and I were outnumbered. And now It'll be hard rushing in alone."
"Oh. You figured that outnow? She's in there. I'm not lying."
Angel bent down, lifting the cover easily. He gently placed it on the pavement, a confused yet relieved expression. "You're right. She's down there," he acknowledged, vampiric senses on overdrive.
"Vampires. Huh. Basically watch dogs, the lot of 'em." Derox rolled deep blue eyes.
Angel started to lower himself into the sewer, when Derox yelped.
"You can't go down there, buddy!"
"Haven't we been through this before? I'm going," Angel growled. "Don't think you can try to stop me."
"With the odds piled against you at a million to one, I don't think so. You gotta play it smart. Anyway, you're not going looking like that." It pointed a claw at him, then idly touched the silver bracelets hanging around its wrist.
The vampire raised an eyebrow. "What did you have in mind?"
Cordy: "And this whole 'I'm Angel' thing is a very, very bad idea. I mean, if I thought *that* would work, *I* could've been Angel, because – guess what? Pretty much a girly name."
*
"Get up, girl. Move it."
Silence.
"Bitch." The demon poked the body lying on the floor of the hastily constructed cell. It turned the body over, staring at the closed eyes, the pained expression.
"This isn't time for you to be taking a nap." It reached down, shaking her awake.
"A-Angel?"
"What makes you think that filth would find you here?" The Kaligar demon pushed her away, while she sat on the cold, dirty floor, back against the slicked stone wall.
"Two words: Breath. Mint."
"Sticks and stones. Come on. You have to get ready for what's to come. With the event approaching, there won't be any time for your lover to save you."
"What? No. Angel - he's not We aren't–"
"Don't play games with me, girl. It's not wise to lie to my kind. I can smell your affection for him. I'm just surprised the vampire couldn't figure it out sooner."
Opening her mouth to say something else, she stopped, clamping it shut. She found some comfort by resting her chin on her knees, hugging her legs. Pfft. The demon was evil. What would he know about how she felt about Angel
Sure, he was hot. Well, not technically, since he was dead. But that would– could change.
"I did not say it was time for you to get comfortable. Get up!" The guard roared, grabbing and pulling her to her feet. Mr. Raptor Reject latched a bony claw on her arm, making her yelp with pain. He started dragging her out of the cell, and into a dimly lit corridor. What was once a plain business office hallway, was now a festering cave-like passageway, remodeled by the clan of demons.
"NoNo! No! Let me go! Let me go!" The girl – Cordelia Chase – screamed.
"I think this is it."
"Really? The big sign over there didn't give you that much of a clue?"
"Well, gee, I'm trying to be – helpful!"
Gunn sighed, turning his truck off. He slumped in the driver's seat, looking over at Fred. "Sorry. Just ..With all that's goin' on, it's real hectic right now."
Fred placed the hastily folded map on the dashboard, then turned to Gunn. "Yeah. But if Angel's right, then maybe this'll all get better."
"Hope so. Damn.. Angel must be feeling pretty crappy 'bout now."
"Well, didn't he know Cordelia the longest?" After getting a nod from Gunn, she added, "She was like family to him, I guess."
"Huh. 'Family'. Sometimes I wonder whether it's more than that."
"Well They are friends. But ..what about that other girl? Buffy?"
"From what English told me about her, I figured she was Angel's one true love and all. But now that she's dead... Maybe he's moved to greener pastures?"
Fred opened her mouth to say something, then jumped in her seat, hearing the roar of a motorcycle engine nearby. She got out of the truck with Gunn, who came around to stand by her, the two watching the motorcycle come to a stop, the black clad rider turning it off.
"I don't know why you gotta do these things, man. Life or death situation here." Gunn jerked his thumb to the warehouse as he proceeded to take out some slaying equipment from the back of the truck.
The rider– Wesley– took off his helmet. He had a slightly wounded look on his face. "Well Don't you think it kind of makes me look - cool?"
Gunn rolled his eyes, handing a sword over to Wesley. "When your ego comes back to Earth, maybe we can talk about what we're gonna do?"
While Gunn and Wesley were bickering, Fred leaned over and yanked a stake out of the back of the truck. The only thing she had learned so far to use. Angel had been busy trying to teach Cordelia to use the crossbow a week before, and he also taught her how to use a stake right after.
However, instead of his normal, partially broody, okay guy self, he was in 'full blown brood mode' as Cordy would call it. When Fred asked what was wrong, he merely said, "It's just– Nothing's wrong."
Naturally, she prodded further, and he murmured, "Something about Cordelia. She was acting funny yesterday" He had trailed off, then stood up a bit straighter, showing her the proper way to hold a stake.
"They must be inside. Not on the ground floor, because that would be too obvious. Perhaps underground, through the sewer tunnels."
"Great. Now where did I put my sewer safari clothes?"
"Gunn, once we finish this, and try to get Angel back to his senses, the sooner we can go home."
"Uh, guys? Isn't that Angel's car over there?" Fred pointed, making Gunn and Wesley turn to look at the convertible parked half a block away, right next to an alley leading up to the warehouse.
"It's something. Come on." Wesley hefted his sword, starting to walk over to Angel's car.
"What do we do if we meet up with Angel anyway? Are we going to - ask him to come back nicely?" Fred asked, chewing on her lip, following behind the two young men.
"I don't think that'll work. Maybe Angel's right Wesley. Think about it. Let's say we take him home, but he misses out on his chance to be the white knight to Cordelia's princess? That won't be good for any of us."
"I know. That's why we're going to help." Wesley admitted, and they reached Angel's car, each mind filled with numerous musings and questions.
"Move!" The Kaligar demon shoved Cordy forward, making her occasionally trip due to the hastily carved corridor. She looked back at him, then walked forward, murmuring under her breath. Even though every instinct in her told her to run and escape, she knew it wasn't possible. Not with the walking razor behind her. She looked up, confused at the number of these creatures swarming in and out of the passageways, all woven underground like a hive.
And they're the ants. So where's the queen?
Cordy faintly thought about Julianne Moore running away from those raptors in Jurassic Park 2 when one aforementioned demon popped out of a passageway, looking uncomfortable. Or what could pass for uncomfortable on the demon's reptilian face.
The new demon stared in shock at her for a few moments, like she was some celebrity. Cordy raised an eyebrow, looking down at the crude metal handcuffs she had been forced to wear. If only I could figure out how to pick these things like in those old movies. But don't you need a hairpin for that?
Finally, the demon stopped staring at her, turning to her miffed guard demon. "Uh – They're waiting for her. I'm supposed to take her - to them."
"I wasn't notified." The guard flexed its claws, looking pissed.
That's all I need. Get stuck in a small hallway between two walking lawn mowers, fighting to the death. Look out kiddies, or you might get some smooshed Cordy on your feet!
"Spur of the moment? I - have to take her with me. Because they've - captured a vampire."
Cordy looked up from her handcuffs, eyes wide.
"A vampire? Who cares?"
"They call him - Angel."
He's here.
Cordelia sighed. "Ohcrap."
