Chapter 8
It was the day. Angel crept inside of the industrial plant in downtown Los Angeles, Cordelia behind him. He had wanted Serena to come, but there was no convincing her. She just wasn't ready. He gripped his double bladed axe tightly in one hand and gestured for Cordelia to follow with the other. He heard Christian Edwards' voice in the distance, getting louder and louder. It finally got to the point that Edwards' voice was booming by the time Angel and Cordelia were directly overhead of him, standing on an overhang. He quietly handed Cordelia a sword and put his finger to his lips, a motion to stay quiet. Angel listened carefully to the words Edwards was chanting. It was the ceremony. Vials of souls lined a table behind Edwards, swirling their colors.
Angel launched himself from the overhang towards Edwards down below, aiming carefully, so as not to hit the table. Angel landed on the desk in front of Edwards, collapsing the desk and throwing Edwards off balance.
"You!! I thought I got rid of you!" Christian cursed.
"By putting that possession spell on the Slayer?" Christian looked surprised. "Nah. She's all better, just recuperating."
Vampires attacked Angel at every angle. He let loose with his sword and fists, dusting several vampires at once. A whirling sound flew by Angel's ear and a vamp next to him exploded into ash, the stake clatter to the ground. He turned to find Gunn, looking pleased with himself.
Angel looked up to Cordy, who was holding a large bucket. He quickly retreated beside Gunn and shouted, "Now Cordy!!" Cordelia obliged, dumping the several gallons of holy water on the group of vampires below.
Shrieks from the vampires echoed throughout the building, the stench of burning flesh floating in the air. Gunn turned to Angel in excitement. "Its time for the buffet." Angel followed, slicing and dicing the whole way.
Angel was knocked off his feet when a solid fist collided with his head. His vision blurred for a moment, but cleared. He looked up at his attacker. A faceless creature "stared" back at him. It was Earrings, the homoculi that attacked him in David Bentone's apartment. Angel anticipated the return of his artificially made friends. Angel removed a small dagger from his coat pocket, the Sword of Tiagru, a blade that unbinds all things made by magick, including the homoculi. He sprung to his feet and plunged the knife deep into the stomach of the homoculi. Within a few moments, a putrid stench of horse manure filled the air and the homoculi was finished.
Angel turned and found Christian in front of him, pointing the collector right at him. Angel put his arms up in surrender, and surveyed the room. Gunn, Cordelia, and Wesley were all held fast by the vampires under the command of Edwards.
"Drop the knife." Edwards commanded. Angel obliged, the blade clattering on the floor. "On you knees, now." Christian waved the collector at him. Angel kneeled slowly, keeping his hands in the air.
"Now, what do you suppose would happen if I take that dirty tarnished soul from your body, hmm?" Christian asked, a smile spreading across his face.
"Angel!!" Cordelia cried out, struggling against the hands that held her in place.
"But I wouldn't feed it to my God, Machida, no. It would be far too priceless! Do you know how much a vampire's soul would go for?? Thousands, even millions! Something so rare, right in front of me." Edwards thought out loud, the smile getting wider.
"But I must perform the ritual first, just so I know you won't get in the way." The smile disappeared and a look of concentration crossed his face.
Christian began the incantation under his breath, but kept his eyes open and kept the collector pointing at Angel.
Wesley, Gunn, and Cordelia struggled to get free, but were unsuccessful. The ground began to shake as Christians words grew louder. A deep rumble grew thunderous as a gigantic half man/half snake creature broke through the floor and eyed its surroundings. It hissed angrily.
A crossbow bolt flew across the room and buried itself into Christian's left shoulder. He screamed in pain, dropping the collector. Another shot into his left side. He angrily tore the bolts from his body and dove for the collector. A figure dropped from an overhang and landed softly. The figured turned into the light. It was Serena.
Angel reached the collector before Edwards and tossed it to Serena. "What are you doing here?" Angel asked curiously.
"Noooooo!" Christian screamed.
Serena turned the collector in her hands, a half-smile on her face. It made Christian's blood run cold. "Oh, I figured you guys would need some help." She shrugged and turned to Edwards. "Oh, did you want this?" She asked sweetly. "You don't honestly think I would give it back to you so you could steal Angel's soul away and have an Angelus on our hands, do you?" She dropped the collector to the floor and stepped on it, crushing it. "Whoops! Too bad!"
"You stupid girl!" Christian screamed. "Do you know how long it takes to grow a collector?"
"It was an accident!" She insisted, her eyes narrowing. "What are you going to do about it anyway?" She asked, waving her hand at him. He flew across the room into the vampires holding Wes, Gunn, and Cordy, setting them free.
Christian howled in anger. The Snakeman snapped at the Slayer. "Bad boy!" Serena scolded, jumping back. "Don't you know that good pets don't bite?" She asked, taking a sword and throwing it at him. It landed in its neck, but not deep enough to do any real damage. Serena spied the vials of souls sitting on the table.
Angel dodged the swiping blade coming at him, and met it with his own sword with a loud clang. He gritted his teeth in concentration, meeting each of Christian's attacks. Christian spotted something over Angel's right shoulder.
"No, you stupid.don't go near those!" Christian yelled, moving around Angel. Serena gripped one end of the table covered with the vials tightly, as if going to tip the table. "The souls are very powerful. This whole place will explode if you break all of those vials." Christian explained desperately.
"Aw, isn't that a shame?" Serena remarked sarcastically. She turned toward Machida, ready to confront it, but she found herself in its coils, being constricted tightly. She let out a gasp. The tightening stopped suddenly and the man half of the snake fell to the floor. Angel appeared from behind the creature.
"I think I killed it." He told her, totally deadpanned. She turned toward Christian, and then to Angel.
"Run." She told him quietly, and then she took off. Wesley, Cordelia, and Gunn were already out the door, as if knowing what she was going to do.
"Angel come on!!" She could hear his footsteps faintly. She turned around, and , using her powers, she picked up the table and flung it against the wall. The explosion threw her off her feet and slammed her into a metal beam, knocking the wind out of her. The heat rolled over her, making her break out into a sweat. Then, all she heard was silence. She stood, her balance wobbly. She staggered towards a Angel, laying on the ground. He was unconscious, knocked out from the explosion. She saw Christian up ahead, lying in a pool of blood.
"Gunn, Wesley! Help me!" Serena called. Her head throbbed, her hands shook. She knelt down and tucked her hands around Angel's shoulders and stood, half dragging, half carrying him out of the industrial plant. Gunn suddenly appeared in front of her.
"Gunn, help me get him out of here." She asked, sweat beading on her forehead. Carefully they carried Angel to the car, where Serena fished the keys from the unconscious vampire's pocket. She drove back to the hotel as quickly as possible.
It was the day. Angel crept inside of the industrial plant in downtown Los Angeles, Cordelia behind him. He had wanted Serena to come, but there was no convincing her. She just wasn't ready. He gripped his double bladed axe tightly in one hand and gestured for Cordelia to follow with the other. He heard Christian Edwards' voice in the distance, getting louder and louder. It finally got to the point that Edwards' voice was booming by the time Angel and Cordelia were directly overhead of him, standing on an overhang. He quietly handed Cordelia a sword and put his finger to his lips, a motion to stay quiet. Angel listened carefully to the words Edwards was chanting. It was the ceremony. Vials of souls lined a table behind Edwards, swirling their colors.
Angel launched himself from the overhang towards Edwards down below, aiming carefully, so as not to hit the table. Angel landed on the desk in front of Edwards, collapsing the desk and throwing Edwards off balance.
"You!! I thought I got rid of you!" Christian cursed.
"By putting that possession spell on the Slayer?" Christian looked surprised. "Nah. She's all better, just recuperating."
Vampires attacked Angel at every angle. He let loose with his sword and fists, dusting several vampires at once. A whirling sound flew by Angel's ear and a vamp next to him exploded into ash, the stake clatter to the ground. He turned to find Gunn, looking pleased with himself.
Angel looked up to Cordy, who was holding a large bucket. He quickly retreated beside Gunn and shouted, "Now Cordy!!" Cordelia obliged, dumping the several gallons of holy water on the group of vampires below.
Shrieks from the vampires echoed throughout the building, the stench of burning flesh floating in the air. Gunn turned to Angel in excitement. "Its time for the buffet." Angel followed, slicing and dicing the whole way.
Angel was knocked off his feet when a solid fist collided with his head. His vision blurred for a moment, but cleared. He looked up at his attacker. A faceless creature "stared" back at him. It was Earrings, the homoculi that attacked him in David Bentone's apartment. Angel anticipated the return of his artificially made friends. Angel removed a small dagger from his coat pocket, the Sword of Tiagru, a blade that unbinds all things made by magick, including the homoculi. He sprung to his feet and plunged the knife deep into the stomach of the homoculi. Within a few moments, a putrid stench of horse manure filled the air and the homoculi was finished.
Angel turned and found Christian in front of him, pointing the collector right at him. Angel put his arms up in surrender, and surveyed the room. Gunn, Cordelia, and Wesley were all held fast by the vampires under the command of Edwards.
"Drop the knife." Edwards commanded. Angel obliged, the blade clattering on the floor. "On you knees, now." Christian waved the collector at him. Angel kneeled slowly, keeping his hands in the air.
"Now, what do you suppose would happen if I take that dirty tarnished soul from your body, hmm?" Christian asked, a smile spreading across his face.
"Angel!!" Cordelia cried out, struggling against the hands that held her in place.
"But I wouldn't feed it to my God, Machida, no. It would be far too priceless! Do you know how much a vampire's soul would go for?? Thousands, even millions! Something so rare, right in front of me." Edwards thought out loud, the smile getting wider.
"But I must perform the ritual first, just so I know you won't get in the way." The smile disappeared and a look of concentration crossed his face.
Christian began the incantation under his breath, but kept his eyes open and kept the collector pointing at Angel.
Wesley, Gunn, and Cordelia struggled to get free, but were unsuccessful. The ground began to shake as Christians words grew louder. A deep rumble grew thunderous as a gigantic half man/half snake creature broke through the floor and eyed its surroundings. It hissed angrily.
A crossbow bolt flew across the room and buried itself into Christian's left shoulder. He screamed in pain, dropping the collector. Another shot into his left side. He angrily tore the bolts from his body and dove for the collector. A figure dropped from an overhang and landed softly. The figured turned into the light. It was Serena.
Angel reached the collector before Edwards and tossed it to Serena. "What are you doing here?" Angel asked curiously.
"Noooooo!" Christian screamed.
Serena turned the collector in her hands, a half-smile on her face. It made Christian's blood run cold. "Oh, I figured you guys would need some help." She shrugged and turned to Edwards. "Oh, did you want this?" She asked sweetly. "You don't honestly think I would give it back to you so you could steal Angel's soul away and have an Angelus on our hands, do you?" She dropped the collector to the floor and stepped on it, crushing it. "Whoops! Too bad!"
"You stupid girl!" Christian screamed. "Do you know how long it takes to grow a collector?"
"It was an accident!" She insisted, her eyes narrowing. "What are you going to do about it anyway?" She asked, waving her hand at him. He flew across the room into the vampires holding Wes, Gunn, and Cordy, setting them free.
Christian howled in anger. The Snakeman snapped at the Slayer. "Bad boy!" Serena scolded, jumping back. "Don't you know that good pets don't bite?" She asked, taking a sword and throwing it at him. It landed in its neck, but not deep enough to do any real damage. Serena spied the vials of souls sitting on the table.
Angel dodged the swiping blade coming at him, and met it with his own sword with a loud clang. He gritted his teeth in concentration, meeting each of Christian's attacks. Christian spotted something over Angel's right shoulder.
"No, you stupid.don't go near those!" Christian yelled, moving around Angel. Serena gripped one end of the table covered with the vials tightly, as if going to tip the table. "The souls are very powerful. This whole place will explode if you break all of those vials." Christian explained desperately.
"Aw, isn't that a shame?" Serena remarked sarcastically. She turned toward Machida, ready to confront it, but she found herself in its coils, being constricted tightly. She let out a gasp. The tightening stopped suddenly and the man half of the snake fell to the floor. Angel appeared from behind the creature.
"I think I killed it." He told her, totally deadpanned. She turned toward Christian, and then to Angel.
"Run." She told him quietly, and then she took off. Wesley, Cordelia, and Gunn were already out the door, as if knowing what she was going to do.
"Angel come on!!" She could hear his footsteps faintly. She turned around, and , using her powers, she picked up the table and flung it against the wall. The explosion threw her off her feet and slammed her into a metal beam, knocking the wind out of her. The heat rolled over her, making her break out into a sweat. Then, all she heard was silence. She stood, her balance wobbly. She staggered towards a Angel, laying on the ground. He was unconscious, knocked out from the explosion. She saw Christian up ahead, lying in a pool of blood.
"Gunn, Wesley! Help me!" Serena called. Her head throbbed, her hands shook. She knelt down and tucked her hands around Angel's shoulders and stood, half dragging, half carrying him out of the industrial plant. Gunn suddenly appeared in front of her.
"Gunn, help me get him out of here." She asked, sweat beading on her forehead. Carefully they carried Angel to the car, where Serena fished the keys from the unconscious vampire's pocket. She drove back to the hotel as quickly as possible.