Hellmouth: Manhattan
Prelude
Written by Donald E. Fleming II
Story concept by Donald E. Fleming II
Disclaimer: Original Gargoyles characters are the property of Disney and Buena Vistas Studios. Buffy, Angel and other related characters are the property of Warner Bros. Other Gargoyle characters are the property of The Gargoyle Saga (TGS) writing staff. All characters are being used without permission of their creators.
Note: This series takes place between the 'Buffy: The Vampire Slayer' fifth season episodes 'Triangles' and 'Checkpoint', and the 'Angel' second season episodes 'The Shroud of Rahmon' and 'The Trial'.
December 9, 2000Sunnydale, California
9:55 PM
Sunnydale High School"You think you brought enough weapons?" Anya asked.
Buffy looked over at the former vengeance demon sitting next to Xander Harris. "Where this thing's concerned, you can never have too many."
Buffy looked around at her friends. The Scooby Core, minus two of course. Willow and Xander, the first two who discovered her secret her first year at Sunnydale High. Rupert Giles, her former Watcher, now her mentor since his separation from the Council. Anya, formerly Anyanka the vengeance demon, now Xander Harris' steady girlfriend. Missing of course were Cordelia Chase, who now worked in Los Angeles alongside Angel and Wesley, and Oz, who was in self imposed exile in the Labyrinth in Manhattan.
"Are you sure about this, Giles?" she asked.
"Fairly certain," he said. "All the signs point to a reopening of the Hellmouth tonight." He looked at his watch. "By my calculations, it should occur within the next few minutes or so."
"Did you allow for Daylight Savings Time?" Anya asked.
"That's only in the Midwest, Anya," Giles said.
"Sorry," she said, rolling her eyes.
"Is there somewhere else you'd much rather be?" he asked.
"I can think of several places I'd much rather be on a Saturday night other than this hole," she said.
They had gathered in the library of Sunnydale High, the school now nothing more than a charred ruin since the battle with the transformed Mayor Wilkins a year and a half ago. Since then, Buffy and company had returned here once to keep a trio of demons from opening the Hellmouth, which sat directly beneath them, but as luck would have it, the Hellmouth refused to remain dormant, and recent signs pointed to a reopening of the portal and the release of the demon that dwelt within it.
Anya looked around as her watch chimed ten o'clock. Nothing had happened. "Can we go now?" she asked.
"I could have sworn…" Giles started, but then the ground began to shake.
Buffy quickly picked up a battle-axe and handed another to Xander. Willow quickly retrieved the wakisashi sword Sata had given her as a gift during her visit to Manhattan. Her hand went to the hilt, but she didn't draw it, waiting for the demon to emerge.
They spread out, not wanting to give the demon a chance to get them all at once.
"Get ready," Buffy said as the ground continued to shake.
And then…
The shaking stopped, and a thick cloud of dust escaped from the fissure, accompanied by a deep rumble that sounded surprisingly like a belch.
"Is that it?" Buffy asked after several minutes. "That's the big scary you were worried about?"
Giles took off his glasses to wipe the dust off. "I don't understand," he said. "The signs pointed to something major occurring."
Xander lowered the axe. "It looks like the only thing 'major' that happened was the Hellmouth demon just had a major gas attack."
"Perhaps I misread the signs," Giles said. "I'll need to go over the texts again."
"Does this mean we can go now?" Anya asked.
December 9, 2000Los Angeles, California
9:55 PM
Apartment of Cordelia Chase
"Fantastic party, Cordelia," Candice said.
"Thanks," she replied.
The party was in full swing now, Cordelia noted. A perfect way to spend a Saturday night. She looked across the floor and spotted Angel. At least for some of us, she thought. Of course, he did have a reason to worry. Ever since the unexpected return of Darla, Angel had been on edge, waiting for her to spring out of the shadows to kill him. She picked up a glass and headed over towards him.
And then…
The vision hit her like a truck. She dropped the champagne glass as the apartment complex began to tremble.
Angel saw Cordelia start to collapse and he was at her side in an instant, supporting her as the vision took hold of her.
Trees. A park. A jogger, running in terror from something he had just seen. A castle high in the clouds. A mystic circle. An eclipse of the sun. Demona…
"Cordelia, are you okay?" Angel asked.
Cordelia looked at him, suddenly aware of his arms around her. "Yeah," she said as she looked around. Her party had paused when the rumble hit, everyone expecting it to be the Big One, but when it passed with no discernable damage, the party resumed. Angel quickly led her to the kitchen and took the magnetic note pad off the refrigerator door.
"What did you see?" he asked.
"I don't know," Cordelia said. "It was all jumbled up." Still, she took the notepad and began writing down the more clear aspects of the vision.
Angel looked at the notepad. "Demona," he said.
"Yeah," she said. "I got a clear picture of her. And a castle in the sky."
"A castle in the sky?" Wesley asked as he came into the kitchen. When he saw Angel and Cordelia look at him, he continued. "I saw you bring Cordelia in here. I assume she's had another vision."
"A bad one," she said. "As usual."
"Any idea what caused it?" Wesley asked. "I assume it wasn't the earthquake."
"It might have been," Angel said. "The vision hit her just as the tremor started." He went to the refrigerator and retrieved the icepack Cordelia kept there for just such an occasion. She thanked him as he handed it to her.
"What about the castle?" Wesley asked.
"Could be Castle Wyvern," he said.
"Castle Whatern?" Cordelia asked
"Wyvern," Wesley said. "It's a Scottish castle. David Xanatos bought it a couple of years ago and had it put on top of the Eyrie Building in Manhattan."
"I remember hearing about that," she said. "I wonder why Demona would be involved in that."
"Probably because it was her ancestral home," Angel said. "Her clan was frozen in stone for a thousand years by a spell that could only be broken when the castle rose above the clouds." He looked at the notepad again. Something was up, he knew. Something that involved Demona's clan. And whatever it was, it didn't sound good.
December 10, 2000Manhattan Island, New York
12:55 AM
Destine Manor
Demona watched as Angela closed her eyes and began the chant again.
"You cannot let anything distract you," she said as she circled her daughter. "You must be able to block out all else. Now, concentrate. Hold the image in your mind."
Angela smiled as she felt her mother pass behind her. Demona continued to drill her every time she came over. Ever since she came into her own as a sorceress, Angela had been practicing almost every night, trying to expand her own abilities, and Demona still treated her like a novice. Probably because, in her eyes I still am. Demona had far more experience than Angela could ever hope to gain, over a thousand years worth. I'll just have to show her that I'm as good as she is. Angela concentrated and caused the flame of the candle to brighten. Demona watched her progress with a practiced eye.
Good, she thought. Her control is growing every day. She will need it if I am right…
A tremor stopped her thought. It shook the manor for a moment, and Demona could hear car alarms going off up and down the street.
"Mother!" Angela called out. Demona looked to her daughter.
The flame of the candle had shot upwards and outwards and had set the drapes on fire. Demona quickly pulled them down as Angela grabbed a fire extinguisher and put out the blaze. It's a good thing I had that nearby, she thought.
"I'm sorry, mother," Angela said. "I…I got distracted and let it get away from me."
Demona looked at the candle and the ruined drapes. "No, Angela," she said, resting her hand on her daughter's shoulder. "This wasn't your fault. This was caused by…something else."
"What?" she asked.
"I don't know," Demona said as she looked towards her library. "But I intend to find out."
December 10, 2000London, England
5:55 AM
Into The Mystic
Una sat at the table, laying out the Tarot cards one more time. This can't be right, she thought. It just can't be. Not after all this time. As she lay the last card down, her face grew paler than usual. No, she thought. Not again. She picked up the cards and reshuffled them.
Emrys Hawkins watched her with concern. Normally, he dismissed Tarot cards as just another fluke, but even he knew that laying down the same cards three times in a row was pushing the odds. He watched as Una took a deep cleansing breath and began laying the cards down again.
It was the same pattern. He saw the panic in her eyes as she lifted the last card to put it down. The Tower.
A tremor hit London at almost the same moment Una released the card. When it passed, she looked up at the young wizard that had once been the mightiest of them all, Merlin.
"We need Arthur," she said. "For he may be the only one who can save us."
"I'll go get him," Emrys said. He hurried out of the shop as Una gathered up the scattered cards. I just hope and pray that I am wrong about this, she thought. Because if I'm not, then we are all doomed.
Avalon
Oberon greeted his children as they filled into the main audience chamber. A number of them looked disturbed by something, but he couldn't say what.
Queen Titania also looked distracted, but he knew what was troubling her. They still needed to decide what to do about Maeve and the other Unseelie rebels. The Unseelie Uprising had been over for well over a year now, as mortals reckoned time, but Oberon still kept the Unseelie Queen locked away, still mulling over her fate.
"Have you decided on her fate, my lord?" she asked again.
"Not yet," Oberon said. "I still need time to decide. Mere banishment is, of course, out of the question."
"You could…" Titania started, but then the Weird Sisters appeared. The worry on their faces was enough to make her forget what she was about to say.
"My lord," Luna said. "We bring news of a disturbance from the mortal world."
"And what news, pray tell, could be so disturbing that you would interrupt…" was all Oberon was able to get out before a tremor shook Avalon to its foundations. It lasted only a moment, but it was enough to cause Oberon's Mirror to fall over. Gabriel, the leader of the Avalon gargoyles, was quick enough to catch it before it could hit the floor and shatter.
After the tremor died down, Oberon stood up, calling for quiet before turning to Titania. "What do you make of that, my queen?" he asked.
"I do not know, my lord," she said. "But if the Sisters are correct, and that disturbance did originate in the mortal world, then quite possibly it was caused by something that could possibly threaten us all."
Down in her cell, the Unseelie Queen Maeve smiled.
It begins.
December 10, 2000Manhattan Island, New York
1:00 AM
Central Park
In a quiet corner of the park, away from the well-traveled paths and lit areas, a small crack opened up in the ground. Then a small tentacle slithered out and felt around tentatively. It wasn't time yet, the demon realized. Just a little while longer. The tentacle quickly retreated back into the ground. Just a little while longer.
To be continued…
