[Lindsey pulls a trick on Angelus. Faith arrives in Los Angeles and begins kicking ass. Plus, Giles tells Buffy who Holtz was and what connection Holtz had to the Council.]
Back at Lindsey's Presidential Suite
LINDSEY: You stick to the plan. That's an order, soldier.
GRAHAM: He killed two of our men! You're going to let him get away with that?
LINDSEY: You go after him, you'll kill him. But he make take two more or your men in the process. Is he worth that much to you?
GRAHAM: Okay boss. Not on your time. But I have friends on the inside. So did Alan and Walter. That demon will have to watch his back for a long time.
LINDSEY: Trust me. He always has. Don't let one bloodsucker ruin the whole operation. We've cleared downtown and most of the surrounding neighborhoods. Saved perhaps hundreds of lives. Next shift, you hit the San Fernando Valley. All four teams moving in parallel. Roll them right up. After that, they'll be just pockets of resistance left. Final shift, two teams move south down the coast: San Pedro, Long Beach, Santa Monica, Venice and Manhattan Beach. THe other two teams sweep the southern and eastern periphery. You're doing great work. And you know better than to personalize this.
Graham looks unconvinced but leaves the room. Lindsey doesn't realize the irony: He spent two years fighting an obsessively personal battle against Angel. In a way, Lindsey is saving Angelus's life. If 38 soldiers decided they wanted him dead, his nights would be numbered. Lindsey walks over to Fred, Wes, Gunn and Lorne.
FRED: I'm sorry about the way I acted. I didn't know about the barrier.
GUNN: Are you okay?
FRED: I spent five years in chains. A few seconds of bitus interruptus with Angelus won't traumatize me. He wanted to scare me. To make me feel weak. He didn't. He failed because I know he's not Angel. He's just a slug who wears Angel's face.
LINDSEY: I wouldn't worry about Angelus anymore.
Lindsey turns on a monitor on the wall. It's a map of Los Angeles with a small red dot at the location of the Hyperion.
LINDSEY: I bugged Angelus. Placed a homing device under his skin. He thought it was a dud tranquilizer dart. Tells us where Angelus is at all times. It automatically alters me when he's on the move. So we don't have to pay attention until he leaves the nest.
WES: And then what? We capture him?
LINDSEY: No need to. We make that hotel, Angelus's sanctuary, into his prison. Prevent him from feeding outside its walls.
FRED: He needs to be in control. We deny him that, we own him. He becomes our bitch.
Fred smiles at Lindsey. She likes his thinking. This upsets Wesley. He's supposed to be the brains. Not this shady, untrustworthy former denizen of evil.
Giles, Anya and Willow enter what is left of the Magic Box.
GILES: This is my first time back since, well —
ANYA: The unplanned demolition?
GILES: So to speak. I don't remember it being trashed this badly.
WILLOW: Why don't you rub it in a little bit more? Was that the whole point of choosing this spot to do the spell? I ruined your livelihood, Anya. I'm sorry. How many times do I have to apologize?
ANYA: Apologies aren't necessary. They're useless, actually. Legal restitution, on the other hand, would be greatly appreciated.
WILLOW: Oh no. You can't be serious. Then again, you're Anya. So you probably are serious.
GILES: Will the two of you please concentrate on the job at hand.
ANYA: You'd get half of any award, since you owned 50%.
GILES: That's true. I was an equal partner. Have you had the damage appraised?
ANYA: $40,000. But we could be entitled to triple-damages. Course all of this is moot until Willow gets a job. Then we can garnish her wages for as long as it takes.
WILLOW: Can't take the Vengeance Demon out of the woman.
ANYA: It's not vengeance. It's justice. Literally.
WILLOW: Giles, is she making this up?
GILES: You destroyed her property. There are several witnesses who could attest to that fact. The law's on her side.
WILLOW: So the law can make me pay for breaking some furniture, but not for taking a life?
GILES: I suppose Warren's parents could sue you for wrongful death.
ANYA: Except after they found out Warren killed Tara, the jury would probably give you money. That's it! I sue you. You sue Warren's parents. They pay me. You're off the hook. Problem solved. Provided the world doesn't end tomorrow. Or in a couple months. Now if only I knew a good lawyer.
Cecil enters Angelus's suite. He's pale, stubbly, thin and of average height. He has slick, jet-black hair and wears a fading Green River t-shirt with a black long-sleeved sweatshirt underneath. Angelus and Alanna wake up.
CECIL: If this is a bad time —
ANGELUS: Nonsense. If it's you, it must be important.
The red-headed Alanna steps out of bed and walks into the bathroom to take a shower. She's stark naked. Cecil's a little embarrassed to be ogling one of Angelus's women, but tries not to show it.
CECIL: Curtains match the carpet. Interesting. So I checked out those guns you brought me. Awesome electronics. Already cannibalized them for parts. Essentially, they were glorified tasers. Knocks down anything it hits within a 10 meter radius. But it can't kill. You're better off with a real gun. And those commandos weren't National Guard. Or Army. They were mercenaries. Strictly private-sector.
ANGELUS: They're only in it for the money. Who's money?
CECIL: I imagine there are plenty of business interests in Los Angeles who have been financially hurt by the recent unrest. Mass slaughter is never good for the economy. But I wouldn't worry about them.
Angelus stands up and gets dressed. Cecil turns his head. Handsome though Angelus is, Cecil has no interest in seeing other men naked. To Angelus, Cecil is the palace eunuch. Angelus feels no need for him or his women to be modest around Cecil. Angelus has his pants on, so Cecil feels comfortable looking him in the eye once again.
CECIL: From what I've been able to gather, they appear to have arrived within the last 24 hours. The devastation is easy to follow. These Hired Stakes have cut a swath across half the city. At this rate they'll have covered the county in two days tops. They aren't patrolling. They aren't holding ground. They're searching, destroying and leaving. And when they're gone, they'll be more victims for the vampires who've survived.
Angelus finishes buttoning up his shirt
ANGELUS: Thinning the herd. And I'm the only one with a safe haven. Those doughboys will leave me ruling this town. Maybe I should send flowers to the families of the men I killed. I always like to keep in touch with the next of kin.
CECIL: We are prepared for precisely this sort of eventuality.
ANGELUS: Thanks for the reminder, C-C.
Angelus pats Cecil on the back and leaves the room. He walks down the hall and meets up with the newly-sired Olivia. She wraps her arms around Angelus and kisses him.
ANGELUS: You must be starving, baby.
OLIVIA: Can't wait to cut my teeth into someone.
ANGELUS: Go outside. Something should come running by in no time.
She kisses Angelus again, turns bumpy and goes to the main elevator. Angelus smiles, goes bumpy and takes the service elevator to the basement. Next to the cage that was built for him are two other cages of similar size. Each cage holds about ten humans. This is Angelus's strategic blood reserve. In addition, it affords him the opportunity to savor the sight of dozens of terrified people who fear for their lives. He unlocks one cage. Rather than try to escape, the humans cower and retreat to the back of the cage. He looks them over and pulls out a young man. Then he closes the cage.
ANGELUS: You look like a fighter.
Angelus grabs him by the neck and drags him upstairs. He walks the man outside. Then Angelus lets go.
ANGELUS: Congratulations. You're free. Now run!
He growls and the man sprints in the other direction. Olivia leaps out. He fights for his life. But she quickly overpowers the man and drinks him.
ANGELUS: Nothing like the first kill.
Buffy drives to the hospital at 3 in the morning. When she arrives, she sees Wood checking out. His right arm is in a sling.
BUFFY: All better so fast?
WOOD: Just a little multiple concussion. Doctors thought I should spend the night here. I'll get better rest in my own bed.
BUFFY: What happened to your arm?
WOOD: Partially dislocated elbow. From one of the times I went through a wall. Should be fine by tomorrow night. Which reminds me of the date we were supposed to have this past evening. The one that was postponed by the looming apocalypse. How bout you come over to my house for Sunday brunch? Assuming we're all still here, of course.
BUFFY: You bet. Always nice to have something to look forward to.
Faith steps out of the bus station in downtown Los Angeles, carrying her duffel bag. She is wearing black boots, black jeans, a blue Boston Red Sox t-shirt and a black denim jacket. She checks her watch. 1 pm. Where is the sun? She looks around, and finds a phone booth with a phone book. ANGEL INVESTIGATIONS. The address is different. She calls the number. It is no longer in service. The directory is a year old. Maybe he left town. Maybe he died. A lot can happen in three years. She thinks of who else she can call. Wesley's number isn't listed. Just as well. Faith isn't comfortable seeing him again. Not after their last meeting. So there she is, all alone, in a city she barely knows, which is mysteriously dark in the middle of the day. Nothing she can't deal with. Faith has a wad of cash, more than $5000 from her stint as the benevolent despot of Block F. She knows how to survive. And she is finally a free woman. Five by Five.
Faith walks a couple blocks down the street, past a rail yard. It is still dark. The area is deserted. Suddenly, two men run towards her. They are dressed in black hooded robes and carry daggers. Strangest of all from Faith's point of view, they don't appear to have any eyes.
FAITH: Someone really wants me dead. It's nice to be important.
The one to her left tosses a dagger. Faith blocks it with her duffel bag. She pulls the dagger out of the bag, tosses the bag behind her, and prepares to fight. She first attacks the one to her left, since he has only one dagger. She leaps in the air and kicks the Bringer in the face. When he goes down, she charges the one to her right. He slashes for her with both daggers. Faith leaps in the air, does a forward flip over the Bringer's head, and stabs him in the back before she hits the ground. The Bringer falls on his face. Faith twists the knife and runs it up his back, severing his spine. The other Bringer is now six feet away and approaching fast. He brandishes his dagger in his right hand. Faith leaps at him from his left and stabs him through the neck. When he falls on his back, Faith plunges the dagger into his chest and slices it open to make sure he's dead. She looks over these curious monsters, takes their four daggers, and leaves.
A block away, four vampires spot her. They don't see a Slayer. They see a lost girl, possibly a runaway. Someone who should be easy pickings. They stalk her for another block. Faith thinks she hears someone following her. She turns around and sees a vampire. She drops her bag and pulls out two knives.
FAITH: Oops. I forgot. These won't kill you. It's been a long time.
Faith looks around. She sees a single-story storage shed near the tracks, about 150 yards to her right. She runs to it. Another vampire gets in her way. She punches him in the face without breaking stride. When she gets to the shed, Faith jumps on the roof. A vampire is on each side, looking up at her. She punches through the shingles and pulls out a 2x4. One vampire leaps on the roof and tries to ambush her from behind. She reaches back and stakes him. Another vamp steps up to face her. Faith kicks him back to the ground. She leaps down and tries to stake him, but her rolls out of the way and gets up. The other two vamps come at her. One of them grabs her arms from behind. She leaps in the air and kicks the one in front of her in the face. As she leaps, she carries the other vamp forward along with her. They fall to the ground, and she breaks free. The third vampire, the one she knocked off the roof, punches her in the face. She blocks his next punch and hits him twice, knocking him to the ground.
FAITH: I've fought women in the clink who were tougher than you guys.
Faith picks up her 2x4 and stakes the vamp she just punched to the ground. She hits one vamp with a flying spin kick, and tosses the other one into the side of the shed. She stakes him. The one vampire left tackles her from behind. When she goes down on her face, Faith reaches back and gouges him in the eye. This enables her to get back on her feet. She grabs the wooden board, hits the vampire twice in the head with its flat side, then stakes it with the pointy side. She takes a few seconds to catch her breath. Then she retrieves the bag holding all of her belongings, mostly clothes. With one of her new daggers, Faith cuts the piece of wood into two stakes, so she'll be prepared the next time. Faith resumes walking down the street. Five minutes in town, and she has already been attacked by two knife-wielding men/demons and four vampires.
FAITH: Welcome to LA.
Saturday morning. Andrew is washing the dishes after breakfast. Giles takes his tea, walks upstairs and knocks on Buffy's door.
GILES: It's me.
BUFFY: Come in.
GILES: Last night and this morning, I was able to check out Connor's story. I could not find any record of a demon hunter named Holtz in Utah at anytime in the past two decades. My contact in Provo could not confirm any part of Connor's story.
BUFFY: So he made it all up? Obvious he's got something to hide.
GILES: I told believe he made all of it up. There was a demon fighter named Holtz. But he lived in the 18th-century.
BUFFY: It's a common-enough name. You think there's a connection?
GILES: I do. When you were arguing with him last night, Connor said he believed ordinary people without super powers should fight vampires on their own. That Dawn shouldn't rely on you to protect her. That's exactly what this Holtz character would have said. It was kind of his mantra.
BUFFY: How could Connor pick up an idea — an insane idea, by the way — from someone who's been dead for centuries?
GILES: This man wasn't just any demon fighter. Holtz was Franklin Thomas Holtzman, a Wesleyan Methodist minister in Lancashire. A local family was mysteriously slaughtered. Holtz discovered the culprits, who happened to be vampires. He organized a group of local men, and they killed these vampires. Minister Holtzman soon discovered a more immediate way to save souls and fight the Devil. He started something of an anti-vampire crusade throughout the Midlands. Within a few months, vampires in Edinburgh were afraid to trek down to London. Naturally, the Council noticed Holtz, and he noticed them. They didn't get along, to say the least. The sources all describe Holtz as an intense, charismatic zealot whom people either found to be incredibly inspiring of slightly insane. Watchers are cut from calmer stock. Holtz saw them as dilettantes. And the concept of the Slayer horrified him at first. He believed no Christian God could devise such a cruel method of fighting evil. He believed the condemnation of innocent girls to a swift and early death was nothing more than a form of child sacrifice. He wrote several open letters to the Council, calling them heathens who practiced the moral equivalent of tossing virgins into volcanoes. Holtz hoped to outrage enough members of the Council to cause a sort of Reformation, to turn the Council into his conception of a vibrant demon-fighting organization. But his rantings were in vain.
Over time, they would be overshadowed by his record. Holtz fought vampires on his own for almost a quarter-century, spreading his do-it-yourself gospel and training men wherever he went. He eventually made his peace with the Council, accepting the validity of the Slayer concept, though he always maintained that "one girl is not enough." Oddly enough, late in his career Holtz hunted Angelus for a time. He chased Angelus across three continents, but could never quite catch him. The Watchers' diaries say Holtz is the only mortal man Angelus ever feared. Eventually Holtz disappeared. The presumption was that he died fighting in some far off corner of the world. But his body never was found, which give rise to the usual sorts of rumors. Then around 1830, an apostate Watcher inspired by Holtz's early polemics began arguing that one Slayer does not have to die for another to rise. Furthermore — and this is where it gets bizarre — he prophesized Holtz would one day return to Earth, and that if the Council had not changed its ways by that time, it would be destroyed.
BUFFY: So the crazy Watcher thought Holtz was some messiah?
GILES: Like I said, truly bizarre. But even more bizarre was the fact that several Watchers actually believed his ramblings. I suppose the idea that Slayers need not die had a certain seductive charm. The renegade Watchers were expelled from the Council. These exiles formed a sort of demon-fighting cult. It continued after their deaths, and there are records of the Holtz cult through the end of the 19-century. After then it became too insignificant to trace, especially because as time went on it lost some of its apocalyptic fervency and became simply a band of demon fighters named after a vaguely remembered vampire hunter from the distant past. Many members were known to adopt the Holtz moniker as their profession pseudonym. That's what Connor's father might have done.
BUFFY: So you think Connor was raised by some crazed cult member. That's so not reassuring.
GILES: That may be, but it's irrelevant to the more important question of the origins of Connor's powers. On the way to the hospital last night, Robin mentioned that Connor told him he was raised by a man who was not his biological father. Connor implied that like Robin he was orphaned at a very early age. Right now, all this is irrelevant. But maybe on Monday, if we're all still here, Robin can get Connor to come clean. He seems to trust Robin more than he trusts any of us.
BUFFY: I wonder why that is?
Around 2 on Saturday afternoon, Buffy goes over to Angel's old place to make sure Connor is part of the team. He isn't downstairs. She goes up to his bedroom. He is sleeping.
BUFFY: Hope this isn't your day off.
Connor opens his eyes, sits up, and looks at Buffy.
CONNOR: What do you want?
BUFFY: To save the world. Wanna help?
CONNOR: You're serious.
Connor steps out of bed. He's naked. Buffy is horrified and covers her eyes and turns her head. She finds Connor physically unappealing, and his is one body she does not want to see. Ironically, he feels the same way about Buffy. After a few seconds she glances back, sees that he has pants on, and continues the conversation.
BUFFY: Tonight. The Hellmouth will try to open. And that Ur-Vamp we fought last night will probably return.
CONNOR: Saving the world? Sounds fun.
BUFFY: You really are new to the game. Be at my place by six.
CONNOR: You need me. I'll be there.
Buffy rolls her eyes and walks out without commenting. Her next stop is Spike's crypt. She hopes he's dressed, though she would mind naked Spike a whole let less than naked Connor. When she gets to his door, she hears him singing. Naturally that worries her. However, it is a different song than before:
"It doesn't pay to try. All the smart boys know why. It doesn't mean I didn't try. I just never know why. It isn't cause I'm all alone. Baby you're not at home.
"And even though they don't show, the scars aren't so old. And when they go, they let you know. You cant put your arms around a memory. So don't try. Don't try."
Buffy enters. He's sitting at his table, drinking blood out of a cup, singing along to the song on his stereo.
BUFFY: You're aware you're singing?
Spike turns around. He's startled, and a little embarrassed. He didn't know Buffy was there. He quickly turns of the music.
SPIKE: Yep. Righto. No trigger. Consciously singing. Was I out of tune?
BUFFY: Sounded fine to me.
SPIKE: That's a relief. Usually I'm the one sneaking up on you. [finishes his blood]
BUFFY: You know about tonight.
SPIKE: Be there after sundown. Bringin' all my weapons, per your request.
BUFFY: Anya told me about last night, with the Turam. How you saved all those people. How you kind of saved Robin. You're the best warrior I've got. You know I believe in you. So if you left because you didn't think you were getting enough respect —
SPIKE: Last night. That's why I left. Being on my own makes me a better fighter. I'm not a team player. I can work well enough with others if I want to, but I've never been one for bonding with the chums in the off hours. It takes away my edge, my creativity, my elan, my mojo, my whatever you bloody well want to call it. It's best this way.
Buffy walks up to him. Tries to put her hand to his left eyelid, which is still swollen. He pulls his head back.
BUFFY: You okay?
SPIKE: The world's supposed to end. Does it matter? I'm fine. Try to fight me, see for yourself.
Buffy can tell he's joking. She cracks a small smile.
BUFFY: I'll save my strength for the Turam and the Hellbeast.
The gang is eating dinner. Spike comes in through the kitchen door, takes some food, sits down and starts eating. Everyone looks at him like he's nuts.
SPIKE: What!!? Never seen a vampire eat food before?
ANDREW: There's garlic in the sauce.
SPIKE: So?
AMANDA: Aren't vampires repelled by garlic?
RONA: Crosses, holy water, garlic. That's what keeps them away.
SPIKE: Granted, it's an acquired taste. This is very good, by the way.
ANDREW: Thank you. I prepared it myself.
SPIKE: Always knew you'd be feeding me one way or another.
Andrew looks rather sheepish. He doesn't take the joke very well.
In the dining room, where the grownups are eating.
ANYA: This is all of them, right?
GILES: All of the Potential Slayers who are still living. You can thank the First for the fact that this house isn't even more crowded.
ANYA: I didn't mean it like that. It's not like I want these girls to die just so I don't have to wait 5 hours to take a shower every morning.
XANDER: How many are there now? It's hard to keep track.
BUFFY: Sixteen.
GILES: [looks into the living room. appears dismayed] And Connor seems to be making nice with as many as possible.
ANYA: So he likes meeting new people. Big deal. As long as he's not touching them, I don't see what the problem is. He's not, right?
WILLOW: Nope. Too busy manhandling his food. God, that kid sure is ravenous.
BUFFY: And not too familiar with utensils.
Spike comes from the kitchen into the dining room. Connor goes from the living room into the kitchen for more food, then heads outside to eat, where it's less noisy.
SPIKE: Don't think he's spent much time in polite society.
XANDER: You mean when he was with that Holtz guy. He sounds cool. Not the one who raised Connor. The original Holtz that Giles read about. The one Angelus was scared of.
SPIKE: [scoffs] What the bloody hell are you talking about? Angelus wasn't afraid of Holtz. Not the way he tells it.
GILES: What did Angelus tell you about Holtz?
SPIKE: Just that he killed his wife and children. After repeatedly raping his 8 year-old daughter. Said it was a real gas. Especially the raping.
BUFFY: That's enough. [she hates to think of Angel as a monster]
SPIKE: Didn't even have to get to the part about the hot pokers.
GILES: The sources never mentioned Holtz had a family. So after the massacre, did Angelus kill Holtz?
SPIKE: Didn't need to. Figured when Holtz saw the devastation he'd hang himself in despair. Why are we talking about this anyway? You think Connor has some connection to Angel?
GILES: Let's not get ridiculous. By the way Andrew, these lamb kabobs are sublime. I think you've found your calling.
ANDREW: Thanks. You have no idea how difficult it is cooking dinner for two dozen with such meager kitchen facilities. Have we decided which archetype Connor fits? I'm leaning heavily towards Anakin Skywalker. The Force is very strong in him. But he has fear. And fear turns to rage. And rage turns to hate. And hate makes a man turn to the Dark Side.
BUFFY: Any luck tracking down his origins?
GILES: I have nothing on mysterious births from 1985 or any of the surrounding years.
SPIKE: So you still have no idea why he has vampire powers?
GILES: Excuse me? Vampire powers?
SPIKE: You haven't noticed? He leaps like a vampire. He has super-hearing like a vampire. He has super-smelling like a vampire. There's a theme here. One that a smart gent like yourself should have picked up on.
Spike knows Giles thinks he's stupid, so he loves making Giles feel stupid.
ANDREW: Maybe he's the child of vampires. Like Blade.
XANDER: Only one of Blade's parents was a vampire.
GILES: That's not even remotely possible. Vampires cannot breed. Thank God.
ANYA: Otherwise Buffy could have had Angel's baby while she still in high school. Talk about a soap opera.
The room gets very quiet. Anya's clearly managed to offend Buffy, Giles, Spike and Xander.
ANYA: I'm just saying, it was obvious that's what Giles meant.
The third shift is about to go out. Lindsey gets a call on his business line.
LINDSEY: She's been what!! For how long?! And they just told you five minutes ago? Well, thank you Lloyd. I'll do what I can. I can't believe they didn't notify us.
He slams the phone down. Wes, Gunn, Fred and Lorne can tell that something big has come up. Everyone's silent for a few seconds. Lindsey takes a deep breath and runs his hands through his hair.
LINDSEY: Faith has been released from prison.
FRED: The Slayer?
WES: Where is she?
LINDSEY: Somewhere in Los Angeles. I hope.
GUNN: We got ourselves a Slayer?
LINDSEY: Once we find her. If we find her.
WES: The soldiers should be able track her down in no time.
Wes is filled with hope and anticipation. He desperately wants to redeem himself as a Watcher.
LINDSEY: You go on your missions. Stick to the plan. I know a few less conspicuous ways to find her.
WILLOW: So where are the new girls from?
ANYA: And why are most of the Potentials American? That seems suspiciously disproportionate.
GILES: We rescued all we could, and the Council had a much more difficult time rescuing Potentials in parts of the world where we had few operatives. My last trip was an attempt to compensate for this deficiency. After finding Chao-Ahn in China, I picked up Madari in India before heading back.
WILLOW: What about the two girls who arrived today?
They are standing in the hallway talking in a language none of the Scoobies can comprehend. Both are shorter than Buffy, dark-skinned, with long black hair.
GILES: That's Izora, age 15, from Morocco. And Ariella, age 16, from Hebron. Izora made it here on her own. Two Bringers came after to her village in the mountains south of Fez. Her father was out tending their sheep and shot the Bringers dead. He took one look at his kills, quickly realized something was very odd, and contacted a local wiccan, who realized what was happening. The witch was powerful enough to contact my Seer telepathically. The Seer contacted Robson, who explained what to do. Izora and her parents travelled more than 100 miles to the coast, and Izora claims she personally shot dead two more Bringers during the journey. She hopped a boat to Gibraltar, where Robson met up with her and arranged her flights to Sunnydale.
WILLOW: Wow. She knows a real-life Berber witch. Always wanted to meet one of those. Talk about ancient powers.
GILES: Their powers are hereditary, and they are loathe to share their secrets with outsiders. Also. the ones I know are afraid of you.
WILLOW: They know me! I'm that famous!
GILES: Infamous, actually. You try to destroy the world, you acquire a certain reputation.
XANDER: At least we know she can take care of herself.
ANYA: Willow?
XANDER: Izora.
GILES: She is handling the transition with far less fear than the other Potentials. Though she expressed dismay at our lack of firearms.
ANYA: She speaks English?
GILES: A little. And I speak a little Arabic. We can communicate, but not without difficulty.
WILLOW: Ariella seems to speak a lot of Arabic.
GILES: The two of them have really hit it off.
Ariella finishes talking to Izora and walks into the dining room.
WILLOW: Are you also Arab?
Ariella narrows her eyes and looks at Willow like she's about to slit Willow's throat.
GILES: She's Israeli. Though her grandparents are from Tunis.
WILLOW: Oops. I'll really stepped in it, didn't I?
ANYA: You're a Hebrew. Yet you were speaking Arabic.
ARIELLA: I'm surrounded by them. Lots of Palestinians used to work for my dad's construction company. Before . . . you know . . . Honestly, the Bringers were comic relief. Two tried to break into the settlement. Neighbors shot them dead. Two more were killed by suspicious Palestinians in the city. They joked about it with the soldiers at the checkpoints. Called the Bringers "World's Worst Martyrs." All they had were knives. What is this, the twelfth century? Then Robson came to town. Said I been chosen, or nominated. Parents thought it would be good for me to get away for a while. I'd never been to America. It's like a free vacation. Sunnydale has Bringers with knives and vampires with teeth. Hebron has terrorists with guns and bombs. Trust me, I feel safer here.
ANYA: How does it feel to be the Chosen One from the Chosen People?
Giles fears Anya's bluntness will offend Ariella. But Ariella laughs.
ARIELLA: That's what my dad and my rabbi and my brother Jon and half the people in town said. Still kinda funny.
WILLOW: A Potential who's one of the Tribe. Pretty cool. I'm Willow. Willow Rosenberg. But you can just call me Willow.
ARIELLA: Sure, Willow. Call me Ella. So you're supposed to be Jewish?
WILLOW: I am Jewish.
ARIELLA: Really. Where's the nearest temple?
WILLOW: Uh, um, well, the nearest? To this house? Let me think.
Ariella laughs and walks away.
WILLOW: Temple Beth El! I can give you directions if you want.
GILES: She knows where Temple Beth El is. But it's reform. I drove her to B'rith Kodesh for services today, since she's orthodox.
XANDER: If she already knew, why did she ask?
ANYA: Obviously Ariella doesn't think Willow's a real Jew, and this was her way of showing Willow up.
Izora walks through the dining room.
ANYA: Hey Izora! You're Berber. And you understand English?
IZORA: Yes. Some. And you can call me Zora. Or Izzy. But I like Zora better.
ANYA: I've heard that your people have some great vampire curses. You know. What's the word? What's that word? Sokhta! Vampire sokhta?
As a former Vengeance Demon, Anya knows the word for curse in more than 150 languages and dialects.
IZORA: I know one. The worst.
GILES: Your people give them souls?
IZORA: How is that the worst possible curse? It's just stupid. Waste of vengeance. They make it so the vampire cannot drink blood. Human or animal. If they do, they throw up. Vampire starves. Becomes a skeleton. Wants to stake itself, but is too weak to lift the stake. Finally, after a month or two of famine, the vampire crawls out into the light to end its misery.
SPIKE: She's right. That would be the worst.
Izora remembers something and goes over to tell Ariella.
SPIKE: Always knew there was a reason vampires were scared of Berber country. They have a reputation. But Gypsies. Who knew? Dracula lived surrounded by them for centuries, not once did they try to curse him. Then again Vladi always was a nancy boy.
Izora and Ariella laugh and point at Willow.
WILLOW: What's so funny? [Ariella comes over to explain]
ARIELLA: Izora just told me how when the Arabs invaded the Maghreb, some of the Berber tribes told the Arabs they were Jewish, because the Arabs treated Jews better than they treated pagans. The tribes kept this up for centuries. And the ones that claimed they were Jewish the longest were also the ones which possessed the most powerful magics. Fake Jews make the best magicians. That would explain you, Willow.
Ariella laughs and walks away. Willow is very hurt.
WILLOW: Did she just make fun of my heritage?
ANYA: I believe she made fun of your lack of heritage.
It had been five hours. Faith had walked ten miles and killed more than 30 vampires. It was like a nightmare where freedom is more arduous than imprisonment. Perhaps it was some sort of ordeal where she had to suffer for her sins and fight for redemption. But this wasn't a parable. It was real life, with a real metropolis engulfed in darkness and overrun by vampires. Two blocks ahead, three vampires were attacking a young woman. One of the vampires was on top of her, about to bite her neck. Faith runs to the rescue. But her heart is no longer in it. She feels like an automaton, some vampire killing robot. By the time she arrives, the girl has been bitten but she is still alive. Faith grabs the vampire, picks him up off the girl and throws him to the curb. The other two vamps attack Faith. She leaps in the air and kicks the one to her right in his face. Then she spins around and hit the vamp to her left with a spin kick. The vampire who had been biting the girl leaps at Faith. She grabs him, throws him on his back, gets on top of him, and stakes him. The other two vamps charge her while she is down. Faith stands up, a stake in each hand, and puts her arms out, impaling both vampires. The girl is still on the ground crying. "Thank you. Thank you," she tells Faith. Faith helps her to her feet. But before she can say anything she sees two vampires attacking a man a block away. She runs to the rescue once again.
FAITH: Hey losers. Let him go, and I'll let you go. Don't need any more dust on my jacket.
The vampires let go of the fella and charge Faith.
FAITH: Why don't you ever run away?
She grabs their heads and slams them together.
FAITH: You know how this is gonna end.
She kicks one in the chin. She grabs the other and throws him through a store window. The other one punches her in the right cheek. She pulls out her stakes, one in each hand. She stabs for his heart with the left. When he uses both hands to block this potentially fatal blow, she stabs him in the left eye with the stake in her right hand. Both his hands grab the eye. He yells in pain. Faith stakes him through the heart. The other vampire runs out of the store. Faith puts her right foot up and hits his nose with the sole of her boot. He backs up. She approaches. Her head's tilted downward. She's bruised and bleeding and has a blank look in her eyes. Her knuckles are purple from all the punishment she's dished out. Her feet are sore and blistered. Faith just wants it all to end. She hurls the stake in her right hand at the vampire. He catches it and laughs. This makes her furious. She screams, charges him, hits the vampire four times in the face, and stakes him when he goes down. Faith falls to her knees.
FAITH: What the hell is wrong with this city!!
She sits on a nearby bench and puts her head in her hands. She's had enough.
Several young people, including the two she has just saved, go running into a nearby home.
ANNE: What were you doing out? You know better than that.
COREY: There was a woman out there. She killed them. She saved us.
Anne smiles and looks out the window.
ANNE: She came back.
Anne is in for a surprise. And Faith, who is already exhausted and angry, will not like being compared to Buffy, even if Anne means it in a good way.
Things are hectic at the Hyperion. Vampires are pouring in. Angelus is at the back of the lobby, trying to control the chaos.
ANGELUS: One at time. Relax. No demon faces! Do you want to scare away the meals? And for the love of all that is evil, act civilized or I will stake every last one of you!! [they hush up] That's better. [Angelus goes up onto the landing and puts his right arm around a vampire.] Oscar, you have to take care of the crowds. Have you considered opening the ballroom in the basement?
OSCAR: It's already open. And filled to capacity. Even got a piano player and a wet bar in there.
ANGELUS: It's so gratifying to find good help. Get these peons into some rooms. We have plenty of residential capacity, and we need to open up the lobby. Charge them everything they have. Gouge away.
OSCAR: Doing it as fast as I can, boss.
ANGELUS: Oscar, I could kiss you. No I couldn't. But that's how proud I am of you.
OSCAR: It's an honor to serve you, Angelus.
ANGELUS: And the best part is, I know you mean it. Back to work.
Angelus lightly slaps Oscar twice on the cheek. Oscar continues doing "vampire intake." Angelus walks down the stairs and enters his old office, which is now Cecil's office. On the wall is a large map of Los Angeles. Cecil has shaded the regions the soldiers have covered. A red line goes from downtown in an arc to the south and east. Angelus smiles.
ANGELUS: You guys are the best! You should teach my old friends how to run a business. Right before I kill them, of course. No, wait, kill Wesley, kill Charles, make Lorne the love slave of a Galgorosh demon, and sire sweet, sweet Winifred. She could be your secretary.
CECIL: I suggest you focus on bigger game.
ANGELUS: I smell a surprise. Is it happy surprise? It better be.
CECIL: The vampires who are currently flooding your establishment are not fleeing the soldiers of fortune. There is a Slayer in town.
A huge grin comes across Angelus's face. His eyes twinkle with delight.
ANGELUS: Buffy!!!
CECIL: I said Vampire Slayer, not Vampire Layer.
ANGELUS: No need to get catty about it. So it's Faith. [the twinkle returns] I've never had a chance to play with her. Always love a fresh target.
CECIL: The red line on this map tracks her recorded progress today. She's killing everything in sight. The folks running in here say she's killed dozens. But she's alone. And by now she must be tired. We know her rough location. You said yesterday was lucky. Today looks even luckier.
ANGELUS: Cecil, Cecil, Cecil. How many Slayers have you fought?
CECIL: Do I look like a moron? None.
ANGELUS: So which one of us has the expertise on this matter?
CECIL: And what, in your expert opinion, should be our course of action?
ANGELUS: She's alone. She won't be for long.
CECIL: What makes you think that?
ANGELUS: Her former Watcher's in town. He's something of a complete failure. Has a way of turning everything he touches into a Titanic-level disaster. I can't wait to see what he does this time. And that's not even close to being the best part.
CECIL: It's not?
ANGELUS: Faith's a bad girl trying to turn over a new leaf. And guess who turned her over? Angel.
CECIL: Psy ops. Your specialty. You'll be playing her like a Strativarius in no time.
ANGELUS: You know something? I'm glad it's not Buffy. I hate reruns.