The sound of gunfire broke the eerie silence of the lobby of the LA branch of Wolfram and Hart. Bullets shattered as they struck the hardened body armor worn by Illeria, and she charged headlong into the group of offending security guards.
Her moves were swift, her strikes deadly. A quick jab at the face of the first guard caused his head to promptly part from the rest of his body, and he fell down and turned to dust. Before the other guards had a chance to respond, Illeria was already upon the second. A quick blow to the stomach caused his organs to crumple and he fell to the ground, flailing painfully. The demon struck out against the third, followed by the fourth. Soon, there was not a single guard left alive to harass them, and a bloody mess of body parts and ash lay strewn about the otherwise immaculately kept foyer. Illeria turned towards Spike and Angel and motioned for them to enter.
"Hey Spike," Angel said, a tint of humor in his voice. "Remember when we were the super heroes?"
"Oh those were the days, mate," the vampire responded. "When we got down and dirty in the fighting."
"And now you no longer need to," Illeria smirked. "I am undefeatable."
"Right," Spike said sarcastically, "Undefeatable. I remember a certain Hamilton who nearly killed you."
"He caught me off guard," Illeria said indignantly. "The fight was unfair."
Before Spike could respond, the elevator doors opened.
A man in a suit and tie walked out. He was old; Angel gauged him to be in his seventies. His hair was gray, speckled with brown. Cold blue eyes watched the group's every move.
Illeria lunged proudly forth, and a hand swung accurately for the old man's head. He flicked his left hand dismissively and Illeria fell backwards and dropped to the ground. She tried to stand back up but the man made a pushing motion with his right palm extended outwards. Illeria was pinned to the ground by unimaginably strong magic.
Angel exchanged a glance with Spike, and they both broke off in separate directions. Spike jumped up, gaining footing on the wall, and then lunged towards the man. His flight was intercepted by another powerful force, causing him to be suspended in mid air. Angel lunged forward, his face contorting into the visage of a bloodthirsty vampire, only to be suspended in midair by the same powerful force.
"You are all fools. I am Gayne, and I share but a fraction of the force of the trinity. Your attempts are meaningless. Your resistance is foolhardy," the man spoke with resolve through raspy breaths and wheezing. "I am forever and you are not. Thus, your lives are forfeit."
"Right," Spike said. "Do you know how many lackeys we've dropped to get here? In fact… watch out behind you!"
Gayne turned around for a brief moment, giving Illeria all the time she needed. Her will broke the magic surrounding her, and before Gayne could return his icy stare he was already a corpse on the ground. His heart continued to beat in the demon's hand. She crushed it, lifting it high. A smug smile appeared on her face, and she dropped the heart, licking her fingers. "We will go, now," were her only words.
Both Angel and Spike dropped to the ground with a thud, now free of Gayne's magic. "Right," Spike added, "shall we go then?"
"After you," Angel bowed courteously, pointing towards the elevator.
Spike entered the small chamber, pressing the button for the third floor, and waited patiently. Both Angel and Illeria joined him, and the elevator doors closed.
They looked back and forth at each other. Non-offensive and catchy music played. Angel scratched his forehead, and coughed.
"Anti-climatic, right?" Spike joked. Angel gave him a stern look, and he did not continue.
The doors opened and three more guards were there to greet them with weapons drawn. Illeria walked forward, the bullets once again bouncing off her hardened armor. Spike and Angel dove off to the right and left, coming around in a pincer attack to off two of the guards with quick and decisive blows. Illeria approached the last, and stopped but feet away. The guard continued to unload his clip into Illeria, and she did not falter in the slightest. When he realized his weapon was ineffective, the remaining guard dropped the gun.
Illeria stared at him, her icy gaze penetrating his very soul. "Now is the time in which you run." Her words were a command, not a suggestion. The guard nodded eagerly, turned around abruptly, and fled with all the speed he could muster.
Wordlessly, the group walked through the twisted corridors of their former headquarters. Their destination was clear, their resolve unbreakable. The swinging doors that led to the laboratories at the end of the hall burst open, nearly shattering with the force of Angel's rage.
Wes's dimensional weapon lay in a heap, surrounded by a group of four gnarled looking and putrid smelling demons. Their skin was a pale green, and their skin seemed to be made more of warts than anything else. As the door slammed open, they all turned to face the invaders.
"Step away, and nobody will get hurt, alright?" Angel cautiously stepped forward.
One of the demons turned towards Angel, and massive wings extended from his shoulders that were, before, entirely unnoticeable. He lunged towards Angel with unbridled speed, knocking him to the floor with an echoing thud.
"I told you someone was going to get hurt," Angel muttered through bloodied teeth.
Spike somersaulted towards one of the demons, catching him unprepared. Before his wings could extend he found himself pinned to the ground, his neck in dire peril. Quickly, Spike twisted his arm as hard as he could, and a sickly snap rang out. The demon slumped in Spike's arms.
Illeria walked towards the dimensional weapon without a concern for its guardians. One of the demons latched itself on to Illeria's legs in a futile attempt to protect its charge. Illeria paid no attention save pushing the demon aside with a lackluster kick. Her eyes focused on the weapon. She wanted it. She needed it.
Angel jumped back on to his feet to greet the winged demon as he swung around for another assault. He placed his weight on the balls of his feet and jumped high in the air, his arm extended. The demon realized too late that his velocity would not allow for any change in trajectory, and he found himself to be his own decapitator as he flew into Angel's arm. Angel dropped, falling to one knee, and he turned around to watch Illeria.
The former God lifted the weapon, one of the demons still clinging desperately to her leg. She paused, frustrated, and turned to Angel. "Half-breed. Make this work."
Angel sighed. Was this really the right thing to do? He would be helping an evil force to defeat an even more diabolical one. But the end result would be the same. But maybe, just maybe…
Angel approached Illeria, and gave the demon who had adhered himself to Illeria's leg a final, fatal blow. The last demon swung around to be met by Spike's powerful roundhouse kick. He plummeted to the ground, and let out a final raspy inhuman noise before expiring.
Illeria handed the weapon to Angel, and he inspected it carefully. A glowing crystal pulsed gently inside the device. Angel turned to Illeria to notice that she was completely absorbed by the undulating orb. This must be it, he thought— the key to the other dimension.
With that, he crashed the weapon to the ground. The crystal lay haphazardly on the ground. "Now," he started, "to figure out how to…"
But it was too late. Illeria's foot crashed down on the crystal, and it burst with a blinding light. Illeria screamed, and it seemed for the first time, the God was experiencing the utter agony that he once dolled out.
Finally, the light subsided. Angel and Spike did not move, their gaze focused on Illeria.
The demon smiled. "I am whole again."
With that, in a blink of an eye, Illeria disappeared.
"Oh just great," Spike cursed. "So now we've got two— no, make that four— big bads out there. So what are we gonna do now?"
"Just wait," Angel said. "Just wait."
And, with those words, a hole in reality itself opened up where the crystal once lay. The power unleashed caused a leak in reality, and Angel felt himself being pulled inside. Both vampires found themselves now within the dimension of the crystal's choosing.
Like Dorian's now forgotten realm, the dimension they found themselves in was a perfect and pristine white. Angel looked up. A wolf as black as night met his gaze, and it became startled. As soon as their eyes met, the wolf began to shift forms, mutating into a greater power, when…
The wolf's ribcage burst open, and Illeria appeared for a blink of an eye. As soon as she knew the wolf had met his demise, she turned and disappeared again. Before Angel could even register two other animals, both lie dead before the feet of the now fully restored God.
Angel parted his lips with disbelief. The Wolf, The Ram, and The Hart were now nothing more than bloody carcasses soiling the pristine white room. Illeria appeared again before the two vampires. Her eyes met with Spike's first, and she faltered, her face contorting in pain.
A flood of memories returned to Angel as he heard Dorian's voice inside his head. "This," the voice started, "is what I could never tell you." Dorian's voice was rife with regret as he continued. "You cannot escape destiny."
The haunting words echoed in Angel's head as a familiar voice. "You will be the cause of the apocalypse." A slow realization that made the vampire feel ill rose from the pit of his stomach.
He looked at Spike, and then to Illeria. Illeria began to contort more, her shape becoming undefined as fissures of light began to escape from new punctures in her skin. He did not look at Spike because he knew no solace would come from it. He whispered, "How big was this explosion supposed to be again?"
The End
Her moves were swift, her strikes deadly. A quick jab at the face of the first guard caused his head to promptly part from the rest of his body, and he fell down and turned to dust. Before the other guards had a chance to respond, Illeria was already upon the second. A quick blow to the stomach caused his organs to crumple and he fell to the ground, flailing painfully. The demon struck out against the third, followed by the fourth. Soon, there was not a single guard left alive to harass them, and a bloody mess of body parts and ash lay strewn about the otherwise immaculately kept foyer. Illeria turned towards Spike and Angel and motioned for them to enter.
"Hey Spike," Angel said, a tint of humor in his voice. "Remember when we were the super heroes?"
"Oh those were the days, mate," the vampire responded. "When we got down and dirty in the fighting."
"And now you no longer need to," Illeria smirked. "I am undefeatable."
"Right," Spike said sarcastically, "Undefeatable. I remember a certain Hamilton who nearly killed you."
"He caught me off guard," Illeria said indignantly. "The fight was unfair."
Before Spike could respond, the elevator doors opened.
A man in a suit and tie walked out. He was old; Angel gauged him to be in his seventies. His hair was gray, speckled with brown. Cold blue eyes watched the group's every move.
Illeria lunged proudly forth, and a hand swung accurately for the old man's head. He flicked his left hand dismissively and Illeria fell backwards and dropped to the ground. She tried to stand back up but the man made a pushing motion with his right palm extended outwards. Illeria was pinned to the ground by unimaginably strong magic.
Angel exchanged a glance with Spike, and they both broke off in separate directions. Spike jumped up, gaining footing on the wall, and then lunged towards the man. His flight was intercepted by another powerful force, causing him to be suspended in mid air. Angel lunged forward, his face contorting into the visage of a bloodthirsty vampire, only to be suspended in midair by the same powerful force.
"You are all fools. I am Gayne, and I share but a fraction of the force of the trinity. Your attempts are meaningless. Your resistance is foolhardy," the man spoke with resolve through raspy breaths and wheezing. "I am forever and you are not. Thus, your lives are forfeit."
"Right," Spike said. "Do you know how many lackeys we've dropped to get here? In fact… watch out behind you!"
Gayne turned around for a brief moment, giving Illeria all the time she needed. Her will broke the magic surrounding her, and before Gayne could return his icy stare he was already a corpse on the ground. His heart continued to beat in the demon's hand. She crushed it, lifting it high. A smug smile appeared on her face, and she dropped the heart, licking her fingers. "We will go, now," were her only words.
Both Angel and Spike dropped to the ground with a thud, now free of Gayne's magic. "Right," Spike added, "shall we go then?"
"After you," Angel bowed courteously, pointing towards the elevator.
Spike entered the small chamber, pressing the button for the third floor, and waited patiently. Both Angel and Illeria joined him, and the elevator doors closed.
They looked back and forth at each other. Non-offensive and catchy music played. Angel scratched his forehead, and coughed.
"Anti-climatic, right?" Spike joked. Angel gave him a stern look, and he did not continue.
The doors opened and three more guards were there to greet them with weapons drawn. Illeria walked forward, the bullets once again bouncing off her hardened armor. Spike and Angel dove off to the right and left, coming around in a pincer attack to off two of the guards with quick and decisive blows. Illeria approached the last, and stopped but feet away. The guard continued to unload his clip into Illeria, and she did not falter in the slightest. When he realized his weapon was ineffective, the remaining guard dropped the gun.
Illeria stared at him, her icy gaze penetrating his very soul. "Now is the time in which you run." Her words were a command, not a suggestion. The guard nodded eagerly, turned around abruptly, and fled with all the speed he could muster.
Wordlessly, the group walked through the twisted corridors of their former headquarters. Their destination was clear, their resolve unbreakable. The swinging doors that led to the laboratories at the end of the hall burst open, nearly shattering with the force of Angel's rage.
Wes's dimensional weapon lay in a heap, surrounded by a group of four gnarled looking and putrid smelling demons. Their skin was a pale green, and their skin seemed to be made more of warts than anything else. As the door slammed open, they all turned to face the invaders.
"Step away, and nobody will get hurt, alright?" Angel cautiously stepped forward.
One of the demons turned towards Angel, and massive wings extended from his shoulders that were, before, entirely unnoticeable. He lunged towards Angel with unbridled speed, knocking him to the floor with an echoing thud.
"I told you someone was going to get hurt," Angel muttered through bloodied teeth.
Spike somersaulted towards one of the demons, catching him unprepared. Before his wings could extend he found himself pinned to the ground, his neck in dire peril. Quickly, Spike twisted his arm as hard as he could, and a sickly snap rang out. The demon slumped in Spike's arms.
Illeria walked towards the dimensional weapon without a concern for its guardians. One of the demons latched itself on to Illeria's legs in a futile attempt to protect its charge. Illeria paid no attention save pushing the demon aside with a lackluster kick. Her eyes focused on the weapon. She wanted it. She needed it.
Angel jumped back on to his feet to greet the winged demon as he swung around for another assault. He placed his weight on the balls of his feet and jumped high in the air, his arm extended. The demon realized too late that his velocity would not allow for any change in trajectory, and he found himself to be his own decapitator as he flew into Angel's arm. Angel dropped, falling to one knee, and he turned around to watch Illeria.
The former God lifted the weapon, one of the demons still clinging desperately to her leg. She paused, frustrated, and turned to Angel. "Half-breed. Make this work."
Angel sighed. Was this really the right thing to do? He would be helping an evil force to defeat an even more diabolical one. But the end result would be the same. But maybe, just maybe…
Angel approached Illeria, and gave the demon who had adhered himself to Illeria's leg a final, fatal blow. The last demon swung around to be met by Spike's powerful roundhouse kick. He plummeted to the ground, and let out a final raspy inhuman noise before expiring.
Illeria handed the weapon to Angel, and he inspected it carefully. A glowing crystal pulsed gently inside the device. Angel turned to Illeria to notice that she was completely absorbed by the undulating orb. This must be it, he thought— the key to the other dimension.
With that, he crashed the weapon to the ground. The crystal lay haphazardly on the ground. "Now," he started, "to figure out how to…"
But it was too late. Illeria's foot crashed down on the crystal, and it burst with a blinding light. Illeria screamed, and it seemed for the first time, the God was experiencing the utter agony that he once dolled out.
Finally, the light subsided. Angel and Spike did not move, their gaze focused on Illeria.
The demon smiled. "I am whole again."
With that, in a blink of an eye, Illeria disappeared.
"Oh just great," Spike cursed. "So now we've got two— no, make that four— big bads out there. So what are we gonna do now?"
"Just wait," Angel said. "Just wait."
And, with those words, a hole in reality itself opened up where the crystal once lay. The power unleashed caused a leak in reality, and Angel felt himself being pulled inside. Both vampires found themselves now within the dimension of the crystal's choosing.
Like Dorian's now forgotten realm, the dimension they found themselves in was a perfect and pristine white. Angel looked up. A wolf as black as night met his gaze, and it became startled. As soon as their eyes met, the wolf began to shift forms, mutating into a greater power, when…
The wolf's ribcage burst open, and Illeria appeared for a blink of an eye. As soon as she knew the wolf had met his demise, she turned and disappeared again. Before Angel could even register two other animals, both lie dead before the feet of the now fully restored God.
Angel parted his lips with disbelief. The Wolf, The Ram, and The Hart were now nothing more than bloody carcasses soiling the pristine white room. Illeria appeared again before the two vampires. Her eyes met with Spike's first, and she faltered, her face contorting in pain.
A flood of memories returned to Angel as he heard Dorian's voice inside his head. "This," the voice started, "is what I could never tell you." Dorian's voice was rife with regret as he continued. "You cannot escape destiny."
The haunting words echoed in Angel's head as a familiar voice. "You will be the cause of the apocalypse." A slow realization that made the vampire feel ill rose from the pit of his stomach.
He looked at Spike, and then to Illeria. Illeria began to contort more, her shape becoming undefined as fissures of light began to escape from new punctures in her skin. He did not look at Spike because he knew no solace would come from it. He whispered, "How big was this explosion supposed to be again?"
The End