THE LABOUR & THE WOUNDS
By Allegra
See Part 1 for disclaimers etc.
Sorry to anyone who might have been waiting for the next instalment – don't give up on me! I'm sorry it's taken so long. No excuses. I just hope you enjoy it & it would be lovely if you would review for me.
PART 11 *******
"Axe?"
"Check."
"Flail?"
"Check."
"Crossbow and supply of bolts?"
"Check."
"Broadsword?"
"Check."
"Guys, by the time you've gone through our whole artillery, Connor might be dead," Gunn stated, barely suppressing the blood lust in his voice.
Angel looked up. "No he won't. He can hold his own...for a while anyway. I just want to be prepared. We don't know what we're going to find out there."
Fred shuddered, "Just imagine, the place is going to be crawling with vampires and monsters, demons of all shapes and sizes."
"Yeah, it's going to be a real multi-cultural shindig. Come on, let's make a start." Gunn hated waiting around before a fight. The more time he had to think and assess a situation, the less he wanted to be involved with it anymore. Contemplation was not his strongest quality and too much down time only made him jittery; it did nothing for improving his outlook on the whole thing.
"Angel, Gunn's right. This dome has been known to move location. Fax will know you're on his trail. Your reputation will no doubt precede you. Not to feed your ego but your CV is pretty formidable. They might just move Hybridome on account of you." Once again, Wesley was the voice of reason in the outfit and Angel seemed to be listening this time.
"Fine, let's go." He grabbed the innocent looking carpet bag which held anything but innocent objects. The shiny metal of a mace glinted under the lights as Angel slung it over his shoulder. "Fred, you got the map?"
"Yep, I mean, check."
"Anyone got keys?" Cordelia piped up, ever ready with the important things. Angel shot her a sarcastic look and she shrugged her shoulders, "What? The last thing we want to come back to is a hotel overrun by vamps or worse."
"What's worse?" Gunn enquired.
"I don't know. Squatters?"
**********
The drive seemed interminable. Nothing but scrub and sand as far as the eye could see, except for huge rocky hills obscuring their view. The Hybridome could be nestled behind any one of them and Fred's map reading had been of little use.
"I'm sorry everyone. I had no idea it would be this hard to find. I mean, a desert's a desert, right? Maybe I'm reading this map wrong. We passed Ludlow nearly an hour ago. There's no way this is right. I mean, these are definitely the Bristol Mountains...unless they're the Piute Mountains. I mean, it does feel like we've overshot by quite a lot."
Gunn recognised the telltale signs of half coherent ramble coming and rubbed his girlfriend's back, reassuringly. "It's okay, Fred, you've done good. You got us off the freeway and out of Los Angeles, didn't you?!"
"I guess," Fred murmured, her eyes turning to Angel for some kind of assurance, after all it was his son's life at stake...again. His gaze remained stony, staring out of the window at the passing desert. Suddenly Wesley swerved, the tyres skidding on the light dirt ground and ground to a halt at the foot of a steep hillside.
"Oh-kay," Gunn drawled. "That I was not expecting. Your foot slip off the pedal there, Englishman?"
Wesley squinted into the darkness ahead of the yellow headlight beam. "We've been going about this all wrong. I mean, what are we looking for? A neon sign pointing us in the right direction? What demon in his right mind would set up a complex like Hybridome just off the highway?"
"So what are you suggesting?" Gunn grumbled, the familiar irritation towards Wesley mounting.
"That we go cross-country."
"Up and down the hill?" Fred asked, her eyes widening as she stared up the almost sheer face of slippery, sandy rock.
"Through the middle," Wesley replied, blankly. With a flick of the fog lights, a narrow passage was visible between two sharp escarpments and, without further consultation, Wesley put his foot on the accelerator and drove right for the gap. He ignored the protests that the four wheel drive would never fit and did not even flinch when the audible scratching of paint being torn off the carriage reverberated around the car.
The bumpy terrain jostled the passengers and Gunn protested profusely, although he made a point of blaming Wesley's poor driving rather than the natural hazards of desert treks. His whinging was eventually silenced when the car emerged from between the hills onto a dusty but clear plateau of desert. Angel pulled himself upright in his seat and squinted into the distance.
Fred looked around them and sighed, "Well, unless they've cast some kind of camouflage spell, I don't see any signs of the dome."
"What's that?" Angel pointed towards the horizon.
Wesley retrieved a small pair of binoculars from the glove box and brought the faint object into focus. "Well, it looks like we've found what we were looking for. Now we just have to get close enough without being detected."
"Couldn't we cast some kind of spell over ourselves or something?" Gunn asked.
Wesley raised an eyebrow. "We'd have to go back to the hotel for the spell book and then find the ingredients. Even if we did, chances are whoever runs security on this place is monitoring supernatural activity more thoroughly than anything else."
"So we walk - go in as ourselves. Humans are the least threatening of any visitors, no offence intended, guys." Angel managed a wry smile but it was evident he wanted to get moving now. With the dome in sight, all his thoughts would be turned inevitably to Connor. Instinctively, he took a step away from the car, towards danger and his son. Without question, the others followed, loaded with their artillery of weapons from the trunk of the car.
With each step, the edifice loomed closer, a menacing source of evil. The team of Angel Investigations had probably faced worse than each and every one of these demons at some point but that was not what sent a chill down their spines. It was the sheer concentration of them in one place, a place with no quick access to civilisation, or escape. Still, they had Angel on their side and Fax must be pretty scared of him to go to such lengths to keep Connor away from him.
**********
Connor's head pounded like an elephant had stood on his skull and then jumped up and down. The pain was indescribable; certainly unlike anything the teenager had experienced before. He had always been invincible. Now he felt anything but. He slowly opened his eyes, grateful to discover that the room was dimly lit. Gradually, reality dawned on him and Connor forced himself into a sitting position. This was not the familiar décor of Wesley's apartment, neither did it resemble the Hyperion. Come to think of it, the room was unlike anywhere he had ever been. Had he woken up to familiar faces, this might not have seemed too perturbing but Connor knew better than to think well of a situation unless proved otherwise. He raised one hand to his foggy head and was almost surprised to find no trace of blood. Surely the antidote wasn't supposed to have such radical side effects - it made the poison suddenly seem not such an awful option. Connor staggered to his feet and fought the swaying motion as he made his way to the door and tried the handle. Locked. Not a good sign. Unable to make any further judgement, he returned to the soft bed and lay down.
He couldn't be sure how long he had slept or whether he had simply blacked out but Connor came to with the sound of a key turning in a lock. He sat up, trying to appear as alert as his still pounding head would let him. Two burly men pushed the door open and Fax entered, looking unusually small alongside such heavyweights. "Where am I?" Connor demanded, immediately.
Fax chuckled and nodded to the two men who closed the door behind him, leaving the pair alone. "I'm sorry about the door. It's more for your own safety than anything else."
"Safety from what?" Connor eyed the older man, warily. He had a feeling he knew what was coming but, like any trapped animal, he wasn't planning on taking any chances. Whatever answers he could get from the horse's mouth, he would. For the first time, he noticed that Fax was carrying a tray of food and a carafe of water which he placed gently on the bedside table.
"You must be thirsty. Antidotes always leave ya drained. How're you feeling though? Better, I'd warrant." He calmly poured some water and handed the glass to Connor, who took it eagerly but not without sniffing the contents first. Fax laughed again, "Still don't trust anyone, do ya, kid? Well, don't worry, you'll come to. I understand you better than you know." Connor did not reply so Fax continued. "You should rest, get your sea legs back so to speak. You'll be back in the ring in no time."
"The Cage?" Connor asked in confusion.
"Not The Cage anymore, kid. Hybridome. The same thing, only fifty times bigger and plenty more cash to be made. You're not shy of big crowds, are ya?" The question was clearly rhetorical because he carried on. "You're going to be a star, kid, just you wait and see. Think of the money you make now and multiply it by one hundred. Just think of it. I'd bet your mind can't even imagine such wealth. It'll buy you anything you've ever wanted."
"I don't want anything. My life's just fine," Connor insisted, indignantly.
"You think Angel would agree?" Connor flinched at the sound of his father's name and the fact that Fax knew about his family. Fax flapped a hand nonchalantly and sat down on the edge of the bed, beckoning his protégé closer. "Come here, kid."
Connor remained where he was for a moment then drew a chair up opposite Fax. The older man looked kinder in the teenager's view all of a sudden. His eyes no longer held a money lusting light but that of a kindly figure. The wrinkles around his eyes were gentle and natural, reassuring. "I don't pretend to know you, kid, but I do know something about pain and suffering. I know about loss...of your family, the very heart of you. It fills you with a loneliness that's inconsolable. The only relief is in directin' that loneliness into anger and revenge. What makes it bitter is when you don't get to wreak that revenge on the ones that deserve it. Most of us never get that opportunity, so we do the next best thing. We take our anger out on the creatures that the world wants gone. And, hell, what's wrong with making a buck or two along the way? That's what we're here for. You might not need me but what say we rub along together for a while?""
Connor stared at Fax with something bordering on amazement. His eyes bore into the older man with a kind of desperate yearning and it almost broke Fax's cold heart to see the flicker of innocence lingering in the background. He had not seen that expression on a face since his family was torn from him. Connor whispered, "Okay."
"Good lad," Fax said, punching Connor lightly on the arm, breaking the uncomfortable moment of intimacy. "Now get some rest. Here's the key to your room. Just watch your back if you choose to do any sightseeing."
**********
By the time Angel and the gang were less than half a mile from the dome, they stopped. "I'll go the rest of the way alone. Wait here."
"Wait here? I didn't come all this way to be told to 'wait here'!" Gunn said, indignantly.
Angel stared him down. "Look out there. The place is swarming with vampires and demons. You get anywhere within the vicinity and you'll be a dead man. Trust me."
Gunn gripped his axe angrily and Fred could tell he was chomping at the bit to use it. She moved to his side and placed her hand gently over his. "Gunn, Angel's right. We've taken on vamps and demons before but not on this scale. There's no way we'd survive."
Wesley chimed in, "Besides, even if we did make it through the sea of supernatural creatures, we'd hardly be able to enter the dome undetected. We'd simply draw even more attention to ourselves." He turned to Angel, hardly giving Gunn an opportunity to protest. "What's your plan?"
Angel stared back at the Englishman blankly. "Plan?"
"Please tell me you were't expecting to just walk in there?"
"Well, I guess..." Angel shrugged, then his wounded puppy expression appeared. "Is that not a good plan?"
Fred gushed, "No! It's a terrible plan. If there's one person Fax is expecting to show up, it's you! He'd never just let you stroll in there. You've got 'trouble' written all over you."
"Fine, then I'll be...stealthy," Angel said, trying to think of something which would get the gang off his back and release him to rescue Connor in peace. "Those monsters will smell your blood a mile off but, in all the crowds, I might just slip past unnoticed."
"And if it doesn't work?" Fred asked.
"Then you guys can come rescue me and say 'I told you so'."
Wesley handed Angel the sword he had been carrying. "Given how little we know about this place, even just getting a closer look at the security and basic layout would make the task easier. Good luck, Angel. Just call if there's any trouble."
"Yeah, or you want a diversion," Fred offered, hopefully. Gunn winced at the mental image she conjured up of the three humans fleeing across hundreds of miles of desert, vainly trying to escape throngs of demons and vampires.
Angel nodded, "See you soon." Jamming the sword into his black coat and arming himself with a few stakes and charms, he set off towards the dome, leaving his three friends watching his back grow smaller in the distance.
"I sure hope he's right about this plan of his," Fred murmured.
"You and me both..." Gunn replied. "...'coz I don't fancy being bait."
**********
Angel glided through the jostling crowds, moving away from groups of demons talking and catching up on old times, towards the sound of a ticket tout. Creatures of different varieties queued up for a chance to watch the action in Hybridome and Angel, remembering about not drawing attention to himself, simply joined the back of the line. He took the opportunity to get a good look at the types of demons around him. Most were pretty harmless, the kind that watched a fight because they didn't have it in them to make one for themselves. There were still a fair number that could do considerable damage if they were an enemy but, so far, Angel hadn't given them a reason to dislike him.
"Hey, buddy, you want a ticket or not?" Angel turned and realised he was now at the front of the queue, facing a Grolor demon, all folds of mottled flesh and a rank odour.
"Yeah. How much?"
"That depends on where you sit."
Angel reached for his wallet. "As close to the action as you can get me. How much?"
The Grolor demon rifled through the tickets in his hand. "I can give you centre circle but it'll cost you."
Angel was starting to get impatient. "How much?"
"$400." Angel raised his eyebrows in mock surprise. If anything, the price was cheaper than he had anticipated. Good for him that he was used to forking out bribe money and could hand over clean cash. "Here." He handed the demon a wad of notes and took the ticket before heading straight for the entrance.
Inside, the dome lobby resembled an average casino – loud coloured carpets with busy patterns plus curtains and upholstery which even the most uncreative person could see did not match in the slightest. The crowds in here were worse than those gathering outside in the open desert. Demons jostled one another for a programme of events and alcohol or bizarre dimensional juices at the kiosks dotted around.
Angel stared grimly out from under hooded brows; it should not prove too difficult to find some kind of access to where Connor was held without being detected. He felt bad for completely ignoring the plan his friends had come up with but he didn't want four extra lives to take responsibility for. He wanted to get into the building (check), find Connor, wreak some havoc and get out. Nice and simple. A sign near the ring entrance indicated some kind of staff access. Shoving through a group of Japanese hyuki demons with cameras, the vampire made a beeline for the door. Two burly bodyguards were posted on either side but, unless they unleashed any special powers, Angel didn't think they'd pose a problem. Just as he reached them, a voice rang out clearly behind him. It was not so much the volume which made the vampire pause so much as the distinctive tone. It was too familiar to ignore. Angel turned to face Fax Torrance.
"Angelus! I wondered how long it would be before you caught up with us. It's a pleasure to see you." There was barely a note of sarcasm in the man's voice as he looked the vampire up and down, pausing when he saw the ticket clutched in Angel's hand. "You didn't pay for that thing, did you? As a member of a participant's family, you're entitled to free admission to all the fights. I'll get your money refunded right away."
Angel clenched his jaw angrily. "Why do I get the feeling you won't hand my son back so readily. Keep your God damned money."
"Oh, I think it's you whose damned by God, Angelus...and I think you'll find your son's more than happy here." The grin which spread across Fax's face was almost enough to make Angel deck the man, but he thought better of it in a crowded place full of Hybridome fans.
"We'll see about that. You gonna tell me where he is or do I have to squeeze it out of you?"
Fax graciously raised his eyebrows and tilted his head in the direction of the door Angel had been heading towards. "Go for it. You might have to join the queue though. Hope you brought your autograph book, 'coz his signature might be the last keepsake you have of him."
"Oh, mark my words. I'm not leaving this place without Connor." Angel turned his back on the repellent little man and pushed through the door. Trap or no trap, he had to check it out.
Fax watched his sworn enemy go, feeling strangely exhilarated by the close encounter. "Connor," he breathed. So the Kid finally had a real name.
**********
"This sucks!" Gunn stated, dismally. It felt like years since Angel had left them behind to man the getaway car. "If I'd known this was how the evening was going down, I'd have stayed and watched the game on TV."
Fred shot him a withering look and he got defensive. "What?! A nice cold beer, some chips and a pepperoni pizza..." His mouth watered as his mind drifted to the scene.
"Yes, I'm starting to wish you'd stayed at home, too," Wesley murmured, just loud enough for the sidekick to hear as he peered through his night vision binoculars towards the throng in the distance.
Gunn looked at the Englishman indignantly. "Yeah, because Angel was just so grateful for your help and all. I mean, everyone needs a stick up their ass from time to time, right?"
Fred stood up, ready to part the sparring pair. "Charles...!"
Wesley did not even look up from his binoculars. "Perhaps, but who was it who found the short cut to get us here? And who was it who..."
"...took Connor the first time. You know, I'm surprised Angel even trusted you to come along, after everything that..."
Gunn stopped as Wesley put down the binoculars and sent a look of steel in the other man's direction. "I'd take that back if I were you."
"Or what? I hadn't even finished the sentence yet."
"Yeah, and you're not going to," Cordelia stepped in. She had stayed quiet for most of the journey and the duration of the conversation. Mostly, her thoughts were with the trauma of becoming a higher being and being returned to Earth with memory loss. Her whole perspective had changed and the old Cordelia had been quickly replaced with a more reflective, sombre character. "You don't have a right to an opinion on that one. If Angel doesn't want to talk about it, neither should you."
"Yeah, because we always do what Angel wants, don't we? Like sitting out here for hours on end freezing our butts off in the desert with no sign of action!" Gunn almost yelled the last bit.
Cordelia stared him down but chose not to belittle herself by arguing the matter out. Gunn was notoriously hot-headed and there was no point trying to make him see sense in this situation. Besides, he had gone for the cheap shot so she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of being bait for his anger.
Wesley had returned his gaze to the binoculars and the green-hued scene playing out within its lenses. He moved through the crowd with no clear direction, partly looking for Angel and partly simply biding the time by identifying breeds of demon in his head. Then, something caught his attention. Amidst the dirt and ugliness a sleek, feline form moved as if the demons did not even touch her. Lilah. She had almost reached the front doors of the Hybridome.
Putting down the binoculars, Wesley said sternly, "Wait here. I'll be back soon."
"Wesley...!" Fred whispered, hoarsely, but he was already sneaking round the rocks and making a path for the crowds ahead. "What's he doing?" she asked in concern, looking to Cordelia for enlightenment.
"I don't know. Maybe something upset him," she stated, clearly, looking firmly at Gunn.
"Hey, I can't help it if he can't behave like a man," Gunn shrugged.
**********
Angel moved quickly down the starkly lit passageways. They looked like typical maintenance access corridors, the ceiling bulging with snakes of pipe line and valves, including the occasional shaft dovetailing off the main artery. As he walked faster, Angel began to hear sounds of life. He had expected perhaps a couple of Hybridome employees but, even a group wouldn't be making this volume of noise.
He rounded a corner and saw the corridor had widened and was starting to look as if someone had taken some care decorating. A mass of demons were standing in a line. They turned to look at the newcomer, eyeing him suspiciously. Angel paused for a moment, weighing up whether they were a potential threat or not. Deciding negative, he began to walk past until a scaled arm was thrown up to block his path. "Hey, wait your turn, man!"
"Yeah, the back of the line's there, buddy," another chimed in.
"What line?" Angel asked in confusion.
"You're not here for the Kid's autograph. He won seven consecutive times at The Cage. Man, he's only a slip of a thing, but, man, can he move."
"Yeah, and the strength in him! It's like he's been popping the spinach."
"Must be some demon blood in him somewhere. No measly human could fight like that." The demon in question looked sheepishly at Angel. "Sorry, man. I guess you were a measly human once, huh?"
"Yeah," Angel said, still fairly bemused. The Kid could only be Connor and he was determined to get in to see his son. Ignoring the protests of the boy's fans, Angel tried the door only to find it locked. He was about to kick it down when Connor's voice issued from within. "Just give me a moment, will ya?" Suddenly put off his game by the sound of his voice, Angel paused and decided to wait for an invitation.
A moment later, the door opened and Connor's pale but defiant face appeared. He was wearing a public grin, pen poised, expecting his fans. "Hi, son. Sorry, have you got any paper?"
**********
END OF PART 11
Part 12 coming sooner rather than later!!!
See Part 1 for disclaimers etc.
Sorry to anyone who might have been waiting for the next instalment – don't give up on me! I'm sorry it's taken so long. No excuses. I just hope you enjoy it & it would be lovely if you would review for me.
PART 11 *******
"Axe?"
"Check."
"Flail?"
"Check."
"Crossbow and supply of bolts?"
"Check."
"Broadsword?"
"Check."
"Guys, by the time you've gone through our whole artillery, Connor might be dead," Gunn stated, barely suppressing the blood lust in his voice.
Angel looked up. "No he won't. He can hold his own...for a while anyway. I just want to be prepared. We don't know what we're going to find out there."
Fred shuddered, "Just imagine, the place is going to be crawling with vampires and monsters, demons of all shapes and sizes."
"Yeah, it's going to be a real multi-cultural shindig. Come on, let's make a start." Gunn hated waiting around before a fight. The more time he had to think and assess a situation, the less he wanted to be involved with it anymore. Contemplation was not his strongest quality and too much down time only made him jittery; it did nothing for improving his outlook on the whole thing.
"Angel, Gunn's right. This dome has been known to move location. Fax will know you're on his trail. Your reputation will no doubt precede you. Not to feed your ego but your CV is pretty formidable. They might just move Hybridome on account of you." Once again, Wesley was the voice of reason in the outfit and Angel seemed to be listening this time.
"Fine, let's go." He grabbed the innocent looking carpet bag which held anything but innocent objects. The shiny metal of a mace glinted under the lights as Angel slung it over his shoulder. "Fred, you got the map?"
"Yep, I mean, check."
"Anyone got keys?" Cordelia piped up, ever ready with the important things. Angel shot her a sarcastic look and she shrugged her shoulders, "What? The last thing we want to come back to is a hotel overrun by vamps or worse."
"What's worse?" Gunn enquired.
"I don't know. Squatters?"
**********
The drive seemed interminable. Nothing but scrub and sand as far as the eye could see, except for huge rocky hills obscuring their view. The Hybridome could be nestled behind any one of them and Fred's map reading had been of little use.
"I'm sorry everyone. I had no idea it would be this hard to find. I mean, a desert's a desert, right? Maybe I'm reading this map wrong. We passed Ludlow nearly an hour ago. There's no way this is right. I mean, these are definitely the Bristol Mountains...unless they're the Piute Mountains. I mean, it does feel like we've overshot by quite a lot."
Gunn recognised the telltale signs of half coherent ramble coming and rubbed his girlfriend's back, reassuringly. "It's okay, Fred, you've done good. You got us off the freeway and out of Los Angeles, didn't you?!"
"I guess," Fred murmured, her eyes turning to Angel for some kind of assurance, after all it was his son's life at stake...again. His gaze remained stony, staring out of the window at the passing desert. Suddenly Wesley swerved, the tyres skidding on the light dirt ground and ground to a halt at the foot of a steep hillside.
"Oh-kay," Gunn drawled. "That I was not expecting. Your foot slip off the pedal there, Englishman?"
Wesley squinted into the darkness ahead of the yellow headlight beam. "We've been going about this all wrong. I mean, what are we looking for? A neon sign pointing us in the right direction? What demon in his right mind would set up a complex like Hybridome just off the highway?"
"So what are you suggesting?" Gunn grumbled, the familiar irritation towards Wesley mounting.
"That we go cross-country."
"Up and down the hill?" Fred asked, her eyes widening as she stared up the almost sheer face of slippery, sandy rock.
"Through the middle," Wesley replied, blankly. With a flick of the fog lights, a narrow passage was visible between two sharp escarpments and, without further consultation, Wesley put his foot on the accelerator and drove right for the gap. He ignored the protests that the four wheel drive would never fit and did not even flinch when the audible scratching of paint being torn off the carriage reverberated around the car.
The bumpy terrain jostled the passengers and Gunn protested profusely, although he made a point of blaming Wesley's poor driving rather than the natural hazards of desert treks. His whinging was eventually silenced when the car emerged from between the hills onto a dusty but clear plateau of desert. Angel pulled himself upright in his seat and squinted into the distance.
Fred looked around them and sighed, "Well, unless they've cast some kind of camouflage spell, I don't see any signs of the dome."
"What's that?" Angel pointed towards the horizon.
Wesley retrieved a small pair of binoculars from the glove box and brought the faint object into focus. "Well, it looks like we've found what we were looking for. Now we just have to get close enough without being detected."
"Couldn't we cast some kind of spell over ourselves or something?" Gunn asked.
Wesley raised an eyebrow. "We'd have to go back to the hotel for the spell book and then find the ingredients. Even if we did, chances are whoever runs security on this place is monitoring supernatural activity more thoroughly than anything else."
"So we walk - go in as ourselves. Humans are the least threatening of any visitors, no offence intended, guys." Angel managed a wry smile but it was evident he wanted to get moving now. With the dome in sight, all his thoughts would be turned inevitably to Connor. Instinctively, he took a step away from the car, towards danger and his son. Without question, the others followed, loaded with their artillery of weapons from the trunk of the car.
With each step, the edifice loomed closer, a menacing source of evil. The team of Angel Investigations had probably faced worse than each and every one of these demons at some point but that was not what sent a chill down their spines. It was the sheer concentration of them in one place, a place with no quick access to civilisation, or escape. Still, they had Angel on their side and Fax must be pretty scared of him to go to such lengths to keep Connor away from him.
**********
Connor's head pounded like an elephant had stood on his skull and then jumped up and down. The pain was indescribable; certainly unlike anything the teenager had experienced before. He had always been invincible. Now he felt anything but. He slowly opened his eyes, grateful to discover that the room was dimly lit. Gradually, reality dawned on him and Connor forced himself into a sitting position. This was not the familiar décor of Wesley's apartment, neither did it resemble the Hyperion. Come to think of it, the room was unlike anywhere he had ever been. Had he woken up to familiar faces, this might not have seemed too perturbing but Connor knew better than to think well of a situation unless proved otherwise. He raised one hand to his foggy head and was almost surprised to find no trace of blood. Surely the antidote wasn't supposed to have such radical side effects - it made the poison suddenly seem not such an awful option. Connor staggered to his feet and fought the swaying motion as he made his way to the door and tried the handle. Locked. Not a good sign. Unable to make any further judgement, he returned to the soft bed and lay down.
He couldn't be sure how long he had slept or whether he had simply blacked out but Connor came to with the sound of a key turning in a lock. He sat up, trying to appear as alert as his still pounding head would let him. Two burly men pushed the door open and Fax entered, looking unusually small alongside such heavyweights. "Where am I?" Connor demanded, immediately.
Fax chuckled and nodded to the two men who closed the door behind him, leaving the pair alone. "I'm sorry about the door. It's more for your own safety than anything else."
"Safety from what?" Connor eyed the older man, warily. He had a feeling he knew what was coming but, like any trapped animal, he wasn't planning on taking any chances. Whatever answers he could get from the horse's mouth, he would. For the first time, he noticed that Fax was carrying a tray of food and a carafe of water which he placed gently on the bedside table.
"You must be thirsty. Antidotes always leave ya drained. How're you feeling though? Better, I'd warrant." He calmly poured some water and handed the glass to Connor, who took it eagerly but not without sniffing the contents first. Fax laughed again, "Still don't trust anyone, do ya, kid? Well, don't worry, you'll come to. I understand you better than you know." Connor did not reply so Fax continued. "You should rest, get your sea legs back so to speak. You'll be back in the ring in no time."
"The Cage?" Connor asked in confusion.
"Not The Cage anymore, kid. Hybridome. The same thing, only fifty times bigger and plenty more cash to be made. You're not shy of big crowds, are ya?" The question was clearly rhetorical because he carried on. "You're going to be a star, kid, just you wait and see. Think of the money you make now and multiply it by one hundred. Just think of it. I'd bet your mind can't even imagine such wealth. It'll buy you anything you've ever wanted."
"I don't want anything. My life's just fine," Connor insisted, indignantly.
"You think Angel would agree?" Connor flinched at the sound of his father's name and the fact that Fax knew about his family. Fax flapped a hand nonchalantly and sat down on the edge of the bed, beckoning his protégé closer. "Come here, kid."
Connor remained where he was for a moment then drew a chair up opposite Fax. The older man looked kinder in the teenager's view all of a sudden. His eyes no longer held a money lusting light but that of a kindly figure. The wrinkles around his eyes were gentle and natural, reassuring. "I don't pretend to know you, kid, but I do know something about pain and suffering. I know about loss...of your family, the very heart of you. It fills you with a loneliness that's inconsolable. The only relief is in directin' that loneliness into anger and revenge. What makes it bitter is when you don't get to wreak that revenge on the ones that deserve it. Most of us never get that opportunity, so we do the next best thing. We take our anger out on the creatures that the world wants gone. And, hell, what's wrong with making a buck or two along the way? That's what we're here for. You might not need me but what say we rub along together for a while?""
Connor stared at Fax with something bordering on amazement. His eyes bore into the older man with a kind of desperate yearning and it almost broke Fax's cold heart to see the flicker of innocence lingering in the background. He had not seen that expression on a face since his family was torn from him. Connor whispered, "Okay."
"Good lad," Fax said, punching Connor lightly on the arm, breaking the uncomfortable moment of intimacy. "Now get some rest. Here's the key to your room. Just watch your back if you choose to do any sightseeing."
**********
By the time Angel and the gang were less than half a mile from the dome, they stopped. "I'll go the rest of the way alone. Wait here."
"Wait here? I didn't come all this way to be told to 'wait here'!" Gunn said, indignantly.
Angel stared him down. "Look out there. The place is swarming with vampires and demons. You get anywhere within the vicinity and you'll be a dead man. Trust me."
Gunn gripped his axe angrily and Fred could tell he was chomping at the bit to use it. She moved to his side and placed her hand gently over his. "Gunn, Angel's right. We've taken on vamps and demons before but not on this scale. There's no way we'd survive."
Wesley chimed in, "Besides, even if we did make it through the sea of supernatural creatures, we'd hardly be able to enter the dome undetected. We'd simply draw even more attention to ourselves." He turned to Angel, hardly giving Gunn an opportunity to protest. "What's your plan?"
Angel stared back at the Englishman blankly. "Plan?"
"Please tell me you were't expecting to just walk in there?"
"Well, I guess..." Angel shrugged, then his wounded puppy expression appeared. "Is that not a good plan?"
Fred gushed, "No! It's a terrible plan. If there's one person Fax is expecting to show up, it's you! He'd never just let you stroll in there. You've got 'trouble' written all over you."
"Fine, then I'll be...stealthy," Angel said, trying to think of something which would get the gang off his back and release him to rescue Connor in peace. "Those monsters will smell your blood a mile off but, in all the crowds, I might just slip past unnoticed."
"And if it doesn't work?" Fred asked.
"Then you guys can come rescue me and say 'I told you so'."
Wesley handed Angel the sword he had been carrying. "Given how little we know about this place, even just getting a closer look at the security and basic layout would make the task easier. Good luck, Angel. Just call if there's any trouble."
"Yeah, or you want a diversion," Fred offered, hopefully. Gunn winced at the mental image she conjured up of the three humans fleeing across hundreds of miles of desert, vainly trying to escape throngs of demons and vampires.
Angel nodded, "See you soon." Jamming the sword into his black coat and arming himself with a few stakes and charms, he set off towards the dome, leaving his three friends watching his back grow smaller in the distance.
"I sure hope he's right about this plan of his," Fred murmured.
"You and me both..." Gunn replied. "...'coz I don't fancy being bait."
**********
Angel glided through the jostling crowds, moving away from groups of demons talking and catching up on old times, towards the sound of a ticket tout. Creatures of different varieties queued up for a chance to watch the action in Hybridome and Angel, remembering about not drawing attention to himself, simply joined the back of the line. He took the opportunity to get a good look at the types of demons around him. Most were pretty harmless, the kind that watched a fight because they didn't have it in them to make one for themselves. There were still a fair number that could do considerable damage if they were an enemy but, so far, Angel hadn't given them a reason to dislike him.
"Hey, buddy, you want a ticket or not?" Angel turned and realised he was now at the front of the queue, facing a Grolor demon, all folds of mottled flesh and a rank odour.
"Yeah. How much?"
"That depends on where you sit."
Angel reached for his wallet. "As close to the action as you can get me. How much?"
The Grolor demon rifled through the tickets in his hand. "I can give you centre circle but it'll cost you."
Angel was starting to get impatient. "How much?"
"$400." Angel raised his eyebrows in mock surprise. If anything, the price was cheaper than he had anticipated. Good for him that he was used to forking out bribe money and could hand over clean cash. "Here." He handed the demon a wad of notes and took the ticket before heading straight for the entrance.
Inside, the dome lobby resembled an average casino – loud coloured carpets with busy patterns plus curtains and upholstery which even the most uncreative person could see did not match in the slightest. The crowds in here were worse than those gathering outside in the open desert. Demons jostled one another for a programme of events and alcohol or bizarre dimensional juices at the kiosks dotted around.
Angel stared grimly out from under hooded brows; it should not prove too difficult to find some kind of access to where Connor was held without being detected. He felt bad for completely ignoring the plan his friends had come up with but he didn't want four extra lives to take responsibility for. He wanted to get into the building (check), find Connor, wreak some havoc and get out. Nice and simple. A sign near the ring entrance indicated some kind of staff access. Shoving through a group of Japanese hyuki demons with cameras, the vampire made a beeline for the door. Two burly bodyguards were posted on either side but, unless they unleashed any special powers, Angel didn't think they'd pose a problem. Just as he reached them, a voice rang out clearly behind him. It was not so much the volume which made the vampire pause so much as the distinctive tone. It was too familiar to ignore. Angel turned to face Fax Torrance.
"Angelus! I wondered how long it would be before you caught up with us. It's a pleasure to see you." There was barely a note of sarcasm in the man's voice as he looked the vampire up and down, pausing when he saw the ticket clutched in Angel's hand. "You didn't pay for that thing, did you? As a member of a participant's family, you're entitled to free admission to all the fights. I'll get your money refunded right away."
Angel clenched his jaw angrily. "Why do I get the feeling you won't hand my son back so readily. Keep your God damned money."
"Oh, I think it's you whose damned by God, Angelus...and I think you'll find your son's more than happy here." The grin which spread across Fax's face was almost enough to make Angel deck the man, but he thought better of it in a crowded place full of Hybridome fans.
"We'll see about that. You gonna tell me where he is or do I have to squeeze it out of you?"
Fax graciously raised his eyebrows and tilted his head in the direction of the door Angel had been heading towards. "Go for it. You might have to join the queue though. Hope you brought your autograph book, 'coz his signature might be the last keepsake you have of him."
"Oh, mark my words. I'm not leaving this place without Connor." Angel turned his back on the repellent little man and pushed through the door. Trap or no trap, he had to check it out.
Fax watched his sworn enemy go, feeling strangely exhilarated by the close encounter. "Connor," he breathed. So the Kid finally had a real name.
**********
"This sucks!" Gunn stated, dismally. It felt like years since Angel had left them behind to man the getaway car. "If I'd known this was how the evening was going down, I'd have stayed and watched the game on TV."
Fred shot him a withering look and he got defensive. "What?! A nice cold beer, some chips and a pepperoni pizza..." His mouth watered as his mind drifted to the scene.
"Yes, I'm starting to wish you'd stayed at home, too," Wesley murmured, just loud enough for the sidekick to hear as he peered through his night vision binoculars towards the throng in the distance.
Gunn looked at the Englishman indignantly. "Yeah, because Angel was just so grateful for your help and all. I mean, everyone needs a stick up their ass from time to time, right?"
Fred stood up, ready to part the sparring pair. "Charles...!"
Wesley did not even look up from his binoculars. "Perhaps, but who was it who found the short cut to get us here? And who was it who..."
"...took Connor the first time. You know, I'm surprised Angel even trusted you to come along, after everything that..."
Gunn stopped as Wesley put down the binoculars and sent a look of steel in the other man's direction. "I'd take that back if I were you."
"Or what? I hadn't even finished the sentence yet."
"Yeah, and you're not going to," Cordelia stepped in. She had stayed quiet for most of the journey and the duration of the conversation. Mostly, her thoughts were with the trauma of becoming a higher being and being returned to Earth with memory loss. Her whole perspective had changed and the old Cordelia had been quickly replaced with a more reflective, sombre character. "You don't have a right to an opinion on that one. If Angel doesn't want to talk about it, neither should you."
"Yeah, because we always do what Angel wants, don't we? Like sitting out here for hours on end freezing our butts off in the desert with no sign of action!" Gunn almost yelled the last bit.
Cordelia stared him down but chose not to belittle herself by arguing the matter out. Gunn was notoriously hot-headed and there was no point trying to make him see sense in this situation. Besides, he had gone for the cheap shot so she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of being bait for his anger.
Wesley had returned his gaze to the binoculars and the green-hued scene playing out within its lenses. He moved through the crowd with no clear direction, partly looking for Angel and partly simply biding the time by identifying breeds of demon in his head. Then, something caught his attention. Amidst the dirt and ugliness a sleek, feline form moved as if the demons did not even touch her. Lilah. She had almost reached the front doors of the Hybridome.
Putting down the binoculars, Wesley said sternly, "Wait here. I'll be back soon."
"Wesley...!" Fred whispered, hoarsely, but he was already sneaking round the rocks and making a path for the crowds ahead. "What's he doing?" she asked in concern, looking to Cordelia for enlightenment.
"I don't know. Maybe something upset him," she stated, clearly, looking firmly at Gunn.
"Hey, I can't help it if he can't behave like a man," Gunn shrugged.
**********
Angel moved quickly down the starkly lit passageways. They looked like typical maintenance access corridors, the ceiling bulging with snakes of pipe line and valves, including the occasional shaft dovetailing off the main artery. As he walked faster, Angel began to hear sounds of life. He had expected perhaps a couple of Hybridome employees but, even a group wouldn't be making this volume of noise.
He rounded a corner and saw the corridor had widened and was starting to look as if someone had taken some care decorating. A mass of demons were standing in a line. They turned to look at the newcomer, eyeing him suspiciously. Angel paused for a moment, weighing up whether they were a potential threat or not. Deciding negative, he began to walk past until a scaled arm was thrown up to block his path. "Hey, wait your turn, man!"
"Yeah, the back of the line's there, buddy," another chimed in.
"What line?" Angel asked in confusion.
"You're not here for the Kid's autograph. He won seven consecutive times at The Cage. Man, he's only a slip of a thing, but, man, can he move."
"Yeah, and the strength in him! It's like he's been popping the spinach."
"Must be some demon blood in him somewhere. No measly human could fight like that." The demon in question looked sheepishly at Angel. "Sorry, man. I guess you were a measly human once, huh?"
"Yeah," Angel said, still fairly bemused. The Kid could only be Connor and he was determined to get in to see his son. Ignoring the protests of the boy's fans, Angel tried the door only to find it locked. He was about to kick it down when Connor's voice issued from within. "Just give me a moment, will ya?" Suddenly put off his game by the sound of his voice, Angel paused and decided to wait for an invitation.
A moment later, the door opened and Connor's pale but defiant face appeared. He was wearing a public grin, pen poised, expecting his fans. "Hi, son. Sorry, have you got any paper?"
**********
END OF PART 11
Part 12 coming sooner rather than later!!!
