Forgot to write the disclaimer in the first chap as this was originally going to be the start.
Disclaimer: You know who they belong to. My name is not Joss…. At least I don't think it is.
Chapter 2
The dank and damp alley stank of rotten rubbish, dead animals and human excrement. The smells alone made Whistler want to turn round and say to hell with this. Unfortunately for the Balance demon, his bosses- The Powers That Be a Pain in my Arse- had other plans. Why was it always him that was given these assignments? There must be hundreds of other Balance demons in the Powers employ, so why him?
Every demon was given a different kind of assignment. Most had the same eventual objective; Recruitment of warriors for the side of good. This mainly involved manipulating situations so warriors from the side of evil, had no choice but to, for lack of a better term, switch teams.
That's why the Balance demon was here in this disgusting excuse for an alley. To recruit. His target was close, hiding from the world, from his self but the Powers had noticed him. He would be a big player in the future. For which side was yet to be seen.
The demon waltzed into the alley, unconcerned for his own safety. He stopped in the middle of it, where he could not fail to be seen and he waited. His target would come to him.
A scuffle in the shadows had Whistler turning that way but it was merely a rat. Disgusting creatures. Bastards helped spread the plague and people keep them as pets. The mentality of the human race leaves a lot to be desired. He cursed the Powers yet again for sending him to this god-awful place. It couldn't have been a nice bar or racetrack, no. It had to be a disgustingly dirty, smelly and severely unclean alley that even dogs wouldn't pee in. Maybe a tetanus shot wouldn't go astray after this.
The shadows around him seemed to move but the demon held his ground, covering his fear. The bosses wouldn't have put him in a potentially fatal position, right? He was too important… right? No one else could do the job like he did. He was irreplaceable.
Suddenly feeling less than secure, he covertly glanced around the alley hoping to catch a glimpse of his target. No dice. The alley seemed deserted. He pulled an inexpensive cigar from the inside pocket of the retro velvet green jacket he wore. The jacket matched the pants and the silk lime green shirt underneath. The brown loafers on his feet completed the picture.
He lit the cigar and drew on it deeply, coughing a little as it filled his lungs. He was never given enough time to stop and simply enjoy the finer things in life. The finer thing being fine cigars, money, the racetrack and women; it was all a good demon needed.
He stood in the same place, waiting impatiently for his target to come to him. Just when he'd given up, a weary voice asked from the darkness- 'What do you want?'
'A great too many things,' Whistler shook his head sadly. 'Which did you want to hear first?'
'What are you doing here?' the seldom used voice was harsh.
Whistler knew he was playing with fire but it all came back to the thought that the Powers wouldn't have sent him into a potentially fatal situation. At least he hoped not. Who knew what those crazy Powers were thinking?
'Well, I thought it seemed a lovely night for a walk and I happened to walk into this dark and admittedly disgusting-' Whistler was cut off as a hand wrapped around his neck and cut off his air supply.
'Stop playing games,' his attacker growled and Whistler had to chant a reminder to himself that They wouldn't let him be harmed.
'I came to find you, kid' the Balance demon croaked out, his fingers trying to find purchase on the hand that held his throat. He tried to pull it away but the attacker's grip only tightened.
'Breathing becoming an issue,' he gasped scrabbling at the restraining hand. The grip loosened but didn't let go. Whistler gave in. 'Okay. I am a Balance demon. My name is Whistler. I work for the Powers That Be.'
'The Powers That Be, what?' the male in front of him asked.
'Not what. Sheesh. Don't you people know anything? The Powers That Be are the main good guys, the head honcho's and the root of all goodness. They are, in an extremely roundabout way, the reason behind charities, hospitals, human life, you know, all the good things in humanity. Not to mention Slayers, witches, watchers, vampires with souls…' the demon left the sentence hanging, waiting for a reaction. None came. He was a little disappointed.
'I'm not people,' the hand tightened around the demons neck again and Whistler decided to get straight to the point, or well as much as he was allowed to anyway.
'Okay. Here's the deal. I was sent here by the Powers with an offer for you,' the demon rubbed his throat soothingly when the man finally let go.
'Not interested,' the man dismissed him.
'You don't really have a choice, kid,' Whistler tried to say it neutrally but he knew it came out more forceful than he would have liked.
The male stopped but didn't turn back around. 'Was that a threat?' he asked softly and Whistler shivered. Now is not the time to cave, he berated himself.
'No. No threat here, man,' he assured the dangerous yet pitiful man before him. The stench coming off the guy was enough to make the demon want to shower for the rest of the year to remove the smell from his skin. He wondered how the man put up with it. Maybe it's a learned thing.
Whistler could tell the guy was getting aggravated. 'What the hell do you want with me?' he growled and this time the demon did take a step back.
'We want you... on our team. The Powers want to recruit you for the side of good,' the demon said in a rush. He knew what to say and what not to say, however, and was in no danger of over sharing.
The man laughed. It was a sad, broken laugh; the laugh of a man who truly had no hope. Whistler was determined to give him some. He was needed.
'In the future, years from now, you are one of the key players in the End of days. We just want to make sure that when it comes around, you're fighting for the right cause, on the right team,' Whistler explained, knowing the guy wouldn't take much more of his vagueness.
'And why the hell should I help you?' the man asked with another harsh laugh.
'To repent for the damage you've done to our side over the years,' Whistler said impartially. He didn't care about the guys past. It was his future that interested him. The guilt associated with that past was just a bonus.
'What are you saying?' the guy finally turned back to fully face him.
'If you fight for us, you fight for yourself. Forgiveness, absolution, freedom; a chance to get to heaven, to be with your family again.'
'I killed them,' the man said, his voice full of long remembered pain. The guy still can't let go. The past can hurt but come on, man; it was over two hundred years ago. 'There's no hope for me. I'll be going straight to hell when I'm done. It's what I deserve.'
'We can change that,' Whistler bargained. The guy had to listen to him. He had no other choice. He will work for Them. 'Redemption,' that one word said it all in the Balance demon's mind. He could tell it caught the man's too.
'Redemption?' the guy was sceptical and the badly dressed demon didn't blame him.
'Yep,' he drove the wedge further. 'Complete absolution. A way to make your sins balance with the good you will do. They have it all worked out. That's why I'm here, hence me being a Balance demon. I'm sorta your guide.'
The man seemed to consider it. 'How do I know that any of this is for real?'
'You don't. It's called trust.'
'Not something I have a lot of. You're really a messenger?' at the small demons confirmation the man nodded. 'What would I have to do?' he asked hesitantly.
'Well, my man. Like everything else in this world, it all starts with a woman,' the demon said jovially. He shrugged when the man continued to watch him. No one gets me, he thought unhappily.
The vampire with a soul thought it over. Whistler could almost see the wheels turning in his mind. Finally, he stood tall. 'Show me.'
One more chap to go. How am i going? I always liked stories that had Angelus' voiceand i wrote one myself cause there weren't enough.
Well, that's not the only reason i wrote it.