Author's Note: Thankyou so much to everyone who reviewed. I'm so glad that so many people like this story. Well, I'll keep writing if you keep reviewing.
Alan Pitt – I agree, there aren't many Kathy fics out there and those that do exist have her as a vampire. I wanted it to be 'different', although at first I wasn't sure what I wanted her to be. It kind of developed! I'm glad you liked it.
Fionnin – Thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you like it. The deal with the "powers" is that they aren't actually "powers" they are mainly just what Nero's invincibility ritual required to work. They're basically just vital organs, nothing special. Just the juice inside that works the spell. Just so you know, but your idea is good too (with all the demon powers and tackling them one by one). The reason I didn't explain in more detail the whole thing with Nero (at first) was because I didn't think that at that point in time all the Angel crew would completely understand who Nero was and what he wanted as well as all the things about him in Wesley's books. I just wanted to establish some basic things that they would have been able to work out at that point and I figured that would be all I needed. In this chapter there is a general summary of what everyone knows about Nero, plus another little helpful fact for the crew. Enjoy.
angelplusbuffyequals4eva – I like that Angel can show his brotherly side too. It's great to see him in a different light, and I tried to exploit that a bit, really showing his over-protectiveness of Kathy. And about what will happen to her? Well… let's just say that it's all going to work out eventually. (That translates into I don't know right now lol).
Celebwen Telcontar – I try to make my storylines intriguing and interesting. I usually can.
Mollie R. Moony – glad you think the chapters are 'cool'.
Rating: just to be sure, I'll put an M rating on this for scenes that may offend some people or that are a little violent and are recommended for mature audiences only. (don't I sound like the TV voice-over people before a movie lol)
Chapter Eight: Wes in Captivity
Wesley woke to find himself tied to a wooden chair. He couldn't move his hands, or his feet. He dipped his head and discovered that his waist was also tied to the chair. As he looked up, Wesley struggled to work out where he was. His eyes were blurry, and he could feel an aching wound on his cheek which he could only guess from the pain and sticky feeling had a little bit of blood escaping. He allowed his head to drop forward again.
'Wesley Wyndham-Pryce.' A deep, raspy voice spoke from across the room. Wesley looked up to find shadows all around him, and the blurriness from his eyes gone. 'Wesley Wyndham-Pryce.' The voice repeated.
'Who are you?' Wesley asked. He was about to ask if his captor was Nero, but was stopped as suddenly a tall figure rushed at him from the darkness and swung a fist that connected with his jaw. 'Ooh.' Wesley grunted, his head rolling to the side with a quick snap. He felt a jab in his neck from the force, before slowly moving his head back to its original position.
'I do the talking here. You only speak when I ask you to speak, understood?' The raspy voice said again. Wesley couldn't see who was speaking to him, but he heard the voice somewhere close off to his left. He nodded in response, receiving a slap across his face. 'Answer me!'
'Yes!' Wesley shouted over the end of his captor's last word.
'Good.' A man crouched down in front of Wesley, and he could finally see who the man who had taken him was, in the light cast through the window by the moon. He had tanned skin, with scars all over his face, neck and arms. He was wearing an army camouflage singlet top, revealing thick muscly arms with a tattoo of a python stretching halfway up his right upper-arm. He also had short black hair, no longer than Angel's.
Angel. Wesley just remembered the man he last saw lying at the foot of the stairs in the Hyperion Hotel, bleeding out. He had to ask.
'What did you do with my friends? Angel, and the others?' Wesley soon regretted speaking, as the man in front of him grabbed him by the shoulders and forced his knee into Wesley's stomach. Because he was tied to the chair, Wesley couldn't even hunch over to try and block out the pain. He could do nothing but throw his head back and groan, his eyes clenched shut tightly.
'They got what they deserved for taking my little girl.' The man replied. Wesley desperately wanted to yell at him for what he'd done, remembering the state that Angel was in. But then, he assumed that the others would come back and find him. He said one word to the man, and one word only as he took the hint from taking my little girl.
'Nero.' The man grinned from a few feet away.
'Yes, so you've worked it out. You're a little slow off the mark.' Nero sneered.
'Why have you got me here?' Wesley asked.
'Do not speak anymore!' Nero snapped, ready to hit his captive again. 'No more questions.'
'You want to make a trade, right?' Wesley moved his head away and spoke before Nero swung. He froze, hand raised in the air.
'I don't need to make a trade to get what I want. I'm just hoping that having you as a hostage will cloud your leader's judgement, and maybe screw up his thinking.' Nero explained.
'He'll never trade her; you'll never get her. She's not yours to get anyway, she's Angel's sister.' Wesley said.
'Angel killed his sister, and I saved her. She no longer belongs to him, instead she belongs to me. Now, speak again out of turn and I'll cut off one of your fingers.' Nero threatened, and Wesley was silent.
Back at the hotel, Angel was reading over the passages that Gunn had shown him in Wesley's research books. He'd learnt that Nero was also know as the Collector, and that he'd raised an army of slaves to collect various demons' vital organs so he could perform a ritual every 200 years to maintain his invincibility. He'd learnt that at the present time, he was invincible, and that no weapon forged by man or nature could kill him. However, Fred informed him of the discovery she made where a mixture of the four elements water, fire, air and earth could kill him. Then Angel began planning.
He'd worked out a strategy to destroy Nero, but couldn't work out how they were going to get Nero to come to the location, with Wesley.
Angel had worked out that if they met at the local swimming pool, there was already water and air at that location. By somehow managing to start a fight with Nero that Angel could maintain the upper hand in, a truck with dirt could be brought in by Gunn. It would have already been doused with oil or another accelerant, and would simply be lit and dumped into the pool, where Angel would push Nero in. It sounded like an alright plan to Angel, because it was all that he had. He'd spent quite a while planning it. And Angel knew that Wesley was counting on his plan working to save his life. If Angel could only organise everything quickly before Nero returned looking for an answer about his proposition.
And Angel's main concern was Kathy. Cordelia and Fred would have to rush her out of there pretty fast to make sure that Nero didn't come after her.
Suddenly Angel's train of thought was broken. 'I've got it! I've got it!' He heard Fred shouting. Angel, Gunn, Cordelia and Kathy came running into Wesley's little office from their other locations in the hotel to find Fred standing just inside the doorway with a large leather book in her hands.
'What is it Fred?' Angel demanded.
'This guy's invincibility ritual has to be performed every 200 years, right?' she asked. There was a general nod. 'Well the last time his ritual was performed was in 1799.' Fred continued. Blank expressions stared back at her.
'So?' Cordelia asked.
'Well that was exactly 200 years ago. Sometime soon there's got to be a big ritual performed with lots of vital organs. Surely in L.A. and there's no way we can miss that. If he's here, then the ritual must be performed here.'
'We can intervene and stop the ritual before it's completed.' Angel added.
'Then he'll actually be able to be killed.' Gunn concluded. 'Awesome work Fred.' Fred smiled awkwardly, hiding her embarrassment but shining with pride of the discovery she'd made.
'Thanks Fred.' Angel turned and walked off to where he had been before Fred called out. He picked up the sketchbook on his chair and the pencil he'd rested on it, and then sat down. His wound had begun to close up, which was a good thing because he'd need to be able to fight soon when they learnt more about Nero's invincibility ritual. He continued the drawing on the page of a full-body image of Nero. On the back page was Wesley, in the state that Angel last saw him in. His eyes wild with fear and concern for Angel's safety as well as his own. His short stubble on his chin and cheeks, unshaved. The collar of his brown leather coat visible as the drawing only reached his shoulders. And finally, Wesley's mouth. It was half open, twisted in pain, shock, surprise and hurt. He was scared, and it showed.
As Angel flipped the book over and stared down at his drawing of Wesley, he thought back to those final moments when Nero took him. God, he felt like he just wanted to kill Nero. But he knew that Nero was too strong, too powerful. Angel didn't stand a chance unless he found out something about the ritual.
Then he had an idea.
Author's Note: Cliff-hanger, what's Angel's idea? Hmm… writers block sucks. It might be a little while before I post another chapter, but I'll try and make my brain work.