Angel 6X05: Freak show
Chapter 4: Heroes?
In room 140 of the Hyperion Laura and Oz were lying in bed together. Faith was downstairs trying to get Robin back on the phone to speak to him in person, and was working with a certain sense of desperation.
"How much do we really know about the freaks?" Laura asked, sitting up in bed and looking down at Oz. "I hate to be pro-council, but if they don't want us to help them in any way, then maybe they know something evil about them we don't."
"You know, that actually makes sense." Oz replied in his usual tone.
"Don't sound so surprised…"
"After all, the council have worked in some pretty mysterious ways before."
"Oz, what if the freaks really are the bad guys…they've got us helping them no questions asked…what if it's all a trap to get Angel and Spike out of the way…they could have killed our champions already!"
"Let's get Faith." Oz replied, moving with great speed out of bed and into his clothes.
Meanwhile in the freaks base, Spike and Angel could practically smell the panic streaming off everyone. The freaks ran around like lost children, so unprepared for any attack it was unbelievable. Angel drew his sword. He had to organise the terrified mob, or they would all be killed.
"Right, listen up!" Angel shouted. "This is how it's going to go!"
"Got a plan have you?" said Spike.
"We fight."
"Look at the trouble you saying that got us in last time..."
"Shut up Spike." muttered Angel. He turned to the assembled freaks.
"Gwen." he said. "You, Mikey and Ratty head deeper into the tunnels and hide. When they have passed you, and hit the front line, ambush them from behind."
"Who exactly is the front line?" said Wade.
"You, me and Captain Peroxide."
"Oh great." said Spike. "Insults from the poster vamp of Nancyboy Hair Gel Inc."
Angel ignored Spike's jab and carried on.
"Brick, you are the last defense. Guard the entrance to the tunnel with your life."
Angel looked at the rest of the terrified freaks.
"Block the tunnel behind us. And pray."
Just as the team had finished getting into position, the attackers launched the first wave. All of the warriors they faced were completely covered in black cloth. They smelt familiar, but Angel couldn't place where he had encountered them before. They were fast, and almost silent. The lead warrior fired a long spike tipped chain from it's hand, impaling Wade through the shoulder. The freak looked at the spike in his shoulder, and yanked it out.
"Goddamn it! That was my best shirt!"
Wade pulled on the chain, and hurled the warrior into the wall of the sewer. The warriors paused their advance, and the two groups faced each other at the ends of the sewer tunnel.
"On my mark," said Angel, "Hit them hard."
Angel glanced at Wade, then looked at Spike.
"You always get me into some serious fights Angel," said Spike, "did I ever mention that?"
"No need to thank me, Willy." said Angel. He turned again to look at the warriors facing them.
"Mark."
The three heroes charged the warriors as one, swords drawn. The attackers fought well. They managed to evade most of Angel's best shots, but he managed to take down quite a few of them. He glanced over to his comrades. Spike threw himself into the battle as always, taking down plenty of the ninja warriors. Wade just seemed to be enjoying either causing damage or receiving the pain dealt to him. Soon the sheer weight of numbers was pushing the team back towards Brick, and the base.
"Bring on the backup!" Angel shouted, and on his words, a tendril lashed from nowhere around the throat of the ninja, throttling it. Ratty leapt from the shadows, raking his vicious claws down the back of the nearest warrior, and snapping its neck. Gwen stepped out from her hiding place, and pulled off her gloves. She kicked one of the warriors in the face, and in one fluid motion grabbed it's head, sending a massive electrical charge into it. The warrior was blasted into the wall, and began to crackle with power. Curious, Gwen moved over and unmasked it. Whatever it was, it didn't look human. It's face was covered in a solid piece of metal, fused to its skin. Pulling it's shirt away, Gwen found that it was more of the same, metal and circuitry fused into flesh.
"Angel!" Gwen shouted, "These guys are robots!"
"Damn it!" shouted Angel. "Now I remember these guys!"
"Who are they?" said Spike, ducking under a punch from another of the ninja.
"The cyborgs that attacked Wolfram and Hart, the ones who tried to put that spell on me and control me!"
"What the hell do they want now?"
"Lets find out..." Angel said, driving his blade into the stomach of another ninja.
The renewed force from Gwen's team's ambush helped, but they were still fighting against high odds. The ninja had gotten behind Gwen, Mikey and Ratty, and were pushing them all back towards Brick.
"As much as I hate to say this, we might need the others' help here!" Spike shouted over to Angel as he fought back yet another one of the attackers.
Back at the Hyperion, Oz and Laura had filled in Faith with their theory on the freaks.
"Shit, I never thought of that!" Faith said shaking her head, "We need weapons…"
"Rescue mission?" Laura asked.
"Rescue mission." Faith stated, "We can't afford to lose Angel…or Blondie either really."
"Oz, can you track them with your wolf sense of smell?" Laura asked while collecting her bow from the weapons cabinet.
"Shouldn't be too much of a problem."
"Let's go be heroes." Faith said, leading the group out of the Hyperion and into the night.
