Thought I might do something different here and use a bit of the plot from the novel Monster Island. It's quite a good book, though I hate all the Bangel crap in it. So yeah, there will be no Buffy or Scoobies in the next few chapters

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Angel was out on patrol. He had dusted a few vampires here and there, but he was lost in thought as he travelled Los Angeles. It had been about a month since Lilah's attack on Cordelia and during that time, not much had happened. Well, there was Gunn's old crew running around, killing harmless demons. Angel had a showdown with them at Caritas, resulting in the rebuilt karaoke bar being destroyed…again. But now, there was a new case. Half-breeds had been turning up dead over the past few weeks. The half-breed community were in hiding, some using protection spells, others having left the city in order to get away from the hate violence

"Angel," came a voice

Angel turned around and saw one of his informers hiding in the shadows, his eyes wide and terrified. Cautiously, Angel headed over and was about to speak, when his informer suddenly collapsed, a gaping wound in his skull, as if someone had bashed him with a strong object

"Ah, Angel, finally we meet," came another, this time rough, voice

"Who are you?" Angel asked

A demon stepped out of the shadows. He was impressionably tall, standing at about seven feet tall. He was covered in leather clothing, which Angel noted that looked like armour, but it was his species that drew Angel's attention. He was a Brachen demon, with deep blue skin and red spikes covering his face, his red eyes boring into Angel with barely suppressed hatred. Then, Angel looked down at the glowing weapon in his hands and he took a slight step back

"Is that the Pristagrix? I thought that had been lost"

"It has been found," Axtius smiled, "Allow me to make my acquiescence. I am General Axtius, leader of the pureblood army"

"Can't be the Scourge," Angel said, "I wiped them out two years ago"

"Ah yes, the Scourge. They're part of the reason why my son's dead. But you, Angel, you're the real reason my son is dead"

"Your son? I don't know…oh," Angel said, catching on, "You're talking about Doyle?"

"Allen Francis Doyle, as his fool of a mother called him," Axtius grimaced, "I didn't get to name him. That's one of my few regrets"

"And the other is that he's not pureblood like you"

"Because of you, Angel, my son died for a group of half-breeds. Half-breeds! He threw his life away like that. A waste of a life"

"Doyle died as a hero," Angel said, "He was a-"

He didn't get to finish, having to swiftly move out of the way of the Pristagrix, but only narrowly. He turned, as Axtius spun, faster than he expected and striking Angel on the shoulder. He cried out, the blow sending shockwaves through his body. Ducking under the glowing mace, Angel aimed a kick at Axtius's legs, then threw a punch at his chest. Axtius smacked his arm out of the way with the Pristagrix, before cracking him across the face. Angel hit the ground, blood dribbling from his mouth. He rolled onto his back, as Axtius brought the Pristagrix down onto his chest repeatedly. Bones snapped and shattered, as blood stained Angel's shirt. The final blow from the mace knocked him out cold

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"Where's Angel?" Fred asked

She was starting to come out of her room more and more now, becoming even more confident in the world around her, especially after a visit from her parents a few weeks ago. Having accepted that she was completely free from Pylea, Fred had joined the team, showing exceptional skill in demon languages

"On patrol, trying to get some information on these killings," Wesley replied

"What is taking him so long?" Cordelia asked, hands on her stomach, "He's not normally gone this long"

"Maybe he ran into a vampire nest or a nasty demon," Wesley said

"He should be home by now"

Cordelia got up and started dialling a number on the phone, getting no answer

"Can't expect to get him on the phone. He don't know how to operate it"

"I'm sure Angel's just fine," Fred said, "He'll be back soon"

"Yo, I think we've got a situation," Gunn cried, coming into the hotel, "One of my informants reckons he saw Angel getting taken out by a big ass demon"

"Where?" Cordelia demanded straight away

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Angel slowly and painfully opened his eyes. He was lying on his back, staring at the sky, as the stars twinkled back at him. He could feel burning pain in his arms and hands and looked around, seeing that his hands had been nailed to the ground with railroad spikes, while his ankles had been manacled

"Isn't it lovely?" Axtius asked, appearing in view, "The stars at night. But there is one thing more beautiful than this. Know what that is?"

"Cordelia"

"Sunrise," Axtius continued, before lying down next to Angel, "That is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen in my life. Course, you haven't seen one in a long time, so you've probably forgotten what they're like"

"There was that time I was briefly human two years ago"

"So, consider this a gift from me: sunrise. Oh, it's stunning. While it will happen in a matter of seconds, for you, Angel, it will feel like hours as it burns you away"

Axtius got up from the ground and smiled at Angel

"Have fun. I think this will be a fitting death for you, Angel. Farewell"

His leather armour creaked as he walked away. Angel gritted his teeth, trying to free himself from the spikes, but his body was still too badly damaged. Pain flared throughout him, making him want to pass out from the intensity of it

"I hope you guys can find me if you're looking for me"

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"So this is where your informant last saw Angel?" Cordelia asked

"This was the place," Gunn said, "He said some spiked-faced demon attacked Angel with a glowing stick and beat him up, then dragged him off somewhere"

"Well, that doesn't help us out very much. Angel could be anywhere"

"I know. We'll go to Caritas," Wesley suggested, "Maybe Lorne could help"

Gunn turned the GTX around and headed off to Caritas, finding the place still wrecked from Gunn's crew having their own party there. Lorne was seated at the bar, wearing a robe and a glass of seabreeze in his hand

"And what can I do for you chipmunks?" he asked

"We're trying to find Angel," Cordelia replied, "He's disappeared"

"Well, who wants to step up and yodel a few lines for me?"

No one seemed obliged to sing, so Fred took the lead, singing a few lines of 'Crazy'. Lorne listened intently to her until she finished, then let out a long sigh

"So, where can we find Angel?" Cordelia asked

"We're gonna have to hurry real fast," Lorne replied, "Our Champ's in trouble"

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Angel cried out when intense pain struck him. For the last hour, he had been trying to pull his hands free of the spikes, but had no success so far. His body was trying to heal his injuries, but he kept tearing them open, spilling more blood onto the ground. A wave of dizziness washed over him and he felt like he was going to pass out again. Gritting his teeth, Angel tried again and nearly passed out completely, but managed to stay conscious, as blurry figures appeared in his view

"Angel!" Cordelia cried

"Hold up, cupcake," Lorne said, "He's protected by wards. You can't get in"

Cordelia's hand flew up to her mouth, as Angel tried again with new resolve, not noticing that Lorne was walking in a circled around him, his hands out like he was running them against an invisible wall, before heading over to Wesley and whispering in his ear

"Whatever you've got planned, hurry it up," Gunn said, "Sun's rising up"

Wesley and Lorne headed back over to the ward and began muttering a spell under their breaths. Cordelia kept looking between the rising sun and Angel, as Gunn waited by impatiently. The rays of light were touching the walls of the building, as the magic worked and the wards fell. Wesley and Gunn rushed in, slowly removing Angel's hands from the spikes, wincing as he screamed in pain. Lorne and Fred got to work on the manacles and they managed to get Angel under cover as the sun fully rose up

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