The Big Payback

Chapter 8 – Payback's A Bitca

Part 1

Five days after he arrived in London Angelus had completed his "interviews" with the Watchers' Council. The Council members along with the retrieval and elimination squads that failed Angelus' test were assembled in the huge presentation room on the second floor guarded by what seemed to them to be an army of vampires; their families were being held at facilities owned by one of Angelus' long time "friends".

Angelus had not killed anyone ... yet ... and it had taken all of his resolve not to do so; however he had made sure that each one of them was now very aware of what it is like to face a group of angry and hungry vampires. The vampires had been told to feed, but not to kill; they would have that pleasure later. Angelus chuckled to himself; he had never before in his life seen so many grown men scream like little girls and faint out of fear. Unaffected by their weaknesses and fear, the Scourge of Europe was ready to proceed to the next step of his plan.

Those few Council members that did pass his interrogation were in a small dining room on the third floor being served a scrumptious meal, completely unaware of what was going on one floor below them.

Downstairs Gretchen waited patiently for Angelus as he dragged Quentin Travers' half conscious body into Travers' office, doused his face and head with cold water and demanded that he pay attention. "You don't want to miss this," he told a quivering Travers, "this part is especially for you."

Travers' hands trembled as he grasped the lapels of his jacket and pulled the soaking wet garment tightly around himself; his body was shaking as he tried to clear his mind and arrange his thoughts so he could show as much courage as he could muster when facing Angelus. The fact was that he was scared senseless. Ironically, in the back of his mind was the thought that his only hope for a rescue, the only person that could possibly defeat Angelus, was the slayer that Angelus himself had rescued from Travers' own prison of horror.

'As head of the Watchers' Council I am within my right to discipline any slayer as I see fit. You have no authority over me,' he kept telling himself. 'I was within my right.' Without being aware of it he actually spoke the words aloud. "As head of the Watchers' Council I am within my right to discipline any slayer as I see fit. You have no authority over me. I am within my right."

That as a serious mistake.

With much effort to control his anger Angelus replied with a voice so calm and deadly that even Gretchen took a step back. "With that you are wrong on so many levels. As head of the Watcher's Council it is your responsibility to see to it that watchers are properly trained, that each potential slayer is brought up in an atmosphere of learning that prepares her well in case she is chosen the next slayer, and that the current active slayer and her watcher have the support that they need from the Council at all times. You have failed in your responsibilities as Council head and I hereby remove you from that position."

"You don't have the authority to remove me from this office."

"Oh really?" The Angelus smirk was back. "Do you know of anyone who can stop me?"

Travers' reply was a weak and ineffective "As head of the Watchers' Council I am within my right to discipline any slayer as I see fit."

In full game face and his nose almost touching Travers' nose as he leaned across the desk, Angelus' yellow eyes bore into the watcher as he roared his disapproval and his response to Travers' words. "As a vampire I am within my right to take revenge in any way I see fit on anyone that attacks my mate. You and yours will pay dearly for what you've done. I have no doubt that you have taken the lives of many slayers since you've been here; well your reign of terror is over. It ends right now."

Part 2

Angelus straightened up and looked briefly at Gretchen who nodded a silent "yes" before he continued.

"As of this moment I have taken possession of everything owned by all of you, you and your family, all of the watchers that are under your thumb and their families, your henchmen and their families. That includes all investments, all bank accounts and all properties, including this building that we're in. Oh, and I didn't miss your off-shore accounts and the money that you regularly siphon off from Council funds to fiance your little getaways to the Cayman Islands."

Travers' response was an undignified snort. "I highly doubt that."

Angelus gestured with his head to Gretchen who turned the computer screen on Travers' desk around so he could see it. "Check your holdings; check any bank account that you had and see what you still own."

With a look of supreme superiority on his face Travers ignored the computer screen and touched a hidden panel inside his desk drawer. A computer monitor and keyboard slid out from under the drawer and positioned in front of Travers.

"Cute," Angelus said, pretending to be surprised.

"Yes, well you're not the only one who has a few surprises up his sleeve," Travers replied confidently as he punched a few codes into his newly revealed keyboard. His confidence quickly faded as time and time again he received a message that said, "Invalid account number."

"What have you done?" He whispered the question, fearful of the answer.

Angelus folded his arms across his chest and said in a conversational tone of voice, "I told you, I have taken possession of everything that you and your family owned." He leaned forward as he placed both hands on the desk again; his voice dropped and became as cold as steel, "Did you think I was joking? I don't joke."

He stood up straight again, his posture completely relaxed as he continued. "The computer is a marvelous invention; there is so much that a hacker can accomplish from his own personal computer before anyone knows anything is going on and Gretchen," he motioned with his head indicating the other vampire in the room without actually looking her way, "is the best hacker in the business."

He nodded to Gretchen again who turned her computer around so she had access to the keyboard. With a few key strokes, pictures appeared on the screen. She turned the screen around again so that Travers could see it. "Tell me," Angelus told him, "do any of these people look familiar to you?" Gretchen continued to hit the enter key every few seconds as screen after screen of familiar faces displayed.

Travers lost his ability to speak.

His distress only fueled Angelus' hatred of the man and his voice turned cold again. "Your family and the rest of the families have been ... how should I say this … sequestered … pending the outcome of this week's activities. I will destroy every living relative of yours and of all of you who have not passed my interrogation to my satisfaction; from the oldest senior to the youngest infant, I will wipe your family lines from the face of the earth. And I will make you watch, helpless, as vermin devour your flesh, knowing that you are completely responsible for what is happening to them and that I am the one meting out justice," he said as his face morphed into its vampire visage and he pounded his fist on the desk causing Travers to visibly flinch, "because this face will be the last thing that you ever see."

Angelus felt justified in eliminating the families of all of the Council's watchers; after all, each watcher comes from a long family line of watchers, each one had grown up with the teachings of the Watchers' Council deeply engrained within themselves from childhood and there was no variance from Council policy allowed. If you did not agree to adhere strictly to Council policy, you did not become a watcher.

Travers crumbled; in no way did he resemble the person that had boasted of having "a few surprises up his sleeve" a few minutes before. "No, please, even you cannot be so vicious. Even you can show mercy."

"Mercy?" Angelus barked with a scowl on his face. "What mercy did you show to my mate when you were torturing her? Starving her? I shall show even less mercy to you and yours. Mercy indeed. Do you know who I am? I don't even know the meaning of the word."

"Please, I beg you..."

With a smirk Angelus gave a long sigh, seeming to reconsider. "You will be pleased to know that I have released some of those that I had sequestered …. "

Travers' face brightened as he attempted to sit up straighter in the chair, "Thank you, I..."

He slumped backward as Angelus chuckled. "I believe they said they were the cook and gardener at your brother's estate."

Angelus turned and left the office and for the first time in history, a vampire's boisterous laughter could be heard in the halls of the Watchers' Council.