"Primeval"
Based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Episode "Primeval" Written by David Fury and the Angel Episodes "Blind Date" Written by Jeannine Renshaw and "To Shanshu in L.A." Written by David Greenwalt
The following story is copyright © 2024 by Mark Moore.
At Angel Investigations, Wesley closed a book. "Demons with one eye, demons with twelve eyes, some with double vision, but no blind demons. Perhaps Angel's discovered a new species."
Cordelia was sitting at her desk. "What? Helen Kellerus Homicidalus?"
Wesley got up. "Of course, it's possible she is not a demon at all."
"You think?"
"Perhaps she's simply learned to hone her senses around her disability. Angel said it was as if she anticipated his actions before he carried them out."
"A handy skill...in fight or...on a date."
"Unusual, to be certain, but not necessarily demonic."
"Someone like that kind of stands out in a crowd...for an assassin, I mean."
"Decidedly."
"Maybe even have a record." On the computer, Cordelia typed a search of "blind woman murder" into the Police Crime and Criminals Database and found one match.
"One assumes she has done this sort of thing before. Based on Angel's description-"
"Vanessa Brewer."
"What? You found her?"
"Our first stop doesn't always have to be world of the weird, you know? Sometimes, actual human people can be just...awful." Cordelia looked at the screen. "Date of Birth: July 18, 1967. Place of Birth: San Francisco. Citizenship: United States. Gender: Female. Hair: Brown. Eyes: Blind. Height: 5'6". Weight: 122. Misc: Blind eyes, no visible iris. Known Associates: None. Arrests: 1 misdemeanor, 0 Convictions; 2 Felony, 0 Convictions."
Wesley looked at the monitor. "First arrest in 1993."
"She was fleeing the scene of a homicide. No charges were brought. Arrested again in '95. Charged with aggravated assault. That one never went to trial. And finally arrested in '99 as a suspect in a double homicide, for which she is currently on trial."
"She was on bail when Angel encountered her."
"But that's not the real whammy. Look who's defending her."
Wesley saw "Wolfram & Hart" on the screen and sighed. "She obviously doesn't see the way we do, but she can see."
Angel stepped out of the elevator and went to his desk.
"In a sense. The human eye is only capable of registering a small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, but if Brewer was somehow equipped to see outside that range-"
"She'd be Supergirl. What's the diff in how she sees, anyway? So she can get a look at the bars of her cell. Why are we still talking about this?" Cordelia asked.
Angel came out of his office. "Because Wolfram & Hart is representing her pro bono, which means...she's probably still working for them."
Cordelia heard Angel pick up his phone and throw it against the wall. Cordelia hesitantly opened the door to his office, and she and Wesley walked inside.
"They acquitted her. Hung jury."
Wesley sighed. "I'm sorry, Angel."
"How am I supposed to fight evil, if they won't even put it behind bars?"
Cordelia looked at him sympathetically. "It's not your fault."
"No, it's not my fault. I-I didn't cause it, and I can't fix it. I can't do anything about it. Well, she's guilty. She's guilty, and - and they let her go. She murdered a man right in front of me, and I can't even testify to that fact in a court of law."
"Well, maybe, in night court, you could-"
Angel shot Cordelia a look. "It's their courtroom, not mine."
"Whose?" Cordelia asked.
"Their rules, their game."
Cordelia understood. "Oh, you mean the Wolfram & Hart types."
Angel shook his head. "I have no place in their world at all."
Wesley hesitated. "Angel-"
"How am I expected to do battle, if I can't even get into the ring?"
"You have a place, Angel. Our battle will be fought elsewhere."
"It's still their world, Wesley. Structured for power, not truth. It's their system, and it's one that works. It works, because...there is no guilt, there is no torment, no consequences. It's pure. I remember what that was like. Sometimes, I miss that clarity."
"But not the trying-to-kill-your-friends-and-family part, right?" Cordelia asked.
Angel shot her another look.
"Just checking!"
"Nothing ever changes." Angel sat down with a sigh, rubbing his face with his hands.
Lindsey McDonald walked in from the outer office. "I need your help."
Angel looked at him. "What do you mean?"
"I want out."
Angel thought for a moment, then looked at Cordelia and Wesley and nodded at the door.
Cordelia and Wesley left the office, Wesley closing the door behind him.
Later, in the outer office, Lindsey, Angel, Wesley, and Cordelia were planning a Wolfram & Hart break-in to retrieve some files regarding Vanessa Brewer's next target.
"Vault's at sub-level two. Hall's outside the boiler room."
"Sewer access?" Angel asked Lindsey.
"You'd have to burn your way in."
"Why are you going in at all?" Cordelia asked Angel. "I thought born-again boy was gonna do it."
"It's a two-man job. How do I access the vault?" Angel asked Lindsey.
"My pass. I'll need it to get in. They're getting pretty tight with security. But I can leave it downstairs for you. Gets you right into the vault."
"Again, I say-"
Lindsey looked at Cordelia. "It's guarded. Demon. Doesn't go in for unauthorized visits. There is no way I can take it."
"What kind of demon?" Angel asked.
"Preggothian. I think."
Wesley looked at Angel. "I'll get you a battle profile: weaknesses and such."
"Right."
"I'll do what I can with the security monitors, but you'll have to move fast, because the moment - oh, damn it."
"What?" Wesley asked.
"The threshold. They have shamans. They can sense the moment a vampire crosses the threshold."
Angel looked at Lindsey. "That's not going to be a problem."
Cordelia looked at Angel. "Well, then. Seems pretty simple - except for the 'you'll definitely get caught' factor."
Lindsey looked at her. "The righteous shall walk a thorny path."
Cordelia gave him a look and stuck out her tongue.
That night, Angel talked to Gunn, standing behind the stake gun mounted on the pickup truck.
"Yeah, I can get a hold of one. But why would I want to?" Gunn asked.
"In the interest of justice...and maybe doing the right thing?"
"Not really interested in some rich guy's heartbreak." Gunn aimed the stake gun at a mattress leaning up against a wall.
"You're low."
Gunn looked at him.
Angel looked towards the mattress. "Just my opinion."
Gunn raised the gun a little and fired. The stake hit the mattress at heart level.
"Give me one good reason."
"It'll be extremely dangerous."
Gunn nodded with a smile. "Okay."
The next day, Buffy was walking around inside a crypt, holding an ax. She walked through to another part of the crypt. She looked around and saw many computers.
"Adam...where are you?" Buffy asked.
Buffy walked around and ran into Spike.
Spike put his hands up. "Easy, Sheriff. Watch where you point that thing."
"What are you doing here?"
"Looking for a little weekend getaway place. Shove off." Spike started walking past Buffy.
"Adam's been using these caves."
Spike stopped walking. "What? I found his lair?" He sighed. "Oh, cripes. That's all I need. Runnin' into that goon."
"Yeah, well, Adam's cleared out of here. Whatever he's planning is about to go down."
Spike turned and looked at her. "Look at little Nancy Drew. What about those disks I nabbed? They ought to tell you something."
"Jenny's working on it."
Gunn walked in through the front door of the office building of Wolfram & Hart, into the lobby. "Whoo-whoo! My God! They told me it was true, but I didn't believe them. Damn, here it is! Evil white folks really do have a Mecca."
Security guards stepped out from behind their desk.
Gunn held up a hand. "Now, now, girls, don't get all riled up. Ow! Did you just step on my foot?"
The nearest guard was still at least eight feet away from him.
"Is that my foot you just stepped on? Are you assaulting me...up in this haven of justice? Somebody get me a lawyer, because my civil rights have seriously been violated. Oh, I get it, I get it. You all can cater to the demon, cater to the dead man, but what about the black man?!" Gunn checked his watch. "I'd love to stay and chat, but - yo, fellas!"
He turned to look at the door, where Chain and James were carrying in a body-sized bundle. Gunn cut the cord securing the bundle, smiling at the security guards, then he and his buddies walked out while the wrapping fell back to reveal a vampire.
In the computer lab, Jenny was sitting at her desk, working on deciphering the disks.
Tara was standing behind her. "Maybe you should rest. Clear your head?"
"Can't. Not now. I-I think I'm on to something. I've been assuming the - the cipher text was encrypted with an asymmetric algorithm. Then it hit me. A hexogonic key pattern. It's-"
"Hey, look, you did it."
Jenny stared at the screen. "I didn't. I haven't even finished typing in the new code."
Tara shrugged. "Something's doing it."
"Must be programmed to self-decrypt at a certain point." Jenny sat in silence and read the information on the disks.
Buffy walked into the lab, followed by Giles.
Tara looked at Buffy. "How'd the recon go?"
"I think Spike's working for Adam. I just went to Adam's lair, and he was gone. But Spike just happened to be there. He made this big noise about getting information off those encrypted disks."
Jenny looked at her. "Oh, they decrypted themselves."
Buffy looked at her, surprised.
"What did they say?" Giles asked.
Jenny shrugged. "A bunch of shit we already know about 314. But it also said there's some final phase where Adam manufactures a bunch of creepy cyber-demonoids like him. There's a special lab in the Initiative, but it didn't say where."
"Adam fed Spike those disks. It has to be. He wanted me to know about his evil-guy assembly line. We'll give the demon his due. He thought this one out."
"What do you mean?" Jenny asked.
"You know how overcrowded the containment cells have been at the Initiative?"
Jenny nodded.
"Those demons were just too easy to catch. It's like they wanted in that place."
Giles adjusted his glasses. "The Trojan Horse."
"Adam's gonna make sure the demons attack the Initiative from the inside."
Tara thought about that. "Demons versus soldiers. It'll be a massacre."
"And Adam has a neat pile of body parts to start assembling his army. Diabolical, yet..." Jenny made a face. "...gross."
Buffy looked at Giles. "I've got to shut him down, Giles. His final phase is about to start."
"We need to warn the Initiative."
Buffy dismissed the idea. "They're not gonna listen to me. And what if they ask where I got the info?"
"Good point."
"Riley?" Jenny suggested.
"He got some bad news and kinda took off."
"I'm confused. Adam has this evil plan. Why is he so anxious for you to know about it?" Tara asked Buffy.
"He wants me there. Probably figures I'll even the kill ratio."
"He's not worried you might kill him?" Tara asked.
Buffy stared into Tara's eyes. "No, he's really not."
Angel exited the elevator and walked into the office. "Lindsey?"
"He's not with you?" Wesley asked.
"No."
Cordelia looked at Wesley. "That can't be good."
Wesley nodded. "Something must have happened."
Cordelia looked at Angel. "You're not going back for him?"
"If he made it out, then he'll be here. If he didn't, then there is no reason to go back for him. We have work to do."
Wesley looked at him. "So you got the files, then."
Angel took the files out of the briefcase and set them on Cordelia's desk. "Right here."
Cordelia stared at the disks. "Which one is it?"
"I don't know. We'll have to go through them until we find it."
Wesley took a metal tube out of the open briefcase. "Angel, what's this?"
"I'm not sure."
Wesley pulled a roll of parchment out of the tube and unrolled it part-way. "Ancient Aramaic, if I'm not mistaken."
Cordelia put a disk into the Zip drive.
"Yeah?" Angel asked.
"Was there a reason you took this?"
"Yeah."
"And that would be..."
"I...I don't really know."
"Well...I'll get to work translating them."
"Uh, guys?" Cordelia asked. "Might want to translate this first."
Wesley looked at the computer screen. "It's encrypted."
"What do you want to bet the rest of these are, too?" Cordelia asked.
Angel sighed. "Great."
Cordelia thought for a moment, then she smiled. "I'll call Jenny. She might be able to help us."
"Okay, I'm back to the desktop, Jenny. What do I do now?" Cordelia asked.
"Close the previous window."
Cordelia clicked the X. "Okay, done that."
"Go back to the life list."
"Back to life list." Cordelia selected the proper window. "Yeah."
"You there?" Jenny asked.
"Yeah."
Angel was massaging the bridge of his nose as Wesley set down a cup carrier holding three coffees on Cordelia's desk.
"Any luck?" Wesley asked him, sitting next to him in front of the desk.
"She's been on the phone for an hour and forty-five minutes."
Cordelia briefly looked at them. "Hey, guess what they've been doing all day."
"Uh...saving the world?" Wesley guessed.
"Well, yeah. But they've been breaking encrypted computer files, too!" Cordelia replied.
"What are the odds, huh?" Angel asked.
"I know."
"Who are you talking to?" Jenny asked her.
"What? Oh, no one, just Wesley."
"Cordelia, can she get us in?" Angel asked.
Cordelia held up a finger.
"Tell Wesley hey."
"Uh-huh."
"Is Angel there?"
"Uh-huh."
"Tell him hey, too."
"Uh-huh."
Angel and Wesley leaned forward in anticipation.
Cordelia smiled. "Jenny says hey."
Angel and Wesley slumped back in their seats. "Hey."
"Okay, you should see the tag file."
"Okay. Yeah, I see it. Tag file."
"Left-click on it."
Okay." Cordelia left-clicked it with the mouse. "Left click."
The files started decrypting.
"There it is. Back door. We're in. Thanks, Jen."
"No problem. Glad to help."
Cordelia hung up as Angel and Wesley stepped around the desk to have a look.
"Personnel file, Vanessa Brewer." Wesley paused. "She wasn't born blind. She lost her sight when she was twenty-one."
Cordelia read the text in shock. "On purpose. She did this to herself."
"Oh, dear."
"And she spent five years in Pajaur, studying the Nanjin." Angel nodded. "That explains her power."
"It does?" Cordelia asked.
Wesley nodded. "Yes, the order of the Nanjin, cave-dwelling monks. They believe enlightenment is seeing with the heart, not the mind."
"Are you telling me...self-mutilating, psycho assassin chick reached enlightenment?" Cordelia asked him.
"Of a kind. She'd be more sensitive to her surroundings than even a sighted person, which is what would make her an unstoppable foe."
"No one's unstoppable. What is her current job?" Angel asked him.
"Here it is. Lindsey was right. Children. Three of them. Seers. They were each found in different remote locations, brought together here for the first time."
Cordelia read the text. "They're blind, too. Together, the children have the power to see into the heart of things."
Wesley nodded. "A holy triumvirate. As they mature, so does their power."
"Which makes them a real threat to Wolfram & Hart."
The three of them looked at Lindsey.
"Sorry I'm late. I hope I didn't worry anyone."
Cordelia shook her head. "We just figured you were dead."
Angel nodded. "So you made it out okay."
"Yeah, but it's only a matter of time before they find out which files have gone missing. We have to move fast. When are the children getting into the country?"
Wesley looked at the screen. "According to this, they arrived this morning. They're being kept at a safe house with a guardian until their mentor arrives. He's coming in from the East tonight."
Angel looked at the screen. "Not safe. There is an address." He looked at Cordelia and Wesley. "I want you two to intercept this mentor guy. Keep him away from that house. We'll bring the kids to him."
That night, Angel was sitting in his office.
Cordelia walked in and set a mug filled with blood on his desk. "Here ya go."
"Thanks."
Wesley came in, carrying the roll of parchment. "The children are with their mentor. They're safe."
Angel looked at him. "Good."
"They have an important role to play." Wesley laid the parchment on the desk and sat down. "I believe this is how Wolfram & Hart knew of their coming."
Angel picked up the parchment. "You know what it is?"
"If I'm right, the Prophecies of Aberjian - for centuries thought lost. I translated some of the text. As I said, it mentions the children you saved today. But that's not all. I-I also believe I know why you were drawn to it. There is an entire passage...about you. It doesn't call you by name...but it tells of a vampire with a soul."
Cordelia looked at Angel in surprise. He remained expressionless.
"This doesn't surprise you?" Wesley asked him.
"No."
"But you said you didn't know what it was."
"I didn't, but..."
"Somehow, you did?"
"Yeah."
"There is a design, Angel. Hidden in the chaos as it may be, but...it's there...and you have your place in it."
Cordelia grinned at Angel.
Later, Cordelia sat next to Wesley in front of Angel's desk and read the evening newspaper. Wesley was researching while Angel was reading a book.
"Shanshu. Shanshu. Or maybe it's shushan."
"Are you still trying to figure out that word? What's taking so long?" Cordelia asked.
"Gee, I don't know, Cordelia. The prophecies of Aberjian were only written over the last four-thousand years, in a dozen different languages, some of which aren't even human! Why don't we just get a Falanjoid demon in here, suck the brain out of my skull. Maybe that would speed things up."
Cordelia looked at Angel. "He sure gets testy when he's translating."
Wesley sighed. "This word is pivotal to what it prophesies about the vampire with a soul."
Cordelia looked back at him. "Well, hurry up and figure out what it says about Angel, because..." She bit her lip and tried to cover up what she was about to say. "I wanna know what it says about me. If there is torrid romance in my future? Massive wealth? If I have to, I'll settle for enviable fame."
"This is an ancient sacred text, not a Magic 8 Ball."
"Nobody gets my humor."
Angel looked at her. "I thought it was funny."
"Hmm." Cordelia looked back down at the newspaper. "Hey, guys? Remember born-again lawyer boy who wanted out of Wolfram & Hart so bad?"
"Lindsey?" Angel asked.
"They just promoted him." Cordelia held up the page with Lindsey's picture to them. "Junior partner."
Wesley looked at Angel. "After all you did for him, he sells his soul for thirty pieces of silver."
Cordelia looked at the paper. "Actually, he sold it for a six-figure salary and a full benefits package."
"It's disappointing. He had an opportunity to change."
Angel went back to reading his book. "He didn't take it." He froze, then looked up.
"What?" Wesley asked.
"Little late for visitors." Angel got up and went out into the outer office.
Cordelia and Wesley got up and followed.
Angel tapped a hooded figure on the back with his battle ax, and it cowered down, letting out a scream.
"Mr. Nabbit?" Angel asked.
"David?" Cordelia asked.
"Heart...heart...heart...my throat."
"I'm sorry. I didn't - I didn't mean to-"
"No, that was awesome." Nabbit stood up. "Can we do it again?"
"Are you - Do you need help?" Wesley asked him.
"Me? No. I just popped by to hang. I blew off my board of directors, 'cause tonight's my turn to be Dungeon Master. What do you think of my cape?"
Cordelia smiled. "Shiny."
"You guys wanna hang?" Nabbit looked past Angel, into the office. "Oh, wow. Wow, wow." He entered the office and gave a whistle. "This is where it all happens. They're helpless - in agony; they have no one to turn to, so they...come here to you. Drink that coffee, sit on this couch." He sat down. "Unspeakable fiends from Hell hot on their heels."
Everyone looked at him silently.
"Uh, what did I do? Spun off my digital pager network, made a few more million."
Everyone just stared.
"All right, several. Big whoop! What does that mean?"
"No more shopping in the PennySaver?" Cordelia guessed.
"It's just you guys, your lives are so meaningful, so exciting. You fight demons! At any moment, one could walk right through that very door!"
Everyone looked over at the door, then they turned back to look at Nabbit.
"You guys seen any cool demons lately?"
They didn't say anything.
"You guys..." Nabbit paused. "I..." He paused again. "Never know what's going to happen around here. That's..." He got up abruptly and walked out. "Okay. Good to see you."
Angel nodded. "You, too."
Cordelia nodded. "It was fun."
Wesley nodded. "Drop by again."
Nabbit waved behind him. "We'll hang soon."
"I think I know what it means."
Cordelia looked at Wesley. "A very wealthy man with just...no life at all?"
"No. The word in the scroll."
He went into Angel's office, and the others followed.
"That shoe shine thing?" Cordelia asked.
"Shanshu."
Angel sat down and resumed reading his book.
Wesley consulted a book. "If it isn't Phygian but instead descends from the ancient Magyars, then its root is Proto-Ugaric, in which case, it would mean..." He fell silent.
"What?" Cordelia asked eagerly.
"Death."
"But you said it was all about the vampire with the soul."
Wesley looked at her, then they both looked at Angel, who was reading his book as if he hadn't even heard Wesley.
"Angel's going to die?" Cordelia asked in dread.
Angel glanced up. "Oh. Anything else?"
Cordelia looked at Wesley. "He certainly took that well." She paused. "Is this that opportune time to talk about my raise?"
"It's probably years off, uh, after the coming battles."
"My raise?"
"Apocalyptic prophecies aren't exactly a science. And - And I could be way off the mark, so...no reason to be concerned."
Angel never looked up from his book. "Hmm."
Wesley looked at him. "So it's good you're not concerned. Not...even remotely concerned."
Cordelia had a blurry vision of a lady being attacked.
Angel glanced from Wesley to Cordelia, then jumped up to catch her. "Easy, easy, easy."
"Pain...killer."
"Painful killer demon?" Wesley guessed.
"Painkiller!" Cordelia screamed.
"Oh." Wesley went to get it.
"A woman - judging by the plastic bag on her head, I'm guessing homeless - versus a slime demon."
"Where?" Angel asked.
"I smelled something awful; that would be the slime demon - yuck! - who lives behind a waste treatment plant in El Segundo."
Angel turned to leave. "Got it!"
Wesley headed toward Cordelia while looking at Angel. "Do you need-?"
"Nope. Stay here and take care of her."
Cordelia looked up. "Enough with the scratch-and-sniff visions!"
Wesley handed her some pain pills. "Here we are."
"Ah, thanks." Cordelia put the pills in her mouth and crushed them with her teeth. "I ever meet these Powers That Be, I'm gonna kick their fucking asses!" She looked at Wesley. "Do you think they have asses?"
Kate Lockley got out of a police car near two police officers.
One officer looked at another. "Told you she'd show. She listens to the nut calls on her scanner."
"Sure she doesn't pick up the radio waves on her brain chip?" the other officer asked.
Kate stepped up to them.
"Detective. According to the report, there was a lot of 'otherworldly howling and wailing'."
"The call said something about something slimy dragging a homeless woman away."
Kate nodded. "I heard the call. Stay here."
"Don't you want some backup, detective?"
"Or a Ouija board?"
Kate gave them a look but proceeded into the alley without a word. She heard a woman moaning and a man talking and put her hand on her gun. Angel and the homeless woman came around a corner.
"See what they do?" the woman asked. "You turn your back, and they come for you."
"You're safe now."
"Yeah, you killed him. Sliced him up real good."
Kate took her hand off her gun and folded her arms in front of her as they came up to her.
"He saved me from one of their spies. And by the way...I don't appreciate the dental association watching me like that." The woman walked past Kate.
Angel stopped. "Hi."
"What was it?" Kate asked him.
"It's okay. It won't hurt anyone else."
"What was it?"
"Slime demon."
"God, this town has everything, doesn't it? Demons, fiends, vampires-"
"Look, I know this hasn't been easy for you. It's okay, most people can't handle what's really out here, Kate. Maybe you should think about-"
Kate laughed. "Sorry. It's just someone who's not even a person lecturing me on 'most people', it's kind of funny. I can handle it fine. And I don't care about most people and what they think of me. What I do care about is ridding this city of your kind."
"My kind."
"Your kind. The kind that killed my father? Did you think I would just forget about that? I don't forget anything." Kate turned and walked back the way that she came.
At Giles' apartment, most of the gang was looking through the weapons.
Giles looked at Buffy. "Certainly no lack of supplies. I only wish I knew which ones would kill Adam."
Jenny looked at him. "I did some more reading, and I found something that was on a disk that Adam probably didn't want us to know. Apparently, his power source is a uranium core embedded somewhere inside his chest. Probably near the spine."
Harmony rolled her eyes. "Great, so we just ask him to lie down quietly while we do some exploratory surgery."
"What about magic? Some kind of, I don't know,...uranium-extracting spell?" Tara suggested.
Everyone looked at her in disbelief.
"I know. I'm reaching."
Buffy patted Tara on the shoulder in support.
Giles stood up. "Perhaps a paralyzing spell." He walked over to the bookcase and pulled a book off. "Only I can't perform the incantation for this."
"Right. Don't you have to speak it in Sumerian or something?" Amy asked him.
"I do speak Sumerian. It's not that. Only a-an experienced witch can incant it, and you'd have to be within striking distance of this object."
Buffy looked at Amy. "See what you get for takin' French instead of Sumerian?"
Amy smiled. "What was I thinking?"
Harmony smiled. "So no problem, all we need is combo Buffy: her Slayer strength, Giles' multilingual know-how, and Amy's witchy power."
Giles looked at her.
"Yeah, don't tell me. I'm just full of helpful suggestions."
"As a matter of fact, you are." Giles looked at Amy. "Would you be able to cast an enjoining spell?"
Amy was surprised. She thought about it. "I believe so."
Buffy smiled, touched. "You're gonna lend me your strengths? Awww..." She thought of something. "We should have someone with scientific know-how...in case I need to deal with Adam's core directly."
Amy smiled. "Funny you should mention that."
They heard a knock on Giles' open door. They looked.
Katrina was standing there, smiling. "Miss me?"
The gang walked into Lowell House.
"Nervous?" Buffy asked Tara.
"Uh-huh. You?" Tara asked.
Buffy nodded. "I'm literally shitting myself."
Tara sniffed. "I think you mean 'figuratively', sweetie."
Harmony smiled nervously. "I'm full of that good old kamikaze spirit."
Giles looked at her. "Harmony, just because this is never gonna work, there's no need to be negative."
Katrina looked at Amy. "The enjoining spell, is it powerful enough to defeat Adam?"
Amy looked at her and slowly nodded. "It's very powerful. It's also extraordinarily dangerous."
"Wait up!" Sandy called.
Everyone turned around and looked. Sandy and Sunday were walking toward them.
Jenny smiled. "We were wondering if you were gonna show up."
Sandy threw up her hands in exasperation. "Sorry, but I had to search all over town for her. Found her sucking off some guy in the alley outside Willy's...um, fangily speaking."
Buffy stared at Sunday. "Sunday, if we get overrun by an undead army because of you, I'm gonna drive a stake right up your ass."
Sunday put her hands on her hips. "Joke's on you. That's not lethal."
Buffy rolled her eyes, then looked at everyone. "Game faces, guys. We're going in." She kicked in the window.
Everyone climbed down the elevator shaft. They landed on the ground. Giles started inching the door with a crowbar.
"Okay, we stick together, then everything should be fine. Everybody ready?" Buffy asked.
Giles got the door open.
"Let's..." Buffy opened the door to reveal five commandos with laser blasters. "...do this."
They were taken to Colonel McNamara's office.
Buffy looked at him. "Colonel-"
"Shut up. You've got some nerve, lady." He unzipped her bag. "You think you and your friends can just waltz into a government installation, brandishing weapons like-" He held up a device. "Like..."
Tara looked at him. "It's a gourd."
Amy nodded. "Magic gourd."
"What kind of freaks are you people?" McNamara put the gourd down.
Buffy stared at him. "Adam is here, Colonel. In the Initiative."
"Nice try."
"Those overcrowded containment cells of yours: courtesy of Adam. He's pulling a Trojan Horse on you; he's just waiting-"
"Everything in this installation is under twenty-four-hour surveillance."
"Including the secret lab?" Buffy asked.
"Including everything!" McNamara paused. "What secret lab?"
"The one Adam's been using. The one built for the final stage of the 314 project."
The colonel had a blank look on his face.
"And you have no idea what I'm talking about."
"I know everything that goes on around here. A tick on a mouse couldn't get in without my knowing it. And if Adam wants to try, we're ready for him."
"Jolly good. How - How exactly do you plan to get close enough to Adam to remove his power source?" Giles asked him.
"Hit him simultaneously with multiple taser blasters. Incapacitate him with as much voltage as we can muster."
"I've seen Adam hit with taser blasts. He feeds on it. And now you're gonna provide him with an all-you-can-eat buffet?" Buffy asked incredulously.
"You telling me my business?" McNamara asked.
Buffy stared at him. "This...is not your business. It's mine. You, the Initiative, the boys at the Pentagon - you're all in way over your heads. Fucking with primeval forces you have absolutely no comprehension of."
"And you do?"
"I'm a Slayer. You're playing on my turf."
"Up there, maybe. But down here, I'm the one who's in control."
The lights went out.
"Sir, the power grid's down. Backup's not responding. We're locked in. Containment area's been breached. Hostiles are loose."
"How many?" McNamara asked.
"All of 'em, sir."
Buffy looked at McNamara. "It's Adam."
He looked at Buffy.
"Look, I'm the only one who can stop him now. Just let me handle this. Get your people out of here."
McNamara ignored her. "All right, you men follow me. We gotta take the armory now."
"Sir."
Buffy frowned. "Colonel."
"These people are under arrest, do you understand?" McNamara asked a soldier.
"Yes, sir."
Most of the soldiers and the colonel left. A soldier stood up. Buffy gave him a kick to the chest. Another soldier tried to attack her, and she banged his head into the desk, then hit him in the face, knocking him out cold.
Buffy looked at Jenny. "We've gotta find Adam."
"On it." Jenny went over to the computer and sat down.
Giles looked at Buffy. "The enjoining spell is extremely touchy. It's, uh, volatile. We - We can't risk it being interrupted. We need a place that's close to you and quiet."
"How we doing, Jenny?" Buffy asked.
"Done. Hold on. According to this, there's air ducts and electrical conduits all running into there."
"So?"
"So...there's no there there. Look."
Buffy looked at the screen. "It's Adam."
"You sure?" Giles asked.
"Right behind 314. Can you unlock it?" Buffy asked Jenny.
"I don't have to. All - All the locks in the Initiative have been disengaged...except for the exits."
Katrina frowned. "Demon open house."
Buffy sighed. "Great. So we know we're going to 314. Now, all we have to do is get there."
The gang ran out into the fray. Graham ran up and began shooting a gun at a demon. He killed him, and he did the same to two other demons. Buffy punched a demon in the face. Tara kicked a demon in the leg. Amy gave a side kick to another demon. Katrina hit one demon with a laser blast. Giles swung at a demon but missed, and Jenny did a roundhouse kick to its face. Sunday did a handstand and kicked two demons, one with each leg. Sandy did a front kick at another demon, knocking it back. They all ran past. A scientist's arm was on fire. A man flew over the railing. Another demon tried to hit Harmony, but she hit him first.
Buffy saw a soldier with a gun and pushed Tara. "Tara, down!"
They landed on the floor. Katrina took out the soldier with a low-intensity laser blast.
Buffy pulled Tara to her feet. "Come on!"
They all ran past. There was another explosion. They arrived at room 314. Buffy kicked open the door, and they ran inside. Harmony closed the door and moved a cart in front of the door.
"Okay, it should be over here." Buffy opened up two doors. "Once I'm in, barricade the door behind me. Is this place okay to be Magic Central?"
Amy looked around. "It, uh, should do. As long as we don't get blowed up or nothin'."
Harmony laughed nervously. "What're the odds of that?"
"How long before the ritual kicks in?" Buffy asked Amy.
"Five minutes, give or take."
Tara stared at Buffy. "Buffy, I still don't like you going in alone."
Buffy gave her a smile. "I won't be."
Tara kissed Buffy on the lips, then closed the doors and moved a cart against the doors. Giles and Jenny moved a gurney against the other door.
Buffy entered the lower level of the Initiative and saw Riley. "Riley." She climbed down the ladder. "Are you hurt?"
He gave no answer.
"Say something!" Buffy yelled.
Riley said nothing. Professor Walsh and Dr. Engleman arrived, looking dead and zombie-like, moving stiffly.
"What is this?" Buffy asked in horror. She looked at Riley. "Why won't you talk to me?"
"He can't."
Buffy looked at Adam.
"He hasn't been programmed to. He's part of the final phase now...as you were supposed to be."
Buffy smiled. "Sorry. I don't jump through hoops on command. I've never really been one to tow the line."
"Oh." Adam paused. "Kill her."
Forrest grabbed her from behind. "I thought you'd never ask."
Buffy struggled. Professor Walsh took a device and slowly walked toward Buffy. Buffy was still struggling. She kicked Professor Walsh in the face, and she went flying into a glass wall, breaking it. Buffy threw Forrest into the wall, breaking more glass. Riley looked at the broken glass.
Inside 314, everyone was sitting in a circle on the floor.
Amy lit a candle. "The power of the Slayer and all who yield it, last to ancient first, we invoke thee. Grant us thy domain and primal strength. Accept us in the power we possess. Make us mind and heart and spirit. Let the hand encompass us. Do thy will."
Forrest punched Buffy in the face and sent her flying to the floor. Buffy sprung up and kicked him in the face. She punched him in the face two more times, a left hook and a right hook. He punched her in the stomach twice. She tried to punch him, but he grabbed her hand, twisted it around, and led her head to a metal table, slamming it down. She slowly got up.
"Buffy."
Forrest punched her in the face and turned to Riley. "Shut up and watch me kill your girlfriend, Finn. That's an order." He growled and turned around to face Buffy.
Buffy tried to side-sweep Forrest, but it didn't work. She punched him in the face.
"I, Amy Madison, offer knowledge of witchcraft."
"I, Katrina Silber, offer engineering knowledge."
"I, Tara Maclay, offer love and knowledge of witchcraft."
"I, Rupert Giles, offer knowledge of Sumerian."
"I, Jennifer Calendar, offer knowledge of computing systems."
"I, Sandra Gray, offer a link to the demonic forces."
"I, Sunday Towne, offer my Slayer and vampiric strength."
"I, Harmony Kendall, offer...optimism." Harmony frowned. "We're all gonna die."
Buffy punched Forrest. Forrest punched Buffy twice, knocking her down. He flipped her over, grabbed her, and pulled her down. Forrest picked her up and growled. Buffy grabbed a power cord with her hands and snapped it.
Amy concentrated. "We enjoin that we may inhabit the vessel - the hand...Buffy Anne Summers...daughter of Sineya...first of the ones..."
Forrest grabbed Buffy and threw her down on a table. Buffy was struggling. Professor Walsh and Doctor Engleman held her down, trying to put her into restraints.
Forrest held Buffy down. "Is that it? Is that all you got?"
"No."
Walsh, Engleman, and Forrest all looked over at the source of the voice.
"She's got me." Riley knocked out Professor Walsh and Dr. Engleman.
"Look who's come off the bench." Forrest started to walk toward Riley.
Buffy kicked him in the face and got up. "I need to get to Adam. Like, now. Are you able?"
"Go."
Buffy left Riley to fight Forrest, and she eventually located Adam in a room.
"Fun, isn't it?" Buffy asked him.
"I do appreciate violence."
"Good."
Buffy tried to run toward him, but he punched her, sending her backwards. She rolled, got up, and kicked him. She began punching him in the face. Adam grabbed her hand and threw her into the wall. His skewer came out. He tried to stab Buffy, but she snapped it with her knee and punched him in the face.
"Broke your arm."
"Got another." His hand sprouted into a mini-gun. "I've been upgrading."
He began firing at her. She dove over the computer console. He stopped.
Amy stared intensely at the candle's flame. "We implore thee: admit us, bring us to the vessel, take us now."
Sunday groaned softly as she felt the power flow from her body.
At East Hills Teen Center in Los Angeles, Faith and Anne were stocking the kitchen with cans of food. Faith groaned as she felt her Slayer strength flow from her body. She collapsed to the floor, cans falling as well.
Anne ran over, crouched next to her, and cradled her head in her arms. "Faith!"
Buffy got out from her hiding place and saw Adam. He blew up the console. Adam looked for Buffy. She stood up, eyes glowing orange.
"You can't last much longer."
"We can. We are forever." The Lady started speaking Sumerian.
"Interesting." Adam fired at her.
She generated some sort of force field and continued speaking Sumerian.
"Very interesting."
He again fired his mini-gun at her, again with no effect. He fired a rocket at her.
The Lady held her hand up. "Kur."
The rocket then burst into three doves. She held her hand up again, and Adam's next rocket went back inside him. Adam tried to attack her, but she blocked every punch. She kicked him in the stomach, and he fell. She grabbed his head.
"How...can you-"
"You could never hope to grasp the source of our power." She uppercut him, sending him flying to the ground. She picked him up and kicked him against the wall. She reached into him and pulled out the uranium. "But yours is right here."
Adam groaned and fell to the ground.
Riley walked up. "Buffy."
The uranium began levitating. The Lady began speaking Sumerian, and the uranium disappeared. Buffy's eyes went normal, and she fainted, but Riley caught her.
Faith opened her eyes and looked up at Anne's face.
"Are you okay?" Anne asked.
"Yeah."
Anne helped Faith to her feet. They started picking up the cans off the floor.
Inside 314, everyone else dropped.
Amy smiled, woozy. "Wow. That was...nifty."
The door broke down, and a demon came inside. Spike came in and broke the demon's neck. The demon fell to the floor.
"Nasty sort of fellow. Lucky for you blighters, I was here, eh?"
Giles frowned at him. "Yes, thank you. Although, your heroism has been slightly muted by the fact that you were helping Adam to start a war that would kill us all."
Harmony gave him a dirty look. "You probably just saved us, so we wouldn't stake you right here."
"Did it work?" Spike asked.
They all got up and frowned at him.
"Well, then everything's all right. And we all get to be not staked through the heart. Good work, team."
Buffy and Riley arrived.
Giles looked at her. "Buffy."
Tara ran over, hugged Buffy, and kissed her passionately on the lips. "Wasn't it amazing?"
Amy smiled at Buffy. "You were great."
Buffy looked at her. "We were great."
Riley looked at Buffy. "We still got men out there."
Spike smiled. "Well, let's go save 'em, by gum." He ran out of the room.
Buffy looked at Riley. "You, organize the soldiers, pull 'em back."
Riley nodded and left the room.
Buffy looked at her friends. "You guys up to this?"
Sunday grinned, baring her fangs. "We are."
They all ran out of the room and into the fray.
When it was over, Buffy and the rest of the gang stood before Colonel McNamara. Various soldiers around them were removing the dead bodies and cleaning up.
McNamara looked at Buffy and hesitated for a moment. "Thank you for the assist, Ms. Summers." He grew stern and glared at all of them. "However, you did break into a military installation and assault officers."
Buffy walked up to him and stared into his eyes. "Who would now be dead, along with everyone else in this installation, had we not rebelled, and the town would be on its way to being decimated by an army of the undead."
McNamara considered that. "That is not an untrue statement." He cleared his throat. "In light of all of...this, no charges will be brought against any of you."
Everyone smiled in relief.
"Provided...you attend debriefing sessions."
"What do you wish to debrief us on?" Giles asked him.
"Everything. Everything that all of you know about...the supernatural. Clear your calendars for the next two days. Report back here tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM. Agent Finn will escort you out." McNamara turned and walked away without another word.
Riley started walking, and the others followed him.
Buffy smiled at him. "That was fun, huh?"
Riley frowned at her. "If you call losing your friend and mentor fun."
Buffy suddenly felt bad. "Oh, shit, I'm sorry. I'm such a retard. I'm sorry about Forrest and Professor Walsh."
Riley hesitated. "Accepted."
"So I guess I'll see you at the debriefings."
"No offense, Summers, but I hope that's the last time that we see each other."
Once they were out of the installation, and Riley had stayed behind, Buffy and the others walked back toward UC Sunnydale.
Jenny smiled. "That was a hell of a battle, huh, Rupert?"
"Yes, we mustn't do it again sometime."
Amy groaned. "I could use a long, hot bath."
Katrina smiled. "Want some company?"
Amy smiled. "Sure."
Katrina kissed Amy on the lips.
Tara looked at Buffy and smiled. "Hey, that sounds like a good idea."
Buffy smiled, resisting the urge to laugh. "You think there's enough room in the tub for all four of us?"
Tara playfully slapped Buffy on the arm.
Harmony pouted. "No fair. My girlfriend's in LA."
Sandy smiled. "You can go visit her. School year's over."
Buffy smiled. "I think I'll go, too. Visit my dad and sister."
Spike smiled. "Great. I won't have to see you."
Buffy looked at Sunday. "Thanks for the assist. You were such a badass in that battle."
Sunday shrugged. "Thanks."
"You must have been awesome as a Slayer."
"Yeah, I was."
"You can be again."
Sunday paused in consideration. "I'll think about it. Right now, though, I need to find a new place to live. Someone broke into the old factory and stole my shit. Can you believe that?"
Buffy was a tad annoyed by Sunday's lack of self-awareness. "The nerve of some people." She took a stake out of her jacket and staked Spike in the heart.
Spike fell to the ground, dead.
Buffy put the stake back in her jacket and looked at Sunday. "There's a crypt in the cemetery. Might need a lot of fixing up."
Sunday made a face. "Ew, that's, like, stereotypical or something. I'll totally pass. Although..." She crouched down and took Spike's black leather jacket off his corpse. "Score."
Buffy thought for a moment. "There's a mansion on Crawford Street."
Sunday stood up and put the jacket on. "Now, we're talkin'."
Buffy smiled. "Looks good on you."
The next day, Cordelia was sitting at her desk.
Wesley left Angel's office and sat down across from Cordelia. "Every source says it's death."
"Well, it's just a prophecy. It's not like it came from on high."
"That's what a prophecy is, Cordelia."
"All right, yeah, but Angel faces death all the time, just like a normal guy faces waffles and French fries. It's something he faces every day, like...lunch." Cordelia paused. "Are you hungry?" She got up to get a doughnut.
"The fact that his death is prophesied - which isn't good news - doesn't concern me nearly as much as the way he took that news."
"What? He didn't scream like a girl as some of us would have?" Cordelia sat back down. "Angel's cool."
"Angel's cut off. Death doesn't bother him, because...there is nothing in life he wants! It's our desires that make us human."
Cordelia scarfed down her doughnut. "Angel is kind of human. He's got a soul." She stood up and went for another doughnut.
"He's got a soul, but he's not a part of the world." Wesley got up. "He - He can never be part of the world."
"Because he doesn't want stuff? That's ridiculous."
Wesley took her doughnut away from her.
"Hey! I want that!" Cordelia yelled.
"What connects us to life?" Wesley asked her.
"Right now? I'm going with doughnuts." Cordelia snatched it out of Wesley's hand.
"What connects us to life is the simple truth that we are part of it. We live, we grow, we change. But Angel-"
"Can't do any of those things." Cordelia paused and thought about that. "Well, what are you saying, Wesley? That Angel has nothing to look forward to? That he's going to go on forever, the same, in the world but always cut off from it?"
"Yes."
"Well, that sucks! We've got to do something. We've got to help him."
"I'm not sure we can."
"What is your deal? You go around, boring everyone with your musty scrolls, and then you say there is nothing we can do?"
"He is what he is."
Cordelia stared at him. "He's Angel. He's good. And he helps the helpless, and now...he's one of them." She paused in thought. "Well, he's gonna have to start wanting things from life, whether he wants to or not!"
Angel came out of the elevator and went into his office. Cordelia and Wesley went into his office to greet him.
Angel looked at them. "Morning."
"Morning. Want some coffee?" Cordelia offered.
"No, thanks."
"How about a doughnut? Chocolate-"
"No." Angel looked through a book.
"Creamy fillings?" Cordelia tried.
Angel laughed a little as he looked at her. "No. I don't want anything."
Cordelia made a sound and looked at Wesley.
"Am I supposed to know what this is about?" Angel asked.
Wesley looked at him. "We...were just discussing how...you don't...want that many things."
"You're cut off from life." Cordelia smiled. "But don't worry, I'm gonna help you with that."
"Oh. Good."
"We'll start small. Keep it simple. How would you like a puppy?"
Angel just looked at her.
"Right." Cordelia thought for a moment. "A Ficus? They're low maintenance."
Angel stared at her.
"Ant farm?" Cordelia tried.
Wesley looked at Angel. "I have to go."
"Where are you going?" Angel asked.
"Rare book shops. I need references to translate the...prophecy." Wesley paused. "Probably not a good idea to take the scroll with me."
"No. I'll lock it up downstairs in the weapons cabinet."
"Angel...I hope I'm wrong about all this, but...it might be a good time to consult the Oracles."
"I don't need to see the Oracles about this."
"Well, think about it." Wesley left.
Cordelia smiled. "Oracles. Get out of the house. Could be fun."
Angel turned, left the office, and went back into the elevator.
Later, Cordelia was walking through an open market. She picked up a set of paints.
"Do you paint?" the woman at the stall asked her.
"Oh, no. I was just looking for something for a friend. I thought maybe, if he had a hobby..." Cordelia paused. "He's a little detached from things."
"Well, they say art is the best therapy for that."
"Really?"
"Sure, they use it in mental institutions all the time. You get the patients drawing and working with clay, helps them to get back in touch."
"Well, he is not crazy or anything. He's...just different?"
"Depressed."
"Well, he wears a lot of black." Cordelia paused. "How much are these pastels?"
"Oh, these are on special. You get the entire set - the large one - and some drawing paper and little pop-up easel...all for thirty-four bucks."
Cordelia grinned. "Awesome!"
"Yeah."
"Okay." Cordelia moved the easel. "Oh, like this? This..." She paused. "Is this the pop-up?"
"Uh-huh."
"I'll take them." Cordelia got out her wallet, opened it, and took out the money. She offered it to the woman.
The woman took the money, bagged Cordelia's items, and handed Cordelia two big bags. "I think you have everything he'll need and then some. You made my day. Thanks."
"You're welcome."
"You must be really good friends."
Cordelia smiled. "Yeah. Thank you."
"Take care."
"Bye." As Cordelia walked away, she felt a hand brushing lightly against hers.
Cordelia looked around but didn't see anything. She started to walk on when she got hit by a short vision. She pulled out her cell phone, but, before she could dial out, she got hit by another, stronger vision. This one didn't end, and she fell to the ground, screaming.
The art lady came over and crouched down beside her. "Someone dial 911!"
Kate drove to the scene of an explosion as soon as she learned the address. Fire engines and police cars were parked in front of the building. Kate got out of her car. Wesley, wearing an oxygen mask, was being wheeled over to an ambulance - with Angel walking beside him. He watched as they loaded him up, then started for his car.
Kate walked over to Angel. "Never a dull moment with you around, is there?"
"I have to go."
"Who the hell do you think you are?" Kate asked. "You are a major witness to a major crime scene. You are not going anywhere."
"You want to try and stop me, Kate?"
"I'm glad we are not playing friends anymore. And I'm really sick and tired of your attitude. There is a thing called the law!" Kate yelled.
"This isn't about the law; this is about a little thing...called life. Now, I'm sorry about your father. But I didn't kill your father. And I'm sick and tired of you blaming me...for everything you can't handle! You want to be enemies? Try me." Angel hurried past her to his car.
Kate looked after him.
Outside Milano's Italian Kitchen, Gunn and some of his gang were loading boxes of leftovers into the back of their truck.
Gunn smiled. "This is good. A lot of hungry people are going to appreciate this. You are doing God's work here. If God was a busboy, he'd look just like you, Jesús. Toss it up, brother."
Jesús tossed a box up to Gunn.
Gunn caught it. "All right!" He heard car tires screeching. "Yo, yo, heads up!"
He and his gang scrambled for their weapons. Angel's convertible came to a screeching stop.
"Put them down. I know this fool." Gunn jumped out of the truck and walked over to meet Angel. "That was entertaining. What you got under that hood?"
"I need your help."
"Yeah, well, I figured you didn't roar in here to ask me about my health. It's pretty good, by the way." Gunn looked at him. "You getting enough iron? You look a little pale."
Angel stared at him.
"Okay, it's traditional in the human world to humor people who've done favors for you in the past."
"You're about to do me another one."
"Yeah, well, if it's tossing a vampire in with them lawyers, I'm in. Because that was my idea of a good time."
"My people, they are in the hospital. St. Matthews. One's in ICU; one's in the neuro-psychiatric unit. They need protection while I hunt down the guy who put them there."
"He's gonna come after them himself, or is he gonna send someone?"
"However he comes, he's not gonna get them. These people mean a lot to me."
"I'm getting that."
A white flash filled Cordelia's vision. Cordelia blinked her eyes, slowly opening them. She was laying on the hospital bed. Wesley was sitting in a wheelchair beside it, and Angel leaned over her bed on the other side. Angel looked down at her hand. Cordelia looked up at Angel.
Angel smiled at her. "Hey."
"Angel?" Cordelia asked.
"Welcome back."
Cordelia looked over at Wesley.
"I'll get Dr. Evans." A nurse left the room.
Cordelia looked back at Angel. "I saw them all. There is so much pain. We have to help them."
"We will." Angel stroked her cheek. "We will." His hand gripped hers tightly.
Cordelia stared into his eyes. Angel bent down and kissed Cordelia on the lips.
The next day, in her apartment, Cordelia was in the kitchen, fixing a sandwich. She went to the fridge. Wesley was sitting at the living room table, the scroll and books spread out around him. Angel was sitting on a chest against the wall. As Cordelia got a carton of milk out of the fridge and an empty glass out of a cabinet, she listened in on their conversation.
"Here is something."
"What is it?" Angel asked.
"The beast of Amalfie, a razor-toothed, six-eyed harbinger of death. No, wait, that's due to arise in 2003 in Reseda."
"I would have guessed Tarzana."
Cordelia walked into the living room and set the plate with the sandwich and the glass of milk on the table in front of Wesley.
Wesley thought for a moment. "Better cross-reference that."
Cordelia went back into the kitchen and got a plastic cup filled with blood.
"I'm sorry, I don't know what they raised in that box." Wesley paused. "I'll keep looking."
Cordelia walked back into the living room. "You've been looking all night. You need to relax and charge the brain cells." She picked up the plate with the sandwich. "Here. Eat."
Wesley accepted it and looked over at Angel.
Cordelia handed Angel the cup with the blood. "You, too."
Angel looked up at her.
"Don't be embarrassed. We're family."
Angel accepted the cup.
Cordelia noticed Wesley staring at her. "What?"
"It's just I...I'm not used to-"
"He is not used to the new you."
"I know what's out there now. We have a lot of evil to fight, a lot of people to help. I just hope skin and bones here can figure out what those lawyers raised sometime before the prophecy kicks in, and...you croak." Cordelia paused. "That was the old me, wasn't it?"
Angel smiled. "I like them both."
Cordelia smiled back at him.
Wesley looked at his books. "Uh...oops. I may have made a tiny mistake."
Angel set the cup of blood down and got up.
"The word shanshu that I said meant you were going to die? Actually, I think it means that you are going to live."
"Okay, as tiny mistakes go, that's not one!" Cordelia yelled.
"Shanshu has roots in so many different languages. The most ancient source is the Proto-Bantu, and they consider life and death the same thing, part of a cycle, only a thing that's not alive never dies. It's - It's saying...that you get to live until you die. It's saying - It's saying you become human."
"That's the prophecy?" Cordelia asked in surprise.
"Uh, the vampire with a soul, once he fulfills his destiny, will shanshu. Become human." Wesley paused. "It's his reward."
Cordelia looked at Angel. "Wow. Angel, human."
"That'd be nice."
"And you won't undo it this time, right?" Cordelia asked him.
"Right."
Cordelia looked at Wesley. "Wait. What's that thing about him having to fulfill his destiny first?"
"Well, it's saying that it won't happen tomorrow or the next day. He has to survive the coming darkness, the apocalyptic battles, a few plagues, and some - uh, several, not that many - fiends that will be unleashed."
Angel looked at Cordelia. "So don't break out the Champagne just yet."
"Fuck yeah, I'm breaking out the Champagne! This is a big deal!" Cordelia exclaimed.
Angel smiled. "I guess it is."
Cordelia headed back to the kitchen. "Typical. I hook up with the only person in history who ever came to L.A. to get older."
Buffy loaded the rest of her and Tara's belongings into the back of her van and closed the door.
Tara put on her helmet. "You ready to head out?"
"Yup. I'm eager to get home." Buffy climbed into her van and carefully set Miss Kitty Fantastico's carrier on the passenger seat. She fastened the seatbelt around the carrier.
Tara got on her scooter. Buffy closed the door of her van and fastened her seatbelt. The ladies started their engines and left college behind for the summer.
