Part Two

"Mission accomplished, Mistress, and how did your endeavors fare?"

Rita straightened up from the boardwalk railing and greeted her apprentice with a nod. "Very good and very well." With a wave of her hand she motioned toward a cruise ship being escorted into the Port of Los Angeles. "We will have good hunting for the next two nights. I can see right now that a pair of young, tender stewards will not be returning to their stations."

"Blast!" Wesley spit, settling in beside her. "I already fed. Took advantage of a quick and easy kill on the way back."

"Ummm... that's a shame." She said with mock lament while rubbing her hands up his body in a slow, sinuous motion bringing them up to cup the back of his head and draw him downward for a searching kiss.

A full minute passed before she pulled away with a wordless murmur, pausing to flick the end of her tongue across his lips. "The taste of blood is still on your lips." Rita lowered her head and brushed her face across his chest. "And all over you is the scent of sorcery... and the bouquet of her... and the aroma of him." She ran a finger down his cheek. "A little ménage à trois for the afternoon?"

"That's being a tad bit too proper." Wesley smirked. "A more apt description would be a full blown Roman orgy in celebration of a successful casting."

"Tell me acolyte, what wicked things did the three of you do?" She purred.

Wesley caught her hand and gave the fingers a nibbling kiss. "In regard to the sorcery or the orgy?"

"Sorcery... for now."

"Truth manes." Wesley said with a devilish air. "They will haunt our friend Angel in both his dreams and his days, picking away at his veneer of righteousness, showing him that no matter what he does he is still a failure as both a man and as a vampire."

As if he was relating an amusing tale he paused to chuckle under his breath before continuing.

"That was the first wave which hit him in the predawn. Then, a few hours later, Rupert and Willow conjured up a bodiless imp to hover behind him. This spirit was commissioned to whisper into his ear the most unnerving commentary in regard to the scenes which are passing before his eyes. It will murmur such things as: Why go on this way - would taking one be such a crime? They used you, no reason to morn them for they deserved to die. And my personal favorite - Remember the pleasure of the kill? Admit it... you crave.. you need... you lust for the release that comes with the taste of hot blood. You confessed it to 'them' once before so why live a lie?"

Rita's dark laugh cut through the air. "Perfect! To stay sane he will have to send his conscience packing and give his demon free rein."

"Or stand on the rooftop to watch the sunrise." Wesley considered. "Either way Angel Investigations will be out of business. We should know by tomorrow which way he will go, for tonight the coup de grace will present itself in the form of a pair of malevolent jinn."

"Which will do what?"

Wesley rubbed his hands together. "One will show him bitter lies with just enough of a touch of truth in them that he will become increasing distraught. The other will magnify his senses to the point that he feels the need to hide in a dark tomb away from the overwhelming sound, scent and taste of the living."

Rita pursed her lips and made a ticking noise. "That might be a bit over the top. When that happens he will know that he's being hexed rather than just losing his mind. Cancel that last bit of torment."

"Mmmmm... there might be a problem with that."

"Why?" Rita asked in an annoyed tone.

"Well Mistress, the deed has already been done." Wesley sighed and prepared himself for his mentor's censure.

"Fix it." She snapped.

"Begging Mistress's pardon, but to attempt that would muddle the everything up." Wesley countered. "You see, all the components of this casting were layered upon each other then cloaked by putting them under the guardianship of a demon called Infusco. At this stage of the game we would have to resummon Infusco who would politely dump the whole thing into the rubbish and then we would be back to square one."

"Are your identities are well hidden?" Rita questioned in a growl.

"Absolutely."

"We cannot let them know that we have returned. That was my mandate from the beginning - 'they stay in the dark until we are finished here'." Her eyes narrowed. "Could he breach this spell? Does he have access to another sorcerer?"

Wesley shook his head. "No Mistress. I am aware of Angel's talents and rest assured is no way that he could break through our shield." He licked his lips and smiled. "And remember, we have taken their conjurers as our own."

"Not all of them, or have you forgotten about the clairvoyant?" Rita pointed out. "She was the one who set them on our trail a year ago."

"Even 'if' she would have a vision, Cordelia would not see the entire conspiracy laid out before her." Wesley huffed.

"Are you sure?"

Wesley shifted on his feet as a small bit of doubt nagged at him. He leaned on the rail and considered the likelihood of the plan going sour due to one of Cordelia's visions. "Mistress I appreciate your council, and I must confess that while planning this scheme I dismissed Cordelia's so called 'gift' as not worthy of much more than a passing thought."

Rita met this statement with a glare. "And how do you plan on rectifying this?"

Wesley bit his lip for a moment then returned her gaze. "I will take her out of the equation, posthaste. Burn her out of her flat in the wee hours. I guarantee you Mistress Rita, Cordelia Chase will be dead by morning."

"I will hold you to that." Rita said with not a small amount of threat. She motioned for him to follow and began her way down the waterfront toward the freighter which was both their lair and mode of travel in the past year. "We are attending a meeting tonight at 8:30 with the representatives from the Si-Fi Convention."

Wesley fell in step with her, grateful for both the veiled permission to carry through with his plans and the change in topic. "I take it they were pleased at your offer?"

Rita's mood lightened. "They did handstands over my choice of using their venue for my farewell appearance." She gave him a sly glance. "The painting? I'm auctioning it off with all proceeds to go to the Red Cross Blood Bank."

"You always were one to give back to the community." Wesley deadpanned sending his dark Guide into a snickering laugh as they went up the gangplank of the freighter.

"Last Call." Rita smirked out the title of her final work. "If they only knew that those portrayed in this have taken more blood than they have ever collected."

Wesley opened the door to their suite and stepped back for her to enter. "We shall keep it our little secret, Mistress."

******

"Where is he?!"

Cordelia theatrically shrugged.

Kate came into Angel's inner office, tapping a manila envelope in her palm. "I need to see him... now."

"He's down in the sewer somewhere PMS'ing, at least for a few more minutes then he can go sit on a park bench and be pissy." Cordelia spit. "Go look yourself because I'm not going to go get my head bit off again." She opened a desk drawer and pulled out a stake. "Here, you might need this."

"Are you joking?" Kate asked with a touch of suspicion.

"Yeah, I'm kidding. But not by much. He came upstairs late this morning looking like death warmed over... but that's normal because he's like 'duh' dead every morning, and when I said 'Hi' he grouched at me." Cordelia fiddled with the stake for a moment and then tossed it back into the drawer. "And he was a bear all day. Like, we have three jobs that he should be working on but 'noooooo' he'd rather hang around here doing the big sulk. I pointed this out to him and it really went downhill from there. He went stomping out about three hours ago when I told him that I was going to grind up some prozac and put it in his supper sippy-cup."

Kate kept her composure. "What do you think is wrong with him?"

"How should I know? Maybe he got up on the wrong side of the coffin." Cordy offered with a wave of her hand as she stood.

"Was he acting odd yesterday?" Kate inquired offhandedly.

Cordelia's brow furrowed as she thought. "Nope, yesterday he acted like a normal two hundred year and thirty year old vampire. Maybe he's having a mid-life crisis thing."

"Did you go out with him last night..."

"Like I'm going to date my undead, unwealthy boss? Right. Come on Kate, I have better taste than that." Cordy interrupted.

Kate rolled her eyes. "I mean.. did you go out to help him with a job or was he alone?"

"I left at 5:00 because 'I' have a life. But he went out to try to find this con man who took some old lady's money."

Lockley nodded slightly. "So did he find this guy?"

"Don't think so."

"So maybe something happened overnight?" The detective needled.

Cordelia let out an exasperated puff of air which blew her bangs straight up. "Something happens to him every night. He's a 'something weird happens' magnet."

"I'm going to check downstairs." Lockley announced.

Cordelia stood and flipped her hair. "Suit yourself. I'm going home. Just answer the phone in case someone else wants to hire us to do nothing." This said she swept past Kate and headed to her desk to retrieve her purse. Something clicked in her mind and she took a glance up at the detective who seemed to be waiting on her to leave. "Ah... did you just give me the third degree?"

The faintest smile flickered across Kate's face as she held up the manila envelope. "Could be."

"Uh... why?" Cordelia asked, tossing her purse back down. "Duh! You know that I'd tell..."

"Do you know a 'Buffy'?"

Cordelia made a squeaking noise.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'."

"Yes... no.. yes... ah..." Cordelia hedged as her attention focused in to the envelope. "You know, every time you show up with one of those there's a picture of an extremely dead guy in it."

Kate tapped the envelope in her palm.

"Holes in the neck kind of dead guy." Cordy gulped.

The silence was deafening.

Kate ran her finger down the side of the envelope. "Do you know someone with the initials, 'R. G. W.'?"

"No." Cordelia said truthfully. "What's going on? Why did you ask about Buffy? Is that a picture of.. OhmyGod! Buffy's been... oh shit... Angel will go ballistic!"

As Cordy stammered Kate opened the envelope and laid three pictures out on her desk. "Is this man a client of yours?"

"Oh good... back to dead guy, not dead Buffy." Cordelia cocked her head to one side and wrinkled her nose. "Somebody got our logo all wrong. Ick."

"Your logo is only part of the note, carved there in lieu of Angel's name." Kate said in a frosty voice while pointing at the same sliced into the cadaver's chest. She drew her finger downward. "I'll read you the message Miss Chase and then you tell me what it means. 'To Buffy and 'Angel' - A bonus - Hell's advance guard - Love, R.G.W.'." Her eyes narrowed. "Plus two sets of puncture wounds."

Cordelia sat down.

"Any of Angel's creations back in town?"

"Now that you mention it, he... he is acting weird... just like when that Penn guy showed up." Cordelia muttered under her breath.

"So who's R.G.W.?" Kate hissed.

"I don't know... Angel was like really into killing people for the first 130 years." Cordelia shrugged. "It's not like he's made a list." She grimaced and gave Kate a sheepish sidelong glance. "I probably shouldn't have mentioned that, huh?"

"I already knew it."

The voice whispered into Angel's mind. "See? She's just as bad as you are, letting a murderer like yourself run free. What hypocrisy. She's just using you..."

Angel gave his head a hard shake and stepped out of the stairwell. "Well, in answer to your question Kate, just off the top of my head there was a Roger Whitehead, a Ralph Weitendorf and a Raymond Wolaver." He paused and rubbed his forehead. "I can't remember what their middle names were, it probably never came up in the conversation. But unfortunately there were more 'Roberts' then you could count and the same with 'Richards'. Just too many possibilities to go with the first initial of 'R', too bad it's not Z.G.W."

"Are you trying to be funny?" Kate snapped. "Because if you are I can tell you now, I'm not seeing any humor in it."

"I can see your tail's not wagging." He snotted while coming across the room.

The sarcastic tone caused Cordy and Kate to exchange glances. As covertly as possible Cordelia opened her desk drawer and pulled out a wooden cross.

Angel caught the motion. "Put that thing back." He growled as the taunting voice said. "She really doesn't trust you. You know one of these days she's going to stake you while you are at rest."

"Angel? Are you okay?" Cordelia said with a gulp.

Faces began to flash in front of his eyes of those he murdered during his Sunnydale incarnation of Angelus. "But why should she trust you? You are a killer." The sprite murmured into the edge of his consciousness.

"And so are those you turned, and so are those you failed." Another voice added as a jinn offered a misleading vision of Wyndam-Pryce heaving Rupert's bloody corpse into a dry well. "At least someone has a handle on the torture. You could not break him but Wesley could. He sang like a bird... gave up all his secrets.. died screaming for mercy."

Angel began to weave on his feet. "Chain me up. Not the bed this time, something more solid."

Kate took an instinctive step back. "What's going on?"

"I don't know... something's.... something's trying to possess..." Like a breaking wave the sound of the two woman's heartbeats filled the room. Angel covered his ears and morphed. "DO IT NOW!" He screamed.

"The elevator!" Cordelia shouted. "Get in there and don't do anything vampy!"

Within him the demon raged, demanding a tribute of warm blood while his conscience struggled to regain control. A choir of voices swirled through his head, each offering another reason as to why he should just give up and accept his true nature. Angel bent double and pressed his hands tighter over his ears trying to block out the clamor. "Shut up.. SHUT UP... SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

Kate and Cordelia froze in their tracks as the vampire battled his demon, his nature zigzagging back and forth between Angel and Angelus. Again he shrieked out a profanity laced command, ordering the bedlam within him to cease. He doubled up a fist and slammed it into the wall... once, twice and then a third time beating completely through the inner and outer walls.

The pain from his broken and torn hand shot through him, momentarily pushing aside the battle for his being . Angel whirled around and staggered toward the elevator. "Get the chains... hurry." He groaned, latching on to this moment of internal respite.

Cordy was off like a shot toward the stairwell. "Meet you downstairs! Kate! Give me a hand!"

By the time the elevator hit its terminus in Angel's lair Cordelia was there with a box of restraints. She took a deep breath, shoved the latticework grate back and stared at Angel. The vampire lowered himself into the corner and gripped the mesh of steel which comprised the elevator cage. "Use everything we've got. Wrap it around my body, padlock it at the crosspoints, don't give me any slack in the bindings."

"The usual." Cordelia muttered.

Kate dropped another half dozen chains onto the floor of the elevator. "The 'usual'? I take it you've done this before."

"Yeah... I'm getting real good at boss bondage. This one is new though, the other times we did it to him in bed. How's that for a resume item?" Cordelia said as a matter of fact while she snapped a shackle around Angel's wrist and wove the chain through the grating and back around his body. "Hand me a padlock out of that box."

"You will be helpless... they will destroy you... fight while you can." The imp whispered.

Angel tightened his hold on the grate, growling in response to the spasms of pain which shot out of his abused hand.

"You did a number on that." Lockley noted with a nod toward the self-inflicted injuries. She pulled her handcuffs out of her jacket pocket and gingerly snapped it around his wrist. "These will..."

"No!" Angel pulled his hand back. "I can break those.. damnit! I need the wide manacle you stupid..." He turned away from her, hissing through clenched his teeth as he swallowed the insult.

"Bitch." The jinn said filling in the missing slur. "You should have said it... it fits. She's a cur. Smell her fear, listen to her heart race. She is afraid of you.. a pitiful little cur bitch and you are submitting to her? But you have a history of being pussy-whipped."

An apparition began to form in Angel's mind of Buffy's face as her features twisted into a picture of rapture. The vision solidified to show her head tossing back and forth on a pillow as a man's hands pulled her upward, drowning out her orgasmic cries with a kiss.

"She doesn't even think of you anymore." The creature mocked. "You should have drained her dry when you had the chance."

Angel's voice became a whimper. "Hurry.... for God's sake.... hurry..."

******

"This exit." Buffy yawned. "Then turn right."

"Glad you know where we're going." Rees acknowledged, giving the turn signal a flip. "And doubly glad you stayed awake to navigate." He gave his head a toss toward the backseat. "Unlike the three little kittens back there."

Despite her frame of mind Buffy laughed at the observation. She turned halfway around in her seat and took in the sight of Xander, Anya and Riley using each other as a pillow as they snoozed away.

"Yes, pet. They are quite the fighting machine, providing they get their nap time in." Tom said as he stretched a bit while they waited out the light at the end of the ramp. "They will be so rested up that we'll be able to sit back and have a pint or two while they take care of this mess."

As they began moving again Buffy shifted in her seat as the reason for their middle of the night dash to Los Angeles came roaring back. "Can you really break this spell?" She questioned. "It sounds like a bad one, it had Cordelia really wigging out."

"Black magic is my specialty."

"Yeah, I know that's what got you thrown out of Watcher school, but..." She stopped and shook her head.

"But what? Finish your sentences pet. I'm a sorcerer not a psychic."

"Would you quit calling me that?" Buffy asked for the millionth time in seven months.

"As you wish, pet." Tom grinned. "Now, as you were saying?"

Buffy rolled her eyes and groaned.

"Mmmmmmm?"

"All right, all right.... 'but' Tara says that you need to think things through a little better."

"Oh what's she know?" Tom said, dismissing the comment with a wave of his hand. "Tara is afraid to take a chance." He grunted out a syllable or two to show his annoyance. "If we would have continued on for just another sodding minute we could have broken through that barrier and found out what Wyndam-Pryce did to Giles and Rosenberg. But, hell no... one little rotting corpse appears and she backs out."

"Right... one little corpse, darn her anyway." Buffy sniped.

Tom let out a huge sigh. "Oh well, water under the bridge. So how much further?"

"Long ways. We have another twenty-five - thirty minutes so just keep driving. Hope we aren't too late."

Rees checked the dashboard clock. "We've made good time, look... four is barely gone."

******

"Will you hurry up? We have wasted too much time already or haven't you noticed that four is gone?"

Rupert leaned up against the tunnel wall, flicked the spent match toward Wesley and took a deep drag off his cigarette. "Don't go into one on me." He said through the smoke before straightening up and continuing down the passageway. "So relax, we have plenty of time."

"Plenty of time for it to go tits up." Wesley growled. "Cordelia did not go home so consequently she is still at the office 'and' if she is still at the office at this time of night it can only mean that she is immersed in research to..."

"Or it means that our long lost acquaintance Angelus has come back and she's currently slumped across her desk with a broken neck." Giles interrupted.

"You're just trying to cheer me up." Wesley said dryly.

The corner of Rupert's lips curled upward into a thin smile, his amusement springing half from the response and half from the fact that Wesley had come to him for assistance. Oh, this was one favor that he would hold over 'The Acolyte's' head for a long time. He took a sidelong glance at his companion, wondering why on earth he was so driven to kill Cordelia. Twenty-four hours earlier her name had not even come up, but now she was the number one focus.

"We are getting close, so put that thing out." Wesley ordered.

"As you wish... 'Acolyte'." Giles said mockingly, flicking the cigarette away.

Wesley's eyes narrowed. "Watch your tone."

"A thousand pardons.... sire." Giles said without sincerity. "But maybe, just maybe I would be more enthusiastic if you would tell me what brought about this evening's crusade."

"Mistress Rita wants Cordelia dead, I told you that already." Wesley stated flatly.

"And what Mistress wants, Mistress gets." Giles added wickedly. "So I take it she just got up from her rest this evening and decided this. No warning. No reason. No unforeseen circumstances." He twisted up a smile. "Or as that corporate slogan states 'just do it'."

Wesley suddenly stopped and pointed down a cross tunnel toward a faint beam of light emitting from the ceiling. "There it is. Now if you are finished being an unbearable ass may we get on with our duty?"

Giles let out a low chuckle. "You forgot about her visions, didn't you?"

"No... I... did... not." Wesley ground out each word in a display of barely controlled anger. "The subject is now closed. Have I made myself clear, minion?"

"Minion." Giles echoed. He worked his jaw and glared at Wyndam-Pryce. "Pulling rank I see."

"If that is what it takes to get you back on track, yes I am." Wesley snapped.

"Now that 'that' is settled." Rupert hissed under his breath, leaving the rest of the statement to hang in the air as he moved past Wesley toward the shaft of light. He grabbed the ladder and climbed up toward the heavy cast iron grating.

Angel's angry voice exploded from above as he battled the inner demon.

Rupert's eyes lit up at the sound for in it he found proof that he and Willow's casting had been successful. He gave the grate a push, silently moving it upward a fraction of an inch before the bolt wedged in the hasp stopped the progress. Moving to the side of the ladder he hung there by one arm, braced by one foot on a rung and motioned for Wesley to join him.

"It's latched tight, just like you predicted." Giles reported in a bare whisper. "But listen to that bugger. He's going through living hell."

Wesley nodded and moved up another rung mumbling. "Of course, on both counts."

Rupert put his palm on the grate and tested its weight. "I believe that between the two of us we could force it. It would make a terrible racket, but with what is going on up there we would be on them before they could counteract."

"Perhaps." Wesley said softly. He cocked his head to one side and put his finger to his lips. "Things are settling down, so first a bit of reconnaissance to find out what's going on."

The simmering rivalry in their natures ebbed, replaced by the dark thrill of the hunt. Side by side they hung there like a pair of bats listening to the conversation which came down from above.

Angel shuddered, sending his chains rattling. "I'm in control again, for now." He groaned.

"If you say so." Cordelia commented. "But how would we know?"

"You wouldn't, you can't."

"Thank you for that great big confidence booster." Cordy shot back.

Wesley bared his human teeth and moved downward a rung. "They have him chained and from the sound of it he's somewhere in the living area. Damn it to the pit, this entrance is to close to them for a blitz attack."

Rupert mirrored the evil expression. "They would run straight up the stairs."

"So where are they?" Kate grumbled. "They said they would be here by 4:00."

"Who knows?!" Cordelia sighed, plopping down in a chair. "Maybe they had to stop at the twenty-four hour voodoo outlet."

Wesley and Rupert exchanged dark glances.

"Have you ever met this Rees?" Kate asked.

"Nope... all I know is what Buffy told me on the phone. She said that he's way into this magic crap, even more than Giles was." She leaned back onto the couch. "Angel's talked to him a bunch of times and met with him once. But like he would tell me what it was about?" She raised her hand and examined a nail. "Nope, I just answer the phone and transfer the call."

"All right." Angel groused. "First time he called me to find out... ask where I stood with Buffy. Then he called a few times to discuss demonic behavior." He paused and growled as the hex hit him with visions of Buffy and taunting voices danced through his mind.

Wesley leaned toward Giles. "This bodes ill. Who is this Rees?"

Giles shook his head.

Through gritted teeth Angel answered the unheard question. Two months ago I went up to Sunnydale to meet with him. He and Buffy had been called to London for a shakedown meeting before the Council and he wanted to get all the details."

Wesley frowned. "Rees. There was a Rees in my group but he was defrocked and sent packing."

"As if that's never happened before." Giles sneered.

"He's competent, a little on the rough side but that's a plus." Angel twisted against his bounds and laughed a bit. "I've got the feeling he got in their faces and told them how it was going to be. Whatever he did, it worked because things have been running like clockwork since they got back. Buffy and Tom are officially back in the fold and have been authorized to do as they see fit."

"Yeah, too bad Giles and Wesley didn't stand up to those jerks." Cordelia added.

As one, both vampires morphed and bared their fangs.

"They couldn't." Angel countered.

Kate shrugged. "From what I've heard it sounds like they didn't try."

While mouthing silent damnation upon the quick and the dead above them, Wesley ran his finger up through the grate feeling for the bolt which stood between life and death.

Rupert grabbed his compatriot's wrist and drew it back down, making a motion for Wesley to stand aside. He held up one finger and pointed toward the hidden bolt all the while focusing his rage into a white hot spear of magics within his being. Angel's demon felt the sorcery and surged forward, sending the vampire slamming to the end of his tether, commandeering Angel's voice to howl in delight...

...and masking the sounds of the bolt popping free of the latch, sliding across the grate and falling into the tunnel below.

"Now that was sweet. Well done, Rupert." Wesley begrudgingly acknowledged. He reached upward and tested the grate by moving it upward a bit.

"Shall we kill them both in one fell swoop or toy with them?"

"I will kill the policewoman." Wesley hissed. "And then I will offer Angel Cordelia's throat. If he feeds he remains in the flesh, if not he's hellbound."

Rupert's expression became even more hate-filled. "And I stand and watch? Thank you."

Wesley made a sharp motion to his left. "I'll give you five minutes to get around and come in the front door. You will position yourself at the head of the stairs to keep both an eye out for the Sunnydale auxiliary brigade and to prevent either woman from fleeing. When you hear me attack, please feel free to stroll on down and join the party."

Giles curled his lip.

"Damn your eyes! Go!" Wesley seethed.

With a snap Rupert descended the ladder and made his way down the tunnel, but not before he stopped once to light a smoke and offer a sarcastic salute back toward Wesley.

As the minutes ticked by Wesley prepared himself for the attack, drawing upon the instinctive hatred of the undead toward those who still walked in the sun. His eyes glowed yellow as he felt that the allotted time had passed. He coiled his body up under the grate and with all his strength set it crashing free from its frame.

Cordelia and Kate whirled around as the heavy clang of metal on cement shot through the room. Freezing in their tracks they could only stare in wide-eyed horror as from the opening a figure emerged arrayed in full vampire threat.

Wesley had learned well under the tutelage of his Mistress. He paused, not to say a cocky remark or to point out the obvious, but to merely take in the scene before him and instantly configure his attack.

It all happened in the same heartbeat. Wesley's appearance, Cordelia's scream, Angel's shouted command for someone to unshackle him and Kate's dive for the ring of padlock keys on the table.

The scream came reverberating up the stairs causing all to drop their bags in the doorway and race in a mad dash toward the stairwell.

Giles came down and around from his hiding place on the landing and stood in the hall. With a corrupt grin he considered Wyndam-Pryce's plight and related his conclusions to the empty corridor. "Wesley, with or without a soul you are the unluckiest bugger in any realm." He stepped over the abandoned baggage and listened to the sounds from down below. "Hummm... sounds like the hounds are on the trail of the fox. Oh well, poor fox." Bending down he ground his cigarette out on Buffy's garment bag and then made his way toward Angel's office with the intent of stealing any volume or artifact that might catch is interest.

Up the elevator shaft came the echoing curses of an enraged Angel as he swore vengeance on Wesley, Rita and all their followers.

Cat-like Rupert stalked over toward the shaft and craned his neck to peer downward through the bars at Angel. Disgust turned to hatred which bloomed into a malevolent thirst for revenge. He backed away and his gaze traveled through the adjoining rooms until it focused upon Angel's desk. "Top, right-hand drawer." He muttered to himself.

Without hesitation Rupert went straight to the desk and opened the drawer. He snatched up a stake and paced back to the elevator where he hit the call button.

The ancient machinery cranked into life and the elevator began to rise. Cordelia dropped the padlock keys and lurched backwards out of the cage. "Angel! What do you think you're doi..."

"I didn't!" He shouted, cutting her off mid-word. Then the cold realization of what was happening hit him. "HE'S UPSTAIRS! RUN! GET THE OTHERS!"

"ANGEL!!" Cordy screamed, scrambling to her feet.

"HURRY!" Angel yelled back as he vanished from sight.

"You're on your way to hell." The imp heckled as the manes flashed the visions of torment he knew only too well. "Hell, hell, hell."

The jinn's chimed in. "Become yourself... accept your nature... save your life."

With all his being Angel answered the demons with an unconditional "NO!"

The elevator jarred to a stop and a black clad figure flung the latticework shield open.

Angel hissed out the name. "Giles."

Rupert's face was a stone mask.

"I don't care what you do to me, I'll never betray them."

Rupert's grip tightened on the stake.

"You bastards can do your damnedest, but you will not break me."

The faintest smile flickered across Rupert's lips. "You seem to be under the mistaken assumption that I give a shit."

The words barely had time to register before the stake tore through Angel's heart.

Giles dropped the stake to the cage floor, stepped out and hit the down button.

Below Cordelia and Kate scrambled to arm themselves as Anya bent over the hatchway shouting for the others to return. Precious seconds slipped through their fingers as they searched for the bolts for the crossbow.

"Screw it!" Kate shouted, grabbing a double headed ax off the wall.

The elevator hit bottom.

Kate raised her ax and slowly approached. She blinked and nervously licked her lips before half turning back to the others. "He's gone."

Cordy came forward holding a sword straight out in front of her. "What do you mean 'he's gone'. He was still chained up. I only got the first layer.. of..." Her voice faded out as she saw the stake.

"Buffy and Riley are coming back!" Anya reported.

"Oh no." Cordelia moaned.

The ex-demon stood and gave Cordelia a confused look. "Huh? You told me to yell for them to come back and now they're coming back. So now you want me to tell them to go away again?"

Lockley took a few hesitant steps forward and stared at the grit which covered the cage. "I think..."

Cordelia looked aghast. "Don't say it."

Anya circled around Kate and shrugged. "Yeah, that's vampire dust."

Riley came scrambling up out of the hole. "Vampire dust?" He questioned. As Anya nodded her affirmative he reached down and gave Buffy a hand up. "Good news, they got him."

Her sword fell to the ground as Cordelia began to waver on her feet. "Oh God... no, No, NO!!"

"What's happened?!" Buffy questioned running toward the room.

Anya pointed toward the elevator.

******

"My, my... what an interesting pair."

The voice seemed to come from everywhere, yet nowhere as it resonated through the pitch black section of tunnel.

"Oh shit." Xander spit.

"Took the words out of my mouth." Rees said under his breath. "All right, back to back, try to pinpoint the bastard and hope like hell our torches don't give out."

Xander pressed hard up against Rees shined his flashlight down the tunnel. "You forgot the part about staking him."

"I assumed you knew that we were not going to take him out for a pint." Rees answered in a dry tone. He let out an exasperated puff of air and gave Xander a sharp backward jab with his elbow. "Back off a step before I feel obligated to kiss you."

Xander took a step forward. "You said 'back to back'."

"Sorry Harris, it wasn't a proposal." Tom deadpanned as held his crossbow up in a one handed aim which followed his light beam back and forth across the width of the tunnel. "Come out, come out wherever you are. Haven't seen you for ages Wes. So how about it mate... let's have a chat."

"About what, may I ask?" The disembodied voice questioned. "I'd just rather offer my condolences and leave."

"Condolences?" Tom shot back. "Condolences over what?"

"Your assignment. Mark my words, she will suck the life out of you also."

"I think that sucking thing's your gig." Xander sniped.

Silence.

Rees mouthed a few choice words then bellowed. "Show yourself you little prick!"

Nothing.

Xander made a clicking noise, mimicking the ticking of a clock. "I think he bailed and is now getting away."

"I think you're right."

From down the passage came the clatter-bang of a manhole cover being pushed away which sent them sprinting toward the sound, unconcerned as to what might lay ahead. In their headlong rush they almost passed the intersecting tunnel thirty yards from their starting point.

"THIS WAY!" Rees yelled as he caught in his peripheral an arrow of streetlight slicing down through an open manhole.

In the same second that both men hit the cross tunnel from the street above came the sound of a motorcycle rumbling into life.

Xander threw his flashlight away and hit the ladder full tilt, ascending in a mad dash which landed him on his hands and knees in the middle of the street. "FUCK!" He shouted in exasperation.

"That... sums it... up... nicely." Tom panted as emerged from the manhole and watched two silhouettes disappear around the corner three blocks up. He pulled himself up and out of the sewer and went over to sit down on the curb. An expression of deep concentration settled across his face as he stared down the street toward the spot where their quarry had vanished from view.

After a minute Xander broke the silence. "So what'da think? You got any ideas Watcher man?"

Rees stood and shrugged. "Sounded like a Harley to me."

"You think?"

"Looked like one too." Tom rubbed his face and sighed. "Well, let's get back to the others. It's going to be a long day."