The Angel Chronicles

Re: Angel: The Last Ride

Chapter 2: We All Fall Down..

The team had been trying to find the source of the mystical implosion for almost a day. So far, they had had lots of luck, all of it bad. Spike had hit the demon bars, to try and find any information he could. So far he had found three vampires and two demons, not big on the talking, more into the fighting. Angel saw on the TV that there seemed to be some kind of disturbance downtown focusing around food shops, so he went to investigate. Meanwhile Faith, Oz and Laura hit the streets, to see if they could dig anything up.

As Angel arrived at the source of the disturbance, a gang of kids, six of them all around seventeen, surrounded him, begging him for food. When he told them he had none, they pulled out knives and threatened him. A quick flash of his game face was enough to spook them. Those kids looks starving, Angel thought to himself. He pressed on to the crowds in front of the shopping mart. When he got there he found more of the same. Dozens of people, all fighting to get into the shop. None of the people looked like they should be starving, businessmen fought with cops, and children were crushed under the feet of uncaring lawyers as they all struggled to get to the food. Angel noticed out of the corner of his eye a vampire about to take out one the the stragglers in the crowd. He darted over and staked the vamp before it had time to even know he was there. The victim looked up at Angel, a young girl of about sixteen, her face withdrawn and gaunt. Suddenly she jumped up and rejoined the crowd. So much for thanks. Angel was about to head back to the hotel, to see if anything else had been discovered, when on top of a nearby building he saw a figure on horseback. The figure was hard to see, but in its hand Angel noticed it seemed to be holding a sickle...

"Come on you pansies! You lot fight like bloody nine year old girls!!"
Spike's stake lashed out and landed with a thud into the nearest vampire's chest. As he pulled it back out the vampire exploded into a cloud of dust. He ducked as a Gagnar demon swung it's massive fist into the space where Spike's head had previously occupied, and then drove his knee into the monster's groin. The beast doubled over in pain, and Spike grabbed a pool cue and smashed it across the demon's skull. The cue snapped in two, as the demon hit the floor. A brutal roundhouse kick sent the vampire coming up behind him into a wall. Spike finished the bloodsucker off by throwing the remnants of the broken pool cue directly in the heart of the vamp.
"Anyone else wanna go?" the blonde vampire yelled, "Or should I just drink my beer in peace?"
All of the other patrons of the bar, vampire and demon alike, ducked their heads giving a silent declaration that announced that they wanted no trouble. Spike turned back to the bar.
"Gimme a beer. That last demon spilt mine. Oh, and anything you know about some mystical power surge would be good as well..."
Suddenly a dark figure in the corner stood up.
"That was impressive."
"Yeah, well," said Spike as he turned, "I ain't signin' any autographs, so why don't you just sod o.."
Spike laid eyes on the speaker of the first time. He was huge, almost eight feet tall, and wearing a heavy looking suit of red and bronze armour. His eyes were glowing with a fiery red light.
"Well ain't you a big chap? What do you want? If it's a fight you're lookin' for, you came to the right vamp.."
"Just observing my opponent, William," boomed the massive demon. "And let me assure you, I was born for the fight. See you on the battlefield..."
With that, the demon faded into nothingness.
"Well that was bloody interesting.." muttered Spike.

Faith, Laura and Oz were making their way through the sewers, to see if they could find anything underground that could have caused the mystical whammie. So far, the search had turned up nothing.
"So, Oz," Laura said, "You glad you hung around here in L.A. now? I mean, why would you be wanting peace and quiet meditating in a Tibetan retreat, when you could be trudging through sewers, looking for some unknown magical mojo?"
"Oh I dunno," said the werewolf, "Sure the peace is nice, but to tell the truth I missed the adventures we had in Sunnydale. Plus there are a few new sights I have enjoyed since I got here.." He flashed a cheeky grin at Laura.
"Dear god," groaned Faith, "Will you two hurry up and bone please? It's getting sickening to watch all this mess.."
Faith's rant was cut off by the loud thumping noise coming from the darkness up ahead.
Oz started to retch.
"Whats wrong?" whispered Faith.
"The smell.. all I can smell is sickness and disease.."
Suddenly the darkness twisted in front of them, building up into a dark hunched figure. It was wrapped in dirty brown rags, and all around it swarmed masses of flies. In it's hand it held a gnarled staff.
"Ring-a-ring of roses, a pocket full of posies..." the creature muttered as it stepped forward.
"I think its time to take out the trash." yelled Laura, as she dashed towards the demon.
"Laura, no!" shouted Faith, as she saw the demon raise it's staff, but she was too late.
A bolt of sickly green light ripped from the staff and struck Laura in the chest. She hit the ground with a sickening thud, and didn't get back up.
As the demon faded away, Faith and Oz could hear it's twisted voice on the wind.
"A-tissue, a-tissue.. we all fall down.."
 
Re: Angel: The Last Ride

Chapter Three: Cry Havoc

Angel raced to the top of the building where the strange figure stood, but when he arrived the horseman had vanished. There was nothing more he could do in the streets down below, so he made his way back to the hotel. He arrived to find the Hyperion empty. The others must still be out. There was something familiar about the mysterious entity watching over the riots tonight, but he couldn't place it. Maybe one of the others will find something, he thought.
As he sat at his desk, the doors to the hotel opened, and through them walked Spike. The younger vampire looked like he had been in a fight, which wasn't anything new.
"There's a gang of bloody suits out there all fighting over a loaf of bread..."
"You have any luck?" Angel said.
"Well, if you count getting attacked in pretty much every bar I went to.." Spike said, "then yeah, loads."
"What about the magical surge?"
"Well, didn't find anything about that, but I did run into one big bloke. Wore a seriously heavy looking suit of armour. Said something about living for the fight."
"Crap." Angel said, grabbing a book off the shelf.
"What?"
"While I was out tonight, I saw more of the food rioting, and noticed something watching it all from the top of a building. It was riding a horse, and had a sickle in its hand."
"Yeah, right, so how does this connect to my guy?"
"If I'm right, they're part of the same group. Which means there are two more."
"So who the hell are they?"
Angel turned the book he was reading round. The title of the page read 'Revelation Chapter Six Study: The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse'
"You have got to be kidding me.."
"The guy I saw tonight must have been Famine. I'd be willing to bet yours was War."
"So where are the other two?"
"I don't know, but I would hazard a guess Faith, Oz and Laura might know."
"Any idea how we take these guys down then?"
"To be honest, I'm not sure. I mean, these guys are supposed to herald the end of it all. I don't think they are supposed to lose."
"But it can't be the real ones can it?" Spike said, "I mean, I have never heard of them, but there are a lot of demon gangs that like to talk big. Its gotta be one of them.."
"If it is, they must be packing some major mojo. Famine had an entire neighbourhood ripping itself apart for a few scraps of food."
"Makes me wonder what this War guy can do."
"I don't think I want to wait and find out."

Suddenly the hotel was rocked as something exploded outside. The sounds of rioting were getting louder.
"Champions of the People! Step out and face the challenge of War!"
"Great," said Spike. "Looks like we get to find out after all..."
The vampires armed themselves and walked out of the hotel. Everywhere people fought in the streets. This wasn't about food, this was about battle for battles sake. In the sky the armoured demon that Spike had encountered hovered on horseback, holding a massive sword.
"Angelus and William, you have been chosen, as the champions of the people, to face the challenge of War. Do you accept?" The demon's voice boomed like a cannon's roar.
"I never turn down a good scrap!" shouted Spike.
"Very well vampire."
War closed his hands as if in prayer, and held them up to the sky.
"Cry havoc! And let slip the dogs of WAR!"
A bolt of blood red energy lashed out from his clasped hands, and slammed into the ground near Angel and Spike.
"Ha." muttered Spike. "The ponce talked big, but he couldn't even hit us."
"Uh, Spike, I don't think he was aiming at us.."
The ground where the energy hit began to split open. From the fissure in the ground, three massive hellhounds leapt. Covered in black fur, and eyes glowing a fearsome red, the slavering beasts advanced on the vampire champions.
"Bugger."
 
Last edited:
Re: Angel: The Last Ride

Chapter Four: On A Pale Horse He Rides..

The hell hounds threw themselves at Angel and Spike, reeking of the stench of sulphur, with wisps
of smoke drifting up from their nostrils and mouths. The first hound slammed into Spike, knocking him off his feet. Angel was a little quicker, his sword ready as a hound bounded into him. He lashed out, and hacked at the beast's side, leaving a massive gaping wound. If it hurt the beast, it didn't notice. It lashed out with its massive claws, knocking Angel too off his feet.
Spike struggled with the brute that pinned him to the ground. He could smell the vile, sulphurous breath of the monster. The drips of saliva from its fang filled maw burned like liquid fire. As he fought against the monster, Spike noticed a broken bottle to the side of him. He grabbed it and slammed it into the eye of the hell hound. Pushing the beast off of him, Spike grabbed his sword and brought it down hard on the hound's neck, killing it. He lifted his sword up in time to turn face to face with the third hound, ready to pounce.
The hound leapt at Angel again, driving its fangs deep into his arm. Angel roared with pain, but grabbed the monster's jaw, and ripped it open to free his arm. The beast pushed him down to the ground again, and roared, jaws open ready to devour Angel. Quickly Angel grabbed his sword, and drove it into the open mouth of the hell hound, piercing the brute's brain. He turned to see Spike smashing the head of the final hell hound into a wall, before throwing the carcass to the ground.
"We had better get back to the hotel." said Angel.

When the vampires returned to the Hyperion, they were greeted in the lobby by Faith, who wore a concerned look on her face.
"Angel, we have a problem." The Slayer said.
Faith explained the whole encounter with the mysterious entity in the sewer to Angel.
"How is Laura now?" Angel said.
"Oz is with her. She hasn't woken up since she was hit, and she is covered with a dark rash all over her body. Angel, what the hell is going on?"
"Sounds like you bumped into Pestilence..." Angel said, his mind deep in thought.
"Huh? You say it as it that should mean something."
"Pestilence. One of the Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse."
"Sounds like some kind of death metal band to me..."
Angel showed Faith the chapter in his book on Revelations, and the Four Horsemen.
"So you're telling me that when these guys saddle up, its supposed to be the end of the world? How come we have never seen them before?"
"I've been thinking about this. Centuries ago, I remember hearing an old vampire legend about the Four. They were four extremely powerful demons who took on the identities and powers of the true Four Horsemen, and tried to conquer the entire world. According to the legend, the demons were trapped in some kind of realm outside our reality, and their physical bodies bound to four 'seals' inside this realm. The seals were closed, and the demons were banished for all eternity."
"And you're thinking the Master opened them up again?"
"That would explain the mystical surge The Council picked up. Opening the gateway to that realm must have taken a major spell."
"That makes things easier then," said Spike. "We charge in, bolt up the seals again, and bugger off before anyone's looking."
Suddenly they heard Oz shouting for help. They ran upstairs to find him trying to hold Laura down as she began to spasm.
"What's happening to her?" Oz said, worry in his voice.
"Pestilence must have used some kind of magical plague on her. If we are right about closing the seals, it should stop the effects of the plague, as well as curing L.A. of the famine and violence that is affecting everyone." Angel said.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" said Spike. "Lets find the bloody gateway!"

The team were too deeply involved in their current planning to notice that just outside the window to Laura's room stood a dark figure. Almost as dark as the night sky surrounding it, the only visible feature was its bone white skeletal face, bright blue eyes watching the suffering Slayer with interest.....
 
Re: Angel: The Last Ride

"Got it." Faith said as she hung up the phone.
"The Council had the spell to open the gateway?" said Angel.
"Yeah, Willow had the goods. That girl knows her magic."
Angel saw Oz's head jerk up at the mention of Willow's name. He wondered how long it was since he last saw the Wiccan. The vampire took the notes that Faith had scribbled down from her, and read them.
"Right. This shouldn't take too long to set up. Oz, run down to the local magic shop, and get a focussing crystal, and some cloves. Faith, grab some chalk and draw a summoning circle in the middle of the lobby. Spike, just don't touch anything."

An hour later, and the spell was set up. The four heroes stood opposite each other on the circle. Angel held the spell in his hand, while Faith and Oz, facing each other, held incense. Spike was given a bell, and rang it every few seconds. Angel began to chant.
"Phasmatis umbra ego dico. Patefacio porta ut carcer infinitio. Sino nos obduco ut regnum ut habitum quattuor veho. Publicus mihi!"
Suddenly the room developed a large breeze flowing through the halls, centring on the circle. All of a sudden there was a loud cracking sound, and in the centre of the circle, a deep black and purple vortex ripped open. Spike looked at Angel.
"Don't let it be said I ain't a gent Angel. Ladies first.."
Angel ignored Spike's jab, and ran straight into the vortex, closely followed by Spike, Faith and Oz.

The group fell through the portal into the middle of a massive room. Its walls were clad in a dark black stone, which seemed to glow with some kind of otherworldly power. In each corner of the room there was a metal symbol inlaid into the floor. The symbols had been pulled up from the ground. They must be the seals, Angel thought.
"Right, everyone go for a seal. Get there, slam it shut, and then we head back through the gateway. It looks like no one is home.."
"OH, I WOULDN'T BE TOO SURE OF THAT, VAMPIRE." Said a voice that sounded like the echo of time itself, as the speaker stepped from the shadows.

"I was wondering when you would show up, Death." said Angel, as he looked at the entity before him."Where have you been hiding?"
"NOT HIDING, ANGELUS. WATCHING. WATCHING YOU SCRAMBLE TO FACE MY BROTHERS, AND TO SAVE ONE OF YOUR OWN."
Death reached into the darkness behind him and cast a fever ridden Laura onto the floor.
"YOU REALLY SHOULD GUARD YOUR BASE A LITTLE BETTER... NO MATTER, THIS WILL ALL BE OVER SOON ENOUGH."
With those final words, Famine, War and Pestilence stepped from the shadows.
Spike stepped forward and cracked his knuckles.
"Well then.. let's ride..."

Oz immediately shifted into wolf form and launched himself at Pestilence, determined to make the demon pay for what he did to Laura. Faith drew her sword and charged Famine, while Spike and Angel paired off with War and Death.
"Come on then big boy," Spike growled at the advancing War, "How about you dance with the big bad?"
War lashed out at the blonde vampire with his sword, which Spike ducked and drove a knee into the demon's stomach. The horseman backed off but didn't seem affected by the blow. In retaliation the demon lashed out with a brutal backhanded punch, knocking Spike off his feet.
Meanwhile, Faith struck Famine with a vicious roundhouse kick to the face, before following it up with a sword strike down to the neck, which Famine blocked with his sickle. The demon dropped down lower, and took out Faith's legs with a sweep.
Oz was faring a little better against his opponent. The fearsome bestial attacks he threw out knocked Pestilence down to the ground, as he tore into the demon with his razor sharp claws. He intended to make Pestilence pay for every ounce of suffering he inflicted on Laura.

Angel and Death circled each other. The demon's scythe glittered in the darkened room.
"Somehow, I thought it would be me and you."
"YOU WILL FALL HERE, TONIGHT VAMPIRE, AND YOUR FRIENDS WILL DIE SCREAMING."
"Well, is that any way to treat someone who gave you so much business over the years? I mean, a little gratitude is all I ask for.."
Angel lunged at the demon, his sword swinging overhead. The demon moved with such grace, its movements were so fluid it almost disguised the fact that Angel was fighting a walking skeleton. Death knocked Angel to the ground with a sweep of his scythe. Angel looked around at the battle raging round him. He knew the group couldn't stand up against the horsemen for much longer. They were too powerful. They had to close the seals and banish them quickly. He rolled to one side to avoid the follow up strike from Death. He knocked the demon back with a powerful punch. Grabbing his sword, he lashed out at Death. The horseman blocked the blow with his scythe blade, and as the sword made contact with the scythe, it shattered.
"That was my favorite sword, you jackass!"
Angel slammed the sword hilt into the face of the demon, and shoved it aside as he dived for the seal of Death.
"I WILL TEAR OUT YOUR THROAT BEFORE YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO TOUCH THE SEAL, VAMPIRE."
"Yeah, you might." Angel said as he stood alongside the seal. "But from where I'm standing, you just look like a dead man walking...."
He slammed the seal shut, and Death exploded in a burst of black energy.

Meanwhile, Faith struggled against Famine. The demon had her pinned to the floor, and was slowly forcing it's sickle to her throat.
"Time for dinner, Slayer.." the demon snarled, licking its lips.
Faith fought hard against the monster, but couldn't fight it off her. She felt the cold steel of the sickle begin to press against her throat. Suddenly Famine vanished in a cloud of smoke. Angel helped Faith to her feet.
"Lets help the others."
Faith and Angel closed the seals of War and Pestilence while Spike and Oz distracted them. Not that there was much left of Pestilence after Oz had torn through him.
"Nice job guys," said Laura, "Shame I missed the party.."
They turned to see Laura standing up. They were right, as soon as the seal was shut, Pestilence's plague faded. Oz walked over to her and hugged her.
"I'm glad you're alright."
"Yeah," Faith called over. "It's good to see ya less... septic."
"Come on guys," said Angel. "Let's get home. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm getting fed up with this end of the world crap..."
"Hey," said Spike, "Any apocalypse that doesn't end with me lighting up like a bonfire is a plus in my column.. "

"That is most unpleasant news, Richard."
The Master looked at the vampire messenger with displeasure.
"Now I have to find another way to take down Angel, and I never like that kind of stress. It adds wrinkles..."
"I am sorry Master, b-but I did not fail you. It was the horsemen who-"
"Now, now. If there is one thing I hate more than failure, it's excuses. I think its time you learned how not to say them..."
The Master grabbed the terrified vampire, and forced his mouth open. He reached inside and tore Richard's tongue from his mouth.
"There we go. No more excuses...."


The End....for now..
 
Re: Angel: Battle Lines

Cool story.

I love buffy/Angel and I think you did my fave charrecter (Spike) Very well.

I loved the idea that faith and all them would come to save Angel's gang from the big army of evil that we saw at the end of season 5.

Great job dude
 
Re: Angel: Wolf In The Fold

I see you've worked on your verbal sparring dialogue, and embarrasing moments which have always been a mainstay in Buffyverse. You now need to work on your battle scenes. If they start to seem repetitive, maybe you should add the people's stances, subtle shifts of weight before a throw, basically, be more descriptive of the moves.

I.e.

It was easy to see why Oz was a force of nature, his muscles where bulging, his wounds were ignored all that mattered to him at the moment was to feast on the other werewolf's throat. Lunging forward, and feiging a slip to the right, Oz's jaw clamped down on the throat of the enemy werewolf. He held on, even after the death throes of the werewolf racketed its body. It was at this point that Angel knew the Oz was lost in bloodlust, and the vampire was glad the werewolf was on his side.

Something like that
 
Angel 6X04: High

High
Chapter One: Dream's End​

The club was dark. Dark, hot and crowded. As the young man walked through the club, he passed a dark haired girl talking to two tough looking guys. He passed an elderly gentleman obviously staring at the attractive blonde next to him, and a very drunk red haired girl making out with a foreign looking guy. He ignored all the people he passed, as he made his way to his target, a wiry man in the corner of the club. The man was strange and very creepy but the man only wanted one thing. Juice. The figure handed him a vial of bright green liquid, and without a word, left. The man raised the vial to his lips, and the world went red…

"You have a good night out last night Faith?"
Angel walked over to the dark haired slayer.
"You and Laura have had it hard these past few weeks, especially with her getting the plague..."
"It was interesting, to say the least." said Faith.
"Are we talking interesting fun, or interesting the world's going to end?"
"Well, I was talking to these two guys in the club, and suddenly this skinny dude went insane and started trashing the place. The bouncers went to stop him, and he put one of their heads through a wall. I stepped in to try to get him. The guy was wicked strong, nearly as strong as me. I managed to knock him back, but he ran."
"What was Laura doing when this kicked off?" said Angel.
"Well, uh, she had gotten really drunk. I didn't see any point in dragging her into..."
"Faith, what was she doing?" Angel interrupted.
"Some foreign guy, in the toilets I..."
Faith saw Oz standing there.
"Oh god, Oz, I'm sorry."
"Don't worry."
"It didn't mean anything, I'm sure. She was really drunk…"
"Faith, leave it. It's her business, not mine."
With that, the werewolf walked out upstairs.
Spike walked down a short time after.
"What's wrong with dog boy?" the blonde vampire said. "Him and Red have a tiff? Wish those two would hurry up and get it on, it's making me sick."
"Shut up Spike." muttered Angel.
Angel turned back to Faith.
"We should start looking into this guy at the club. I want to know if he is a demon, if not, where he got these powers from, and I want to know how to take him down."
"On it boss. Before that though, I had better do a bit of damage control."
Faith turned around and headed towards Laura's room.

An hour later, Laura walked into Oz's room. He was setting up his meditation area.
"Oz, I'm sorry."
"What for?" Oz said.
"Faith told me you heard her talking about last night."
"Yeah." He said. "I did."
"It didn't mean anything. I was very drunk."
"I don't want to talk about it. It's your business who or what you do, not mine."
"Oz, please, just talk to me."
"What do you want me to say Laura?" Oz said. "That it hurt? That I felt sick? 'Cause it did. I don't want to talk about it because it just makes me feel worse."
"I'm so sorry."
"You said that already."
Oz unrolled his meditation mat.
"I'm going to meditate now."
"Can I join you?" Laura said.
"No. I need to be alone."
Laura stood up slowly, and left the room.

"I got some news on our fruit loop Angel." said Faith.
"Go on."
"Well, I have hit a lot of the demon bars in the area of the club. It turns out the guy's name is Jimmy Crash. He is a runner for one of the local gangs, the Hellions."
"So how did he get all supercharged?" said Spike.
"It looks like there is a new drug hitting the streets. The junkies call it Juice. It's a part mystical drug that is supposed to turbo charge a user's strength, speed and toughness for a couple of hours, and gives them one hell of a buzz. It seems that the local gangs have picked up on the benefits of using it, and have been buying it in bulk."
"Crap," said Angel. "Mystical drugs are never good news."
"Tell me about it," said Faith. "Last time I took a trip with one, I went for a ride down Angel memory lane with Angelus."
"Bet that was a barrel of laughs…" said Spike.
"Right," said Angel, "We need to find who's pushing this junk, and we need to put a stop to it now, before these doped up gang boys cause some serious damage."

Meanwhile, in a darkened warehouse, a robed figure stood over a mystical altar, silently praying to the gods of chaos. Another man entered the room holding a brown package.
"I think I have a delivery for you sir." The man said warily.
The figure motioned for the man to leave it on the side.
"I-I just need you to confirm your name sir."
The figure turned around and drew back his hood.
"Very well. The name is Rayne. Ethan Rayne."
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Re: Angel 6X04: High

High
Chapter 2: It Never Raynes...​

"We need to find who this drug dealer is." said Angel to the assembled group. The vampire could sense the atmosphere in the group. Things must not have gone well between Oz and Laura.
"We need to split up, hit the streets and bars. Find out if anyone knows anything about this junk."
"I know where I'm heading then." said Spike, grabbing his coat."I'll be back at closing time.."
As Spike left the hotel, Angel turned to the rest of the group.
"Oz, Laura, I want you two to patrol the streets, see if you can find anything. Faith, we will head down the docks."
Oz walked out of the door without uttering a word, Laura following after him.
"Was that a good idea?" said Faith.
"Give them time."

Spike sat at the bar of The Bloodwyrm, a small demon bar that had become very popular with humans looking for danger in recent years. Humans would arrive, drink too much, insult the wrong Chaos demon and end up skinned. There was the occasional tough human that was welcome though, ones who could hold their own against some of the demons. Spike looked at the time. He had only been there an hour, and already had to stake two vampires looking for trouble. He was about to leave when a young kid, couldn't have been more than seventeen stumbled through the door, obviously high. A demon instantly made for the kid, meaning the kid to be his midnight snack, but before Spike had gotten off his stool, the kid had thrown the demon through a wall.
Woah, Spike thought. Looks like I got something here...

Meanwhile, Oz and Laura made their way down to the more dangerous parts of L.A. The had not said a word to each other the entire time. They made their way into an area filled with large warehouses and other empty buildings.
"Oz, stop."
The werewolf turned and looked at Laura.
"What? Did you see something?"
"No. But we need to talk. I'm not letting one drunken moment spoil what could still be."
"Yeah. Good luck with that."
"Oz, I'm serious."
"Look Laura, I told you before. I was hurt. I care about you, and hearing Faith say that it really stung. I think..." Oz trailed off.
"What? What do you think?"
"I think you should get out of my way.." Oz said, crouching.
"What?" Laura said, turning around to see the group of gang thugs standing behind her.
"Oh...."

Back at the bar, Spike managed to knock down the little punk with a kick to the face. The brat was strong. He had already managed to put Spike through the bar. The kid may be strong, Spike thought, but he wasn't much of a fighter. The vampire ducked under the kid's punch and rose to drive his elbow into the boys face. He slammed the kid into a wall and held him there.
"Talk punk. Where did you get the junk from?"
"Man... its so good.. I feel like I am flying.."
"You will if you don't tell me who sold you this crap." Spike slammed the kid into the wall again.
"Dude, chill... I can set you up man. Guy's name is Rayne. Chill man.."
Spike knocked the punk out.
"Lets go see if that name rings a bell with anyone else.."



Oz shifted into wolf form. Laura could hear the scrape of bone and the horrible ripping sound his skin made as the wolf burst free of Oz's body. They started to fight the super thugs, who seemed to be getting stronger by the minute. Laura drew her axes, and began to fend of the clubbing blows from the thug's makeshift weapons. Oz lashed out with his claws, knocking the thugs to the ground.
Suddenly they started to back off, edging away from the werewolf.
"Yeah thats it!" Laura yelled, "You better run!"
"Uh, Lau, " Oz said as he shifted back to human form. "I don't think they are running.."
They looked at the thugs as they started to change. Laura heard that familiar ripping noise that Oz made, as the thugs' skin started to stretch and warp. Their hands changed to claws, and a horn burst from their foreheads.
Laura looked at Oz.
"You know, this is why they say drugs are bad...."
 
Re: Angel 6X04: High

High
Chapter Three: Born Again​

Angel and Faith were back at the hotel. They hadn't managed to turn up anything of any use, and so were researching on the Council database to see if they could find any information on Juice. Suddenly Spike burst through the door, dragging a scrawny looking thug behind him.
"I found us a little weasel who wants to sing.."
Spike chucked the kid to the floor, who immediately tried to run. Faith grabbed him by the throat and threw him into a seat.
"What's this about Spike" said Angel.
"This little rat attacked me in a bar. Was a tough little bugger as well, until i knocked him out for a while. Said he knows who's dealing Juice." He looked at the kid.
"Tell the nice man with the forehead, you little runt."
The kid said nothing, so Angel leaned towards the kid's face.
"Talk, or I make my scary face."
The kid started to shake.
"Uh-uh, it was some guy. He meets us in bars and clubs to give us the hit. Really cheap stuff as well."
"A name." Angel said quietly.
"I-It was some British guy. Something Rayne I think. Yeah, Rayne."
"Crap." said Angel. He turned to look at Faith. "Get Giles on the phone. Now. We have a big problem."
"Angel, who is this guy?" said Faith.
"A sorcerer by the name of Ethan Rayne. Old college buddy of Giles. Bad news."
"Ethan?" said Spike. "I think I have heard of this guy, he turned Giles into a Fyarl demon a few years back for a laugh. He was dragged off by the same G.I. Joes that put that damn chip in my head. He must have escaped when Buffy killed that Frankenstein freak, Adam. ."
"If he's back it's got to be to cause havoc again. Thats what he does best." said Angel.

Meanwhile, Oz and Laura stared at the four snarling demons where the thugs once stood. The skins they had shed lay on the floor, stinking. The red haired slayer lunged at the first demon, narrowly avoiding the vicious claws of the monster, before driving a quick snap kick into it's face. The demon stumbled back, giving Laura the chance to follow up with a roundhouse kick. Meanwhile Oz had shifted back into wolf form, and threw himself at the demons, his claws tearing into the monsters. One of the demons sidestepped his claws and struck Oz with a double handed blow across his back, knocking him to the floor. The demon loomed over Oz, ready to land the killing blow on the prone werewolf. As the monster's claws descended, the creature paused, with a stunned look on it's bestial face, as it fell forward, with one of Laura's axes embedded into it's twisted spine.
"Now do you forgive me?" shouted Laura, as they beat back the rest of the demons.

Back at the hotel, Angel had not been able to get hold of Giles yet. There had been no answers at the Council Headquarters for the last three hours, and the team was starting to get agitated. The had got the kid to arrange a meeting with Ethan, after Spike had persuaded him. With a baseball bat.
Suddenly, Laura and Oz burst through the door.
"Angel!" shouted Laura. "We found something out about the drug. You ain't going to believe this!"
Angel, Spike and the rest of the team looked at Laura. But she was looking past them, and so was Oz.
"Well, I guess you might.."

With a roar the demon that used to be the kid ripped free of his bonds and lunged at Faith. The slayer was too quick for the demon though, and dropped to her knees, before bringing a dagger round into the monster's gut, killing it.
"How about we go find that Ethan guy, Angel?" said Faith.
The group made their way to the bar they had arranged to meet Ethan. A dank hole of a demon bar called The Gutted Baby. Angel looked around the place. A vampire in the corner was feeding from a young girl. The girl was already dead, probably was before the vamp got to her. The bartender was a fat, sweaty demon with grey floppy skin and a single cyclopean eye.
"Still nicer than Willy's Place.." muttered Angel, as he made his way to the bar. Spike tucked himself away in the corner of the bar, while Oz, Faith and Laura waited outside, just in case.
Angel waited for a couple of hours. He was just about to give up when the bar door creaked open and in stepped the weaselly form of Ethan Rayne. With two of the drug demons as bodyguards. He sat down in the corner opposite from Spike, produced a small book and began to read. Angel walked over to the table.
"So, you made it then kid." said Ethan, not looking up from his book.
"The boy had to change." said Angel. "He sent me instead."
"Oh, well.. look at the time." muttered Ethan, looking up at Angel. "Gotta run!"
The demons charged at Angel, while Rayne made for the door. Spike tackled Ethan to the floor, as Angel struck out at the closest demon with a quick punch.
Hearing the commotion, Faith, Oz and Laura ran inside.
Faith launched herself across the tables and delivered a vicious kick to one of the demons, knocking it into the wall, and Laura pinned the monster's head to the wall with an arrow.
"Nice shooting." said Oz, smiling at her.
Meanwhile, Angel lashed out with his sword, beheading the demon he fought.
Angel turned to look at Spike, who had Ethan pinned to the floor in one of the most painful positions he had ever seen. Angel walked over, and motioned for Spike to stand him up.
"Get that jackass to the hotel. Tie him up, and gag him. The only sound I want to hear from him is his troubled breathing."
"I don't have trouble bre... uurgh!"
Angel pulled his hand away from Ethan's throat.
"You do now."
 
Re: Angel 6X04: High

High
Chapter Four: The Shadow Owes It's Birth To Light​

"It's torched."
Spike walked through the door to the Hyperion.
"You burnt the place to the ground?" said Angel.
"Yeah. All of Harry Potter's magic mumbo jumbo is dust. Watched the place burn, and called the Fire Department in to be safe. You get hold of Super Librarian finally?"
"He's sending one of his agents over with a team to collect Rayne."
"I really hope it's not Andrew again." said Spike. "I hate that little runt."
"We should know fairly soon. The team is being teleported over in the next few minutes."
Suddenly there was a ripping sound, as winds began to pick up around them, and a portal tore open in the middle of the hotel. From the portal stepped two watchers council operatives, both armed with shotguns. Behind them stood a very familiar face. Familiar, yet much different. The young man was much more muscular than the last time any of the group had seen him. He wore a black vest and combat trousers. On his left shoulder was a tattoo of a demonic skull. His face had become scored with lines and scars, and in his left eye was nothing but a burning intensity. His right eye was covered by a black eye patch.
"Xander." said Angel. "It's been a long time."
"Angel." said Xander. "You send for the trash collectors?"
"Yeah, we got Ethan bound and gagged downstairs. He's all yours. Any idea what's going to be done with him?"
"You don't need to know dead boy."
Xander brushed past Angel and walked over to Oz.
"Long time no see."
"Too long." said Oz, shaking Xander's hand.
"Still a werewolf?"
"Yeah, you don't actually get better from that.." said Oz. "Although I can control it now."
"Good to know." Xander turned to his team. "Go fetch the package. Giles wants him in the holding room by morning."
The two operatives made their way downstairs. A few minutes later they returned dragging the unconscious sorcerer behind them.
"Thank you for this Angel. You have made Giles very happy grabbing this piece of crap."
"Yeah," shouted Spike, "Thats why we did it, we like to make the librarian happy.."
Xander shot Spike a withering glance before motioning for the operatives to enter the portal. He followed closely behind them, and the portal sealed up after him.
"I guess Anya's death must have hit him a lot harder than anyone thought." said Faith.
"Anya died?" said Spike.
"Yeah. A Bringer killed her just after you went all pillar of fire."
"Why doesn't anyone tell me these things?" said Spike.

A few hours later, Oz was in his room, when there was a knock at the door.
"Come in."
Laura walked in, a serious look on her face.
"Oz, we need to talk. I know I hurt you but you need to know how sorry I am."
"I know."
The werewolf looked deep into the slayer's eyes.
"It hurt because I care about you. More than I have for anyone in a long while. You are the only girl since Willow that has made me feel happy, and content. And all I can think about right now is kissing you."
"Oz, wow. I didn't realize. I mean I thought there might be something, but.."
Laura's ramble was cut off as Oz stood up and kissed her. The two stood in the doorway for a few seconds in each others arms, and Oz reached past Laura to lock the door.

Two days later, in an undisclosed Council location...
Ethan woke up from the small amount of sleep he had. He had been tied to this chair for what felt like days. The rope was beginning to burn his wrists. The room had been pitch black all the time he had been awake. He had not been fed the entire time he had been there, and the only source of water was a steady drip that flowed onto his head. Suddenly a door creaked open.
A bright light flooded the room, blinding Ethan. He heard footsteps, but dazzled as he was he could only make a vague outline of the person.
"Who are you?" Ethan shouted.
"Is that any way to speak to an old friend Ethan?"
"Ripper? Is that you?"
"Of course it is Ethan. Did you think I would let anyone else deal with you?"
"Rupert, if this is about me turning you into that demon a few years back, I'm sorry. It was a joke! Surprise! April Fool!" Ethan stared intently at the figure slowly coming into focus. "That's not helping, is it?"
"This is the end of the line Ethan. This is where your spells, tricks, and games have brought you."
Ethan's came back into focus, and he immediately wished they hadn't. Giles stood before him holding a small silenced handgun.
"Ripper, you wouldn't.. you couldn't. What about the Slayer? Does she know about this?"
Giles flicked the safety catch on the gun.
"What Buffy doesn't know, can't hurt her..."
"Ripper, please.."
Giles took aim with the gun.
"Good bye, old friend."
Ethan's body slumped forward.

--------------------------------------------------------​
End. Until Angel 6X05: Freak Show
 
Angel 6X05: Freak Show

Chapter 1: Static Shock​

Cleveland, near the Hellmouth...

Two girls aged roughly sixteen fought. On the ground lay the body of a middle aged man, dressed in a suit. Sticking from his back was a curved dagger.
"You killed him Tina!" yelled one of the girls. "You murdered our Watcher!"
"It was his own fault, Jenny." said the one called Tina. "He refused to tow the line. I was only following orders."
Jenny lashed out at Tina with a vicious roundhouse kick, but Tina was too fast for her. She dodged the kick, and drove her knee into Jenny's stomach. Jenny stumbled, and as she fell to the ground next to the dead Watcher, she pulled the blade from his back to defend herself.
"You are going to pay for this Tina! When Buffy finds out..."
Tina calmly pulled another dagger from her belt, and thrust it at Jenny.
"Buffy won't find out anything."
Jenny blocked the dagger thrust, but failed to notice the blade in Tina's other hand, until it was driven into her stomach. Jenny fell, and slumped into the dirt.
"Not yet, anyway." said Tina.

Hyperion Hotel, Los Angeles....

"It's too bloody quiet." said Spike. "I don't like it."
"What would you prefer?" Angel said. "We could always try and kill the Senior Partners this time, you know, really piss them off, if you are that bored.."
Spike brushed off Angel's comment and continued, "You know what I mean. Can't you feel it? Something ugly is coming this way."
Suddenly the doors of the hotel swung open. In the doorway stood a beautiful woman with long brown hair, wearing tight black leather trousers and matching top. Her lower arms were covered completely with long black gloves.
"Well, maybe not ugly..." Spike said.
Spike looked at the woman and made his way over to her.
"My name's Spike and I'm in charge here." he said, reaching for her bare arm. "How may I be of serv... ARRRGH!"
Spike was blown across the room with a massive electrical burst.
Angel looked at the blonde vampire with a slight smirk on his face.
"Spike," he said. "Meet Gwen Raiden."
"Angel," said Gwen. "Its been a while."
Spike got up from the floor and made his way over to Angel and Gwen.
"What the bloody hell was that?!"
"I'm a freak," said Gwen. "My whole body is electrically charged. You can't touch me without getting a bit of a shock."
Spike looked at Angel with anger in his eyes.
"You sodding knew about this?"
"Whoops. Must have slipped my mind.." said Angel. He turned back to Gwen.
"Anyway, I thought you had that device that stopped that from happening now? Wasn't that what you and Gunn stole?"
"Yeah, but it ended up breaking down. Looked like the thing was only a prototype, designed to work for a little while. It was fun while it lasted."
"So what can we do for you now then?" said Spike.
"I need help Angel." she said. "Something is killing off all the freaks in L.A."
"Is it a demon of some kind?"
"No. Its human. Some kind of genetic purity Nazi group."
"I think I have heard of these guys." said Angel. "They're not big fans of vampires, werewolves or other demon half breeds either."
"It's not just me that needs help this time as well Angel. I have been working with some other freaks. Ones that live in the sewers. They call themselves the Freak Show. They keep out of everyone's way, don't harm anyone, and just use their powers to survive. Recently some of the members have been disappearing while they were out getting food."
Angel had never seen such a look of concern on Gwen's face before.
"Spike, go get Oz, Laura and Faith. It's time to go to work."
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Re: Angel 6X05: Freak Show

Chapter Two:Wade A Minute...​

Angel and Spike went with Gwen to the Freak Show tunnels. They had left Oz and Laura back at the hotel researching, while Faith hit the streets, looks for clues about the mysterious 'Genetic Nazi' group that Gwen had described. Gwen led them deep into the sewers underneath L.A, into places Angel had not even entered.
"How do you two know each other then?" said Spike
"Well, we were both trying to steal the same thing." said Gwen.
"I wasn't stealing it!" exclaimed Angel. "I was just borrowing it."
"Yeah, tell it to the judge." said Spike.
"We're here." said Gwen.

Gwen pushed open a panel on the side of the sewer wall, and a secret door opened. Inside was a large open area filled with tents and hovels, making up a small shanty town. About ten to fifteen people seemed to live down here, all with abilities that made them shunned by the world above. Some of them had obvious differences, deformities that made them look more demonic than human. Other differences were more subtle, like Gwen's abilities. They could pass as normal humans, but they chose to dwell below ground and be allowed to be who they are. A young girl of about eight or nine, whose body was covered in thick black hair, ran over to Gwen.
"Miss Raiden!" shouted the girl. "I'm glad you're back. I thought the bad men might have come for you."
"Hi Tina." said Gwen. "I'm glad to see you too. Can you run and tell Wade that I have brought the help I promised?"
As Tina ran off, Gwen turned to Angel.
"Wade is the leader of the group down here. He's tough, the best fighter they have. His gift made him pretty much indestructible. But it also made him kinda crazy."
"How do you mean?" said Angel.
"Well, as far as we can tell, his cells are constantly regenerating, meaning he can't take any real damage without healing it up. But it also acts like a cancer, and left his skin disfigured. It won't kill him, but the pain that he first felt as his body started to be twisted, it left him a little unhinged."
"And this guy is your leader?" said Spike. "This should be a barrel of laughs. You got a negotiator here with Tourettes as well?"
"We don't need a negotiator here bud." Said a voice from behind them. "We need someone who likes to party hard, and I mean the kind of parties only sadists, masochists and Angelina Jolie would go to."
Angel and Spike turned to see what looked like a ninja standing there. His face was completely hidden by a black mask, as was his entire body. Across his back were a pair of swords, and strapped to his thigh was a long dagger.
"Wade, I presume?" said Angel.
"You presume correctly Mr Vampire." said Wade. "Wade Pool, at your service. Which one of you is Angel, and which one sounds like a cartoon dog?"

Meanwhile, Laura and Oz were researching using the Council database to find anything on this group that was hunting the freaks. So far, they had had no luck.
"My eyes are so tired." said Laura. "I'm starting to think the Council have nothing on these guys."
"That makes me think they are a recent group then." said Oz.
"Why would they want to be hunting the freaks?" mused Laura. "Do you think they mind being called freaks?"
"Gwen used it often enough."
"Very true. I wonder why we have heard nothing from the Council yet? Its been at least two hours since we called. Its been getting harder and harder to reach anybody there these days."

Back in the Freak Show tunnels, Angel had just stopped Spike from killing Wade.
"If he calls me a bloody puppy one more time, we are gonna sodding see just how much damage ninja boy can take!"
"Spike, cool it." Angel turned to Wade.
"What's your story then? I wouldn't expect to find someone like you hiding in a rat filled tunnel. Not normally where you would find a hero."
"You hung out in one for ages didn't you?" said Spike.
Angel shot an evil look at the younger vampire.
"First of all," started Wade, "I'm no hero. I'm just looking after this lot until we can deal with those Nazi nutjobs. An' I got my reasons to hide. Used to work for the government. They used to kidnap freaks like us and make them do hardcore missions, ones regular troops would probably die in. They took me when I was sixteen, trained me, and turned me into an assassin."
"Sounds like the bloody Initiative to me." said Spike.
"Eventually I busted out, and took a few others with me. They have been hunting me ever since. Nice to know how wanted I am..."

The doors to the Hyperion opened, and Faith strode in. Laura looked up from the computer.
"Anything?"
"A whole lot of nothing, with a side of zip." said Faith. "Heard anything from Angel and Spike?"
"Nothing. Heard nothing from Giles either. Oz is calling again now."
Perfectly on cue, Oz walked through the door of Angel's office back into the lobby.
"You speak to Giles?" Laura asked.
"No, put through to someone else. We have a bit of a problem."
"What did they say?" said Faith.
"The guy I spoke to, he said Giles' orders are not to interfere with either side under any circumstances. They are humans and not our fight."
"You have got to be kidding me right?" said Faith. "Who did you speak to? There has to be some kind of mistake."
"The guy said his name was Wood. Robin Wood."
 
Re: Angel 6X05: Freak Show

Chapter 4: Degeneration X​

Gwen led Angel and Spike deeper into the Freak Show tunnels.
"I think its time you met some of the other muties that can help us in a fight."
Gwen, Angel, Spike and Wade turned a corner, and made their way through the living areas. Before them was a dark, damp area where freaks were training.
"Meet our front line." said Gwen.
She lead them over to a massive individual, a man who stood the height of the Beast. His skin was ruddy brown and his body was twice as wide as Angel's, and was covered in huge muscles.
"This big lad is Jason." said Gwen. "We mostly call him Brick, 'cos running into him is like hitting a brick wall. He's slow, but incredibly strong."
"He also can't tie his own shoelaces." shouted over Wade, following up with a little chuckle.
"Next up is Mikey Whiplash."
Angel looked at the next guy. He seemed normal enough, a lad of about nineteen, fairly slender, and pretty dirty. He stood with his arms folded behind his back.
"So," said Angel looking at the lad, "What can you do?"
Mikey moved his hands from behind his back, and removed the heavy black gloves he wore. Growing from his wrists were odd sinewy tendrils. They suddenly shot out from his wrists, extending out and grabbing the sword from Angel's belt, and returning it to Mikey's hand.
"That."
"Ha! The kid got you there Angel.." Spike chuckled at the sight of his grand sire being punked by the young mutant, but shut up when he noticed the other tendril holding his sword.
"Kid's pretty good..." Spike muttered.
"Last up," said Gwen, "We have Ratty..."
Gwen pointed to what Angel had assumed was a child, which stood up and threw off the dirty brown robe it wore. Before them stood a figure that at first glance Angel mistook for a werewolf, but on closer inspection had very prominent rodent features. Tufts of ragged, matted brown fur covered the creature's hunched, wiry frame. A short stump of a snout protruded from it's face, with a mouth full of sharp looking teeth. It's hands were twisted, vicious looking claws.
"Ratty don't talk all that much." said Wade.

"So they finally did it! The Council became bigger dicks than they were before." Laura said in the reception of the Hyperion.
"You sure he said Robin Wood?" Faith said, moving uncomfortable close to Oz.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure."
"Be sure...."
"Faith, what's wrong? Do you Know this guy or something?"
Faith moved back into the centre of the lobby and began to pace. Laura had spent a lot of time with Faith recently, and had never seen her this shaken over anything. In fact, she would have gone as far as to say Faith was the most focused person she'd ever met.
"Robin Wood was the principal at Sunnydale High before the town collapsed. He is also the son of a dead Slayer." said Faith, uncertainty in her voice.
"So why do I think there is more to this Faith?" said Laura. "You look like you've seen a ghost, and old teachers don't do that. Spill."
"We.. we were close. I always kept guys at arm's length before Robin. He was the first guy I ever let really close to me. The out of nowhere he ended it. Said that it wouldn't work, that Giles was sending him all over the world to recruit new Slayers, and he just didn't have time for me any more. It always seemed like there was something else though."
"But still, why would they want to refuse us help?" Oz thought aloud.
"Fido has a point.. I mean, the breakup wasn't bad enough to hold bad blood... especially when it comes to saving the world and fighting the good fight."

Back in the tunnels, Angel and Spike were arranging the group of freaks, ready to repel an attack.
"You need someone on patrol at all times." said Angel. "Someone fast, and quiet."
Spike looked around the area. There were four exit tunnels, leading off in different directions.
"Yeah, and you want to block off three of these tunnels." said the blonde vampire. "cut them off, and you know where the attack will come from."
Suddenly, a younger member of the freaks came running down one of the tunnels.
"They're coming!" screamed the child.
"What happened?" said Gwen.
"We were down that tunnel. Me and Tina. We were playing, and suddenly it came from nowhere, just out of the shadows. It grabbed Tina. She tried to get away.... to scream for help, but it... it...."
The child broke down in tears, terrified.
Angel reached for his sword.
"Get those exits blocked." said the vampire. "Gwen, get everyone a weapon, and prepare for one hell of a fight."
He looked down the dark tunnel, listening to the sound of advancing footsteps.
"After the Senior Partners, this one should be easy..."
 
Re: Angel 6X05: Freak Show

Chapter 4: Heroes?​


In room 140 of the Hyperion Laura and Oz were lying in bed together. Faith was downstairs trying to get Robin back on the phone to speak to him in person, and was working with a certain sense of desperation.
"How much do we really know about the freaks?" Laura asked, sitting up in bed and looking down at Oz. "I hate to be pro-council, but if they don't want us to help them in any way, then maybe they know something evil about them we don't."
"You know, that actually makes sense." Oz replied in his usual tone.
"Don't sound so surprised…"
"After all, the council have worked in some pretty mysterious ways before."
"Oz, what if the freaks really are the bad guys…they've got us helping them no questions asked…what if it's all a trap to get Angel and Spike out of the way…they could have killed our champions already!"
"Let's get Faith." Oz replied, moving with great speed out of bed and into his clothes.

Meanwhile in the freaks base, Spike and Angel could practically smell the panic streaming off everyone. The freaks ran around like lost children, so unprepared for any attack it was unbelievable. Angel drew his sword. He had to organise the terrified mob, or they would all be killed.
"Right, listen up!" Angel shouted. "This is how it's going to go!"
"Got a plan have you?" said Spike.
"We fight."
"Look at the trouble you saying that got us in last time..."
"Shut up Spike." muttered Angel. He turned to the assembled freaks.
"Gwen." he said. "You, Mikey and Ratty head deeper into the tunnels and hide. When they have passed you, and hit the front line, ambush them from behind."
"Who exactly is the front line?" said Wade.
"You, me and Captain Peroxide."
"Oh great." said Spike. "Insults from the poster vamp of Nancyboy Hair Gel Inc."
Angel ignored Spike's jab and carried on.
"Brick, you are the last defense. Guard the entrance to the tunnel with your life."
Angel looked at the rest of the terrified freaks.
"Block the tunnel behind us. And pray."

Just as the team had finished getting into position, the attackers launched the first wave. All of the warriors they faced were completely covered in black cloth. They smelt familiar, but Angel couldn't place where he had encountered them before. They were fast, and almost silent. The lead warrior fired a long spike tipped chain from it's hand, impaling Wade through the shoulder. The freak looked at the spike in his shoulder, and yanked it out.
"Goddamn it! That was my best shirt!"
Wade pulled on the chain, and hurled the warrior into the wall of the sewer. The warriors paused their advance, and the two groups faced each other at the ends of the sewer tunnel.
"On my mark," said Angel, "Hit them hard."
Angel glanced at Wade, then looked at Spike.
"You always get me into some serious fights Angel," said Spike, "did I ever mention that?"
"No need to thank me, Willy." said Angel. He turned again to look at the warriors facing them.
"Mark."

The three heroes charged the warriors as one, swords drawn. The attackers fought well. They managed to evade most of Angel's best shots, but he managed to take down quite a few of them. He glanced over to his comrades. Spike threw himself into the battle as always, taking down plenty of the ninja warriors. Wade just seemed to be enjoying either causing damage or receiving the pain dealt to him. Soon the sheer weight of numbers was pushing the team back towards Brick, and the base.
"Bring on the backup!" Angel shouted, and on his words, a tendril lashed from nowhere around the throat of the ninja, throttling it. Ratty leapt from the shadows, raking his vicious claws down the back of the nearest warrior, and snapping its neck. Gwen stepped out from her hiding place, and pulled off her gloves. She kicked one of the warriors in the face, and in one fluid motion grabbed it's head, sending a massive electrical charge into it. The warrior was blasted into the wall, and began to crackle with power. Curious, Gwen moved over and unmasked it. Whatever it was, it didn't look human. It's face was covered in a solid piece of metal, fused to its skin. Pulling it's shirt away, Gwen found that it was more of the same, metal and circuitry fused into flesh.
"Angel!" Gwen shouted, "These guys are robots!"

"Damn it!" shouted Angel. "Now I remember these guys!"
"Who are they?" said Spike, ducking under a punch from another of the ninja.
"The cyborgs that attacked Wolfram and Hart, the ones who tried to put that spell on me and control me!"
"What the hell do they want now?"
"Lets find out..." Angel said, driving his blade into the stomach of another ninja.
The renewed force from Gwen's team's ambush helped, but they were still fighting against high odds. The ninja had gotten behind Gwen, Mikey and Ratty, and were pushing them all back towards Brick.
"As much as I hate to say this, we might need the others' help here!" Spike shouted over to Angel as he fought back yet another one of the attackers.

Back at the Hyperion, Oz and Laura had filled in Faith with their theory on the freaks.
"Sh*t, I never thought of that!" Faith said shaking her head, "We need weapons…"
"Rescue mission?" Laura asked.
"Rescue mission." Faith stated, "We can't afford to lose Angel…or Blondie either really."
"Oz, can you track them with your wolf sense of smell?" Laura asked while collecting her bow from the weapons cabinet.
"Shouldn't be too much of a problem."
"Let's go be heroes." Faith said, leading the group out of the Hyperion and into the night.
 
Re: Angel 6X05: Freak Show

Chapter 5: Shades Of Gray​

"Oz why is this taking so long?" Faith asked, knowing that every moment counted on whether they would find Angel and Spike before they became the permanent kind of dead. "I thought you werewolves had super smell?"
"Well to be honest I don't have a habit of keeping mental tabs on how other men smell…it would help if we knew where to start looking for them."
"Well, that Gwen said they were living in the sewers, but the sewer system for this city is huge, so I guess that doesn't help much." Laura pointed out.
"Hang on a second, do you see that over there?" Faith said pointing in the distance.
As both Oz and Laura followed Faith's glance, they could see a troop of what could only be described as ninjas heading towards the sewer duct at the end of the street.
"Well that sure doesn't look good!" Laura said reaching for her bow.
"A group of ninjas…and I thought Sunnydale was strange! What will we see next?" said Faith. As if on cue, the trio saw a young boy running outside from where the ninjas were heading. He had a strange purple tint to his face, and as he ran closer to the group they could see his hands…except they couldn't really be described as hands as they looked more like crab claws. Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, a chain flung from the midst of the ninjas around the neck of the crab boy, snapping it and killing him instantly.
"Holy crap!" Faith exclaimed.
"I think we've found our freak headquarters." Oz finally spoke up as the group shared shocked glances at what they had just witnessed.
"I'm guessing the vamps won't be far away from an event like that." Laura added.

In the freak tunnels, the ninja were pushing the battered defenders back further and further. The cyborg warriors felt almost no pain, and were stronger than everyone bar Angel and Spike, and with the numbers advantage they had, it looked like the defenders were doomed.
"Angel," shouted Spike as he decapitated another cyborg, "We need backup now!"
Wade ducked under a chain shot, and threw a dagger into the throat of a ninja.
"I got an idea." said the freak. "Brick! Get over here!"
The lumbering juggernaut ran over to Wade like an obedient dog.
"See those men in black over there, Brick?"
The monster grunted in acknowledgement.
"Well they said they are gonna kill all of your pets."
"No. No kill my squashy pets." growled the leviathan. "NO. KILL. PETS!"
Brick suddenly snapped and charged headlong at the ninja cyborgs. Angel and Spike jumped out of his path as he collided with the warriors.
"You let that thing have pets?" Spike said to Wade as Brick started demolishing the ranks of the cyborg.
"Don't be stupid." said Wade. "The idiot just collects all the rats he steps on, keeps trying to feed them or in some cases blow them back into the right shape..."
"He will stop when all the ninja are gone right?" said Angel warily.
"Hopefully." Wade said cheerily. "Its always fun to guess though, ain't it?"

Back out on the street, Faith, Oz and Laura were also fighting for their lives in the thick of the ninja. Oz had shifted into wolf form, and had taken out a fair few of the attackers with his teeth and claws. Laura had managed to kill three with her bow when they had been at a distance, and was now fighting two at a time with her axes in perfect synchrony with Faith's sword strikes. They had trained many times together in Cleveland, and although Faith wasn't usually one for friends, she had bonded surprisingly well with the redhead, and this reflected when they fought.
"These guys can't be human," Laura shouted out to her fellow slayer while delivering a perfect kick to one of the ninja's stomachs, "They're almost as fast as us!"
"That's because they're not." Oz growled in his distorted animal voice.
As Faith and Laura looked over to where werewolf Oz was fighting, they noticed all the ninja he had ripped apart. Metal strew the floor, as they noticed that the ninja also had metallic parts where many of the human organs should have been.
"Only in LA…" Laura muttered as she finished off the last of the cyborg ninja.
"Well that was a nice work out!" Faith exclaimed smiling at Laura, "Ready to see what surprises wait in store behind sewer entrance number one?!"

The defenders stood and stared in amazement as Brick tore his way through the ninja ranks. Soon all of the ninja were crushed by the big brute. Brick suddenly stopped his rampage, and became the gentle beast he was ten minutes ago.
"Metal men no hurt Brick's pets now..."
"I'm glad he's on our side." said Spike.
"Me too..." said Angel, as they both backed away slightly from the massive freak, who had found another dead rat on the floor, and was in the process of squashing it into his pocket.
Angel and Spike turned to look down the dark tunnel.
"You hear that too?" said Angel.
"Footsteps." said Spike. "This ain't over is it.."

Running through the sewers the trio came across some more ninja, but none that caused too much trouble to take out between the three of them. The tunnels were silent and so thoughts of the worst nature ran through their minds.
"We have to get to Angel and Spike," Laura said with concern in her voice.
"We'll save them, don't worry," said Oz with a reassuring tone.
As Faith, Laura and Oz reached a wide-open space in the tunnel, they glimpsed a mound of dead ninja, and a fair few of what could only have been part of the Freak Show group. As the team moved closer they could see Angel and Spike standing next to Gwen and an assort of other freaks all looking ready for a fight.
"Get away from them!" Laura shouted, as she drew her bow and aimed directly at Gwen's head.
"Woah now red, watch where you're pointing that bow of wonders eh?" Spike joked, moving closer to Gwen's side.
"Watch out Angel," shouted Laura, "I don't think the freaks are as defenceless as they say."
"Why?"
"Someone from the Council ordered us not to interfere."
"Who?" said Angel.
"Robin Wood."
"Never heard of him." said Angel.
"I have." muttered Spike. "Wanker tried to kill me back in Sunnydale during the whole First Evil crap."
"Why?"
"Well, I kinda killed his mum a while back when I was evil, she was a slayer. He had a bit of a grudge..."
"Both of us are not well liked by the Council to be honest." said Angel.
"Well, the Council were adamant that you shouldn't come to the freaks' aid." said Laura.
"Did they give a reason?"
"Well, no, not as such..."
"Well screw them." said Spike. "Me and Angel have tussled with these tin men before, and they are bad news."
"Actually Spike, we never did work out if we were classed as the bad guys there..." muttered Angel. He turned to the assembled freaks, warriors and children alike.
"But come on guys." he said. "Look at them. Mostly children and the elderly being protected by a handful of able bodies. They couldn't do anything against the cyborgs."
"Well," said Faith, "We had better get back and see what the Council have to say on it.."
"Yeah." said Spike."Lets go see what the Union of Dandies has to complain about.."
 
Re: Angel 6X05: Freak Show

Chapter 6: The Bigger Picture​

"That's it?" Faith yelled down the phone, slamming it down with such force it made the others standing in the lobby of the Hyperion wince.
"So it went well then?" Spike said.
"Damn well, Robin's a jackass!"
"Tell me something I don't know."
"Ok, how about this," Faith said moving towards Angel, "They told me to tell you it wasn't your place to interfere…"
"So we were supposed to just let innocent people get slaughtered were we?"
"Apparently we're here to follow orders, not to play the hero all the time."
"Gee, and I remember when the council were so easy going…" Angel joked.
"Maybe this isn't something that we should joke about." Laura said uneasily.
"So what does this mean?" Oz joined in.
"The council has said we're on a very short leash," Faith said. She turned to Oz, "No offence."
"Going rogue again from the council then are we?" Spike said, turning everyone's attention back to Faith.
"Robin wouldn't tell me anything else, just that we shouldn't interfere, the council has to see the bigger picture…"


"But I still don't understand what big picture they could be talking about," Laura said to Faith as the two slayers were on routine patrol later that night, "I mean, we helped the good guys, what more can they want?"
"I don't know, this whole thing is making me think too much," Faith replied, "I thought I was done with all this Robin ****."
"He really got to you didn't he?"
"Well before Robin, it was just get some and get gone. He was the first guy that I ever connected with and had a real relationship with…"
"That's a little deep for you miss five by five!" Laura joked.
"You see what he does to me! Going all sappy on you like that…and to think he started off as an easy lay after getting out of prison!" Faith joked back.
"Yeah, I mean I don't know how you managed it, locked up for so long! I can imagine you itching for some action!"
"I still got my fair share…"
"But how? You were locked up with only women!" Laura laughed, raising her eyebrow at Faith inquisitively.
"I never said it was with men…"


At the Council HQ, in London, England...
Giles sat at his desk in his plush office. It was one of the perks of running the Watcher's Council, having an large, impressive office. He had just started to read one of his books when there was a knock on the door.
"Enter." The watcher said, looking up from the text he was reading.
Robin Wood walked through the double doors. The son of the slayer Nikki Wood made his way to Giles' desk.
"Robin. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"It's Angel."
Giles sat bolt upright at the mention of the vampire who had tortured him for hours.
"He hasn't...?" he said, "Angelus hasn't returned has he?"
"No. But we do have a problem."
"What?"
"The Iron Ninja we contracted to clean out the nest of subhumans. He destroyed them, along with the aid of Spike." He spat Spike's name out with a great deal of venom.
"Didn't anyone try to stop him for god's sake?"
"Yes, but by the time they had contacted me he had already left, and by the time Faith and the others arrived it was too late."
"Are they aware we hired the Iron Ninja to take those animals out?"
"No, I refused to answer anything on the subject of why they were not to interfere."
"Good." said Giles. "Ensure it stays that way. We can't have them getting in the way. Not now."

--------------------------------------------------------------------​

End of Episode 5...
Next Time on Angel..
"Enter Sandman"
Prepare to find out more about Laura, as we delve into her dreams, trapped in a mystical coma....
 
Angel 6X06: Enter Sandman

This is Episode Six in my ongoing Angel season 6, based on Joss Whedon's Buffy spin off, Angel.

Chapter 1: Say Your Prayers, Little One...​

The cavern around them began to collapse. Spike could see the new slayers scrambling to escape through the seal.
"Go on then." he said to the slayer.
"No! No, you've done enough! You could still-" said Buffy.
"No, you've beaten them back," said Spike, the light pouring from his chest, destroying Turok-Han wherever it passed. "It's for me to do the cleanup."
"Buffy! Come on!" Faith shouted from the top of the seal, as more of the roof caved in around them.
"Gotta move, lamb. I think it's fair to say, school's out for the bloody summer."
"Spike!" Buffy yelled.
"I mean it!" Spike said, the heat from the amulet burning him. "I gotta do this!"
Buffy looked deep into Spike's eyes, and took hold of his hand as it burst into flame.
"I love you."
"No, you don't, but thanks for saying it." He said with a sad smile. "Now go!"
"You're right." Buffy said standing in front of him, the emotion gone from her eyes.
"What?" Get out of here!" Spike screamed as flames licked his body.
"I could never love you William." Buffy said with a smile. "You're beneath me..."
The flames consumed Spike's writhing body, as Buffy stood laughing...
Spike awoke with a jerk. The nightmare again. He got up and splashed cold water from the sink into his face. He looked up and saw the empty mirror in front of him, nothing but the room staring back at him. Blood. Thats what he needed.
He made his way downstairs to the kitchen. Laura was sitting at the table, drinking a cup of tea.
"Can't sleep?" she said to Spike.
"Yeah. Funny thing about dying in a pillar of fire, leaves a lasting impression.."
"Getting nightmares? I never seem to get them. Or if I do I never remember them."
"Its better that way Red, trust me. You never want to get stuck in your head with your own nightmares. Especially when you have done some of the things I have over the years..."
The phone rang. The Council had a job for them.



When everyone had assembled in the lobby of the Hyperion, Laura explained the mission the Council had for them.
"According to the Watcher who called, there has been an outbreak of mystical comas across L.A. They have managed to discover a few details, but they are pretty sketchy."
"What details do they have for us then?" said Angel.
"A few reports state that just before the coma a mysterious, inhuman figure was seen around the victim, who disappeared right before they fell into the coma."
"Fair enough," said Spike, "Sounds like some kind of demon so far. What else you got?"
"The victims have almost all died a couple of days after falling into the coma. Eyewitnesses said that the victim's eyes flicked open, they screamed in obvious terror, and then died, their face twisted in a look of fear."
"Well that can never be good.." muttered Oz.
"There's one other thing." Laura said. "Each of the victims seem to have been present at the bedside of the person to die before them."
"Now that sounds a lot to me like a clue." said Faith.
"Well the Council have given us the details of the last person to fall into a coma, name, address, hospital they are being held at."
Angel stood up. "Faith, Oz. I want you guys to start doing some research on this. Get the stuff the Council gave Laura, and work from there. I want to know what we are dealing with here."
"Right boss." said Faith.
"Spike, Laura. You're with me. Lets visit the latest victim. Hope you got plenty of sleep guys. Looks like we have a long night ahead of us."
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top