The Devil You Know
Parts 7-9
"Nobody needs to get hurt,"Angel said calmly,mentally calculating the odds of rapidly disarming both men before they could fire a shot.He could get Shades,but Ski mask could probably get off a shot first-which wouldn't bother him much if he could be sure he'd shoot at him and not the clerk.Could he risk it? "Don't tell us what to do,motherfucker,"Shades snapped,tightening his grip on the gun. "I thought I told you to lock the goddamn door,"Ski mask hissed at his friend. "I thought I did." "Don't you think this is overkill,boys?Two guns to knock over this pop stand?"Spike taunted,sidling behind Angel. "Shut up,Spike,"Angel whispered. Shades pumped the shotgun,in case they hadn't noticed it."Shut the fuck up,asshole." But Spike ignored him,as usual."Of course you're geniuses,"he scoffed derisively. "Shut up now,"Angel hissed. "How retarded do you have to be to knock over a Quicky Mart?What,do you need sixty bags of Chee-toes and a Squishy?" Angel couldn't stand anymore:he brought his fist up abruptly,smashing Spike in the face.Although he was stunned,Spike smacked him in the back of the head,and Angel countered with an elbow to the chest,hard enough to knock him back into the newspaper rack by the door.
The gunmen looked utterly bewildered,clearly mulling over whether or not to blow their heads off."Hey,fun boys,knock it off before I bust a cap in both your asses,"Ski mask-obviously the leader-threatened,waving his handgun for emphasis. "Fun boys?"Spike echoed in disbelief,trying to extricate himself from the newspaper rack. Angel knew what was coming,and didn't know how to stop it-Spike's taunting of the gunmen had put them on edge;he had no hope of disarming them safely now.And if he moved to knock out Spike they'd probably open fire.Why did he have to save Spike?He'd have been better off with the Berserker demon."Just shoot him,"he sighed,giving up.All he needed was his arm,right?
"Who in the hell are you calling fun boy?"Spike continued,finally standing up. "Lock the door,blondie,"Ski mask ordered,aiming his gun at him."And don't try anything stupid." "Fuck you,"Spike shot back,complete with obscene gesture."Do you really think that little toy of yours can hurt me?You have no idea who you're fucking with,'mate'." "I'll lock the door,"Angel grumbled,and when he turned towards it,he whispered,"Keep your mouth shut,or I'll rip your arm off myself." Spike simply snorted in an aborted laugh."Come on,let's just go.It's not like they can kill us." "I'm not leaving them with the boy,"he hissed back,watching the gunmen's reflection in the glass doors.Did they notice neither he nor Spike cast a similar reflection? Spike rolled his eyes and made a noise of disgust."Oh spare me the goody two shoes crap,Angel.Who cares what they do to pizza face?If he's dumb enough to work here at this time of night,he has the life expectancy of a tse fly anyways." "Shut up you two!"Shades barked,his finger tensing on the trigger. "Ooh,I'm so scared,"Spike mocked,waving his hand dismissively. Locking the doors,Angel spied dark movement in the parking lot-movements,and a pair of glowing red eyes."Oh shit." That got Spike's attention."What?"He looked,and the smug look on his face was replaced by one of sudden fear.
"Is there another exit?"Angel asked calmly,slowly backing away from the door,and pulling Spike along with him.Maybe,if they were lucky,they wouldn't know they were in here...but considering how his luck had been going tonight,they were screwed-as were the three men behind them,although they didn't know it yet. "Like you're going anywhere,"Ski mask said coldly."That's far enough.Turn around-slowly." Angel did,making Spike do it too,and wondered how he could tell these belligerent jerks they could start counting the rest of their lives in millisecond increments."You don't understand-we all have to leave now.There's something in the parking lot-" "Something?"Ski mask scoffed in disbelief. "Cops,"Spike quickly interjected."It's a real pig's day parade out there.So let's get moving,shall we?" "You're full of shit,"Shades spat contemptuously."I didn't hear no sirens;I didn't see no lights." "Like they'd announce them selves to a couple of gun toting yabbos like you,"Spike muttered,just loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Right,that's it,"Shades snapped,but whatever he was planning to do to Spike was cut short by the sound of breaking glass. Angel heard something clatter across the floor,and saw the bouncing cylinder in his peripheral vision.Quickly he grabbed the silver cannister and threw it back through the window before diving into a nearby aisle,shouting,"Get down!" Spike was the only one who listened,diving into the aisle after him,while the baffled gunmen weren't sure who to point their weapons at."What the fuck is going on?!"Shades demanded,as the stun grenade exploded in the parking lot,sending a blizzard of broken glass flying throughout the store. But the gunmen,while shocked,were wired on meth and itching for a fight:they opened fire on whatever they saw,Ski mask vaulting behind the check out counter for cover while Shades took refuge behind a display rack of potato chips.At least one person outside fired back,outclassing the would be robbers by using a semi-automatic weapon.
Even over the din of bullets and exploding merchandise,he heard someone from outside-the human from the alley (he recognized the Southern twang)-shout,"Angel,why don't you come out with Spike now?It'd be a shame if innocent humans died because of you!" It was Spike-who must have crept over to another aisle as he was no longer behind him-that answered first,and due to a sudden burst of gunfire,he only heard a single word of what he said;"...mother..." Someone must have heard the whole thing,though,because the gunfire increased tenfold. If they lived through this,he was going to kill him.
The robber's guns clicked dry,and over their cursing he heard grating laughter,throaty and deep,and it sounded familiar somehow."You wanna stop shootin',boys?That tickles." Angel risked a glance around the shelving,and saw a red eyed Frenik demon walk through the shattered remnants of the doors,greenish-black blood leaking from several bullet holes in his chest,making striations down his white shirt.Damn it!Regular bullets couldn't kill a Frenik-little could.Only copper...although decapitation and neck snapping could kill them in a pinch. Ski mask shouted,"What the fuck are you?!" "The guy who's going to kill you fucking morons,"he smirked,as Angel tensed,raising himself up to a classic tackling position. But Shades had reloaded,and fired at close range,the shotgun blast hitting the Frenik in the chest,the force throwing him off his feet and out the door,where he collided with someone else.It wouldn't hurt,but he imagined the new gaping hole in his chest would slow him down,nonetheless hurt like hell. With an angry snarl,a large reptilian demon with strange legs-replete with knees that bent the other way-leapt over the top of the shelves,almost landing on him,but Angel rolled aside at the last second. As he came up on his feet,the lizardy demon hacked at him with a scimitar,but he ducked under his clumsy blow and kicked it in its flat green face,making it stumble back into a rapidly spreading pool of sugary liquid from the bullet ridden frozen drink machine.It slipped and fell,and Shades screamed in horror when he saw it,instantly shooting it in the head,which seemed to explode,splattering its brains all over the floor and front counter.Someone wretched,but he wasn't sure who.
More bullets started flying,and Angel ducked down as candy bars exploded over his head."Spike!"He shouted,hoping he hadn't tried to run off on his own. There was no reply,so he made his way to the end of the aisle,only to encounter a gun toting human,who seemed just as surprised to see him.He grabbed him as he brought up his gun and headbutted him,knocking him cold.As he let him drop to the floor,he heard that human again,chanting in a sing song voice,"Ang-gel,they're going to die!" Bastard!Someone that annoying had to work for Wolfram and Hart. "Who the fuck is Angel?!"Shades demanded. "Somebody has to pay for this,"the clerk suddenly piped up,still cowering behind the counter as far from Ski mask as possible."And I ain't cleanin' this up." It was so pathetic he had to laugh. He saw something fly over his head,towards the front of the store,but it was only when another one zoomed past that he saw what it was:bottles of cheap,fortified wine,with flaming wads of paper towels stuffed down their open necks. So Spike was still here;who else would think up Mad Dog Molitov cocktails? Angel heard cries of alarm as the bottles shattered near the front,the flaming liquid splashing all over the front sidewalk,and he figured Spike was throwing blind,because there were humans out there,and if he bothered to look his chip would never have let him make them,nonetheless lob them at their opponents.
There was some general cursing outside as another one flew,and Angel took the opportunity to dart towards the back of the store,where Spike had to be,but he had to duck into another aisle as he was followed by a hail of bullets,one of which punched clean through his shoulder, a burning but evanescent pain that would soon grow worse with time.And the Berserker gash on his face was just starting to heal... "Have a drink on me,boys,"Spike crowed gleefully,as more of the firebombs went flying,and there was an inhuman screech near the front,as Spike had either clipped or hit something with one of his ad hoc Molitov cocktails.As another salvo of vicious gunfire commenced,he wondered if Wolfram and Hart had really thought they'd go quietly in the face of futility-both he and Spike had been in utterly futile positions before,and yet neither of them were a pile of dust yet.
In what passed for a lull in the gunfire,Angel shouted at the humans,"Get out the back while you still can!They're not human-you can't win!" The clerk didn't need to be told twice-as soon as there was an opening,he jumped the counter and darted into the back room,but the gunmen ignored both him and Angel's warning. Drugs,testosterone,and stupidity were deadly combinations in any form.
It was then he noticed an aisle display of toothbrushes arranged in the shape of a mouth,which had been altered-there were now two brushes hanging down from the top,like fangs.It was nice to know that being in a life threatening situation didn't alter Spike's sense of whimsy. He heard a sickening wet noise in tandem with a grunt of pain,and looked up the aisle to see Shades reel back,bullets slamming through his chest,the last shot sending his cheap sunglasses flying as he hit the floor,his body jerking spasmodically before falling still,blood quickly pooling beneath him. Damn it!He told himself he gave them warning,a chance to leave...but he still felt responsible.He didn't have to die.He heard gunshots from Ski mask,and shouted angrily,"Get the fuck out of here!You're next!" But he didn't seem to listen,and Angel was so infuriated he felt his vamp face emerge.He let it come-maybe if Ski mask saw it,it would be enough to make him leave.
It was then he heard Spike shout in pain,and dimly heard a human chuckle,"Got a headache,Drac?" Oh damn it to hell.There was no way for any of them to win. He crouched down and then jumped over the shelving,into the next aisle,landing on the back of the gloating human,and they both tumbled into a pool of spilled alcohol and broken glass as Spike remained on one knee,grabbing his head,an unlit Molitov cocktail still resting by his feet. The human pulled out a stake,but Angel slammed a flattened palm in his face,breaking his nose with an audible crack and a spurt of blood,and then rammed his head down into the floor until he lost consciousness. When he sat up,Spike was taking a healthy swig from a more expensive bottle of wine,probably for the pain."You took your bloody time,"Spike said,wiping his mouth with his sleeve. Before he could tell him where he could put that pilfered bottle,Spike suddenly ducked,and Angel turn and dodged as a crossbow bolt flew by him,close enough for him to feel the breeze on his face,and punched through the cooler door at the end of the aisle,which was already perforated by half a dozen bullet holes. Angel grabbed the crossbow and rammed it in the man's face,knocking him cold,and realized Ski mask was no longer firing.Out of ammo,or dead?
It was then a large,dark shadow fell over Angel,and Spike cursed spectacularly as Angel looked up at a pair of glowing red eyes. It was a Seeker demon,an unintelligent but vicious bloodhound of a monster.It resembled a six and a half foot spider,with tentacles instead of legs,and a shark like mouth with two rows of razor sharp teeth as opposed to more friendly mandibles.The harsh florescent lights made the black carapace of its upper body gleam like black chrome as its fist sized crimson eyes fixed on Angel,and it screeched,lashing out with a front tentacle. He couldn't avoid the rubbery black limb,so he tried to grab it,but as he did it wrapped its other front tentacle around his legs and threw him head first through the thick glass door of a refrigeration unit.Angel's consciousness wavered dangerously as the frigid glass shredded his clothing and tore into his skin,the pain the only thing keeping him from falling into darkness completely. As the half racks of beer collapsed beneath him and dumped him unceremoniously on the floor in a hail of crushed and bleeding cans,the Seeker fixed on Spike and let out a screech in a voice not unlike a dentist's drill."Piss off,spidey,"Spike snapped,throwing his wine bottle into its strangely protruding muzzle.The bottle shattered on impact,splashing wine in its eyes,and it screamed even louder as Spike backed away,trying to keep out of reach of its tentacles.
But as Angel shoved himself up to a sitting position,he saw someone come around the end of the aisle,as did Spike,who instantly whirled,fist raised... ...and then fell back a step,grabbing his forehead,as it was the human from the alley,with a swollen and bloody lower lip,and his short sword held loosely in his hand."Hey goatsucker.Are you ready to come along quietly,or are you going to come in pieces?" Spike continued to back away,but stopped,as he was wedged between the Seeker and the human-a situation worse than being caught between the devil and the deep blue sea for him."Angel,"Spike said,sounding slightly panicky. Angel tried to stand,but his head swam,darkening his vision,and the puddle of beer beneath him made traction difficult,so he simply slumped down,feeling his blood trickle down his face,as the human chuckled evilly to himself."It looks like the old sire is out of commission,blondie." Angel groped blindly,and found a full can of beer,which he threw as hard as he could."Down!" Spike ducked at the last second,and the can hit the human square between the eyes,bursting open and fizzing away,but the damage had been done.He collapsed against the ruined cooler door behind him,blue eyes glazing over,and slid down as the sword dropped from his hand,slowly losing consciousness. "Nice arm,"Spike said,sounding surprised,and then lunged for the sword as the Seeker reached for him.He grabbed the sword and turned slashing,making a gash in its tentacle,and it screeched as he ran off,out of the aisle.
The Seeker,enraged,bluish grey blood pumping from its injured limb,turned towards Angel,roaring like a lion. Its injured tentacle whipped towards him,and he grabbed it,pulling out his hand held battle axe and finishing the job Spike started,cutting its tentacle in half.Even as it screamed,withdrawing its blood spewing stump,one tentacle wrapped around his wrist,and another grasped his throat tightly,nearly crushing it. As it dragged him towards its gaping jaws,he searched for his knife with his free hand,the bones in his neck starting to crack as it tightened its hold on his throat,making him wonder if it was just going to try and squeeze his head off. But suddenly a loud gunshot rang out and the Seeker jerked and screeched again,dropping him to the floor as it turned its bulky body around. Spike was standing near the front of the aisle,wielding Shades's shotgun.Expertly he popped the empty shells and loaded in a couple more rounds as the Seeker slithered towards him roaring in rage,the tentacles making a sick wet noise as they slid across the floor. "Say cheese,"Spike said,sighting down the barrel,and then he pulled the trigger,shooting it directly in the face. The Seeker stopped,seemed to rock slightly on its tentacles for a moment,then dropped like a stone,partially burying the human he'd knocked out earlier.
Angel stared at Spike in disbelief as he used the metal frame of the ruined cooler door to pull himself back up to his feet.Did he just do that?No,it had to be a hallucination brought on by his head injury-even when he was Angelus,Spike wouldn't have bothered to ever save him from anything. Spike saw the shocked look on his face,and snorted derisively."Don't get a big head-well,bigger head-on me;there's still humans out there.And you might want to grab a few Band-Aids before we go;those cuts look nasty."Then he raised the shotgun,and pulled the trigger.It clicked dry,though."Damn."He tossed it aside with a shrug,and jumped over the front counter,briefly disappearing from view. Angel tucked the axe back in his pocket and staggered around the body of the fallen Seeker,still dazed from his earlier meeting with the door.But he realized the overpowering stench of burning wasn't just his sensitive nose,nor was that grey haze starting to occlude the lights symptomatic of a minor concussion;the store was on fire. Near the front,where Spike had been lobbing the Molitov cocktails,was a somewhat protective wall of flame.He could still hear people outside over the incessant crackling-someone arguing they should put it out,another one arguing they should let it burn.
"What the hell are you doing?"He snapped at Spike,aware that they should leave now,even though there was bound to be a welcoming committee waiting for them by the back exit. "I came here for fags,remember?"Spike shot back,as he started stuffing packs of cigarettes into his pocket. Angel couldn't believe it.This was all so surreal he began to wonder if he was asleep and having some bizarre kind of nightmare.No,he hurt and bled too much for your average nightmare. He wiped the blood away from his eyes with the back of his hand and stalked to the counter,making a grab for Spike and missing. "If you haven't noticed,we're on fire." 'I'm not,"he drawled,and then turned and fixed Angel with the giddiest grin he had ever seen."Oh,come on,man-lighten up.Where's your sense of fun?Why don't you grab a beer?"He opened the cash register,and pulled out a handful of money."I'll even pay for it." "You're enjoying this,"he said,utterly flabbergasted. "Don't get out much anymore,"he admitted with a shrug,shoving the money in his overstuffed pockets."And you have to admit,this was kinda like old times.You know,when you weren't such a wanker." Suddenly,he remembered something Faith had said to him long ago,and it had never felt more appropriate."I can't believe how much I'm going to kill you."Spike went for more cash but Angel grabbed him by the front of the coat and pulled him over the counter.
Spike shook off his grip and straightened out his jacket,attempting a dignity he simply never had."It's just going to burn up anyways.God,you're such an anal retentive asshole." He grabbed him by the shoulder,digging his fingers in enough to make Spike wince,and dragged him out the back,where he knew an ambush was waiting. But death was starting to look better and better all the time.
Twenty minutes,two blocks,and several bruises later,Angel found a pay phone on a street corner.He leaned against it as he punched in Cordy's number,spitting blood into the trash clogged gutter,while Spike sat on the sidewalk,against the facade of a closed up thrift store,wiping blood from the corner of his mouth with a distasteful grimace-the only blood he couldn't stand was his own.It had been a brutal fight,but quick-the fire and the rapidly approaching emergency vehicles had been a welcome distraction.
Spike took the opportunity to light up one of his pilfered cigarettes while Angel strained to hear the ring of the phone over the scream of sirens on the next block over. "Hello?"Cordelia said,and Angel felt strangely relieved.This night seemed like such a surrealistic nightmare-she was a welcome splash of reality. "Cordelia-" She clicked her tongue impatiently,cutting him off."Finally.Where the hell have you been?Kate just called all pissy-she said your car was found at the scene of a robbery turned arson,and a man fitting your description was seen fleeing the area with a tall blonde woman." "A blonde woman?But I was with Spike...oh."He paused to chuckle;that was just too funny. "What?"Spike asked."Somebody called me a woman?" He ignored him,and got back to more important matters."I take it my car was impounded.""Well,duh.What's the haps?Did you burn the place down?" "Not me,no.." "Who the hell called me a woman?!"Spike demanded,sounding so pissed off Angel found it hard not to laugh. "...it's a long story,Cordy.What did you find out about the scarab?" "Oh,the whole bio.And either Wesley has to pee really bad,or he wants to talk to you." "Do you have to be so crude?"Wesley said,as she handed him the phone.""It isn't funny." "Who said I was a woman?!"Spike demanded,refusing to let it go.
But even over his indignant protests,he and Wesley were able to piece together what must have happened:the stone of Khelion and its followers must have taken refuge in Sunnydale,where they were hunted down by Wolfram and Hart's mercenaries,but one of them escaped with the stone,and when she ran into Spike,she bound it to him,because a devil she knew-an immortal vampire-was better than the all too mortal devils she didn't.She sounded like a brave and clever person;he was deeply sorry she was dead. But why did Wolfram and Hart want the stone?Or,more correctly,for whom?If they had ties to that place,and sanctioned murder to get it,it was a good bet their ultimate goal wasn't the betterment of humanity.
"You'd be more likely mistaken for a woman,"Spike grumbled sourly."With your Nancy boy hair and big flowing coat.You know,after a couple of centuries,couldn't you have come up with something better than the 'I just stuck an electrical cable up my arse' look?" Angel briefly covered the mouthpiece of the phone with his hand."Your roots are showing." "Ha bloody ha,"Spike said,flicking his cigarette butt at him,and missing. It was when Wesley was talking about trying to find the Khelions in Sunnydale to take back their stone that Angel first noticed the click on the line. "Does Cordelia have call messaging?"Angel interrupted. Wes paused,briefly confused."Umm,no,I don't believe so.Why?" "No reason.I have to go,Wesley-I'll call back.Be careful."He then hung up quickly,cursing under his breath. "What now?"Spike sighed. "They've put a tap on Cordelia's line."What was he going to do now?They had to meet up with Wes and Cordy to unbind the stone from Spike-but if the line was tapped,they were probably under surveillance as well,so where ever they planned to meet,they'd encounter a large Wolfram and Hart welcoming committee.
"So?Who cares?" "I do.I'm not going to endanger their lives for you." "Oh please-are you afraid they'll break a nail or something?" Angel ignored him,and started walking down the street,wondering if he should go to her apartment after all;they could be in danger where they showed or not. Damn it-where was a rocket launcher when you needed one? Spike followed after,lighting up again."A spot of violence might do 'em some good." "Spike,I'm helping you,Wes and Cordy are helping you-however much we all hate it-so I think you could be more polite." "Polite?It's not my style,is it?I leave the prancing about and girly manners up to you.And if you try and lecture me on my manners,I'll rip my own bleeding arm off and beat you to death with it.It'll you shut up and get this goddamn bug outta me." "You promise?Because I'd pay good money to see that." "What's your idea of good money?Your monthly mousse and strawberry smelling goo I could smell all the way from Sunnydale expenditure budget?" "Ooh,expenditure-you learned a big,polysyllabic word.Well done." Spike snorted in disdain."This from a guy with five facial expressions:brood;I'm pissed 'cause you hurt a puppy but somehow I'm sure it's my fault;scowling brood;and not another piece of twentieth century technology that I never learned to use 'cause I was too busy brooding and eating rats confusion." "What happened to number five,Spike?Still haven't learned to count to ten with your shoes on?" "Ugh,menthol,"Spike said,tossing his cigarette away,before digging out the entire pack and throwing it in the gutter.""No,I was just waiting to see if you'd noticed you have a text message on Nokia." "What?" "Yep,there we go-expression number three." "Would number five be 'I'm going to use this wooden pointy thing on the asshole next to me if he doesn't shut up and let me think'?" "Angel!I'm glad you're pleased to see me,but I do think you could have waited until my o positive went down before you told me that."He said,leering at his own attempted joke."No,number five is I just saved some stupid bint and now I feel all manly smirk." "I just saved you,so I guess that makes you the bint this time,Spike,"he replied,smirking. Spike snarled disgustedly,which just made it all the more funnier."Oh god-the smirk.I need a cigarette." And as Spike fished another cigarette out of his pocket,Angel suddenly got the feeling they were being watched,but when he looked behind him,he saw no one. And because he was looking behind him,he never saw the Berserker emerge from the alleyway before them.
As soon as Angel asked that perplexing question and abruptly ended their conversation,Wesley figured out why:the line was being monitored.Of course,he hadn't heard anything,but he didn't have superior vampire hearing either. And if Wolfram and Hart were willing to go that far,where would they draw the line? He used star sixty nine to get the number Angel had just called from,and then borrowed Cordelia's cell phone to call information to retrieve the address;it was amazing what a British accent and an empty claim of being detective could accomplish. "Okay,what's up?"Cordelia asked,as he gave her the cell phone back.""You have that 'I'm pretending to be cool but I'm going to start panicking any second now' look on your face." With a weary sigh,he shrugged on his leather jacket,and after a second of thought,retrieved a crossbow from the closet and set it on the coffee table.It seemed grossly inadequate somehow."The phone is tapped,and we may be under surveillance." For a second,she just stared at him."Paranoid much?" "Angel inferred it,and I fear he may be the one in real trouble.If I could ascertain his last known location so quickly,why couldn't they?" "Oh...but if we go after him,what's to keep the people watching us from following us?" "Nothing,but they're probably already on their way,so I don't see that it matters." She threw up her hands with a frustrated sigh."Fine-the perfect end to a perfect evening.I get two visions;instead of sleeping I got to pore over smelly old books;and now I'm probably going off to my death,sporting a stupid pink helmet.Could things get any worse?" As if on cue,the door suddenly burst open,the broken deadbolt falling to the carpet as two armed men and an angry looking Azarath demon barged into the apartment.
Wesley lunged for the crossbow,but the Azarath was quick,intercepting him and giving him a vicious punch to the jaw that dropped him to the carpet,making him see black and white spots pulse before his eyes. "I think heroics are rather pointless,don't you?"The taller of the humans said,with a smug grin.He had a narrow hatchet face,accentuated by slicked back black hair that-along with his dark pinstripe suit-would have looked right at home on a Vegas lounge lizard. "You creeps are going to pay for that door,"Cordelia said,seemingly not intimidated by the guns the humans were waving around. "What do you want?"Wesley asked,disgusted by the taste of blood in his mouth.How did vampires stand it? The black haired man looked at his sandy haired companion,whose obvious ogling of Cordelia was disturbing,and said,"Back off,Perry.I'm sure the little girl isn't gonna hurt you,and we're supposed to do minimal damage,remember?" "Who are you calling a little girl?"She spat. "You work for Wolfram and Hart,"Wesley said,slowly getting to his feet under the watchful yellow eyes of the snarling Azarath.It was just a guess,but the most logical one. He knew he had a stake in his pocket,but that wasn't going to be any good against guns and an Azarath demon. "Right-o,old chap,"the lounge lizard replied,in a tone of voice that suggested he thought he was being extremely funny."We just want to have a little chat with you." "Chat?Since when does home invasion constitute chatting?"He wondered,wiping blood from the corner of his mouth with his fist. The lounge lizard snorted a laugh."I like you,limey-you're funny.Angel stole something that belongs to us,and the el nacho grande is tired of fucking around with him.So your boss is gonna have to decide what he wants more:the stone,or you two alive.Pretty damn simple,ain't it?"
Wesley took a deep breath,trying to settle his nerves and steady his frantically pounding heart.He didn't want to die,but he was prepared to do so to keep the stone from falling into the wrong hands.But Cordelia shouldn't have to die for this."I'll go with you if you leave her out of this." "Yeah,"she instantly agreed."Somebody has to tell Angel,right?" The lounge lizard made a show of thinking about it."Naw,I don't think so.But I like the 'stiff upper lip self-sacrifice' act,bud;that's real good.You an actor?" "Come on,babe,"Perry said,grabbing Cordelia's arm and pulling her towards the door."Let me go,sleazebag,"Cordelia spat,yanking her arm away. "Don't make me hurt you,bitch,"he growled,reaching for her again- -when suddenly a vase flew off the bookshelf and smashed into the side of Perry's head,shattering into a thousand pieces.As he let out an inarticulate grunt of pain,she kicked him in the groin,making the grunt a scream as he dropped to his knees. "What the fuck?!"The lounge lizard exclaimed,looking around with his gun raised. "Ghost!"The Azarath shouted,as a book sailed across the room and smashed the other human in the face,sending him stumbling back out the door,which instantly slammed shut after him. With the Azarath distracted,Wesley clenched his hands into a single fist and hit the demon across the face,following up with a kick to the midsection that sent the Azarath falling backwards,crashing through the coffee table and cracking his head on the edge of the sofa,knocking him out. Dennis gave the heavy book he used earlier to Cordelia,and she used it to club Perry on the head,knocking him face first to the floor.She then plucked up his gun and tossed it to Wesley,who-much to his own surprise-caught it easily with one hand. "Thank you Dennis,"he said,catching his breath.For a second,he wasn't sure what he was going to do. "Yeah,Den-you kick ass,"she agreed,dropping the book on Perry's head.
Suddenly,the power died,plunging the apartment into complete and utter darkness,and shots rang out,punching through the glass of her living room window.They both dove into the kitchen,taking refuge,while Wesley risked looking around the corner,Perry's gun held at the ready.A gun battle would be pointless,but that never stopped anyone before. But the shots quickly abated,and as he peered around the kitchen wall,he saw a pair of crimson eyes just beyond the bullet ridden window,growing ever closer as the demon approached. "You know you can't hurt me,Watcher,"the Frenik demon growled through the glass,holding up a silver plated Glock for emphasis."And you know,I'm so pissed off right now I don't give a shit what the boss wants-give me an excuse to kill you.You're dead anyways,no matter how this plays out.So why don't you come out before I burn the whole fucking building down?" Frenik demon...killed by copper.Did Cordelia have anything copper?As he wracked his brain,the chthonic demon made a strange gagging noise that drew his attention. There was something sticking out of his neck. It moved sideways,and his head fell off,his body following a moment later.
The apartment door opened,and he saw four shadows,one of which came inside. Eyes adjusting to the dimness,he saw the new intruder was an average sized dark skinned woman,clad in a strange black leather and metal mesh outfit that looked like someone's modern day update of a knight's armor for a heavy metal video.She was also wearing many charms and amulets,including one which looked like a Sakuru talisman,and the cold breeze of Dennis fleeing past him proved it-the Sakuru talisman repelled all ghost and spirits,good and bad. She held her hands at her sides as she approached...but they were not normal hands.They were tipped with five and a half inch long claws,one group of which was dripping fresh,dark Frenik demon blood. Wesley stood,leveling the gun at the demonness's chest."That's far enough.Who are you?"
She was so quick he never even saw her hand move,only felt the breeze of it passing as the gun was slashed in two,the barrel flying across the room as the bullets spilled out of the severed chamber and bounced on the carpet at his feet. "You will take us to Angel.Now."She said,in a neutral yet somehow demanding voice that suggested there was no room for debate. "Hey,hold up-who the hell are you to give us orders?"Cordelia snapped,standing far behind Wesley,who dropped the useless remnants of the gun on the floor-it was no good now.How strong were those claws?
Her chocolate brown skin was subsumed by leathery red scales as her nearly black irises became a startling blood red as they flicked towards Cordelia."We are Xendomaii-and we will use force if we must.There is a blood debt to be paid." "Xendomaii?"Wesley repeated,the name somewhat familiar. "Blood debt?What does that mean?"Cordelia wondered,sounding vaguely disgusted. Passing headlights illuminated the scene briefly,showing that two of the people in the doorway were the same kind of demon as her,wearing the same leather and metal mesh outfit as she was,but the third demon,standing behind the other two,was a different sort entirely.In fact,a very familiar sort... He let out a chuckle of nervous laughter as he realized what was going on. "What's so funny?"Cordelia asked,annoyed. But he ignored her,talking to the Xendomaii directly."I believe we can help each other."
