Blind Date
(LA Street – Night)
(Two toy soldiers are crawling on the sidewalk.)
Man: Only two left. I'll cut you a deal. They're real collector's items. - You won't be sorry. (Blind woman tapping the way ahead of her with a cane is coming down the sidewalk towards them) You just turn them on and you let them go.
(Two young boys pool their money and give it to the man.)
Boy: Here you go.
Man: Nice doing business with you. (Sees the blind woman) Wait, Miss. (Woman stops and he moves some toy trucks out of her way) Okay.
(The woman continues past him, tapping as she goes. A vampire comes flying over some bales in a warehouse. Angel raises a stake but before he can dust the first vamp he is jumped by another from behind, and the stake drops from his hand. He fights the two of them (nice stunt work and fight choreography here), dusts one, gets kicked in the face by the other. Wraps a chain around the neck of the remaining vampire, hoists him up and slides him, along an overhead track, into a piece of wood protruding from some stacked pallets, dusting him. As Angel is about to leave he hears a man groaning. It's a black middle aged man, holding his stomach, who stumbles into the factory and slides down the wall next to a doorway. Angel goes to check whether he is still alive, hears something and straightens up. The blind woman grabs him by the throat and throws him against the wall. Angel comes back swinging, but the woman anticipates his every strike and avoids them easily. She is doing some type of eastern self defense routine, and Angel can't land a single hit, though he manages to knock her glasses off, showing that her eyes are all white - she really is blind. She throws him across the room and is gone by the time Angel gets back up.)
(Angel Investigations – Day)
Wesley: (closes a book) Demons with one eye, demons with twelve eyes, some with double vision, - but no blind demons. Perhaps Angel's discovered a new species.
(Cordelia sits in front of the computer looking the woman up on the internet.)
Cordelia: What? Helen Kellerus Homocidalus?
Wesley: Of course it's possible she is not a demon at all.
Cordelia: You think?
Wesley: Perhaps she's simply learned to hone her senses around her disability. Angel said it was as if she anticipated his actions before he carried them out.
Cordelia: A handy skill - in fight or - on a date.
Wesley: Unusual to be certain, but not necessarily demonic.
Cordelia: Someone like that kind of stands out in a crowd - for an assassin, I mean.
Wesley: Decidedly.
Cordelia: Maybe even have a record.
(On the computer Cordy typed a search of 'blind woman murder' into the Police Crime and Criminals Database and found one match: Vanessa Brewer, Date of Birth: July 18, 1967, Place of Birth: San Francisco, Citizenship: United States, Gender: Female, Hair: Brown, Eyes: Blind, Height: 5'6", Weight: 122, Misc: Blind eyes, no visible iris, Known Associates: None, Arrests: 1 misdemeanor, 0 convictions, 2 Felony, 0 Convictions.)
Wesley: One assumes she has done this sort of thing before. Based on Angel's description...
Cordelia: Vanessa Brewer.
Wesley: What? You found her?
Cordelia: Our first stop doesn't always have to be world of the weird, you know? Sometimes actual human people can be just - awful.
Wesley: (reads monitor) First arrest in 1993.
Cordelia: She was fleeing the scene of a homicide. No charges were brought. Arrested again in 95. Charged with aggravated assault. That one never went to trial. And finally arrested in 99 as a suspect in a double homicide, for which she is currently on trial.
Wesley: She was on bail when Angel encountered her.
Cordelia: But that's not the real whammy. Look who's defending her.
(Courtroom)
(Vanessa, without her dark sunglasses is sitting on a court bench.)
Lindsey: Your honor, we request the courts compassion in this obviously mishandled affair. - The district attorney's attempt to link my client, Miss Brewer, with this brutal crime would be laughable if it weren't so sad. To think that my client, with her particular disability, could physically commit such a murder (Angel walks into the court room) is beyond the realm of believability.
(Angel throws something at Vanessa from behind. Her hand shoots up and she catches it. The court room erupts into noise, the judge bangs his gavel, Lindsey looks around to see Angel free himself from the bailiffs grip and run out. Vanessa puts on her dark glasses that Angel just threw her as the judge bangs the gavel for order.)
(Angel Investigations)
Wesley: She obviously doesn't see the way we do - but she can see. (Angel steps out of the elevator and goes to his desk.) In a sense. The human eye is only capable of registering a small portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, but if Brewer was somehow equipped to see outside that range...
Cordelia: She'd be Superman. What's the diff' in how she sees, anyway? So she can get a look at the bars of her cell. Why are we still talking about this?
Angel: Because Wolfram and Hart is representing her pro bono, - which means - she's probably still working for them.
(Wolfram & Hart)
(Lindsey is watching a group of older men talk to Vanessa looking into an office through an open door.)
Holland: We are very pleased with the outcome, Vanessa. It's a pleasure doing business.
(Lee steps up behind Lindsey.)
Lee: I can't believe you got her off on all charges. Not since Ostrosky versus California have I seen such devious legal maneuvering. And now the big brass are smiling upon you. - You're the man of the hour.
Lindsey: Is there something you want?
Lee: (grins) Is it me or is there something kind of - hot about her? (Lindsey looks at him) Well, I'm just saying, I wouldn't say 'no.' I'd be too scared to.
(Vanessa turns and smiles in their direction and Holland waves.)
Holland: Lindsey, come say hello.
Lee: I think she likes you.
(Lee pats Lindsey on the back and walks off as Lindsey walks over to the group around Vanessa.)
Holland: Ah, Bill, Chuck, you remember Lindsey McDonald, our point man on Miss Brewers case?
(Lindsey shakes hands with the two older men standing behind Vanessa.)
Holland: (to Lindsey) You did an excellent job.
(Vanessa catches Lindsey's hand and holds it in both of hers.)
Vanessa: Thank you, Lindsey.
Lindsey: You're welcome.
Vanessa: It's nice to see you again.
Lindsey: You too.
(Vanessa leaves with Bill and Chuck.)
Holland: Bye. (To Lindsey) Got a sec? (Lindsey walks into the office and Holland closes the doors.) Does she unnerve you?
Lindsey: (looks out the window) A little.
Holland: Two minutes alone with that woman and I feel like my spines been fused. Still, one has to admire her talent - and her work ethic. - Everything all right? You look a little stressed.
Lindsey: I've been putting in the hours, but...
Holland: Ah. Well, that's a big part - the perspiration. - But the other part - the inspiration - you've had kind of a rough year on that end.
Lindsey: I've made -uh - some bad choices.
Holland: Well, I'll say.
Lindsey: Sending the rogue Slayer after the vampire?
Holland: Among other things. But you've had a nice success in court. You're starting to pull out of it. I'm fond of you, Lindsey. I'd like to see you moving up here.
Lindsey: I'm glad to hear that, sir.
Holland: Not everybody will. - This is kind of our - Harvest - time of year - where we separate the winners from the - uh - dead weight. - Now I have to say, you don't seem that happy lately. - Could I take a wild stab as to what I think that might be?
Lindsey: Sure.
Holland: It's your age. You're a young man. You've hitched your wagon to our star. Oh, and it's a bright star. - But now you're starting to feel a little 'Is that all there is?
Lindsey: Sometimes you question things, but I mean it's no big...
Holland: Yeah, I did a lot of crazy things when I was your age - searching and all. - Took me a while to realize how the world was put together and where I belonged in it. - And actually the world isn't that complicated. - It's designed for those who know how to use it.
Lindsey: Yes, sir.
Holland: Don't give me that 'yes, sir' crap. I want you to think about these things. - You're not going to be happy until you find your place in the scheme of things. - Okay, enough of the old guy's lecture. Now, down to business. I don't think she had a happy childhood.
Lindsey: Sir?
Holland: Our blind friend, Vanessa. I think she was terribly abused growing up. I think the details of that are tragic and shockingly specific, and I think you should create them, sooner rather than later.
Lindsey: She is going to do something else that may require a strong defense.
Holland: Strong defense - alibis - creative alternatives to incarceration. - She is an invaluable tool to some of our most valuable clients and we can't risk losing her.
Lindsey: What's she gonna do?
Holland: There is some children arriving. They pose a threat.
Lindsey: Some children.
Holland: Is this too shocking for you?
Lindsey: I'm just thinking it might be for a jury.
Holland: Which is why I'm thinking her terrible, terrible childhood drove her to it. - Not guilty by reason of insanity. Of course the odds of her getting caught again are pretty slim.
Lindsey: Who- who are these children?
Holland: It's best we know only what we need to - without forgetting the important part we play in the greater whole. (Pats him on the shoulder and leaves) I'm sure you're gonna want to get right on it.
(Angel Investigations – Angel’s Office)
(Angel picks up his phone and throws it against the wall. Wesley and Cordelia hesitantly open the door to his office.)
Angel: They acquitted her. Hung jury.
Wesley: I'm sorry, Angel.
Angel: How am I supposed to fight evil if they won't even put it behind bars?
Cordelia: It's not your fault.
Angel: No, it's not my fault. - I-I didn't cause it, and I can't fix it. I can't do anything about it. - Well, she's guilty. - She's guilty and- and they let her go. She murdered a man right in front of me and I can't even testify to that fact in a court of law.
Cordelia: Well, maybe in night court you could...
Angel: It's their court room, not mine.
Cordelia: Whose?
Angel: Their rules, their game.
Cordelia: Oh, you mean the Wolfram and Hart types.
Angel: I have no place in their world at all.
Wesley: Angel.
Angel: How am I expected to do battle if I can't even get into the ring?
Wesley: You have a place, Angel. Our battle will be fought elsewhere.
Angel: It's still their world, Wesley. Structured for power - not truth. - It's their system, and it's one that works. - It works because - there is no guilt - there is no torment, no consequences. - It's pure. - I remember what that was like. - Sometimes I miss that clarity.
Cordelia: But not the trying to kill your friends and family part, right? - Just checking!
Angel: Nothing ever changes.
(Angel sits down with a sigh rubbing his face with his hands. Lindsey walks in through the outer office.)
Lindsey: I need your help.
Angel: (looks at him) What do you mean?
Lindsey: I want out.
(The door to Angel's office closes, leaving him and Lindsey alone.)
Lindsey: You probably think this is some kind of trick.
Angel: Are you afraid of me, Lindsey? - You think maybe I might kill you?
Lindsey: No.
Angel: I'm smelling a whole lot of fear - big - stinky - mortal - terror. So, no, I don't think this is a trick - I think it's a big joke.
Lindsey: Hey, I don't want to be here anymore than you want to see me. But I don't have a choice.
Angel: You always have a choice. I mean, you sold your soul for a fifth-floor office and a company car.
Lindsey: You think you've got me all figured out? You think you know everything about me?
Angel: Everything I need to know.
Lindsey: What was your father? He was a merchant, right? Linen and silk? Did pretty well? Had a couple of servants until you killed them?
Angel: Just the one.
Lindsey: Well, our files aren't 100 percent, - but I guess it's fair to say that - you've never seen anything like real poverty. I'm talking dirt poor - no shoes - no toilet. Six of us kids in a room, and come flue season it was down to four. - I was seven when they took the house. They just came right in and took it. - And my daddy is being nice, you know? Joking with the bastards while he signs the deed. Yeah, so we had a choice. Either you got stepped on or you got to stepping and I swore to myself that I was not going to be the guy standing there with the stupid grin on my face - while my life got dribbled out...
Angel: I'm sorry. I nodded off. Did you get to the part where you're evil?
Lindsey: I found out about a job. The blind woman. Vanessa Brewer. Your friend from court.
Angel: That you got off.
Lindsey: There is a new contract.
Angel: Why don't we just save the lawyer talk?
Lindsey: She's gonna kill some kids. - I've worked some pretty hairy deals, comes with the turf, but this...
Angel: What do you know?
Lindsey: Almost nothing. Some kids from overseas, job's in a couple of days.
Angel: I need more.
Lindsey: There's some files. They'd be at the firm, probably in the vault.
Angel: Then I'll guess you'll get them out.
Lindsey: I can't go back in there. Do you understand what that place is?
Angel: I'm not sensing a whole lot of resolve here.
Lindsey: They are constantly watching you. Other companies have drug testing - they have mind-readers. I go back there, they're gonna kill me.
Angel: That's what we call an acceptable risk. You're panicking right now. You can't believe how bad you let things get. - That's not change. - You have to make a decision to change. That's something you do by yourself. Most people - they never do.
Lindsey: If I get myself killed, that'll convince you that I've changed.
Angel: It's a start.
(Outer Office – Day)
(Lindsey, Angel, Wesley and Cordelia are planning the break-in.)
Lindsey: Vault's at sub-lever two. Hall's outside the boiler room.
Angel: Sewer access?
Lindsey: You'd have to burn your way in.
Cordelia: Why are you going in at all? I thought born-again boy was gonna do it.
Angel: It's a two men job. How do I access the vault?
Lindsey: My pass. I'll need it to get in. They're getting pretty tight with security. But I can leave it downstairs for you. Gets you right into the vault.
Cordelia: Again I say...
Lindsey: It's guarded. Demon. Doesn't go in for unauthorized visits. There is no way I can take it.
Angel: What kind of demon?
Lindsey: Preggothian. I think.
Wesley: I'll get you a battle profile - weaknesses and such.
Angel: Right.
Lindsey: I'll do what I can with the security monitors, but you'll have to move fast because the moment - oh, damn it.
Wesley: What?
Lindsey: The threshold. They have shamans. They can sense the moment a vampire crosses the threshold.
Angel: That's not going to be a problem.
Cordelia: Well, then. Seems pretty simple, except for the 'you'll definitely get caught' factor.
Lindsey: The righteous shall walk a thorny path.
(Street)
(Angel is talking to Gunn standing behind the stake gun mounted on the kids pickup truck, night.)
Gunn: Yeah, I can get a hold of one. But why would I want to?
Angel: In the interest of justice - and maybe doing the right thing?
Gunn: Not really interested in some rich guy's heartbreak.
(Gunn aims the stake gun at a mattress leaning up against a wall.)
Angel: You're low. (Gunn looks at him. Angel looks towards the mattress) Just my opinion.
(Gunn raises the gun a little and fires. The stake hits the mattress at heart level.)
Gunn: Give me one good reason.
Angel: It'll be extremely dangerous.
Gunn: (nods and smiles) Okay.
(Wolfram & Hart)
(Lindsey walks into the offices. Clips on his security badge, waves to the security people.)
(Sewer)
(Angel is lighting a blow torch and cutting a circle into the roof of the sewer.)
(Wolfram & Hart)
(Lindsey steps out of an elevator.)
Voice: Entering sublevel 3. Priority clearance required.
(Walks down a deserted hallway. A door opens as he is about to pass it and Lilah Morgan almost runs into him.)
Lindsey: Lilah.
Lilah: You scared me.
Lindsey: Me too.
Lilah: I'm sorry. I'm always in too much of a hurry.
Lindsey: I think we all are.
Lilah: Hmm.
(Cocks her head towards the room behind her.)
Lindsey: (starts to go in) Oh, yeah. You're doing some research?
Lilah: Only when I want it done right.
Lindsey: I know what you mean. I don't mind making myself look like an idiot, but I hate it when some clerk does.
Lilah: I was under the impression that you never touch a book anymore.
Lindsey: Little secret between you and me: if the amoebas find out you're willing to read, they lose all respect for you.
(Closes the door to the back-records room in her face. After a moment Lilah walks off. Lindsey opens the door and checks that she's gone then sticks his pass to the bottom of a case holding a fire extinguisher.)
(Sewer)
(Angel has finished cutting the circle, takes his goggles off and checks his watch, then attaches two magnetic clamps to the circle and pulls it open.)
(Wolfram & Hart)
(Lindsey is back upstairs.)
(Sewer)
(Angel takes off his overall, revealing a business suit underneath and checks his watch again.)
(Wolfram & Hart)
(Security guy sees Lindsey coming to his office on one of his monitors.)
Voice: Personnel approaching security office.
Howard: Hello, Mr. McDonald.
Lindsey: Hey, Howard. You got a minute?
Howard: Sure.
(Lindsey looks at a huddled figure in a red robe behind Howard then comes in and shuts the door.)
Lindsey: I checked the series 7500 video surveillance system you suggested. Do I really need cellular override and direct digital link to the office? I mean, it seems a little overkill.
Howard: Better safe than sorry.
(Lindsey checks his watch then looks at one of the monitors, where Gunn is walking in through the front door into the lobby.)
(Lobby)
Gunn: Whoo-whoo! My god! They told me it was true, but I didn't believe them. Damn, here it is! Evil white folks really do have a Mecca. (Holds up a hand to the security guards stepping out from behind their desk) Now, now, girls, don't get all riled up.
(Quick cut to Angel in the sewers - Lindsey up in the security office.)
Gunn: OW! Did you just step on my foot? (The nearest guard is still at least 8 feet away from him) Is that my foot you just stepped on? Are you assaulting me - up in this haven of justice?
(Sewers)
(Angel checks his watch.)
(Wolfram & Hart – Lobby)
Gunn: Somebody get me a lawyer - because my civil rights have seriously been violated. - Oh, I get it, I get it. You all can cater to the demon, cater to the dead man, but what about the black man!
(Sewers)
(Angel checks his watch.)
(Wolfram & Hart – Lobby)
(Gunn checks his watch.)
Gunn: I'd love to stay and chat, but - yo, fellows!
(He turns to look at the door where two of the kids are carrying in a body-sized bundle.)
(Sewers)
(At the same time Angel climbs up through the hole.)
(Security Office)
(The red robed shaman (ugly fellow, definitely not human) lifts its head with a squeal. Lindsey looks at the kids on the monitor. Howard picks up the phone.)
Howard: We got a vampire on the premises. Repeat, vampire on the premises.
(Lobby)
(Gunn cuts the cord securing the bundle, smiling at the security guards, then he and his buddies walk out while the wrapping falls back to reveal a vampire in full vamp face.)
(Basement)
(Angel walks through a door into the hallway on sublevel 3.)
(Security Office)
(Lindsey watches him pick up the security pass, then switches the camera to a different view.)
Lindsey: Well, looks like you got your hands full, so...
(Howard nods as Lindsey leaves.)
(Lobby)
(The security guards are chasing the vampire. One of them pushes a button on his nightstick and a wooden stake protrudes from the end of it. After a short fight, the vamp gets dusted.)
(Basement)
(Angel runs Lindsey's card through a lock and punches in a number. A door slides open as Angel clips the card to his lapel. He hears some growling noises behind him and turns to punch an ugly looking demon in the face, Throwing him against the wall. When the demon gets back up and comes at him again, Angel opens his hand and blows some powder into the demons face. It freezes in place. Angel puts one finger against the demons forehead and gives it a slight push, toppling it backward. He dusts his hands off with a smile.)
Angel: Thank you, Wesley.
(Picks up his attaché case and enters the vault. There are all types of weapons and artifacts mounted along the walls as well as some file drawers recessed into one wall.)
(Offices)
(Lindsey steps out of an elevator.)
(Basement)
(Angel checks the drawers.)
(Offices)
(Lee comes up beside Lindsey.)
Lee: Hey, what's all the excitement? A vampire in the lobby? Did I hear that right?
Lindsey: Never a dull moment.
(Lee walks off with a laugh.)
(Basement)
(Angel is putting some CD cases labeled Wolfram and Hart - Restricted Access into his briefcase. On his way out he sees a round metal tube covered with symbols. He hesitates, then walks over to stare at it. He glances at the open door and the unconscious demon on the other side, then opens his briefcase and takes the tube (looks a bit like a Tibetan incense holder). An alarm goes off as soon as he moves the tube and a grate slides down to block the door, while all kinds of alarms go off up in the security office. Angel drops the tube in his briefcase and slides headfirst under the gate, which closes behind him.)
(Offices)
(Lindsey's cell phone rings.)
Angel: We're done. Get out. Now.
(Sewers)
(Angel drops back down into the sewer.)
(Offices)
(Lindsey sees two security guards and changes direction, but there are guards everywhere herding people along the hallways.)
Lilah: Can you believe this? It's a sweep. (Checks Lindsey's watch) Oh, I'll never make my lunch.
(Lee sees Holland lead to black ladies into an office.)
Lee: What is it?
Lindsey: Mind readers.
(Holland’s Office)
(Five or six lawyers including Lindsey, Lee, and Lilah line up against the wall.)
Lee: Shouldn't we've been memoed or something?
Lilah: That's why they call them random mind readings. (To her cell phone) Yeah, it's Lilah. It looks like I won't be able to make the 1 o'clock. - Great.
(The two mind readers slowly work their way down the line. Then step aside to talk to Holland. Holland glances at the lawyers than turns to face them.)
Holland: Well, I have to say, this is a shame. It's just a shame. Whenever I hear of disloyalty it - ah, hurts me. - Hurts me personally. (Looks over at a bald security guard, which then steps behind the row of lawyers) But this sort of thing (goes to stand in front of Lindsey) must be dealt with quickly and cleanly (Lindsey and Holland look at each other, then Holland steps over to stand in front of Lee) and unambiguously. - I'm sorry, Lee, I truly am.
Lee: What? - No.
Holland: You've been in secret talks with Klein and Gabler.
Lee: They approached me.
Holland: You planned on taking clients with you when you left to join them.
Lee: You don't understand. They misread me. (Holland nods to the security guard, Phil) I just wanted Klein and Gabler to think...
(Phil puts a bullet into the back of Lee's head splattering the side of Lindsey's face with blood.)
Holland: Terminating an employee is never pleasant. - That's all. (As everyone leaves for the door) Oh, Lindsey - why don't you hang on for a minute.
(Angel Investigations)
(Angel comes up the elevator in to his office.)
Angel: Lindsey?
Wesley: He's not with you?
Angel: No.
Cordelia: That can't be good.
Wesley: Something must have happened.
Cordelia: You're not going back for him?
Angel: If he made it out then he'll be here. If he didn't then there is no reason to go back for him. We have work to do.
Wesley: So you got the files then.
(Angel takes out the files and sets them on Cordelia's desk.)
Angel: Right here.
Cordelia: Which one is it?
Angel: I don't know. We'll have to go through them until we find it.
(Wesley takes the metal tube out of the open briefcase.)
Wesley: Angel, what's this?
Angel: I'm not sure.
(Wesley pulls a roll of parchment out of the tube and unrolls it part way.)
Wesley: Ancient Aramaic, if I'm not mistaken.
(Cordelia puts a disk into the zip drive.)
Angel: Yeah?
Wesley: Was there a reason you took this?
Angel: Yeah.
Wesley: And that would be...
Angel: I - I don't really know.
Wesley: Well - I'll get to work translating them.
Cordelia: Ah, guys? Might want to translate this first.
Wesley: It's encrypted.
Cordelia: What do you want to bet the rest of these are, too.
Angel: Great.
(Wolfram & Hart – Conference Room)
(A guard drags Lee's body out by his feet, leaving a dark smear on the carpet.)
Holland: What a pity. You can't get that out of the carpet. - Believe me, we've tried. (Sits down across from Lindsey) Are you afraid? (Lindsey nods slightly) Well, that's understandable. You betrayed this firm by allaying yourself with someone who - has given us a great deal of grief. - You've stolen important documents form our vault. - Tried to sabotaged an extremely important case. - And in the course of this egregious behavior - you lied to us - more importantly, to me. - Did I leave anything out?
Lindsey: No, sir.
Holland: Did you actually believe I wouldn't learn everything?
Lindsey: I...
Holland: Lindsey, this is a delicate moment. - I nod to Phil behind me - and he's gonna put a bullet in your head.
Lindsey: I-I didn't want to lie to you. I didn't - want to betray you. I just wanted out.
Holland: Hm. Well, then you're in a crisis, son - crisis of faith. - Do you believe in love? - I'm not speaking romantically. - I'm talking about that sharp, clear sense of self a man gains - once he's truly found his place in the world. - It's no mean feat, since most men are cowards and just move with the crowd. Very few make their own destinies. They have the courage of their convictions, and they know how to behave in a crisis.
Lindsey: Like now?
Holland: Like now. You have everything it takes to go all the way here - drive, ambition, - excellence - but you don't know where you belong. And until you do - I guess we both have some important questions to answer. - Now, my first one is - do I nod - to my friend behind me? - No, - I don't. Because I know you, and I know a little something about character. - I think what you actually need is a few days off to think about it. And I'm sure once you have - you're gonna do the right thing.
Lindsey: I can - I can go.
Holland: You can go. (Lindsey slowly gets up) Lindsey - I believe in you. - Look deep enough inside yourself - you'll find that love.
(Angel Investigations)
(Cordelia is on the phone with Willow and trying to de-crypt the encrypted files.)
Cordelia: (into phone) Okay, I'm back to the desktop, Willow. What do I do now? - Okay, done that. - Back to life list. - Yeah. - Yeah.
(Angel is massaging the bridge of his nose as Wesley sets down a cup carrier holding three coffees.)
Wesley: Any luck?
Angel: She's been on the phone for an hour and 45 minutes.
Cordelia: (to Angel & Wes) Hey, guess what they've been doing all day?
Wesley: Uh - saving the world?
Cordelia: Well, yeah. But they've been breaking encrypted computer files, too!
Angel: What are the odds, huh?
Cordelia: I know. (into phone) What? Oh, no one, just Wesley.
Angel: Cordelia, can she get us in?
Cordelia: (holds up finger while she continues talking to Willow) Uh huh. - Uh huh. - Uh huh. (She clicks and the computer beeps. Angel and Wesley lean forward in anticipation. She turns to look at them. ) Willow says hey.
(Angel and Wesley both slump back into their seats.)
Angel & Wesley: Hey.
Cordelia: (into phone) Okay. Yeah, I see it. - Tag file. Okay. - Left click. (Computer beeps, no reaction from Wesley and Angel this time) There it is. Back door. We're in. Thanks, Will.
(Cordelia hangs up as Angel and Wesley step around the desk to have a look.)
Wesley: Personnel file, Vanessa Brewer. - She wasn't born blind. She lost her sight when she was 21.
Cordelia: On purpose. She did this to herself.
Wesley: Oh, dear.
Angel: And she spent five years in Pajaur, studying the Nanjin. That explains her power.
Cordelia: It does?
Wesley: Yes, the order of the Nanjin, cave dwelling monks. They believe enlightenment is seeing with the heart, not the mind.
Cordelia: Are you telling me - self-mutilating, psycho assassin chick reached enlightenment?
Wesley: Of a kind. She'd be more sensitive to her surroundings than even a sighted person, which is what would make her an unstoppable foe.
Angel: No one's unstoppable. What is her current job?
Wesley: Here it is. Lindsey was right. Children. Three of them. Seers. They were each found in different remote locations, brought together here for the first time.
Cordelia: They're blind, too. Together the children have the power to see into the heart of things.
Wesley: A holy triumvirate. As they mature, so does their power.
Lindsey: (walks in) "Which makes them a real threat to Wolfram and Hart. - Sorry I'm late. I hope I didn't worry anyone.
Cordelia: We just figured you were dead.
Angel: So you made it out okay.
Lindsey: Yeah, but it's only a matter of time before they find out which files have gone missing. We have to move fast. When are the children getting into the country?
Wesley: According to this, they arrived this morning. They're being kept at a safe house with a guardian until their mentor arrives. He's coming in from the East tonight.
Angel: Not safe. There is an address. I want you two to intercept this mentor guy. Keep him away from that house. We'll bring the kids to him.
(Safe House)
(An older man is setting a try of hot chocolate and sandwiches in front of three blind children sitting on the floor. They reach for the cups with a smile. The guy walks away, right into Vanessa's cane and drops to the floor dead. Vanessa walks over to stand in front of the children. As she gets ready to stab the first kid Angel pulls her away.)
Angel: (to Lindsey) Get the kids out of here!
(Vanessa throws Angel to the floor then ignores him to kick Lindsey in the stomach. (We get a flash of how she sees, which looks a little like infrared) Angel gets back up and we get a flash of how she sees him (he shows up even brighter than Lindsey) while she pummels him. Lindsey crawls over towards the children. Angel goes down again, but instead of going after him, she beats up on Lindsey again. Angel catches Lindsey as she throws him towards a wall. While they disentangled themselves she turns towards the three children. They look pretty dim in her vision, sitting there motionless. Angel comes up behind her and she stabs behind her catching him in the chest. Angel blocks some of her hits then gets thrown against the wall again. This time when he lands he stays perfectly still, watching her. Vanessa scans the room, but is apparently unable to see him. Angel jumps to his feet once her back is turned. She looks at him but we see his bright shape disappear from her vision as he freezes again. Vanessa makes some stabbing and cutting motions in his general direction, but doesn't even connect. Suddenly her vision explodes into bright color as Angel drops her with a hard face punch. By the time she rolls back up to her feet, Angel has frozen in place again and she looks for him in vain. There is a bright flash in her vision as Angel moves to her side, then freezes again, his fist cocked ready to strike. Angel keeps repeating the same maneuver several times more. In the end Vanessa is right in front of him. As she gets ready to take a stab in his direction, he grabs her cane and diverts it into her own body then lets her drop to the ground. Lindsey holds on to the three children.)
Lindsey: It's alright. You're alright.
(Angel Investigations)
(Angel is sitting in his office at night. Wesley comes in carrying the roll of parchment.)
Wesley: The children are with their mentor. They're safe.
Angel: Good.
Wesley: They have an important role to play. (Lays the parchment on the desk and sits down) I believe this is how Wolfram and Hart knew of their coming.
(Angel picks up the parchment.)
Angel: You know what it is?
Wesley: If I'm right, the Prophecies of Aberjian - for centuries thought lost. I translated some of the text. As I said, it mentions the children you saved today. - But that's not all. I - I also believe I know why you were drawn to it. - There is an entire passage - about you. - It doesn't call you by name - but it tells of a vampire with a soul. - This doesn't surprise you?
Angel: No.
Wesley: But you said you didn't know what it was.
Angel: I didn't, but…
Wesley: Somehow you did?
Angel: Yeah.
Wesley: There is a design, Angel. Hidden in the chaos as it may be, but - it's there - and you have your place in it.
(Wolfram & Hart)
(Lindsey walks into Holland's office carrying the disk Angel stole. Holland is putting his stuff into a box.)
Lindsey: Holland.
Holland: Hello, Lindsey.
Lindsey: I'm sorry. I did what I had to.
Holland: You saved the children. That's very noble.
(Lindsey puts the disk on the table.)
Lindsey: I brought the disks back.
Holland: Of course you made copies.
Lindsey: A few things. Just enough to keep me safe.
Holland: What does safe mean to you?
Lindsey: Not being at war with Wolfram and Hart - having my own life.
Holland: Lindsey, - haven't you learned anything? No one has their own life. We're all part of something larger.
Lindsey: Like Wolfram and Hart.
Holland: I handpicked you when you were a sophomore at Hastings - not because you were smart - not because you were a poor kid who had to do better than anyone else - but because you had potential - potential for seeing things as they are. It's not about good or evil - it's about who wields the most power. And we wield a lot of it here, and you know what? I think the world is better for it.
Lindsey: Look, I didn't come back...
Holland: Why did you come back? To return some disks? Take a moral stand? - I don't think so. You walked in that door and called me by my first name. - You never did that before. You wouldn't have had the nerve. - But you're different now. You stood up to us and won. - Do you know how many people have that much nerve? - I can count them on one hand. - I need people like that working for us.
Lindsey: (beat) You're offering me my job back?
Holland: Oh, no. I'm offering you a new job. - A permanent one, with a thundering raise and ungodly benefits. In fact, I'm offering you this very office. I'm going upstairs. - What I'm offering you, Lindsey, is the world. Now I know you pretty well, and I'm betting that you're gonna take it.
(Holland picks up the box with his stuff and walks towards the door.)
Lindsey: You may not know me as well as you think you do.
Holland: As I've been trying to tell you, that's a decision that each person has to make for himself. - If you want it it's yours. If you don't - walk out this door. - I'm going upstairs now.
(Holland leaves. Lindsey leans back on the edge of the desk. After a moment he gets up and walks towards the doors - and slowly closes them. He looks around the office. Sits down in the chair. Feels the desk. Takes the phone off the hook. After a moment he turns the chair to look out over the city lights below.)
(Blend into Angel standing looking out over the city lights as well.)
Season One Guide