Calvary
(Wo-Pang’s Abode)
(The Shaman chants and throws some bones onto a symbol on the floor. Just out of sight we can hear the sounds of fighting going on. Suddenly the Shaman’s bodyguard is thrown through the bead curtain and lands right in front of him.)
Wo-Pang: Must acquire better guards.
(Wesley, Cordelia, and Connor walk through the doorway.)
Wesley: Angel’s soul has been stolen.
Wo-Pang: I have no need of a vampire’s soul.
Connor: Then where is it?
(The shaman tosses his bones again.)
Wo-Pang: That I cannot discern, but it is still viable within the Mo-pium.
Connor: Mo what?
Wesley: It’s still safe in the container.
Cordelia: Angel’s soul has been misplaced. I bet this sort of thing happens all the time. What do you have as a back up plan to re-ensoul somebody?
Wo-Pang: There is no other way known to me. Without the Mo-pium….you’re screwed.
Connor: And what happens if the Mo…container thing breaks or gets opened?
Wo-Pang: Then, like all things, the soul can be returned or destroyed.
(Hyperion – Angel Investigations – Lobby)
(Angelus can be seen on the TV monitor. Fred is trying to look up more information on the Beast at the check-in counter, while Gunn is making some type of weapon.)
Angelus: (on TV monitor) Awfully quiet up there. I’ve had time to think, and I’ve realized something important.
(Basement)
Angelus: Being evil is wrong. I wanna be good. I wanna be Angel again.
(Lobby)
Angelus: (on monitor) You hear me?! I’m ready!
(Gunn shows off his new flame thrower.)
Gunn: I’m ready too, fang boy. (sigh)
Fred: He knows, doesn’t he? That his soul’s missing?
Gunn: Probably knew before we did.
Fred: I bet that Shaman can help us.
Gunn: That Shaman should’ve never been brought here. Now instead of just worrying about the Big Bad Rocky, we got Darth Vampire living in the basement.
Fred: Bringing Angelus was our best chance.
Gunn: That you talkin’ or Wes?
Fred: You were pushing for it too, Charles.
Gunn: Then maybe I did the wrong thing.
Angelus: (on monitor) Like smacking your girl around? I bet you Wes would never have hit her. He’s all proper and English.
(Basement)
Angelus: And that accent…oooh, chicks just love a good accent. Makes ‘em all buttery in their nether regions.
(Lobby)
Angelus: (on monitor) Isn’t that right, Fred? You know, I had a bit of an Irish brogue back in the day. If you like, I can use it on you, when I rape you to death. Or…
(Gunn turns off the volume on the monitor.)
Gunn: Son of a bitch.
Fred: He’s just…it’s just words. And that’s the only way he can hurt us. He knows he’s never getting out.
(Basement)
(As Angelus watches from his cage, the door to the sewer opens and Lilah walks in, looking much the worse for wear ,and carrying a crowbar.)
Angelus: A crowbar? You can do better than that. Try playing up the awe and the reverence a bit…the great Angelus.
Lilah: Great? Being locked in a cage?
Angelus: Yet being able to display better grooming habits that you. Look at yourself, Lilah. All these years…wanting to meet me. You couldn’t run a comb through your hair, maybe slap on a little lipstick? Evil doesn’t have to mean sloppy.
Lilah: Stop it.
Angelus: Oooh…feeling touchy are we?
Lilah: The Beast. I want you to stop it.
Angelus: Oh…not sure I really want to. Don’t get me wrong…not a big fan of the horn job. Although he did bring on permanent midnight. Gotta give him props for that.
Lilah: Can you do it or not?!
Angelus: Hmmm…why is your thong in such a bunch, Counselor? You’re a professional.
Lilah: (gives a chuckle) Working the sewers. Beast took everything. Killed them all.
Angelus: Saw the damage. He does have a flair for it.
Lilah: Not just at the office. Everybody. Field Ops, Liasons, people out sick that day. But not me. Not yet. Why is he picking on us? We’re the bad guys!
Angelus: Apparently not bad enough. But there is a bright side, you have a devoted boyfriend who loves and cares…oh wait, you don’t. (laughs) Your life really is crap.
Lilah: And yet I’m not the monkey in the box. I want that thing destroyed, and you’re the only one who can do it.
Angelus: Maybe…we can work something out.
(Lobby)
Gunn: What Angelus said about me…I didn’t mean to hurt you. I would never do that.
Fred: I know. I just…can’t help but think if you didn’t attack…
Gunn: Attack? That’s how you see it? I attacked him? What do you call what he was doing in the office before I walked in?
Fred: (laughs nervously) I don’t know what…
Gunn: (interrupting) He was kissing you! Don’t lie to me. It’s the one thing you’re not good at.
Fred: It just happened.
Gunn: Because you let it. I’ve never felt so much for anyone. I would do anything for you, but it’s not enough is it?
Fred: Charles, I’m…
Gunn: I can’t do this anymore, Fred. I’m tired of you looking everywhere but at me. (Fred turns her head as Wesley, Connor, and Cordelia enter through the front doors.) Like that.
(Gunn walks away.)
Wesley: (to Fred) What is it?
Fred: I…just can’t make heads or tails out of this vanishing text. You guys have any luck?
Connor: Yeah, but it was all bad. Shaman didn’t have the soul, doesn’t know who took it, doesn’t know how to find it.
Cordelia: Other than that everything’s peachy. Any word from Lorne and his contacts.
(Fred starts to shake her head, but Gunn happens to spot something on the monitor.)
Gunn: Damn it!
(He grabs the tranquilizer gun and runs down the basement steps. The others quickly follow after a glance at the monitor which reveals Lilah.)
(Basement)
(Gunn runs down the steps and fires the gun at Angelus. Lilah, in surprise drops the crowbar and runs out the sewer door. Angelus drops to the floor.)
Gunn: (to others) Lilah, ran off into the sewers. (Wesley runs after her, and Connor moves to follow.) Connor, wait! You should stay here and make sure it isn’t a set up. There might be others.
(Connor grudgingly agrees and shuts the sewer door.)
(Sewers)
(Lilah runs with Wesley in quick pursuit. She dodges into a room of sorts and Wesley loses her for a moment.)
(Hyperion – Basement)
Gunn: Check the locks. (Cordelia checks the locks and they’re still secure.) What kind of brain fart made that witch try to let Angelus out?
Cordelia: I wanna know how she even knew he was here.
Connor: Maybe she took Angel’s soul.
Gunn: She a mucky muck at Wolfram & Hart, it’s her job to know.
Fred: I thought the Beast killed everyone at Wolfram & Hart.
Gunn: Maybe she cut some kind of deal with it.
Connor: You really think she has some connection with the Beast?
(Sewers)
(Wesley has lost Lilah. He pauses for a moment and then bursts through a door to his right. He walks into a room that has very few possessions in it and Lilah is standing there. She tries to attack him but he easily takes the weapon from her.)
Lilah: You’re a son of a bitch, you know that?
Wesley: When I said ‘go underground’ I didn’t think you’d…(He notices that her wound from the Beast is still there and it’s bleeding.) Is that where the Beast?
Lilah: Can’t make it stop.
Wesley: I could take a look at it.
Lilah: (pulls her outer shirt closed) I’m fine.
Wesley: How did you know we had Angelus?
Lilah: Big magic, taking a champions soul. Makes ripples. I still know some people that like ripples. It was your idea, wasn’t it? To bring him? Great minds…
Wesley: Aren’t foolish enough to release him.
Lilah: I wasn’t.
Wesley: So the crowbar…
Lilah: I had to make him believe I was desperate.
Wesley: Not much of a stretch really…is it? And you always wanted Angelus.
Lilah: Yeah, Wolfram & Hart did…but that doesn’t matter anymore. I just…I want my life back…all my pretty things. I’m selfish that way. That’s why we wouldn’t have worked out.
Wesley: There are many reasons we wouldn’t have worked out, Lilah. (She takes this with a grain of salt. He walks over and picks up a book.) Reinhart’s Compendium?
Lilah: I need to find a way to make it pay.
Wesley: I’ve already checked. (begins flipping through the book) There’s nothing in that even remotely…(he stops as he comes to a page with an image of the Beast on it) …describes him. (He examines the book a little closer) It’s identical to my copy except for this passage. How is that possible?
Lilah: (sigh) It’s not a local copy. I pulled some favors…got it on the pan-dimensional black market.
Wesley: Still…it should be the exact same text. Unless…
Lilah: Unless what?
Wesley: Well, we’d have to check more books from other dimensions, but, what if there were other references to the Beast that at one time had been somehow removed. But what would something that powerful need to hide?
(Hyperion – Basement)
Gunn: Lilah or not, something is doing the Beasts’ dirty work.
Cordelia: It would explain how Giant Lave Boy could tiptoe past us to take out Manny.
Connor: And butcher that family. Those priestesses.
Fred: Even though Lilah’s evil I don’t see her hacking up all those people.
Gunn: Okay, maybe it’s not just her. Maybe…maybe the big bad Beast has minions doing his dirty work.
Angelus: (waking up) Morons. That big rock doesn’t have minions. It is the minion. (slowly stands up)
Fred: No it’s not. We’ve seen what it can do.
Angelus: You’ve just seen the warm-up act.
Cordelia: What are you saying?
Angelus: I’m saying there’s something bigger…something worse. The Beast has a boss. (smiles)
Cordelia: That’s impossible.
Angelus: How did you survive this long being so retarded?
Gunn: Cut the Fu-Man-Chu. What do you know?
Angelus: Quite a bit, bright boy. Maybe I’ll fill in the blanks sometime.
Connor: How do you know there’s something worse than the Beast?
Angelus: Cause I got a brain…son. The Beast I knew was big into smash and slaughter. Had the brawn to be really good at it too. But the big picture? Not his strong point. But whoa…flash forward. Now he’s all rain of fire, destroying the Ra-Tet, blocking out the sun? Big moves for a guy whose head is made out of rock.
Cordelia: Maybe he got smarter.
Angelus: And maybe I’ll sprout some wings and flutter away. There’s something else out there…more powerful, more vicious…pulling all the strings. Oh…I don’t know about you, but I’m just dying to find out what it is.
(Lobby)
(The gang is all back upstairs. They look up as Wesley enters with Lilah.)
Lilah: What, no cake?
Cordelia: Where is it?
Lilah: Where’s what?
Cordelia: Angel’s soul.
Lilah: Oh, that what. (sits down)
Wesley: She didn’t take it.
Connor: How do you know?
Wesley: Because she told me.
Gunn: And you believe her? Lying’s her job.
Lilah: He’s got a point. (stands and slowly spins around) You wanna search me?
(They all see her wound.)
Cordelia: What happened?
Wesley: She was injured in the attack on Wolfram & Hart.
Gunn: The place was a slaughter house. How’d she make it out?
Lilah: (glances at Wesley) Got lucky.
Cordelia: Maybe it was more than that. What were you doing downstairs with Angelus?
Wesley: She was gathering intel.
Gunn: With a crowbar? She’s the only one to make it out of Wolfram & Hart alive, then she shows up right after Angel’s soul goes missing.
Wesley: I’ve already told you she had nothing to do with that.
Connor: Maybe she knows who did.
Fred: Or who’s controlling the Beast.
Lilah: Controlling?
Gunn: Angelus thinks Rock Boy is just the muscle. (He looks away as he realizes that he’s much like the Beast in that respect…just the muscle.) Not that I trust him anymore than you.
Cordelia: Everything that’s happened, it’s party of a bigger plan, with something even worse than the Beast sketching the blueprints.
Wesley: That's what he's been trying to hide. There might be something in the text we—
Cordelia: Text?
Wesley: (holds up a book) Lilah found a passage in Rhinehardt's Compendium.
Fred: But we searched that already. There's nothing in there.
Wesley: Because all references to the Beast have been erased in this dimension.
Lilah: I got my copy of Rhinehardt's... way out of town. (smirking to Fred) I'm surprised you didn't think of that.
Gunn: That's why Angel didn't remember the Beast.
Wesley: His memory's been wiped clean, just like the book's.
Connor: Why does Angelus remember?
Fred: Because his mind wasn't here when the spell or whatever was cast, right?
Wesley: (walks up to Fred) We should compare this passage with the information Wolfram and Hart extracted from Lorne. There might be—
Gunn: (grabs the flamethrower) Yeah, have fun with that.
Fred: Charles...
Gunn: (starts walking away) Somebody needs to be downstairs, make sure nobody else tries to intel our boy.
(Fred starts to follow him, but Cordelia stops her.)
Cordelia: Let him go. I know this is hard. I know we're all tired and hurting, but we have to stay focused. We need to figure out what's coming, and how to get Angel back before it does, because if this is as bad as I think it is, we'll need him more than ever.
(Basement)
(Angelus is standing in the middle of the cage. The tip of the flamethrower is lit, as Gunn sits off to the side pointing the flame-thrower torch at Angelus, but not looking at him.)
Angelus: You know what I like about you? You play to your strengths. You know what they are, and you stick to 'em. You don't find that much these days. Everybody always trying to expand their horizons, actuate their potential, and all that other touchy-feely crap. But not you. You don't try to change... because you know your place. (Gunn looks at Angelus) That'll go a long way towards keeping you alive. Well, a lot longer than the others. Man, you guys really are on a streak. You let L.A. nearly burn to the ground, lost the sun, let the creepy crawlies practically take over the city. But you know that's OK. At least you've got the love of a good woman. 'Til she dumps you for a guy with a bigger horizon.
Gunn: (looks down) It's her life.
Angelus: (walks up to the bars) Oh, wait—did I miss it? Did she already let you down easy? (Gunn looks at Angelus) Cheer up, buddy. Not like we didn't see it coming. Especially after what happened to her old professor. (Gunn looks at Angelus, wide-eyed) Come on, even Angel's not that stupid. The way things changed between you two... the furtive looks, all that guilt. Mm. There's nothing like your first murder. Don't worry, I won't tell what our little girl did.
Gunn: She didn't—
Angelus: Yeah! (claps once) So, it was you—stepping up and being the man!
Gunn: I did what I had to do.
Angelus: (paces back and forth in front of the bars) I guess Fred didn't quite see it that way, huh? Wow. You do a chick a favor, you think she'd be grateful, but no. Mm-mm. She still goes for the broody smart guy, all mysterious and tortured. I guess, when you think about it, for the first time in your life, you just weren't dark enough. (Gunn fires the flamethrower at Angelus, sending him back; Angelus chuckles) Maybe there's hope for you after all, Chuck.
(Angel’s Office)
(Wesley and Fred are researching.)
Fred: (holding a book) This is hopeless. The Orb of Thesulah is the only way I can find to restore Angel's soul, but that only works if it's moved on to an afterlife or something, not floating in a jar somewhere. (closes the book and places it on the desk in front of Wesley.)
Wesley: (stands) We'll find a way to bring Angel back.
Fred: How?
Wesley: The way we always do: skill, perseverance, luck.
Fred: (scoffs) Not a lot of that going around.
Wesley: We'll be all right.
Fred: (looks at Wesley) As long as we stick together.
Wesley: Fred. What happened between me and Gunn— I didn't mean— That's not what I wanted. Could you tell him that?
Fred: (upset) I don't think he'll listen. We're not— We're not together anymore.
Wesley: Oh. Not because of what I did?
Fred: Things just haven't been right. Not for a while.
Wesley: (walks up to Fred) I think this is the part where I'm supposed to say I'm sorry, and I'm really trying to be, but—
(Lilah and Cordelia come into the room.)
Lilah: Any progress?
Fred: Not really.
Lilah: Pity.
Wesley: I made some headway cross-referencing, but there's no telling how long it'll take to get anything definitive.
Cordelia: But you have made some progress?
Lilah: Sure looks like he's trying.
Wesley: I'll relieve Gunn, see if I can get anything else out of Angelus.
Lilah: So, what now? Ouija board?
Fred: (glares at Lilah, then past her into the lobby) Lorne.
(Lobby)
(Lorne has just come into the lobby. Fred runs out of the office to meet him.)
Fred: Did you find out anything?
Lorne: Zip. Zilch. (notices Lilah) And what in the hell is succu-bitch doing here?
Cordelia: Still trying to figure that out. So, nothing?
Lorne: I've talked to every contact that hasn't beat it for higher ground. Nobody's heard bo-peep about Angel's soul.
Lilah: Forget about the goody-goody. You want to kill the Beast and give his boss a run for his evil? The answer is downstairs in a cage—sick Angelus on him.
Cordelia: Do you know what Angelus would do if we let him out?
Lilah: Kill you all in a bloody shower of violence, but hey— (puts her hands together as if in prayer) greater good.
Cordelia: We'll find another way. I'm sure if we just all—
Lilah: What? Hold hands and sing a hymn? That might be a little hard when the Beast is ripping your guts out. (walks away, up the stairs)
Cordelia: Lilah, I know things look grim right now.
Lilah: (without turning around) Don't go watchtower on me Saint Cordelia. I don't think I could stomach it.
Cordelia: Man, I'd love to punch your face in.
Lilah: (turns to look at Cordy) Are you trying to turn me on?
Cordelia: What's sad about people like you, Lilah—it all comes down to fear.
Lilah: (nods) Fascinating. Now that we've got that settled. (walks upstairs)
Cordelia: You're too scared to believe in anything because you're too scared to hope. You won't even open your eyes to the possibility.
Lilah: (giggles, faces Cordy) You don't get it, do you, twinkie? I'm what I believe in. And you think I got this far by sticking my head in the sand? The Beast that eviscerated me has a boss, and that boss is going to end life as we know it, and nobody is coming to save us! Not Angel, not the Powers that Be, and not the forty-damn-second cavalry! (Cordelia's head snaps back) So if anybody has scales on the rise— (white-eyed Cordelia looks at Lilah) it's you.
Cordelia: (smiling) I can bring him back. I know how to re-ensoul Angel.
(Basement)
(Fred comes downstairs to get Wesley who's guarding Angel.)
Angelus: Hey, we were just talking about you. At least I was, anyway.
Wesley: What is it?
Fred: Cordelia had a vision. She knows how to put his soul back.
Angelus: (chuckles) I guess the Powers saw how bad you guys suck.
Fred: Doing better than you!
Wesley: Fred...
Angelus: Ooh, she really has put on spunk, hasn't she, Wes. Not the same, shy, bitchcow we pulled out of Pylea.
Fred: (crosses her arms) There's only one bitch here, and I'm looking at him.
Angelus: Oh, come on, we all know it's for the best. Now you can go for the real prize. (walks toward Wes) Mm. Man, I'm telling ya... man, if I swung that way... Look at him— (whistles) all rugged and handsome and brains... man, he's damn-near perfect.
Wesley: Thank you.
(Wesley and Fred head upstairs.)
Angelus: Except the part about banging Lilah for the past six months. (Wesley stops, Fred turns to look at Angelus.) That kinda takes the shine off him.
(Fred scoffs at that, but then she sees the guilt on Wesley’s face.)
Wesley: Fred...
Fred: No, it—it's none of my business. I should... (goes upstairs)
(Angelus chuckles.)
(Cemetery)
(Gunn and Connor are digging.)
Connor: Are you sure this is the right spot?
Gunn: Well, the landmarks look like what Cordy described in her vision.
Connor: Never fought a soul-eater before.
Gunn: Hmph. And I'm not planning to. Cordy says this thing was buried by the Chumash a couple hundred years ago. Don't expect it to put up too much of a fight.
Connor: So, what if we can't find it?
Gunn: Then we're screwed. The skull of the soul-eater is the main piece of the spell Cordy saw. Without that— (Gunn's shovel hits something metal) Clear it off. Ooh, thank you, Powers that Be! About damn time.
(Gunn climbs down into the hole to unlock the box.)
Connor: Want me to do that?
Gunn: Uh, I got it. (something's hand reaches up out of the box and grabs Gunn's throat) Oh!
(Connor stabs the creature with his sword. Connor and Gunn scramble to get out of the hole quickly.)
Connor: You OK?
Gunn: (panting) Oh, I so don't need that kind of crap. Let's just chop its head off and get— (looks into the hole, and sees that the creature is no longer there) OK, this thing is really starting to piss me off.
(The soul-eater creature is super-fast, and can appear and disappear in an instant. It appears behind Gunn, and he punches it. Connor joins in, but the soul-eater knocks him down. Every time Gunn or Connor tries to throw a punch at it or swing a sword at it, the soul-eater vanishes before they can make contact with it. When Connor engages it in a fight, the soul-eater puts its hand on his chest. Connor can't move, and just hangs there, suspended from the soul-eater's hand. Its hand starts to glow a chartreuse color on Connor's chest. Connor screams. Gunn runs up to them and cuts off the soul-eater's arm with his sword. Connor falls down and the greenish light goes back into his body. Gunn cuts off its head. Connor throws the arm away in disgust. The head starts writhing and twitching on the ground in front of Gunn. Gunn hits it several more times with his sword until the head finally stops moving.)
Connor: (stands, walks up to Gunn) Nice.
Gunn: Yeah, sometimes you just gotta keep whacking. (picks up the head)
Connor: You think it'll work?
Gunn: It better. If there's really something badder than the Beast, we've got to get Angel back before it comes.
(Cave)
(In a triangular shaped room lit dimly with two torches, the Beast kneels before someone.)
Beast: I am honored you've come. Fire, death, and darkness have I bestowed in your name. (holds out a bone knife) Now, this humble token I offer, forged of my unworthy bones. A tribute to your power.
(Hyperion – Lobby)
(Cordelia and Fred walk into the lobby carrying magical items. They're talking to Wesley and Lorne who are sitting at the front desk preparing items of their own.)
Cordelia: Seven talismans built to spec.
Fred: Sometimes I hate this life.
Cordelia: Dumpster diving for week-old buffalo wings, definitely not in the job description.
Fred: (holds up a magical item) Try declawing scavenged road kill for three sacred talons.
Cordelia: Never do I have the happy, frolicking puppy visions. Always bones and death and...
(Connor and Gunn come through the front door.)
Connor: We got the skull of the soul-eater. (sets it on the table in front of Cordelia)
Cordelia: I'm just saying...
Wesley: It looks rather fresh.
Gunn: Yeah, we moved up its expiration date. (snickers)
Wesley: Cordy?
Cordelia: (closes her eyes for a moment) I just see the skull. It doesn't have any...(sneers) you know...parts.
Wesley: Right. Take it to the kitchen. Remove the flesh and the soft tissue. (Connor and Gunn take the skull and leave the room. Cordelia follows)
Lilah: (enters the lobby) It's just like being at work, except suits by Liberace.
Lorne: Wesley, would you please warn this walking infection that I haven't forgotten how she poked my head open like a Capri-Sun. And while my love for humanity allows me to tolerate her presence, if need be I will smack her down! Be a doll. Thanks. (stands, leaves)
Wesley: With all the excitement, I thought you would have escaped by now.
Lilah: Well, I would have, but, um, (looks at watch) it's Thursday, which means that everyone who should be in the weekly briefing is, um, dead.
Wesley: So you have nowhere else to go?
Lilah: Just waiting to prove that your Powers That Be are all hat and no cattle. And if they do pull it through, well then braid my hair, and call me Pollyanna. (smiles) The upside of being in it for yourself, Wes—you always end up on the winning team.
Fred: Wesley... (Wesley and Lilah turn to look at Fred; Fred looks uncomfortable) Cordy had a question. (leaves quickly)
(Basement)
(Cordelia and the gang are setting up a magical circle on the floor in front of Angelus's cage while he looks on. The skull is at the center, while twigs are arranged in the shape of a circle around it. White candles are lit on the perimeter.)
Angelus: Have you all lost your mind? You're going to use black magic to restore my soul? People, this never goes well. Am I the only one paying attention?
Lilah: Ten-to-one, the entire hotel gets sucked into a hell dimension.
Gunn: You, two—with the shutting up.
Angelus: Talk about eleventh-hour desperation. Face it, you're grasping. No jar, no soul.
Connor: (lighting a candle) You sound pretty desperate yourself.
Cordelia: Do you have the vial? (Wes hands her a vial)
Angelus: Let's be realistic. Even if your precious champion makes another guest appearance, you can't stop the apocalypse. Bottom line is you're going to lose. The last thing you smell will be each other's blood.
(Cordelia pours the contents of the vial on the skull.)
Fred: That's you're opinion.
Lilah: You tell him, honey.
Fred: You, shut your fat mouth.
Angelus: (chuckles) Look at you—heroes. So tangled up in your own crap, you can't even find the world to save it.
Cordelia: Does everyone have their talismans?
Angelus: Hell, even Angel knew you never stood a chance. You want to know why he really let me out? Because he finally gave up. He knew you were all too weak and selfish to stop what's coming. He gave up his soul because he gave up on you.
Cordelia: You're right. Buh-bye. (gestures with her hand, sending Angelus flying to the back wall)
Wesley: In degera...
Angelus: (struggling to stand) Don't kid yourselves...
Wesley: Fortis murus... (the candles' flames get suddenly larger and brighter)
Angelus: (growling) I'll still be around long after your corpses rot.
Wesley: Kesta sartuum... (the building shakes, everyone looks around) Mundi ethericon...
(White smoke emanates from the skull and purposefully meanders toward Angelus.)
Angelus: (growling) I promise you. This isn't...
Wesley: Chimera nihilo.
Angelus: The end.
(The smoke surrounds Angleus's body, lifting him off the ground. He winces and screams in pain. The skull in the magical circle explodes. The smoke disappears and Angel falls to the ground.)
Cordelia: Angel?
Angel: (lying on the ground, looks at the gang) I'm so sorry.
Lorne: (smiles) It worked.
Connor: Did it?
Angel: (sits up) Fred.
Fred: What?
Angel: You came down the stairs. You had blood, and I grabbed you.
Fred: I'm fine.
Cordelia: The spell, it worked. I feel it.
Wesley: We have to be sure.
Gunn: Get Lorne to read him.
Wesley: Angel, are you aware of what's happened?
Angel: (stands) I'm back. There's, uh, something else. Something worse—worse than the—
Wesley: The Beast, yes. And we need your help to fight it, but first you have to sing for Lorne—
Angel: I, uh...
Wesley: To prove it's really you.
Angel: Oh, right. (clears throat, sings) Raindrops keep falling on my head...do do do do... Just...
Lorne: (smiles) Oh yes. Yes! Sweet fancy B.J. Thomas, it's him. It's Angel.
Gunn: You sure?
Lorne: Yes, yes! The aura has totally changed, and the vibe screams soul! Ha ha! Oh, bless you and your beautiful land line to the PTB, honey! (embraces Cordelia) Mwa!
Connor: He's back.
Fred: Then we can let him out.
Angel: No. I'm staying in here. I'm doing what's best for the group.
Cordelia: Sine when is locking up the leader what's best for the group?
Angel: Since when does your vision come with a guarantee? For all we know, this spell is only temporary, and God forbid... (shakes head) I can give orders from down in here. And the new ones are: no more back-biting, fist-fighting, fraternizing, or vengeance. From now on, you focus on one thing: making it out alive. 'Cause I'm only going to say this once: what Angelus told you was a lie. I haven't and will never give up on you. We'll get through this thing. Together.
Lilah: (amused) I can't believe we didn't crush you people years ago.
Angel: Wes, you and Fred get back to Lilah's books. We need any new information we can on this new player. Lilah, make some coffee. Earn your keep around here. (Wesley, Fred, and Lilah go upstairs) Lorne, I want you out working low-pro real estate. If this thing is bigger than the Beast, it's gonna be laying down roots. And it'll need square footage.
Lorne: Good to have you back, boss. (walks upstairs)
Angel: In the mean time, Connor, Gunn, work damage control. Sweep the surrounding blocks for civilians. Save who you can. Connor, it's me.
Connor: (looks down) I know. (walks upstairs after Gunn)
Angel: Cordy...
Cordelia: No.
Angel: I didn't say anything.
Cordelia: True, but I thought I should tell you up front that I don't take orders from guys too scared to step out of their cages.
Angel: I made the right call. This way, everybody stays safe.
Cordelia: And you don't have to look anyone in the eyes. Bonus.
Angel: (sighs) I hate that you saw me like that.
Cordelia: (looks down) Guess it's only fair. (looks at Angel) Angelus said you saw me at one of my not-most-shining moments. Besides, you're not him. You think we don't get that, but we do.
Angel: What if— Wh-what if the spell doesn't last?
Cordelia: The Powers need a champion, Angel. And obviously they need one pretty bad the way things are going. Who knows, you might even be their only hope, Obi-Wan.
Angel: (smiles) So, how do I go up there?
Cordelia: Easy. Leave him and what you did inside the cage. (unlocks his cage, opens the door; Angel walks out) You're not Angelus. (takes his hand)
Angelus: (in vamp facade, Angelus grins and pulls Cordy up to him violently) Guess again!
(Cordelia knees Angelus in the groin, punches him in the face, and shuts herself inside the cage, holding onto the bars.. Angelus reaches in and grabs her, pulling her head forward, knocking it on the bars. Cordelia falls to the ground unconscious.)
Angelus: (points at her) Stay down!
(Angelus trots upstairs, letting his vampire face fade away, smiling.)
(Angel’s Office)
(Fred's working in the office when Angelus walks up behind her, still impersonating Angel. Fred gasps.)
Angelus: Sorry if I scared you.
Fred: Angel... I thought—
Angelus: Cordy let me out. Actually, I—I asked her to be let out. You know what? Never mind. (turns to go)
Fred: No, wait. I'm the one who's sorry. After everything you've been through, I...
Angelus: (turns back toward her) It has been a little rough.
Fred: On all of us. The stress is—
Angelus: I know I could use a drink. (Fred looks at him, wide-eyed and frozen) Now, you see? That's what I was afraid of. For the rest of your life, you'll only see this evil thing.
Fred: You're my friend, Angel. Past is past, and done is done.
Angelus: (smiles) Thanks, Fred. (shrugs) Can I get a hug?
(They hear something crash in the lobby, and they both turn to look. When Fred looks back at Angel, he's gone.)
(Lobby)
(A pile of broken coffee mugs and napkins lies on the floor. Lilah is standing behind them, guiltily, talking to Wesley. Connor and Gunn are in the lobby too.)
Lilah: It's my inner megalomaniac. I, uh, rebel at serving coffee.
Wesley: Angel, I thought you were confined—
Angelus: (quickly, edging toward the door) Change in plans. Cordy actually talked me out of staying down there. Now, I've got my own mission.
Connor: Which is...?
Angelus: Too dangerous, son. I'm afraid you can't go with me. (stands by the door, pauses, then overdramatically) I have to go save the world. (leaves)
Fred: (emerges from the office) So, has anyone seen Cordy?
(Pan over to show Cordelia on the monitor, passed out in Angelus's cage.)
(Time Lapse)
(Gunn and Connor are doling out weapons from the weapons cabinet.)
Gunn: Connor's on point. Three party follow-up. Me, Wes, and Fred in the truck. Cordy?
Cordelia: (holding a bag of ice to her head) I don't understand how the spell didn't work.
Lilah: Dead ex machina. There's a surprise.
Gunn: Cordy.
Cordelia: We'll be fine. Go. He'll want to feed—a lot.
Wesley: Our only advantage is Angelus might think we want to capture him. I think we're all agreed that's not an option anymore.
Gunn: Angelus is on the loose 'cause we brought him in this world. It's our job to take him out of it.
Wesley: Take the shot, any shot you can get.
Lilah: Now you're playing my song. (cocks her handgun)
Fred: I don't know if I—
Gunn: You will.
Connor: Let's go, while his trail's still hot. (walks out)
(Street)
(Angelus is roaming through the streets. It's like a war zone out there, with fires going, dead bodies littering the streets, and abandoned vehicles blocking the road. People are fighting and screaming in the streets.)
Angelus: Like shooting fish in a barrel. Where's the fun in that? (He spots a little girl running out of a building and he grabs her, but she turns out to be a vampire as well. He yells at her.) What happened to pedestrians? Human pedestrians! (puts the girl down, grumbles) Is there no fast food left in Los Angeles?
(Hyperion – Lobby)
Cordelia: He let me think I was talking him into it.
Lilah: Those evil geniuses... they get you every time.
Cordelia: The Beast, and then Angelus, and now there's something worse. I thought the spell was—
Lilah: Divine intervention? Trust me, you have more chances of winning the lottery six times in a row. I had the numbers done.
Cordelia: Just makes me question—
Angelus: (from the balcony) What's it all for, huh? I would too, if I were about to die. (He jumps down to the main floor of the lobby. Lilah shoots him with her gun until it's out of bullets, then she throws it down. Cordelia shoots an arrow at him with a crossbow, but Angelus catches the arrow in the air.) This time, (throws the arrow back at Cordelia, and it goes into her leg; she gasps and falls to the ground) you stay down! (to Lilah) As for you, you luscious thing. I mean, you were going to let me out of that cage, so, let's see—I'll give you, what, a ten second start. (Lilah runs away) Ten, nine... Now, there's a girl who takes advantage of her opportunities— (Cordelia shoots an arrow at Angelus again, but misses; he turns to her) Don't be jealous, kitten. She's just the warm-up. I'll save the good stuff for you. Eight, seven... (walks out of the room)
(Street)
(Connor's out in front of the search party, with Wesley, Gunn, and Fred following him. Connor stops in the middle of the street.)
Connor: Doesn't make sense.
Wesley: What doesn't?
Connor: Angelus would want to feed, but his scent ends here, and it's not a highly populated area.
Gunn: It ends here? Somebody pick him up?
Connor: He would go to the place where he could wreak the most damage.
Wesley: Which doesn't necessarily mean highly populated.
Fred: He doubled back.
(They all turn and run back to the truck.)
(Hyperion – Stairwell)
(Angelus is wandering around the hotel, looking for Lilah.)
Angelus: Lilah... Oh, Lilah...
(Hallway)
(Lilah's walking through the corridor with a battle-axe in hand. Angelus is in a room, whistling. She waits until he's gone to continue, but he jumps out of the woodwork, startling her.)
Angelus: Boo! (knocks her to the ground) Oh, and Lilah, I had such high hopes for us. Your devious mind, my killer instincts. What a team we would have made.
Lilah: Could still make.
Angelus: Always were a closer. Unfortunately, with the new big scary in town, you're just not looking so tough anymore. And I'm a winning team kind of a guy. Couple that with the recent people shortage—you know, you're lucky I'm letting you yak this long.
(He lunges at her, but she puts her feet up and pushes him over her into the stairwell behind her. Angelus falls down the stairs, and Lilah pushes a cart down the stairs on top of him. Lilah runs away.)
(Another Hallway)
(Lilah's running away as fast as her wounded body will take her, but someone grabs her by the throat from one of the rooms, and pushes her into the doorjamb. It's Cordelia.)
Lilah: He's gonna kill us.
Cordelia: I know. (She stabs Lilah in the neck with the knife from the Beast's offering; Lilah collapses, falls to the ground.) Why do you think I let him out? You stupid bitch. (smiles)
Season Four Guide