Airdate: October 6th, 2002
Guest Starring: Stephanie Romanov
Alexa Davalos
Rena Owen
Tom Irwin
Written by: Mere Smith
Directed by: Michael Grossman
Teaser
Gills Rock, Wisconsin. October 28, 1985. A young girl in a snowsuit is taken to Thorpes Academy. The Raydens, fairly rich folks, are grateful to the academy for taking Gwen so late in the year; after all theyve been through (they did make a generous contribution). They can only come back after classes end in June. The parents tell Gwen that they love her. Mrs. Thorpe takes her, and reminds her that she has to stay away from other children.
In the schoolyard, snow-suited Gwen takes off her gloves to eat her lunch when a boy approaches her, playing with a toy car. He asks her if shes a freak, she says she doesnt know and thanks him when he says she doesnt look like one. The boy offers her to hold the car, Thorpe sees her too late, and a bold hits the boy, hes thrown several feet away. The car is a melted heap, everyone rushes to the boy.
ACT I
Cordelias Apartment. Fred, Gunn and Angel are clearing out Cordys. Theyll be showing the place soon, Gunn and Fred paid the rent the first few months but with shrinking revenues and no one living in the apartment, they have to cut their losses. Fred and Gunn tell them about their unsuccessful attempts with the missing persons filed with the police and the near-impossibility of reaching Lorne. Theyve also left the stuff on that was on her night table for Angel to look up, he reminisces with a picture of Cordelia, Wesley and himself. Something big must have happened the night they were to meet; they know why he wasnt there. He also says that Connor just needs some time, hes confused; Fred thinks he needs time in jail. Phantom Dennis is hampering the moving process until Fred screams that Cordys not coming back, then stops to add, to the apartment. Angel tells her its all right and theyve got plenty of room at the hotel.
In a dingy setting, Wesley is leading his own crew of demon fighters against a nasty looking demon. Angel finds him as he slices the demon in half, not needing Angels help. Wes finds a motel key on the demon and has one of his crew free the captive and another close the case file. Angel thanks Wes for rescuing him, and admires at his resourcefulness, amidst the difficulties. Wes gives him a look, Angel says hes had time to think, and that theyre okay again. Wes gives him a file, its what Angel came for: his investigation on Cordys disappearance. Wes doesnt think shes dead, and may not be in our own dimension. Theres a road that Angel can take: Dinza, the dark demi-goddess of the lost, only the dead can enter her presence and those that do she often traps for eternity. And her lair is, conveniently enough, in the L.A. sewer system. However shes not remotely trustworthy. Wes leaves as Angel wonders if she requires anything.
Down in the sewers, Angel enters a chamber, the door portals close behind him. Dinza teases him, touches him before he sees her, asking if hes lost. She flutters up to a perch. Dinza is raggedy, flaky with tattered wings and sporting a wicked grin. She knows him, she knows all the lost things, like lost love. She tells him that Cordy is far from him and needs him no longer, Angel says that he needs her. The dead voice up in a chorus, she says they want him to stay with them, but then, who listens to the dead? She tells him that the Axis of Pythea is nearby and what he seeks can only be found inside of it. Its an ancient power bridging all dimensions. He asks why he should trust her, and in an instant shes behind him with her hand around his neck. She would love to keep him here but he has so much more to lose.
A classy restaurant. A sexy twentysomething girl dressed in red leather pants and top, with black elbow-high gloves catches the eye of everyone as she meets her contractor. This is not his idea of discretion. She tells him that hes screwing her: the Axis of Pythea is worth thirty-three million dollars, not six, and since she works on commission its like getting her for eighty percent off. Elliot says street value is irrelevant; he wants it for his own private collection. She looks at the information he provided her, it has the art house specs. He tells her to meet him at a private high-rise downtown and hell transfer the money at his penthouse there. She expects more zeros at the end of her cut. He says that while she came to him highly recommended he was expecting someone more professional, she tells him she is and has picketed his ten-thousand dollar watch, and with her naked hand, melts it with a bolt of electricity into something surreal. All that time at the Academy sure made Gwen into a model citizen.
ACT II
We see Cordy in the higher plane before zooming in her eye and seeing Angel and Gunn watching a presentation by Fred at A.I about the Axis of Pythea. Forged from the tripod of the Delphic Oracle, its a metal arch set in a marble base, 2 feet high, weighs 18 pounds and is imbued with many mystical qualities, including finding lost and entities across dimensions. The axis is held at the Chandlers Auction House, an establishment firmly rooted in the black market meaning lots of security. Angels already beaten the building plans out of a snitch, Fred says thats not enough since the security devices include: surveillance cams, electric gates, laser sensors, handprint recognition and armed guards. And at its thirty-three million dollar value, its not something they can bid on. Angel assures them hes done a heist like that a million times, well twice, but hes good at it. Gunn wonders if hes including their Shroud of Ramón caper from two years back. Fred takes the floor plans and goes to whip out a plan of action. Angels amazed at how she stepped up while he was gone, reminding him of Cordy. Gunn asks what they do if they find her, Angel says theyll do whatever it takes to get her home where she belongs.
At Wess place, Lilah and Wesley are going at it, she says she cant stay: shes got a big meeting as new boss in a few hours. He says thats if he lets her go at all, Lilah asks it if its just like he let Justine go at the end. She heard about it, and is sure Justine heard a few things too. Wes says that while the walls in her cell were soundproof, she did call Lilah Impossibly loud. She goes on about all that time of lying through his teeth about his not caring about Angel, Wes says it was necessary, to raise Angel to fight people like her. They fall to the floor, she says he did her a favour: when Angel came home, he kicked Connor out; friendless and homeless, he might need someone to look over him. Wes doesnt care about her evil plans, she says it turns him on.
The Chandler. Gwens on the rooftop, opens the power box, and with a careful jolt, shuts down the security cameras. Her hand fools the key-card access: shes in. Not long after, Angel, Gunn and Fred, arrive on the rooftop, Angel rips out the power box cables, shutting down the inside lot lights. Fred uses a card hack to gain access to the stairwell. A bit later in front of a darkened camera, Fred hands out assignments: Gunn will disarm and contain the guards, shell hack the vault security system and Angel will wait by the vault. As they leave the camera clicks on: Gwens watching from a vent and not liking the turn of events. Fred gets in the control room and begins hacking at the vault controls; Gunn knocks out a guard and drags him away. Angels at the vault entrance and sprays an aerosol, green lasers that crisscross the room are revealed. A big metal gate drops in front of him, separating him from the vault entrance. He tries to lift it but sparks shoot out, Gwen pops from a vent in the middle of the vault entry. She put that down for a reason. Both Fred and Gunn realize theres someone else besides them breaking in.
Gwens here fort the axis too. She puts her naked hand in front of a laser beam; they all warp out, leaving her a clear path to the vault door. Angel asks what she is; she says shes a freak. She leaves her hand on the scanner; its fooled too, and opens the vault. Gunn arrives behind Angel, not believing that girl took out four armed guards. She gets ready to leave, he pleads with her for the axis, saying hes trying to find someone important to him, and the axis is his only shot. He just wants to borrow it to find her, and then she can do whatever she wants with it. That stops Gwen, of course its a her, the alarm goes off, Angel lifts the gate, Gunn rushes and grabs her legs, and she fries him with her hand. Angel rushes to him, as Fred comes in. Gunn has no pulse.
ACT III
Gwen thinks back to that kid she jolted, knocks Angel aside and uses her hand as a defibrillator until Gunn is reanimated. Fred says they have to get Gunn to a hospital, Angel hesitates but chooses Gunn, letting Gwen escape.
Connor walks in the slums of L.A., carrying only a blanket. Lilah observes him from an overpass and Angel creeps up on her. She says he let his son off pretty easy, Angel says Connor messed up and he knows he did. Lilah cant believe he returned to the moral high ground and guilt-as-punishment, Angel admits its a specialty of his. Below, Connor tries to make himself comfy in a field, wrapped in the blanket; Angels not here for him, hes here for her. He tells her about the robbery, and the special thief, he wants the name of the buyer. She does, after he says that hell ignore the fact this one time that shes this close to his son. So much for the moral high ground. She finds it interesting that he came to her for help, he finds it interesting that he can smell her and Wes all over each other. That startles her, he gives her an hour to get the info.
The Hyperion. Gunn is lying down and looking at his chart, amazed. Freds obviously upset; did he see anything? White light? He doesnt remember. She freaks, wondering what would have happened if Gwen hadnt revived him. Shes sick of holding everything together, with Wes and Cordy gone, and Angel having gone once, shes sick of keeping her chin up. She thought itd be better when Angel came back. Gunn says no one forced this on her, Fred asks him who else was going to do it? After they left her alone, he died and left her all alone! Gunn holds her as she cries.
The Private High-Rise. Gwen goes to the elevator banks, Angels behind her. She wonders about his lack of reflection, and fights him. He doesnt want to hurt her, she hits him more: they all say that. Shes wondering why he hasnt fried yet, he says hes not even warmed up and hes kicked in the crotch. She takes off her gloves, and does a power-up, and zaps him. They keep fighting, she knocks him in the elevator. She straddles him and rips open his shirt and jolts him more. It jump-starts his heart and it beats, he bolts up and kisses her.
ACT IV
They stop kissing when suddenly bars block the elevator exit. She felt his heart beat, knowing now that it doesnt. He thinks of Cordelia and has to get out. She wonders whats going on and see Elliot and his henchmen standing outside: its a double-cross. She says the jobs done, he doesnt need to do this. He says he does as the job she did was a train wreck with the noise, the publicity, and the stunt at the restaurant. She says that was a joke, he tells her professionals are discreet, shes just a dangerous freak. He had the elevator retrofitted with six inches of Plexiglas separating her from any open power source, and the bars are tempered Lucite. After all, hes not going to duke it out with Electro-Girl. The doors closes and the gas is released inside the elevator cab. Angel has her get down, he doesnt breathe anyway, and begins breaking the thick Plexiglas at the utility panel. Gwens suffocating as Angel breaks through, he takes her hand and acts as conductor, shorting the system and opening up the elevator and bars. Angel carries her out and then takes care of the henchmen. Gwens up and about, moving towards Elliot. She expected to be screwed, occupational hazard, but she doesnt like being called a freak, her word. Angel asks her to think about what shes doing but she doesnt listen. Angel belittles her problems, hes not the poster boy normal either, and sometimes they have to let go. He then knocks Elliot out. She says she wanted to do that but he knows she wanted to kill the guy. She sees that hes really going to use the Axis to find Cordelia. Anybody that bad at stealing has got to be in it for love.
A.I. a huge bright light dims from a room when Angel gets out of there. Fred and Gunn stare at the dimming Axis and follow Angel to the lobby.
A while later theyre there, all pensive. He says she was beautiful, and there was this light all around her made of pure joy and warmth. And it looked like a permanent gig. Fred says the should have known something was up when she started glowing. It doesnt surprise Angel that much and in a small way it makes it easier, knowing the good shes doing up there, even if he cant see or talk to her, it feels like shes at his side. Doesnt make them miss her any less though. Angel, all those months under the water, thought that he had to get Cordy, then he comes back and finds out shes gone and thinks hes got to get her home, finally he finds her and discovers shes already home where she belongs.
Up in the higher plane Cordy looks at them and exclaims: What are you, deficient? Get me out of here!
Summary by Dannyboy
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