Airdate: November 12, 2003

Guest Starring: Sarah Thompson
Jonathan Woodward
Reva Etienne
Roy Dotrice

Written By: Drew Goddard
Directed By: Jefferson Kibbee

Teaser

In an empty warehouse, Wesley is dealing with an arm’s distributor’s lackey, getting ready to sell him modified energy rifles. Fred is there, showcasing the rifle. The deal only works as long as they don’t show up in L.A: W&H picks and chooses its battles. But, before the deal can go through, the dealers fall under attack, everyone ducks for cover, the dealers shooting at Wes and Fred. Wes fires back, but the other men from the arms dealer’s contingent are killed by a masked man with chains. Angels crashes through a window, fights the masked man, and breaks his necks. Sparks fly. Angel removes the mask off, revealing a metal faceplate. A cyborg. But they have more pressing concerns: in the confusion, Fred’s been shot and is bleeding profusely.

ACT I

Back at the Office, Angel’s furious at Wesley: Fred shouldn’t have been there, she could have been killed. Wes says he needed someone who could explain the weapon without raising the handler’s suspicions. Angel thinks it was a reckless decision and from now on Wes will have to clear any of his personnel he takes with him. After Wes leaves, Eve (who’s been sitting in on all of this) remarks that Angel was hard on Wes. She believes that because Wes may sacrifice anything or anyone for the big picture, and the facts surrounding baby Connor’s kidnapping, that Angel doesn’t trust him. Angel says that Wes didn’t mean for anything to happen, he thought he was doing the right thing. But, as eve points out, everything did turn out okay, even if he doesn’t remember it, maybe Wes knew what he was doing. Eve thinks he’s afraid Wes will betray him again trying to do the right thing.

Fred visits Wes in his office, she’s been give the all-clear. Wes is sorry for what happened to her, he should have done a better job protecting her and she shouldn’t have been there. She says it wasn’t for him to decide, but he blames himself, she tells him to grow up. Wesley’s father chooses that moment to show up. Roger Wyndham-Pryce introduces himself and she makes a bad excuse about the argument before fleeing. Roger is here on business: the remaining former watchers have formed a new council, and he’s been sent to contact Wesley. The council has agreed to take him back, pending his assessment. Wesley states that he’s not interested, Roger tells him not to be stubborn: it’s the chance to clear his name, their name. Wes is happy where he is thought, leaving his father dumbfounded, they’re at the haven of evil. Wes starts assuring him it’s not but he clumsily hits himself on the door and knocks into someone else. Wes says that they’re changing Wolfram & Hart for the better, turning it into a powerful weapon. Roger is not impressed, especially upon meeting Lorne. Gunn also meets Roger, and informs Wes that he’s needed in the lab. Wes explains the previous night’s events and invites Roger to watch.

In the lab, Fred is stunned by the technology involved in the cyborg. She explains to Angel, Eve and Spike that if they can crack its memory, the can access everything it’s done; maybe find out who or what it wants. Angel wants answers, and she’ll get them for him. Wes introduces to everyone his dad, who actually has met Spike in 1963, slaughtering an orphanage in Vienna. Killed two of Roger’s men before he escaped. Spike makes himself scarce. Angel introduces himself and hopes that Roger will keep an open mind, they’re doing good, or so he’s been told. Wes gets his dad and himself on the autopsy, Angel and Eve leave. The lab’s found a series of symbols they can’t decipher around a small radiation signature, possibly a bomb. Wes believes it’s either a battle prayer or a binding spell, but as he moves part of the circuitry to read it, a trigger activates. He’s just activated a bomb.

ACT II

As people start evacuating, Wes plans to stay and deactivate the bomb, only to have Roger successfully beat him to it, rending the cyborg harmless. Roger confirms that the symbols were Dutrovic and explained how to handle the power core, and how to use the emergency fail-safe. It’s just not Wes’s day.

Back in angel’s office, Fred explains that anyone could have triggered the device by accident, but Wes admits they’re lucky his father was there (who’s currently being “entertained” by Lorne). Fred and Spike leave Angel and Wes alone, and the latter admits it was a stupid mistake; it’s hard to think straight when dad’s around. Angel understands a thing or two about dads and hands Wes some reports of Assassins that sound like that cyborg they captured: destroying a demon cabal in Jakarta, and destroyed the Tenmar death chambers. Could they be the on their side after all?

In the lobby, Roger is regaling tales of Wesley’s childhood to Fred when Wes comes in and enlists his father’s help to research these cyborgs.

In his office, Wes is asked a barrage of questions on his feelings for Fred. Wes has to explain to him the events surrounding Lilah’s death, including the fact that he cut her head off. Roger thinks he’s being sarcastic. Wesley picks up a source book and asks for the Saitama Codex as Roger looks on in amazement and wonders if Wesley knows the potential danger of the books how they can displayed so openly on the desk. Wes knows what he is doing and informs Roger that the most important books are locked in his vault.

On the roof, a portal opens and six cyborg assassins drop from a portal.

Eve steps into the elevator and is startled when Spike appears, he’s noticed her appraisal of him and sees through her “here to help cheerleader act.” He knows there is more to her than meets the eye, the same can be applied to him, unless he is happy to haunt the law firm for eternity. Spike figures he is trapped there for a reason, she must know about it: The amulet was meant for Angel, he was meant to be the ghost! So why keep him here? But Eve just stares at him: "Who said the amulet was for Angel?" Suddenly the power cuts out and they are in darkness as alarms sound.

Gunn reports to Angel in the lobby: they’ve lost all power and communications. The alarm dies off, meaning they’ve lost security as well. The cyborg assassins appear in the lobby and hold Angel and Gunn at gunpoint.

Wesley and Roger are attacked in the office; Wes grabs a sword and fights it off, with the assistance of his father. Wesley eventually stabs the cyborg, pinning it to the wall. Roger points out that they were after the books. They grab the books and head into the vault, unlocked by Wes’s handprint and voice-password. Inside the vault, Roger actually compliments him on his fighting skills before knocking Wesley out with a statue. He takes the keys, and removes from a safety deposit box an old staff with a green emerald. He got what he came for and informs the rest.

ACT III

In the lobby, Gunn and Angel are busy battling the cyborg-assassins.

Roger bumps into Fred in the hallway, lies that Wes is waiting for them on the roof, and that they need to find Angel.

Regaining consciousness, Wes approaches the downed cyborg in his office, pulling off its mask to reveal a human-like face. He pushes the sword in further, asking if it speaks, before pulling out the sword. Wesley puts his hand on the self destruct mechanism demanding to know of Rogers plans. The cyborg tells him that he is bluffing as the explosion will kill Wesley; he knows this but it will also kill his father.

Gunn and Angel are still fighting, suddenly a cyborg wraps a chain around Gunn's neck, beginning to strangle him just as Spike arrives; he stands in front of Gunn, concentrating for a few moments, before landing a punch that hits the cyborg square, knocking him over. Meanwhile Angel is losing his battle with another cyborg and Roger comes to his aid defeating the cyborg. Fred announces that Wesley is on the roof. Instructing Gunn to check on security, Angel goes to the roof with Roger. But Wes isn’t there and Roger removes the staff from his pocket calling, 'Atistrata'. Angel doubles up in pain as white essence pours out of his body into the staff and he falls to the ground. Roger tells him that it was never about Wesley but about Angel.

ACT IV

Angel writhes on the floor as Roger advises him not to fight it then adds that Angel is ready for extraction, unaware as Wesley approaches from behind, grabbing the staff and pointing a gun at his father. Roger also has a gun and tells Wesley to stay away, he doesn’t understand. But Wes knows that Roger is using the Staff of Devosynn to try to take Angel's will. Roger points out that Angel is a puppet, always has been, first to the Powers That Be then to Wolfram & Hart and now to them. Wes responds by listing Roger's deceptions: smuggling in a weapon (inside the dead cyborg) and arranging the attacks. He finally asking if he ever considered talking to Wes about it instead. Roger did not ever consider this as he feels Wes has failed him enough for one lifetime.

Fred runs onto the roof and over to Angel wondering what is happening as Roger asks how Wes can work for Angel knowing who and what he is? Wesley asks why his father can never trust his judgement; he has done everything his father ever asked and he has done it well. Roger feels humiliated but Wes is quick to remind him that he never had any time for Wesley as a child and hasn't since and asks what galls him, that he was never as good at the job as Roger or that he might be better? As a helicopter approaches, Roger demands that Wesley give him the staff threatening to kill him. Wesley holds it over the edge of the roof, he knows that his father would kill him; he was raised by him so has no doubt. If he drops the staff, the crystal will shatter and restore Angel's will. Roger, grabs Fred, but before he can threaten her further, Wes shoots his father several times then walks away in shock before retching. Fred looks on in shock then as Wesley turns back to her, Roger's body starts buzzing as electricity shoots out and he turns into a cyborg before their eyes.

Wesley approaches Angel's office asking if he’s ok, explaining that the effects should soon wear off. Angel thinks they went after them because they were perceived as weak but Wes believes they went after him (Wes) because he’s the weak link. Angel tells Wesley they are wrong, he does what he has to do to protect the people around him and he never understood before that Wesley has to make all the hard decisions, sometimes alone. Wesley just feels like a man who killed his own father and wonders how the cyborg knew everything about him. But with the old Watchers files lying around and some nifty personality programming, anything’s possible. Angel and goes on, confessing to Wesley that he did kill his actual dad. Wesley doesn't see the relevance and suggests that they get some rest then leaving Angel's office. Wes is approached by Spike who confesses to killing his mum. Wesley is horrified but thanks him anyway and heads into his own office sighing.

Fred arrives in Wes’s office, without a patricidal or matricidal story to offer, and tries to comfort him by telling him that a part of him knew it wasn't his dad. Wesley was sure it was his father and that he was threatening Fred, he was going to kill her, so Wes killed him. Fred begins to realise just what his feelings are, but then Knox arrives with the evilest of timings, to take Fred home and Wes, with a certain pain, tells her to go. He makes an awkward call to his father to see how he is.


Summary by Dannyboy