CIRCLE MEMBERS: (chanting in unison) Of the world's woe, now convene. All is bound by the circle and its thorns. Invisible, inviolate, we, the seeds of the storm, at the center of the world's woe, now convene.

SEBASSIS: (to Angel) The circle does not abide secrets.

ANGEL: Which is interesting for a secret society.

SEBASSIS: Remember your place, vampire.

ANGEL: My place is in the circle.

SEBASSIS: This morning's insurrection did not go unnoticed.

ANGEL: You mean my people.

SEBASSIS: They tried to kill you. An embarrassing affront, to say the least.

VAIL: And the stepping stone to disaster. You have ascended, Angel. You should not be burdened with this kind of-

(gasps, checks his tubes)

VAIL: Aah!

(notices Sabassis' slave, blindfold and tripping over his IV tubes)

VAIL: Sebassis! Your manservant has become tangled in my bodily fluids again!

(Angel leans forward and pushes the slave away from Vail.)

SEBASSIS'S SLAVE: Eeeep!

ANGEL: My people are the problem?

SEBASSIS: Some of them, yes.

ANGEL: Some? Who missed the cut?

VAIL: We're interested in Mr. Wyndam-Price. He seems intriguingly unstable.

SENATOR: Mr. Gunn, on the other hand, does not, which is a pity. He had so much potential.

SEBASSIS: He is not, however, our greatest concern.

ANGEL: If the next words out of your mouth are Kill Spike, we just might have to kiss. (smirks)

SEBASSIS: Spike is not the threat. You are. You've proven your loyalty to the circle. Regrettably, there's something stronger than loyalty... hope.

(presents a document)

ANGEL: This is the Shanshu Prophecy.

SEBASSIS: The original.

SENATOR: The vampire with a soul will play a pivotal role in the apocalypse.

VAIL: And as a reward, will become human.

SEBASSIS: A paranoid person might think you're trying to manipulate us in an attempt to fulfill this prophecy.

ANGEL: I have no desire to become human.

SEBASSIS: Oh, good. Then you won't mind signing that pesky future away. Through that document, the prophecy can be undone. Your signature there will remove any opportunity that you will ever earn your once-precious humanity. Will you sign it?

ANGEL: Of course.

(Izzy takes out a pen; Angel leans forward, begins to sign it. Izzy grabs the pen from Angel, stabs him in the left hand with it))

IZZY: It's gotta be signed in blood.

(Angel grunts as he pulls the pen out of the back of his hand. He signs his name on the top of the document with his right hand.)

• The Shanshu prophecy/scroll of Aberjian

written by: Jeffrey Bell & Joss Whedon; Original transcript by CariCranberry. Edited & formatted by me.. Full transcript at:
http://www.buffyworld.com/angel/season5/transcripts/5x22_tran.php