(Holland is standing in the open doors of an elevator slowly clapping his hands. Angel walks slowly closer.)

HOLLAND: Congratulations. Great victory.

ANGEL: You're...

HOLLAND: Holland Manners.

ANGEL: ...not alive.

HOLLAND: Oh, no. I'm quite dead. Unfortunately my contract with Wolfram and Hart extends well beyond that. Hop on in. You certainly earned it.

(Angel slowly steps into elevator, looking at Holland, who laughs.)

HOLLAND: No. Not a ghost here. No, it's just me. Dead me. (Pulls the collar of his shirt aside to show Angel Darla's bite marks, then reaches for the elevator buttons) See? - Home office, wasn't it? I should mention the trip is one way. Well, if there are no objections, I suggest we get going. It is rather a long ride.

(Holland pushes the 'down' button. Doors close, elevator descends)

HOLLAND: Well, this is exciting, isn't it? Going straight to the source. So, what's the big plan, Angel? Destroy the Senior Partners, smash Wolfram and Hart once and for all?

ANGEL: Something like that.

HOLLAND: Hm-mm, now tell me just what do you imagine that would accomplish? In the end, I mean.

ANGEL: It'll be - the end.

HOLLAND: Well, the end of you, certainly. But I meant in the larger sense.

ANGEL: In the larger sense I really don't give a crap.

HOLLAND: Now I don't think that's true. Be honest. You got the tiniest bit of 'give a crap' left. Otherwise you wouldn't be going on this Kamikaze mission. Now let me see, there was something - in a sacred prophecy, some oblique reference to you. Something you're supposed to prevent. Now what was that?

ANGEL: The apocalypse.

HOLLAND: Yes, the apocalypse, of course. - Another one of those. Well, it's true. We do have one scheduled. And I imagine if you were to prevent it you would save a great many people. Well, you should do that then. Absolutely. I wasn't thinking. Of course all those people you save from that apocalypse would then have the next one to look forward to, but, hey, it's always something, isn't it?

ANGEL: You're not gonna win.

HOLLAND: Well - *no*. Of course we aren't. We have no intention of doing anything so prosaic as 'winning.'

ANGEL: Then why?

HOLLAND: Hmm? I'm sorry? Why what?

ANGEL: Why fight?

HOLLAND: That's really the question you should be asking yourself, isn't it? See, for us, there is no fight. Which is why winning doesn't enter into it. We - go on - no matter what. Our firm has always been here. In one form or another. The Inquisition. The Khmer Rouge. We were there when the very first cave man clubbed his neighbor. See, we're in the hearts and minds of every single living being. And *that* - friend - is what's making things so difficult for you. See, the world doesn't work in spite of evil, Angel. It works with us. It works because of us.

(The elevator stops. The doors open and Angel looks out to see the plaza in front of the Wolfram and Hart Office building in LA. They're back where they started.)

HOLLAND: Welcome to the home office.

ANGEL: This isn't...

HOLLAND: Well, you know it is. You know *that* better than anyone. Things you've seen. Things you've, well... done. You see, if there wasn't evil in every single one of them out there (Angel watches as some people in the plaza start yelling at each other) why, they wouldn't be people. They'd all be angels.

(The glove drops from Angel's hand to land on the floor of the elevator and Angel slowly shuffles out of it.)

HOLLAND: Have a nice day.

• Angel goes dark
• Angel's Mission
• Wolfram & Hart

written by: Tim Minear; Original transcript anonymous. Edited, formatted for this site and checked against source by Sylvia.. Full transcript at:
http://www.buffyworld.com/angel/season2/transcripts/37_tran.shtml