"That Vision Thing"
At the hotel, Wes and Gunn are standing on either side of the front desk, eating Chinese takeout. Wes says he doesn't mean they should act differently, he just thinks they should be gentle in their interactions.
Cordelia walks by, both Wes and Gunn greet her. She looks at them and walks away.
Gunn wonders if that sounded genuine.
Wes thinks so.
Fred's voice is heard offering a grade on their sincerity.
Wes and Gunn look behind the desk where Fred is huddled on the floor, beneath the card table, eating her takeout.
Wes walks over to her, crouches down to talk to her, and asks if she might want to join him and Gunn in finishing the meal. He wonders if that wasn't the point of getting out of her room.
Fred thinks maybe she can handle that as she joins Wes and Gunn at the desk.
Fred dives into her meal using her fingers.
Gunn offers her the use of chopsticks or a fork. He wonders if she remembers what a fork is.
She does as she takes it from him and puts it down. She's not ready yet. She goes back to eating with her fingers.
Cordelia walks back past the desk.
Gunn and Wes attempt small talk.
Cordelia tells them she knows they're being fake sincere because they figure she's on edge since she hasn't had a vision in awhile. She says she actually looks forward to her next vision.
Wes is incredulous.
Cordy feels it's important since The Powers have "chosen" her, she doesn't think it's her right to refuse. She walks behind the desk, standing behind Wes and Fred.
Fred asks if Cordelia could use the vision thing to find out where Angel is.
Cordelia declines, saying she doesn't care.
Gunn quickly offers by way of explanation to Fred that Cordelia doesn't make the choice to have visions, the Powers send a message when they have something important to convey.
Wes notes it's like a gift.
Cordelia explains it as pretty excruciating for a 'gift.'
Fred just looks at her, afraid to say anything else.
Gavin Park enters the hotel.
Cordelia greets him as she walks around to the front of the desk. She takes a moment to admire his expensive Gucci loafers.
Wes comes around to the front of the desk and informs Cordy that Park isn't a client, he's a lawyer with W&H.
Park notices Fred and wonders if there's a "new player" in the game.
Wes steps closer to him and suggests it's time for Park to depart.
Angel enters the lobby and asks what's going on.
Wes tells him Park was about to leave.
Park assures him that wasn't his intention. He pulls a sheaf of papers from his briefcase, explaining it contains a listing of 57 code violations related to the Hyperion. He lets them know he's filed a copy with the city planning office as he sets the papers aside.
Angel sarcastically asks if 57 violations is a lot.
Park says he'll be contacting them again. He leaves.
Cordelia watches him leave and notes that yes, he's a minion of Satan but she couldn't help but appreciate the expensive suit. She wonders if Wes noticed.
Angel notices that Fred is standing behind the desk. She smiles. He tells her it's good to see her out of her room.
Fred's smile gets bigger. She says it's nice to get out, she's been "forking with Gunn".
Angel and Gunn exchange a look.
Cordelia does the vision thing, Wes and Angel catch her as she falls backward.
Angel asks her what she saw.
Cordy relays the information, a coin of some sort and "two clawed things". She thinks the location is an herbalist shop in Chinatown.
Wes and Gunn head off to do some research.
Angel helps Cordelia to her feet, she cries out in pain as he pulls her up.
Cordelia assures him she's fine, she just got taken by surprise with that vision. She tells him to go find the coin as she heads for the bathroom. She calls back that the coin has a hole in the center. She goes into the bathroom and closes the door.
Angel looks on, concerned.
In the bathroom, Cordelia collects herself in front of the sink. There's a gentle knock on the door. Wes is standing on the other side, holding a large open book. He asks quietly if the beast Cordy saw had fours claws or five.
Cordelia answers that it had five.
Wes wants to know that she's sure.
Cordelia lifts her top noticing five bleeding slash marks across her midsection. She assures Wes she's certain.
Wes is poring over old books while Fred looks through the phone book. He asks her if she's found anything.
Fred's found lots of things that start with "H", she finds that fascinating.
Wes gently asks if the word "herbs" came up anywhere in her 'H' wanderings.
She did find five herbalist shops in Chinatown.
Angel enters and asks if they have any information yet.
Wes notes they may be onto something. He thinks what the vision showed could be either a "Wan-Shang Dhole" or a "Cantonese Fook-Beast".
Gunn joins them and suggests they figure out which after they locate the coin. It's getting late.
Wes agrees that's a sound approach.
Angel asks Fred if she'll do something for him.
She lights up at that request.
In the bathroom, Cordelia takes some aspirin and looks at herself in the mirror a moment. She turns her back to the mirror and looks over her shoulder to see several deep slashes on her back.
There's a knock on the door. Cordelia answers that she already told them it's about locating that coin.
Angel tells her it's him.
Cordy assures him she's fine.
Angel isn't going anywhere until she opens the door.
Cordy opens the door slightly, tells him she's fine and starts to shut it again.
He stops the door from closing. He knows the visions are getting worse.
Cordy says she's feeling better, she'll be fine. She encourages him to get on about the business of finding the beast things.
He tells her he's asked Fred to take her home so she can get some rest.
Cordy doesn't think it's necessary.
Angel won't take no for an answer.
She finally agrees to go home.
Wes, Gunn and Angel are in Angel's car traveling to Chinatown. Gunn is driving, Wes in the front, Angel in back.
Gunn laments the fact they've been to four out of the five shops on the list and of course, it's got to be the last one they get to. He wonders why things always seem to to work that way.
Wes figures that's just how it goes in the investigation business.
Gunn asks the name of the shop.
Wes tells him and points out it should be coming up shortly.
Wes asks Angel how Cordelia was doing.
Angel answers that she said she was fine.
Wes doesn't think Angel believed her.
Angel's expression says he didn't.
Gunn announces they've arrived at the fifth herb shop on the list. He pulls the car to a stop.
Wes, Gunn and Angel enter the herb shop where an elderly Chinese man and woman are working behind the counter. The woman greets them with "your kind not welcome here!"
Gunn takes offense at that.
The elderly man clarifies she was talking about the vampire as he points to Angel.
Wes says it's a public place, anybody can come in. He tells them they're looking for an ancient coin.
The couple exchange a look then somersault over the counter.
Gunn doesn't figure that was all that intimidating.
The elderly couple suddenly grow long, razor sharp nails at the ends of their fingers.
Gunn acknowledges that's a little intimidating.
Angel tells them to take the woman, he'll take on the man.
Fight ensues. Wes and Gunn have their hands full with the elderly woman.
Angel also has a bit of difficulty with the elderly man.
Finally, Wes and Gunn get the upper hand on the woman and knock her out.
Angel follows, finally overpowering the man and leaving him on the floor, unconscious.
Wes suggests they find the coin before the elderly couple wake up.
Angel notices a medallion around the neck of the man and removes it. He looks at it, notices the markings and the hole in the center. He's found the coin.
At the offices of W&H, Lilah Morgan retrieves a sheet of paper that's just finished printing. She looks at it quizzically, notes the subject matter, "asbestos removal", she doesn't know what it's about.
Gavin Park enters the office and informs her the printout is his as he takes it from her. He explains that his printer wasn't working so he used hers.
Lilah sarcastically thanks him for asking as she heads for her office.
Park informs her that though there's been no formal announcement yet, he's been moved into the Special Projects department.
Lilah doesn't figure his moving from the Real Estate division makes much sense.
Park tells her the senior partners felt he'd be more useful in this new position. He's working on something directed at Angel, he'd like to have her on his "team" if she's interested.
A young man wearing a fez sticks his head out of Lilah's office. She lets him know she'll be in shortly. He retreats back into the office and shuts the door.
Lilah finds Park's arrogance a bit annoying. She assures him he doesn't have a "team" and heads for her office.
Park starts to say something to her about not getting too confident just because she inherited Lindsey's old office.
Lilah turns to face him again and assures him she got the office because she earned it, just as Lindsey did before her. She points out that Lindsey made sacrifices for the company, literally lost his hand in the battle with Angel. She derisively notes Park's approach to the fight being "code violations".
Park informs her he's fighting the fight against Angel his way.
Lilah's sure Angel must be terrified by that. She enters her office and closes the door.
Cordelia enters the living room of her apartment from the bedroom, saying she's all freshened up and ready for bed, her companion can leave now. She looks around and notices she appears to be talking to herself.
Cordelia calls out to Fred as she looks around the apartment. She finds Fred sitting on the floor next to the kitchen table, enjoying a drink.
Cordelia pulls her to her feet and not so subtly guides her toward the door, telling her she can leave now. She knows Angel told Fred to stay with her until he called but she's fine now.
Fred starts rambling about rain and floods and finally asks what it's like to have a vision. She wonders if Cordelia sees or smells things or just 'knows', like she knew when she was in school that when she saw one boy she knew they'd go steady. She acknowledges they never did but it felt like they did.
Cordelia really wants to just get rid of her at this point. She takes her by the arm and guides her to the door.
Fred has a revelation. Cordelia is Angel's Lassie (yes, the dog). She sees the parallels. Angel does the saving, but Cordelia passes on the "Timmy's trapped in the well" messages that get him where he needs to be. She thinks Angel needs and depends on her.
Cordelia thanks her for that and assures her she'd be flattered except for the dog part. Cordelia asks Phantom Dennis for a little assistance. The front door opens. Cordy assures Fred she's not alone, she has a ghost, as she shoves her out the door.
Before she gets the door shut, she's hit with a vision and falls to the floor, unconscious.
Fred turns her face up just as a rash of boils erupts on the side of Cordelia's face.
Cordy is sitting on the edge of her bed, having been joined by Wes, Angel and Gunn. Fred is also there. Cordy tells them the vision showed her a boil covered demon, a downtown storefront and a key. She starts to get up, offering to draw a picture of the key.
Angel pulls her back down onto the bed, moves her hair away from the side of her face, exposing the boils covering it. He tells her they need to talk about it, she can't ignore what's going on.
Cordy doesn't think there's much to say beyond disgusting, she figures everybody is thinking that.
Angel asks her if anything like this has happened before.
She admits it happened earlier that night as she lifts her sleeve, revealing several deep gashes on her arm.
Wes crouches down for a closer look. He asks if the visions caused this.
Cordelia acknowledges they did.
Wes asks if the most recent vision correlates with her latest manifestation.
She verifies that's the case.
Cordy gets up and walks to the mirror, looks at herself. She thinks there must be a mistake. She doesn't understand why The Powers would do this, she's on their side.
Nobody has an answer.
Angel exits Cordelia's bedroom and joins Fred, Wes and Gunn in the living room. He wants to know if anybody has any ideas, they need to find an answer.
Gunn offers that his aunt had a shellfish allergy that resulted in some pretty ugly skin problems.
Angel doesn't find that particularly helpful.
Wes wonders why The Powers are choosing this way to communicate with Cordelia.
Fred suggests they ask. Fred explains that since everything is made up of energy in one form or another, perhaps they could somehow trace the frequency The Powers use to contact Cordelia and trace it back to its source.
Wes thinks that sounds like a good idea. He instructs Gunn and Fred to go back to the hotel and get some books, he'll make a list. They need to research the Chinese coin. He directs Angel to find the demon and retrieve the key.
Angel isn't keen on leaving.
Wes reminds him she's had two visions in the same night and the results of that are more than obvious. He figures if The Powers are going to such extremes, there has to be something very significant about the coin and the key.
Angel doesn't see how he can help Cordy by leaving to find the key.
Wes asks him to trust him, he has an idea.
Angel pulls up outside of a darkened shop. He gets out of the car, arms himself with a large sword and kicks the door of the shop open. He demands the key.
The shop's occupant asks exactly which key he's looking for as he switches on the lights, revealing the walls filled with keys. It's a key shop. He asks Angel if he misplaced the original.
Angel pulls a drawing of the key from his pocket and hands it to the clerk.
The guy looks at the drawing and tells Angel it will take a moment. He slides his hand under the edge of the counter and presses a button.
A boil covered demon armed with a sword drops down behind Angel who turns to face it. Sword fight ensues.
Gunn and Fred approach the hotel. Fred thinks he's disappointed that he didn't get to accompany Angel on the demon quest.
Gunn tells her sure, he'd rather be chopping up an ugly boil covered demon and maybe getting himself killed than walking with a pretty girl.
Fred thinks he's serious and apologizes for keeping him from the fight.
Gunn assures her he does what the job requires, no matter how difficult. Fred admits she still startles rather easily.
She figures that's why Gunn is there, because he doesn't.
Gunn opens the door to the hotel and jumps, startled by the sight of an exterminator in full gear, working in the lobby. Gunn asks who the guy is.
He identifies himself, then tells Gunn and Fred they can't come in while the fumigation is going on.
Gunn doesn't buy that, considering it's the middle of the night. He instructs Fred to get the books on the list from Wesley's office.
She looks at the exterminator, hesitates. Gunn assures her it's okay.
After Fred heads for the office, Gunn tells the exterminator to produce a work order or he [Gunn] is going to be doing some exterminating of his own.
Angel arrives at Cordelia's apartment. He asks Wes how she's doing.
Wes says they're in the process of finding out. He wants to know if Angel got the key.
Angel hands it to him and heads for Cordelia's bedroom.
Cordelia is lying on her bed, Lorne is sitting next to her. He asks Angel to talk to her, she's resisting the process.
Angel looks to Wesley for answers.
Wes explains that he figured since the Host reads auras, that in some way connects him to The Powers.
Angel figures it out from there, Lorne may be able to trace the contact back to the source, using Cordelia.
Lorne informs them this is something a bit outside of his area of expertise but he's willing to give it a try.
Cordy asks Angel if he found the key, she doesn't want to think she's endured the boil plague for nothing.
Angel assures her the key was exactly where she said it would be.
She's relieved to hear that.
Angel asks why she doesn't want Lorne to attempt to trace the visions.
Cordelia assures him she's not opposed to letting a demon into her mind for a quick look-see but with the visions taking their toll, she's not sure she can tolerate more "noise" in her mind.
Angel offers that perhaps Lorne can make the noise stop. He asks her if that isn't what she wants to happen.
Cordelia is afraid if she loses the visions, she couldn't help anymore and Angel wouldn't need her.
He assures her she's important, it's not about the visions, they're just like an after market extra of sorts. He asks her to let them try to help, she agrees.
Lorne sits down on the bed beside her and asks if she's ready, she acknowledges she is. He puts his hands to the sides of her face and gently starts massaging her temples with his fingertips. He gives her some visualization imagery to work with; mountain top, blue skies, fluffy clouds. He tells her to imagine Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music, spinning around on the mountain top, camera swirling around her.
Cordelia jumps, startling Lorne.
He advises her to be careful, she's got some power of her own.
Cordy apologizes, she was just getting freaked by the "spinning and swirling" going on.
Lorne apologizes in return, he got carried away. He asks her if she's ready to try again.
Cordelia pulls herself up a bit, Lorne puts his hands back on the side of her face and resumes massaging her temples.
Lilah is pacing in her office. She's impatiently explaining to the young man wearing the fez that without the proper tax forms on file, the firm can't pay him.
He finishes writing something down, tells her he understands that then asks if she knows of a good tax guy.
Lilah curtly informs him the job comes first, then they can discuss taxes.
The guy signs the papers and tells her he's ready.
Lilah asks if he recalls what they discussed.
He assures her he couldn't forget all that fire. He sits cross-legged on top of the table and begins to meditate. After a moment, he levitates off the tabletop. He reaches up and removes his fez, revealing his undulating brain matter, completely exposed. He continues to concentrate on whatever he's doing.
Lilah smiles.
Back at Cordelia's, Lorne is still working to make contact. Cordelia jumps.
At Lilah's office, Brain Guy is getting more intense.
Cordy gets a vision of fire.
Lorne gets thrown across the room by an unseen force.
Cordelia's vision continues, showing someone engulfed in flames and a demon.
Angel and Wes try to get her to wake up. They notice her arms and face are now burned.
In Lilah's office, Brain Guy levitates back down to the tabletop, puts his hat back on and smiles at Lilah.
She wants to know what happened.
He tells her he's sure the message got delivered.
Back at Cordelia's, Angel is sitting next to her. She asks about Lorne.
He tells her he got knocked out, but he'll be okay. Angel is concerned about her.
Cordy asks if she's a bad person.
He assures her it's not happening because she's bad, maybe more because she's a strong person.
Cordelia doesn't feel so strong. She admits she doesn't want the visions anymore. She's tried to face it head on but now she's just afraid all the time. She doesn't understand why The Powers are doing this to her.
Angel doesn't have the answer to that.
Wes opens the bedroom door and tells Angel there's something he needs to hear.
Angel reluctantly leaves Cordelia's side, telling Wesley it better be something important.
As Angel and Wes enter the living room, Fred blurts out that the visions aren't from The Powers.
Lorne, who is lying on the couch, thanks her for stealing his news. He suggests perhaps next time she'd like to be the one that gets thrown across the room.
Angel asks where the visions are coming from.
Lorne doesn't know exactly, but he does know the source is local and the visions are very realistic. He understands how a layperson could mistake them for the real thing.
Gunn asks if this means someone has tapped into Cordy's mind.
Lorne acknowledges that's essentially the situation. He figures there's got to be no shortage of suspects but suggests Angel ponder who's trying to get to him, who has inexhaustible resources and who wouldn't mind messing Cordelia up.
Angel's expression says he has a good idea.
In her office, Lilah is alone, playing a golf game on the computer.
Angel makes a comment about her play of the game, startling her. He tells her he was going to knock, but she seemed busy. He didn't want to interrupt.
She asks how he got in.
Angel figures she wonders why no vampire alarms. He tells her that he got some help getting in from her colleague, Gavin Park. He wants to get down to business. He thinks he has something she's looking for. He tosses the coin and the key across her desk.
Lilah thinks he might be right.
Angel is glad to hear it, he figures their business is now finished. He starts to leave.
Lilah informs him it's not exactly over as she slides the coin and the key to the opposite side of the desk. She informs him those items will be necessary for him to complete his mission.
Angel assures her he has no intention of doing any kind of job for W&H. Their business is completed.
A very self-assured Lilah lets him know their business is just getting started. There's a young man who's been unjustly imprisoned. She expects Angel to get him out. She figures since he's into saving people, this is right up his alley. She tells him he'll need the key and coin to finish this task.
Angel gets it. He does this job for them, they leave Cordelia alone.
Lilah explains that he'll do it because she told him to do it. She walks over to him and runs her hand over his shoulder as she walks around him. She knows he's thinking he could kill her, but she assures him if he did that, "what's-her-name" will never get rid of the visions. She says the skin problems weren't planned, just an unexpected side effect.
Angel grabs her by the throat, tells her "what's-her-name" is Cordelia and informs Lilah she will help. He releases her and walks away from her, turning his back to her. He asks where the prison is.
Lilah smiles. She tells him this is why she picked him for the job, he has all the necessary qualities; a warrior for good, a champion, someone that could travel in and out of a heavily fortified demon dimension.
Angel faces her and glares at her.
Back at the hotel, Wes is examining the coin.
Angel enters the office.
Wes asks how Cordelia is doing
. Angel says Fred and Gunn are taking care of her. He asks Wes if he's figured things out yet.
Wes thinks he has and he doesn't think Angel is going to be happy to hear what he's discovered. Both of the artifacts, the coin and the key, are objects of good.
Angel figures that probably means the Chinese couple and the boil demon were good as well.
Wes confirms that's true. He explains that the inscriptions on the key and the coin are the same. They work together to provide access to and from the demon dimension.
Angel thinks it would be helpful to know what the dimension was like, aside from "demon-y and fortress-y".
Wes figures, given Cordelia's vision and the burns that manifested on her body, that it's safe to assume fire is an element of that dimension.
Angel isn't pleased with that news.
Wes also assumes if the young man is imprisoned, there are going to be guards to deal with.
Angel ponders that a moment and heads for the weapons cabinet.
Wes points out that if W&H are behind this, chances are that it's not something good. Also, just because Lilah says this young man is unjustly imprisoned doesn't make it so.
Angel agrees.
Wes reminds him that assisting W&H violates his mission in every way.
Angel agrees with that also as he stocks up on weapons.
Wes figures he won't have to convince Angel to let him come along.
Angel tells Wes he needs him to stay behind in case something goes wrong. He asks Wes to show him how to use the coin and the key.
Wes thinks it's pretty straightforward. The coin and key should take Angel to the dimension and bring him back. He inserts the key through the hole in the center of the coin and twists it, locking it into position. He tosses it onto the floor where it begins spinning on the key's end, like a top. A field of smoke and bright light emanate from the artifacts. Wes asks Angel if he's sure he doesn't want him to come along.
Angel tells him to look after Cordelia then steps into the field generated by the spinning artifacts. As the light gets brighter and engulfs him, he disappears. His weapons fall to the floor, left behind.
Angel materializes in a flash of light in the demon dimension. He's standing in a medieval looking room with stone walls. He notices his weapons didn't manage to make the journey with him. He steps forward, kicking the joined key and coin ahead of him. He stoops and picks them up, places them in his pocket and continues on.
He comes upon a steep stone stairway, the opening at the base of it awash in the reflection of flames. He heads down the steps.
As he exits the stairway, he sees a large flaming, translucent cube in the center of the room. There's someone inside of it, writhing, also engulfed in flames.
A demon steps up behind Angel. Angel turns, they exchange smiles and a greeting.
The demon casually asks if Angel knows he's not supposed to be there.
Angel acknowledges he does know that. He asks about the individual burning inside of the cube.
The demon continues in his friendly tone, assuring Angel that one is right where he's supposed to be. He wonders if Angel knows what a monster someone must be to get sent there.
Angel figures it's the demon's job to keep the prisoner there.
The demon acknowledges that's the way it works. He introduces himself, "Skip", and extends his hand.
Angel shakes his hand and introduces himself in return. He looks around and asks Skip if he lives there.
Skip says he commutes, it's a short trip.
Angel looks at the man burning in the fire and asks what keeps him there.
Skip explains that it's done through his willpower.
Angel wonders why the man engulfed in flames isn't screaming.
Skip assures him he is but Skip's will keeps that from being heard. He explains that there's only so much screaming one can take before it wears on the nerves listening to it.
Angel gets that.
Skip sniffs in Angel's direction. He knows he's a vampire but he can't figure out why it smells like he works for the forces of good.
Angel says he does.
Skip doesn't see why he's there then, trying to rescue the prisoner. They're on the same side, he figures Angel should be helping him to keep the guy imprisoned.
Angel says it's a long story, he's not happy about it either.
Skip wants to be sure there's no way he can convince Angel not to do this.
Angel says he'd like to oblige, but he can't.
Skip punches him in the face and sends him flying into the wall.
Angel morphs into vamp face as he and Skip continue the fight. Angel kicks him backward, sending him against the flaming cube.
The cube's occupant reaches out and grabs Skip by the shoulders, holding him against the flames.
Angel morphs back into human face, grabs Skip and pulls him away from the flames, hurling him across the room, to the floor. He asks him if he's okay. Skip nods. Angel apologizes and knocks him out. The flames disappear.
The young man is now standing where the flames were, covered in soot. He and Angel glare at each other.
Angel pulls the car to a stop in a storm runoff. Wesley, Gunn and the young man from the prison are also in the car. Two cars are already there. Lilah is pacing.
Angel checks to be sure the others know what to do if things go badly.
Gunn confirms they do.
Angel gets out of the car and approaches Lilah.
Lilah signals to the cars behind her. The doors open, several bodyguards join her. She tells Angel nobody at W&H thought he could pull this off, but she didn't doubt he'd succeed. She thinks he's "remarkable."
He thinks she's an "evil bitch", he wants to finish their business. They take care of Cordelia, he'll give them the young man they want.
Lilah walks back to the car and speaks a moment to Brain Guy, whose in the back seat. He closes the window. Lilah tells Angel it will only take a minute.
Angel looks back toward Wes who holds up his cell phone. He makes a call to Cordelia's, Fred answers.
As Brain Guy does his thing, Angel and Lilah glower at each other.
As Cordelia is sleeping, the physical manifestations of the visions disappear.
Fred lets Wes know it worked.
Wes gets out of the car and signals that information to Angel.
He looks at Gunn, who escorts the young man, his hands bound, from the car and sends him toward Lilah.
Angel watches the former prisoner intently as he walks over to one of the W&H vehicles. He stops and raises his hands so the rope binding them can be removed. He glares intently at Angel then enters the car.
Lilah assures Angel it was just business as she heads for her car.
Angel understands that. He sees a piece of rebar laying on the ground, picks it up and hurls it through the air. The rebar smashes through the rear window of the car, impaling Brain Guy's head, killing him.
Lilah doesn't look too bothered by that.
Angel is suddenly standing directly behind Lilah. He assures her that if she uses Cordelia as a way to get to him again, he'll kill her.
He walks away, joins the others in the car and leaves.
Lilah looks a bit unnerved.
Back at the hotel, Cordelia is pouring coffee for Angel. He's glad she's feeling better but he's not really into the food thing.
She knows that, but she noticed the hotel had a great kitchen and she wanted to do something with it.
Angel jumps as the toaster pops up a couple of waffles.
Cordy admits she couldn't do anything with the kitchen as she throws one of the waffles onto a plate in front of him and pours some syrup on it.
Angel's being polite, but it's clear he's not really interested in it.
Cordelia thanks him for everything he did for her, she appreciates it. She's glad to know that the next vision she gets will just be the brain shattering variety and not cause the disgusting physical side effects.
Angel wonders what else she's thinking.
She admits she's concerned about the guy Angel broke out of the prison. If he's something truly terrible, W&H won and she feels it's her fault.
Angel tells her it's about the stakes, not winning, and in this case she was more important than winning. He did what he had to do. He'll deal with the consequences of that when he has to.
Yoro Mountains, Honduras
It's a stormy night. A Shaman is in his dwelling tossing and reading small bones. He senses something, gets up and turns toward the entry just as Darla walks in.
She tells him he was difficult to find and asks if he knows why she's come.
He nods in response.
She tells him he is her last hope. She's been told he is very wise and powerful, "I've tried everything and I can't get rid of it." She wants to know what the "thing" is growing inside of her and just how its existence is possible.
The Shaman asks if the father is also a vampire.
Darla confirms that's true, though he's not much of one.
The Shaman tells her he'll need some of her blood. He picks up a knife, she offers her palm. He can't quite bring himself to cut her.
Darla impatiently takes the knife and slashes her palm with it, draining some blood into a mortar.
The Shaman adds some things to the blood, then mixes it all together with a pestle as Darla looks on. The Shaman pours the mixture onto his palm and rubs his hands together. He tells Darla he's never been failed by this method.
He presses his palms to her belly. His hands begin to shake. He screams as he's thrown backward a few feet. The Shaman is clearly shaken, he tells Darla that no man can help her, "this is not meant to be known".
Darla's heard that before. She rubs her belly and figures there's only one thing left to do now, "Time to go visit daddy."
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| Written by: Jeff Bell | Original Air Date: October 1, 2001 |
At the hotel, Wes and Gunn are standing on either side of the front desk, eating Chinese takeout. Wes says he doesn't mean they should act differently, he just thinks they should be gentle in their interactions.
Cordelia walks by, both Wes and Gunn greet her. She looks at them and walks away.
Gunn wonders if that sounded genuine.
Wes thinks so.
Fred's voice is heard offering a grade on their sincerity.
Wes and Gunn look behind the desk where Fred is huddled on the floor, beneath the card table, eating her takeout.
Wes walks over to her, crouches down to talk to her, and asks if she might want to join him and Gunn in finishing the meal. He wonders if that wasn't the point of getting out of her room.
Fred thinks maybe she can handle that as she joins Wes and Gunn at the desk.
Fred dives into her meal using her fingers.
Gunn offers her the use of chopsticks or a fork. He wonders if she remembers what a fork is.
She does as she takes it from him and puts it down. She's not ready yet. She goes back to eating with her fingers.
Cordelia walks back past the desk.
Gunn and Wes attempt small talk.
Cordelia tells them she knows they're being fake sincere because they figure she's on edge since she hasn't had a vision in awhile. She says she actually looks forward to her next vision.
Wes is incredulous.
Cordy feels it's important since The Powers have "chosen" her, she doesn't think it's her right to refuse. She walks behind the desk, standing behind Wes and Fred.
Fred asks if Cordelia could use the vision thing to find out where Angel is.
Cordelia declines, saying she doesn't care.
Gunn quickly offers by way of explanation to Fred that Cordelia doesn't make the choice to have visions, the Powers send a message when they have something important to convey.
Wes notes it's like a gift.
Cordelia explains it as pretty excruciating for a 'gift.'
Fred just looks at her, afraid to say anything else.
Gavin Park enters the hotel.
Cordelia greets him as she walks around to the front of the desk. She takes a moment to admire his expensive Gucci loafers.
Wes comes around to the front of the desk and informs Cordy that Park isn't a client, he's a lawyer with W&H.
Park notices Fred and wonders if there's a "new player" in the game.
Wes steps closer to him and suggests it's time for Park to depart.
Angel enters the lobby and asks what's going on.
Wes tells him Park was about to leave.
Park assures him that wasn't his intention. He pulls a sheaf of papers from his briefcase, explaining it contains a listing of 57 code violations related to the Hyperion. He lets them know he's filed a copy with the city planning office as he sets the papers aside.
Angel sarcastically asks if 57 violations is a lot.
Park says he'll be contacting them again. He leaves.
Cordelia watches him leave and notes that yes, he's a minion of Satan but she couldn't help but appreciate the expensive suit. She wonders if Wes noticed.
Angel notices that Fred is standing behind the desk. She smiles. He tells her it's good to see her out of her room.
Fred's smile gets bigger. She says it's nice to get out, she's been "forking with Gunn".
Angel and Gunn exchange a look.
Cordelia does the vision thing, Wes and Angel catch her as she falls backward.
Angel asks her what she saw.
Cordy relays the information, a coin of some sort and "two clawed things". She thinks the location is an herbalist shop in Chinatown.
Wes and Gunn head off to do some research.
Angel helps Cordelia to her feet, she cries out in pain as he pulls her up.
Cordelia assures him she's fine, she just got taken by surprise with that vision. She tells him to go find the coin as she heads for the bathroom. She calls back that the coin has a hole in the center. She goes into the bathroom and closes the door.
Angel looks on, concerned.
In the bathroom, Cordelia collects herself in front of the sink. There's a gentle knock on the door. Wes is standing on the other side, holding a large open book. He asks quietly if the beast Cordy saw had fours claws or five.
Cordelia answers that it had five.
Wes wants to know that she's sure.
Cordelia lifts her top noticing five bleeding slash marks across her midsection. She assures Wes she's certain.
Wes is poring over old books while Fred looks through the phone book. He asks her if she's found anything.
Fred's found lots of things that start with "H", she finds that fascinating.
Wes gently asks if the word "herbs" came up anywhere in her 'H' wanderings.
She did find five herbalist shops in Chinatown.
Angel enters and asks if they have any information yet.
Wes notes they may be onto something. He thinks what the vision showed could be either a "Wan-Shang Dhole" or a "Cantonese Fook-Beast".
Gunn joins them and suggests they figure out which after they locate the coin. It's getting late.
Wes agrees that's a sound approach.
Angel asks Fred if she'll do something for him.
She lights up at that request.
In the bathroom, Cordelia takes some aspirin and looks at herself in the mirror a moment. She turns her back to the mirror and looks over her shoulder to see several deep slashes on her back.
There's a knock on the door. Cordelia answers that she already told them it's about locating that coin.
Angel tells her it's him.
Cordy assures him she's fine.
Angel isn't going anywhere until she opens the door.
Cordy opens the door slightly, tells him she's fine and starts to shut it again.
He stops the door from closing. He knows the visions are getting worse.
Cordy says she's feeling better, she'll be fine. She encourages him to get on about the business of finding the beast things.
He tells her he's asked Fred to take her home so she can get some rest.
Cordy doesn't think it's necessary.
Angel won't take no for an answer.
She finally agrees to go home.
Wes, Gunn and Angel are in Angel's car traveling to Chinatown. Gunn is driving, Wes in the front, Angel in back.
Gunn laments the fact they've been to four out of the five shops on the list and of course, it's got to be the last one they get to. He wonders why things always seem to to work that way.
Wes figures that's just how it goes in the investigation business.
Gunn asks the name of the shop.
Wes tells him and points out it should be coming up shortly.
Wes asks Angel how Cordelia was doing.
Angel answers that she said she was fine.
Wes doesn't think Angel believed her.
Angel's expression says he didn't.
Gunn announces they've arrived at the fifth herb shop on the list. He pulls the car to a stop.
Wes, Gunn and Angel enter the herb shop where an elderly Chinese man and woman are working behind the counter. The woman greets them with "your kind not welcome here!"
Gunn takes offense at that.
The elderly man clarifies she was talking about the vampire as he points to Angel.
Wes says it's a public place, anybody can come in. He tells them they're looking for an ancient coin.
The couple exchange a look then somersault over the counter.
Gunn doesn't figure that was all that intimidating.
The elderly couple suddenly grow long, razor sharp nails at the ends of their fingers.
Gunn acknowledges that's a little intimidating.
Angel tells them to take the woman, he'll take on the man.
Fight ensues. Wes and Gunn have their hands full with the elderly woman.
Angel also has a bit of difficulty with the elderly man.
Finally, Wes and Gunn get the upper hand on the woman and knock her out.
Angel follows, finally overpowering the man and leaving him on the floor, unconscious.
Wes suggests they find the coin before the elderly couple wake up.
Angel notices a medallion around the neck of the man and removes it. He looks at it, notices the markings and the hole in the center. He's found the coin.
At the offices of W&H, Lilah Morgan retrieves a sheet of paper that's just finished printing. She looks at it quizzically, notes the subject matter, "asbestos removal", she doesn't know what it's about.
Gavin Park enters the office and informs her the printout is his as he takes it from her. He explains that his printer wasn't working so he used hers.
Lilah sarcastically thanks him for asking as she heads for her office.
Park informs her that though there's been no formal announcement yet, he's been moved into the Special Projects department.
Lilah doesn't figure his moving from the Real Estate division makes much sense.
Park tells her the senior partners felt he'd be more useful in this new position. He's working on something directed at Angel, he'd like to have her on his "team" if she's interested.
A young man wearing a fez sticks his head out of Lilah's office. She lets him know she'll be in shortly. He retreats back into the office and shuts the door.
Lilah finds Park's arrogance a bit annoying. She assures him he doesn't have a "team" and heads for her office.
Park starts to say something to her about not getting too confident just because she inherited Lindsey's old office.
Lilah turns to face him again and assures him she got the office because she earned it, just as Lindsey did before her. She points out that Lindsey made sacrifices for the company, literally lost his hand in the battle with Angel. She derisively notes Park's approach to the fight being "code violations".
Park informs her he's fighting the fight against Angel his way.
Lilah's sure Angel must be terrified by that. She enters her office and closes the door.
Cordelia enters the living room of her apartment from the bedroom, saying she's all freshened up and ready for bed, her companion can leave now. She looks around and notices she appears to be talking to herself.
Cordelia calls out to Fred as she looks around the apartment. She finds Fred sitting on the floor next to the kitchen table, enjoying a drink.
Cordelia pulls her to her feet and not so subtly guides her toward the door, telling her she can leave now. She knows Angel told Fred to stay with her until he called but she's fine now.
Fred starts rambling about rain and floods and finally asks what it's like to have a vision. She wonders if Cordelia sees or smells things or just 'knows', like she knew when she was in school that when she saw one boy she knew they'd go steady. She acknowledges they never did but it felt like they did.
Cordelia really wants to just get rid of her at this point. She takes her by the arm and guides her to the door.
Fred has a revelation. Cordelia is Angel's Lassie (yes, the dog). She sees the parallels. Angel does the saving, but Cordelia passes on the "Timmy's trapped in the well" messages that get him where he needs to be. She thinks Angel needs and depends on her.
Cordelia thanks her for that and assures her she'd be flattered except for the dog part. Cordelia asks Phantom Dennis for a little assistance. The front door opens. Cordy assures Fred she's not alone, she has a ghost, as she shoves her out the door.
Before she gets the door shut, she's hit with a vision and falls to the floor, unconscious.
Fred turns her face up just as a rash of boils erupts on the side of Cordelia's face.
Cordy is sitting on the edge of her bed, having been joined by Wes, Angel and Gunn. Fred is also there. Cordy tells them the vision showed her a boil covered demon, a downtown storefront and a key. She starts to get up, offering to draw a picture of the key.
Angel pulls her back down onto the bed, moves her hair away from the side of her face, exposing the boils covering it. He tells her they need to talk about it, she can't ignore what's going on.
Cordy doesn't think there's much to say beyond disgusting, she figures everybody is thinking that.
Angel asks her if anything like this has happened before.
She admits it happened earlier that night as she lifts her sleeve, revealing several deep gashes on her arm.
Wes crouches down for a closer look. He asks if the visions caused this.
Cordelia acknowledges they did.
Wes asks if the most recent vision correlates with her latest manifestation.
She verifies that's the case.
Cordy gets up and walks to the mirror, looks at herself. She thinks there must be a mistake. She doesn't understand why The Powers would do this, she's on their side.
Nobody has an answer.
Angel exits Cordelia's bedroom and joins Fred, Wes and Gunn in the living room. He wants to know if anybody has any ideas, they need to find an answer.
Gunn offers that his aunt had a shellfish allergy that resulted in some pretty ugly skin problems.
Angel doesn't find that particularly helpful.
Wes wonders why The Powers are choosing this way to communicate with Cordelia.
Fred suggests they ask. Fred explains that since everything is made up of energy in one form or another, perhaps they could somehow trace the frequency The Powers use to contact Cordelia and trace it back to its source.
Wes thinks that sounds like a good idea. He instructs Gunn and Fred to go back to the hotel and get some books, he'll make a list. They need to research the Chinese coin. He directs Angel to find the demon and retrieve the key.
Angel isn't keen on leaving.
Wes reminds him she's had two visions in the same night and the results of that are more than obvious. He figures if The Powers are going to such extremes, there has to be something very significant about the coin and the key.
Angel doesn't see how he can help Cordy by leaving to find the key.
Wes asks him to trust him, he has an idea.
Angel pulls up outside of a darkened shop. He gets out of the car, arms himself with a large sword and kicks the door of the shop open. He demands the key.
The shop's occupant asks exactly which key he's looking for as he switches on the lights, revealing the walls filled with keys. It's a key shop. He asks Angel if he misplaced the original.
Angel pulls a drawing of the key from his pocket and hands it to the clerk.
The guy looks at the drawing and tells Angel it will take a moment. He slides his hand under the edge of the counter and presses a button.
A boil covered demon armed with a sword drops down behind Angel who turns to face it. Sword fight ensues.
Gunn and Fred approach the hotel. Fred thinks he's disappointed that he didn't get to accompany Angel on the demon quest.
Gunn tells her sure, he'd rather be chopping up an ugly boil covered demon and maybe getting himself killed than walking with a pretty girl.
Fred thinks he's serious and apologizes for keeping him from the fight.
Gunn assures her he does what the job requires, no matter how difficult. Fred admits she still startles rather easily.
She figures that's why Gunn is there, because he doesn't.
Gunn opens the door to the hotel and jumps, startled by the sight of an exterminator in full gear, working in the lobby. Gunn asks who the guy is.
He identifies himself, then tells Gunn and Fred they can't come in while the fumigation is going on.
Gunn doesn't buy that, considering it's the middle of the night. He instructs Fred to get the books on the list from Wesley's office.
She looks at the exterminator, hesitates. Gunn assures her it's okay.
After Fred heads for the office, Gunn tells the exterminator to produce a work order or he [Gunn] is going to be doing some exterminating of his own.
Angel arrives at Cordelia's apartment. He asks Wes how she's doing.
Wes says they're in the process of finding out. He wants to know if Angel got the key.
Angel hands it to him and heads for Cordelia's bedroom.
Cordelia is lying on her bed, Lorne is sitting next to her. He asks Angel to talk to her, she's resisting the process.
Angel looks to Wesley for answers.
Wes explains that he figured since the Host reads auras, that in some way connects him to The Powers.
Angel figures it out from there, Lorne may be able to trace the contact back to the source, using Cordelia.
Lorne informs them this is something a bit outside of his area of expertise but he's willing to give it a try.
Cordy asks Angel if he found the key, she doesn't want to think she's endured the boil plague for nothing.
Angel assures her the key was exactly where she said it would be.
She's relieved to hear that.
Angel asks why she doesn't want Lorne to attempt to trace the visions.
Cordelia assures him she's not opposed to letting a demon into her mind for a quick look-see but with the visions taking their toll, she's not sure she can tolerate more "noise" in her mind.
Angel offers that perhaps Lorne can make the noise stop. He asks her if that isn't what she wants to happen.
Cordelia is afraid if she loses the visions, she couldn't help anymore and Angel wouldn't need her.
He assures her she's important, it's not about the visions, they're just like an after market extra of sorts. He asks her to let them try to help, she agrees.
Lorne sits down on the bed beside her and asks if she's ready, she acknowledges she is. He puts his hands to the sides of her face and gently starts massaging her temples with his fingertips. He gives her some visualization imagery to work with; mountain top, blue skies, fluffy clouds. He tells her to imagine Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music, spinning around on the mountain top, camera swirling around her.
Cordelia jumps, startling Lorne.
He advises her to be careful, she's got some power of her own.
Cordy apologizes, she was just getting freaked by the "spinning and swirling" going on.
Lorne apologizes in return, he got carried away. He asks her if she's ready to try again.
Cordelia pulls herself up a bit, Lorne puts his hands back on the side of her face and resumes massaging her temples.
Lilah is pacing in her office. She's impatiently explaining to the young man wearing the fez that without the proper tax forms on file, the firm can't pay him.
He finishes writing something down, tells her he understands that then asks if she knows of a good tax guy.
Lilah curtly informs him the job comes first, then they can discuss taxes.
The guy signs the papers and tells her he's ready.
Lilah asks if he recalls what they discussed.
He assures her he couldn't forget all that fire. He sits cross-legged on top of the table and begins to meditate. After a moment, he levitates off the tabletop. He reaches up and removes his fez, revealing his undulating brain matter, completely exposed. He continues to concentrate on whatever he's doing.
Lilah smiles.
Back at Cordelia's, Lorne is still working to make contact. Cordelia jumps.
At Lilah's office, Brain Guy is getting more intense.
Cordy gets a vision of fire.
Lorne gets thrown across the room by an unseen force.
Cordelia's vision continues, showing someone engulfed in flames and a demon.
Angel and Wes try to get her to wake up. They notice her arms and face are now burned.
In Lilah's office, Brain Guy levitates back down to the tabletop, puts his hat back on and smiles at Lilah.
She wants to know what happened.
He tells her he's sure the message got delivered.
Back at Cordelia's, Angel is sitting next to her. She asks about Lorne.
He tells her he got knocked out, but he'll be okay. Angel is concerned about her.
Cordy asks if she's a bad person.
He assures her it's not happening because she's bad, maybe more because she's a strong person.
Cordelia doesn't feel so strong. She admits she doesn't want the visions anymore. She's tried to face it head on but now she's just afraid all the time. She doesn't understand why The Powers are doing this to her.
Angel doesn't have the answer to that.
Wes opens the bedroom door and tells Angel there's something he needs to hear.
Angel reluctantly leaves Cordelia's side, telling Wesley it better be something important.
As Angel and Wes enter the living room, Fred blurts out that the visions aren't from The Powers.
Lorne, who is lying on the couch, thanks her for stealing his news. He suggests perhaps next time she'd like to be the one that gets thrown across the room.
Angel asks where the visions are coming from.
Lorne doesn't know exactly, but he does know the source is local and the visions are very realistic. He understands how a layperson could mistake them for the real thing.
Gunn asks if this means someone has tapped into Cordy's mind.
Lorne acknowledges that's essentially the situation. He figures there's got to be no shortage of suspects but suggests Angel ponder who's trying to get to him, who has inexhaustible resources and who wouldn't mind messing Cordelia up.
Angel's expression says he has a good idea.
In her office, Lilah is alone, playing a golf game on the computer.
Angel makes a comment about her play of the game, startling her. He tells her he was going to knock, but she seemed busy. He didn't want to interrupt.
She asks how he got in.
Angel figures she wonders why no vampire alarms. He tells her that he got some help getting in from her colleague, Gavin Park. He wants to get down to business. He thinks he has something she's looking for. He tosses the coin and the key across her desk.
Lilah thinks he might be right.
Angel is glad to hear it, he figures their business is now finished. He starts to leave.
Lilah informs him it's not exactly over as she slides the coin and the key to the opposite side of the desk. She informs him those items will be necessary for him to complete his mission.
Angel assures her he has no intention of doing any kind of job for W&H. Their business is completed.
A very self-assured Lilah lets him know their business is just getting started. There's a young man who's been unjustly imprisoned. She expects Angel to get him out. She figures since he's into saving people, this is right up his alley. She tells him he'll need the key and coin to finish this task.
Angel gets it. He does this job for them, they leave Cordelia alone.
Lilah explains that he'll do it because she told him to do it. She walks over to him and runs her hand over his shoulder as she walks around him. She knows he's thinking he could kill her, but she assures him if he did that, "what's-her-name" will never get rid of the visions. She says the skin problems weren't planned, just an unexpected side effect.
Angel grabs her by the throat, tells her "what's-her-name" is Cordelia and informs Lilah she will help. He releases her and walks away from her, turning his back to her. He asks where the prison is.
Lilah smiles. She tells him this is why she picked him for the job, he has all the necessary qualities; a warrior for good, a champion, someone that could travel in and out of a heavily fortified demon dimension.
Angel faces her and glares at her.
Back at the hotel, Wes is examining the coin.
Angel enters the office.
Wes asks how Cordelia is doing
. Angel says Fred and Gunn are taking care of her. He asks Wes if he's figured things out yet.
Wes thinks he has and he doesn't think Angel is going to be happy to hear what he's discovered. Both of the artifacts, the coin and the key, are objects of good.
Angel figures that probably means the Chinese couple and the boil demon were good as well.
Wes confirms that's true. He explains that the inscriptions on the key and the coin are the same. They work together to provide access to and from the demon dimension.
Angel thinks it would be helpful to know what the dimension was like, aside from "demon-y and fortress-y".
Wes figures, given Cordelia's vision and the burns that manifested on her body, that it's safe to assume fire is an element of that dimension.
Angel isn't pleased with that news.
Wes also assumes if the young man is imprisoned, there are going to be guards to deal with.
Angel ponders that a moment and heads for the weapons cabinet.
Wes points out that if W&H are behind this, chances are that it's not something good. Also, just because Lilah says this young man is unjustly imprisoned doesn't make it so.
Angel agrees.
Wes reminds him that assisting W&H violates his mission in every way.
Angel agrees with that also as he stocks up on weapons.
Wes figures he won't have to convince Angel to let him come along.
Angel tells Wes he needs him to stay behind in case something goes wrong. He asks Wes to show him how to use the coin and the key.
Wes thinks it's pretty straightforward. The coin and key should take Angel to the dimension and bring him back. He inserts the key through the hole in the center of the coin and twists it, locking it into position. He tosses it onto the floor where it begins spinning on the key's end, like a top. A field of smoke and bright light emanate from the artifacts. Wes asks Angel if he's sure he doesn't want him to come along.
Angel tells him to look after Cordelia then steps into the field generated by the spinning artifacts. As the light gets brighter and engulfs him, he disappears. His weapons fall to the floor, left behind.
Angel materializes in a flash of light in the demon dimension. He's standing in a medieval looking room with stone walls. He notices his weapons didn't manage to make the journey with him. He steps forward, kicking the joined key and coin ahead of him. He stoops and picks them up, places them in his pocket and continues on.
He comes upon a steep stone stairway, the opening at the base of it awash in the reflection of flames. He heads down the steps.
As he exits the stairway, he sees a large flaming, translucent cube in the center of the room. There's someone inside of it, writhing, also engulfed in flames.
A demon steps up behind Angel. Angel turns, they exchange smiles and a greeting.
The demon casually asks if Angel knows he's not supposed to be there.
Angel acknowledges he does know that. He asks about the individual burning inside of the cube.
The demon continues in his friendly tone, assuring Angel that one is right where he's supposed to be. He wonders if Angel knows what a monster someone must be to get sent there.
Angel figures it's the demon's job to keep the prisoner there.
The demon acknowledges that's the way it works. He introduces himself, "Skip", and extends his hand.
Angel shakes his hand and introduces himself in return. He looks around and asks Skip if he lives there.
Skip says he commutes, it's a short trip.
Angel looks at the man burning in the fire and asks what keeps him there.
Skip explains that it's done through his willpower.
Angel wonders why the man engulfed in flames isn't screaming.
Skip assures him he is but Skip's will keeps that from being heard. He explains that there's only so much screaming one can take before it wears on the nerves listening to it.
Angel gets that.
Skip sniffs in Angel's direction. He knows he's a vampire but he can't figure out why it smells like he works for the forces of good.
Angel says he does.
Skip doesn't see why he's there then, trying to rescue the prisoner. They're on the same side, he figures Angel should be helping him to keep the guy imprisoned.
Angel says it's a long story, he's not happy about it either.
Skip wants to be sure there's no way he can convince Angel not to do this.
Angel says he'd like to oblige, but he can't.
Skip punches him in the face and sends him flying into the wall.
Angel morphs into vamp face as he and Skip continue the fight. Angel kicks him backward, sending him against the flaming cube.
The cube's occupant reaches out and grabs Skip by the shoulders, holding him against the flames.
Angel morphs back into human face, grabs Skip and pulls him away from the flames, hurling him across the room, to the floor. He asks him if he's okay. Skip nods. Angel apologizes and knocks him out. The flames disappear.
The young man is now standing where the flames were, covered in soot. He and Angel glare at each other.
Angel pulls the car to a stop in a storm runoff. Wesley, Gunn and the young man from the prison are also in the car. Two cars are already there. Lilah is pacing.
Angel checks to be sure the others know what to do if things go badly.
Gunn confirms they do.
Angel gets out of the car and approaches Lilah.
Lilah signals to the cars behind her. The doors open, several bodyguards join her. She tells Angel nobody at W&H thought he could pull this off, but she didn't doubt he'd succeed. She thinks he's "remarkable."
He thinks she's an "evil bitch", he wants to finish their business. They take care of Cordelia, he'll give them the young man they want.
Lilah walks back to the car and speaks a moment to Brain Guy, whose in the back seat. He closes the window. Lilah tells Angel it will only take a minute.
Angel looks back toward Wes who holds up his cell phone. He makes a call to Cordelia's, Fred answers.
As Brain Guy does his thing, Angel and Lilah glower at each other.
As Cordelia is sleeping, the physical manifestations of the visions disappear.
Fred lets Wes know it worked.
Wes gets out of the car and signals that information to Angel.
He looks at Gunn, who escorts the young man, his hands bound, from the car and sends him toward Lilah.
Angel watches the former prisoner intently as he walks over to one of the W&H vehicles. He stops and raises his hands so the rope binding them can be removed. He glares intently at Angel then enters the car.
Lilah assures Angel it was just business as she heads for her car.
Angel understands that. He sees a piece of rebar laying on the ground, picks it up and hurls it through the air. The rebar smashes through the rear window of the car, impaling Brain Guy's head, killing him.
Lilah doesn't look too bothered by that.
Angel is suddenly standing directly behind Lilah. He assures her that if she uses Cordelia as a way to get to him again, he'll kill her.
He walks away, joins the others in the car and leaves.
Lilah looks a bit unnerved.
Back at the hotel, Cordelia is pouring coffee for Angel. He's glad she's feeling better but he's not really into the food thing.
She knows that, but she noticed the hotel had a great kitchen and she wanted to do something with it.
Angel jumps as the toaster pops up a couple of waffles.
Cordy admits she couldn't do anything with the kitchen as she throws one of the waffles onto a plate in front of him and pours some syrup on it.
Angel's being polite, but it's clear he's not really interested in it.
Cordelia thanks him for everything he did for her, she appreciates it. She's glad to know that the next vision she gets will just be the brain shattering variety and not cause the disgusting physical side effects.
Angel wonders what else she's thinking.
She admits she's concerned about the guy Angel broke out of the prison. If he's something truly terrible, W&H won and she feels it's her fault.
Angel tells her it's about the stakes, not winning, and in this case she was more important than winning. He did what he had to do. He'll deal with the consequences of that when he has to.
Yoro Mountains, Honduras
It's a stormy night. A Shaman is in his dwelling tossing and reading small bones. He senses something, gets up and turns toward the entry just as Darla walks in.
She tells him he was difficult to find and asks if he knows why she's come.
He nods in response.
She tells him he is her last hope. She's been told he is very wise and powerful, "I've tried everything and I can't get rid of it." She wants to know what the "thing" is growing inside of her and just how its existence is possible.
The Shaman asks if the father is also a vampire.
Darla confirms that's true, though he's not much of one.
The Shaman tells her he'll need some of her blood. He picks up a knife, she offers her palm. He can't quite bring himself to cut her.
Darla impatiently takes the knife and slashes her palm with it, draining some blood into a mortar.
The Shaman adds some things to the blood, then mixes it all together with a pestle as Darla looks on. The Shaman pours the mixture onto his palm and rubs his hands together. He tells Darla he's never been failed by this method.
He presses his palms to her belly. His hands begin to shake. He screams as he's thrown backward a few feet. The Shaman is clearly shaken, he tells Darla that no man can help her, "this is not meant to be known".
Darla's heard that before. She rubs her belly and figures there's only one thing left to do now, "Time to go visit daddy."
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