"Habeas Corpses"
Site design ©2000 TAO Designz
All Rights Reserved
|
S4/EPISODE 8
|
|
| Written by: Jeffrey Bell | Original Air Date: January 15, 2003 |
Events pick up where they left off at the end of
"Rain of Fire".
Angel watches from a nearby rooftop as Connor and Cordelia make love
in the loft.
As his rage builds, he remains fixed on the scene in the loft as fire continues to rain from the sky. He finally turns away, punches the rooftop door, breaking it open. He goes inside.
The view remains of the rooftop as the sounds of Angel trashing the place are heard from within.
At the hotel, Fred listens to radio reports of events going on in the city. The phone rings, she takes the call. She agrees with the caller that things are a bit frightening but the person she's concerned about is only an hour late, maybe it's too early for the caller to panic about it. She starts to tell her that a rain of fire doesn't necessarily mean the end of the world.
She's distracted by the arrival of Gunn, Lorne and Wes, all battered and bloody. She drops the handset and rushes across the lobby to embrace Gunn, relieved he's alive.
Wes walks past them, watching, as they hug.
Fred says she was worried when she got back to the hotel and found it empty.
Gunn understands that, but assures her he's all right.
Fred hugs him tightly, thankful everyone is okay.
Wes notes quietly that yes, everyone is okay.
Fred notices Angel is absent. She asks where he is.
Gunn answers that he got separated from the rest of them, he's sure he'll show up soon. He asks if Fred is all right.
She tells him she's fine, she just needed to "get some air". She didn't realize she'd be gone so long. She notes there are other things she didn't know as well as she indicates the symbols and diagrams laid out on the table that Wes, Gunn, Angel and Lorne had put together earlier, leading them to the Beast.
Gunn says there's time to explain that later, right now he thinks they should regroup and go after the "demony thing".
Wes tells him that wouldn't be Angel's plan.
Gunn sarcastically thanks him for his opinion, then notes that he didn't ask for it.
Fred asks about the "demony thing."
Lorne prepares himself a drink and asks her if she means "the big bad, possibly invincible, demony thing that nearly killed us all ..."
Fred wonders if that's what Lorne saw when he read Cordelia.
He confirms it is, and it's every bit as bad as that reading indicated it would be.
Fred agrees with Wes, telling Gunn it might be better to wait for Angel, considering what they're dealing with. She's concerned that if Angel couldn't stop it, they don't have much of a chance.
Gunn, irritated, asks if they should do nothing because they don't know what Angel would do.
A sullen Angel enters the lobby.
Fred notes the bloody wound on his neck, concerned.
Angel would prefer to talk things over in the morning. He heads upstairs.
Fred turns to the others and asks if anyone has checked on Connor and Cordelia.
As Angel ascends the stairs, he mutters, "They're fine."
Lorne asks if he's seen them.
Angel doesn't answer as he reaches the head of the staircase and continues on to his room.
Lorne notes Angel "looks like he's been hit by a tank."
Gunn doesn't remember seeing him look so beaten down before.
Wes offers it's understandable, "no one likes to lose, whatever the circumstance."
At the loft, Connor and Cordelia are asleep. Cordy wakes up, looks at Connor sleeping next to her and registers an 'uh-oh, what have I done?' sort of expression. She rolls over onto her side, her back to him.
A content Connor wakes up and moves closer to her. He lays his hand on her arm and asks if the world ended.
She replies, "Not exactly."
Connor kisses her shoulder. He figures the world not ending is a good thing. He gazes at her.
She looks away from him and asks him not to give her the "happy puppy look", telling him it makes things more difficult.
He asks what she's talking about.
Cordy rolls over onto her back, smiles at him, pushes the hair out of his face and tells him he's "special," just like what happened between them the night before was "special", something they both needed, but it happened because of unusual circumstances. She wonders if he understands what she's trying to say.
He doesn't.
She tells him it can't happen again.
He starts to laugh, thinking she's kidding, then realizes she's not. He asks why.
Cordelia sits up and answers the question, telling him it's because he's Angel's son, raining fire isn't usually a good sign and a demony thing arrived at the spot Connor was born.
He thinks she blames him for everything that's happened.
She assures him that's not true, she thought she said as much the previous night.
Connor is confused and upset. He sits up and starts to dress, reminding her of all the things she'd said the night before.
She tells him she meant what she said.
He figures she only meant it then, now she's blaming him for all the bad things that are happening.
She attempts to explain, saying "All I said was -- "
Connor cuts her off, knowing the rest of it, that they can't be together again. He leaves the loft.
Wes answers a knock on his apartment door. Lilah lets out a sigh of relief when she sees him, genuinely glad he's alive.
He tells her he's okay.
Lilah enters the apartment and hugs him, telling him she'd left a hundred messages on his answering machine the night before.
Wes closes the door and asks if she's all right.
She replies she is, she spent the night at Wolfram & Hart. She says it's the safest place to be in case of apocalypse.
She notices the bruises on his face and offers to make him feel better. She moves in to kiss him, he turns away from her and takes a few steps back. Lilah notes in spite of the previous night's raining fire and the city burning, she's feeling a chill.
Wes tells her he can't do it anymore.
Lilah thinks it's the same game they've been playing and tells him they both know how it always ends up, the two of them together and broken furniture.
Wes tells her "It's over".
Lilah is taken aback by that, realizing he means it.
Wes tells her the previous night's events have convinced him a "day of reckoning has arrived."
Lilah sarcastically notes he apparently "reckons" he'll side with the "good guys" now. She thinks it's about Fred.
Wes assures her it isn't. It's about doing what's right.
Lilah isn't so sure Wes has a clear vision of right and wrong these days.
Wes acknowledges he's made mistakes.
Lilah coldly tells him he's making one now. She softens a bit, walks up to him, puts her arms around his neck and offers to "wear the glasses again."
Wes suggests she not embarrass herself. He tells her "There is a line, black and white, good and evil."
Lilah points out that when one is mixed with the other, the color is gray. No matter how much white is poured into it, it will always be a shade of gray. She doesn't figure that's Fred's color. She gets a final dig in, telling Wes, "Come to think of it? She prefers black." She leaves the apartment.
At the hotel, Fred researches on the computer as Gunn pores over papers. Fred wonders why something as powerful as the Beast hasn't left any kind of trail.
Gunn notes Cordelia has arrived in the lobby. He greets her and asks if she and Connor made it through the night okay.
She fumbles a bit in response then asks if Angel is there.
Fred directs her to the back office.
Cordy knocks on the office door then opens it.
Angel is sitting behind the desk going over papers.
She asks if he has some time to talk. She was hoping they could discuss Connor.
Angel looks up and curtly tells her he already knows. He gets up and walks past her, out of the office, into the lobby.
Cordy follows, saying she's surprised to hear that and notes Angel is handling it better than she is.
He stops when he sees Fred and Gunn at the lobby desk. He turns back toward the office and asks Cordy if they can avoid having this conversation there. He goes back inside the office.
She follows him.
Cordelia thinks the fact that the Beast they're trying to find came up through the ground in the exact spot Connor was born is precisely what they should be talking about.
Angel, surprised, notes the mention of the Beast arriving at that precise location.
Cordy thought he already knew.
He covers, saying he did, it doesn't necessarily mean anything. Cordy isn't so sure it's just a coincidence, pointing out that a vampire giving birth, and on that exact spot, would seem to add up to more than that.
Angel thinks Cordy believes Connor is connected to the Beast.
She assures him she doesn't.
Angel wants to know why she's telling him this.
She informs him Connor left the loft that morning, convinced he is responsible for what's happening.
In her office at W&H, Lilah is on the phone.
Gavin offers her coffee as he sets a cup on her desk. He asks if she wants sugar.
She shoots him a look of annoyance and continues with her phone conversation, telling the person on the other end that he'd better find the Beast or "I swear to God, I will -- " She gets stuck for an appropriate threat.
Gavin whispers an option, "boil you alive."
Lilah whispers back, "Shut up." She returns to the phone call, pauses a moment, uses Gavin's offered option as the appropriate threat, then hangs up. She wonders how hard it can be to find a large, horned beast. She takes a drink of the coffee, makes a face and drops it into the trash, wondering why she can't get a decent cup.
Lilah goes back to the paperwork on her desk. She notes Gavin is still standing on the other side of it and wonders why.
He tells her they have confirmed the Beast was responsible for the fire raining from the sky the night before, but they haven't been able to determine why it was done.
Lilah figures she already has the answer, it did it because it could. She understands that. She doesn't think it has any agenda beyond incinerating everything and that's going to make their job more difficult.
Gavin asks what job she's referring to.
Lilah explains the Senior Partners want them to broker a deal with the Beast.
Gavin isn't sold on that idea.
Lilah figures it makes sense, they have shared goals; an apocalypse, the world ending, etc. The partners think an alliance may set things on a faster track, save them some money.
Gavin isn't sure the Beast will be interested.
Lilah is sure she can convince it. She's determined not to lose the deal.
Gavin heads out of the office. He soon returns, backing inside as Connor walks in front of him, forcing him back.
Connor pushes Gavin out of the way and tells Lilah he's looking for answers.
Lilah is pleasantly surprised to see him in the lion's den of W&H. She gets up and sits on the edge of the desk, saying he took them by surprise, sneaking into the building. She observes he's a lot like Angel.
Connor thinks it's time to find out. He wants to know why he exists, what he is.
Lilah offers to help out, telling him they have an "in house lab", they can do some work-ups, see what's what. As she's speaking, she casually pushes a button on the side of the desk that triggers a silent alarm, summoning security. She goes on, saying they can do some tests and discover exactly who and what he is.
A couple of security guys enter the office and stand behind Connor.
Lilah smiles and tells him they'll cut him open and see what's inside.
Connor takes on the security guys and, with little effort, knocks them both out. He grabs Lilah by the throat and shoves her against the wall, telling her he had another idea.
Lilah indicates her willingness to entertain suggestions.
Connor thinks he's connected in some way to the demon they're looking for, he wants to know how.
Lilah agrees and tells Gavin to give Connor a copy of his report on the Beast so they can discuss it.
Suddenly, the lights go out, accompanied by a thunderous racket. Debris rains down from the ceiling. Connor turns toward the door. He knows the Beast has arrived.
The building's emergency lighting comes on.
Lilah thinks it may be an aftershock from the previous earthquake, noting they sometimes cause power outages. She picks up the phone, the line is dead. She tells Gavin to try a radio.
Gavin goes over to one of the unconscious security men and picks up his walkie-talkie. He calls the front desk.
After a brief silence, a man answers, telling him they're a bit busy. As he shouts, "No!" screams are heard in the background.
Lilah suggests he stop whining and make a report.
The man continues to shout, begging for assistance amid the screams.
Connor reminds Lilah he told her this was what had come. He moves across the office and arms himself with a short sword from a display.
Lilah instructs Gavin to go to the lobby and see what's happening.
He shakes his head, indicating no.
Lilah suggests he ask himself who he's more afraid of, the Beast or her.
Gavin decides to take his chances with the Beast and leaves the office.
Lilah asks Connor if he knows what the Beast wants.
He answers, "Everybody dead" and exits out into the hallway.
Lilah pulls a handgun from her desk, loads a new clip and heads out.
In the lobby, bodies are strewn about. The sound of screaming is mixed with sounds of ripping and crunching. The last of the screams fades away as the Beast, a severed head dangling from one of its hands, surveys the carnage.
On an upper floor, a panicked woman pushes the elevator button repeatedly, trying to get the doors to open. Employees are rushing around frantically, seeking a way out. Someone suggests the stairwell.
Lilah is following Connor down the hall, navigating the crowd of W&H employees. She asks what the Beast is.
Connor admits he doesn't know.
She asks if he's planning to kill it.
He says he intends to try.
Lilah considers the folly of that plan and stops as Connor walks on. She wishes him luck.
W&H employees flood the stairwell from all floors, heading for the exit.
The Beast enters the stairwell and continues killing. It exits, walks down the hallway and stops outside of a supply closet door when it hears noises coming from within. It opens the door and finds a frenzied
Gavin inside, desperately rifling through the supplies on the shelves, pulling them onto the floor.
Gavin stops, looks at the Beast, greets it with "Uh .. hi."
The Beast grabs Gavin by the throat and picks him up off the floor. It snaps his neck and throws his body into the wall.
Connor steps through a pile of bodies, blade at the ready, seeking the Beast. He pauses to look at a heavy smear of blood running along the wall. The sound of gunshots gets his attention. He follows the sound.
Lilah is in one of the conference rooms being approached by the Beast. She fires repeatedly at it.
The Beast strides toward her, grabs her and throws her onto her back onto the conference table.
She offers to make a deal with it.
The Beast says nothing as it slowly sticks a claw into her stomach seemingly seeking something, pauses briefly, then tosses her to the floor. It notices another employee in the room and heads for him.
Connor comes in and slashes at the Beast with the blade. The blade breaks in half.
As the Beast turns to Connor, the W&H employee makes a run for it.
Connor punches it, but it isn't fazed by the blow.
The Beast says Connor's name then throws him into a pillar which crumbles on top of him, burying him.
Lilah uses the distraction to make her escape.
A wounded Lilah stumbles down the hallway, holding her stomach, followed by the Beast who exits the office into the hall. Lilah is suddenly grabbed and pulled inside one of the offices. She sees it's Wes who's grabbed her, she doesn't understand why he's there.
He tells her he had someone inside W&H.
A series of loud, slamming sounds gets his attention. He asks Lilah the source of the noise.
She tells him it's a security measure. If the place is under attack, there's a full scale shutdown.
Wes wonders exactly what that means as a metal plate slams down over the office windows.
Lilah tells him everything gets shut off; windows, doors, air vents, nothing can get in or out.
Wes takes note of her wound.
The Beast knocks down the office door.
Wes picks Lilah up and exits through another door into the hallway. He asks Lilah if there's a way out. He figures there has to be an option for upper management to escape.
Lilah tells him to get around the corner, to the supply closet.
Wes looks behind them and sees the Beast has just entered the hall. He turns down a side hall, sets Lilah down and pulls a grenade.
Lilah thinks he's kidding.
He pulls the pin, peers around the corner and tosses the grenade at the Beast. He covers Lilah just before grenade explodes.
Lilah asks if that will kill it.
Wes knows it won't, but hopes it will offer a momentary distraction. He assists Lilah down the hall.
When they reach the supply closet, Lilah looks down at the body lying outside of it, noting it's Gavin.
Wes wants to know which way they need to go.
She gestures to the supply closet, telling him that's it.
They go inside and shut the door behind them.
Lilah begins rifling through the shelves, looking for something.
The Beast enters the hallway, headed toward the supply closet.
Wes asks Lilah if she's sure they're in the right closet.
She assures him it's the right one as she continues searching.
Wes joins her in ripping supplies off of the shelves.
The Beast gets closer.
Lilah finds what she's looking for, a hidden lever. She pulls it.
The Beast breaks open the supply closet door and scans the room. It's empty. The Beast moves on down the hallway.
Wes and Lilah slide down an escape chute into a sewer tunnel. Lilah asks what to do next.
Wes tells her to get her wound taken care of, then leave town. He helps Lilah to her feet.
She wonders if he expects her to run.
He tells her the demon won't stop until it kills everyone at W&H, she needs to change her name, go underground. He suggests she not make things too easy for the Beast to accomplish its goal. He heads out of the tunnel.
Lilah calls after him.
Wes stops and turns back to her.
She starts to say something, pauses, then tells him Connor is trapped inside the building, she doesn't know if he's alive. She says Connor is in the third floor conference room. She adds there's no way to get back inside the building but she thought he should know.
Wes, obviously concerned, looks at her, nods an acknowledgement, then heads out of the tunnel.
Lilah departs in the opposite direction.
At the hotel, Fred is working at the computer while Gunn taps loudly with a pen on the open book he's reading. Fred gets annoyed by the noise.
Gunn apologizes, telling her it helps him to think.
She apologizes for her reaction.
Angel comes into the lobby from the back office, reading a book.
Cordelia and a sleeping Lorne are on the poof couch. Cordy notes everyone is tired.
Angel walks past her and snidely responds, "Wonder why." He kicks Lorne's foot as he walks by, waking him.
Lorne sits up, explaining that he was "meditating" on the problem.
Gunn says they've all assumed that Connor is connected to the Beast because they have the alley in common, but the alley is also right behind Lorne's former bar.
Lorne offers the entire block is an "interdimensional hot spot."
Cordy points out the Beast didn't come through a portal, it came up through the ground.
Everyone turns toward the door as Wes walks in. Gunn caustically notes his arrival with, "Oh good, more bad news."
Fred asks if he can't just try to get along and remember Wes was his friend.
Gunn reminds her the emphasis is on "was".
Wes enters the lobby.
Angel looks at him a moment, then realizes Wes knows where the Beast is.
Wes tells him it's at W&H. He starts to tell him Connor is as well but he's interrupted by Gunn who figures the Beast is making an alliance with W&H.
Wes says it's killing everyone inside.
Gunn doesn't think that's necessarily bad news.
Wes tells Angel that Connor is trapped inside the building.
Cordy is upset to hear the news, she doesn't understand why he'd be in there.
Angel notes there are many things he doesn't understand either. He tells the others they're going to go and get Connor.
Wes tells him about the lockdown, saying there's no way out.
Angel figures there is a way in.
Connor makes his way down the hall at W&H. As he walks past Gavin's body, Gavin's eyes snap open.
At the hotel, Angel comes down the stairs, sword in hand.
Gunn is arming himself from the weapons cabinet.
Wes is at the lobby desk, stuffing supplies into a bag.
Fred is impressed that Wes had an insider at the firm.
He dismisses her praise, telling her it was part of the job, and walks away.
Lorne hands Fred a flashlight, then gives one to Gunn and Angel. He takes a seat behind the desk.
Cordy approaches Angel and reassures him that Connor will be fine, "Connor's a champion, like you. He's special."
Angel looks at her and responds dryly with, "Right. Like me. Special." He walks away, saying somebody should remain behind to keep watch on things.
Lorne quickly volunteers for the job.
Angel urges Gunn, who's lingering at the weapons cabinet, to get a move on.
Gunn points out even if they find a way into W&H, they're still going to have to deal with a demon that kicked their butts once before. He wonders what's different this time.
Angel impatiently tells him they're going for Connor, not the Beast. That's the difference.
Gunn wonders if anyone told that to the Beast.
Angel says he doesn't have all the answers but he does know he has to get into W&H and get Connor back. As far as dealing with the Beast, the plan is if they see it, they run.
Cordy thinks that sounds like a good idea as she grabs a dagger that's laying on the poof couch and starts to join them.
Angel snatches the blade from her and firmly lays it back on the couch. He directs her to stay at the hotel with Lorne.
Cordy refuses, saying Connor is in trouble. She starts to retrieve the blade.
Angel stops her, telling her he doesn't want her there. He claims it's too dangerous, he doesn't want to risk it. He urges Fred to hurry up.
Fred notices the disparity in his attitude but follows along, sword in hand.
Lorne wishes them good luck, puts his arm around Cordy and suggests they make some muffins.
Cordelia stares intently after Angel as the others depart.
Wes leads the others through the sewer tunnel, to the place where he and Lilah entered it. He tells them he thinks there's a door about 30 meters up.
Gunn gets a dig in, asking if he thinks or if he's sure pointing out that whenever
Wes shows up thinking something, "somebody gets their head drilled or falls through a portal."
An agitated Wes starts to respond but Angel, who's very much in take charge mode at this point and not long on patience, cuts him off. He firmly tells Gunn and Wes he doesn't "give a rat's ass" about whatever it is that's going on between them, he expects them to shelve it. They're there for Connor.
Angel unzips the bag Wes brought and retrieves a rope from it.
Gunn looks up at the opening far overhead and wonders how they expect to get up there.
Angel jumps up toward the entrance and climbs in.
Gunn mutters "Showoff."
Angel drops one end of the rope through the opening for the others to climb.
Angel, Fred, Gunn and Wes make their way through piles of bodies inside W&H. Fred is upset by the sight, acknowledging they worked for an evil law firm, but she still finds it disturbing.
Gunn jumps, startled, and looks to the side.
Fred asks what's going on.
He says he thought he heard something.
Angel notes that the power is down, they'll have to use the stairs.
Gunn wants a clarification of the plan.
Angel tells him it's to get to the third floor, get Connor, get out.
As they head for the stairwell, Fred suddenly turns around, nervous. She apologizes for being jumpy.
Wes understands there's good reason for it.
They enter the stairwell and find the steps littered with more bodies.
Angel reminds them they need to be quiet and quick, the Beast may still be inside.
As they pass the body of a young woman, her eyes fly open.
Gunn notes all the corpses and wonders why the Beast killed them considering W&H is evil, they're on the same side.
Angel offers perhaps it just wanted to eliminate the competition.
Fred doesn't think that bodes well for them.
As they continue on down the hallway, Wes notices the supply closet. He also notices that Gavin's body isn't where it was when he and Lilah passed it but doesn't get time to process that as Angel urges the others into the conference room.
They begin clearing the pile of rubble Connor was buried under but don't find him beneath it.
Angel reckons that's a good thing, it means there's a chance he's still alive.
Gunn snipes maybe "Sherlock got his facts wrong again."
Wes shoots him a look, but says nothing.
Angel knows Connor was there, he can detect his scent. He decides they can search more efficiently if they split up. He directs the others to take the stairwell, check out each floor, then meet up with each other at the top.
Angel cautiously walks down a hallway, stepping over bodies as he advances. He turns as something darts across the hall behind him but it's out of sight before he sees it. He continues on down the hall.
Connor rushes Angel, not realizing who it is.
Angel reflexively throws him across the hall, into the walll. When he sees it's Connor, he hugs him in an unguarded moment of relief, grateful he's okay.
Connor asks how he knew he was there.
Angel tells him they can talk about it later, they need to get out of the building now.
Connor doesn't want to leave before killing the Beast. He thinks its being there is his fault.
Angel tells him they can't kill it and assures him he's not to blame for it. He says they've used everything they had against it and nothing had any effect, they need to get out of there.
As Angel turns to leave, he's attacked by someone. Angel throws the attacker against the wall, watching as the figure sinks to the floor.
Angel then notices it's Gavin.
Connor notes Gavin "looks dead."
Angel confirms he is, though "technically undead", a zombie.
Gavin struggles back to his feet as Connor asks what a zombie is.
Angel tosses Gavin back to the floor and answers Connor's question, telling him it's "an undead thing."
Connor responds, "Like you?"
Angel answers, "No! Zombies are slow moving, dimwitted things that crave human flesh."
Connor teasingly responds, "Like you."
Angel assures him it's different.
As they walk away, Gavin tries to get back up. Angel kicks him in the head.
Connor wonders why they've all become zombies.
Angel says he doesn't know but they need to find Wes, Gunn and Fred.
As they exit the hallway, all of the corpses in the hall rise up.
Gunn, Wes and Fred continue their search of W&H. Wes steps over a body as he follows the others into an office. When he exits the office, he notices the body he had to step over to get inside is no longer there.
Gunn wonders if it isn't time for Angel to show up.
Fred shouts a warning to Gunn as zombies attack. Fight ensues, which is a sort of slow motion affair considering how lumbering the zombies are.
Wes, Gunn and Fred escape into an office and block the door shut as the undead pound on it, trying to get in.
Gunn wonders what that was.
Wes answers, "Zombies."
Gunn thanks "Captain Obvious" for the information. He checks a secondary exit and finds the door locked.
Fred notices Gunn's arm is bleeding.
He tells her he was bitten by one of them.
Wes seems concerned by that.
Gunn asks if he thinks he can become one that way.
Wes doesn't think it works like that.
Gunn wants a promise that if it does, Wes won't let him be one for long.
Wes agrees and hopes Gunn will make the same promise.
Gunn is only too eager to agree.
Fred works on trying to get the locked door open as the zombies break into the office and Gunn and Wes work at holding them back.
Fred manages to get the door open.
Gunn shouts to Wes to get Fred out of there as he's surrounded.
Wes pulls Fred into the next office, shutting the door behind them.
Angel tells Connor the only way to kill a zombie is to cut off brain function through decapitation or skull smashing. He figures since zombies are "slow and stupid" they have a good chance of beating them.
He peers around the corner into the hall and sees they are seriously outnumbered. He reconsiders their chances.
Fred insists they have to go back for Gunn as she tries to get back to the office he was trapped in.
Wes tells her it's not possible, he needs to get her to safety. He stands a table on end and shoves it against the door. He opens another door in the office and is met by a legion of zombies. He quickly shuts the door and locks it.
Fred wonders what option they have left.
Wes answers they'll wait and then they'll fight.
Fred asks why they're doing this.
Wes doesn't have the answer. He offers it may be part of the building lockdown or some kind of security voodoo.
Fred wonders if the Beast is responsible.
Wes concedes that's possible, all they can be certain of is the zombies want to kill them.
The back office door bursts open and Gunn enters.
Angel and Connor arrive via the other door. Angel suggests they get out of there now that they have what they came for. He asks Wes about exits.
Wes answers Lilah only mentioned two, one on the third floor and one in the lobby.
Fred fears both of those options are too far to reach.
Connor thinks they can make it.
Angel doesn't believe they all can considering the number of undead they'll have to deal with.
Angel tells them there is one other way, "the white room" ("Forgiving"). He explains it's an "interdimensional space" at W&H.
Gunn thinks it sounds like a portal.
Angel explains it's not, it's more of a "gateway" where there's a little girl "or something old and evil that likes to pretend she's a little girl."
Connor asks if Angel has seen her.
He answers that he did once, when he was looking for Connor. He thinks she might be able to help.
Gunn would prefer to deal with the zombies.
Fred disagrees, she votes for the white room. She asks Angel how they get there.
Angel tells her they'll need her help.
Gunn, Connor and Wes fight with zombies as Angel pries open the elevator doors for Fred to enter. He tells her to do what she can as she opens the elevator's service panel.
He aids Wes, Connor and Gunn in dealing with the zombies, buying some time. He shouts at Fred who tells him she's doing the best she can. He urges her to hurry.
Fred manages to do what she needs to do, the elevator powers up. She calls to the others who get inside.
Wes asks Angel if he remembers the code as Angel begins punching numbers into the panel.
Angel assures him he has a photographic memory. He finishes punching in the numbers but nothing happens.
Connor suggests he may have forgotten.
Angel is sure he didn't. He starts punching in numbers again as the zombies approach the elevator.
Gunn recognizes Gavin at the head of the zombie crowd. He steps out of the elevator and decapitates Gavin with the ax he'd armed himself with before leaving the hotel. He returns to the elevator noting that he couldn't stand seeing someone he knew like that, even someone he knew he didn't like.
Wes suggests it would be a good time for Angel to get the code right considering they're about to be overrun.
The elevator doors close. The button that leads to the white room appears at the top of the panel. Angel pushes it, hoping the little girl is in a good mood.
The elevator disappears in a wash of blinding white light.
Angel, Wes, Gunn, Fred and Connor find themselves standing in the white room. They see the Beast, kneeling next to the body of the little girl who is lying on her back on the floor. It's holding its hand over her chest, drawing some kind of dark energy from her into itself.
Gunn thinks the Beast was waiting for them.
Angel doesn't think so, he thinks the little girl is what it wanted, the reason it came to W&H.
Wes surveys the room and wonders if there's a way out.
The little girl looks at them, points toward them and weakly says, "The answer is among you."
The Beast finishes drawing the dark energy from the girl, then rises and stalks toward Angel and company.
The girl raises her arm at her side, palm upward and mutters something.
Angel and the others are engulfed in a wash of bright white light.
Angel, Wes, Fred, Gunn and Connor find themselves in the lobby of the Hyperion.
Lorne looks up from a book he's reading and sees them all standing in the midst of the lobby as he's about to take a sip of his martini. He eyes the martini, the gang, the martini, and doesn't take a drink of it.
Angel looks around the lobby, notes with relief that they're home and believes the little girl sent them.
Connor starts to say something, "Dad --"
Angel sees Cordelia sitting in the lobby. His demeanor shifts to steely as he heads toward the back office. He turns at the doorway as he hears Cordelia, grateful Connor is safe. He watches as she hugs Connor. Angel goes into the back office.
Fred is disturbed by what the Beast did to the little girl.
Lorne asks if it really killed a girl.
Wes clarifies, "Not really a girl. Something ancient and evil, dressed like a girl."
Gunn wonders what it says about the Beast that it could enter the white room and take the energy from the evil entity.
Wes doesn't know the answer. He reckons it will "take a force far smarter and stronger than us to defeat it."
Lorne sarcastically notes there's a lot of that around.
In the back office, Angel occupies himself sorting through file folders.
Cordy comes in and tells him she was really worried.
Angel doesn't look at her, just says curtly, "I'll bet."
She says the others are pretty discouraged. She's glad everyone is safe and together again.
Angel agrees with that.
She smiles.
He looks her in the eye and calmly, coldly, tells her "Now take your new boyfriend and get the hell outta here." He walks past her, out of the office.
Cordelia's response is a realization accompanied by a whispered, "Oh, God."
As his rage builds, he remains fixed on the scene in the loft as fire continues to rain from the sky. He finally turns away, punches the rooftop door, breaking it open. He goes inside.
The view remains of the rooftop as the sounds of Angel trashing the place are heard from within.
At the hotel, Fred listens to radio reports of events going on in the city. The phone rings, she takes the call. She agrees with the caller that things are a bit frightening but the person she's concerned about is only an hour late, maybe it's too early for the caller to panic about it. She starts to tell her that a rain of fire doesn't necessarily mean the end of the world.
She's distracted by the arrival of Gunn, Lorne and Wes, all battered and bloody. She drops the handset and rushes across the lobby to embrace Gunn, relieved he's alive.
Wes walks past them, watching, as they hug.
Fred says she was worried when she got back to the hotel and found it empty.
Gunn understands that, but assures her he's all right.
Fred hugs him tightly, thankful everyone is okay.
Wes notes quietly that yes, everyone is okay.
Fred notices Angel is absent. She asks where he is.
Gunn answers that he got separated from the rest of them, he's sure he'll show up soon. He asks if Fred is all right.
She tells him she's fine, she just needed to "get some air". She didn't realize she'd be gone so long. She notes there are other things she didn't know as well as she indicates the symbols and diagrams laid out on the table that Wes, Gunn, Angel and Lorne had put together earlier, leading them to the Beast.
Gunn says there's time to explain that later, right now he thinks they should regroup and go after the "demony thing".
Wes tells him that wouldn't be Angel's plan.
Gunn sarcastically thanks him for his opinion, then notes that he didn't ask for it.
Fred asks about the "demony thing."
Lorne prepares himself a drink and asks her if she means "the big bad, possibly invincible, demony thing that nearly killed us all ..."
Fred wonders if that's what Lorne saw when he read Cordelia.
He confirms it is, and it's every bit as bad as that reading indicated it would be.
Fred agrees with Wes, telling Gunn it might be better to wait for Angel, considering what they're dealing with. She's concerned that if Angel couldn't stop it, they don't have much of a chance.
Gunn, irritated, asks if they should do nothing because they don't know what Angel would do.
A sullen Angel enters the lobby.
Fred notes the bloody wound on his neck, concerned.
Angel would prefer to talk things over in the morning. He heads upstairs.
Fred turns to the others and asks if anyone has checked on Connor and Cordelia.
As Angel ascends the stairs, he mutters, "They're fine."
Lorne asks if he's seen them.
Angel doesn't answer as he reaches the head of the staircase and continues on to his room.
Lorne notes Angel "looks like he's been hit by a tank."
Gunn doesn't remember seeing him look so beaten down before.
Wes offers it's understandable, "no one likes to lose, whatever the circumstance."
At the loft, Connor and Cordelia are asleep. Cordy wakes up, looks at Connor sleeping next to her and registers an 'uh-oh, what have I done?' sort of expression. She rolls over onto her side, her back to him.
A content Connor wakes up and moves closer to her. He lays his hand on her arm and asks if the world ended.
She replies, "Not exactly."
Connor kisses her shoulder. He figures the world not ending is a good thing. He gazes at her.
She looks away from him and asks him not to give her the "happy puppy look", telling him it makes things more difficult.
He asks what she's talking about.
Cordy rolls over onto her back, smiles at him, pushes the hair out of his face and tells him he's "special," just like what happened between them the night before was "special", something they both needed, but it happened because of unusual circumstances. She wonders if he understands what she's trying to say.
He doesn't.
She tells him it can't happen again.
He starts to laugh, thinking she's kidding, then realizes she's not. He asks why.
Cordelia sits up and answers the question, telling him it's because he's Angel's son, raining fire isn't usually a good sign and a demony thing arrived at the spot Connor was born.
He thinks she blames him for everything that's happened.
She assures him that's not true, she thought she said as much the previous night.
Connor is confused and upset. He sits up and starts to dress, reminding her of all the things she'd said the night before.
She tells him she meant what she said.
He figures she only meant it then, now she's blaming him for all the bad things that are happening.
She attempts to explain, saying "All I said was -- "
Connor cuts her off, knowing the rest of it, that they can't be together again. He leaves the loft.
Wes answers a knock on his apartment door. Lilah lets out a sigh of relief when she sees him, genuinely glad he's alive.
He tells her he's okay.
Lilah enters the apartment and hugs him, telling him she'd left a hundred messages on his answering machine the night before.
Wes closes the door and asks if she's all right.
She replies she is, she spent the night at Wolfram & Hart. She says it's the safest place to be in case of apocalypse.
She notices the bruises on his face and offers to make him feel better. She moves in to kiss him, he turns away from her and takes a few steps back. Lilah notes in spite of the previous night's raining fire and the city burning, she's feeling a chill.
Wes tells her he can't do it anymore.
Lilah thinks it's the same game they've been playing and tells him they both know how it always ends up, the two of them together and broken furniture.
Wes tells her "It's over".
Lilah is taken aback by that, realizing he means it.
Wes tells her the previous night's events have convinced him a "day of reckoning has arrived."
Lilah sarcastically notes he apparently "reckons" he'll side with the "good guys" now. She thinks it's about Fred.
Wes assures her it isn't. It's about doing what's right.
Lilah isn't so sure Wes has a clear vision of right and wrong these days.
Wes acknowledges he's made mistakes.
Lilah coldly tells him he's making one now. She softens a bit, walks up to him, puts her arms around his neck and offers to "wear the glasses again."
Wes suggests she not embarrass herself. He tells her "There is a line, black and white, good and evil."
Lilah points out that when one is mixed with the other, the color is gray. No matter how much white is poured into it, it will always be a shade of gray. She doesn't figure that's Fred's color. She gets a final dig in, telling Wes, "Come to think of it? She prefers black." She leaves the apartment.
At the hotel, Fred researches on the computer as Gunn pores over papers. Fred wonders why something as powerful as the Beast hasn't left any kind of trail.
Gunn notes Cordelia has arrived in the lobby. He greets her and asks if she and Connor made it through the night okay.
She fumbles a bit in response then asks if Angel is there.
Fred directs her to the back office.
Cordy knocks on the office door then opens it.
Angel is sitting behind the desk going over papers.
She asks if he has some time to talk. She was hoping they could discuss Connor.
Angel looks up and curtly tells her he already knows. He gets up and walks past her, out of the office, into the lobby.
Cordy follows, saying she's surprised to hear that and notes Angel is handling it better than she is.
He stops when he sees Fred and Gunn at the lobby desk. He turns back toward the office and asks Cordy if they can avoid having this conversation there. He goes back inside the office.
She follows him.
Cordelia thinks the fact that the Beast they're trying to find came up through the ground in the exact spot Connor was born is precisely what they should be talking about.
Angel, surprised, notes the mention of the Beast arriving at that precise location.
Cordy thought he already knew.
He covers, saying he did, it doesn't necessarily mean anything. Cordy isn't so sure it's just a coincidence, pointing out that a vampire giving birth, and on that exact spot, would seem to add up to more than that.
Angel thinks Cordy believes Connor is connected to the Beast.
She assures him she doesn't.
Angel wants to know why she's telling him this.
She informs him Connor left the loft that morning, convinced he is responsible for what's happening.
In her office at W&H, Lilah is on the phone.
Gavin offers her coffee as he sets a cup on her desk. He asks if she wants sugar.
She shoots him a look of annoyance and continues with her phone conversation, telling the person on the other end that he'd better find the Beast or "I swear to God, I will -- " She gets stuck for an appropriate threat.
Gavin whispers an option, "boil you alive."
Lilah whispers back, "Shut up." She returns to the phone call, pauses a moment, uses Gavin's offered option as the appropriate threat, then hangs up. She wonders how hard it can be to find a large, horned beast. She takes a drink of the coffee, makes a face and drops it into the trash, wondering why she can't get a decent cup.
Lilah goes back to the paperwork on her desk. She notes Gavin is still standing on the other side of it and wonders why.
He tells her they have confirmed the Beast was responsible for the fire raining from the sky the night before, but they haven't been able to determine why it was done.
Lilah figures she already has the answer, it did it because it could. She understands that. She doesn't think it has any agenda beyond incinerating everything and that's going to make their job more difficult.
Gavin asks what job she's referring to.
Lilah explains the Senior Partners want them to broker a deal with the Beast.
Gavin isn't sold on that idea.
Lilah figures it makes sense, they have shared goals; an apocalypse, the world ending, etc. The partners think an alliance may set things on a faster track, save them some money.
Gavin isn't sure the Beast will be interested.
Lilah is sure she can convince it. She's determined not to lose the deal.
Gavin heads out of the office. He soon returns, backing inside as Connor walks in front of him, forcing him back.
Connor pushes Gavin out of the way and tells Lilah he's looking for answers.
Lilah is pleasantly surprised to see him in the lion's den of W&H. She gets up and sits on the edge of the desk, saying he took them by surprise, sneaking into the building. She observes he's a lot like Angel.
Connor thinks it's time to find out. He wants to know why he exists, what he is.
Lilah offers to help out, telling him they have an "in house lab", they can do some work-ups, see what's what. As she's speaking, she casually pushes a button on the side of the desk that triggers a silent alarm, summoning security. She goes on, saying they can do some tests and discover exactly who and what he is.
A couple of security guys enter the office and stand behind Connor.
Lilah smiles and tells him they'll cut him open and see what's inside.
Connor takes on the security guys and, with little effort, knocks them both out. He grabs Lilah by the throat and shoves her against the wall, telling her he had another idea.
Lilah indicates her willingness to entertain suggestions.
Connor thinks he's connected in some way to the demon they're looking for, he wants to know how.
Lilah agrees and tells Gavin to give Connor a copy of his report on the Beast so they can discuss it.
Suddenly, the lights go out, accompanied by a thunderous racket. Debris rains down from the ceiling. Connor turns toward the door. He knows the Beast has arrived.
The building's emergency lighting comes on.
Lilah thinks it may be an aftershock from the previous earthquake, noting they sometimes cause power outages. She picks up the phone, the line is dead. She tells Gavin to try a radio.
Gavin goes over to one of the unconscious security men and picks up his walkie-talkie. He calls the front desk.
After a brief silence, a man answers, telling him they're a bit busy. As he shouts, "No!" screams are heard in the background.
Lilah suggests he stop whining and make a report.
The man continues to shout, begging for assistance amid the screams.
Connor reminds Lilah he told her this was what had come. He moves across the office and arms himself with a short sword from a display.
Lilah instructs Gavin to go to the lobby and see what's happening.
He shakes his head, indicating no.
Lilah suggests he ask himself who he's more afraid of, the Beast or her.
Gavin decides to take his chances with the Beast and leaves the office.
Lilah asks Connor if he knows what the Beast wants.
He answers, "Everybody dead" and exits out into the hallway.
Lilah pulls a handgun from her desk, loads a new clip and heads out.
In the lobby, bodies are strewn about. The sound of screaming is mixed with sounds of ripping and crunching. The last of the screams fades away as the Beast, a severed head dangling from one of its hands, surveys the carnage.
On an upper floor, a panicked woman pushes the elevator button repeatedly, trying to get the doors to open. Employees are rushing around frantically, seeking a way out. Someone suggests the stairwell.
Lilah is following Connor down the hall, navigating the crowd of W&H employees. She asks what the Beast is.
Connor admits he doesn't know.
She asks if he's planning to kill it.
He says he intends to try.
Lilah considers the folly of that plan and stops as Connor walks on. She wishes him luck.
W&H employees flood the stairwell from all floors, heading for the exit.
The Beast enters the stairwell and continues killing. It exits, walks down the hallway and stops outside of a supply closet door when it hears noises coming from within. It opens the door and finds a frenzied
Gavin inside, desperately rifling through the supplies on the shelves, pulling them onto the floor.
Gavin stops, looks at the Beast, greets it with "Uh .. hi."
The Beast grabs Gavin by the throat and picks him up off the floor. It snaps his neck and throws his body into the wall.
Connor steps through a pile of bodies, blade at the ready, seeking the Beast. He pauses to look at a heavy smear of blood running along the wall. The sound of gunshots gets his attention. He follows the sound.
Lilah is in one of the conference rooms being approached by the Beast. She fires repeatedly at it.
The Beast strides toward her, grabs her and throws her onto her back onto the conference table.
She offers to make a deal with it.
The Beast says nothing as it slowly sticks a claw into her stomach seemingly seeking something, pauses briefly, then tosses her to the floor. It notices another employee in the room and heads for him.
Connor comes in and slashes at the Beast with the blade. The blade breaks in half.
As the Beast turns to Connor, the W&H employee makes a run for it.
Connor punches it, but it isn't fazed by the blow.
The Beast says Connor's name then throws him into a pillar which crumbles on top of him, burying him.
Lilah uses the distraction to make her escape.
A wounded Lilah stumbles down the hallway, holding her stomach, followed by the Beast who exits the office into the hall. Lilah is suddenly grabbed and pulled inside one of the offices. She sees it's Wes who's grabbed her, she doesn't understand why he's there.
He tells her he had someone inside W&H.
A series of loud, slamming sounds gets his attention. He asks Lilah the source of the noise.
She tells him it's a security measure. If the place is under attack, there's a full scale shutdown.
Wes wonders exactly what that means as a metal plate slams down over the office windows.
Lilah tells him everything gets shut off; windows, doors, air vents, nothing can get in or out.
Wes takes note of her wound.
The Beast knocks down the office door.
Wes picks Lilah up and exits through another door into the hallway. He asks Lilah if there's a way out. He figures there has to be an option for upper management to escape.
Lilah tells him to get around the corner, to the supply closet.
Wes looks behind them and sees the Beast has just entered the hall. He turns down a side hall, sets Lilah down and pulls a grenade.
Lilah thinks he's kidding.
He pulls the pin, peers around the corner and tosses the grenade at the Beast. He covers Lilah just before grenade explodes.
Lilah asks if that will kill it.
Wes knows it won't, but hopes it will offer a momentary distraction. He assists Lilah down the hall.
When they reach the supply closet, Lilah looks down at the body lying outside of it, noting it's Gavin.
Wes wants to know which way they need to go.
She gestures to the supply closet, telling him that's it.
They go inside and shut the door behind them.
Lilah begins rifling through the shelves, looking for something.
The Beast enters the hallway, headed toward the supply closet.
Wes asks Lilah if she's sure they're in the right closet.
She assures him it's the right one as she continues searching.
Wes joins her in ripping supplies off of the shelves.
The Beast gets closer.
Lilah finds what she's looking for, a hidden lever. She pulls it.
The Beast breaks open the supply closet door and scans the room. It's empty. The Beast moves on down the hallway.
Wes and Lilah slide down an escape chute into a sewer tunnel. Lilah asks what to do next.
Wes tells her to get her wound taken care of, then leave town. He helps Lilah to her feet.
She wonders if he expects her to run.
He tells her the demon won't stop until it kills everyone at W&H, she needs to change her name, go underground. He suggests she not make things too easy for the Beast to accomplish its goal. He heads out of the tunnel.
Lilah calls after him.
Wes stops and turns back to her.
She starts to say something, pauses, then tells him Connor is trapped inside the building, she doesn't know if he's alive. She says Connor is in the third floor conference room. She adds there's no way to get back inside the building but she thought he should know.
Wes, obviously concerned, looks at her, nods an acknowledgement, then heads out of the tunnel.
Lilah departs in the opposite direction.
At the hotel, Fred is working at the computer while Gunn taps loudly with a pen on the open book he's reading. Fred gets annoyed by the noise.
Gunn apologizes, telling her it helps him to think.
She apologizes for her reaction.
Angel comes into the lobby from the back office, reading a book.
Cordelia and a sleeping Lorne are on the poof couch. Cordy notes everyone is tired.
Angel walks past her and snidely responds, "Wonder why." He kicks Lorne's foot as he walks by, waking him.
Lorne sits up, explaining that he was "meditating" on the problem.
Gunn says they've all assumed that Connor is connected to the Beast because they have the alley in common, but the alley is also right behind Lorne's former bar.
Lorne offers the entire block is an "interdimensional hot spot."
Cordy points out the Beast didn't come through a portal, it came up through the ground.
Everyone turns toward the door as Wes walks in. Gunn caustically notes his arrival with, "Oh good, more bad news."
Fred asks if he can't just try to get along and remember Wes was his friend.
Gunn reminds her the emphasis is on "was".
Wes enters the lobby.
Angel looks at him a moment, then realizes Wes knows where the Beast is.
Wes tells him it's at W&H. He starts to tell him Connor is as well but he's interrupted by Gunn who figures the Beast is making an alliance with W&H.
Wes says it's killing everyone inside.
Gunn doesn't think that's necessarily bad news.
Wes tells Angel that Connor is trapped inside the building.
Cordy is upset to hear the news, she doesn't understand why he'd be in there.
Angel notes there are many things he doesn't understand either. He tells the others they're going to go and get Connor.
Wes tells him about the lockdown, saying there's no way out.
Angel figures there is a way in.
Connor makes his way down the hall at W&H. As he walks past Gavin's body, Gavin's eyes snap open.
At the hotel, Angel comes down the stairs, sword in hand.
Gunn is arming himself from the weapons cabinet.
Wes is at the lobby desk, stuffing supplies into a bag.
Fred is impressed that Wes had an insider at the firm.
He dismisses her praise, telling her it was part of the job, and walks away.
Lorne hands Fred a flashlight, then gives one to Gunn and Angel. He takes a seat behind the desk.
Cordy approaches Angel and reassures him that Connor will be fine, "Connor's a champion, like you. He's special."
Angel looks at her and responds dryly with, "Right. Like me. Special." He walks away, saying somebody should remain behind to keep watch on things.
Lorne quickly volunteers for the job.
Angel urges Gunn, who's lingering at the weapons cabinet, to get a move on.
Gunn points out even if they find a way into W&H, they're still going to have to deal with a demon that kicked their butts once before. He wonders what's different this time.
Angel impatiently tells him they're going for Connor, not the Beast. That's the difference.
Gunn wonders if anyone told that to the Beast.
Angel says he doesn't have all the answers but he does know he has to get into W&H and get Connor back. As far as dealing with the Beast, the plan is if they see it, they run.
Cordy thinks that sounds like a good idea as she grabs a dagger that's laying on the poof couch and starts to join them.
Angel snatches the blade from her and firmly lays it back on the couch. He directs her to stay at the hotel with Lorne.
Cordy refuses, saying Connor is in trouble. She starts to retrieve the blade.
Angel stops her, telling her he doesn't want her there. He claims it's too dangerous, he doesn't want to risk it. He urges Fred to hurry up.
Fred notices the disparity in his attitude but follows along, sword in hand.
Lorne wishes them good luck, puts his arm around Cordy and suggests they make some muffins.
Cordelia stares intently after Angel as the others depart.
Wes leads the others through the sewer tunnel, to the place where he and Lilah entered it. He tells them he thinks there's a door about 30 meters up.
Gunn gets a dig in, asking if he thinks or if he's sure pointing out that whenever
Wes shows up thinking something, "somebody gets their head drilled or falls through a portal."
An agitated Wes starts to respond but Angel, who's very much in take charge mode at this point and not long on patience, cuts him off. He firmly tells Gunn and Wes he doesn't "give a rat's ass" about whatever it is that's going on between them, he expects them to shelve it. They're there for Connor.
Angel unzips the bag Wes brought and retrieves a rope from it.
Gunn looks up at the opening far overhead and wonders how they expect to get up there.
Angel jumps up toward the entrance and climbs in.
Gunn mutters "Showoff."
Angel drops one end of the rope through the opening for the others to climb.
Angel, Fred, Gunn and Wes make their way through piles of bodies inside W&H. Fred is upset by the sight, acknowledging they worked for an evil law firm, but she still finds it disturbing.
Gunn jumps, startled, and looks to the side.
Fred asks what's going on.
He says he thought he heard something.
Angel notes that the power is down, they'll have to use the stairs.
Gunn wants a clarification of the plan.
Angel tells him it's to get to the third floor, get Connor, get out.
As they head for the stairwell, Fred suddenly turns around, nervous. She apologizes for being jumpy.
Wes understands there's good reason for it.
They enter the stairwell and find the steps littered with more bodies.
Angel reminds them they need to be quiet and quick, the Beast may still be inside.
As they pass the body of a young woman, her eyes fly open.
Gunn notes all the corpses and wonders why the Beast killed them considering W&H is evil, they're on the same side.
Angel offers perhaps it just wanted to eliminate the competition.
Fred doesn't think that bodes well for them.
As they continue on down the hallway, Wes notices the supply closet. He also notices that Gavin's body isn't where it was when he and Lilah passed it but doesn't get time to process that as Angel urges the others into the conference room.
They begin clearing the pile of rubble Connor was buried under but don't find him beneath it.
Angel reckons that's a good thing, it means there's a chance he's still alive.
Gunn snipes maybe "Sherlock got his facts wrong again."
Wes shoots him a look, but says nothing.
Angel knows Connor was there, he can detect his scent. He decides they can search more efficiently if they split up. He directs the others to take the stairwell, check out each floor, then meet up with each other at the top.
Angel cautiously walks down a hallway, stepping over bodies as he advances. He turns as something darts across the hall behind him but it's out of sight before he sees it. He continues on down the hall.
Connor rushes Angel, not realizing who it is.
Angel reflexively throws him across the hall, into the walll. When he sees it's Connor, he hugs him in an unguarded moment of relief, grateful he's okay.
Connor asks how he knew he was there.
Angel tells him they can talk about it later, they need to get out of the building now.
Connor doesn't want to leave before killing the Beast. He thinks its being there is his fault.
Angel tells him they can't kill it and assures him he's not to blame for it. He says they've used everything they had against it and nothing had any effect, they need to get out of there.
As Angel turns to leave, he's attacked by someone. Angel throws the attacker against the wall, watching as the figure sinks to the floor.
Angel then notices it's Gavin.
Connor notes Gavin "looks dead."
Angel confirms he is, though "technically undead", a zombie.
Gavin struggles back to his feet as Connor asks what a zombie is.
Angel tosses Gavin back to the floor and answers Connor's question, telling him it's "an undead thing."
Connor responds, "Like you?"
Angel answers, "No! Zombies are slow moving, dimwitted things that crave human flesh."
Connor teasingly responds, "Like you."
Angel assures him it's different.
As they walk away, Gavin tries to get back up. Angel kicks him in the head.
Connor wonders why they've all become zombies.
Angel says he doesn't know but they need to find Wes, Gunn and Fred.
As they exit the hallway, all of the corpses in the hall rise up.
Gunn, Wes and Fred continue their search of W&H. Wes steps over a body as he follows the others into an office. When he exits the office, he notices the body he had to step over to get inside is no longer there.
Gunn wonders if it isn't time for Angel to show up.
Fred shouts a warning to Gunn as zombies attack. Fight ensues, which is a sort of slow motion affair considering how lumbering the zombies are.
Wes, Gunn and Fred escape into an office and block the door shut as the undead pound on it, trying to get in.
Gunn wonders what that was.
Wes answers, "Zombies."
Gunn thanks "Captain Obvious" for the information. He checks a secondary exit and finds the door locked.
Fred notices Gunn's arm is bleeding.
He tells her he was bitten by one of them.
Wes seems concerned by that.
Gunn asks if he thinks he can become one that way.
Wes doesn't think it works like that.
Gunn wants a promise that if it does, Wes won't let him be one for long.
Wes agrees and hopes Gunn will make the same promise.
Gunn is only too eager to agree.
Fred works on trying to get the locked door open as the zombies break into the office and Gunn and Wes work at holding them back.
Fred manages to get the door open.
Gunn shouts to Wes to get Fred out of there as he's surrounded.
Wes pulls Fred into the next office, shutting the door behind them.
Angel tells Connor the only way to kill a zombie is to cut off brain function through decapitation or skull smashing. He figures since zombies are "slow and stupid" they have a good chance of beating them.
He peers around the corner into the hall and sees they are seriously outnumbered. He reconsiders their chances.
Fred insists they have to go back for Gunn as she tries to get back to the office he was trapped in.
Wes tells her it's not possible, he needs to get her to safety. He stands a table on end and shoves it against the door. He opens another door in the office and is met by a legion of zombies. He quickly shuts the door and locks it.
Fred wonders what option they have left.
Wes answers they'll wait and then they'll fight.
Fred asks why they're doing this.
Wes doesn't have the answer. He offers it may be part of the building lockdown or some kind of security voodoo.
Fred wonders if the Beast is responsible.
Wes concedes that's possible, all they can be certain of is the zombies want to kill them.
The back office door bursts open and Gunn enters.
Angel and Connor arrive via the other door. Angel suggests they get out of there now that they have what they came for. He asks Wes about exits.
Wes answers Lilah only mentioned two, one on the third floor and one in the lobby.
Fred fears both of those options are too far to reach.
Connor thinks they can make it.
Angel doesn't believe they all can considering the number of undead they'll have to deal with.
Angel tells them there is one other way, "the white room" ("Forgiving"). He explains it's an "interdimensional space" at W&H.
Gunn thinks it sounds like a portal.
Angel explains it's not, it's more of a "gateway" where there's a little girl "or something old and evil that likes to pretend she's a little girl."
Connor asks if Angel has seen her.
He answers that he did once, when he was looking for Connor. He thinks she might be able to help.
Gunn would prefer to deal with the zombies.
Fred disagrees, she votes for the white room. She asks Angel how they get there.
Angel tells her they'll need her help.
Gunn, Connor and Wes fight with zombies as Angel pries open the elevator doors for Fred to enter. He tells her to do what she can as she opens the elevator's service panel.
He aids Wes, Connor and Gunn in dealing with the zombies, buying some time. He shouts at Fred who tells him she's doing the best she can. He urges her to hurry.
Fred manages to do what she needs to do, the elevator powers up. She calls to the others who get inside.
Wes asks Angel if he remembers the code as Angel begins punching numbers into the panel.
Angel assures him he has a photographic memory. He finishes punching in the numbers but nothing happens.
Connor suggests he may have forgotten.
Angel is sure he didn't. He starts punching in numbers again as the zombies approach the elevator.
Gunn recognizes Gavin at the head of the zombie crowd. He steps out of the elevator and decapitates Gavin with the ax he'd armed himself with before leaving the hotel. He returns to the elevator noting that he couldn't stand seeing someone he knew like that, even someone he knew he didn't like.
Wes suggests it would be a good time for Angel to get the code right considering they're about to be overrun.
The elevator doors close. The button that leads to the white room appears at the top of the panel. Angel pushes it, hoping the little girl is in a good mood.
The elevator disappears in a wash of blinding white light.
Angel, Wes, Gunn, Fred and Connor find themselves standing in the white room. They see the Beast, kneeling next to the body of the little girl who is lying on her back on the floor. It's holding its hand over her chest, drawing some kind of dark energy from her into itself.
Gunn thinks the Beast was waiting for them.
Angel doesn't think so, he thinks the little girl is what it wanted, the reason it came to W&H.
Wes surveys the room and wonders if there's a way out.
The little girl looks at them, points toward them and weakly says, "The answer is among you."
The Beast finishes drawing the dark energy from the girl, then rises and stalks toward Angel and company.
The girl raises her arm at her side, palm upward and mutters something.
Angel and the others are engulfed in a wash of bright white light.
Angel, Wes, Fred, Gunn and Connor find themselves in the lobby of the Hyperion.
Lorne looks up from a book he's reading and sees them all standing in the midst of the lobby as he's about to take a sip of his martini. He eyes the martini, the gang, the martini, and doesn't take a drink of it.
Angel looks around the lobby, notes with relief that they're home and believes the little girl sent them.
Connor starts to say something, "Dad --"
Angel sees Cordelia sitting in the lobby. His demeanor shifts to steely as he heads toward the back office. He turns at the doorway as he hears Cordelia, grateful Connor is safe. He watches as she hugs Connor. Angel goes into the back office.
Fred is disturbed by what the Beast did to the little girl.
Lorne asks if it really killed a girl.
Wes clarifies, "Not really a girl. Something ancient and evil, dressed like a girl."
Gunn wonders what it says about the Beast that it could enter the white room and take the energy from the evil entity.
Wes doesn't know the answer. He reckons it will "take a force far smarter and stronger than us to defeat it."
Lorne sarcastically notes there's a lot of that around.
In the back office, Angel occupies himself sorting through file folders.
Cordy comes in and tells him she was really worried.
Angel doesn't look at her, just says curtly, "I'll bet."
She says the others are pretty discouraged. She's glad everyone is safe and together again.
Angel agrees with that.
She smiles.
He looks her in the eye and calmly, coldly, tells her "Now take your new boyfriend and get the hell outta here." He walks past her, out of the office.
Cordelia's response is a realization accompanied by a whispered, "Oh, God."
| *** DISCLAIMER: The characters of "Angel" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", as well as all related materials, are TM (trademarks) and/or © (copyright) of Twentieth Century Fox Television and related entities. No other claims are expressed or implied. This site is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, any of the aforementioned entities. No infringement is intended. The site design is © 2000 TAO Designz/Angel's Acolyte. No part of this site may be reproduced or redistributed in any way. |
Site design ©2000 TAO Designz
All Rights Reserved