Wes is seated at a small table in the back of a large warehouse. He's meeting with a black man, Emil, who is seated across from him, flanked by two burly bodyguards. Emil says their business depends on trust, complaints are dealt with through "killing, torture, beating, sometimes ... fire."

Wes sarcastically notes he'd have worn a name tag if he'd known this was going to be a seminar.

Emil just wanted to be sure Wes understood things.

Wes lets him know he's at the end of his patience. He agreed to meet with Emil's "distributor", not his "muscle".

Emil claims his companions are "assistants", there to make everyone feel comfortable. Emil asks if Wes is hungry, offering to have one of the bodyguards fix him a sandwich.

Wes is tired of wasting his time. He starts to get up. Emil gestures for him to sit down, telling Wes his distributor is cautious, he wants Emil to verify the merchandise before they go any further.

Wes gestures off to the side which brings Fred in, carrying a metal case which she lays on top of the table.

Emil looks her over and asks who she is.

Wes answers, "My muscle."

Fred opens the case and removes the pieces of a sniper rifle, explaining the modifications made to it by W&H as she puts it together.

Emil comes on to Fred.

Fred's responds flatly, "Wow. Turned on by a woman holding an enormous gun. What a surprise." She continues listing the modifications made and features of the rifle.

Wes says they have 200 guns ready at present, they'll make more once they receive payment.

Emil is suspicious, asking if Wesley's "boss" doesn't have any objections to such weaponry being sold to someone like him.

Wes says not as long as it doesn't show up in L.A. He notes they choose their battles and reminds Emil he evaded the issue of payment.

Emil tells him he'll get his money.

Wes stands, telling Emil he won't get anything until Wes has met with the distributor, he's not working through "middlemen."

Emil takes offense at that, telling Wes he's lucky W&H has such a good reputation. He pulls a card out of his pocket and writes something on it, telling Wes to call the number, "He'll arrange everything." He looks at Fred, "And to think, I used to sell this guy collapsible swords, almost makes me --"

Emil is interrupted by the sound of a chain swinging down from the ceiling. A grappling hook on the end of the chain pierces the throat of one of the bodyguards. Everyone dives for cover.

Emil shouts threats, certain Wes is responsible for a double-cross. The other bodyguard fires.

Wes and Fred take cover behind some metal barrels. Fred asks what attacked. Wes doesn't know. He pulls out a couple of handguns and rushes out firing with both, hitting the bodyguard as several guys dressed in black, wearing black hoods over their faces, jump down onto the warehouse floor.

One of the guys leaps down in front of Emil, who puts his hands up, not wanting any trouble. The guy tosses a chain toward Emil, wrapping it around his neck then gives the chain a yank, snapping Emil's neck.

Wes jumps up and takes aim to fire, but before he can get a shot off, the black clad guy leaps out of sight. Wes moves cautiously, checking out the area. He's suddenly hit and knocked to the floor.

Angel comes crashing through the window and takes on the bad guy. Fight ensues as he tries to use the chain against Angel. Angel manages to get the advantage and snaps his neck, dropping him to the floor. A bright electrical charge surrounds the head and neck of the body as it twitches. Angel looks down at it and removes the hood, revealing a solid metal mask beneath it.

As Wes and Angel look down at the body, they hear Fred moaning. Wes rushes to her, Angel seems surprised she's there.

Wes finds Fred sitting on the floor, propped up against a large barrel, bleeding from a wound in her shoulder.

---

Wes is in Angel's office getting a verbal lashing for bringing Fred along on the mission. Eve is also in the office. An angry Angel points out Fred could have been killed.

Eve says she'll be up and around soon, according to medical.

Angel demands to know why Fred was there.

Wes offers he needed someone who could explain the weapon.

Angel is skeptical she was the only one who knew how to explain a gun.

Wes clarifies, he needed someone who wouldn't make Emil suspicious.

Angel says she shouldn't have been there, it was a "reckless decision."

Wes quietly tries to explain, "Fred has more than proven herself in the field, there was no reason to think --"

Angel cuts him off, "We found her bleeding to death on the ground." He informs Wes he is to clear it with Angel before using "any of my people."

Wes asks, "Your people?"

Angel responds with a curt, "Got it?"

Wes almost imperceptibly nods his acceptance and walks out.

Eve thinks Angel was a bit harsh with Wes.

Angel notes Fred could have been killed.

Eve still thinks he's making too big of a deal out of it, from what she's heard Fred's injury wasn't that serious.

Angel tells her she wasn't there, she didn't see Fred.

Eve reminds him Fred is okay, but he's still beating up on Wes.

Angel thinks Wes can be careless sometimes.

Eve wonders, "Focuses too much on the big picture? Overlooks the people involved?"

Angel concedes that's part of it.

Eve gets that, "Willing to risk anything, or anyone, for the greater good." She wonders if there's another reason for Angel's reaction, perhaps the fact Wes stole his son? ("Sleep Tight")

Angel coldly informs her they do not discuss his son.

Eve doesn't think Angel trusts Wesley and she understands the reason, considering Wes turned Connor over to Angel's "sworn enemy."

Angel tells her that wasn't intentional, Wes thought he was doing the right thing.

Eve figures everything worked out okay then, "Connor's okay. You're happy. Maybe Wesley knew what he was doing after all. Even if he doesn't remember any of it."

Angel denies that has anything to do with it. He just wants to be kept informed of what's going on.

Eve wonders if that's really it, "Or are you worried about the next time Wesley betrays you trying to do 'the right thing'?"

---

Fred comes to Wesley's office, her arm in a sling. She tells him she's been medically cleared.

He says he was coming down to find her.

Fred notes she'll be taking some antibiotics, there's some concern about where the grappling hook that wounded her had been. She tells him they're taking apart the cyborg in the lab. She's impressed with how intricate it is.

Wes apologizes for what happened.

Fred doesn't see any reason for apologies, she feels bad she only had to hide and she screwed that up.

Wes thinks he should have protected her better.

Fred wonders what he means by that. She points out it's patronizing.

Wes concedes it didn't come out right, he just meant she shouldn't have been there.

Fred gets upset, telling him that's not his decision to make.

He informs her it is, actually. He made the decision, he messed up.

Fred chides him for blaming himself because "Poor Fred got hurt." She thinks his attempt to be valiant is "coming off as a self-pitying child."

A middle-aged man walks up to the doorway as Fred is speaking. Wes notices his arrival but Fred does not, since she has her back to the door. Wes greets the man quietly, "Hello, father."

Fred is angry, noting that's a mature way to respond. She says if she was his father, she'd tell him to "grow up."

Wesley's father walks in, "It doesn't work, I've tried." Fred turns and realizes Wes wasn't being caustic to her, he was greeting the new arrival.

Wes asks what he's doing there.

Fred asks if he's Wesley's father.

He notes Wes seems to be lacking manners so introduces himself to Fred as Roger Wyndam-Pryce. He shakes her hand.

Fred gives her name then starts stammering, not sure what to say. She mutters something about having to belittle an employee, then tells Roger it was nice to meet him and leaves.

Wes asks if his mother is all right.

Roger tells him she's fine, he's there to discuss business.

Wes moves over to the couch and hurriedly removes the books and scrolls covering it, then invites his father to sit down.

Roger takes a seat, noting Wes may have heard the Watcher's Council was destroyed last year.

Wes acknowledges he was aware of that.

Roger continues, saying the remaining former Watchers, including himself, have decided to re-form the Council, he's been sent to contact Wes.

Wes asks if he's saying the Council wants him back.

Roger tells him that's not exactly it, his name is a point of some contention, "There are some who believe that your tenure as Watcher ranks as our most embarrassing failure."

Wes takes that in a moment, then offers dryly, "Really? I beat out everybody dying in an explosion as most embarrassing failure?"

Roger chides him for his lack of respect, reminding him friends and colleagues died in that explosion. He goes on to say the Council has agreed to reinstate Wes, pending his assessment. He's there to do the evaluation.

Wes is willing to save him the effort, he's not interested. He gets up from the couch and walks across the office.

Roger gets up and follows, telling him it's not the time for stubbornness, this is his chance to clear the family name.

Wes is sorry Roger made the journey, but he's happy where he's at.

Roger isn't impressed as he walks out into the lobby, looking around W&H, the "haven of evil".

Wes follows him out, running his shoulder into the door jamb on the way out which sends him off balance and into an employee walking down the hall in front of the office. Roger glances back scornfully as Wes stoops to help the woman retrieve the files he knocked out of her hand. He apologizes as she gets back to her feet and walks away.

Wes tells Roger he has the wrong idea about W&H.

Roger isn't so sure of that, pointing out the horrors committed by W&H are well documented.

Wes says they're working to change that. Under their control the firm is becoming a powerful weapon that he believes can make a difference. He assures Roger they take their work very seriously.

Lorne steps off the elevator and stops in front of Wes and his father, chatting on the phone. As Roger looks on contemptuously, Lorne goes on about setting up a "foam party", noting he's been working on the guest list all week. He hangs up the phone, looks at Roger and tells Wes he didn't know he had a younger brother.

Wes introduces his father.

Lorne admits he heard Wesley's father was in the building, "Well, look at you. It's like Winston Churchill and a young Richard Harris had a beautiful love child ..." Wes puts his hand to his face, looking as if he'd like to crawl into a hole as Lorne continues, " .. which, according to my sources, may not be as ridiculous as it sounds." He laughs.

Wes explains that Lorne runs the Entertainment Division.

Roger snidely notes he can understand why that would be important in the fight against evil.

Gunn comes downstairs into the lobby, picking up on Roger's comment. He says he'd be amazed how many bad movies they've stopped.

Wes introduces his father.

Gunn extends his hand, Roger shakes it. Gunn notes the building is buzzing with the news he's there. He offers if Roger is anything like his son, they might put him to work.

Roger responds brusquely, "You might well be out of luck."

Gunn tells Wes the lab called, they're working on "Robocop" and would like his help.

Roger asks what that's about.

Wes tells him they encountered a cyborg while "infiltrating a weapons ring." He reckons he should get to the lab. After a moment, he asks Roger if he'd like to join him.

Roger agrees, if he wouldn't be in the way, seemingly anxious to get away from Lorne who looks just about as uncomfortable as Roger does.

---

In the lab, what's left of the cyborg is laid out on an autopsy table as Fred and Angel look it over. Eve is standing in the background. Fred tells him they found cybernetics throughout the body, replacing entire organic systems in some cases.

Angel wonders if it was human.

Fred thinks so, at least the nervous system seems to be. The rest of the technology is foreign to them, they can't be sure of much. She notes it "blurs the line between human and robot."

Spike, who's in the lab fingering a glass container sitting on a shelf offers, "A-ha. So you're not ruling out that a human being could have boffed a robot."

Angel and Fred both shoot him confused looks. He adds casually, "Sex with robots is more common than you think."

Fred would prefer not to follow up on that as she gets back to the topic, telling Angel cyborgs need a central processor to function, if they can crack the memory, they may gain access to everything it's done up until it was destroyed.

Angel reckons that could tell them who, or what, it was after.

Spike pushes the glass container off of the shelf with his finger, sending it crashing to the floor. Angel glares at him. Spike is enthusiastic, "Hey! Did you --?" He thinks better of it when he sees Angel's expression and offers a curt, "Sorry."

Eve is still standing in the background, watching Spike.

Fred admits they haven't had much success in decoding the encryption.

Knox is sure they'll get it, it's just going to take some time.

Angel tells Fred to stick with it until they get the answers then turns to leave.

Eve tells Fred to let them know if they need additional resources then starts to follow Angel out.

Wes enters with Roger and introduces him to the group.

Spike walks up to them noting he'd thought Wes was grown, "in some kind of greenhouse for dandies."

Roger says sharply, "Spike."

Spike asks proudly if he'd heard of him.

Roger tells him they met.

Angel's expression says this can't be good.

Roger continues, "1963, my colleagues and I fell upon you slaughtering an orphanage in Vienna. Killed two of my men before you escaped."

Spike's response, "Oh." After an awkward pause, "How have you been?"

Roger's expression makes it clear he isn't in the mood for chat. Spike walks away.

Angel approaches and extends his hand, introducing himself.

Roger asks, "Do you really expect me to shake that?"

Angel says he's not real comfortable with hugging. He realizes from Roger's expression that trying to lighten things up isn't going to work. Angel knows things are a bit difficult but he hopes Roger will try to keep an open mind, they're doing good work.

Roger notes he's been told as much, "incessantly."

Wes says he heard they may be of some help.

Fred leads Roger over to the autopsy table as Wes and Angel exchange looks. Wes follows after Fred and his father. Eve looks at Angel who leaves after telling Fred to keep him posted. Eve follows him out.

As Wes, Fred and Roger stand over the cyborg's remains, Fred notes the presence of symbols on a part in the body cavity they haven't been able to decipher.

Knox walks over and tells them they picked up some traces of radiation so were hesitant to crack it open.

Fred thinks it could be a bomb or a type of self-destruct mechanism. She struggles to move some wiring and equipment out of the way with her one free hand.

Knox eagerly offers his assistance, something that doesn't escape Wesley's notice.

Fred tells Wes they wanted him to translate it before they went any further. She notes to Roger that Wes does this stuff for them all the time, "He's a genius when it comes to languages."

Roger tells her "The academy didn't make him Head Boy for nothing."

That little mention gets Spike's attention.

Roger adds, "Mind you, as I recall, the pickings were a bit slim that year."

Wes identifies the language and says it's a "battle prayer or a binding spell." He can't tell for sure, since part of the text is obscured. As he nudges the part to get a better view, the part starts beeping and clicking as a light on top begins flashing.

Roger asks what he just did.

Wes answers, "Unless I'm very much mistaken, I've just activated a bomb."

Knox asks if there's a "trip mechanism."

Wes asks, "You mean the one I just tripped?" He orders everyone out of the lab, saying they need to evacuate the building.

Spike starts to run, then realizes he has nothing to worry about.

Fred continues searching the cyborg, looking for a switch or something to shut it off.

Wes grabs her by the arm and tells her to get out of there, as far away as possible, they don't know how strong the blast will be. As he leads her to the door, she asks about him. He says he'll stay behind and try to diffuse the bomb, it may be the only --

The noises coming from the cyborg cease. Fred and Wes look back to see Roger has shut the device off. Wes asks what he did.

Roger informs him the symbols were not the language Wes had identified them to be and when read properly, they spell out the process for dealing with the cyborg's power core, including the fail-safe in case the self-destruct mechanism is activated. He notes it was quite simple.

Wes looks suitably humiliated.

---

Fred and Wes are in Angel's office, standing in front of the desk, Angel is seated behind it. He asks what happened.

Spike pops up in front of Wes, anxious to share the revelation, "Apparently, when Percy here was younger, he used to be known as 'Head Boy'."

Angel casually notes he knew that already ("Spin the Bottle"). That sucks the wind out of Spike's sails, he has nothing more to say.

Wes admits he tripped the self-destruct mechanism.

Fred adds it was a mistake anyone could have made, Wes was just trying to decipher some symbols for them.

Wes says it was fortunate his father was there to correct his mistake.

Angel asks where Roger is.

Fred says Lorne is entertaining him.

In the lobby, Lorne is telling a story about himself, covered in cherries, Judi Dench, the police and "way too much to pay for a pair of pants", boring Roger half to death.

In Angel's office, Fred realizes having left Roger with Lorne probably wasn't a good idea. She offers to rescue him and leaves.

Spike starts to leave, offering to have someone "type up the report about 'Head Boy'."

Angel tells him to get out. Spike departs.

Wes says it was a foolish mistake.

Angel figures he was just rattled by his father's visit.

Wes admits he finds it difficult to think clearly when his father is around.

Angel understands, "Fathers and sons, that can be torture sometimes." Angel hands Wes a folder, telling him he should look it over, it came from his department, a report of assassins that sound a lot like the cyborgs they encountered.

Wes reads from the file, "A group of them took out a demon cabal in Jakarta. Another group destroyed the Tanmar Death Chamber. Sounds like they're doing our work for us."

Angel asks if they're "good guys"?

Wes doesn't know but offers to reference the report with the markings, see if they can get a clue to their origin.

Angel tells him to get on it, noting if they're on the same side, somebody needs to tell the cyborgs before they're targeted again. Wes leaves the office.

---

Fred and Roger are walking down the hall at W&H as Fred marvels over something Roger has told her Wes had tried as a child.

As Wes joins them, Roger says he was just telling Fred about the time he caught Wes with a resurrection spell, he can't recall why Wes was doing it.

Wes tells Fred it was a bird, it had flown into the window glass, he was trying to bring it back to life.

Fred is amazed Wes could manage to read a resurrection spell at the age of seven.

Roger notes his mother thought Wes was quite the prodigy. Luckily he caught him or "We'd have had zombie birds pecking out his little eyeballs."

Fred laughs, Wes simply looks uncomfortable.

Wes asks Roger if he could enlist his expertise in some research.

Roger wonders if Wes is going to try to blow him up again.

Wes answers, "Probably not."

With that assurance, Roger offers his help.

---

Wes and Roger enter the library. Roger observes Fred seemed to like Wes.

Wes says she's a special person.

Roger puts on his glasses, picks up a book and opens it as he asks if Wes thinks a lot of her? Does she know how Wes feels?

Wes isn't interested in discussing the matter.

Roger assumes that means Wes already has a girlfriend. He wonders how he's supposed to know these things.

Wes notes he could have asked.

Roger says he's asking now as he puts the book down, and isn't surprised Wes is reacting defensively.

Wes tells him if he wants to talk about him, he's willing. "The last girl I was with, I had to chop into little, tiny pieces because a higher power saw fit to stab her in the neck."

Roger figures Wes doesn't want to talk and is just being sarcastic. He doesn't appreciate the attitude.

Wes says he has work to do as he picks up one of the source books and raises it to his lips.

Roger points out he was just saying if Wes likes Fred, he should say something. That was it, no need for any tantrums.

Wes speaks to the book, "The Saitama Codex." As he opens it, the blank pages fill in with symbols.

Roger asks what Wes did.

Wes explains the books are templates, he uses them to call up materials in the W&H archives.

Roger asks if he can simply call up things as powerful as the codex.

Wes acknowledges the archive is extensive, comprised of "almost any text you can think of."

Roger asks if Wes understands how dangerous those books are.

Wes agrees they would be, in the wrong hands.

Roger wonders, if Wes understands that, why the books are openly displayed on a table.

Wes tells him he keeps the most powerful items in his department secured in a vault. He knows what he's doing.

Roger hopes the vault is safer than the room. He looks toward the doors and asks if there's even a lock on them.

An impatient Wes assures him gaining access to the building isn't easy, the books are perfectly safe where they are.

Several of the black clad cyborgs drop down onto the roof of W&H.

---

Eve enters the elevator and pushes the button, sliding the doors shut. She finds herself accompanied by Spike who asks why she can't seem to keep her eyes off of him. He's noticed she's been paying close attention to what he's been doing.

She asks how it's going, if he's able to "affect the world" yet.

He wonders if that scares her, if she's concerned he'll be "busting out of your shackles."

She claims to not understand what he's referring to.

Spike isn't buying it, "Your 'here to help' cheerleader routine may work on Angel but I see right through it. There's more to you than you're letting on."

Eve notes the same could apply to Spike, "Unless you really are happy to haunt around here for eternity."

Spike reckons he's trapped there for a reason and Eve is part of it. "That amulet that did this to me -- Wolfram & Hart gave it to Angel -- gotta assume they meant to make him a ghost, not me. So why am I here? Why don't they just let me go?"

Eve answers, "Who said the amulet was meant for Angel?" The lights suddenly go out, the elevator stops.

Spike mutters, "I know what this is" then shouts, "You'll never take me to hell, Pavayne!" ("Hell Bound") The emergency lighting comes on. A somewhat embarrassed Spike responds to that with, "Oh. Well, that's just something I say when .. uh .. it gets dark."

Angel comes out of his office as the security alarms blare. Gunn joins him. Angel asks what's happening.

Gunn says they've lost power and communications.

Angel wonders if someone could do something about the blaring alarms which are suddenly silenced. Angel is pleased with that.

Gunn isn't sure it's a good thing, it likely means they've just lost the security systems as well.

Spike walks through the closed elevator door into the lobby. He notes to Angel that something is wrong with it.

Angel tells Gunn to get security back up, he wants to know if this was a false alarm.

Cyborgs leap into the lobby from the upper floor. Gunn reckons that answers the false alarm question.

---

In Wesley's office, Roger asks if this sort of thing happens often. The door bursts open as a chain wielding cyborg enters. Wes manages to shove Roger out of the way in time to keep him from getting hit. He grabs a sword off the wall and attacks. Wes gets punched across the room and knocked to the floor.

The cyborg looks at the books on the table. Roger gets to his feet as Wes tosses him the sword. Roger battles the 'bot briefly before Wes intervenes, grabbing the chain and managing to knock the cyborg to the floor.

Roger isn't happy with the interference, pointing out he had "attack priority."

Wes notes they weren't fencing.

Roger expects the basic rules to apply.

The cyborg gets back up. Wes takes the sword from Roger and rams it through the cyborg's body, causing an electrical discharge to emit from it. It falls to the floor.

Wes says there could be more of them, they should move out of there.

Roger notes it went straight for the template books, Wes can't just leave them there.

Wes tells him to take the books as he collects some of them himself. He moves to a back wall as his father follows. He pulls a concealed lever which slides the wall aside, revealing an inner wall with a small, lighted panel. He lays his hand on the panel and says the password, "Elysium". The inner wall opens like a door, revealing a storage area.

Wes enters with Roger following. Wes sets the books down and pulls some keys from his pocket, opening one of the wall vaults as Roger muses, they used to fight vampires, werewolves, an occasional "swamp man" and now they have to deal with "protohuman, cybernetic chain fighters."

Wes notes times are more complicated as he begins loading the books into the wall vault.

Roger mentions Wes handled the cyborg in the library quite efficiently, "at least you haven't gone soft." He asks what they should do next.

Wes is surprised his father is asking what he thinks.

Roger chuckles, suggesting Wes not be so shocked.

Wes thinks they should contact the others. As he turns his back to put one of the books into the vault, Roger pulls out a gun and hits Wes in the head with it, knocking him out.

He removes the keys from the outside of the wall vault and walks across the room, using one of the keys to open a locked wall cabinet drawer. He slides open the drawer and removes the contents, a short, gnarled staff with a crystal mounted on top of it. He reports to someone on a transmitter, "Phase one complete, begin phase two."

---

In the lobby, Angel and Gunn are battling cyborg intruders.

In the vault, Wes comes to. He checks the wall vault first and sees the books have not been disturbed.

He goes back to the library where he looks toward the cyborg he stabbed earlier, still crackling from the sword being run through its chest. Wes stalks toward it.

Employees are bustling about as Roger moves down one of the hallways. He runs into Fred. Fred tells him they need to get him to a safe place.

He says Wesley's department monitored some kind of disturbance on the roof, he's gone to investigate. He claims Wes asked him to tell Angel about it right away.

Fred asks if Wes sent him alone.

Roger assures her he can take care of himself, he's just a bit lost.

Fred offers to help.

In the library, Wes pulls the cyborg's hood off of its head, then pulls off the solid metal mask beneath it. Wes notes it seems it can feel pain, that's a good thing. He wonders if it can speak. The cyborg gasps as Wes offers to help with that. He grabs the hilt of the blade still embedded in the cyborg's chest and ratchets it upward a couple of times.

The cyborg tells him to stop.

Wes figures this is progress as he removes the sword from its body. He wonders if it has a sense of self-preservation as he grabs hold of the self-destruct mechanism. He asks what his father is doing, what he took from the vault.

The only answer he gets is, "No, no."

Wes points out if it doesn't tell, it will be destroyed.

It believes Wes is bluffing, knowing the explosion that kills it would kill Wes as well.

Wes concedes it would probably destroy the entire building, killing everyone, including his father which would be one way to stop their plan.
In the lobby, Gunn and Angel continue fighting the intruders. One of the cyborgs manages to get behind Gunn and wrap a chain around his neck.

Spike sees this and rushes to help. He comes to a stop and pauses, standing in front of Gunn. As Gunn gasps, "Spike, what are you --" Spike apologizes, explaining he has to concentrate. As Gunn chokes, Spike tells him, "Shhh, don't talk." He punches the intruder choking Gunn, knocking it to the floor.

Angel is punched and knocked to the floor, about to be hammered by a chain when Roger hits the cyborg attacking on the back of the head with something heavy, knocking it down. He extends his hand and pulls Angel to his feet.

Angel thanks him for the assist.

Fred rushes up and tells Angel Wes is on the roof, he needs Angel's help.

Angel tells Gunn to find out what's happening with security. He tells Fred people are down and directs her to find out who's injured, he'll go find Wes.

Roger says he's coming along as he follows. Angel starts to argue but Roger is undeterred, saying Wes is his son.

Spike notes Eve is still stuck in the elevator.

As Gunn leaves, he suggests Spike tell maintenance about it.

Spike realizes he doesn't know where maintenance is, then admits he doesn't care as he leaves the lobby.

---

Angel rushes out onto the empty roof as Roger lags behind. Angel calls for Wes, noticing he's nowhere to be found. He turns back toward Roger and asks where Wes is.

Roger admits he mislead Angel, it was never about Wes. He pulls the staff from where he's concealed it inside his coat, raises it and says, "Atistrata." A white glow begins streaming from Angel into the staff as Angel collapses.

As the glow disappears, Roger suggests Angel not fight it, "It will be easier for you." He reports he's "Ready for extraction, we're finished."

The staff is suddenly snatched out of his hand as Wes approaches from behind, telling him "Not quite" as he greets his father.

Roger pulls a gun only to find Wes already has one aimed at him. Roger tells him to walk away, "You'll never understand what we're trying to do here."

Wes figures he gets it, Roger is using the "Staff of Devosynn" to drain Angel's will, to enslave him. Wes notes the source of his information, "Your cyborgs panic a bit too easily."

Roger claims, "That creature is more dangerous to mankind than you realize."

Wes tells him he's wrong, Angel isn't what he thinks.

Roger counters, "He's a puppet, he always has been. To The Powers That Be, to Wolfram and Hart. Now he's ours."

Wes knows his father went to a great deal of trouble to get the staff; having them attacked, smuggling in a gun, bringing in an army to ensure his escape. He doesn't know why he's gone to these lengths, but wonders if Roger ever considered another way. Perhaps discussing it?

Roger says no, Wes has failed him enough for one lifetime.

Fred comes onto the roof and rushes to Angel who's still laying on his back. Wes tells her to get out of there but she ignores him as she kneels next to Angel and asks what's happening.

Roger asks, "You know what that vampire is, and what he's done, yet you follow him anyway?"

Wes reckons maybe he knows what he's doing, wondering why his father won't trust that.

Roger says Wes disgraced himself with the Council and aligned himself with Angel. He wonders how Wes can ask why he doesn't trust him.

Wes says he did everything his father ever asked, and did it well.

Roger notes he didn't ask for this, didn't ask to be humiliated.

Wes concedes maybe he never knew what his father wanted, "You never had any use for me as a child and you can't bear the thought of me as an adult. Tell me father, what is it that galls you so? That I was never as good at the job as you? Or that I just might be better?"

Roger snidely notes this is typical of L.A., they have to talk about their feelings. He wonders if they'll be hugging next.

Wes doubts that. The sound of a helicopter is heard approaching.

Roger demands Wes give him the staff, telling him not to force him to shoot.

Wes moves over to the side of the roof and holds the staff over the edge. He dares Roger to go ahead, shoot.

Roger asks if he knows how powerful the staff is.

Wes says he doesn't care.

Roger assures him he's willing to kill for it.

Wes is sure of that, he was raised by the man, he knows him. He points out that if he drops it, the crystal shatters and Angel is restored so he figures whether he lives or dies, Roger's plan fails.

Roger grabs Fred and pulls her to her feet, aiming the gun to her head. He thinks, "Maybe, if it's someone you care about --"

Without hesitation, Wes shoots him, repeatedly. The helicopter that had been hovering overhead departs. Wes looks down at Roger, turns, and drops the gun as he walks over to the side of the roof, leans over it and vomits.

The sound of an electrical discharge causes him to turn around. He sees the façade of Roger Wyndam-Pryce dissolve away from the cyborg beneath, revealing it wasn't his father he'd killed.

---

Angel is slumped on the couch in his office, looking a bit worse for wear. Wes comes in and asks how he's doing.

Angel asks if Wes knows the worst part about having your free will drained.

Wes offers, "Having no control over your body?"

Angel concedes there's that, but the nausea part was what he was thinking of.

Wes is sure the effects will wear off soon.

Angel asks if Wes has any idea where the cyborgs came from or what they were trying to do with him.

Wes shakes his head, indicating no.

Angel figures just what they need, more to worry about, the "good guys" may be after them now as well.

Wes notes they crossed powerful forces when they took over the firm.

Angel knows they're all trying to bring them down, they're perceived as weak.

Wes reckons it's more a matter of perception being that he is weak, which is why he was targeted.

Angel tells him they're wrong, "You do what you have to do to protect the people around you, to do what you know is right, regardless of the cost. You know, I never really understood that. You're the guy that makes all the hard decisions, even if you have to make 'em alone."

Wes says right now he feels like the guy who shot his own father.

Angel dismisses that, "Well, it was just a robot with a fancy glamour."

Wes notes it knew everything about him.

Angel tells him if they had access to the Council's old files, they'd have all of Wesley's background information, character assessments, etc.

Wes realizes they would have had everything they needed.

Angel tells him not to beat himself up about it. He muses a moment, then says, "You know, I killed my actual dad .. it was one of the first things I did when I became a vampire."

Wes looks at him, then says he doesn't really see the two situations as similar.

Angel admits he didn't really think that one through. Each suggests the other get some rest as they get up and leave the office, departing in different directions.

Spike approaches Wes in the hall and tells him he'd heard about what happened. "Don't know if you know this but, uh, I killed my mum." He thinks on that a moment, "Actually, I'd already killed her and then she tried to shag me so I had to --" He makes a staking motion with his hand.

Wes holds his hands up, indicating enough with the sharing. He thanks Spike for the "comfort" and walks into his office.

Fred comes to the doorway. Wes tells her if she's there to tell him how she killed her parents, maybe they could hold that for another time.

Fred tells him her parents are fine and reminds him he didn't kill his father either.

Wes isn't convinced.

Fred believes some part of Wes knew that wasn't his dad.

Wes denies that, saying he was sure it was him.

Fred says he was threatening Wesley's friends.

Wes tells her, "He was threatening you. He pointed the gun at you Fred, so I shot him."

Fred doesn't quite know what to say.

They're interrupted by Knox who apologizes, telling Fred he thought he was going to take her home. He knows they're supposed to "work ourselves to death" but figures the firm isn't as strict about that as they once were. Fred hesitates.

Wes tells her she should go.

Fred reluctantly complies as Wes watches her leave with Knox.

Wes takes a seat behind his desk, picks up the phone and makes a call. It's a one-sided conversation as Wes greets his mother, assures her things are fine and tells her he was hoping to speak to his father. He waits while she goes to fetch him. When he picks up, Wes starts to ask his father how he is, but is interrupted by a question. He admits he didn't realize how early it was back home. He starts to talk about what happened, "I've had a bit of a --" but is interrupted again, telling his father yes, they have clocks in Los Angeles. Wes finally gets to speak, "Listen, I wanted to -- Nothing's wrong, I just .. wanted to call .. and .. see how you were."

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