This summary is the intellectual property of Loey

Angel is acting weird(-er than usual), and his friends are concerned. He helps a demon-turned-senator spread horrible lies about her opponent. He doesn't seem to care about the activities of a creature that is killing innocent people at a local amusement park. He's having cozy little meetings with Marcus. He shuts Nina out and sends her away, even though things seem to be going well between them. All this is, if course, on top of the fact that he turned that baby over to the Fell Brethren a couple of weeks back.

Nobody wants to suspect the worst, until Drogyn shows up. You may recall him as that fruity pal of Angel's who was in charge of the Deeper Well (the one who let Illyria get away). He has been attacked by an assassin, whom he defeated and tortured for information. It was sent by.....Angel. Who apparently orchestrated Illyria's escape and, ultimately, Fred's death.

Even now, there is some reluctance to believe all this, but a conversation with Lindsey reveals that Angel has gotten involved with The Circle of the Black Thorn, a group of earthbound evildoers (demons, politicians, WB executives, etc.) who are basically the cogs in the Senior Partners' apocalypse machine. Lindsey originally came back to L.A. in an attempt to get into the Circle, and it looks like Angel has accomplished what he couldn't.

Drogyn and Illyria are left at Spike's place while the others go to confront Angel, but this turns out to be a very bad plan. Marcus invades the apartment, beating the holy hellgod out of Illyria and kidnapping Drogyn. Later, Angel enters one of those torture dimensions, where the Circle has met for his initiation. He has to kill someone good and pure in a ritual sacrifice, which turns out to be Drogyn. That gets him into the fraternity, and he seems pleased to be counted among their number.

Finally, Angel's friends catch up with him in his office, ready to take him down if necessary. A fight begins, but in the middle of it, Angel casts a glamour over the room. From the outside, it will look as if they are still at each other's throats for the next 6 minutes. On the inside, however, they need to talk.

This whole thing has been a ruse. When Cordelia's spirit-self kissed him back in "You're Welcome," Angel received a one-time-only vision of the Circle, guiding him toward what he needed to do. When Fred was killed, that gave him even more motivation, because he wanted to make her death mean something. So, he decided to infiltrate the Circle, then do away with all the members, thereby seriously undermining the Senior Partners' plans for this dimension.

He's very close now, but he knows that if he succeeds, the Partners will unleash their full wrath on him and anyone who helps him. He reminds his friends that this will not eliminate evil (that's impossible), but it will knock it around a little bit.

It will also probably get them all killed.

He wants to know who's in. Spike slowly raises his hand, and the others follow. All aboard the Suicide Mission Express.

From the lobby, Marcus watches what sure looks like a continuing fight between Angel and his supposed allies. The look on his face is somewhat inscrutable, however.

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