The Invasion: Part Three

The woman ran down the street, the steam rose from the manhole covers. The monsters had returned now the sun had once again left for a few hours. The woman could feel them. But she wasn’t that scared. She had been trained in how to use the gun she had. She also knew how to use the holy water and the crucifix. She needed help from Angel and she hated her self for going. Kate felt he was to blame for everything that had happened in her life the past few months. Deep in her heart she believed him. She knew he had tried. Yet it was easy to blame someone. Looking at the office she saw that none of the lights were on. Which was slightly odd. Then she felt it. Danger. She unholstered her gun and walked in slowly. She saw a man lying on the floor next to…was that a body? “Angel?” She called out. She didn’t get a response. The man just wept quietly. “I know it’s you.” Reaching for a light switch Kate’s eye’s burned as the light hit them. Before her she saw Angel with the body of a girl she had seen once. Angel cried. For some reason she knew he hadn’t done this. She just knew. She needed to get him help. Rushing to the phone she dialled the number in speed dial one- Wesley. After a garbled conversation Wesley agreed to come and help. After he had gone past to get Cordelia. “Angel. Its going to be okay. I promise. Wesley is coming round with Cordelia. We’ll get to the bottom of this I promise.” Before she could offer even more condolences Buffy’s body disappeared before them both. No noise. No smell. It simple turned into air and was gone. “What the fuck?” Kate whispered under her breath. She looked at Angel, who was rocking himself. “Something isn’t right here” She thought. And she was right.

Wesley walked down the corridor of Cordelia’s building and heard her scream. Running he banged on her door. When he got no reply he kicked the door open. Gagging he smelt the blood. Looking round he saw Cordelia lying on the floor. She was passed out. There was no-one else in the apartment. Dennis looked at the Englishman. He thought he was ok. He had helped Cordelia a lot recently. Dennis summoned al his strength. And rushed towards the man merging into him. Wesley yelled as Dennis invaded his mind. Images of Cordelia fighting and killing a man shot before his eyes. Dennis left Wesley and fell to the floor. Wiped out. Wesley looked round the apartment and said “Thank you Dennis.” Walking to Cordelia he picked her up and put her on the sofa. Packed her bag and carried her to the car. He was out of his depth. He needed Angel’s help. So did Cordelia. Her soul depended on it.

Cordelia stirred from her nightmare. Snapping open her eyes she saw she was in Angel’s bedroom. Looking at herself she saw she was clean. She had no blood on her. Suddenly she thought “I dreamed the whole thing” then she moved and pain shot through her body. The dream theory disappeared just like that man’s body had. Getting up slowly she walked through to the kitchen where she saw a sullen Angel. Wesley behind a mountain of books and Kate on the phone. “Hi guys” She said weakly. She was surprised at the weakness of her voice. “Cordelia. Hello” Wesley said rushing from his seat to her side. “You know don’t you?” She asked. She knew he knew. “Yes. Yes I do.” He said with a sadness she had never heard before. “But we are working on finding who did it.” He put his arm around her and hugged her close. She felt safe here. She breathed in his scent. Aftershave and tea. The Wesley smell. Pushing him away slightly Cordelia looked at Angel again. He seemed to have visibly age 100 years. He looked terrible, the way she felt. “What’s wrong with him?” Cordelia whispered to Wesley. Wesley felt his stomach do a little loop. “Buffy has been killed.” The sentence struck Cordelia like a hammer. She nearly fell over from the sensation. Angel looked at her. He became blurred through the tears that had sprung into her eyes. “ I have to be elsewhere.” she muttered as she walked to the bathroom. Closing the door, she turned her back to the door and slid down it. Feeling the cold tiles hit her bum. Sighing heavily she let more tears come. After ten minutes she heard a knock on the door. Opening it she saw Kate before her. “Are you ok?” Kate asked. It was obvious that Kate had never had a “real” chat with a woman before. Cordelia sympathised. “I’m ok. Did Angel send you in?” “Yes. But….I mean…. I did….. I wanted to…. see you're ok.” Kate spluttered out. Taking her hand Cordelia walked through to the office. “I want to find who killed Buffy. I want to find him and I want to hurt him.” Cordelia spat out with venom. “ I have a fee…” She was cut short and fell to the floor. Screaming her head filled with images that didn’t make any sense. As she came back to the real world Cordelia realised. Standing up she walked to a detached Angel. “ Did Buffy disappear?” She asked instantly “Pardon?” Angel answered being ripped from his depression. “Her body. Did it just turn into air?” Cordelia knew the answer “Yes.” “Have you phone Joyce? Giles? Willow?” Cordelia asked “No” Angel hung his head in evident shame. Without pause Cordelia walked to the phone and dialled Giles number. “Giles….hi…yes. I’m fine………………………….yes…………….tell me how’s Buffy?……….Really……there?…….could you?……Buffy hi…..yes….I’m fine…… sounds like Sunnydale…… yes he’s ok…..” Angel listened with new ears. Cordelia was talking to Buffy. His Buffy. One of the only girls he had ever loved. Standing up the thoughts clicked into place. Signalling to Cordelia he wanted her to end the conversation he left the room and walked to the lift.

The air somehow changed. Something had happened. He couldn’t figure out what but something. Walking to the window he looked out. The night sky caused him to reflect against the window. He looked past that at the many lights in the night sky. He could feel their confusion lift. This wasn’t good. He needed to report to his employer. Needed to let her know that danger was going to occur.

Cordelia felt like screaming. She had gone over this a hundred times already. She had seen it all in a vision. She had seen Zack being held hostage in an apartment somewhere in the east side of town. She had also seen Buffy fight some demon. She had told them all. She had also seen her own death but she kept that to herself. “Angel I know where they are, we can kill the baddies and save Zack in one go.” Cordelia sighed. “NO. We have no idea what we are up against” Angel grumbled. He didn’t want to fight this….whatever it was. “Yes we do” Wesley said in his “Ah-ha!” voice. Carrying a book that looked as old as Angel he dropped it on the table. “ This.” He pointed to a page with a picture of a man/woman/animal. The picture seemed to have no distinct features. “It’s a shape shifter. It seems to use his power to pick on the fears of the person and those closest around him or her. Such as Buffy’s murder and Cordelia’s, well, someone must employ it because otherwise it wouldn’t be attacking us. They are normally nice creatures. But would do anything for money.” “So…someone hired it to…make us go crazy?” Cordelia asked feeling the anger rise in her. “I’m afraid so.” Wesley answered sympathetically. It seems that it attempts to rape a woman to cause her emotional pain and it kidnaps loved ones or fakes the death of a loved one. With us it has done all of these.” Wesley added. Walking away from the book as though it were a thing of evil he went to the window. Turning to the group he said “We have to find it and destroy it. If we don’t it will kill Zack. It will take it’s own life before telling us who employed it. But we can kill it.” “We will kill it” Cordelia hissed.

In the basement of the office Angel and his friends gathered weapons. There were not as many as there used to be. The explosion has destroyed most things in the apartment. Luckily a “friend” of Angel's managed to relocate them quickly. The similarities between the two buildings were scary. But his weapon supply had been depleted. His axe had survived. He took that. Wesley took the sword. Cordelia found it hard to pick a weapon. She looked at axes and swords. They wouldn’t do. She would find it difficult, but not impossible, to kill someone with one. Looking round further she saw something, that caught her eye instantly. Picking it up she looked at Angel, “What’s this?” She quizzed “Put it down” Angel said as he rushed over to her. “Why? She asked. “It’s not for you to use.” Angel warned “My God.” Wesley gasped, “is that…” “Yes it is.” Angel whispered. “God sakes. Stop talking in tongues tell me what that is!” Cordelia yelled. “It’s the whip of Hera. The Queen Goddess. It was supposed to be destroyed. But I stole it. I forgot I had it...” Angel trailed off. “The user,” Wesley started “Will become almost invincible. The tip of it holds enough venom to wipe out L.A. If someone were hit with it they would die in the most pain conceivable.” “I’ll be taking that then.” Cordelia chirped. “Did you hear what I just said?” Wesley asked. “Yes. I did.” Looking at Wesley at Angel “This thing invaded me. It tried to rape me. I felt dirty. I killed it. It made me go crazy. I…. nearly killed myself.” Tears filled her eye’s as the pain she felt came to the surface “I was invaded Angel. You know what that feels like. I….I….want it hurt as much as I do right now.” She couldn’t stop crying now. Wesley and Angel rushed to her side and hugged her until the tears dried. Whip in hand they all set off.

In Cordelia’s vision she had seen where it was. An old motel just out of town. It was a known demon motel for those who could afford it. As they pulled into the parking lot Wesley said “I will get Zack. But beware this thing can change it’s appearance. It will no doubt turn into one of us. We need a way to determine which is the real one.” “I know” Cordelia said. “ Touch our nose.” “What?” Angel said almost laughing. “Exactly. It won’t expect something like that would it?” “ Good plan” Angel said shocked. Getting out of the car they walked up to room 34a. Kicking open the door they were greeted by a full on attack. The thing had known they were coming. It could sense it. So it had waited. As the door opened it attacked the first one who came in. Wesley. As it morphed into a tiger it cut Wesley’s face. Yelling Wesley tried to cut it. No luck. Cordelia couldn’t use the whip in case she got Wesley. Then she realised that Zack could. Running to him she felt the pity surge through her. He looked terrible. His body had been cut in many places. It would take him a long time to recover. There was a device in his head and a gag in his mouth. The device had somehow cut his power. Taking it off she felt it fly past her into the creature. Wesley used this opportunity to get up. Helped by Angel he got to his feet. Looking it, it changed into Buffy. “Remember me lover?” She laughed as she jumped to Angel. “You let me die. Not very nice of you. Asshole” She said as she round housed him. “Good try. But you're not Buffy.” Angel hissed as he vamped out. Raising his axe he felt the stake enter him. It went in his side. The pain surged through him. Falling to the floor he yelled in pain. But the others had seen it go in. “Angel!” Cordelia screamed. Rushing to him. A tremendous force pushed her back. The thing had morphed into Zack. “I’m ok. “ Angel let out. He couldn’t get up though. The thing was holding him down. Turning to Wesley the thing pushed him through the window. Wesley yelled in pain and fear as he flew through the air. Looking round her she saw Zack had passed out. Angel was also on the floor unconscious. She was alone again. Looking it straight in the eyes she said, “Let me guess. This is where you turn into the guy who tried to rape me?” Laughing the creature didn’t. He turned into something else. Wilson. “Remember me?” Wilson asked. “How could I forget.” She laughed. “Is that it? You power extents to trying to upset me? Well here this is for you shit bag.” Flicking her wrist she watched in slow motion as the whip flew out and the tip hit the creature. She watched it’s face change as the venom spread through it’s body. It screamed as it fell to the floor. Cordelia watched as it’s body turned black and puss oozed out of it. The thing started to convulse then it was dead. Crying she fell to the floor. She stayed there until she could cry no more and passed out.

As she walked through the door to the office the gang greeted her. Wesley had his arm in a cast. He broke it when he hit the tree. Zack was covered in plasters and bandages. He still smiled. Angel had healed up pretty well. It had been close though. She smiled as the three men hugged her. She didn’t feel in danger. She knew she would have to be careful. But she was surrounded by men who loved her and would never hurt her. The phone screamed and Cordelia answered it. “Angel Investigations We're here to help the hopeless.” Because life went on. She would go on.