Part 6

-----"The game is up." -William Shakespeare, "Cymbeline", Act 3 scene 3-----

"Hi," said the vampire crouched on the roof of the large jeep. He eyed all the weapons aimed in his direction. "Look, y' might wanna listen, here, before you ice me. I coulda kept goin.'"

Angel looked at Lorne. "No deception," the demon replied. "Let's hear him out, huh?"

"Right," the vampire said. "Okay, your buddy's gonna be in the center of that building over there," he said, pointing to the leftmost building in the dilapidated church complex. "'Bout thirty vamps in bleachers and a human chick," he looked at Angel, "I think you've met her."

"Why help us?"

"'Cause I already got paid. Soulless, y'know?" He grinned. "I got no loyalty. And I kinda liked the kid."

"Oh, just one more thing," Angel asked, and suddenly he was at the other vampire's back, a hand in his hair and a sword at his neck. "How did you know I was coming?"

The vampire gasped. "Dru says hi. Y'know, your eyes still creep her out."

Angel spun him around. "Drusilla's here!?"

"Naw. She booked."

"Can we get on with this?" Kaiba interrupted.

"Right." Angel shoved the other vampire off the car's roof and he rolled with the motion, twisting like a cat and running.

"You're lettin' him go?" Gunn asked. Then, "Stupid question. Just hope it wasn't a stupid move."

"Fight might be heard," Angel replied. Then Wes and Angel traded a long look. Slightly, almost imperceptibly, Wes nodded, ceding battle command. "All right, kids," Angel said, smiling grimly, "here's the plan...."

"One thing," Kaiba said. "Who's Drusilla?"

Angel turned to him, and then looked beyond, to Yugi. His eyes were deep, empty caverns. "Madness," he replied.

* * *

Yami still had most of Ralph's playing cards, and he sawed surreptitiously at his bindings. It was a hard thing to do unnoticed since he was strapped to an altar at the center of the room. The grey-haired vampire had his back to the altar. He held a knife aloft and chanted softly, the crowd adding a word at occasional intervals.

Lilah, the human woman, pulled a chair up next to Yami's head and sat. "Agonizing, huh? These things can take longer than Catholic weddings."

"Then why are you still here?"

"I'm a lawyer. I'm paid by the hour."

"Oh."

"Anyway, you're interesting. Not evil, per se, but part of some kind of metaphysical fusion of dark and light. Wonder how they got you apart?"

"They?"

"You don't even know, do you?"

"Neither do you, obviously. You're just trying to wring one last bit of information out of me before I die." //They? I left. I had to. What does she mean? //

"Smart...whatever you are." Lilah leaned forward and ran a hand over his leather-wrapped chest. "Cute, too. Pity."

"I won't forget this, Lilah."

"You won't have a lot of time to remember it." The chanting swelled. "That knife, by the way? That's rented too. Should kill you if you're mortal, and fry you if you're not. So, revenge? Not seeing it happen."

"Well, then, before I die, I have a question."

"Shoot."

"If a vampire named Drusilla said that a man with eyes like knives was coming for me, what would that mean?"

The chair clattered to the floor and Lilah was on her feet. "ANGEL!"

The crowd went silent. A voice directly behind her answered, "You rang?"

* * *

Lilah whirled and got her wrists grabbed for her trouble.

"So, did anybody listen when I told them what would happen if they hurt my kid?"

"They're just ... changing his alignment a little. It won't hurt."

"Well, he might feel a slight tingling sensation," put in the vampire priest.

"Phil, you aren't helping."

"My son is a happy, healthy baby boy, and he's going to stay that way," Angel replied, smiling as he felt wrist bones begin to give. Lilah tried to twist out of his arms. "You might want to put that knife down."

"You think I care what happens to her? She's a lawyer."

"Hmm. Point taken." Angel threw Lilah several feet and launched himself at Phil. They struggled for the knife as vampires began to descend from the bleachers.

"Apologies, father of the Miracle Child, but you shall not leave here alive. You are one and we are many."

"Uh-huh. And you did know that I don't work alone, right?"

A vampire shouted from near the top row, "I smell people! They're everywhere!" Phil, distracted, looked up, and Angel released one hand, only to plunge its wrist-mounted stake into Phil's chest.

Another vampire picked up Phil's fallen blade. "You shall not stop our...sacrifice?" But the altar was empty, save for its velvet cover and some sliced duct tape. "Where'd he go?"

Then the bleachers collapsed.