taxonomites | 5. [Location: Hyperion] [Voice] A song of world's ending

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5. [Location: Hyperion] [Voice] A song of world's ending

It's the middle of the night, and Lorne can't sleep.

The shadows have eyes, and they are watching him.

After hours of tossing and turning, he finally gives up and rolls out of bed. Stares at his bedside clock through bleary eyes. It's well past midnight. He slips a bathrobe over his stripey pajamas, puts on a pair of fuzzy pink slippers, and shuffles out to the bar. Turns on the pink lamps, but they only make it worse, since shadows can only exist where there's light. Still, there's no way he's turning them off.

Lorne pours himself a shot of peach schnapps and downs it, reveling in the sweet burn. His eyes are drawn to the empty stage, only to discover that it's not so empty. There's something shifting behind the curtain.

The curtain ripples, and silhouettes pour out to the edges of the stage. One of them steps into the middle, where it's dimly illuminated by the lamps, but not enough to make out anything more than the moldering outline of a corpse.

Then, all at once, the ghosts begin to sing, and Lorne's world falls apart.

Caritas, a pile of colorful rubble in the street. Castle Summers in ruins, its towers torched. Even the Sanctuary is a shambles. The air reeks of smoke, decay, blood, and charred flesh.

But the streets are the worst sight of all, because the people of Taxon are tearing each other apart. Weapons fire at a car zooming through Osten. In the shadow of a wrecked building, two vampires snarl as they wrestle for dominance like wild animals. Everything is chaos. Screams rend the air like knives tearing through cloth. Piles of the dead lie rotting in open graves.

Soon, the entire city will be a grave.

The song ends, and Lorne collapses, trembling, against the bar. He catches one last glimpse of the ghost in the middle of the stage. Its face is strangely familiar. At the sight of it, he leans over a trash can and retches, bringing up black bile.

When his senses return to him at last, Lorne keys up the tablet on his wrist and sets it to voice. He feels so terrible right now he can't let all of Taxon see his face. "I got a musical message from our ghostly friends. Apocalypse. Second verse same as the first." He lets out a shuddering breath. "But I got something new to add. It's not all the hamsters' fault. The people of Taxon?" He stares grimly into the tablet. "We're all fighting each other."

"By the way, team? I'm coming to the Hyperion. I hope you'll all join me. 'Cause all that fighting I saw? Not gonna happen."

He takes off as fast as he can in his fluffy pink slippers toward the tram. No time for a snappy suit. At this time of night, the tram is mercifully empty of Extras. As he gets out of the tram and approaches the Hyperion, he feels a flutter of apprehension about seeing Angel again.

Then sets it aside. All animosities have to go.

Clad in pinstriped pajamas, a purple silk bathrobe, and slippers, he opens the doors to the Hyperion.

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Spike caught it too, and though he didn't quite jerk back, he certainly does not look happy. "Bloody hell," he mutters. "Just what we needed. More ghosts." Fred's not even dead here.

He adds, in a louder voice, "Whatever's doing this knows us well enough to guess what forms'll get to us." he glances at Fred. "And apparently they don't have to be presently dead."

Fred had twisted around to see what had apparently upset Wesley so much, but- well, she wasn't fast enough to catch it. Spike apparently was, but she doesn't catch his implication right away and gives him a confused look. "What? You mean they-"

When it does hit, it's like a ton of bricks. Of course that would knock Wesley off his train of thought. Her eyes widen and she frowns, deeply. "No. You're kidding! It's not enough for Illyria to- are you sure that wasn't Illyria?" Fred doesn't know what these things look like, as she hasn't seen one for herself yet. She bites her lip, keeping her eyes open for more ghosts now.

"It wasn't Illyria," Connor interrupts again, voice more firm. He'd caught that glimpse. "She doesn't have the power to create apparitions. How about we stop pointing fingers at the person we'd all be happy to blame and start figuring this out?" He looks at his father and to Spike for a moment, before addressing the others. "Look, I get that most of you don't know me, but we--" He gestures to the vampires. "--know her. Trust that as much you want, but if this stuff is going down, then we need to not be wasting our time bickering over Illyria and get down to business."

There's a pause as Connor looks over at his father and asks, "Right?" Angel nods, agreeing.

Cordelia moves to Fred, placing a hand on her shoulder and giving it a squeeze. She hasn't seen the ghost herself, but for the love of god this has to stop.

"Not that I trust crazy blue lady, but if they say it's not her? Then that's that." She crosses her arms, then glances at Wes. "I've had my fair share of glitches.... both done to me and others around me. What do you want to know about them?"

It's a relief (albeit a small one) that Spike and Connor (?) had also seen the Fred-apparition. The image is still in his mind, even though the ghost itself has vanished again. It makes him reluctant to look at Fred at all in case it happens again.

He listens to the others talking, and gives Lorne a shaky nod, not yet trusting himself to speak. It's one thing to know and accept intellectually that Fred dies in his future, it's quite another to see her corpse.

This is ridiculous, he's a former Watcher; trained to focus on the task at hand and not to allow illusory distractions to deter him from the good fight. What would his father think of his lack of composure?

He straightens and shifts his train of thought back to the glitches and Cordelia's question.

"Has anyone recorded the frequency of the personal glitches? The duration? The level of harm or danger the glitches have posed? Perhaps there is a pattern which can be gleaned from such data."

Edited 2010-06-21 11:12 (UTC)

Angel throws Cordelia a look...that's not so much a look at her as it is eying the bite scar on her neck. He tears his gaze away to focus on Wesley - pausing at Fred before he does because, well, this isn't going to be fun.

"Most glitches run for a week or two. Some only a day. The longest recorded was my own glitch. I was glitched into Angelus for two months, back in February. Buffy's sister, Dawn, performed the Ritual of Restoration and re-ensouled me in early April. Which is also the first time - to my knowledge - that anyone's ever ended a glitch without the glitch coming to an end of its own means. Of course, we have no way of knowing whether it was actually Dawn's spell or if the hamsters just turned it off at that exact moment."

Lorne watches Fred to make sure she's all right, once he figures out what's happening. "Not you, Freddles. You're safe here with us." He knows what it's like to her dying. It's not much of a stretch to imagine her dead, and it's not something she should ever have to see.

He follows Angel's gaze to Cordelia's neck, and fights the urge to be sick again. Angelus bit Cordelia? How could she stand to be in a room with him? Lorne's seen Angelus in action before, but that bite scar in Cordelia's neck makes it all viscerally real. He kicks himself for not having noticed before. Then he just feels sorry for Angel. However terrible Lorne feels now, Angel must feel that much worse knowing who inflicted that wound.

Lorne's feeling sorry for Angel. That's a good first step.

Then he remembers what Drusilla charged him to say via tablet on his way to the Hyperion. "What about the people who do the vanishing act? The Doctor and the Master just disappeared, and say what you will about their collective sanity, they were the smartest guys in town. The Doctor definitely coulda helped with this apocalypse business. I'm thinking maybe they disappeared for a reason, and if they're looking for big hero figures to whisk away before Armageddon hits..." He gives Angel a significant look, reluctant as he is to admit at this point that Angel's a bona fide, untarnished hero.

Fred had still been trying to reconcile what she's heard about her ghost showing up. From everything she's heard, she shouldn't even have a ghost. And despite Connor's defense of Illyria, what's bothering Fred is not the god-king herself.

She's shaken it off, mostly, by the time Angel relates his glitch. She's ready to focus on the problem at hand once again. She is glad, however, to have Lorne watching out for her and nods at him when he speaks up, giving him a wan smile.

The fact that the Doctor's gone- she hadn't linked it to the upcoming problems. Heck, she hadn't completely agreed he was gone, but all's been quiet on that end, so that's probably what happened. "It might have something to do with it," she replies. "I mean, it's also possible he was creating too many problems for them, too- we'd been working on a few ways to try and get out of the city. But like I said before, they like us to be 'interesting', so that probably wasn't why he was taken away. This upcoming thing makes as much sense as anything. In that case, though, maybe they were just trying to remove people who might be able to decipher their technology? People who were that advanced?" She really doesn't want to think about Angel disappearing too.

Angel's shocking revelation of being glitched as Angelus for a full two months in the city causes Wesley's stomach to twist into knots, knowing full well the kind of terror and mayhem the soulless vampire was capable of inflicting upon others. How had he not noticed the scar on Cordelia's neck until now?

Cordelia had clearly forgiven him. Angel had not been himself, after all. And yet, Wesley could not imagine being so forgiving had it happened to him. Once re-ensouled Angel must have suffered terribly knowing what he'd done to the woman he loved.

There was so much that Wesley didn't know about his friends, what they'd been through in his absence, or ironically with a later version of himself that he was still yet to become. It was a jarring feeling to be constantly reminded of how out of synch he was with those around him.

When Lorne brings up those who have disappeared for good from Taxon, and the possible reasons why, Wesley initially looks to Angel too. He's a Champion, a leader, a major player in any apocalypse if the Powers That Be are to be believed.

Fred's point, however, that the Doctor was advanced in his knowledge of technology and had been working on a few ways to try and get out of the city causes Wesley to shift his concern. Winifred. She'd been helping the Doctor. She was absolutely one of the few people who might be brilliant enough to decipher their technology and find a way out.

His gaze flickers over to Lorne, wondering if he too has come to the same conclusion that Fred could be just as likely a target.

He doesn't want to alarm her though, so he addresses the group:

"It might be prudent to avoid being alone for the next few days. Just in case our captors do indeed have plans which involve removing possible threats to whatever larger experiment or glitch is scheduled. I would suggest we stick together in groups of twos or threes and constantly check in with each other. Implement a buddy system of sorts."

Oh, she's been noticing the looks thrown at her neck, all right. Cordelia consciously covers it with one hand, under the guise of stretching her muscles - ha. She's not sure she wants to relive that memory, but if Wes and Lorne asks... maybe, just maybe, she can tell them about it.

And hearing about the Doctor and Master disappearing? Can't say she's not relieved. Angry that the Master disappeared without them punishing him, but relieved that he won't be able to harm any of them again.

"Buddy system, huh," she says, glancing at Wes again. "Yeah, sure. We still haven't figured out how the disappearing acts work, so it makes sense for us to stick together, right? And besides, with these freaky ghosts roaming around? I'm all for this idea."

Spike bites back his annoyance at all the significant looks people are throwing Angel. He'd love to point out that there's another champion in the room, one who's just as heroic as Angel and who hasn't gone evil since getting his soul. But it isn't the time for bickering, and he's pretty much resigned himself to not being the one in the history books or the prophecies. That's Angel. Spike's the one no one sees coming. Fantastic.

Doesn't mean he has to bite back all his remarks.

"Don't fool yourself. Whatever else these hamsters are, they're bloody powerful. If they want to get rid of... one of us, they'll probably find a way, buddy system or no." He hesitates, then adds, "But it might make it harder for them, I suppose. Or maybe someone'll manage to see how they do it."

"Why are we limiting the buddy system to just us? I don't know about you, but I don't feel much like a big hero who the hamsters want to whisk away. I'm not saying we aren't all important in our own ways, but maybe we should focus on the people the hamsters are bound to focus on. The vampires with souls, the slayers," Lorne says, ticking them off on his fingers, "anyone else with mondo destiny around here?"

"Right, so- Angel and Spike, and Faith and Buffy..." She taps her head and tries to think of everyone else in the city. "We'll have to ask other people about their world's destinies. I don't really know who else would fit that description, but somehow I'm imagining a lot of people in this world would." Like she'd told the Doctor, this city was full of heroes.

"You think if we just stay in communication with as much people as we can, try to make sure they all know we want to help...I was thinking maybe that'd help keep us all from...y'know, attacking each other. Maybe the buddy system would help with that, too?" It was the best thing she could think of.

Mondo destinies. Angel shoots Spike a quick look in the guise of a glare and is grateful fact that Connor is being tactful for once and not looking back at him in a 'does yours even count?' way. They're not even sure if Wolfram & Hart's interpretation of the Shanshu Prophecy is correct, but even then, being supposedly destined to be the fall of man is mondo within itself, just in the opposite direction of that which they tend to look in.

"What about Kirk's crew? They're just about as advanced as the Doctor was. I've been on his ship - or the parts of it - and it's like something out of H.G. Wells."

"Hey, maybe we should gather all the people with huge, prophetic destinies and, like, lock them up together in a cage, or something." Pause. "Kidding!" And, softer, "...only not." Because she as sure as hell don't want to lose anyone here.

At Angel's question, Cordelia goes to sit on the couch. "I know Kirk and some of his crew - Uhura, Bones, and that guy with the weird ears. I could... probably contact and warn them? And while we're at it, maybe we should have, like, a Taxon-wide meeting about this? If we're serious about the buddy-up system, that is. I don't think it's fair to limit it to people with huge destinies, after all."

Spike catches Angel's glare and shoots one back at him. It doesn't matter if Wolfram and Hart were right about the prophecy or not, Angel's still a Champion, and destiny or not, if the hamsters want to get rid of people who are useful in stopping apocalypses, Spike and Angel are pretty high up the list.

"We especially ought to have some way of keeping track of those people, the ones without huge destinies. We'll notice the big name heroes vanishing. We might miss the little people."

Wesley nods, and removes his spectacles to rub at his eyes wearily. He honestly can't remember the last time he had a decent six hour sleep. His voice is quietly grave when he speaks.

"Special destinies or not, everyone is at risk and we should not lose sight of the fact that every individual is an important part of this community. Any loss at all, be they vanishings or deaths is an unacceptable loss.

Perhaps what we're talking about is a census or register to keep track of the population. An ongoing record of who is here and who has come and gone could serve as not only a chronicle but a way to help us (or those who come after us) to eventually determine if there is any pattern or design to these abductions, the glitches and to our continued forced residence within this environment."

It would be quite the undertaking. How useful it would be to their current impending crisis he's not entirely certain. But Wesley knows he wants to do something, to apply himself to the problem.

"I don't know how feasible it will be to gather the citizenry in one place for a town meeting. Has this ever happened before? We do have the ability for open broadcast, though. A general warning and a strong suggestion to look out for each other is easily achievable."

"I can write down the names of everyone who comes to Caritas," Lorne offers. "It's not much, but it's a start. All kinds of folks come by. As for the buddy system, I guess we start with the people in this room." He looks around, then smiles at Fred. "I can be your buddy, Fred. You're a genius. The hamsters might be scared you'll figure out what they're up to."

Fred nods at both Wesley and Spike. "I think a question-warning-announcement thing out to the network might be our best bet. I mean, not everyone's gonna want to discuss destinies with us, and that's fine, but we could at least get it out that we're wanting to help people, and that should help some, at least." Maybe it'll help cut down on people fighting each other.

Then Lorne suggests buddying up and Fred nods again, this time with a bit of a smile. "Oh, I don't know about that- I mean, I don't know nearly as much about tech as the Doctor or the starship guys. But I'll sure be your buddy." She grabs his hand and squeezes it. "I was wanting to hang out in Caritas more, anyway."

Wesley watches as Lorne offers to be Winifred's buddy and makes her smile. The horned demon manages to say what's exactly on Wesley's mind and yet still be warm and reassuring about it. He envies Lorne's ability to do that.

His gaze shifts when they start holding hands. He's glad that Fred will have someone who cares watching over her.

"It probably would be best if one of us keeps an eye on Illyria. I'll assume that role since she appears to tolerate my presence."

Spike snorts. Wesley's apparently just as obsessed with Illyria when Fred's alive. Well, it saves him having to attempt to keep track of Illyria again. That leaves him, Angel, Cordelia, and Connor unpartnered. Well, that's a pretty easy choice.

He looks over at Connor. "Up for working together again?"

You're welcome, Angel. Enjoy all that extra Cordelia time.

And while Spike's asking Connor, Cordelia will just walk to Angel and give him a fakey-fake baleful look.

"Guess I'm stuck with you." And to lighten the apparently very - and understandably - somber mood, "Anyone want to switch partners with me?"

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