Title: Manifest Darkness
Episode 07
Authors: Sovereign and Elizafan568
Rating: R - things get dark fast.
Notes: This story starts half way through season five
of Angel in the episode "Damage". It goes AU from
there with some cannon parts to it.
Summary: Factions for good struggle with each others
existence while something darker this way comes.
Feedback: Sovereign - xsovereignx@yahoo.com and
Elizafan - elizfaith568@yahoo.com
Faith opened her mouth wide and a blue mist came forth. The look on her face showing both intense pain and disgust. The mist settled over Fred's body and melted into it. Her form changed back to what was now Illyria. She got to her feet, seemingly no worse for the wear and stared at Faith. The blue marks on Faith went away, except for one strand of blue hair down the center of the back of Faith's hair, that didn't look like it was going anywhere. "Great, now I'm part smurf too." Faith snapped.
"I have prolonged her life." she reached over and oddly enough, gently held open each eye as if doing an examination. "Your discoloration is permanent however, it is part of the price for being this close to me. Your blood has mixed with mine." she opened the Slayers mouth and was having a look inside there. as well. "There may be other small markings as well."
Faith moved her mouth away and sat up, holding her bandage and grunting a bit in pain. "So, I got a blue strand of hair..." she said, looking down at herself. She lifted up her shirt a little and saw a blue spot in the center of her chest as well. "And a big blue patch of skin right above the twins. Just great." Faith remarked, causing Angel to blush slightly. "So blue meanie, I guess I should say thanks but it doesn't change anything. You still killed my friend and are one of the worst demons ever. So friends, we certainly aren't."
"You understand me though. You have done the same." Illyria walked away, seemingly different somehow. "You also have taken a life you did not mean to, and you also were still held accountable for it, despite the many lives you have saved after." She looked at Angel and tilted her head. "I am having difficulty with this term, redemption, does it not apply to everyone, only to yourself and Faith?"
Angel caught on quicker than most and figured it out. "You thought you could go inside Faith, keep her alive, and learn about humanity at the same time. You have answers, but not all of them, since Faith herself doesn't have all of them."
"Correct. Of course, I also want to learn how to walk in this world, as I will be staying...here." Illyria finished, looking a the Slayer.
Faith got off the table and looked at Illyria. It was strange but Faith did feel an odd connection to her. They did have a few things in common and she did save her life. Faith had no right to judge considering the dark past she was still trying to come to terms with and make up for. "Well, if your going to stay, it might as be here with us where we can keep an eye on you at least. Rather get stabbed in the front than in the back, and since I'm both strong and not tied down with business," she said, giving Angel a look, "I guess I'll have to be the one to teach you or take care of you or whatever the hell it is that needs to be done with you. Cool?" Faith asked, looking at both Angel and Illyria.
Illyria tilted her head, then spoke. "We are in agreement. You will aid me and in return I shall protect you from the other Old One coming into your world." Illyria turned and made to walk out into the main office. Angel immediately followed.
"Other Old one?" Angel asked, catching stride with her.
"That is what I said." Illyria kept walking, seemingly focused on getting somewhere.
Faith followed behind as fast as she could, but was really having a time keeping up. "Didn't you say something about an Olvican before to that soldier. Is that the other Old One? It sounds really familiar." Faith said, racking her brain for where she had heard that name before.
"Your Father was attempting to ascend to be with him." Illyria replied. "It's a very loud thought in your mind, I could not help but hear it. Like a cry of anguish."
"How is he here though?" Angel said. "We ... we ended that a long time ago."
"This one is a trans dem. What you would call, an alternate universe. I know only that he is not from the universe of shrimp." Illyria went into the break room and stared at a vending machine. She looked and found what she was looking for then broke a hole in the machine and retrieved a Caramello bar.
"Um, okay? What's with candy bar? That supposed to help us somehow?" Faith asked clearly confused. "And what's with this whole Alternate Universe thing. You mean there's another world where my father, I mean, Mayor Wilkins is still alive. Meaning he won there at that Graduation?" Faith said, clearly bewildered.
"Yes." she replied ripping open the wrapper and eating it. "The candy bar is your gift to me. I seem to have an uncontrollable urge to consume this type of product." Illyria consumed the whole bar in two bites. then grabbed several more. "In that universe, Olvican achieved ascension. You, or you in that universe, were able to stop a plan hatched by Angel and his allies to stop him, the world fell in mere months, then a genius scientist by the name of Evan Knox invented trans dem technology with the aid of a master witch named Amelia Madison. They have been like locusts ever since."
Faith froze, wide eyed at the very idea of this. "So you mean, the me of that world, never came to her senses. Kept on the downward spiral and got worse than I did here?" Faith asked, her heart sinking. If a version of her in another world never got better, only worse. Than that meant that the very same thing could have happened to her had the circumstances been only slightly different. She could have remained lost forever, an evil monster of a human being. That thought alone made Faith's heart sink
"Faith, you are not her." Angel replied. "You are here and you are a good person.."
"Angel is correct. Yourself from that world was only evil because she had the courage to throw her attacker off the roof of the apartment building. " She marched off with an arm ful of candy bars. "In this reality, you lacked that courage. It's a secret you've been hiding for a very long time." she stopped and turned around. "I do not understand, why do people keep secrets from those they profess to care about?"
"I...I know I did. I just...I hated B and everything she stood for at the time and still...I couldn't kill her...couldn't take that last step. I was evil and couldn't even get that right." Faith said, before the reality hit her. "Oh god, that means in that reality, I killed her...I killed B." Faith said, tears starting to flow. Tears of shock and sorrow.
"Not exactly." Illyria spoke, but was silenced by A look from Angel.
"Faith. There are millions of realities, some that you are not even in, some where you and Buffy never met and others where you were the good one and Buffy was bad. You can't think about how things might have turned out, or did turn out somewhere else." he wrapped her in his arms. "You gotta think about you and what kind of a person you are. I think you're a good person who lost their way, and now is on the right path again. Don't ever forget that. Only you are responsible for what you have done, not some other version of you from bizarro land"
"I know your right Angel and I know that's not me, but I can still feel the evil inside me. Its always been there and it'll always be there. I can't help but feel responsible for what she's done or will do. Cause I know, under different circumstances, I would have ended up the same way. I know I'm not her, but its hard to think about how bad I was and how much worse I could have gotten and not feel bad knowing that out there somewhere, there's living proof of what could have been. I just hate myself and who I was so much sometimes." Faith said, crying into Angel's shoulder. He knew it was impossible for her to think about it. That past would haunt her forever. He knew that all too well.
"Just let it out Faith." he replied, looking over at Illyria. "Can you give us a moment please?"
Illyria nodded. "As you wish." she turned with her cargo and headed down the hall.
"Faith. You don't have to go into this fight with us if you don't want to." Angel whispered. "What you are is all that ever really mattered to me Faith. You have saved my life, my friends lives, and countless other lives. That is the Faith I know, because that is the Faith you are." He looked down at her. "Dealing with this could-have-been you thing is not going to be easy, so I understand if you want to sit it out."
Faith gathered herself together a bit and looked up at Angel. "No. I have to do this. I need to do this. If I'm ever gonna have a chance at some sort of peace and a life outside of fighting the good fight, I have to face my worst demon...my own darkness....my own evil. I need to look my dark side in the eye, face it, accept it for what it was, is, and always will be, and put it behind me once and for all. I just wonder...." Faith laid her head onto Angel's chest, fresh tears flowing once again, "...can I ever be good Angel...really? Will I ever be right? Don't think I even deserve it. But I'll never have my answer unless I do this."
"I have a hundred years of I understand backing you up then.' he smiled warmly. "So, the big question is, can you stop time now? I mean, with your new birthmarks there.. can you open portals, spout Ancient wisdom? Anything like that?" he laughed slightly.
Faith wiped the tears from her face, pulling away from Angel, an smiled at him. "Thanks. As far as powers go, don't think so. Don't really feel any different. If you don't mind, though, think I might wanna go take a shower and check out the rest of me. It would be nice to get some new powers but I doubt it." Faith said, giving Angel a light punch on the shoulder.
Faith stared in horror at the whole in the wall, as Angel stared in shock at the room next door's roof. He head spun and he felt like he and been smashed into by a freight train. An angry freight train. He couldn't even feel his arm, and was barely aware of anyone saying anything. "Ow. A lot of that. Ow." he muttered, laying really still as he tried to get some sense back in his rattled melon.
Faith, her own demons forgotten, ran over to Angel, stepping over all the debris. "Angel. Are you okay? I wasn't even trying, I just gave you a light tap. Even if I had been trying, don't think I could have done that at my best." she said as she helped Angel to his feet, who was seeing stars as various employees circled around and eyed the odd occurrence.
Angel, still wincing and gasping managed a weak. "We need. to talk.. to Illyria."
"Yeah, I think so too. Damn it, I really wanted a shower too." Faith said as she helped Angel back into the hall. "Illyria, where'd you go? We need to talk." She called out, looking in all directions.
"What has happened?" Illyria came out of a unused office, still eating the chocolate bars. "Angel, he has been injured? By Who? More soldiers?" "Um, no, by me. I gave him a little love tap and Angel here went flying through a wall. I didn't even feel my muscles strain. God knows what would have happened if Id' tried." Faith said, a guilty expression on her face.
"So, plan on jumping in here with an explanation?" Angel added, holding his still numb right arm as clean up crews got to work on the mess.
Illyria calmly sat down. "I have an interest in your existence. To insure that my interests were met, I installed more strength and power and agility into your operating matrix." She paused and added, "Plus, I believe your becoming deceased would damage my abilities to cope here." She paused again. "With exception to myself, your abilities will be second to none. It will be harder to kill you as well. You have the power of an Ancient One, in your blood."
"So what, I'm part demon now? Not that I'm complaining cause, more power is always good in the fight against evil but, you could have said something earlier. And will it have any other effects I need to know about? I mean, you have done this before, right?" Faith asked, suddenly feeling very weird and very different. She hadn't noticed it before, but now that it had revealed itself. She did feel different.
Illyria looked at Faith with a look that almost, very close to almost was patronizing. "I have never had contact with humans before. Why would I? They are repugnant and vile. Like cockroaches they swarm over what is left of my world like a horde of scavengers picking due for the last crumbs of a great feast. So the answer to your question is no. I have never gifted a human with Ancient blood. I'm interested in seeing what will happen." she peeled off the wrapper of another candy bar.
"Oh, well, that just makes me feel so much better then." Faith said, slamming her fist into the wall and causing it to collapse, much to the dismay of Angel. "This is really gonna take some getting used to."
"Perhaps." Illyria again deferred to Angel. "If your master would allow it, I shall train you. I have nothing else in this world to accomplish." she bit onto a almond joy, then spit the candy back out on the floor, looking at it with disgust. "I must kill the creator of such a vile insult."
"Master?" Faith replied with insult, looking at Angel who simply shrugged. "No, no, he's not my master. My benefactor maybe and close friend, but master, hell no." Faith said, defiant as ever.
"I don't have a problem with it. The quicker she gets these new powers under control the better. The cost in repairs alone could kill us if she doesn't" Angel said sarcastically as he shot Faith a look.
Illyria thought for a moment, then, almost looking strained for a few moments longer, and finally became almost thoughtful in her expression. "Faith. I- " she paused again. "This was unintentional, and no harm was meant in the action that gave you additional powers.." she looked curiously at Angel and Faith. "I cannot say more, I do not understand what I am trying to say now." she walked out of the room, a bewildered look on her face.
"I almost want to say that was an apology, if one were giving an apology and did not know what one was. If that makes sense." Angel said after the Ancient left.
"Same here. Doesn't make up for it, or the thousands of other bad things she's done, but I'm not one to talk. I'll take it gladly. I'm in no position not too." Faith said as she started after Illyria.
"Guess I better follow her and keep an eye on her. See what I can do with her. If I'm gonna help her and she help me, better start now." Faith said as she disappeared from Angel's sight, not giving him a chance to respond.
Angel walked out of the room, not bothering to follow the two. He simply headed for his office with a deep expression on his face. Illyria, God King of the Ancients and Fred's killer albeit unintentionally, was going to aid Faith, the former Rogue Slayer and one time murderer. Together, like two children they were going to show each other the world. Angel decided to keep a close eye, but not intrude.
**
Samara ducked as yet another tazer bolt flew overhead. She could see two of her fifteen Renegades were down, but only stunned. A dead give away that this was a retrieval mission, not seek and destroy. However, getting caught, she felt, was the same as getting dead and the street wise former hoodlum had not spent her nearly fifteen years in Chicago just to get shot by some boys playing soldier.
"They want us alive." Samara said to Justice, who looked somewhat racked by the over head lazer blasts. "We're gonna have to do something if we wanna make it to L.A. These stupe bastards have been chasing us since we left Raven."
"You're right. We keep this up, they are just going to pick us off like flies. Guess we should mount an attack, but how?" Justice said, racking her brain for a battle strategy. Now she hated herself for always skipping out on those classes back at the academy. She figured brute Slayer force would always be enough.
Samara was wondering how in the hell was it that the youngest Renegade was suddenly being looked at for an answer. Raven was the leader. Raven was the one who got trained by Summers and Winters. Samara just had herself and what she knew...."I got it!" she then reached into the small of her back to reveal a hand gun. "I think this will work anyway." she huffed and she quietly pulled back the slide to check for a round.
"What the hell are you gonna do with that? You can't just starting shooting them? And are you even that good of a shot anyways?" Justice exclaimed as she saw three more of their sister Slayers go down. "Damn it, they're getting closer. They got us boxed in."
"When I start firing, those bastards are going to hit the dirt. Evil or not, nobody wants to die. You get your asses across the way and knock the hell out of them. They don't know we have the gun. Anyway, right about now, killing beats dying any day. If I chill one or two.. I'm not cryin. Now, on the count of three. Okay?"
Samara cocked the hammer back on the semiautomatic. She then showed the others, then pointed at them then to the enemies, hoping the others understood. "One....two..." Samara jumped up, unbeknownst to anyone else. The soldiers on the other side of the woods were surprised to see one of the Renegades hop up into plain view. Samara use that half second of shock to start pulling the trigger randomly as she ran sideways, managing to plug one poor solider right in the point of the shoulder with a 9 mm bullet. She continued to pull the trigger in spaced shots as she ran to the side, hoping the decoy and danger was enough to get her remaining girls across to nullify the threat.
Finishing off the last of the troops, Justice looked over her shoulder to seeing Samara's gun go dry as she dove into another embankment. The troops she had been firing at had become extremely disorganized, but where heading into her general direction. "Oh hell, girls, lets move it, other flank." She yelled, leading another charge as the Insurgence soldiers seem to be completely oblivious to the danger coming their way due to Samara's actions.
The troopers began to circle around Samara, under cover from her, but completely exposed to the charge of the other Slayers. They saw them at the last minute and turned, firing their taser guns wildly and without aim. Two more Slayers dropped but it wasn't enough. Justice and company were on them in seconds. Their speed and strength far greater than the troopers.
Samara saw the other mix it up, but by her count there was an eight on ten difference in favor of the troops. Turning the gun around to use as a club, she charged at the fray, almost getting caught by one of the tazer blasts. When she got there, she saw the troops, well trained and double tough were doing decently to defend themselves, but the Renegades were like wild banshees and soon only a couple of troopers were ever conscious, much less fighting. Samara met justice in the middle of the battlefield, offering her hand to shake. "Thanks. Saved my stupe self there Junkets." she called the other girl, though why, no one was sure.
"No, Samara. You saved us. If it weren't for your quick thinking, we all would have been captured. For once, the Mouth admits defeat. You're in charge of this party." Justice said as she shook Samara's hand and gave her a smile. The look on her face could only be described as total amazement at Samara's abilities.
"Hold up. Not me girls. I mean.. I'm just little." she dropped the clip and loaded in a new one, placing the empty clip back in the place of where the full one had gone. "You guys are all older and you could do it."
"Little or not, you did more then any of us could. I would have just charged them and that would have gotten us all done in. I think we all agree, you're the one to lead this group." Justice said as she looked over at the other girls for support. They all nodded and smiled in agreement. "See, everyone here agrees. Renegades are free thinkers, remember? I don't think age or size should determine who leads."
Samara huffed out a deep breath, feeling her small shoulders get a whole bunch heavier. "Alright, strip the bodies, take everything we can use, food, clothing, weapons. Especially weapons. Let's have a chat with the leader of this group and get them to train us, one way or another."
"Right...boss." Justice said as she started going through the troopers, looking for the leader while the rest of the girls helped their fallen comrades. Out of the corner of her eye, Justice spotted a nice sized medal surround by several black stars on one of the soldiers vests. "Hey, think I found him." she yelled as she hoisted him up and tossed him down onto a log as Samara joined her, standing over the sergeant, who was going in and out of consciousness. Justice grabbed hold of his collar and shook him. When that didn't work, she slapped him a few times and he seemed to come around enough to talk. "Alright, guy. It's good cop, bad cop time. So start singing." she said, her face inches from his, her tone dead serious.
"Screw you." the Sergeant said with a smart assed tone, so Samara swiftly stomped down on the troopers ankle, hearing the satisfying crunch of bone a few moments before a scream of pain.
"Don't be rude. Tell us why you were hunting us." Samara said as another Renegade handed her a 'borrowed' blaster.
The Sergeant gritted his teeth in pain as his eyes went wide at the sight of the blaster. "Okay, okay. Not that it'll matter, but the Empress sent us after you. Wanted us to bring you back to join our army." he said, wincing in pain.
"Join? Why the hell would we join a bunch of gun freaks shooting at us like we're deer?" she asked absently as she found a catch and opened a box on the top of the blaster with several buttons in it. She looked at it in surprise, then back at the Sergeant. "hmmm?"
The Sergeant wore a scared look on his face as he responded, "Because your leader has...willing and happily I might add. She's become the empress' new protégée and thought you girls would do the same. She knows the empress will when and wants the power she offers. It was her idea."
Samara took the tone in pride. "I don't believe you. You have nothing to make me believe you. So you and your naked little troopers will go back to your empress and tell her this. If Raven Raines is a prisoner, then these renegades are going to be calling real soon." she thought a moment. "If Raven is helping you guys on her own, well, she knew the clause about humans helping evil things. She'll know what's gonna happen. You got that?" Raven started to moved a slender finger toward a blue button that seemed to have rarely been pressed before, as t was not as worn as the others.
"Wait!" he exclaimed. "She thought you might say that so she gave me this." The trooper reached into his pocket slowly and pulled out a note and a medallion, one that Raven always kept and wouldn't give up without dying first.
Justice snatched the items from him. She read the letter and the expression on her face said it all as Samara snatched it from her and read it as well. A dark cloud seemingly coming over the group.
It read: "Samara, I know by now that you have taken the reins of command. I'm proud and always knew you would. I have found a place for us here. These guys ain't so bad. The food is great and its just easy to get along here. The empress is easy to get along with and you wont believe who she is. I can't tell you get here, but its five by five here in the land of Buffylessness. Here is the medal I said was so special to me remember? So, come with Sergeant Mills and we'll be together again. Come quick, miss you guys a lot. signed -R Raines."
Samara looked at the medal in her free hand, at the blaster moment, then at the sergeant. "You sayin Raven is with you guys one hundred percent huh?"
The sergeant expression softened slightly. "Yes she is. Completely. She's really enjoying herself and wants you girls to do the same." He said, assuming that they were at last won over.
Samara huffed out a breath through her nose. "Strip down to your skivvies Sergeant." She said as disappointment crossed her face. "Because I don't follow traitors."
The sergeant did as told as Justice looked over at Samara in shock."This can't be, can it? Raven would never...And your just gonna let this guy go?" Justice exclaimed, her mind racing, and a sense of her grasp on the world being removed overcoming her.
"Yeah, I'm gonna let this guys go, with is buddies. Get them in a line." Samara said as she looked at the medal in her hands. "Let's send Raven's troops back to her." The group of girls looked confused, stopped in the middle of looting and stripping soldiers, awake or not.
Justice didn't know what to think, but did as instructed. With help from some of the other girls, Justice had gathered all the half-naked troopers together in a line, facing the direction that had come from as Samara watched, her expression grim and unwavering. "Now what, commander?" Justice asked.
"Turn them, back to me and then have them drop to their knees." Samara said, the girls, still unsure and confused, did as told and soon all fifteen soldiers were on their knees with Samara behind them. "Serve with evil, and you die with it. It's an edict the Renegades posted when we first broke away from the Slayers. Now, before me kneel twelve men and three women who have done just that." She suddenly pulled the gun again, this time, locking and loading it swiftly. "So what happens next though?"
"Samara..." Justice said softly, "I know we said that and all agreed to it, but, do you really wanna kill them all...execution style at that?" She asked, her heart and mind torn with the recent bombshell. The other girls looked on, some seeming the completely agree, while others seemed unsure.
"We don't kill the unarmed." Samara said quietly. "Go back and you tell Raven and that scum sucking rat screwing sewer slut empress of yours that we will survive, even if we have to kill every evil bastard you guys wanna send. Especially that mechagodzilla wanna be." She gestured to the others to load up and head out. Then slowly bean to back up herself.
When out of range, she smiled at Justice. "At least four of then crapped themselves. I could smell it."
Justice let out a sigh of relief and chuckled at Samara's remark. "I'm glad you didn't do it, Samara. Kill evil men in self-defense sure, but that would have been a bit too far for me. Well, guess we better get out of here double time. I'm sure they'll send more after us once they make it back to wherever." Justice said as she decided to bring up the rear while Samara took the lead. *I still can't believe it. Raven, a turncoat. What else can happen now? I hope Faith can help us. I just don't believe that Raven would do this, its gotta be a lie, doesn't it?* She thought as she walked, the dark cloud following them as they made their way to LA. Hopefully, things would make some kind of sense then.
Samara cried the whole time after in the silence of her mind. A trick shown to her by her father, whom she had adored all her life. Emotions were expressible within the mind, even if the outer shell could not be allowed to show it. "Alright. We're off to see a Rogue Slayer people. Let's go see Faith shall we?"
She put as much victorious energy as she could into the statement, attempting to rouse the Renegades into a sense of determination, even though they were facing the real fact that their benefactor was possibly now their biggest threat. She knew them. What would she do with that knowledge?"
T...B...C...
