Issue 2
Story by Joss Whedon
Written by Brian Lynch
Pencilled by Franco Urru
Colours by Ilaria Traversi

“I spent a good part of my life dusting them. Best part of my life, actually. And then… I was fool enough to trust one.”
Gunn

Angel is taking the Viper out. Wesley questions him, as he usually takes the dragon on patrol, to which Angel replies that he’s going to Santa Monica. With Burge’s son dead, there’s going to be chaos as the demons compete for his domains as Lord. Wesley asks if Angel wants company – he doesn’t, but that’s got more to do with not trusting Wesley than anything else. He is, after all, connected to the Senior Partners. Angel is more concerned with Burge’s revenge. He killed his son – which will paint a target on Connor‘s back.

Angel arrives at the abandoned hotel that Connor uses as his base camp. He’s approached by a suspicious Nina, who uses her werewolf temper to question her ex’s intentions. It turns out that Connor isn’t home – he’s gone out to Westwood to investigate some battle there.

When Angel arrives he finds demons, all battling over Kr’Ph’s domain. Seems everyone wants to be Lord. Angel takes on the demons, but he’s overwhelmed by sheer numbers. Before he can react, he’s saved from one demon by a sudden slash of a blade – and Connor stands before him.

There’s no time for a father and son reunion however, as the demons continue to advance. Back to back, Angel and Connor fend off the crowd until the entire group is electrocuted – courtesy of Gwen Raiden, Connor’s girlfriend and former thief. She has something the boys need to see.

In Gunn‘s home base, he enters the room he’s keeping Betta George in. The telepathic fish is not amused by his new surroundings and is downright hostile to the vampire who seemingly kidnapped him from another former kidnapper. Charles changes his tone, explaining to Betta George that he’s not a normal vampire. That he is one of the good guys. He understands he has the misfortune of being a vampire now, but resents Angel for seemingly abandoning him in the alley way the night he was sired. He needs Betta George’s help: he claims he’s going to save them all. George remains unconvinced. Charles gets angry in his frustration and leaves, holding the Cat’s Eye orb he took from Kr’Ph. He exclaims to his group that everyone will come round to his plan in the end because as soon as Angel figures everything out, he’ll die.

In Westwood, Kr’Ph and his men’s bodies have been put on macabre display, surrounded by ancient text, written in blood. Gwen identifies the wounds as vampire bites. Angel looks at the text dobbed all over the walls and orders Connor to Wolfram & Hart: he needs the dragon. After telling Connor the name of the dragon, Angel drives outside of Westwood.

He arrives at the former Playboy mansion. Models line up around the pool and are gathered, listening to a story, as Angel walks into the building. He finds the scantily-clad women serving blood in goblets to their beloved saviour: all bloody hail, Lord Spike of Beverly Hills! Spike is not pleased to see his former ally and resents Angel turning up and butting his nose in; he just wants to sit in his paradise. He asks Angel to leave, but Angel stands fast. Their stand-off ends when Angel strikes Spike who gets even more annoyed. Angel asks again for information: the ancient text written in blood at Kr’Ph’s camp was in Sanskrit. Primordial Sanskrit. Angel asks again where ‘she’ is – and gets mishandled by a rather enraged Illyria who declares that perhaps Angel’s dismemberment will soothe her…