Spike: After the Fall (Part 3)

Issue 3
Story by Joss Whedon
Written by Brian Lynch
Pencilled by Franco Urru
Colours by Art Lyon & Jason Jensen

“I’ve lived with Xander Harris. You psychopaths don’t know him, but let me tell you, his attempts at wit? His fashion sense? Now that’s pain.”
Spike

Spike and Fred are shopping. She wants a waffle maker. A store clerk, who looks oddly familiar, asks them if they need help with anything. Spike says no – he’s only here to avoid the torture.

With that he wakes up. The zombified corpses of his followers are still there, in the dark, reaching out, whispering his name in that damn monotonous tone. How long had he been here? He’s been beaten, dug his friends’ graves and feasted on nothing but rats on Tuesdays… and he’s been tortured. Usually on a Wednesday.

He won’t give in however. Non taunts him – but he resists – after all he‘s lived with Xander Harris – and that was hard. This is nothing. Unfortunately, this does not satisfy Non. She has more important things to do. It’s now Spike’s turn to taunt her: he can smell her perfume and her cleanliness. Irritated that he’s managed to rattle her slightly, she gives her implement of torture to Maria. She leaves and Maria drops the weapon.

She crouches to Spike’s side: she implores him to stop wasting Non’s time. Just tell her what she needs to know. It’s been a month. She lights a cigarette and inhales – and kisses Spike full on the lips, letting him take the smoke in. She thinks he’s a catch: after all, he did tie her up and bring her home. And he’s hot.

He asks after Illyria. She dismisses his worries. She makes a move on Spike, attempting to seduce him. He asks her to free him and help him and Illyria leave. She recoils: let it go. Spike reckons they can take Non down. Maria seems terrified at the prospect.

Elsewhere, a Slayer falls to the floor, dead and rotten. Non stands over the corpse, clearly not impressed. Gunn walks into the room and explains that these Slayers were inexperienced. He also tells her not to disrespect the dead. She says she respects him – she’s seen his handiwork up close. She wants to help with whatever he’s planning, but he says no – she’s too new at this ‘lord’ thing – after all she brought a Sadecki demon to a vampire brawl: Sadecki’s may be telepathic, but they can’t read vampires – you need more for that.

Non smirks. She knows about the stupid fish. She has Spike. Gunn’s eyes dart to her. Was he alone? Non knows he means Illyria and confirms that she is with him.

Gunn launches at her, telling her that she’s done something stupid. The vampires corner Non’s guards, but she fights back – until Gunn stabs her with an arrow. He tells her in no uncertain terms: he doesn’t care what they do to Spike or, what they try to do, to Illyria – the future is already set. He’s seen it – Illyria is there and Non, unsurprisingly, isn’t. He orders her out with a sarcastic ‘good luck with Spike’ as she is carried away to lick her wounds.

Non is disappointed – that was not the way she wanted that to go. She was hoping to use Spike and Illyria as leverage, but she’ll have just as much fun killing them. She knows what Gunn said, but he’s not a God. In his basement, Charles Gunn tells his men that Illyria can handle Non. He asks to be excused – he has some aggression to work out. He enters the basement and finds himself surrounded with inexperienced, but fighting strong Slayers. He smiles as they raise their weapons, and closes the door…

An unspecified amount of time later. Spike is alone again until one of the girls enters and drags him, by his chains, across the ground and outside into the courtyard. Non is going to execute Spike and Illyria – by beheading. Maria’s also grabbed – her love for Spike has made Maria persona non grata and so’ll the spider-demon will die too.

She swings the blade at Illyria’s neck. Everyone stops in their tracks, as Illyria holds what’s left of the blade, which is twisted and gnarled into shrapnel – by the power of Illyria’s head. And now, after all of that, she has had enough. She lays Non to the floor with one blow.

Spike is concerned: he’s noticed the pattern – when Illyria sees someone she knew, or someone Fred knew, the connection between her and the individual somehow ‘pulls’ Fred back through – and she won’t survive like that. Spike races for her, determined to battle his way through the demons and get to the Old One. When he gets to her, surprisingly, she kisses him. She looks him square in his eyes: she is his priority again. He smiles – she always was. Their reunion is interrupted by a shout: it’s Jeremy. Non has him right in her claws. She only kept him around because Spike seemed fond of him – but now, he’s irrelevant.

Suddenly, she struck in the back by a spear!

Spike has three thoughts at once: One: will Illyria revert to Fred when she sees Jeremy? Two: Will Jeremy survive to propose to his girl? And three, as for the person who just stabbed Non in the back… well… hang on…

Isn’t that Angel’s kid?

Indeed, Connor, the son of Angel, stands fast, sword and spear in hand. He smiles.

The next few minutes will be interesting…

CONTINUITY

In Spike’s dream, he and Fred are pushing a stuffed Betta George around in the shopping cart.

Spike mentions living with Xander, which he’s done on more than one occasion, notably in Hush and Him.

Non tells Gunn she knows about ‘the stupid fish’ – referencing Betta George in the main story but also confirming for the first time what Charles needs the telepathic fish’s abilities for.

The store clerk, who looks identical to Angel, has a name badge that says “Hello. My name is the reason you’re stuck here”. Even Spike’s unconscious insults Angel!

Gunn has already got Slayers in his basement, as seen in First Night (Part 2).

COVER GALLERY