On the brightly-lit streets of Las Vegas, outside the offices of Wolfram & Hart, Team Spike, consisting of Spike, Beck, Betta George and Jeremy, stands united, ready to face the occupants of the strangely-shaped craft that has, literally, dropped into their dimension. Spike stares at it for a moment: he’s seen a lot in his undead life, but what looks like a ‘space ship’ crashing into downtown Vegas was definitely not on his bingo card list. He doesn’t know quite what they’re going to do – in fact he’s open to any and all suggestions, but he knows one thing, at least: he’s missing demonic warlords already.

The craft’s doors open, and two insectoid creatures come out. They want to know, in their strange language, why they were violently brought here, against their will. Spike asks George for a telepathic probe of the newcomers – they’re frightened, but they’re just as confused as they are.

Local cops start to get heavy at the scene, with one of them brandishing a firearm. One of the creatures, instinctively goes to protect the other, Spike identifying the protected one as their leader or king. The insectoid grabs what appears to be an electrified cattle prod, but Spike stops him before he can strike.

Pulling his vamp face, he approaches the leader, explaining that they, in particular him, don’t want to hurt them. The creatures assume Spike is a leader of this dimension.

Above, Clifton watches from the Wolfram & Hart offices. With the creatures distracted, by Spike of all people, they can move in. Their forces can take the craft. Funny how things work out, he grins. He gives orders to the heavily armed cronies behind him; he tells them to hit everyone aboard quickly. They’re not all expected to make it, but that is irrelevant, Clifton states. Their job is to clear a path so that the Senior Partners can get aboard.

Another cop loses his patience waiting for something to happen with the craft and prepares to open fire, but Beck shuts him up, heating his revolver until he can no longer hold it. Give Spike a chance, she urges the guy – he has way more experience with this sort of thing.

The leader of the insects tells Spike that they have enough weaponry and power to destroy everything that he can see. Can he promise that this world means them no harm? He can guarantee that they’ll come to harm if they make a move with their firepower. He tells him that he knows who brought them here and he only wants to talk. The subordinate bug moves again to stand between Spike and his leader, but the king is adamant – he likes Spike. He compares Spike to a king above the primitives.

Spike takes the compliment and runs with it, asking for a quiet place to chat – and a packet of smokes if possible. As they all start to walk towards the craft, Wolfram & Hart’s soldiers open fire, taking scores of insectoids down in a barrage of bullets. Spike has Beck protect his newfound friends. Great, he thinks, now I have to worry about the safety of damn bugs.

The king of the insectoids has been hit, injured critically. The creatures are told to retreat back into their craft. As soon as they’re in, the craft is sealed, but the soldiers begin to burn through the hull, determined to get access to the inside. Once the hull is breached, Clifton orders a full ‘clean-up’ inside. A Senior Partner, large and black, follows, towering over them all.

Inside, the King of the Insectoids is critical on the ground. Jeremy cradles his head in his lap. He feebly pulls Spike close: tell them what to do, the king whispers.

Spike asks him to repeat himself. The king tells him that his men are extremely loyal. They were sent to find a sanctuary for their people. By the time their dimensional journey was complete, their home was gone. He’s not the king, per se, he’s simply the highest ranking officer. And these creatures need to be told what to do, to find a new purpose, a new function in reality, or they’ll simply never know where to go next. He needs Spike to lead them through this.

The king’s subordinate pushes Spike away and the King pulls him to one side, whispering. The King then goes limb, gone. The subordinate looks at Spike. “He said… we should listen to you to get through this. Even though you’re a newbie.” He adds an expletive to describe Spike that the vamp doesn’t recognise, thankfully.

Spike immediately rallies his new troops. They may not be able to stop the soldiers, but they’ll make them regret trying to take the craft. He warns some of the creatures that they’re going to die, but they’ll follow his orders regardless.

He’s instructed in the ship’s workings. They are currently hidden in an escape pod. They can’t currently do anything unless they disengage the pod, but Clifton has figured out the systems of the main craft, and they are under lockdown. The creature next to Spike explains that there are multiple life-forms heading towards them: the enemy stirs.

In the main vessel, the soldiers are rapidly cutting down the creatures. Betta George keeps in touch with one insectoid, who he calls Jiminy. Jiminy is not keen to have the fish in his head.

The Senior Partner enters the main corridor of the vessel and comes face to face with Spike and Beck. The head demon knows Spike, but the vamp hasn’t got a clue who he is, and doesn’t particularly care. He prepares to attack, but the Senior Partner, anxious to leave this dimension, declares that they do not have the time for this and fires a blue discharge at Spike. Lightning streaks from his hands, power lighting up the dimly-lit corridor.

Spike looks around for cover, but there is none. As the blast arches towards Spike, suddenly Beck jumps forward, pushing Spike to one side, and takes the full force of the energy blast. Spike screams her name as Beck falls to the floor, lifeless.

The Senior Partner screams that he doesn’t care about the other Partners. He doesn’t even care about Spike – he’s not even Angel! He’s not the one…

He’s interrupted by gunfire, as Spike, grabbing two rifles from the ground, fires them directly at the Senior Partner’s face, blinding him. At that exact moment, the insectoids activate the override needed to gain control of their part of the craft. They head for an airlock as the Partner flails around, unable to see his targets.

Spike carries Beck and cradles her in his arms. Why did you take that shot? She looks at him, places her hand on his face and says “Because they need you. Someone always needs you.” With that, she passes out. The insectoid yells triumphantly: the pod is free from the craft! He tells Jeremy to hit a button and the pod ejects from the main body of the vessel.

Clifton yells at his goons to find a tractor beam. The Senior Partner, still clutching his face, still unable to see, tells Clifton to leave it go and just get the Hell away from this dimension. With a bright blue light, the craft is swallowed up by blue portal energy and vanishes into thin air: Wolfram & Hart no longer have a presence on Earth or on this dimensional plane.

Spike looks down at Beck – he needs to get her help.

Later, the pod is outside Mosaic. The doctor there is enraged: not only did Spike have a witch drop a psycho vampire off with them, now, despite his promises to protect her, their loaned patient is now on the critical list!

Spike is aware of all of this. He doesn’t care. He knows what happened. He saw her get hit. He wants to see her. The doctors won’t allow it, but as Spike motions, a group of insectoids warn the medical staff to give Spike what he wants and the doctor, intimidated, relents.

Inside, Beck is recovering in a bed, machinery beeping around her, but, in time, she’ll be fine. She recaps with Spike: so W & H are finally gone? Why?

Spike isn’t sure. He wants to know though. Jeremy asks him if this a going to be another ‘end of the world’ type battle – which he will participate in – from afar, and with many, many research libraries to visit. Away from, you know, the actual evil.

Spike looks at him with concern. Jeremy can sit the next one out. Angel too. There’s something not right happening here, and he wants to figure it out before going to Captain Forehead. Beck asks him how long he’ll be gone: Spike tells her that he’ll be back the day after the world doesn’t end, and presses his head to hers. She pulls him into a hug, tells him she loves him – but he stops short of saying it back.

He shakes Jeremy’s hand and is hugged in return. “Try and make it back for my wedding okay?” He’s re-thinking his original Vegas bachelor party. Spike acknowledges George and he knows that the fish knows. Of course he does. He knows something’s off. He doesn’t try to interfere with whatever Spike is planning.

As he leaves Mosaic for his new mission, he checks in on Drusilla. She’s in her padded cell. She’ll get there. The heroes won’t give up on her. He looks into the cell and, although she cannot hear him, encourages her not to kill the good people here.

He leaves the facility without saying a word of goodbye to his friends. It’s time to move. He addresses the insectoids, waiting in line outside. He tells them his plan: he wants to find the interdimensional ship and the Senior Partners. Their mission, if they choose to join him, is to follow him in the craft, hunt them down and bring them to justice. He asks if they’re all with him and they commit to their cause: “We are, sire!” they chant.

Spike boards the craft. He asks for internet, charts, maps – everything he needs to track the Senior Partners. Why would they mention Angel? They’ve never been that concerned before? Spike knows something’s up: innocents can become dangerous… and heroes can turn on a dime. Sometimes, evil can do an about face and want to actually help. Everything is always changing.

His subordinate tells him that there are soldiers in the hold, ready to be interrogated. He also mentions that despite their goal, the Partners could be anywhere: underground, in between realities – anywhere in thousands of dimensions. This mission may take a long, long time.

Spike smiles. That’s okay. He already knows the bottom line. The only thing any one of them is in charge of, is themselves.

“Good thing I’m immortal,” he tells the insect. “I’m not,” the creature replies.

“Great to know,” Spike says, folding his arms and looking out in front of him as the pod begins to charge up. “Bloody great to know. Let’s get to work.”