On a captured German submarine in 1943, U.S. Captain Franklin sounds an alarm, radios for help, and orders one of his sailors, Lawson, to usher another group of men out of the control room to a forward compartment. As Lawson obliges, Franklins bloody body flies back at him, and an unseen monster wrestles him for it until another man finally pulls Lawson to safety and secures a hatch cover against the monster. In the present, after Angel and his friends conclude a late-night meeting at Wolfram and Hart, Lawson steps out of an elevator, looking just as he did 60 years earlier. Then he goes to Freds lab, where his presence, even though he says hes an old acquaintance of Angels, makes her nervous. Back in 1943, several men break into Angels apartment, ask if hes ever considered joining the war effort, and tell him about a recently captured German U-boat where something has gone very wrong. Angel asks why theyre talking to him, and they show him a list of the subs cargo. A bit later, aboard the submarine, Lawson and the surviving crew hear a knocking on the hull. The sound moves to the torpedo tubes, and when they investigate, they find Angel in one of the tubes. Back in the present Wesley finds Fred tied to a chair in his office, but before he can react, Lawson grabs him, too. Back on the submarine the sailors grab Angel, but he wins their trust by reciting an official security code. Lawson tells Angel that he and the few others are the only survivors of some sort of monster attack, so Angel - against Lawsons advice - approaches the control room hatch, which opens to reveal the monster: Spike.

 

 

Spike greets Angel, explains that the Germans have been capturing the most notorious vampires, and introduces Angel to the two others aboard: Nostroyev and the Prince of Lies, whom Spike freed after first freeing himself. Spike tries to enlist Angel in killing the remaining humans, but Angel stops him, noting that theyll be trapped underwater unless the remaining sailors get the submarine going again. Nostroyev objects and pushes Angel aside, but Angel dusts him with an axe handle, convincing Spike and the Prince of Lies to be quiet. Back in the present Lawson surprises Angel in his penthouse, but to Lawsons surprise, Angel reacts coolly. Back on the submarine Angel brings Lawson and the crew into the control room, where they survey the carnage and sit down at the controls. Spike and the Prince of Lies hover while Angel and Lawson remove the dead bodies. When they finish, Lawson asks why Angel is letting Spike and the Prince live, but Angel says the most important thing is to get the sub moving again so they can all get home. In the present Lawson notes the irony of Angels promise and Angel, sensing danger, knocks Lawson down and plunges a stake at his heart, reminding Lawson that he said hed kill him if he ever saw him again. Lawson catches Angels hand, saying he has something to show him. Then Lawson takes Angel to his office, revealing Wes, Gunn, and Fred bound, gagged, and strung from the ceiling on piano-wire nooses, their toes tipping precariously on chairs. As Angel reacts, Lawson assures him theyll get through this safe and sound.

 

Angel asks what Lawson wants, and Lawson says hes already getting it: fear in Angels eyes. Back on the submarine the men work to get the sub going again while Angel continues to discourage Spike from eating them. Just then, however, theres a scream from the galley, and Angel and Lawson find the Prince of Lies attacking Heinrich, one of the original German crew. Angel dusts the Prince, which shocks the other men, and Angel is forced to admit to Lawson that the Prince was a vampire. Lawson asks what set off his rage, and Spike enters with some documents detailing the Germans plans for the captured ghouls. He confronts Heinrich, who admits the Germans are experimenting on vampire brains, looking for a way to control them and says the Americans are doing the same thing. Spike turns on Lawson, who insists its not true, and Angel orders Spike to burn the documents, which he does. As the papers flame up, however, a depth charge booms just outside. Lawson and Angel rush back to the control room, where they learn that four destroyers are firing at them. Lawson orders a fast dive, but the boat is rocked by more explosions which knock out the lights and the propulsion motor. On Angels orders, Lawson runs to the engine room while Angel helps the other crew members fix leaks by crushing broken pipes with his bare hands. As they finish, however, and the depth charges fade away, they realize that Heinrich has escaped. We see him sneak up on Lawson in the engine room and stab him with a screwdriver. Back in the present Lawson tells Angel what it feels like to die. As the flashback continues, Angel finds Lawson, whos near death, and asks for instructions to get the sub going again. Lawson insists that hes the only one who can do it, and Angel realizes hes right so he vamps and sinks his teeth into Lawsons neck, then opens a vein and forces Lawson to drink.

Angel returns to the control room, where the remaining crew are near death from lack of oxygen. Then the power comes back on as Lawson gets the engines going, and the crew begins to revive. Angel goes to the engine room and thanks Lawson as the ship begins to surface. Then Lawson says hes hungry, vamps, and attacks Angel, who dodges easily. A few minutes later the sub surfaces, and Angel, telling Lawson there are eight hours until daylight, sends him off the boat, saying if he ever sees Lawson again, hell kill him. Back in the present Angel explains to Lawson that he, too, left the sub before it reached shore, and says he didnt really want to condemn Lawson to life as a vampire. Lawson insists that taking the lives of Angels friends would be a fair exchange, and that the thought of causing Angel pain has been his reason to live all these years. Lawson asks if all of Angels victims feel the same pain he has, but Angel swears Lawson is the only vampire hes sired since regaining his soul. Finally Lawson attacks Angel, and as they crash through a door, Lawson grabs a piece of wood to use as a stake. Angel grabs his hand and slowly turns the stake toward Lawson, who finally allows Angel to thrust it home, dusting him. Later, as Angel tells Spike what happened, Spike notes that Lawson must have known Angel would kill him and Angel agrees.

 

Article-December 22, 2003