Unified Front: Runaways (An Angel/Runaways Crossover)

[Majin Gojira]

Author’s Note: Unified Front deals with the idea that when a crossover occurs, there are repercussions beyond the initial meeting. Minor and major events in the lives are changed from even the chanciest meeting. Unified Front attempts to tell a few stories that have been forever changed by years of writers giving subtle nods and crossovers in their work. This story deals with unifying two tellings of similar events: the fall of the Circle of Blackthorn in Angel and the destruction of the Pride in the Marvel Comic's series Runaways. All that has been listed is what has been changed from the originals, little else.

Part 1: For the Children

“Kith'harn demons.” Wesley explained, handing over some photographs to Angel, “In Los Angeles, they're the known henchmen of a pair of Warlocks: Robert and Tina Minoru”

“What do we know about them?” Angel scowled.

“They’re powerful, they have access to many mystical artifacts including the Necronomicon Ex Mortis and the Staff of One, and they have tendrils stretching throughout L.A.” Lorne explained.

“Tendril-tendrils?” Angel asked.

“Metaphor-tendrils.”

“What do they want with me?” Conner

“If they’re using his Kith'harn demons, they’re not trying to remain anonymous.” Wesley had more to say but was cut off when Angel dropped the pictures and began to leave the room. Wesley asked “Where are you going?”

“To go visit the Minoru’s” Angel stated.

Connor turned to follow and said “I'll come with.”

Angel spun around and commanded, “No. You're here.”

“Angel, we know hardly anything about these people.” Wesley stated, “If they’re trying to bait you—”

“It's not up for discussion.” Angel answered, harshly.

“At least take backup—” Wesley

“I said I'd take care of it, Wes. Drop it!” Angel snapped, leaving the others in silence as Angel stormed out of the room, leaving Wesley, Lorne and Connor to wonder what was happening.

*

Angel had certain expectations from the most powerful warlocks on the West Coast. A castle hidden in a pocket dimension, gloom, and the aura of evil.

The white-washed Suburban home he encountered was the last thing he expected. Angel assumed he would be expected, so he decided to take the direct approach and ring the doorbell.

The chime went off, and Angel realized that it played a series of the chords from the Cheers theme. Who were these people?

“I’ve got it!” a young voice called out as light footsteps rushed to the door.

The small, Asian goth girl who answered the door was also far from what he expected—she was only a few years younger than Connor. She stood there, mouth agape for a moment before she said, “Please be here for me.”

Angel rocked back slightly, “Um, I’m here to see Robert and Tina Minoru.”

Her face fell slightly, “Mom! Dad!” She shouted, “It’s for you,” then began to make her way upstairs, mumbling in frustration.

The cheery Japanese couple that greeted him next was, again, not what he was expecting.

“Angel! Glad to see you got our invitation. Come right on in, we can discuss business in the back” The woman, Tina, he assumed, called out.

Angel, after walking through several corridors adorned with painfully catholic iconography and upbeat family photos, soon found himself in the Minoru’s ‘back room’ which was far more to his expectations: marble floored, torch-lit and ornate. With a wave of their hands they donned their ceremonial robes, Tina brandishing the Staff of One, and Robert the Necronomicon.

They wanted Angel to know that they meant business.

“I trust you met our daughter, Nico?” Tina said.

“For a couple with such a … well adjusted daughter, it’s really no surprise that you come to me through my son.” Angel growled.

“Yes, it seems we did a far better job of raising your son that we did out own pride and joy.” Robert explained, “Yes, Angel, we were the ones who altered your tinkered with the world to make your boy the well adjusted son you wanted.”

“You built Connor’s memories.” Angel realized.

“Quite a few others to make all the pieces fit as well, but he was some masterful work. But it is ‘our children’ who are the reason we are here today.” Tina added.

“What do you want?” Angel asked tersely.

“We’ve made several enemies over the years. One of them was a demon you’re very familiar with: Sahjahn. We need him dead.” Robert explains.

“Sahjahn…” Angel remembered bitterly.

“For our sake and our child’s sake.” Tina added.

“So you put my child in danger to save your own?” Angel scowled.

“We took no pride in that act, Angel.” Robert tersely stated, “We merely did what needed to be done.”

“No, you didn’t. Sahjahn is out of the picture, I trapped him in a jar.”

“An urn,” Tina corrected as she opened a nearby cabinet to reveal the very urn Sahjahn was imprisoned in “And they do tend to be far more fragile than we’d like. We need finality to our affairs.”

“Hresit Hesss” Robert stated and a small, glowing cube appeared in his free hand. “This is an Orlon Window, Angel. A handy spell, helps reveal the how the world once was. If it were to break in the presence of someone whose memories had been altered, it can return the lost memories.”

“As if the threats of the Staff of One and Necronomicon weren’t enough” Tina added.

“Fine, I’ll kill Sahjahn.” Angel stated.

“Sorry, it doesn’t work like that. Prophesized deaths are tricky little things. Only Connor can slay him. This is why he was attacked.” Robert explained.

“To help prepare him.” Said Tina.

“And the window?”

“Insurance policy. To make sure you go through with it. We created Connor’s life, and we can just as easily destroy it.” Tina stood sternly against Angel’s glare.

*

The events of that night, and the night Connor regained his memories due toe Wesley’s actions and Sahjahn’s death were less than a month ago in Angel’s memory as he found himself facing the Minoru’s again. This time, in the Circle of the Black Thorn, the meeting was cordial, and there were several other families on the circle. Angel began mentally catalogued every member he could:

The Stein’s were scientists and inventors. The Wilders were powerful crime lords on par with the fabled King Pin of Crime. The Minoru’s he was far too familiar with, but they were all human. He did not expect to see so many humans in the Circle. Dale Yorks was half-human, and his mother/wife was from a race she called “Time Lords”. Angel thought the name was pretentious and the relationship disturbing. There was Izzereal, a deal-making demon; Archduke Sebassis, leader of one of the largest demon armies in existence, he'd already met at the halloween ball; Senator Helen Brucker was a member of the Mi-Go—a body-stealing race of fungus-like creatures from Neptune or Pluto, Angel couldn’t remember which; The Deans were extra-terrestrial monsters as well, ones that absorbed, and was largely composed of, solar energy that could expel it at will—very problematic; “Ed” was almost stereotypical in his alien form, leading a cabal of ‘grays’ in a bid to prevent other species colonization efforts in liue of his own race's plans for earth's inevitable enslavement; The Hayes were human mutants with psychic power; and, of course, Marcus Hamilton.

Angel memorized them all and their function within the Circle. He didn’t expect to see any of them again until the time came to take them down, but he found Geoff Wilder in his office the day after the ceremony.

“I assume this is something important for you to risk coming in person.” Angel said.

“It is.” Geoff said as Angel closed the office doors behind him. “I am sure you noticed the number of families in the Circle.”

“I did.”

“As a family man yourself, I believe it is best to tell you about a…problem the families have encountered.”

Angel sighed angrily, "Does everyone in the circle know about Connor, or is it just you and the Minoru's?"

Geoff paused a moment, but continued regardless, “You’ve convinced us of your lust for power and ruthlessness. But we also know that you would do anything to protect your son.”

Angel rose from his desk, but the large black man raised his hand, asking that he finish. “We aren’t threatening your son, Angel. But we are in a situation with our own children that requires someone who understands the bond parents have for their children.

“Angel, we need you to find our children. They've found out what we are and run away.”