Job Opening (tag Henry)

[Henry Elder]

Henry was still intimidated by the sheer size of the place. He ignored the receptionist, and made his way towards Lilah's office.

"Lilah!" he said, and soon he found a security guard chasing him. As he reached Henry, he turned around, and elbowed him strongly in the stomach, before bringing his fist up, knocking out the guard.

Henry started to run before more guards could come, and he threw open the door to Lilah's office before slamming it shut again. "I am expecting some serious workman's comp!"

[Lilah]

Concentrating on the contract in front of her, Lilah was startled to see a man storm into her office. It was Henry, beaten and bruised and sporting a bloody nose. "Mr. Elder," she greeted warmly. "We weren't expecting you back so soon." She picked up a pen from the holder on her desk and walked towards him.

"Looks like Miss Lehane put up a bit of a fight," she observed, walking toward him. "Don't worry, our medical department can fix you up good as new. Better even." She placed her right hand on his shoulder and circled around him. "But I think there are some things that I should remind you of before we proceed any further."

She grasped his shoulder and in a swift movement, jabbed the tip of the pen against his throat with her left hand. "First of all, you're not allowed in my office without an appointment. Second, assaulting the security staff isn't going to improve your standing with the Senior Partners. And third, if I push the button on this pen, I can deliver a lethal dose of toxin directly into your jugular that would stop your heart within seconds," she informed him. "So you might want to think twice about barging in here and barking orders at me," she hissed into his ear.

She gave him a moment to think. "Now...are you prepared to have a civil conversation about what took place today, or do I let the nice heavily-armed men outside take you to a holding dimension for a while?"

[Henry Elder]

He glared at her, and then looked at the ground. What had he gotten himself into?

"Why didn't you tell me she was a....whatever she was. And she had friends." he said. "Humans I can take care of, she wasn't human."

He slumped into a chair. "And then there's that vampire. Demanding who I was, didn't even bother to feed. Tried to dig her out of that grave I put her in. No chance, she's dead. Bullet in the gut."

He coughed, and rubbed his nose. "Now, I thought you were just incompetent, sending me against her with no knowledge of who she was....but from your reaction, I'm thinking you sent me against her because you did."

[Lilah]

He slumped into a chair. "And then there's that vampire. Demanding who I was, didn't even bother to feed. Tried to dig her out of that grave I put her in. No chance, she's dead. Bullet in the gut."

Lilah exhaled a frustrated sigh. Angel. She should have known he'd interfere. And if he had, the chances that he'd been able to rescue Faith and that she was still alive were annoyingly good.

"Faith is human, Mr. Elder," she assured him, returning to her chair and placing the pen back in its holder. "Everything that the firm knows about her was in that file we gave you. And clearly, we overestimated your ability to handle her."

Before he could open his mouth to protest, she continued, "As I recall, you weren't interested in our motives for wanting Faith dead. And as I also recall, you don't get to collect the remainder of your fee until we have proof that she's dead. Vague assurances from a two-bit thug are insufficient; I want her spine," she declared in a dead serious tone.

"Now you either get back out there and finish the job, as per the details of your contract, or find yourself some other idiot in a suit to bankroll your homicidal hobby. Do I make myself clear?"

[Henry Elder]

Henry stood, rising to his full height, and walked over to the desk. He put his hand on the pen, and moved extremely close to Lilah, bearing down on her. "I am not a thug." he said firmly. "And I know you're not an idiot in a suit. And Faith is not human. I'll bring her back."

He turned, and started for the door.

[Lilah]

"Preferably in more than one piece," Lilah remarked. "And if Angel gets in the way again...well, there's more than one way to dust a vamp now, isn't there?"

She returned her attention to the contract before her. "Take care. Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Elder," she said dismissively.

[Henry Elder]

"Right. Take care, I guess." he said, turning and leaving through the door, holding his hand to his nose.