Oracle-Land, Day Three (or Hour One, depending on the point of view)
The oracles had been gone for nearly a half hour again, and Cordelia was starting to get pissed. All total, she'd been trapped in this marble hell for almost an hour, and she was starting to get anxious. If they kept her here much longer, someone was going to notice and start to worry. If only she could call Lindsey...
Nope. Cell still didn't work. She was starting to think this oracle room was in the middle of some kind of mystical vortex. That would explain the lack of cell service, despite being in downtown LA. And if that was the case, then maybe she didn't have to worry about how long she'd been here. Maybe hours here translated to only seconds out there. She might step back outside in another hour and find she'd only just gone in. Wouldn't that be nice?
What was taking them so long, anyway? They'd already talked to the Powers once, so what more could they have to discuss? Something told her this solution of theirs wasn't going to be as easy as the last one. Another sign that Skip hadn't been playing for her team. Easy fixes just weren't the PTB's way. There were always catches with them, and usually nasty ones. What would their catch be this time, she wondered?
Only way to find out was wait for the oracles to come back and tell her, but Cordelia had never been very good at waiting.
"This is the last time I come to you for help," she muttered to no one in particular. Mostly because there was no one there. "I've done less waiting at my doctor's office."
"We have discussed your options."
Once again, they'd come back without warning, but at least this time she wasn't close enough to a wall to hurt herself when she jumped. Letting out a soft gasp, she whirled to face them.
"Someone needs to put bells on you two."
The taller oracle actually glared at her. It was the most emotion she'd seen either of them show so far. "Do you want to hear your options or not?"
"That's sort of the whole reason I'm here. Go ahead, lay 'em on me. How many do I have to choose from."
"Just the two. You already know one."
She frowned for a moment, thinking. "You haven't told me anything yet. Just that the Powers were going to let the visions kill me." When they didn't say anything, she sighed and rolled her eyes. "That's not an option! What else do you have?"
"Work for the Powers."
Again, she stared at them, trying to understand. "I thought I was already doing that. You know, the whole vision thing? If that's not working for them, then what is it? An internship? I know it doesn't pay, but - hey! Does the new job pay? That would be awesome. What about benefits? Do I get vacation and holidays?"
The shorter oracle spread his hands in front of him. "The work we are offering is more direct than what you have been doing. Right now, you are merely a link, a conduit. When the Powers need something done, a vision is filtered down to you. It is not even a direct link. What we are offering is what you might call a promotion."
"This isn't another one of those Higher Being things, is it? 'Cause I already did that once, and I'd rather not go back. I might as well just die if that's your offer."
"No, you would stay here, in your current form. You would keep your life as it is, and keep the visions. You would stay human, so there will still be pain, but not as strong, and no longer damaging."
Cordelia smiled. Now they were getting somewhere. "Okay, I like it so far. What's the catch?"
"When the Beast came to Earth and reigned terror upon Los Angeles, our numbers were severely cut. He killed many of us in a very short period of time, and it is taking too long to replenish our ranks. True oracles are rare, so we have had to turn to alternative sources. To humans."
"Like psychics and stuff? I always thought they were kind of hokey. I mean, aren't most of them fakes?" No, she wasn't getting his point yet. Sometimes she could be kind of thick about these things.
"When the right human is found, we are able to grant the required powers upon them." The taller one fell quiet and looked at her intently. His direct stare made her uncomfortable, and she found herself fighting not to squirm.
"So what are you saying? You want me to be an oracle?"
The shorter one gave a curt nod. "You are the reason so many of our brethren were killed. It seems only fair you help take their place."
Ouch. Did he have to throw that back at her? It wasn't like she'd wanted to release the Beast and birth Jasmine. How many times did she have to remind everyone that she'd been possessed???
"All right, fine. I can deal with that. What would this oracle gig entail, anyway? Would I have to wear a toga and paint myself gold, like you two? Cause I don't really have the right complexion to pull that off. And you said I could keep my regular life, so would I work from home? Would people come to my condo to talk to me, or will I have to get a secret hideout like this somewhere? Are there oracle office hours I'd have to keep, like a teacher? I'm not sure how this all works. And does this mean I'll finally be able to talk to the Powers?"
That actually excited her a little. Finally, she might get some answers.
"We will explain the details later," the taller oracle said before she could go on. "Do you accept this offer?"
"I..." She didn't like being put on the spot like that. This sort of decision wasn't the kind to be made quickly, without considering all the consequences. From what they'd told her, it sounded like the perfect solution. She'd keep everything as it was, just add that one extra little job. The visions wouldn't kill her, and that's all she wanted, right? So why was she hesitating?
The shorter oracle took a step forward. "We need an answer, human."
"Um... let me think..." What if there was a huge catch she wasn't seeing, and she couldn't get out of it later? She hated this. She wished she could talk to her friends about it first. "Are you sure you've told me everything? All I have to do is take on a little oracle work, and the rest of my life won't change? I can stay human, and be with Lindsey and have all my friends, and work with Wesley and Angel and all of that? None of that has to change? Will I still be mortal, too?"
"You will remain mortal, yes. No aspect of your present life will be altered, except for what we must change to make you an oracle."
"See, that's what makes me nervous. What are you going to change? Am I going to look like you? Will I have freaky new powers, or is the catch that I have to stay in one of these lairs all the time?"
"You will look no different outside of your meeting space. And you will only be there when someone requests your presence."
Again, kind of vague, but she was starting to feel better about it.
"If I'm not always there, how do I know when someone shows up to talk to me? Do I get a pager, like a doctor?"
"Those details will be explained later. We need your answer now."
She sighed and looked around the room again. Something told her she shouldn't be too hasty to accept, but what other choice did she have? It was either wait to die, become a vampire, or let Lindsey go to Wolfram & Hart. Of all those scenarios, this was the only one that didn't sound too distasteful. How bad could working as an oracle be?
"All right. I'll do it."
God, she hoped she hadn't just made the biggest mistake of her life.
Both oracles nodded, which she assumed was the closest they came to smiling. "Very well. There is one further matter we must attend to before the deal can be made final."
Uh oh. Here comes the catch. Panic welled up in her chest once more.
"What other matter? You didn't say anything about another matter before I agreed!" She walked closer to them, trying not to freak out. "You can't just trick me into this without giving me all the information up front!"
They looked at her like she had three heads, and she realized yes, they could do that. They could do whatever the hell they wanted. They were oracles. And she would be one soon, too.
Did that mean she could do whatever she wanted now, too? That might kind of rock.
"Oracles are not the only beings in short supply these days. We have lost quite a few Champions as well."
"You want me to be a Champion, too? Vision Girl and oracle aren't enough? Do I get overtime for all of this? Do I get anything for it, other than not dying?"
Not that she wasn't grateful for the not dying, but all that work for no money? Just didn't seem fair.
"No, the Powers have another Champion in mind. We must speak to him before we can continue."
They turned as though they were going to walk out of the room again, and Cordelia tensed, ready to shout after them to stop. She did NOT want to be left trapped in that room for a third time. But rather than stepping through the doorway, the taller oracle merely reached his hand through, waited a beat, then pulled it back. Only it wasn't empty when it came back through the portal.
"Angel!"
Nope. Cell still didn't work. She was starting to think this oracle room was in the middle of some kind of mystical vortex. That would explain the lack of cell service, despite being in downtown LA. And if that was the case, then maybe she didn't have to worry about how long she'd been here. Maybe hours here translated to only seconds out there. She might step back outside in another hour and find she'd only just gone in. Wouldn't that be nice?
What was taking them so long, anyway? They'd already talked to the Powers once, so what more could they have to discuss? Something told her this solution of theirs wasn't going to be as easy as the last one. Another sign that Skip hadn't been playing for her team. Easy fixes just weren't the PTB's way. There were always catches with them, and usually nasty ones. What would their catch be this time, she wondered?
Only way to find out was wait for the oracles to come back and tell her, but Cordelia had never been very good at waiting.
"This is the last time I come to you for help," she muttered to no one in particular. Mostly because there was no one there. "I've done less waiting at my doctor's office."
"We have discussed your options."
Once again, they'd come back without warning, but at least this time she wasn't close enough to a wall to hurt herself when she jumped. Letting out a soft gasp, she whirled to face them.
"Someone needs to put bells on you two."
The taller oracle actually glared at her. It was the most emotion she'd seen either of them show so far. "Do you want to hear your options or not?"
"That's sort of the whole reason I'm here. Go ahead, lay 'em on me. How many do I have to choose from."
"Just the two. You already know one."
She frowned for a moment, thinking. "You haven't told me anything yet. Just that the Powers were going to let the visions kill me." When they didn't say anything, she sighed and rolled her eyes. "That's not an option! What else do you have?"
"Work for the Powers."
Again, she stared at them, trying to understand. "I thought I was already doing that. You know, the whole vision thing? If that's not working for them, then what is it? An internship? I know it doesn't pay, but - hey! Does the new job pay? That would be awesome. What about benefits? Do I get vacation and holidays?"
The shorter oracle spread his hands in front of him. "The work we are offering is more direct than what you have been doing. Right now, you are merely a link, a conduit. When the Powers need something done, a vision is filtered down to you. It is not even a direct link. What we are offering is what you might call a promotion."
"This isn't another one of those Higher Being things, is it? 'Cause I already did that once, and I'd rather not go back. I might as well just die if that's your offer."
"No, you would stay here, in your current form. You would keep your life as it is, and keep the visions. You would stay human, so there will still be pain, but not as strong, and no longer damaging."
Cordelia smiled. Now they were getting somewhere. "Okay, I like it so far. What's the catch?"
"When the Beast came to Earth and reigned terror upon Los Angeles, our numbers were severely cut. He killed many of us in a very short period of time, and it is taking too long to replenish our ranks. True oracles are rare, so we have had to turn to alternative sources. To humans."
"Like psychics and stuff? I always thought they were kind of hokey. I mean, aren't most of them fakes?" No, she wasn't getting his point yet. Sometimes she could be kind of thick about these things.
"When the right human is found, we are able to grant the required powers upon them." The taller one fell quiet and looked at her intently. His direct stare made her uncomfortable, and she found herself fighting not to squirm.
"So what are you saying? You want me to be an oracle?"
The shorter one gave a curt nod. "You are the reason so many of our brethren were killed. It seems only fair you help take their place."
Ouch. Did he have to throw that back at her? It wasn't like she'd wanted to release the Beast and birth Jasmine. How many times did she have to remind everyone that she'd been possessed???
"All right, fine. I can deal with that. What would this oracle gig entail, anyway? Would I have to wear a toga and paint myself gold, like you two? Cause I don't really have the right complexion to pull that off. And you said I could keep my regular life, so would I work from home? Would people come to my condo to talk to me, or will I have to get a secret hideout like this somewhere? Are there oracle office hours I'd have to keep, like a teacher? I'm not sure how this all works. And does this mean I'll finally be able to talk to the Powers?"
That actually excited her a little. Finally, she might get some answers.
"We will explain the details later," the taller oracle said before she could go on. "Do you accept this offer?"
"I..." She didn't like being put on the spot like that. This sort of decision wasn't the kind to be made quickly, without considering all the consequences. From what they'd told her, it sounded like the perfect solution. She'd keep everything as it was, just add that one extra little job. The visions wouldn't kill her, and that's all she wanted, right? So why was she hesitating?
The shorter oracle took a step forward. "We need an answer, human."
"Um... let me think..." What if there was a huge catch she wasn't seeing, and she couldn't get out of it later? She hated this. She wished she could talk to her friends about it first. "Are you sure you've told me everything? All I have to do is take on a little oracle work, and the rest of my life won't change? I can stay human, and be with Lindsey and have all my friends, and work with Wesley and Angel and all of that? None of that has to change? Will I still be mortal, too?"
"You will remain mortal, yes. No aspect of your present life will be altered, except for what we must change to make you an oracle."
"See, that's what makes me nervous. What are you going to change? Am I going to look like you? Will I have freaky new powers, or is the catch that I have to stay in one of these lairs all the time?"
"You will look no different outside of your meeting space. And you will only be there when someone requests your presence."
Again, kind of vague, but she was starting to feel better about it.
"If I'm not always there, how do I know when someone shows up to talk to me? Do I get a pager, like a doctor?"
"Those details will be explained later. We need your answer now."
She sighed and looked around the room again. Something told her she shouldn't be too hasty to accept, but what other choice did she have? It was either wait to die, become a vampire, or let Lindsey go to Wolfram & Hart. Of all those scenarios, this was the only one that didn't sound too distasteful. How bad could working as an oracle be?
"All right. I'll do it."
God, she hoped she hadn't just made the biggest mistake of her life.
Both oracles nodded, which she assumed was the closest they came to smiling. "Very well. There is one further matter we must attend to before the deal can be made final."
Uh oh. Here comes the catch. Panic welled up in her chest once more.
"What other matter? You didn't say anything about another matter before I agreed!" She walked closer to them, trying not to freak out. "You can't just trick me into this without giving me all the information up front!"
They looked at her like she had three heads, and she realized yes, they could do that. They could do whatever the hell they wanted. They were oracles. And she would be one soon, too.
Did that mean she could do whatever she wanted now, too? That might kind of rock.
"Oracles are not the only beings in short supply these days. We have lost quite a few Champions as well."
"You want me to be a Champion, too? Vision Girl and oracle aren't enough? Do I get overtime for all of this? Do I get anything for it, other than not dying?"
Not that she wasn't grateful for the not dying, but all that work for no money? Just didn't seem fair.
"No, the Powers have another Champion in mind. We must speak to him before we can continue."
They turned as though they were going to walk out of the room again, and Cordelia tensed, ready to shout after them to stop. She did NOT want to be left trapped in that room for a third time. But rather than stepping through the doorway, the taller oracle merely reached his hand through, waited a beat, then pulled it back. Only it wasn't empty when it came back through the portal.
"Angel!"