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Outside of the Blue Plate Diner, Patrick moves to confront the six Skelos demons that
are attempting to capture young Jennifer Guerrin. Nearby Jalen is coming in to help while keeping an
eye on the mysterious black SUV that has also just arrived on the scene. Inside the diner waitress
Janine hands Ethan a shotgun from behind the counter, while unbeknownst to everyone else Lauren has been
knocked unconscious by Patrick's evil double, who has taken Jennifer.
The fight turns against the Skelos demons when a team of commandos exits the SUV and
assists in taking them down, but not without taking casualties themselves. When the commandos discover
that Jennifer is gone, they quickly depart. Patrick and the others take off in pursuit of the commandos
to learn their identity. When the commandos ditch the SUV for a black van, Jalen is able to jump on top
of the vehicle and secretly hitch a ride, until he sees that the van is headed for Wolfram & Hart and
he chooses to get off before the vehicle enters. Dana, meanwhile, has confirmed Patrick's earlier
suspicions that the man claiming to be Jennifer's uncle was lying, she has no uncle, and that he has been
in contact with a lawyer named Alexandra Morelli at Wolfram & Hart. It now becomes clear that there
are several different factions after the missing girl, including both the Maerak demon cult and Wolfram
& Hart.
With Jennifer now in the hands of Patrick's evil twin, Dana concentrates her research on
the mystical mirror that created the double. While she is doing research, the others begin their own
investigations in the demon underground. When forceful persuasion fails to turn up any information Lauren
manages to reluctantly charm a few half-demons into revealing that the Maerak cult has been in the market
for muscle (the Skelos demons encountered earlier) and psychic demons. This leads the team to a clairvoyant
demon name "Eyes", who they find bleeding to death. With his last breath "Eyes" reveals that he was hired
by the Maerak to find Jennifer, but wherever Patrick's double took her is mystically shielded. Unhappy
with his failure, the Maerak attacked, mortally wounding poor "Eyes".
Dana's research pays off and she learns that the mirror is an Antediluvian artifact called
the Mirror of Janus. The mirror was created to test warriors vying for the throne of an ancient kingdom.
The warrior was locked in a chamber with the mirror which, activated by a blood sacrifice, would create an
evil double of the warrior. The warrior and his double would battle and if he could defeat his evil self
the warrior had proved he had the strength to be a fair and just king. If the warrior failed he remained
locked in the chamber until he starved to death. Since Patrick's double was loose, the only way to stop him
would be to track him down and for Patrick himself to defeat him. This would complete the mirror's function
and the double would vanish. The only problem is that Patrick's double is protected from detection by the
same magic he is using to conceal Jennifer.
Patrick's double has not been sitting around waiting for his twin to find him. The double has
found a way to manipulate Jennifer's unconscious dream ability to alter the future. Across the city psychics,
including Lauren, have a vision of the sky over Los Angeles covered in a sheet of flame. At the same time
several mystic texts, including those in the possession of Lionel Randolph and some that Dana is researching,
spontaneously generate several passages to foretell the same event. Minutes later the newly-created prophecy
is fulfilled and for a few seconds the sky over LA becomes demonic fire.
Realizing that Patrick's double must be using some kind of mind control on Jennifer if he wants
to use her as a weapon the team begins hunting down demons with telepathic abilities. Tracking down a colony of
Ruen-Vey demons in an abandoned library, the groups gets a break when the demons momentarily mistake Patrick for
his evil twin and reveal that the double took the colony's leader several hours earlier. Following the trail
into the sewers, Patrick finds a box of donuts obviously left for them to find. Inside the box is a photo of
Patrick's wife and infant daughter, his double's way of telling him he can get to Patrick's loved ones anytime
he wants. The tactic is enough to distract Patrick and the team loses the trail.
Early the next morning, Patrick's double phones him to taunt him some more. Patrick is able to
track the number to a pay phone, but knows by the time he got their his double would be long gone. Then Patrick
realizes that in order to make the call his double had to have left whatever mystic protection was keeping him
from being detected. While it is too late for him to contact Dana to see if she can cast a locating spell,
Patrick reasons that the Maerak and Wolfram & Hart are most likely continually monitoring for his double.
Not knowing where to find the Maerak, Patrick opts to stake out Wolfram & Hart, where he is joined by Ethan.
The two spot a pair of familiar faces in a heated discussion outside of the W & H building. Their old
"acquaintance" Travis McCauley, looking very pleased with himself, is talking with a woman the two
recognize as Alexandra Morelli (the lawyer who was in contact with the man posing as Jennifer's uncle). When
Alexandra drives away looking disgusted, Patrick and Ethan follow.
Alexandra goes into a fancy cafe on Rodeo Drive and Ethan goes in after her. He tries to charm her,
but Alexandra reveals that she knows who Ethan is, having seen his file at Wolfram & Hart. Ethan does manage to
learn that Alexandra is not happy with McCauley. Jennifer Guerrin had been Alexandra's project but management took
it away from her and gave it to McCauley to handle. Hoping to see McCauley fail, Alexandra lets Ethan know that
Patrick's double is planning to auction off Jennifer that evening and gives Ethan the place and time of the auction.
Outside the cafe, Patrick is waiting in his car when the vehicle is approached by a beautiful raven-haired woman.
The woman, Darketja, is an Urobach demon hired by Wolfram & Hart to kill Patrick, part of the price for them
to attend the auction. Patrick battles Darketja, badly injuring her and to escape she uses her fire powers to
explode Patrick's car. Patrick quickly uses his strength to smash open a fire hydrant and put out the flames, but
it is enough time for Darketja to escape. His trenchcoat destroyed in the fight, Patrick has no place to conceal
his sword from the gathering crowd so he leaves it behind in his wrecked car, choosing instead to take the mystic
Blood Drinker knife with him instead as he and Ethan leave the scene.
At the abandoned Paradise theater Patrick's double is preparing for the evening's auction, and
planning a double cross. Since Jennifer's dream ability is tied to creating prophetic visions the crafted futures
are by definition vague. The evil Patrick has managed to craft one, however, that will see him continue to exist
once the real Patrick is killed (a task that he has made part of the auction price). Not only that, but the death
of his double will grant him great powers and the fulfilling of this prophecy will take away Jennifer's powers.
So if the newly forged prophecy works correctly, Patrick will be killed, his double will become more powerful
not to mention rich from the auction, and the winning bidder at the auction will wind up with a normal teenage
girl for their troubles.
That night Ethan and Lauren check out the address given to him by Alexandra, the Paradise theater.
When the bidders begin to arrive, the two contact Patrick, Jalen, and Dana and let them know it is starting.
Patrick is disturbed when he learns about the location of the auction, but doesn't let on to the others. Inside
the burnt out theater the bidders have assembled. Present are several Maerak accompanied by more Skelos mercenaries,
Travis McCauley with Wolfram & Hart security agents, Lionel Randolph and his two body guards Kurt and Rod, and
a mysterious man named Mr. Locke who has come with a pair of trolls for muscle. Patrick's double appears on the
stage with a frightened Jennifer in tow who he promptly chains to the floor lighting.
The bidding begins, with Wolfram & Hart relaying their bids via McCauley. No matter what any
of the others bids, the strange Mr. Locke always raises the stake by producing a series of golden armbands from
seemingly out of nowhere. While this is going on Jalen sneaks into the lighting scaffolding on the ceiling,
successfully hiding from everyone there, except Mr. Locke who makes it clear he can see him but makes no mention
of it to the others. Patrick meanwhile has snuck backstage and is making his way up behind his double with the
Blood Drinker in hand. Though the bidders see Patrick, they make no sign, figuring if the double is killed
then each of them can try and grab the girl for themselves.
Patrick successfully gets behind his double and slashes at his throat with the knife. the double
is fast enough to move away, though, preventing a mortal wound. At this point the Maerak order the Skelos to
attack the others as Jalen drops down to free Jennifer. As soon as the chains are cut, Lauren uses her telekinesis
to get Jennifer away from the fight. While McCauley and Randolph both retreat from the scene, Mr. Locke sends his
trolls in to eagerly fight the Skelos demons. Hiding nearby, Ethan frantically looks for weapon to use while Dana
seems fixated on the battle between Patrick and his double. Searching nearby wreckage, Ethan is surprised to find
a loaded crossbow half buried and covered in dust. He moves to use it, but by this time the trolls have finished
off the Skelos and the few Maerak who didn't manage to escape. Ethan does manage to wing Travis McCauley with a
parting shot before the lawyer escapes the carnage, though, and Mr. Locke and the trolls leave while the battle on
stage continues.
On stage, the evil Patrick is picked up a battle axe and he and Patrick trade a series of vicious
blows. With each vorpal cut from the Blood Drinker the evil Patrick grows weaker, but his powerful axe
blows are taking their toll on the real Patrick. Finally Patrick drives the knife deep into his double's chest as
his evil self brings the axe crashing down. Both Patricks fall to the stage as the others rush in. Both are dying
but Ethan is able to stabilize the real Patrick while Dana watches the evil double bleed to death. Once she is sure
he is dead, she takes the Blood Drinker knife and sends Lauren to find a mirror. Returning with an unbroken
mirror from one of the dressing rooms, Lauren passes it to Dana, who holds the mirror over the dead double and
speaks an incantation. The double's body vanishes and the real Ethan's reflection returns.
While the others take the wounded Patrick back to his apartment to rest and recover, Ethan and
Lauren take Jennifer back to the East Hills Teen Shelter. Though terrified from her ordeal, Jennifer is now
powerless as apparently the death of the double satisfied enough of the crafted prophecy to fulfill that portion
of it, or so it appears.
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