Chosen

LONDON, ENGLAND

May 22, 2001

"Summers is dead." The young man puts the phone receiver down in a daze. The council stares up, not quite believing it.
"Is it for good this time?" Asks Travers. The man by the phone nods." That was Mr. Giles, Apparently Glory is gone as well, I think the threat is over." He announces with a hint of grief in his voice, though he had never met the legendary slayer, when one dies it hits them all.

"Alright then, we get started right away, do we have a lead on the next potential?"

"I heard something from India, but nothing confirmed yet." Someone says from the back.

"Wasn't there something in Japan recently?" Another voice inquires. Travers stands and moves toward the back of the room where he pulls down a map. Stereotypical red thumbtacks mark points of interest in every country on earth. "Yes, there were reports of a girl surviving a car crash in the Kano-gawa River, she was very near death."

"What makes you think she is a potential?"

"It was a three hundred foot drop. Stepeck, would you go and see about this girl?"
Olson Stepeck doesn't hear a word of this, his thoughts are still with Mr. Giles, they'd only met a few times but Olson held him in very high regard. He wondered how Mr. Giles was taking the death of his Slayer, and how it would feel to be in his place, Olson doubted his ability to ever become so close to a subject, he wasn't sure it was even appropriate and yet he admired Mr. Giles for it.

"Mr. Stepeck?" Travers repeated.

"Yes?"

"Will you go to Japan, see about this girl for us?"

"Oh Yes, of course..."

"Thank you, and Mrs. Moore would you be willing to follow up on the girl in India?"

Stepeck gatheres his things and is out of the room before he hears the rest, a girl in Japan, he'd heard something about it before though not much was confirmed. So much to do now. In his office he begins to pack, all his life and this is what it's lead to, some girl in Japan. He'd been disappointed before, sent out to find potentials who turned out to be your run of the mill ordinary, extraordinary girls. But with every assignment came the possibility of a Slayer. A girl who's destiny had been foretold, a sacred duty, and it would be his job to walk her though it, to prepare her, what a joke. He didn't even know what to pack and how to arrange his clothes in a suitcase so they wouldn't wrinkle. They always wrinkled. Silly thoughts filled his mind like will he get paid in pounds, dollars or yen? This is the man they put in charge of fostering a stranger, a young grieving girl into Slayerhood? What a joke.
"Any questions Mr. Stepeck?" Travers opens the office door without knocking, this room is all but empty in his eyes. "No. Well, I was just wondering, will Mr. Giles be coming back? I would very much like to talk to him."
"I suspect he might, though not in time, he has the funeral and other things to tend to. He made quite the life for himself over there. You will be gone by the time he returns if he does at all."

"I see."

"Don't get caught up in other peoples business now Olson, it's your time, this girl will need guidance, you need to focus."

"But she might not be the Slayer, I mean it's not certain..."

"She's yours to train, yours to mold. Slayer or not she is a potential, We've confirmed it, she's shown signs of it before, we've had eyes on her for some time, there's something strange going on over there. If she has not been activated you will tell her who she is, you will train her and you will report back."

"Yes sir."

"Don't be scared, this a sacred duty."

"Yes sir." He replies all the while thinking, what a joke.

…...

The girl stares out the window as she has for the past two days. A cup of shiny green Jello sits in her hands unwavering. Her breathing is shallow, barely visible, entirely inaudible. She is not a supermodel but nevertheless pretty, she features deep brown eyes and a small thin mouth, her hair is cut in a short in an American bob falling steady straight and curving upward at the bottom. She is the only one here who doesn't speak Japanese, without the ability to communicate she is left alone. Nothing moves, not even the Jello.
"Time for medicine." a nurse states through a heavy Japanese accent. She kneels down beside the girl. "Check bandage?" She asks. No response, Jello still as steel. The nurse slowly pulls back the thick yellow bandage on the girl's arm. The skin beneath it shows only a hint of a wound, a long gash now closed and healed. "Oh!" The nurse exclaims. "Already healed!"
The girl loses her focus on the leaves outside, her head tilts down to the spot where the bandage was. "Healed?" The girl says in surprise, for a moment she is quiet, then, she stands. "I want to go home now." She says.
"No no, still need hospital! Counselor, counselor!" The nurse starts to panic.
"I don't need a counselor, I have to go." The girl stands and starts to leave. The nurse runs off in the way of the orderlies. In her room the girl finds clothes given to her by the hospital through good will. She couldn't stand the site of the place anymore, the smell, the people, everything in here was dying, and she had things to do. She takes a pair of jeans and a halter top to the bathroom where she rips off the hospital gown.
A doctor enters the room followed by two orderlies. "Where you going?" The doctor asks through the door.
"Home." She replies.
"You need more hospital. Grief counselor need you to stay."
"I'm fine."
She steps out of the bathroom, dressed but still pale from a lack of sun, her skin an unhealthy grey. She looks at the three men in front of her for a minute. "The police still need to talk to you." Says the doc.
She maneuvers around him, the orderlies, big and bulky stand in front of the door. "You don't want to do that." She says and tries to bypass them. As she takes a step forward and one of them grabs her arms holding them tightly at her sides. They stand face to face and she wonders why he isn't holding her tighter. She extends her arms out to her sides, he is powerless to stop her. The second orderly steps in. Without thought or hesitation she throws a quick decisive kick into his stomach and head-butts the other. Both are down in a matter of seconds. She steps over them and walks out. For a moment she walks alone, down the hall and around the corner she begins to pick up speed.
The blare of the hospital PA system sounds calling for security to head for the exits scares her but not enough to stop. Down the hall she sees a guard on his walkie. Still as statues they look at each other for a moment. He takes a step toward her and she bolts. He gives chase. Past patients in robes and doctors in coats she runs into an elevator and hits the garage button. The doors close just in time. A million thoughts coarse through her mind as the elevator dings its way down the building. 'Adrenalin adrenalin adrenalin' she repeats over and over in her head trying to keep this supernatural speed and strength going until she's free. The last ding is the loudest.
The doors open and seven guards stand ahead ready to bring her in. 'Seven.' She thinks, 'Seven seven seven.'One reaches out, she pulls his hand into the elevator and stops him with her knee, another swings his baton, she means to ducks but isn't fast enough, it hits her across the face, the shock of it sends her back a few feet. By the time it takes for her to recover three more are already on top of her. The policy is not to harm patients but when it becomes obvious that they cannot for whatever reason, overpower the girl, two of the guards take out their tasers and blast her full of electricity. She screams, she fights, she kicks. They shock her some more and she's down. Handcuffs are placed carefully and jokes are made about the guard on the ground, though through the laughter they all share a look, a look that says 'lucky I wasn't him.'

….

A young Japanese detective sits across the wooden table from the girl. He is smoking a cigarette and staring at her through monotone eyes, a tactic meant to be intimidating but succeeding only at irritating. It's a little white room full of papers and bulletin boards on the walls, no one way mirror, no orange jumpsuit, nothing like TV. The detective offers her a cigarette, she leans in, handcuffed to the chair and takes it with her lips, before he has a chance to light it a Japanese woman enters, she apologizes for her tardiness and sits. The detective speaks in Japanese and the interpreter interprets for the girl.
"Why did you run?"
"I just wanted to leave. I didn't want to be there anymore."
"You were under investigation."
"It was an accident."
"We have video of you with a gun..."
"I was defending myself."
"You beat up the orderlies and a guard. Who trained you?"
"It was just luck."
"Lucky girl."
"Is that what I am?"
"We searched your wallet, found many different ID's, with a lot of different names, what is your real name? Where do you live?"
"I don't live anywhere."
"What is your name?"
Jane. Doe."
The door opens and the captain steps in. "Interview over." He says and bends down to unlock the girls' handcuffs. The detective protests but the captain doesn't hear it, he leads the girl out of the room and into the offices where a man in a suit stands waiting. "You go with him." The captain tells the girl and she steps toward the man who is filling out paper work, he extends a hand to her. "Olson Stepeck." he says. She looks at him with utter disinterest. They walk out of the station together but apart.
"You created quite a scene at the hospital." He says.
"Who are you?"
"That's going to take some time to explain, here this is my car."
"Where are we going?"
"I can drive you home."
"Can I drive?"
"Oh, um, I'd rather not-"
"Have you been in Japan before?"
"No."
"Well it's know for confusing traffic and accidents."
"Okay, I don't see why not." He says.

He hands her the keys and they get in. "So what I have to tell will be quite shocking..."
She pushes the lighter button on the console. "You're a Watcher, I kind of figured that out when the police let me go without a second thought. The council is said to have quite a bit of influence, good to know it's not all just stories. That and the tweed suit, you kind of stand out in Japan."
"Wait, you know? I was told you had no idea about who you are."
"It was explained to me a long time ago, trust me I know." She says and lights the cigarette.
"And you know you've been activated?"
She stares straight ahead for a moment. "No, I mean, maybe, I don't know I guess I figured it out sometime after they brought me in. How'd she die? The other Slayer?"
"I'm not sure exactly, all I know is she gave her life, saved the world."
"Far out." She says and takes a sharp left turn.
"Where are we heading?"
"To my friend's place. My apartment is being watched we can't go there."
"They never told me your name."
"Jane."
The car screeches and stops in front of a large abandoned brick building. "Here?" Olson asks confused. "Here." She says and they step out, "It's the safest place we have for now." Inside, the ceiling dips low soggy with rainwater, the wall paper curls from every side obstructing the way. She leads Olson around the hall and down the stairs into the basement where the floor and walls are beautifully painted, computers and monitors line the sides of the room. A young man holding a sawed off shotgun looks up and sees her. He runs to her wrapping his arms tight around her petite figure. "We were just mounting up for a rescue. I thought you were going to stay at the hospital for a while." He says without looking at Olson.
"You know it wasn't safe there, why didn't you get me out?"
"I tried but you were completely unresponsive, we couldn't take care of you, but we were watching... 'course than you got all crazy with the kicking and we had to back off... And I'm sorry... about..." He doesn't finish, he doesn't have to. She gives him a thank you nod.
"We were on our way to get you now, just had to figure out a way around all the cops and guns and imminent death..."
"Excuse me, Hi, I'm Olson Stepeck, I'm her lawyer, how do you know Jane?"
The Young looks at Olson, "Her lawyer? Are you sure you're not her Watcher Mr. Tweed?"
"How many people know exactly?" Olson asks but the young man interrupts, "Wait a minute, does this mean what I think it means?"
Jane looks at him with a half smile. He hugs her again, even tighter this time. "My best friend's a Slayer!" He turns back to Olson, "Name's Crash." He says and shakes Olson's hand.
A voice from the back of the room, "I wanna see you break something." The girl steps out from behind an old computer she's stripping for parts.
"Belle!" Jane runs to her.
"Hello Slayer." Belle says proudly.
Olson steps behind them. "And you don't care about the one before you?"
"The Summers girl?" Belle asks rhetorically, "Of course we do, she was a legend. But she's done her time and moved on, we have a lot of work to do."
"I know that I'm her watcher. First thing we have to do is train, a Slayer is useless without proper training."
"I've been training since I was six."
"Trained by who?"
"We don't have time for life stories right now, we have to move."
"If you're so well trained then why did you get caught?" Olson asks not quite letting it go.
"There were seven guards. And they had tasers...They hurt."
"When I'm through with you you'll be able to take twice that many if not more. Who's been training you, and what is this place?"
Jane heads to a set of lockers on the wall and opens one, she takes out a knife and a duffel bag full of weapons. "We have to go see Or, she'll know where to go from here."
"Who's Or?" Asks Olson.
"She's a friend, she knows things, helpful things." Crash says laying a hand on Olson's shoulder.
"Will someone please tell me what's going on?"
"What's going on is we're in real gloomy trouble and we need someone who can help us figure out a way out of it." Jane says as she holster and silver knife into her belt. "Who's got wheels, Mr Tweed picked me up at the police station, it's useless now."
"Useless? It's a rental, I can't just leave it."
"Trust me, if you want it safe you'll leave it just where it is."
"I just boosted a sweet Mercedes, she's parked in the garage." Crash.
"It's a stick, you don't drive stick." Belle chimes in.
"I do, just takes a sec to get it going." He continues as they start up the stairs arguing about who should drive. Jane leans to Olson and whispers, "They used to date."
In the end it's Belle taking sharp turns, shifting into second gear blowing past the red lights. "Got no finesse, the transmission will be shot by the time we get there." Crash mutters. Belle shifts into third.
"Will you please shut up, look out the window, I think I saw a puppy, think about that for a while." Belle says sarcasm strong.
"Shouldn't I be driving?" Olson asks Jane as he grips his suitcase in the backseat. "Why?" She replies.
"Because, well, I am the adult, and also, I think we might die."
"No she's fine, trust me, nothing to worry about."
"Speaking of which, I was told you were in a car accident, do you mind me asking what happened?"
"It wasn't a car and it wasn't an accident, we're here."
The car stops and all four doors pop open simultaneously. "Belle, stay here? Keep an eye out?" Jane asks, Belle nods. Olson looks around confused but follows as they walk into an empty lot. "Is it underground?" He asks but before anyone can answer him a giant seven story hotel manifests itself where the empty lot used to be, a doorman lets them in. The hotel is extravagant, patrons and staff look at them as they enter. Olson notices a man in the corner, he knows immediately, "Vampire, in the corner."
"I know, it's okay, be cool." Jane says and they reach the front desk.
"Is she expecting you?" Asks the concierge.
"She is."
They move to the elevator and ride to the seventh floor. "Why is she expecting us? And why are we letting vampires roam free? And why is this hotel invisible?" Olson's cool is losing out to his frustrations. Crash tries to explain, "This is a sanctuary of sorts, we don't fight here. And it's a spell, to keep it hidden from the bad elements."
"I don't understand, are vampires not bad elements."
"They are pests, nothing more, this place is hidden from all things bent on the destruction of life."
"Vampires destroy lives."
"No I mean all life."
"How do they keep vampires and demons civilized?"
"There are rules here, ancient rules, it's the way it's always been."
"And what if someone breaks the rules?"
"Well then they get deported..."
"That's not so bad."
"…From time and space. And in case any bad elements get the idea to siege the hotel, it moves to a safer location and is cloaked and hidden except for a few who know how to find it. This is a place full of strange and powerful beings with extremely powerful magics not to be taken lightly."
The elevator stops and the doors open on a dwarf standing on the other side gnawing on a twizzler.
"Slayer. Come. And company too." Says the gnome.
Olson starts,"We're not company we're her-"
"Helpers?" The creature interrupts.
He waddles down the hall. "What's your name buddy?" Crash asks as if talking to a dog. "Morphy." The gnome says without turning around. Crash smiles "Aw, that's adorable." Morphy turns and with shifty eyes whispers something in Crash's direction. He continues walking. Crash suddenly feels an itch in the middle of his back, it doesn't burn or hurt, it's only an Itch, he tries to scratch it but can't reach. The Gnome wears a hidden smile. They reach door 707, and Morphy knocks.
The door opens on its own, Olson cautiously follows the gang inside, Or sits on a sofa in the living room, she is reading a newspaper and drinking coffee. As they enter she looks up, her eyes glow a radiant blue. "Power." Or states. "I felt it a block away, how are you handling it Slayer?"
"I like it, it feels familiar and comfortable, like pajamas."
"Being a Slayer feels like comfortable pajamas?" Or asks.
"It's hard to explain."
"Moving right along then, you're here for information?"
"We wanted to know if you knew or felt anything, about what happens next, about what was written? About me?"
"I can only say what I feel, what was written is still a mystery, the only people who know or thinkthey know what the prophecy says are the unfortunate misguided souls you've known your whole life."
"Yeah, those guys suck."
"What is your friend doing?" Or asks tilting her head.
Jane turns around, behind them Crash is trying to no avail to reach the middle of his back where the itch grows more and more irritating.
"Never mind him," Jane says, "...do you know where I could find the books, where all of this is supposedly written about me?"
"Not yet but I can try."
Or stands and walks to the center of the room. She closes her eyes and raises her hands, palms facing the ceiling. She begins an ancient Latin chant. Jane and Olson watch in mild amazement. Behind them Crash rubs his back against the doorknob.

…...

Outside Belle leans on the car, bored. A puddle on the blacktop catches her eye, tiny shock wave circles form as bits of the drizzling rain crash on the water. Then, inside the puddle between the rippling waves a silhouette appears. She looks up at the man in front of her, his eyes yellow-black slits like a cat's. "Hello Belle, how long's it been?"