FRAY
Summary: Something is going on in the word. The newly activated slayers are
behind hunted and killed and it's up to the Slayer's Coven to find out
who's doing it. A lost girl makes her way to Sunnydale with no memory. Is
this girl the key or the killer?
Spoilers: All seasons
Episode 1: New Sunnydale
New York City, New York Amanda Sollen worked quickly inside the deserted dojo. Music was blaring from a nearby radio and the punching bag hanging from the ceiling moved with the rhythm of the sound. Sweat was running down her face and into the gray t-shirt she was wearing. With the volume of the music and the sound of her movements she never heard the door to the dojo open.
Amanda pulled back he hand, her fist clenched tightly, ready to punch. Suddenly an impossibly strong hand grabbed her elbow, crushing the bone in the process. Amanda fell to the ground with a scream. When she opened her eyes she saw a scarred face leaning over her. The face smiled and pulled a knife out of the folds of his blood red robe. The knife entered the girl's stomach and was ripped up to her neck. The face smiled again before leaving the dojo and the body. No one would know he had been there. No one but Her.
New Sunnydale, California Willow Rosenberg let out a harsh cry and dropped to one knee. Kennedy and Xander rushed over to her, both reaching her at the same time. "They're dying," Willow gasped, tears falling from her eyes. "They're being killed. There's so much pain."
Kennedy wiped the young woman's face with a damp cloth before helping her over to a chair. Faith walked into the living room of the apartment in the newly built Sunnydale, happily dubbed New Sunnydale. It was almost identical to the old one minus the Hellmouth, and plus a huge crater four miles south where the old Sunnydale had been. Faith crossed her arms and leaned up against one wall. "New York this time," she said. "We just got word from a contact."
Willow looked at the slayer. "Who needs a contact when you've got your own slayer tracker right here?"
Faith smiled. "Thanks for the help Will. You can tell me when and I appreciate that but you can't tell me where."
Willow smiled and leaned her head against the back of the chair. "Fair enough."
Xander got up from Willow's side and walked over to Faith, pulling her out of the living room and into the kitchen. "What in the hell's going on?" he hissed. "That's ten in the past week, twenty-five in the past month and they're getting closer together. One in Tokyo and one in Miami four hours apart. That's impossible."
"Did you just forget the past seven years?" Faith asked taking a seat at the bar.
Xander hit the fridge with a flat palm. "I know but this is the first big thing that's happened since Buffy left. I'm worried."
Faith nodded. "Giles called and said that the Watchers were looking into it and the Coven has collected fifteen slayers in the past week. For right now the only way we can stay safe is to stay together."
Xander sat down at the small table that was situated in one corner of the room. "I might feel better if we still had the Scythe. I wish Buffy hadn't hidden it."
"What she did was right. With it just lying around it could have been taken by anyone. She knows that if we ever need it again, we'll find it."
Xander let his head hit the table with a solid thunk. "Come on, let's go visit the girls. Kennedy has Willow taken care of," Faith suggested.
Xander picked up his head and nodded. Faith walked back into the living room and let the two girls know what their plans were. She popped her head back into the kitchen a few seconds later. "Come on Xander. Let's go."
Xander got up, grabbed his coat off the back of the chair, and followed Faith out of the building.
New Sunnydale had been built in six months with financial help from multiple government loans and other business groups. There were still multiple construction projects taking place. The school was adding a library and a gym and another three apartments were being built. A big sign on a nearby warehouse said, "the BRONZE 2, coming soon."
They drove out of the center of the city and into the warehouse and industrial district. Most of the buildings looked worn down and quickly constructed but one silver colored building stood out. It was clean, well made and the roof was in one piece. There was a large stylized B on one wall cut diagonally by a scythe. Beneath the picture it said, The Coven, in red letters. They had reached the slayers.
The inside of the large warehouse had been morphed into a place to house boxes to a place to house people. Xander had restarted his construction business and his team had turned the warehouse into a two-story building. After the slayers had been activated during the destruction of The First, Buffy had begun looking for all the ones that had been activated. Without the proper training and control they would be dangerous. Four months ago though, Faith had made Buffy leave, get out of New Sunnydale and take a break. She had done to England with Giles and was now living just outside of London. She was still helping the slayers but in more of a watcher kind of way.
Now all the slayers stayed in the warehouse unless, like Kennedy, they had other places to live. Xander opened the door and smiled at the chaos within. They would be safe here. The girls wouldn't let anything happen.
The hundred or so girls that made the warehouse a home ranged in age from fourteen to twenty-five and came from almost every country. A large mix of accents and languages assaulted Xander's ears as he walked inside. One corner of the bottom floor had been converted into a library for Dawn and Andrew, the newly appointed Coven watchers. There were three tables, some chairs and a sofa but mostly there were books. Many out of Giles's personal collection. Some were still in large cardboard boxes due to lack of space.
The rest of the lower floor was a giant gym with a thick mat in the center of the room for sparing, large cabinets full of weapons and rows of punching bags. There were also treadmills and weight machines. A spiral staircase led upstairs to the living quarters. A large open area served as barracks with three rows of standard issue army cots and heavy trunks at the end of each bed. A door on one wall led to the bathrooms and showers, another led to the kitchen and living room.
Dawn was sitting at one of the library tables when she saw Xander. She waved him over and hugged him when he got there. She just waved to Faith. "Andrew went out to the grocery for a few minutes. He'll be back soon."
"There's been another one," Faith said softly.
The slayers were already worried. There was no reason to make them scared. Dawn shook her head and sat back down at the table. "Most demons can sense Vampire Slayers because they're more powerful than normal people. I've also been looking for creatures with claws, attached blades, anything that will account for their being gutted."
"How's it going?" Xander asked.
"So far I've narrowed it down to 3,483 different definite and 378 possible. I need some other characteristic to narrow it down a little more."
Xander sighed and sat down in a chair next to Dawn. Faith sat down across from them. "Send five more teams out to collect slayers and bring them here. Eventually we might be able to set a trap for this thing."
"I'll get the teams together," Xander said. "I don't have anything else to do."
Faith nodded and waved him away. "Give me some books and let's start reading."
Dawn nodded and handed Faith a dusty leather-bound volume. Faith took a deep breath and opened the book.
Kennedy handed Willow a large mug of hot chocolate and sat down on the sofa next to her. "What does it feel like?" Kennedy asked, her voice quiet. "When they die?"
Willow took a drink and leaned up against Kennedy. "It feels empty. A sharp flash of pain and then nothing. It's like a part of me is missing. It hurts so badly."
Another tear fell down Willow's face and Kennedy wiped it away with a finger. "We'll find out who's doing this. I promise."
Willow smiled and snuggled closer to the warm body of the woman sitting behind her. Kennedy wrapped her arms around Willow's waist. "How long do you think this will take? This is killing me."
Kennedy unwrapped her arms and turned away. "Don't talk like that," she said.
Willow looked up at her. "I'm sorry but I have to tell you the truth. I've never been able to lie to you. I don't know why I can't sense this thing. I'm a goddess and I can't do a damn thing about it."
Kennedy replaced her arms around Willow's waist and hugged her tightly. "I think this creature might know that. With you in so much pain you can't do much with magick."
Willow nodded. "You're right. I've got too much else on my mind. I have to try though."
"Do you need my strength?" Kennedy asked.
Her voice was shaky, the first time Willow had heard it that way and she knew that Kennedy had just offered her everything. They had never really talked about that day so long ago when a spell gone bad had taken Kennedy's powers and her strength. Willow knew that that had hurt her and what she was offering now was amazing. Willow shook her head. "You already give me strength. I might be able to block the pain long enough to perform a locator spell but for now I don't have the strength to do either."
Kennedy took Willow's mug and set it on the table. "Come on," Kennedy said pushing Willow off the sofa. "Let's go to bed."
"But it's one in the afternoon," Willow started to protest.
Kennedy turned and smiled lightly. "I never said we had to sleep."
Willow smiled and allowed herself to be pulled into the bedroom.
Faith turned another page of the third giant book she had looked through in the past two hours. Dawn and Andrew were sitting across from her and Xander was on her left. They were coming up on three hours of work with no finds and were getting impatient. Faith turned another page and stopped. The page was covered in runes; unreadable to her but the rest of the book had been in English. "Hey Dawn," Faith said, turning the book towards the young woman. "Can you read this?"
Dawn glanced at the page and Andrew leaned in to get a look. "It's an African script," Dawn said. "I've seen things like this before but never this. I'll scan it and send it to Buffy. She can give a copy to Giles."
Dawn took the book and Faith leaned back in her chair. "I say we wait until we get the results of the cyber exchange before we keep going."
Xander closed his book and leaned back. "Good idea. My only working eye is threatening to go on strike."
Andrew nodded. "We're not getting anywhere right now anyway."
A few seconds later Dawn came back and sank down in her chair. "Buffy got the mail and she's taking it to Giles now. All we can do is wait."
Faith stood up and stretched. "If you guys don't mind, I think I'm going to wait at home. It doesn't look like there's anything here that needs my attention."
Dawn nodded. "I think we're doing fine for right now. Bring Kennedy tomorrow so we can start teaching some of the new slayers."
Faith and Xander packed up a few books to study at home and left the warehouse. Xander let Faith out in front of the small brick house that she shared with Robin Wood, the principal of the New Sunnydale High School. "I'll give you a call if I hear anything from Dawn," Xander said as Faith got out of the car.
"Alright, and I'll keep doing some research. I'll thrust a few books on Robin when he gets home."
Faith waved as Xander drove off. The young man was making his way to Willow's apartment but changed his mind halfway there. She was probably resting anyway. Xander drove to his apartment that was in the same area as Willow's. The apartments looked more like three story houses but each floor belonged to a different family. Xander's was on the top floor and he took the stairs quickly. He didn't want to waist time.
The rooms were dark but Xander easily navigated the dark rooms until he got to the kitchen. Xander turned on the light and dumped a small pile of books on the table. He pulled the phone over closer and started sorting through the pages.
Xander hadn't been reading for more than five hours when the phone rang. Xander lunged for it, knocking a book of the table. "Hello," Xander said almost before he got the phone to his ear.
"Xander, it's Dawn. I've got some information. Giles got back to us fast and after reading this stuff I can understand why. Call everyone else and get here soon."
Xander said goodbye quickly before handing up the phone, picking it up again and starting to dial Willow's number.
Half and hour later Xander pulled up to the Coven warehouse. Faith and Wood pulled up behind them. Willow and Kennedy had ridden with Xander and the group threw open the door to the warehouse and hurried inside. Most of the slayers were upstairs, the smells of dinner finding their way down the stairs. Dawn waved the group over while Andrew stood back, his face a strange shade of green. Xander fell into a chair and put his head in his hands. "Why do I have a feeling that this is bad news?"
Dawn smiled. "It's both good and bad."
Andrew pulled out a few folders and passed them out. "Giles translated the script and sent us all the information he had on it."
Xander opened the folder as Andrew handed it to him. A twisted drawing of a massive man with a scarred face and a giant diamond on his chest lay on top of a small stack of papers. "He looks like someone you'd want to take home to mom," Faith said.
Dawn opened her own folder. "He'd only pay attention to her if she was a slayer. This guy is the Shalakan Osau, the slayer killer. He's the First's last ditch effort at taking out the slayer line. As soon as the First was killed this thing woke up and started killing slayers. He's taking out the single slayers first, the ones that are stronger than many but still."
Dawn trailed off and Willow let out a deep breath. "How do we get it here?"
Kennedy glanced at her. "But Willow."
Willow cut her short with a hand. Dawn flipped a page in her folder and handed the paper to Willow. "There is a spell we can cast to call him here. We block the power of the other slayers and simulate the power of a single active one. That should bring him here," Dawn said.
"But if our power is blocked how will we fight?" Kennedy asked, her forehead creased with worry.
"It's a temporary spell. It will only work until I stop it. Like an automatic weapon. It only fires when my finger's on the trigger," Willow said, her eyes still glued on the papers.
"I really don't like that analogy," Kennedy said.
Dawn handed Kennedy her folder. "Look in there. Giles assured us that the spell is safe."
Willow leaned over Kennedy's shoulder and read the papers. "I can't do much of anything right now. Every time one of the slayer's dies it takes my strength. I'll have to perform a blocking spell before I can do anything else."
Dawn nodded. "What do you need to perform the spells?"
"A few simple ingredients and a few hours of sleep."
Andrew gave Willow a pen. "Give me a list of ingredients that you need and I'll get them. Kennedy can take you home and we'll call you in about four hours."
Willow nodded as Kennedy and Xander got up to take her home. "I'll be ready when you are, See you soon."
The sky was dark gray when the row of cars pulled into the school parking lot. Robin had offered them the place since no one would be there after midnight. Kennedy was there, Xander, Faith, Dawn, Andrew, Robin and Willow too. Faith, Dawn, and Kennedy carried stakes and Andrew and Xander had swords. Robin carried a crossbow and Willow had a pouch at her waits with a magikal concoction of her own. They looked ready for war and in many ways they were.
Willow started spreading out supplies, some for the blocking spell, some for the summoning of the slayer killer. Willow let out a deep breath and spread a few sprigs of jasmine around a circle of candles. Kennedy walked over and put her hand on Willow's shoulder. "You'll do just fine and we're all behind you."
Willow hugged Kennedy and the young slayer walked back to where the group was standing. Willow lit the candles and knelt beside the circle. She drew out a small amount of powder from the pouch at her waist and threw it over the candles. The power sparkled in the air before flaming up when it touched the candles. Willow looked up, her eyes shining in the candle light. "The world around me is harsh and dry, protect me, save me and make me fly."
The candles flamed again and willow shook her head. "That one worked. Let's try the other."
Willow spread some more of her powder and closed her eyes. "Shalakan Osau, hear my cry, come take the path, find where I lie. The center of power, all other gone, you'll find me here before the dawn. The blood, the pain, the path you wake. If you find me here once more you'll WAKE!" This last word was screamed as a bolt of blue light shot through Willow's chest.
Willow heard Kennedy scream but it seemed to be in a different world. Finally the light faded and Willow slumped over. Kennedy ran forward and wrapped Willow in her arms. "Will," she cried.
Willow pushed herself up and looked at Kennedy with pale blue eyes, another trait of her new goddess status. "He's here. He can travel through space. Pretty cool if you ask me."
"Where is he?" Faith asked.
"By the BRONZE 2. There is so much power coming from there."
Kennedy gave Willow to Xander and Andrew and took off running after Faith. Even without their power the slayers' could get there quickly and the others would follow closely. Kennedy and Faith got to the Bronze quickly and Kennedy felt her power return when Willow stopped the spell.
Kennedy stopped just behind Faith and looked at the shadowy figure standing in the middle of the street. The figure let out a roar of fury and spun towards them. Kennedy and Faith took a step back as his face came into view.
He had once been human but now his face was crossed with scars and burns. His pale red eyes shone in the dark and his short brown hair showed streaks of gray. He was wearing a black coat and black pants but his jacket exposed a chest taunt with muscle and a thick diamond shaped scar ran from his neck to his belt and across his chest. "Slayers," he said, his voice deep, "fun."
Faith tightened her grip on the stake. "Monsters," she said, "dead."
The creature smiled and lunged forward. Kennedy and Faith rushed him, Faith jumping up and connecting with the creature's shoulder. It was like she had hit a brick wall. Faith rolled to the ground and jumped up, ready for another attack. Kennedy countered a punch from the monster and hit him in the side with a hard kick. The creature wasn't even phased.
Faith heard the squeal of tires behind them as the car drove up holding the others. "Hit him in the diamond. It's his weak spot," Dawn yelled, jumping out of the car and hitting the pavement at a dead run.
Kennedy hissed as she hit the ground. "That would have been nice to know. How about some help Wood. Shoot the son of a bitch."
Wood stepped forward and aimed at the massive target. Xander passed Faith his sword and Robin let the arrow fly. It found its target and the creature let out a massive howl of pain. Kennedy pushed herself off the ground and, with a sidekick, drove the arrow deeper into his chest. Faith ran over and slammed the sword into the creature's chest. He howled again and let out a final gurgling scream before he fell to the ground and melted into the pavement.
Faith pulled her sword out of the melted glob. "Yuck!" she said. "Why do they always have to do that?"
Kennedy walked over to Willow. "At least it's over."
Willow shook her head and put her arm over Kennedy's shoulders. "I can still feel this massive power. It should be gone."
"Maybe he wasn't the killed," Xander supplied, voicing all their fears.
There was a sudden crash from beside the Bronze and a garbage can rolled out of the alleyway. "Damn," Faith yelled, her sword poised at the ready.
A slight shape came tumbling out of the alley and the figure of a small blonde girl fell onto the pavement. She wore blue shorts and a white t- shirt. Faith ran over to her and flipped her on her back. Blood was running out of her nose and she looked up at Faith with an empty stare. "Who are you?" Faith asked.
The girl looked at her with a blank look on her face. "I don't know," she whispered, and suddenly she fainted.
Episode 1: New Sunnydale
New York City, New York Amanda Sollen worked quickly inside the deserted dojo. Music was blaring from a nearby radio and the punching bag hanging from the ceiling moved with the rhythm of the sound. Sweat was running down her face and into the gray t-shirt she was wearing. With the volume of the music and the sound of her movements she never heard the door to the dojo open.
Amanda pulled back he hand, her fist clenched tightly, ready to punch. Suddenly an impossibly strong hand grabbed her elbow, crushing the bone in the process. Amanda fell to the ground with a scream. When she opened her eyes she saw a scarred face leaning over her. The face smiled and pulled a knife out of the folds of his blood red robe. The knife entered the girl's stomach and was ripped up to her neck. The face smiled again before leaving the dojo and the body. No one would know he had been there. No one but Her.
New Sunnydale, California Willow Rosenberg let out a harsh cry and dropped to one knee. Kennedy and Xander rushed over to her, both reaching her at the same time. "They're dying," Willow gasped, tears falling from her eyes. "They're being killed. There's so much pain."
Kennedy wiped the young woman's face with a damp cloth before helping her over to a chair. Faith walked into the living room of the apartment in the newly built Sunnydale, happily dubbed New Sunnydale. It was almost identical to the old one minus the Hellmouth, and plus a huge crater four miles south where the old Sunnydale had been. Faith crossed her arms and leaned up against one wall. "New York this time," she said. "We just got word from a contact."
Willow looked at the slayer. "Who needs a contact when you've got your own slayer tracker right here?"
Faith smiled. "Thanks for the help Will. You can tell me when and I appreciate that but you can't tell me where."
Willow smiled and leaned her head against the back of the chair. "Fair enough."
Xander got up from Willow's side and walked over to Faith, pulling her out of the living room and into the kitchen. "What in the hell's going on?" he hissed. "That's ten in the past week, twenty-five in the past month and they're getting closer together. One in Tokyo and one in Miami four hours apart. That's impossible."
"Did you just forget the past seven years?" Faith asked taking a seat at the bar.
Xander hit the fridge with a flat palm. "I know but this is the first big thing that's happened since Buffy left. I'm worried."
Faith nodded. "Giles called and said that the Watchers were looking into it and the Coven has collected fifteen slayers in the past week. For right now the only way we can stay safe is to stay together."
Xander sat down at the small table that was situated in one corner of the room. "I might feel better if we still had the Scythe. I wish Buffy hadn't hidden it."
"What she did was right. With it just lying around it could have been taken by anyone. She knows that if we ever need it again, we'll find it."
Xander let his head hit the table with a solid thunk. "Come on, let's go visit the girls. Kennedy has Willow taken care of," Faith suggested.
Xander picked up his head and nodded. Faith walked back into the living room and let the two girls know what their plans were. She popped her head back into the kitchen a few seconds later. "Come on Xander. Let's go."
Xander got up, grabbed his coat off the back of the chair, and followed Faith out of the building.
New Sunnydale had been built in six months with financial help from multiple government loans and other business groups. There were still multiple construction projects taking place. The school was adding a library and a gym and another three apartments were being built. A big sign on a nearby warehouse said, "the BRONZE 2, coming soon."
They drove out of the center of the city and into the warehouse and industrial district. Most of the buildings looked worn down and quickly constructed but one silver colored building stood out. It was clean, well made and the roof was in one piece. There was a large stylized B on one wall cut diagonally by a scythe. Beneath the picture it said, The Coven, in red letters. They had reached the slayers.
The inside of the large warehouse had been morphed into a place to house boxes to a place to house people. Xander had restarted his construction business and his team had turned the warehouse into a two-story building. After the slayers had been activated during the destruction of The First, Buffy had begun looking for all the ones that had been activated. Without the proper training and control they would be dangerous. Four months ago though, Faith had made Buffy leave, get out of New Sunnydale and take a break. She had done to England with Giles and was now living just outside of London. She was still helping the slayers but in more of a watcher kind of way.
Now all the slayers stayed in the warehouse unless, like Kennedy, they had other places to live. Xander opened the door and smiled at the chaos within. They would be safe here. The girls wouldn't let anything happen.
The hundred or so girls that made the warehouse a home ranged in age from fourteen to twenty-five and came from almost every country. A large mix of accents and languages assaulted Xander's ears as he walked inside. One corner of the bottom floor had been converted into a library for Dawn and Andrew, the newly appointed Coven watchers. There were three tables, some chairs and a sofa but mostly there were books. Many out of Giles's personal collection. Some were still in large cardboard boxes due to lack of space.
The rest of the lower floor was a giant gym with a thick mat in the center of the room for sparing, large cabinets full of weapons and rows of punching bags. There were also treadmills and weight machines. A spiral staircase led upstairs to the living quarters. A large open area served as barracks with three rows of standard issue army cots and heavy trunks at the end of each bed. A door on one wall led to the bathrooms and showers, another led to the kitchen and living room.
Dawn was sitting at one of the library tables when she saw Xander. She waved him over and hugged him when he got there. She just waved to Faith. "Andrew went out to the grocery for a few minutes. He'll be back soon."
"There's been another one," Faith said softly.
The slayers were already worried. There was no reason to make them scared. Dawn shook her head and sat back down at the table. "Most demons can sense Vampire Slayers because they're more powerful than normal people. I've also been looking for creatures with claws, attached blades, anything that will account for their being gutted."
"How's it going?" Xander asked.
"So far I've narrowed it down to 3,483 different definite and 378 possible. I need some other characteristic to narrow it down a little more."
Xander sighed and sat down in a chair next to Dawn. Faith sat down across from them. "Send five more teams out to collect slayers and bring them here. Eventually we might be able to set a trap for this thing."
"I'll get the teams together," Xander said. "I don't have anything else to do."
Faith nodded and waved him away. "Give me some books and let's start reading."
Dawn nodded and handed Faith a dusty leather-bound volume. Faith took a deep breath and opened the book.
Kennedy handed Willow a large mug of hot chocolate and sat down on the sofa next to her. "What does it feel like?" Kennedy asked, her voice quiet. "When they die?"
Willow took a drink and leaned up against Kennedy. "It feels empty. A sharp flash of pain and then nothing. It's like a part of me is missing. It hurts so badly."
Another tear fell down Willow's face and Kennedy wiped it away with a finger. "We'll find out who's doing this. I promise."
Willow smiled and snuggled closer to the warm body of the woman sitting behind her. Kennedy wrapped her arms around Willow's waist. "How long do you think this will take? This is killing me."
Kennedy unwrapped her arms and turned away. "Don't talk like that," she said.
Willow looked up at her. "I'm sorry but I have to tell you the truth. I've never been able to lie to you. I don't know why I can't sense this thing. I'm a goddess and I can't do a damn thing about it."
Kennedy replaced her arms around Willow's waist and hugged her tightly. "I think this creature might know that. With you in so much pain you can't do much with magick."
Willow nodded. "You're right. I've got too much else on my mind. I have to try though."
"Do you need my strength?" Kennedy asked.
Her voice was shaky, the first time Willow had heard it that way and she knew that Kennedy had just offered her everything. They had never really talked about that day so long ago when a spell gone bad had taken Kennedy's powers and her strength. Willow knew that that had hurt her and what she was offering now was amazing. Willow shook her head. "You already give me strength. I might be able to block the pain long enough to perform a locator spell but for now I don't have the strength to do either."
Kennedy took Willow's mug and set it on the table. "Come on," Kennedy said pushing Willow off the sofa. "Let's go to bed."
"But it's one in the afternoon," Willow started to protest.
Kennedy turned and smiled lightly. "I never said we had to sleep."
Willow smiled and allowed herself to be pulled into the bedroom.
Faith turned another page of the third giant book she had looked through in the past two hours. Dawn and Andrew were sitting across from her and Xander was on her left. They were coming up on three hours of work with no finds and were getting impatient. Faith turned another page and stopped. The page was covered in runes; unreadable to her but the rest of the book had been in English. "Hey Dawn," Faith said, turning the book towards the young woman. "Can you read this?"
Dawn glanced at the page and Andrew leaned in to get a look. "It's an African script," Dawn said. "I've seen things like this before but never this. I'll scan it and send it to Buffy. She can give a copy to Giles."
Dawn took the book and Faith leaned back in her chair. "I say we wait until we get the results of the cyber exchange before we keep going."
Xander closed his book and leaned back. "Good idea. My only working eye is threatening to go on strike."
Andrew nodded. "We're not getting anywhere right now anyway."
A few seconds later Dawn came back and sank down in her chair. "Buffy got the mail and she's taking it to Giles now. All we can do is wait."
Faith stood up and stretched. "If you guys don't mind, I think I'm going to wait at home. It doesn't look like there's anything here that needs my attention."
Dawn nodded. "I think we're doing fine for right now. Bring Kennedy tomorrow so we can start teaching some of the new slayers."
Faith and Xander packed up a few books to study at home and left the warehouse. Xander let Faith out in front of the small brick house that she shared with Robin Wood, the principal of the New Sunnydale High School. "I'll give you a call if I hear anything from Dawn," Xander said as Faith got out of the car.
"Alright, and I'll keep doing some research. I'll thrust a few books on Robin when he gets home."
Faith waved as Xander drove off. The young man was making his way to Willow's apartment but changed his mind halfway there. She was probably resting anyway. Xander drove to his apartment that was in the same area as Willow's. The apartments looked more like three story houses but each floor belonged to a different family. Xander's was on the top floor and he took the stairs quickly. He didn't want to waist time.
The rooms were dark but Xander easily navigated the dark rooms until he got to the kitchen. Xander turned on the light and dumped a small pile of books on the table. He pulled the phone over closer and started sorting through the pages.
Xander hadn't been reading for more than five hours when the phone rang. Xander lunged for it, knocking a book of the table. "Hello," Xander said almost before he got the phone to his ear.
"Xander, it's Dawn. I've got some information. Giles got back to us fast and after reading this stuff I can understand why. Call everyone else and get here soon."
Xander said goodbye quickly before handing up the phone, picking it up again and starting to dial Willow's number.
Half and hour later Xander pulled up to the Coven warehouse. Faith and Wood pulled up behind them. Willow and Kennedy had ridden with Xander and the group threw open the door to the warehouse and hurried inside. Most of the slayers were upstairs, the smells of dinner finding their way down the stairs. Dawn waved the group over while Andrew stood back, his face a strange shade of green. Xander fell into a chair and put his head in his hands. "Why do I have a feeling that this is bad news?"
Dawn smiled. "It's both good and bad."
Andrew pulled out a few folders and passed them out. "Giles translated the script and sent us all the information he had on it."
Xander opened the folder as Andrew handed it to him. A twisted drawing of a massive man with a scarred face and a giant diamond on his chest lay on top of a small stack of papers. "He looks like someone you'd want to take home to mom," Faith said.
Dawn opened her own folder. "He'd only pay attention to her if she was a slayer. This guy is the Shalakan Osau, the slayer killer. He's the First's last ditch effort at taking out the slayer line. As soon as the First was killed this thing woke up and started killing slayers. He's taking out the single slayers first, the ones that are stronger than many but still."
Dawn trailed off and Willow let out a deep breath. "How do we get it here?"
Kennedy glanced at her. "But Willow."
Willow cut her short with a hand. Dawn flipped a page in her folder and handed the paper to Willow. "There is a spell we can cast to call him here. We block the power of the other slayers and simulate the power of a single active one. That should bring him here," Dawn said.
"But if our power is blocked how will we fight?" Kennedy asked, her forehead creased with worry.
"It's a temporary spell. It will only work until I stop it. Like an automatic weapon. It only fires when my finger's on the trigger," Willow said, her eyes still glued on the papers.
"I really don't like that analogy," Kennedy said.
Dawn handed Kennedy her folder. "Look in there. Giles assured us that the spell is safe."
Willow leaned over Kennedy's shoulder and read the papers. "I can't do much of anything right now. Every time one of the slayer's dies it takes my strength. I'll have to perform a blocking spell before I can do anything else."
Dawn nodded. "What do you need to perform the spells?"
"A few simple ingredients and a few hours of sleep."
Andrew gave Willow a pen. "Give me a list of ingredients that you need and I'll get them. Kennedy can take you home and we'll call you in about four hours."
Willow nodded as Kennedy and Xander got up to take her home. "I'll be ready when you are, See you soon."
The sky was dark gray when the row of cars pulled into the school parking lot. Robin had offered them the place since no one would be there after midnight. Kennedy was there, Xander, Faith, Dawn, Andrew, Robin and Willow too. Faith, Dawn, and Kennedy carried stakes and Andrew and Xander had swords. Robin carried a crossbow and Willow had a pouch at her waits with a magikal concoction of her own. They looked ready for war and in many ways they were.
Willow started spreading out supplies, some for the blocking spell, some for the summoning of the slayer killer. Willow let out a deep breath and spread a few sprigs of jasmine around a circle of candles. Kennedy walked over and put her hand on Willow's shoulder. "You'll do just fine and we're all behind you."
Willow hugged Kennedy and the young slayer walked back to where the group was standing. Willow lit the candles and knelt beside the circle. She drew out a small amount of powder from the pouch at her waist and threw it over the candles. The power sparkled in the air before flaming up when it touched the candles. Willow looked up, her eyes shining in the candle light. "The world around me is harsh and dry, protect me, save me and make me fly."
The candles flamed again and willow shook her head. "That one worked. Let's try the other."
Willow spread some more of her powder and closed her eyes. "Shalakan Osau, hear my cry, come take the path, find where I lie. The center of power, all other gone, you'll find me here before the dawn. The blood, the pain, the path you wake. If you find me here once more you'll WAKE!" This last word was screamed as a bolt of blue light shot through Willow's chest.
Willow heard Kennedy scream but it seemed to be in a different world. Finally the light faded and Willow slumped over. Kennedy ran forward and wrapped Willow in her arms. "Will," she cried.
Willow pushed herself up and looked at Kennedy with pale blue eyes, another trait of her new goddess status. "He's here. He can travel through space. Pretty cool if you ask me."
"Where is he?" Faith asked.
"By the BRONZE 2. There is so much power coming from there."
Kennedy gave Willow to Xander and Andrew and took off running after Faith. Even without their power the slayers' could get there quickly and the others would follow closely. Kennedy and Faith got to the Bronze quickly and Kennedy felt her power return when Willow stopped the spell.
Kennedy stopped just behind Faith and looked at the shadowy figure standing in the middle of the street. The figure let out a roar of fury and spun towards them. Kennedy and Faith took a step back as his face came into view.
He had once been human but now his face was crossed with scars and burns. His pale red eyes shone in the dark and his short brown hair showed streaks of gray. He was wearing a black coat and black pants but his jacket exposed a chest taunt with muscle and a thick diamond shaped scar ran from his neck to his belt and across his chest. "Slayers," he said, his voice deep, "fun."
Faith tightened her grip on the stake. "Monsters," she said, "dead."
The creature smiled and lunged forward. Kennedy and Faith rushed him, Faith jumping up and connecting with the creature's shoulder. It was like she had hit a brick wall. Faith rolled to the ground and jumped up, ready for another attack. Kennedy countered a punch from the monster and hit him in the side with a hard kick. The creature wasn't even phased.
Faith heard the squeal of tires behind them as the car drove up holding the others. "Hit him in the diamond. It's his weak spot," Dawn yelled, jumping out of the car and hitting the pavement at a dead run.
Kennedy hissed as she hit the ground. "That would have been nice to know. How about some help Wood. Shoot the son of a bitch."
Wood stepped forward and aimed at the massive target. Xander passed Faith his sword and Robin let the arrow fly. It found its target and the creature let out a massive howl of pain. Kennedy pushed herself off the ground and, with a sidekick, drove the arrow deeper into his chest. Faith ran over and slammed the sword into the creature's chest. He howled again and let out a final gurgling scream before he fell to the ground and melted into the pavement.
Faith pulled her sword out of the melted glob. "Yuck!" she said. "Why do they always have to do that?"
Kennedy walked over to Willow. "At least it's over."
Willow shook her head and put her arm over Kennedy's shoulders. "I can still feel this massive power. It should be gone."
"Maybe he wasn't the killed," Xander supplied, voicing all their fears.
There was a sudden crash from beside the Bronze and a garbage can rolled out of the alleyway. "Damn," Faith yelled, her sword poised at the ready.
A slight shape came tumbling out of the alley and the figure of a small blonde girl fell onto the pavement. She wore blue shorts and a white t- shirt. Faith ran over to her and flipped her on her back. Blood was running out of her nose and she looked up at Faith with an empty stare. "Who are you?" Faith asked.
The girl looked at her with a blank look on her face. "I don't know," she whispered, and suddenly she fainted.