Episode 1d:
"Silver, Blood, and Gold"
by Ironbear
Starring:
Elisha Dushku as "Faith"
Sarah Michelle Gellar as "Buffy Summers"
Anthony Stewart Head as "Rupert Giles"
Nicholas Brendan as "Alexander 'Xander' Harris"
Alyson Hannigan as "Willow Rosenberg"
Charisma Carpenter as "Cordelia Chase"
Seth Green as "Daniel 'Oz' Osbourne"
Co-Starring:
Kristine Sutherland as "Joyce Summers"
Saverio Guerra as "Willy the Snitch"
Luke Perry as "Oliver Pike"
Guest Starring:
Alexandra Johnes as "Sheila Martini"
J. August Richards as "Charles Gunn"
Michele Kelly as "Alonna Gunn"
Glenn Quinn as "Allen Francis Doyle"
Lucinda Jenney as "Janice"
Cindy Drummond as "Diner Waitress 'Charlene'"
Jackie Torrens as "Diner Waitress 'Michelle'"
Sharon Ferguson as "The Primitive"
"I have no speech. No name. I live in the action of death. The blood-cry, the penetrating wound. I am destruction. Absolute. Alone." - The First Slayer
Chapter 1: Smarter Than She Looks -
Wednesday August 26, 1998; Sunnydale High School Library, early afternoon.
Willow looked up from her book with a tired smile as Faith plopped into a chair across from her, groaning. "Hey," she said, then yawned widely with a surprised look.
"Same to ya, Red," Faith said with a yawn of her own. She put her feet up on the table, crossed at the ankles, and rubbed her eyes.
"'Scuse me," Willow grinned.
"Boots," Giles said in a disapproving tone as he wandered over from the office. Faith smirked and swiveled her boots off the table, letting them thump to the floor. He glanced around, raising his eyebrows curiously. "Where are your, ah, shadows?" he asked.
"Xan's helping Cordelia with something," Faith said, yawning again. "They'll be along."
Giles acknowledged that with a nod. "Late night?"
"Couldn't sleep well," Faith shook her head. "Weird dreams."
"Oh, really?" Giles lowered his glasses, looking at her over the tops. "Dreams can be extremely meaningful when they're associated with a Slayer. Perhaps we should discuss them?" Willow glanced up with a curious expression.
Faith frowned, giving him a pained look, "Dream dreams, I'm pretty sure, Jeeves, not Slayer dreams." She shook her head, "I've had Slayer dreams before - this was... different." Her brows creased more deeply, "More like.. like I was watching someone else dream, instead of dreaming myself, kinda."
"Ah." Giles said. "Well, if you're certain... "
"Pretty sure. Details were already fading when I woke up," Faith stated. "Diana gave me the drill on Slayer dreams and portents. Don't worry - I have something like that, you'll be the second to know all the skinny."
"Very well," Giles nodded again, apparently dismissing the matter. Faith watched him covertly from under her eyebrows.
"Especially on the kinky ones," she added in a sultry voice. Giles flushed and began coughing as Willow choked, turning bright red.
"You you... " Willow aimed an index finger at Faith, then started giggling.
"That's quite a-all right, Faith," Giles stuck his hands in his pockets and gave Faith a reproving glare.
Faith grinned at him, unrepentant. "Hey, gotta loosen up the bookworm here somehow, Giles," Faith said, pointing at Willow. "Red needs to find the fun in the baddest way."
"Oh, I have the fun, really!" Willow said, indignant. "Why I-I... I'm shutting up now," she muttered.
"Right," Faith drawled.
"If you're quite finished attempting to, err, wind up Willow, Faith," Giles shook his head, and asked, "Willow says that you had an encounter with a rather unusually strong vampire last night?"
"Yup. Conan the Accountant," Faith nodded, frowning. "Dropped some more of that red crap during the fight before Harris dusted him."
Cordelia and Xander's entry through the main doors interrupted the conversation, briefly. Xander waved carelessly at them, calling out, "Hey, Will. Figure anything out on that stuff?"
"No." Willow scowled, raising her book so they could all see the 'Advanced Analytical Chemistry' title. "Chemical analysis is kinda harder than I expected."
"Hmm." Giles frowned, removing his glasses to polish. "Were you able to make any headway at all on it?"
"Kinda, not really," Willow admitted. "It definitely has blood bonded to it in some sort of compound - human blood. It's the other parts of the compound I'm having problems with... I haven't seen anything like that before."
"Huh." Faith cocked an eyebrow, "Still have that opened packet?" She put her hand out as Cordelia an Xander pulled out chairs for themselves.
"Sure," Willow eyed her dubiously, drawing the flattened packet out of the back of the book she'd been reading and passing it over.
Faith sniffed at the open end suspiciously, then pulled the halves apart and touched the inner plastic to her tongue experimentally.
"Eeeww!" Cordelia exclaimed. "Gross!"
"Well, anyonecantasteittofigureitout," Willow muttered, grumbling.
"Ahem!" Giles glared at her, getting an impish look back, "Please do not taste test the unknown demon compounds, Faith. T-th-there's no telling what you might be ingesting and what effect it might have upon you, even in tiny dosages."
"Ranks right up there with 'do not read the magical inscriptions out loud'," Xander's expression was smug.
"Quite," A significant part of Giles' glare diverted to Xander, then focused back on Faith. "As I was saying, do not ingest or handle unknown substances, especially those with possible mystical origins, Faith," he repeated. Faith shook her head, hiding a grin.
"It's no big, Giles, really," Faith said. She wasn't prepared for the icy glare or the very soft, very cold tone of voice that came out in response to her offhand comment.
"Why yes, it is a 'big', Faith," Giles said, quietly. He removed his glasses to look at her steadily, holding them in one hand idly on the table top. "I really do not wish to lose yet another Slayer due to her own thoughtlessness and poor impulse control. I would very much dislike losing you in that fashion."
Faith flushed, glaring back at him. She spread her hands out, her eyes narrowing, starting to speak.
"I really am not speaking merely to hear my own voice here, Faith," Giles cut across her smoothly, "There are normal toxins that are quite harmless to a demon or vampire, but can kill a human in minutes with only minute amounts in saliva or on skin. There are others that do the same just as inexorably, but take agonizing hours or days. There are demonic essences that can impart aspects of a demon with only a trace of them on skin or membrane. There are mystical compounds that can bind a victim to a sorcerer via trace ingestion."
The others were looking away, or anywhere except at the pair of them, with the exception of Willow who gaped open mouthed at Giles. Xander looked more than just slightly ill. Faith swallowed hard, keeping her eyes level.
"I get that, right?" Faith stared back at him, not backing down. "What I don't get is where this is coming from."
Giles raised his eyebrows. "I had hoped that would be obvious. I suppose it isn't. My mistake." He glanced away, then back to her, and said, just as quietly, "We haven't known each other long, comparatively, but I have come to care about you. I am trying, in my own inept way perhaps, to attempt to stress the differences between 'acceptable risks' that have to be taken, and unacceptable risks that are merely foolish." Giles shook his head slightly, and replaced his glasses, "Does that make it perhaps a bit clearer?"
"Unacceptable, huh?" Faith crossed her arms, staring back at him for a good long time. Finally, she nodded once, abruptly. "Right."
After looking back into her eyes seriously for a few more moments, Giles' lips twitched and her nodded as well. "That being the case, umm, were you able to ascertain anything from the, err, tasting?"
Faith shook her head, once again hiding a grin. "Speed," she nodded. "And something else... but definitely blood. Tastes coppery."
"So, I gather you're, ah, familiar with illicit substances, Faith?" Giles tone was still more than slightly disapproving. Faith rolled her eyes.
"Not like that, G." Faith shook her head, "But you pick up things growing up on the street in Southie."
"Yeah, but do you always put them in your mouth afterwards?" Cordelia asked in a sugary tone, her expression innocent. The others apparently decided that the bookcases and ceilings were no longer more fascinating.
"Bite me, Princess," Faith laughed, shooting Cordelia the finger. Xander laughed.
"Now girls. No catfights until we finish the mud pit in the library," he said, shaking his head. "So, our 'gangs on PCP' are really gangs on meth?" Xander added, hastily, as both girls glared at him.
"Or something... " Faith scowled, nodding.
"Fascinating," Giles mused. "A-a vampire narcotic?"
"More like, 'dangerous'," Cordelia said, correcting him.
"Hrrm. Helpful, though," Willow said in a thoughtful tone. She laid her book down and got up to head to the library computer with a sheaf of notes. "I didn't think to compare it to regular pharmaceutical compounds," she stated, seating herself at the keyboard.
"Cool. I had a helpful idea," Faith grinned. "Guess sometimes 'practical' works too."
"We're going to have to have a long talk, one of these days," Cordelia stated, shaking her head. "Preferably before you stick something in your mouth that kills you."
"Oh, yeah, like you've never stuck anything in your mouth without knowing where it's been," Faith winked at Cordelia, snickering. Xander inhaled a hefty slug of soda and began choking as Willow flushed bright red and spun hastily back to her computer screen.
Cordelia gave Xander a disgusted look and whammed him on the back - probably harder than really necessary. "I'd dignify that with a response, but it'd probably go straight over your head and your IQ." She sniffed, haughtily, then caught a glimpse of Giles' expression and broke up laughing.
"Save it for the drive later, C," Faith suggested, flashing her an unrepentant grin and a 'score!' gesture. "I think it's time we went and rousted that place Willy told me about last week."
"Just the three of us?" Xander frowned, once he'd started breathing again. As did Cordelia after a moment.
"Welll... " Faith looked at Willow, who shrugged and looked apologetic.
"Oz is going to take it easy for today, on account of his ribs," Willow said. She gestured to the computer screen, "And I need to finish this if we're going to find out exactly what we're dealing with?"
"Oh, fine," Cordelia rolled her eyes. "I guess its time for me to continue my education in Sunnydale's less than savory zones." She scowled, "And get killed, not necessarily in that order."
"That's the spirit," Faith nodded. "Then tomorrow we can get you a g-string and go undercover at Bottom's Up."
"You wish!" Cordelia snorted, then eyed Xander speculatively. "Or more like, Harris wishes."
"Ummm, yummanah?" Xander unglazed his eyes with an effort, his head swiveling back and forth between Cordelia and Faith. "Nope. Nossir. Not until I'm old enough to get in with a fistful of dollar bills, you're not," he stated firmly.
Faith snickered, "Fake ID, Harris. Join the 21st Century." She waggled her eyebrows at Cordelia, "What do you mean, 'Harris'? Why do you think I suggested it?"
"Pervert," Cordelia said, not looking nearly as outraged as her tone suggested. "Both of you."
"Ahem," Giles said, "While you're engaged in corrupting your two companions, Faith, do please remember to be careful."
...
Wednesday August 26, 1998; Sunnydale, Abandoned building and clock tower, late afternoon.
The large male vampire staggered back, snarling, as his face bubbled and smoked from the dose of holy water from Cordelia's super-soaker. A second one dusted when the bolt from Faith's crossbow went through his chest. The last of the three bouncers glared at Faith, but held his position after eying the arrow air-rifle in Xander's grip and the paintball pistol Cordelia was holding in a white-knuckled grip in her off hand.
They were the only three visible: heavy curtains blocked off the view through the arched doorway into the rest of the building's interior. Both remaining vamps stayed carefully out of the spill of sunlight through the open door.
"No worries, Giles," Cordelia grumbled. "We'll be careful, she said."
"What? This is careful," Faith said. She drew back the string on the compound crossbow with a negligently casual motion, dropping a new bolt in. "We've got them right where they want us."
"May I ask what you're doing?" The new voice drew their attention and distracted Cordelia from her grumbling as a humanoid looking woman entered from one of the side doors onto the large foyer.
"He fell on my crossbow bolt and went poof, honest," Faith stated, eying the newcomer. The woman was tall, vaguely oriental looking, and wearing a skin-tight jump suit that left nothing to the imagination. Faith cocked her head, curious, "You're not a vamp," she remarked.
"No." The woman said. "You're not normal humans, either."
"Slayer," Faith agreed, cheerfully. "We're the Night Watchmen, formerly the Scoobies. This is a surprise business permit inspection - as in: I'll be surprised if you've got one." Xander snickered.
"I see," the woman said. "I'm Nalia. What is it that I can do for you, Slayer? And, how did you find this place?"
"We followed a trail of breadcrumbs," Cordelia rolled her eyes. She pointed to Faith, "Slayer." She waved to the rest of the building interior, "Big concentration of vamps. Do the math, lady." Faith smirked, touching her nose.
"Please be careful where you wave that," Nalia sighed. "I'm already short one bouncer and the other won't be much use until he heals."
"Right now we're not sure he's going to have that long," Faith stated. She dug into her back pocket and tossed the woman the somewhat worn and disreputable looking packet of vamp drug she'd been carrying around. "Interested in that," she said, as the woman caught it out of the air and glanced at it curiously. "Like: where it comes from, what is it, who's moving it, and where I can find them."
"And if I tell you, you leave my business alone in exchange for the information?" Nalia sighed, "Not that it matters: I can't very well give you information I don't have."
"Not sure we buy that," Xander said. He was doing a decent job of appearing casual while covering the two vampire bouncers - the uninjured one and the still smoking other - as long as one didn't notice the whites showing all around his eyes.
"If you don't buy it, does that change it if it's the truth?"
"Convince me," Faith suggested. "What can you tell us?"
"It's a drug for vampires," Nalia said, shrugging and tossing the packet back to Faith. "I believe it's called 'Rage' or 'Bloodrage'. From LA, originally. And I keep my nose carefully out of business that doesn't concern me - it's better for my health. I don't know who's started moving it here."
"Better for your health can be relative," Faith said in a gentle tone.
"I still can't tell you what I don't know," she said, easily. "None of my clients use it: it makes them too unpredictable and puts customers at risk. Neither do any customers we let in. That's all I care about." She cocked her head thoughtfully, "Rumor has it that after you hit that one above ground distribution place, the others and the main one moved underground."
"Already figured that," Faith snorted.
"No, wait," Xander said with a thoughtful expression, "By underground, you happen to mean -"
"Underground," Nalia pointed downward and away from the building. "I believe the expression is," and she tapped her nose, then pointed to Xander, "On the nose."
"Oh, God, not the sewers again," Cordelia said, groaning.
"Suppose you don't know where 'underground'," Faith said. Staring hard at the woman, she nodded, finally. "Ok, moving on - so why should we let this place stay in business in our town?"
"The same reason Willy still operates a demon bar and Drayler's isn't closed, perhaps?" Nalia shrugged. "The vampires that work here don't hunt off work - it's a requirement. If they do, they get dusted. And they don't take more than is safe from a given customer, or they meet the same fate. The customers who come here do so willingly: if we're gone, they'll find some other way to get their fix."
"Something to that, even if I don't like it," Faith allowed. "Ok - we'll check and keep an eye on this place. You're level, it doesn't catch a case of arson some noon time. You're not - " she triggered the crossbow and the unwounded vampire bouncer disintegrated, "- and business could suck."
"I think it already does - that's the point," Xander observed, covering the remaining one.
"Har. You funny," Faith smirked. The three of them backed carefully out the door and out of the building into the sunlight.
...
Wednesday August 26, 1998; Sunnydale High School Library, evening.
"Hmmm," Giles looked up, bemused, as the three teens burst through the main doors in the midst of an animated - and apparently ongoing - discussion. "Disharmony strikes, I gather?"
"Naw," Faith pulled out a chair and dropped sprawling into it as Xander and Cordelia drew up seats across from her at the main table. Scowling, she stated: "Tactical discussion. No big."
"Argument over whether it's a good plan to let that vamp brothel continue operating," Xand said. Both girls frowned at him as Willow turned towards them from the computer, her attention and curiosity captured.
"So not an argument," Cordelia said. "Arguments are much louder."
"And they involve lots more profanity," Faith said, smirking.
"I see," Giles remarked, removing his glasses to polish them. He raised his eyebrows and looked at Willow, who shrugged. "Or rather, I'm not certain I do, actually."
Faith's mouth opened, but Cordelia cut across her, saying, "I think we should dust vamps, not let them run businesses here."
"And I still maintain that vamps need to be dust bunnies, but," Xander shrugged, "Faith makes good points."
"Slayer suckup," Cordelia scowled at him. Xander threw his hands up, shaking his head.
"I'm just saying," Faith's expression was stubborn. "If it keeps them off the streets so we can concentrate on the ones that are actively hunting, it's all for the good."
"But... " Willow started, then shook her head with a confused expression. "I obviously came in too far from the beginning on this one."
"Oh, no big," Cordelia waved it off, "The argument's really over, anyway. We've already decided that despite the fact that it sucks, Faith's idea is the best way to handle it."
"Yeah," Faith grinned. "This vamp drug thing's front burner, anyway. C's just bitching for the fun of it at this point."
"Am not," Cordelia grumbled, then grinned back. "It's for practice, not fun."
"Ah. I see," Giles gave them another bemused look. "Well then, that being the case, did you turn up anything useful on that front?"
All three teens slumped deeper in their chairs, scowling. "Define 'useful'," Xander suggested.
"According to the owner/manager of the suck brothel, whoever is breaking this stuff up and moving it went underground after we hit that one lair," Faith said. "Which fits - the other two lairs we took down didn't show any signs of it."
"'Underground' as in 'welcome to the Sunnydale sewer system and demon highways'," Cordelia added. "Body parts level three, next to the slime. Watch your step. On your left you'll see the chamber of horrors, where your host today is... "
"Kinda fits what Willy said when we went by there on our way here," Xander said, agreeing. "Word's kind of gotten around and smart demons are starting to give us a wide berth?"
"There's smart demons?" Willow quipped, but she looked inordinately pleased at the implied compliment.
"I would suppose there would have to be," Giles said. "Law of averages, if nothing else."
"I am so not looking forward to touring the Underground," Cordelia stated, sighing. "I hope you've had better luck?" She glanced at Willow with a hopeful expression.
"Umm... some?" Willow said, nodding. "Not that will help find them like 'find anything luck', but... " she turned to the screen, "Faith's taste testing helped show where to look to get an idea." Faith smirked, and Willow continued, "We don't exactly have molecular analysis tools here, and I don't think a high school kid sending it to a lab would go over too well, but it looks like it has similarities to amphetamines, maybe cocaine, and something else." Willow made a face, "Oh - and the blood, of course. Yuck."
"A blood speedball," Faith mused, nodding. "Vamp designer drugs - yuck." She glanced at Willow and added, "Good job," getting a pleased grin in response.
Xander rubbed his shoulder with a rueful look, "See your yuck and raise you an 'ow!'. The 'gangs on PCP on PCP' is starting to sound too disturbing to be funny."
"I'm sorry, did we laugh earlier?" Cordelia's eyebrows went up.
"Well, ah," Giles pursed his lips, frowning slightly. "I may be able to use my contacts on the Watcher's Council to determine the origins of the trade, if it is indeed in Europe, but that hardly helps us here regarding locating the immediate source." He removed his glasses, adding, "And I'm afraid that tracking vampire drug dealers is a bit outside of my trained expertise."
"I gotta agree with Cordy; I'm not liking the idea of combing the sewers foot by foot," Xander stated. There were nods of agreement from around the room.
"Yup. Too easy to get cut off, surrounded, and then swamped with bad guys," Faith said. "Nobody ever wanted to be Custer playing cowboys and Indians as a kid."
"Not to mention what the muck does to perfectly good Versace," Cordelia said in a light tone.
"Yes. Well, as a bright spot in all of this," Giles remarked, "The fact that demons and vampires are starting to avoid you demonstrates that your efforts are having a commendable impact."
Xander's brow creased, "In English, that means we're doing good?"
"Well, yes, I suppose it does, at that" Giles said with a faint smirk. "At the risk of dampening the implied compliment, I might add that that does have a downside: notoriety will possibly draw more dangerous adversaries to you."
"He means gunfighter effect, Xan," Faith said to Xander's raised eyebrows. "We get the faster guns wanting to take us down."
"That part I caught," Xander said, giving her a pained look. "Byproduct of getting a reputation from... some of our activities."
The four teens exchanged troubled looks, nodding.
"Speaking of," Cordelia said, after a moment. "We talked it over and decided that the group training thingy sounds like a good idea." She raised her eyebrows at Willow, who nodded.
"I can answer for Oz - he agreed too," Willow said. Everyone else added their agreements.
"I'll have to work it around cheer leading practice, of course," Cordelia stated.
"Excellent," Giles said, smiling slightly. He trailed off and, removing his glasses to polish, looked thoughtful for several long minutes. "Since I now once again have a Slayer to provide training for," he glanced at Faith, "I can requisition some additional funds from the Council for equipment. That merely leaves us the task of locating a suitable location to set up as a training area."
"But... " Willow gave the back area of the library a significant look, raising her eyebrows at Giles.
"No, I'm afraid the library won't suffice," Giles shook his head. "It will be difficult enough to continue Faith's training here with that pernicious little hobgoblin, Snyder, sniffing about, considering she's not a student at this school. Adding several additional students and the sounds of weapons clashing during school hours will change 'difficult' to 'impossible'."
"Oh."
"Oh, that's easy," Cordelia waved her hand negligently. "Do you know how low leasing and property rates are in this town?" She met the surprised looks with one of her own, "What?! Daddy's a banking and investments consultant, duh! I'd soak up details like that by osmosis even if I were as dull as Harmony and I weren't in training to be a future social maven, jeeze."
"I'm sorry Cordelia," Willow said, carefully, "It's just that... "
"We're all still in shock over you being helpful and smart," Xander put in, grinning. He glanced at Faith, "Are we sure there's no pods in her basement?"
"Nope. I checked." Faith smirked.
"Ha ha. Very funny - you two should take that on the road," Cordelia said. "Far away from here," she smirked back. "Like I said: I want to live to graduate, and no offense to Thugette here, but this summer's shown we can't always depend on having a Slayer around."
"None taken," Faith shrugged.
"Be that as it may," Giles interrupted hastily to prevent any possible arguments from starting, "That would seem to open up several interesting possibilities if Cordelia's insights prove out."
Cordelia beamed, nodding. "Find a storefront outside the main business district, and take out a lease on it. Bet you can get one cheap with a little bargaining."
"Abandoned warehouse?" Xander asked.
"Naw," Faith said. "Sunnydale cops may not poke their noses into vamps and demons - but I'll bet they will if they see a bunch of kids going in and out of some warehouse with swords and stuff all the time."
"Hmm." Giles nodded, replacing his glasses. "I believe Willow and I can locate some possibilities, given the idea of what to look for." He paused, adding, "I'll put in the request for funds for a training area and equipment while we're searching."
"Cool," Faith gave him an approving look.
"Meanwhile, have you any plans for how to go about your search in this other matter?" Giles asked.
"Damn," Faith exchanged glances with the other teenagers. "Was kinda hoping you wouldn't ask."