"Ugh! I don't see the point of this. We've been looking for an hour already!"
"The point of this, Cordelia," Xander said in an exaggerated tone, "is to figure out what kind of Big Bad we're dealing with so Buffy can go slay it. It's called research."
Cordelia glared at him. "Whatever. We've found big demons, scaly demons, icky demons, but no demons that go around wearing red hoods or masks. What kind of fashion statement is that anyway? Hello, I'm an attention-getting freak?"
"Maybe it wasn't a demon," Oz said. "I mean, isn't using wires and bullets kinda a human thing?"
"Traditionally," Giles said. "Yes." When Xander and Cordelia looked hopefully up at him and started to get up, he added, "Though it's best to cover all our bases." They sank back down grumpily.
"What about Faith?" Wesley suggested from the corner. They'd all been pretty much ignoring him, hoping he would go away. "Killing humans sounds exactly like the kind of thing she would do."
"This wasn't her style." Buffy entered the room, Angel on her heels. "She's more of a knifey, beating to a bloody pulp kind of crazy." She turned to Giles. "Angel and I talked to the guy again, but he couldn't really tell us anything other than the helmet thing. He's pretty badly shaken up."
"Whoever did this had training," Angel said. "Shruikens are hard to throw."
"Perhaps a Kalarus demon," Wesley piped up. "I've heard they can be extremely..."
"Hey guys?" Willow interrupted from the computer. "I think I've got something."
They crowded around.
"See, I think Oz is right about the attacker being human," she said, beaming a proud smile at her boyfriend. "So I started Googling criminals and vigilantes who wore red masks or hoods. Look what came up."
Buffy examined the picture on the screen. It was a newspaper article dated from a few months before. The picture wasn't high quality, but it showed a guy standing on a rooftop, holding a gun in each hand. He looked like he was wearing body armor, and a blocky helmet thing covered his head. The headline screamed THE RED HOOD STRIKES AGAIN!
"Red Hood?" Angel said into the silence. "That can't be a coincidence."
"It says here that the guy is a vigilante," Willow said. "Except he's been killing criminals instead of...you know...giving them to the police." Her brow furrowed as she read on. "Oh. And he's really violent about it." Her face paled. "Eew."
"Well, that settles it," Wesley said pompously. Did he ever talk any other way? "You will need to patrol and keep an eye out for this Red Hood. If you see him, you should make every effort to apprehend him."
"Being a vigilante would mean training," Angel said quietly to Buffy, ignoring him.
"There's just one problem, Will," Xander said, also ignoring Wesley. "This guy's from Gotham City. That's all the way across the country."
"Yeah. Why would anyone in their right mind want to visit here?" Cordelia asked.
Willow looked despondent. Why not? Cordelia had a point.
"I don't think this guy's going to be winning any sanity contests, Will," Buffy comforted her.
"I'll keep reading, see what else I can find," Willow said.
"Xander? Cordelia?" Buffy said. "Go back to the hospital and see if the guy recognizes the Red Hood's picture. If it is him, give me a call. Angel and I will go out on patrol."
"Why do we have to go to the hospital?" Cordelia demanded. "Make Willow and Oz go. Those fluorescent lights do nothing for my coloring."
"Would you rather do more research instead?" Giles ground out.
Immediately, Cordelia turned to Xander and gave him her most brilliant smile. "Hospital it is." Willow printed out a picture of the Red Hood for them to take, and they left.
"I'm gonna grab some food," Oz said. "Looks like the redhead might be here for awhile." He kissed her gently on the top of her head - lost in Computer Land, she didn't seem to notice - and also left.
"I'll call my contacts on the Watcher's Council," Wesley said. "Perhaps one of them will know something about this mysterious vigilante and what dastardly deeds he might be planning on the West Coast."
"Yes, go and do that," Giles said, still reading the newspaper articles over Willow's shoulder and not looking up.
"It's him, Giles," Buffy said quietly after the Wesley had pranced off. "He was in that warehouse."
"Slayer instincts?" he asked.
"I don't know," she said. Maybe. I just know. That's him."
"If you're right, he could be very dangerous," Giles said.
Buffy shrugged. "No biggie. Angel and I go out and find the Red Hoodie and it's all good."
"The Red Hood," Giles said exasperatedly. "And I do wish you would take this a little more seriously, Buffy."
"I get it, Giles," she said. "He's the Big Bad. I'll take care of it."
"You can't kill him, Buffy," Giles said. "He is still – technically – human. But you need to be on your guard."
"I'll be careful." She picked up her bag. "If I see anything on patrol tonight, you'll be the first to know." She caught Angel's eye. "Coming?"
"I'll catch up."
Buffy looked a little disappointed. "Oh. Okay. Later then." She pushed open the library's swinging doors and disappeared.
Giles and Angel exchanged a look when she was gone. The Red Hood in the picture was carrying guns, and two of the men in the warehouse had been shot. Even a Slayer couldn't dodge a bullet.
"I'll ask around," Angel said. "Maybe find him before she does." He turned towards the stacks and his underground sewer access.
"Angel?"
The vampire turned.
"Whatever else he's done, the Red Hood is human."
"All the more reason this isn't a job for Buffy," Angel said grimly. Then he turned and disappeared among the books. Giles was left standing in the middle of the library, feeling incredibly helpless and praying that Angel did indeed find the Red Hood before someone else did.
"Sunnydale, huh? What would he be doing all the way out there?"
"I need you to find out."
"Me? Why can't you do it? It's your car."
"Too conspicuous. Besides, the Joker is on the loose again, and he takes priority."
"I have responsibilities too, you know. I can't just go running off to California at a moment's notice."
"I'll have Clark keep an eye on Blüdhaven, and I'll patrol it myself once the Joker's back behind bars."
"This isn't about the Joker, is it? It's about Jason….Don't try and ignore me, Bruce; you've been ignoring this whole issue ever since we found out he's alive."
"He's made it clear he wants nothing to do with me."
"So you're going to send me to do your dirty work? You know, this is why we couldn't stay partners. You never…"
"I don't want to drive him further away."
"...What?"
"I…I've never known how to deal with people, Dick. Not like you. You can…if he wants to come back…"
"Bruce…have you considered the idea that he might…not come back?"
"…"
Sigh. "I'll go."
Faith stood at the mouth of a shadowy alley, rapidly working herself up into a pissy mood. She wanted to be moving, doing, Slaying, not just hanging out at almost dawn in a seedy neighborhood down by the docks. She'd been just about to conclude that Willy had been lying to her when she'd caught and squeezed another demon. He'd confirmed the weasel's story and had even been able to do one better: he'd actually seen Red Hood on this block, leaping from one building to another.
Maybe Hood's a demon, Faith thought to herself. That'd be fun.
Just then, something moved. Faith moved backwards just a little, keeping in shadow. It was a figure jumping from roof to roof, just like the demon guy had said. It almost made her wish she hadn't killed him. The figure was wearing black, but its head was covered with a bright red helmet.
Bingo.
The Red Hood paused on top of a building almost directly opposite from where Faith stood hidden, then dropped lightly down to a rusty fire escape on the second floor. He eased open a window and vanished inside. Blood thumping, Faith waited a whole thirty seconds, then set off in pursuit. There was a convenient garbage bin near the window; she leapt up onto that, then up to the fire escape.
Unknown to the Slayer, a red light under the lip of the trash can began to blink as her weight came down on it.
From the trash can, it was the easiest thing in the world to slide the same window open and slip inside.
"Huh. Not a vampire then," the Red Hood said, and fired a bullet at her head.