Chapter 7

Half way out, alarms sound and blast panel slide down trapping them. With no reason to stay in the ventilation system any longer, Nightwing leads them into a large room to figure their next step. A quick review of the security information they hacked earlier reveals they are trapped good. Blast panels seal ever exit. With little other choice, Dick activates plan B. He knows Bruce will be disappointed and angry he had to resort to plan B, but he sees no other option. Sending a hyperpulse signal that not even all the steel and concrete in this place can block, he triggers an autnav program in the Batjet. It swoops in towards the base, priming its main weapons as it approaches.

The group tenses when one of the blast doors sealing them in slides open. Faith cautiously approaches the door Batarang in hand. She recoils in horror as she witnesses Buffy stumbling into view. A metal plate with wires and lights juts from Buffy's forehead. "My god!! They lobotomized her!!" her mind screams. Unsure of how to react she backs up slowly. "Uh we have a problem. They did something to my girlfriend here. I don't want to hurt, but she doesn't look like she is here to hang." Faith remarks.

Sure enough the adjusted Buffy darts forward taking a swing at Faith. Luckily, this Buffy telegraphed her attack so Faith has time to avoid it. Faith knows they can only dance like this for so long, before she will be forced to do something she will hate herself for. Buffy may not be her best bud but she did help her. Faith owes her. "Ideas" she calls out.

Studying their new foe closely Dick devises a plan. "Move 4" he shouts to Faith.

Recognizing the move, she back flips away from Buffy just as Nightwing hits Buffy with a sleep gas bomb. The gas appears to have little effect. Sensing a new target Buffy charges Nightwing. Giles having recovered enough to realize what is going on shouts "Buffy stop!" She doesn't even acknowledge his words. However, Nigthwing isn't concerned. While Buffy is strong and fast, she is not subtle. She is telegraphing all her attacks giving him the advantage he needs to keep out of her grip. He tries tying her in a Batnet. It holds her for a few seconds but then she rips it apart. Before she can advance again, Faith plants a solid kick knocking Buffy off her feet. She slams into the far wall and slides down. A moment later she is getting back to her feet.

Before anyone can act a beep on Nigthwing's wrist announces the arrival of the Bat jet followed by a series of explosions as the plane's weapons cut into the base. A large section of the ceiling collapse onto Buffy crushing and probably killing her.

"No!" Giles and Faith scream. They both rush forward in the hopes of doing something but there is too much concrete.

"Time to go." Nightwing orders. "Move!" he commands.

Chloe makes her way to the cable the jet has lowered while sadly watching Faith and Giles try to dig into the rubble.

"We have to go!" Nightwing orders once again.

"I am not leaving her!" Faith cries.

"You have too. You can't help her." Nightwing tells her.

Bullets start echoing around them as the surviving guards start firing on them. Nightwing throws the rest of his pellets providing some cover and distraction. "We ARE LEAVING NOW!" he orders grabbing Giles and tying the cable to him. Already weak and now emotionally devastated he is unable to fight Dick off. He desperately grabs at the stones as he dragged up into the hovering jet.

Dick then grabs Faith and tries to pull her away from the rubble. She is stronger than he is so he isn't able too, but he does get her attention. "We have too." he says suddenly tenderly.

Crying Faith nods and lets him pull them both up into the jet. The jet then blasts away.

"Damn!" Oliver curses as he slams his fist on his desk. "So much for our test."

"I am evacuating the men and salvaging what gear we can but the damage is extensive. Initial estimates are we lost 80% of the project data." his second tells him.

"Get me Finn." Oliver orders.

On the flight back to the cave, Faith tries to comfort Giles "It has to be a trick. Buffy would never let herself get captured. We'd know if like she had been. She is fine."

Too tired and worn to reply, he just gives her his patented "really" look. He then hangs his head trying to figure out how to tell the rest of the gang. He doesn't even know if Buffy has a will. So much left to do.

At the cave, Giles makes the hardest phone call of his life which considering he is a watcher who has done some tough stuff is saying something. He almost drops the phone when a voice he never expected to hear again answers "Hi Giles. What's up?"

"Buffy?" he inquires desperately hoping.

"Uh ya. What's up Giles you're starting to freak me out. Faith take you clubbing again?" Buffy replies.

Trying not to squirm when he remembers the hangover he had, not to mention the fountain he found himself in the one and only time he had gone partying with Faith, he answers "Sorry, I just didn't think you were home. Is Willow or Xander around?"

"Hold on. Will Giles needs you." he hears her call.

"Hey Giles. What'd you need?" Willow asks.

"Is Buffy really Buffy?" he asks.

"She looks like Buffy" Willow quips.

"Are you sure it's really her!" Giles demands.

"Relax. I am sure. Why? What is going on?" Willow answers

"Check." Giles orders.

"Fine. Hold on." Willow replies, rolls her eyes as she magically scans Buffy.

"Yep, really her. Now spill. What's going on? Did Faith try and steal Buffy's body again? I thought she was past all that." Willow replies.

"We just encountered something that looked like Buffy. I just needed to be sure she was ok." Giles answers then hangs up. He knows Willow and Buffy will have more questions but he doesn't want to answer them just yet. A horrifying theory is forming in his mind and needs to check it out.

"Clones that is what they are up to." Giles announces after reviewing Batman's and his research.

"That's not right" Chloe pipes in. "I know Oliver. I know what drove him to this. He isn't trying to make clones. He is trying to find a way to save his friends. A year ago, Oliver was leading a team of special people. They were shutting down monster labs that Lex Luthor had created. It is the reason Oliver bought Lex Corp. Well, a mission went horribly wrong. Several members of the team where critically hurt. One lost the use of his legs, another an arm, and the last. She is still in a coma. Oliver however, barely had a scratch on him. He blames himself for what happened to them and set about finding a way to reverse it. He is driven to save them, particularly, her. He got into bed with an elite military unit that hunts monsters. They had samples of your friend whose healing ability they are trying to replicate. The clone must be for the military. Oliver is only interested in the healing technology. Sadly, he has gone mad. (She shudders as she remembers the experiments he had performed on her trying to restore her healing ability) He has done things I never thought he was capable of in his quest."