Chapter 10

(Sunnydale)

Tara looked up as the helicopter that would take them to Rockville Indiana appeared above them. The group stood in a deserted car park that had once been part of a factory, but was now no more than rubble. Beside her she noted the angered look Buffy wore as she waited to come face to face with two people she hated with every fiber of her being. She shook her head, knowing that if Buffy allowed that hatred to overtake her during the mission she was likely to get herself killed. Willow shuffled about nervously whilst Oz looked concerned about how this mission would go. Finally Mr. Giles looked intently at the chopper and he was hoping Buffy would keep herself under control and do her job.

Finally the chopper landed in front of them and the door was pulled open to show Kendra and Zabuto already inside, making Buffy's blood boil at the sight of them. The man who had opened door indicated they should board quickly. Tara quickly moved to do so earning another glare from Buffy before she reluctantly followed with Willow, Oz and Giles in tow. Once they were all on board the chopper quickly lifted back off and began the flight to Rockville.

"Mr. Zabuto, Kendra I would like you to meet Tara Maclay," Giles introduced the only person they did not know. "She is a Wicca of some power who has been helping us for most of the year, while she is new to the group she has proven to be quite helpful," he explained.

"Nice to meet you Miss Maclay and I'm pleased to know we have some more help in this matter, as from what I have been told it is not going to be easy," Mr. Zabuto responded and offered his hand to Tara who gave it a quick shake.

"Hello," Kendra said with a quick nod before she went back to sharpening her weapons, she was unsure what to make of the new girl. As she was a part of Buffy's crew she was instantly on guard and wary of her. Since the Angelus crisis she had learned not to accept too much from the blond haired slayer and her friends. She would never trust her as she once had again, however she had noted the glares Tara had gained from shaking her watcher's hand and guessed she was not some mindless follower of Buffy's like the others were. Maybe she would prove more like Xander had been, dedicated to the job. She hoped so as from what her watcher had told her, this was going to be one of the most dangerous missions they had ever undertaken.

Tara took no offense from Kendra's short hello, she could see the younger Slayer was preparing for battle and she was focused on ensuring she was not caught off guard and that her weapons were in good condition. She noted Buffy did none of this and was busy talking with Willow as quietly as possible. She removed one of the books she had brought and began to brush up on her combat spells. Giles and Zabuto began to iron out a plan on how to approach entering the city and locating any survivors, Oz closed his eyes and tried to get some rest before they reached their target.

(Rockville, Indiana)

Jenny jerked away from Xander as she noted his quickening activate, but she also noted his eyes flashing between yellow and his normal brown color, his skin rotted every few seconds before healing and she realised Xander had gotten infected with the T-Virus and his quickening was now trying to heal him and fight the infection.

"My God," Rebecca gasped as she watched wide eyed. "The quickening is actually fighting the virus in his system, it is healing it every time the virus gains the upper hand," she added, almost unable to believe what she was witnessing. "That doesn't mean it will wipe out the infection," Jenny reminded her as she watched the virus ravish her lover's body again only for his quickening to heal it. "Stay with him. I'm going to help Jill and you better call the others and let them know we could do with some help here," she added before pulling her sword and moving off to aid Jill.

Jill was across the street from them, dodging and jumping out of the way of the Tyrants attacks before unloading as many bullets as she could into it. She hoped to injure it enough that it collapsed for a bit allowing them to escape. Jenny paused, knowing her sword was next to useless against this thing, she noted Xander's own sword sticking out of the monster's back and guessed he had at least put up a good fight before he was flung through the building. Glancing around she noted Jill's discarded shotgun and quickly retrieved it. She quickly loaded it after finding the ammo in the backpack Jill had dropped and then took aim and quickly opened fire.

"Chris, come in please," Rebecca said holding the radio as she continued to watch Xander's body fight the virus. "Come on answer me," she shouted glancing back to see Jill and Jenny combat the Tyrant as best they could. "I'm here Rebecca, what's wrong?" Chris's voice finally came back over the radio, which relived her greatly.

"We've been attacked by a damn Tyrant and we have nothing that can really hurt it. Xander is down and infected with the T-virus, but his quickening seems to be fighting the virus and is healing him, but whether it will beat the virus is another matter," she reported.

"Damn it," she heard Chris curse. "Can you make it to the shopping centre?" he asked. "Only if we can put this thing down and Xander's quickening beats the virus," Rebecca answered. "We should have packed some heavier weapons," she stated with a frown.

"This was supposed to be a quick run to find as many survivors as we could. We did not expect to run into a damn Tyrant Rebecca, you know that," Chris shot back and she could hear the stress in his voice as he responded. "Do you have any flares to mark your position?" he asked.

"I think so, hold on let me check," Rebecca said before putting the radio down and searching her backpack. "I found two," she told him after picking the radio back up. "Okay Rebecca I am sending Leon and Claire to you. Fire the first flare now and the second one five minutes later, ok?" Chris ordered.

"I got you Chris, tell them to bring something heavy or at least something that will land a good impact wound," Rebecca replied before raising the flare gun and firing the first round. "We see it Rebecca, help is on the way," Chris told her a few seconds later.

"Thanks Chris, we'll see you soon," Rebecca told him before sighing off, not voicing the silent 'I hope' that ran through her mind. She then turned to where Jill and Jenny were fighting the Tyrant. "Help is on the way," she shouted to them.

"Good, cause this thing is beginning to piss me off," Jill shot back as she slapped in another magazine for her machine gun. "It just will not go down," she added before having to jump out of the way of another tentacle the Tyrant sent at her.

Five blocks away Chris watched as Leon and Claire vanished as they went to help the others. He hoped sending them to help had been the right call considering the large group of survivors they had to protect. He should have known they could have expected to run into a damn Tyrant, they always seemed to be lurking around during an outbreak. He glanced at Barry and noted the tight look his friend had in his eyes, clearly he wished he had been sent to help Jill and the others.

"You made the right call" Methos told him as he took a quick look around. "With Xander down they need all the help they can get or the most likely outcome is that they will die at these things hands," he advised him.

"I agree," Barry said, pushing away his own desire to go and help Jill and Rebecca. "Leon and Claire both have experience in dealing with Tyrants. I'm sure together they can bring it down at least enough for them to escape and meet up with us," he continued.

"Let's hope so" Chris finally said before shaking his head and clearing the more depressing thoughts he had at how it would turn out. "Do you think this quickening of yours can beat the virus?" he asked Methos.

Methos stared at him for a few minutes before he turned and looked at Connor who stared back at him, clearly they were unsure how to answer him. Finally Methos turned back to him and he noted he did not look too sure of his answer; this did not help to raise his spirits.

"It's a possibility," Methos finally told him. "It would not the first time I have heard of an Immortal surviving a sickness or poison including a man made one. We just have to have faith that it will beat the virus," he explained.

"Xander is strong willed Chris. He will not give up without a fight," Connor assured him. "If he can help fight the Tyrant even if he is half dead he will do so," he informed them with a slight smile.

"Good, because a Tyrant is no easy thing to beat," Chris replied as he thought over what they had said. "Every time we've gone up against one, it has taken nothing short of a couple of rocket launcher shots to put it down for the count and even then they sometimes revive in some form meaning you have to hit it again," he told them, recalling his own experience with the damn things.

"Wonderful," Methos grunted as he absorbed what Chris was saying. "This just gets better and better," he muttered as he moved back. "We should keep moving," Connor suggested as he took a glance around. "We are close to the shopping centre and the weapons shop it contains. If what you say is true we will need all the fire power we can find," he continued frowning somewhat. "Maybe if we are lucky it will contain a rocket launcher or two," he added hopefully, before he took up a position near the front of the group.

Chris stared at where he had been for a few minutes before he responded, "Yeah let's hope so," he said before shook his head and focused on the group of survivors. "Ok, we're moving out," he told them. "Keep a close eye on your surroundings and if you see something yell out," he ordered before he took a deep breath and checked his weapon before moving on.

(Watcher's Council)

Quentin Travers sat at the head of the table as the meeting began. He noted quite a few worried or uncertain faces looking back at him. He could understand why they looked and felt like that. The situation in Rockville was clearly more dangerous than first believed. They were sending both Slayer's and their respective backup teams as well a SpecOps team. They would go and find any survivors if possible, but their main goal would be to find whatever was behind the chaos within the city. The only problem they faced in this was the fact that many on the council did not trust Buffy Summers. It had been a close run thing that she had been allowed to live after the Angelus debacle.

The reports from Rupert Giles as well as the operative he had in place spying on them showed she had not changed much since that time. She had a huge ego and seemed to think she deserved special treatment. At least he was pleased to see Rupert had woken up to his errors and was doing his best to make sure Buffy did her job. Many were worried how well she would work with Kendra and Sam Zabuto during this mission. A worry he shared, but they had no choice but to throw them together again if they were to find out what had happened in Rockville.

"How long before the team arrives?" Robert Wyndam Pryce, the father of the failed Watcher Wesley, inquired from his seat at the other end of the table. "Five hours at the least," Harold Robson answered. "They picked up Buffy Summers and her team two hours ago and are heading straight for Rockville," he reported.
"Were they any problems between Summers and Young?" inquired Rutherford Sirk. "Considering what happened last time I reluctant about trusting Summers to aid Young in this mission," he admitted.
"I can understand this concern that many of you have in regards to Miss Summers, but the sad truth is we have little choice in the matter," Travers cut in before anyone else could speak. "The situation in Rockville is so bad that we need all the help we can to find and exterminate the culprit. I have faith Rupert Giles will ensure her cooperation as will Sam Zabuto," he added.
"Let us hope so," Sirk shot back, not truly convinced Giles was back on the right track in regards to his duty. "We can ill afford to suffer a mishap that results in either Slayer's death," he reminded his fellow watchers. "The Hellmouth is a powder keg just waiting to go up and it needs constant monitoring and the only reason we have allowed Summers to leave it is that we have sent two teams of our SpecOps team to keep watch over it," he went on, folding his hands together. "Kendra Young is an asset we cannot loose. She is the active Slayer and a good one at that," he pointed out.
"Agreed, I'd rather not lose her to some stupid mistake by Miss Summers," Duncan Fillworthe cut in. "If Summers does cause any trouble or if by some action made by her someone gets killed I suggest we finally retire her and allow for a new Slayer to take her place," he suggested.
"All in favor?" Travers asked, not exactly liking the way this meeting was going. He had no real love for Buffy Summers either, but she was an experienced Slayer who had survived quite a bit. She was useful in guarding the Hellmouth no matter that he found her a very tiresome person to have to deal with. He looked around and noted the council was dead locked, which meant it was up to him to cast the deciding vote. Ignoring the look Fillworthe and his allies sent him he voted against such action, unless it could be proven Summers had deliberately gotten someone killed.

"Now is there anything else to discuss?" Pryce asked glancing at the other council members. "What do we do if the team fails in its mission?" Harold Robson asked. "So far, we have not put forward a backup plan in case they fail," he reminded them.

"If they fail then our only option will be to forcibly revive Faith from her coma and send her in," Travers answered, knowing this was not going to go down well with his fellow watchers. "We have the means and she will be our last chance to deal with this situation and if she should fail as well then we will have to hope someone else can stop it while we train their replacements," he told them.

"Surely you cannot be serious as to trust that traitor to aid us?" Fillworthe spat in distaste. "She has betrayed her calling and should be executed not given another chance," he stated.

"That is not for you to decide," Travers shot back. "Faith's downfall came out of an accident that could have happened to any Slayer before her. She suffered an incident that left her vulnerable and the Mayor played on that using her fears against her," he explained. "Summers actions during this time basically aided in her seduction as they did not get on and as usually her group followed her lead. It is my hope she will be able to redeem herself if and when she comes out of her coma, somewhere far away from Sunnydale and Buffy Summers," he stated.

"I hope you are right Quentin. She has proven to be dangerous during her stint with the Mayor," Pryce put in. "However given the circumstances of her fall I have to agree she should be given the chance to redeem herself. Maybe with a watcher who can understand what she has been through she can pull herself back from the brink," he added hopefully ignoring the looks of disgust or anger his response gained from Fillworthe and Sirk.

"Let us hope whoever is chosen in that regard does a far better job than your son the most pathetic excuse of a watcher I have ever seen," Bernard Crowley spat. "Wesley was ill prepared to be a field watcher," Pryce growled. "He should never have been sent to Sunnydale or at least he should have had some backup as he had two Slayers to deal with," he argued. "No Watcher before him has ever had to deal with two Slayers if you disregard Rupert Giles, as he was on suspension at that time," he reminded them.

"Enough, the choice has been made and we will leave it at that," Travers cut in not wanting to see a larger argument erupt. He was partly responsible for what had happened with Faith as it had been his choice to send Wesley to Sunnydale. It had proved to be one of the worst choices he had ever made in his time as a watcher.

"This meeting is over and I suggest we turn our attention to other matters and reconvene once the team has reached Rockville," he told them before he turned and exited the room.

(Rockville, Indiana)

Xander groaned as he came too and noted Rebecca was staring wide eyed at him. He wondered what was going on before he remembered what had happened to him. His body ached all over, but he forced himself into a sitting position with a little help from Rebecca. He felt slightly sick, but he ignored that as best he could. "Shit, I feel like I just went ten rounds with three elephants and lost," he moaned as he rubbed his shoulders.

"You are lucky to be alive," Rebecca responded. "You were infected by the T-Virus and somehow your quickening beat it. If we get out of here you have to let me examine you and see if I can find some anti bodies it might have left in your system," she added with a hopeful look.

"No problem" Xander responded doing his best not think about how close he had been to dying and ending up nothing more than a mindless zombie, a chilling thought which sent a shiver down his spine.

The sounds of gunfire and shouting made them turn to see that Jenny just barely dodged the large fist of the Tyrant as it tried to grab her. Rebecca quickly fired the second flare and prayed Leon and Claire were close by as she could tell both Jill and Jenny were getting tired. Xander groaned and pushed himself back to his feet, ignoring the protest of Rebecca as he staggered towards the fight. "What do you think you are doing?" Rebecca demanded to know, unable to believe he was trying to help fight the Tyrant after what he had been through. "I'm going to get my sword back," Xander responded, intent on helping Jill and Jenny anyway he could.

A block away Leon and Claire were running towards their position as fast as they could. They paused as they ran into some zombies and had to quickly dispatch them with some fast foot work and a head shot to each of them.

"Look over there, the second flare," Leon shouted, pointing out the red light that had suddenly appeared in the sky. "I see it Leon," Claire responded as she put another round into another zombie as it came out of the shadows. "Let's go," she said before taking off again, hoping they could be in time to help Jill and the others.