Chapter 25
Watchers Council Underground facility.
Buffy sat in a small chair in a very big waiting room, looking at her watch and getting angrier by the second, "It's been 30 minutes and still nothing. I think we better go find this Bannam character on our own."
"I'm up for it. I've never been much good at waiting." Faith said as she hopped to her feet.
Fred stepped between the two slayers, "I know you're both anxious to help, but let's go talk to someone first. If we don't get any answers then I'm with you and we can start looking for him."
"Okay, but I'm not getting a good feeling about this." Buffy said, and then followed Fred to the front desk.
Pushing the small bell, Fred waited until an attractive woman came out of the back room and walked towards her, "May I help you?"
"Yes, we were waiting for Mr. Bannam and were told he'd be out to see us about 20 minutes ago. Do you know if he's still in the building?" Fred asked, smiling as best she could.
The woman punched some keys on her computer and then looked back at Fred, "It says here that he's not to be disturbed. There's an emergency meeting and all the managers are involved. I can leave him a message if you like."
"No, I would not like." Fred said, her voice much louder than normal, "I'm escorting Rupert Giles' two daughters to a special meeting with Mr. Bannam and I do not believe the head of the Watchers Council will be pleased if his daughters traveled all this way for nothing. Now, where is the meeting?"
"I'm really sorry, but I just work here. Honestly." The woman said, obviously shook up by Fred's tone.
"What room is the meeting in?" Buffy said, doing her best to look angry, but having a tough time since she could barely see the woman since the counter was so high.
Faith walked around and stood beside the now terrified woman, "Hi there. I'm Faith. You were about to give us the room number to that meeting."
"I don't know what to do. I don't want to get fired." The woman said, "Oh here, just look at the screen and go."
Stepping in front of the woman, Faith looked down at the computer and smiled as she saw the room number blinking on the screen. Smiling at the woman, she walked back around to the front of the counter, "I've got it. Room 250, it's in the East Wing."
"Good, that's a start, but I need someone here to watch Dawn." Buffy said, regretting bringing her sister along.
"I'm fine. I have Sigmund and I can sit and wait for you guys." Dawn said and then waved her hand around the lobby area, "I mean, look around, there's nobody here, it's not like I can get into trouble."
"I'm not worried about you getting into trouble; I'm worried about that mouthy little pet of yours." Buffy said, giving Sigmund the evil eye.
"Oh bite me tiny one." Sigmund said as he leaned towards Buffy, "Oh, so you're a fake blonde to. Surprising, you seem like the poster girl for dumb blondes."
"Dawn! If you do not put a muzzle on this...thing, it's going to have a very unfortunate accident one day. I'm thinking zoo, elephants and a squishing sound. Capiche?"
Dawn pushed Sigmund into his cage and slammed the door on him, "He's learning." she said and then saw Buffy's face, "Okay, very slowly, but I'm trying. He just doesn't know what he's saying. I'll teach him some nice words while you go that meeting, okay?"
"You better." Buffy said and then gave Dawn a big hug, "You just wait here and we'll hurry back."
Dawn ushered Buffy away, "Okay, go, I'm fine."
Fred, Buffy and Faith made their way through the large building until they found the sign for the East Wing. Turning left, they walked through a series of doors until the came across room 200.
Looking both left and right, they opted to keep going left and after a lengthy walk, they finally came to room 250. It was much larger than the others they'd seen and had four armed guards standing outside.
"Why is there so much security for a meeting with a bunch of doctors?" Fred said, stopping just before they turned the corner.
"Maybe it's not just doctors in the meeting. With security like this there has to be something big going on inside." Buffy said, "The question is what."
"Only one way to find out." Faith said, "We have to get into that meeting. So, before I jump in with my plan, does anyone else have a suggestion?"
"Be my guest, as long as you're sharing the plan, all is well." Buffy said as she rested against the wall.
"Good, as I see it, there are two ways to get into that room. We can just kick some ass and barge right in or we can try a subtle approach."
Fred listened to Buffy and Faith and decided it was time to suggest her idea, "I was thinking maybe we could try and throw Rupert's name around and see if we get lucky. If it doesn't work, you can kick their asses."
Buffy and Faith both laughed at Fred's idea, but figured it was worth a shot.
After adjusting her hair and checking her outfit, Fred walked towards the guards. As expected, one guard turned and blocked her path, "You are in a secure area. You will have to leave."
"Actually, I'm late for the meeting." Fred said, sounding very authoritative, "Rupert Giles, who is my boss, asked me to bring the two slayers to the meeting as soon as possible. Well, here we are. Now I'd appreciate it if you would step aside please and let us in."
The guard turned to the other three and they all shrugged their shoulders, "We'll have to verify this first. Wait here." He then turned and knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer.
Moments later the door opened and the guard began explaining the situation to whomever he was talking to. After a long pause, someone stuck their head out and took a look at Fred. It was Giles.
"Giles!" Fred said loudly as she waved towards him.
Stepping out from inside the room, Giles smiled at Fred and walked towards her, "What are you doing here?"
"We were here visiting my birth mother." Fred explained, trying to pry her arm free from Giles' grip, "I was told to meet Mr. Bannam but he never showed. Here we are."
"This is not a good time." Giles said, not hiding his annoyance one bit.
"What is going on in there?" Fred said with a whisper.
"I can't talk now. Just go and I'll fill you all in later." Giles said, taking Fred by the arm and leading her back to Buffy and Faith, "Go. This is not your concern right now."
"Nice try, dad, but we're not going anywhere until we see Bannam." Buffy said as she pushed Giles away from Fred.
Faith jumped into the mix, "Let's not forget we are going to this meeting with you. So, lead on boss."
"You are being highly irresponsible; all of you. I will not tell you this again. You must leave immediately." Giles said, his voice noticeably rising as he gave each girl the same steely-eyed glare.
"Please Giles; I just want to speak with the Bannam about my birth mother." Fred said, trying her best to get through to Giles.
Before Giles could respond a man stepped out of the meeting and turned to see what the commotion was, "What seems to be the hold up Giles? We are about to discuss my terms. I'm sure you don't want to be late for that, do you?"
"I'll be right there." Giles said in a much more pleasant tone.
"Don't be rude old boy; introduce me to the beautiful young ladies." The man said as he strolled towards everyone.
Giles, noticeably irritated by the man's presence, held it in as the man walked up beside him, "Yes, of course. Buffy, Faith, Fred, this is an old acquaintance of mine, Ethan Rayne."
"I'm delighted to meet all of you." He said as he kissed each girl's hand, "Let me see if I have you all straight. Fred, you are the science major. I've read a lot about you and I can see you have a bright future with the council. Buffy and Faith are the chosen two. I must say you are as beautiful as you are talented. I know Sunnydale will be a safer place with you patrolling these dangerous streets or is it crypts? No bother, it's just a treat to you meet you all."
"Who is the nut?" Faith said as she wiped her hand against her jacket.
"Faith, that's no way to talk to someone you just met. Now apologize this instant." Giles said, way more annoyed than he should be.
"Chill out Giles." Faith snapped back.
"Yes Giles, it's perfectly fine. It's great that the young woman speaks her mind so freely. It makes for less hidden agenda's when there are no words left unspoken. It's how it should be." Ethan said as he smiled at Faith.
"Well, it's time to get back to the meeting. I will see you three later." Giles said, once again giving the three girls the evil eye.
Buffy stepped in front of the two men, "I was just wondering if Ethan would mind if we sat in on the meeting? Being slayers and all, I think it might be very informative. Don't you agree Giles?"
Giles was fuming inside while Ethan was loving every second of this little exchange and made no bones about it. "I dare say the girl has a point old boy. They are the future and this meeting is all about the future isn't it? I vote yes to letting you sit in."
"It would seem I'm outvoted on this, so if that's how it's going to be, then let's get back in there and iron out the details." Giles said, gritting his teeth as he stormed back into the room.
Ethan followed and the three girls stopped just outside the door.
"I'm starting to think this is a bad idea. I've never seen Giles so angry in my life." Fred said, "Well, not that I have seen him a lot, but I have talked to him numerous times and even though he can seem abrupt or blunt, he's not usually so scary. What if we aren't meant to be here after all?"
"I think the fact he's this upset is exactly why we should be here. If he's keeping things from us how can we trust him? I want to know what the big secret is." Buffy said in a whisper as another man walked out of the room to have a look around.
"Let's just go." Faith said impatiently and then walked into the room.
Buffy and Fred followed and none of them were prepared for what they saw.
From the outside, the room looked huge, but when they get inside they soon discovered it wasn't simply a room, but a small stadium, set up much like an extra large courtroom.
It was divided into two very distinct sections. One side featured primarily all humans, while the other side was an array of demons, vampire's and other assorted beings. In front of the two sections were two separate tables, again one for humans and the other for the demons. At the head of the room was a 30-foot high head table with 13 individuals acting as judges. Six humans, 6 demons and one unknown in the middle.
Giles was acting as a lawyer for the humans, while Ethan Rayne was the only human looking person on the demon's side of the room. Buffy, Faith and Fred took a seat as close to the front as possible.
"Attention. This meeting is called to order." Said the figure at the top middle of the large table. "Mr. Giles, you had the floor when we were interrupted, please continue."
"Thank you Lord Carrmaleous." Giles said as he bowed to the strange looking being. "As I was saying, we at the Watchers Council believe drastic measures need to be taken to keep Ethan Rayne locked up where he belongs. He's only here because he escaped from prison in the first place. The very fact we're considering his absurd offer is preposterous. His history of evil is well documented, and I can't stress this enough, trusting him is like committing suicide."
Ethan Rayne stood up and addressed the room. "Good day Lord Carrmaleous, you're looking wonderfully healthy again. I'm pleased to see that you weren't hurt in that awful assassination attempt last week. Let me begin by saying Rupert Giles makes a compelling argument for his side, but what he leaves out are the benefits my proposal will have on all mankind, as well as my demon friends. I realize it is a lot to take in at one time, but my proposal is the only way the human race will survive. I'll see to that. If you join with me, we can work together to make this a peaceful place for all to live in."
The man on the far left of the 13-man panel stood up, "I am Sir Earl Wilmington III. I would like to ask Mr. Rayne why he believes threatening civilization is an appropriate way to get people to listen to you."
"I would not characterize my proposal as a threat, but merely the truth spelled out in a very forthright manner." Ethan said, is voice bellowing throughout the large building, "We have the ability to destroy you humans and while it could prove to be a fruitless battle that ends in the destruction of your planet, we always have alternate realities to fall back on. So, even if you destroyed most, if not all of us, your planet would be in ruin, your world in chaos and I don't believe that's a risk you're willing to take. I bring this offer to you as an offering of peace, not war. I wish to work with you, but there will have to be many changes for this to work."
Giles got to his feet, waited to be acknowledged, and began to speak, "Sir Wilmington III brings up a very good point. Ethan Rayne has no desire to share this world with anyone; he simply wants our help in destroying it bit by bit so he doesn't have to. What he hasn't told you, is he has no leverage right now. He's hoping fear will make you all act irrationally and give in to his self-serving proposal. I submit we take Mr. Rayne back to his cell and let him serve the rest of his life sentence and be done with this absurdity for good."
"I warned you not to take this type of stand Giles. As a former friend, I was giving you the courtesy of having a choice in your outcome, but I see that's not going to work." Ethan turned away from Giles and faced the panel, "In light of these developments I am withdrawing my offer from the table. I know longer feel the need to include you in my plans. Let me assure you, this is not over. When you see me next, you will fully grasp the gravity of your mistake."
Lord Carrmaleous stood up, "Order. Order!. I'm sorry Mr. Rayne but I have no other option but to have you remanded to custody and forced to serve out the remainder of your sentence. Guards, take him away."
Four guards walked briskly towards Ethan and the first two grabbed him by the arm and led him through the courtroom. About half way through Ethan stopped and looked back at Giles, "Do you really think I'd let this happen? You are a fool." And with that, he tossed some powder into the air and the room filled with smoke and dust and when it all faded, Ethan was nowhere in sight.
Guards rushed around looking for any sign of him, but found nothing.
Moments later there was a large laughing sound heard over the loudspeakers, "Giles, you disappoint me. I didn't expect it to be so easy. Oh and I will be back and I want you to know that you are personally responsible for the death that is coming. Oh and one other thing, I do love your youngest daughter Dawn. She's so sweet. I'm sorry she can't talk right now, but maybe later. Buffy, I know you can hear me, I'm after you next. Yes I am. Giles will watch you all die. It's his own fault. And Faith, Fred, if you want to change sides, now's the time. Just leave me a message and I will find you. Don't go down with the ship, I have big plans for the both of you. Say hi to mommy Fred. Bye now."
"Oh my god, he's got Dawn." Buffy screamed and then ran out of the room and through the endless corridors until she got back to the main lobby. Looking around in a hurried state, she searched everywhere and yet there was no sign of Dawn around, "No. This can't be happening. I can't lose her. I won't."
Faith, Fred and Giles helped in the search, but nobody turned up a thing as they gathered in the middle of the room to comfort Buffy.
"We'll find her. I promise you that." Faith said as she put her arms around Buffy.
"Why on earth did you bring her here?" Giles said, both angry and afraid, "I should never have left your house. I will not make that mistake again. When we find Dawn, and we will find her, I am moving in and that's final."
"Giles, can I talk to you over here." Fred said as she pulled Giles away from the two girls, "What are you doing? Buffy did not do this. God, Ethan Rayne did. Can't you see that she's devastated by this? I don't care how mad you are, you will not take it out on Buffy. Now, we need to stick together right now. Emotions are high, but blame is not the answer."
Taking a moment to compose himself, Giles walked back over to Buffy, "I'm sorry for what I said. It's not your fault. I just want to bring her back safely."
"You're right though, I should never have left her alone." Buffy said as she looked up at Giles with tears running down her face, "I know Ethan did this, but I sure helped make it easy. I'll never forgive myself if something happens to her. Never."
"Please don't say that B. Do not let some nut make you doubt yourself." Faith said, constantly running her fingers through Buffy's blonde hair. "We'll find her. There's nothing we can't do, right?"
Buffy managed a weak smile, "Right."
"Well good, let's get to work. I will not let them hurt Dawn. Whatever it takes, that's what I'll do." Faith said, doing her best to cheer Buffy up.
"I know you will." Buffy said as she looked deep into Faith's eyes, "I believe you. That's why I know everything will be okay."
"Okay, let's get back to the house and we can figure out what to do next." Giles said as he led the girls back outside.
End of Chapter 25