Chapter 25: To Be Continued
Xander sat in the car, looking at himself in the pulldown mirror. He adjusted his eye patch. The glass eye hadn't felt right. He'd worn one a couple of times in the past. When he had needed to fit in. They never felt right.
He reached down and pulled his shoulder bag onto his legs. They had parked in a different location and were using one of Scott's vehicles now. More care taken to make sure that they weren't identified coming in. They couldn't let what had happened earlier happen again. From here on out, he couldn't use any of the setups he had prepared for the mission.
He unzipped the front pocket and pulled out a small gold ring and placed it on his left middle finger. He looked behind him. "Okay, we're going to be going in hard and fast. You back me up, and you don't question anything I do. Understand?"
Faith and Robin nodded from the middle row. Ellison and Browning were in the back, preparing their weapons. They didn't bother to turn around.
"I highly doubt that you do." Xander said. "You do exactly what I say, and you don't question me. You do and it could cost us all of our lives. Will. You. Do. What. I. Say?"
"Okay, Xander." Robin was a bit worried. Xander had been wary before. And he'd been right to be. Things were getting out of hand.
"Okay. Here's the game plan." Xander continued. He only hoped that things weren't going to get any more screwed up. "I'm going in first with Ellison and Browning backing me up. We secure the first room then go up and secure the office. Robin, you and Faith will be keeping an eye on any prisoners while we're clearing the second room. Just look tough, I want them conscious to interrogate after we're done. You don't come in until after we secure the room. Got it?"
"Yes," said Robin. Faith just nodded again.
"Okay. Let's get it done." Xander got off the car, followed by the others. He was wearing a long brown coat. It would stand out in the heat, but the semi automatic shotgun he was carrying would stand out even more. The men from his backup team were wearing coats as well. For the same reason.
Faith and Robin weren't. Though they had sidearms at the small of their backs, they weren't carrying larger weapons as the others were. It had taken some convincing to have them carry. Crossbows would be too unwieldy, and swords wouldn't be as useful if things got bad.
They walked to the bar, Xander in front. He wiped his forehead. The heat coupled with his coat, his shirt, and the bulletproof vest underneath was making him sweat. Probably the tension as well. He idly wondered if he had an ulcer brewing.
"Okay. We go back to the fake names." Xander said. And they didn't even get to use the ID's, he thought. A pity. They'd been made pretty damn well, and he had looked forward to flashing his. Faith and Robin nodded.
Xander exhaled and looked around. Making sure there weren't any witnesses, or bystanders for that matter. Ellison and Browning nodded at him. Go time.
He raised his shotgun as Ellison raised his. Browning pulled up an MP5. Xander clenched his jaw and twisted the doorknob, moving in fast.
"Hand on your heads!" Xander shouted as he came in, pointing his gun forward. There weren't that many people in the bar. Two men sat stunned at their table. A few more at the bar. The bartender looked scared. All Mexican. All heavily muscled. The local hangout for thugs and lowlifes. None were moving. That was a small mercy. "Now."
They slowly put their hands up and laid them on their heads, while the others moved in, covering the flanks. Xander tracked his shotgun over them. "Okay. Now slowly get up and come to the center of the room."
He watched as they did as he instructed. Another small mercy. "On your knees."
They did that as well. So far, so good.
Xander went up and patted them down, extracting their weapons and placing them on the bar. Some handguns and knives. Luckily nothing that suggested anything occult in nature. Just good old-fashioned human muscle. "Okay."
Xander walked to the door, making sure that the men were still covered. He nudged it open. "Alice, Leslie. It's clear."
The Council members that had been left outside under protest, came in, weapons drawn. They made a decent attempt at looking like they knew what they were doing. It wasn't like they hadn't done it before. Just not with guns, and not with humans.
"Okay." Xander said, after making sure that Robin and Faith were in control of the situation. He walked to the door of the back room, waiting for his backup to get into position.
After they had done so, Xander opened the door. It was clear. He moved in slowly and climbed the stairs, making sure he made as little noise as possible. Of course, it wasn't as if they weren't going to be expected, what with his previous yelling. But, this way anybody in the room upstairs wouldn't know exactly where they were. Or when they'd strike. He only hoped it'd be enough of an advantage.
He walked down the hall to the closed door at the end. Hector's office. The only room on the second floor. He got set, while he waited for the others to get into position. Considering that anybody inside had to be cautious already, they couldn't use the fiber optic camera; good chance of giving themselves away. Xander twisted the knob slowly. The door was unlocked. He brought his shotgun up, and pushed the door in quickly, moving in fast.
A pretty young woman looked up in surprise at him. She fired the gun that he just noticed in her hands. It hit hard and he grunted as he pulled the trigger on his shotgun. The load of buckshot hit her in the chest, sending her to the floor. Ellison and Browning came up behind him, but there wasn't anyone left to take down.
"You okay?" Browning asked as Ellison moved forward to check on the woman that Xander had shot.
Xander touched the hole in his coat. He pulled out the smashed slug that had stuck into his armor. He put it in his pocket. "I'm good. No penetration. Hurts like a mother though."
He looked at Browning. "Stay here and search the room. Russ, let's go back down."
He walked out the room. A little angry at himself. He should have fired first. He should have seen the gun and pulled the trigger before she could. It was a miracle she hadn't shot him in the head. Or used something with a little more kick than a .38.
"You hesitate?" Ellison said over his shoulder.
"No. She just fired first." Xander pulled out a slug from his shoulder bag and replaced the spent shell from his gun. He bent down to pick up his empty shell. He felt a twinge in his right arm. He had cleaned the puncture wound and wrapped it in gauze in the car, but it still ached. "Maybe it's the arm."
"Maybe." Ellison said. "She was a redhead. Fair skin. Green eyes."
"I know."
"Kinda looked like Vi."
"I know!" Xander turned around. "She just fired first. Okay? We done yet?"
Russ shrugged. "Just making sure you weren't getting soft, boss."
"I got it." Xander replied, a bit of heat still in his voice. He wondered if he had hesitated. He didn't think he had, but he had still gotten shot. He was just glad that the police were slow in this area of town.
They reached the bar again. Robin and Faith were still watching over the men they had apprehended. They looked slightly apprehensive. No doubt about the gunshots they had just heard.
Xander took a seat at a stool, placing his shotgun on the top of the bar. He didn't say a word. Only looked at the men on the their knees. They returned the look with quiet defiance. Gangsta pride. That was going to have to change if he was going to get anything out of them. After a minute he heard a call in his earpiece. It was Browning.
"I tossed the room. There's nothing here about the girl."
"Okay." Xander said quietly into his com. "Take anything you think'll be of use to the brothers in the alphabet. Then get down here."
"Yes, sir."
He stood up and pulled out a handgun from his hip holster. Xander walked over to the group of detainees and pulled up the man closest to him.
"You see this?" Xander showed him the back of his left hand. More specifically the ring on his middle finger. "Order of Teraka. Bitch."
He noticed that the man's eyes widened a bit. Xander sneered. "Yeah. You know what that means don't you. Alright, how about a question?"
Xander pointed his gun at the thug's head. The man still had a defiant look on his face. Despite a hint of apprehension. That just wouldn't do. He pulled out a picture from his coat pocket and showed it to him. "Where's Rosemary Hawthorne? The blonde killer your boss has on retainer?"
"Like I'm going to tell you, puta!" The large Mexican returned the sneer.
Xander smiled, teeth bared. "Okay. You have three seconds to tell me."
"One." Xander said. The man just stared at him.
"Two." The main raised his chin, still bold.
"Three." Xander fired his gun, and the man fell onto his back. Dead. Blood flowed from a hole in his face. A third eye. The other two were wide in surprise. The last thought that had gone through the man's head was probably about Xander not having the cojones to pull the trigger. Obviously wrong.
The other men on their knees gasped at the same time. It was kind of humorous in a gallows sort of way. Xander looked at Robin, making sure that the watcher wouldn't interfere. He could see that Robin wanted to interfere, but the hard stare made the head field watcher back down. He turned his gaze to Faith when he saw the black man relax. Or at least went back to what his state before he had just shot someone. The slayer looked odd. Disappointed maybe. Or just sad.
He pulled the next one onto his feet. It was the bartender. Xander showed him the picture as well. "You have two seconds to tell me where the girl is. One."
"Okay. Okay." The man said, he was clearly frightened. "I don't know where she is now. But…but, most nights she's down at Juan's, on the south side."
"Thank you." Xander said. "You know, you have surprisingly good English."
The man smiled hesitatingly at him.
Xander pushed the man back onto the floor. He walked over to the register and opened it. There wasn't much in there, but he pocketed the till anyway. He also took a small gold lighter that lay next to the register. Ah, petty theft and armed robbery. The work of heroes. He walked back around the bar and collected the handguns from the top and placed them in his shoulder bag. His shotgun, he picked up and held under his coat.
"Okay." Xander picked up his shotgun. "It's time to leave."
Robin and Faith moved to the door, placing their guns back into their places. They were a bit disgusted at holding the weapons.
"Browning." Xander said. He watched as the soldier stepped forward and fired his weapon. The remaining men fell, dead.
Browning looked at him. "Want us to clean up the shells?"
Xander shook his head. "Naw. Make it look like a robbery. Don't want to make it look too clean. That'd be suspicious."
"Let's go." Xander pushed his way between the two Council members on his way out the door. He looked to make sure that nobody was milling around outside. No gunmen waiting to take them down as soon as they exited. The gunfire had properly scared any civilians off. The locals knew better than to fool around if there were guns going off in Morales' place. The reputable or semi-reputable ones at least.
Xander walked outside, the others followed, putting their guns back under their coats before exiting. He walked to the car. Ellison and Browning took up the rear. Watching their backs to make sure they weren't ambushed.
Faith jogged to catch up to him. "Xander."
He kept walking until he had reached the vehicle. Monet looked at him through the glass window. She noticed the grim expression on his face and merely nodded. She was glad that Kurt hadn't come for this one.
"Xander." Faith said again, catching up to him.
He ignored her and opened the front passenger door. Faith pushed it closed.
"What?" Xander turned to the slayer. Angry.
"What was that?" Faith glared at him.
"My job." Xander glared back. "We done yet? We're here for a reason. Remember?"
Faith took him by the arm. Rather gently.
"What happened in Africa?" Faith got it. She had certainly gained some insight into people in the past year. Maybe having to deal with all of the issues that a bunch of teenage girls could have had helped her with it. Though, it was also the most logical choice for how he had changed so much. He had said that it had always been in him. That nothing had changed within him. Within his soul. She wasn't exactly sure about that. She could see it now though. It was there. That darkness. But, in Sunnydale, when he had been nothing but a snot-nosed high school kid she hadn't paid much attention to him.
But, he had balls. That night with the Sisterhood of Jhe, he had saved her ass. The one that had been left behind to be protected, had ended up saving her. And after she had turned bad, he had faced her. Alone. No weapons. No backup. It had almost gotten him killed, but he'd done it.
And when she had come back, years later, he had walked into that basement with a slayer, a vampire, and some girls that had moderate superhuman enhancements. And, he had walked out. Not everyone did.
More importantly, he had walked into that room with her. Despite the fact that she had turned on him before. And hadn't shown that she felt any regret about almost murdering him. Without an assurance that she'd watch his back. He could take the big risks. The hard decisions. Flight or fight pretty much meant fight to him.
Still, that dark part of him, a part she thought that maybe she shared, hadn't shown itself in so drastic a way in him before. He had always been there on the side. Helping out. Making sure that the girls felt good about themselves. The only time she had even seen him yelling in Cleveland, before he had left for Africa, had been with Willow and Buffy. Arguments about what they had done. Done to her sisters. Their guilt. His own. He deserved better. He had deserved better back then as well. From them and from her. So something had changed. Even if it was only to bring out what was there before.
Xander relented. He turned to look at her, his eye a little red. He sighed. "It was bad. Real bad. I'll tell you about it. After."
Faith nodded and let him go. To be continued, she thought.
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Author's Note: Hmm. I'm the only story under the Alexander H./Vi filter. Kind of amusing.
Bolo: The old Xander is still there. But, which part of the old Xander is being brought out now? That's the question. He's not going to just play the comic relief or the shoulder to lean on anymore. He's being forced to be more proactive now. And the old loyalty is still there at the top. Thanks for the review.