Note: I know the fight scene is not a long one, but I didn't want Faith to suffer too much.
Nothing owned. Nothing profitted.
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Heart of a Warrior
"I can create a hole in the spell that Fargre'an has around the police station," Willow explained as they rode the elevator up to the Penthouse. "Just long enough for the two of you to get through. I can't hold it for long or he will sense it."
"And then we are doomed," Xander commented watching the floors tick away.
"Right," Willow stated, wanting to hit him.
"I'll pound on him until you get the dagger," Faith said to the Bat, or Bruce, whoever he was supposed to be. "And then you can just come up and stick him with it and everything will be five by five."
Bruce did not think it would be that easy, especially considering that he had to get the dagger out of the vault first. He wasn't sure he had anything that could open that door for him, but he had to try.
Once the elevator stopped and the doors opened, everyone got out. Bruce pulled the cowl off of his head and tossed it on a table. It didn't really matter anymore. Not for the time being at least. While the others mulled around, figuring out what was to be done, and getting themselves ready, he went up stairs to remove the armor. He already felt vulnerable having to go into a place where a powerful demon was waiting without any sort of protection, but he trusted Willow that it had to be done this way.
Jeans and a t-shirt would be good enough. As he left the room, he looked up to find Alfred.
"Alfred," he said, happy to see his butler and friend.
"Master Bruce," Alfred returned, hugging briefly. When he drew back, he saw the look on the young man's face and knew what question was coming. "Yes, Sir, I did see her and Richard. They are just fine."
Bruce let out a sigh of relief that he felt he had been holding for the better part of the day. He wanted to laugh. He wanted to cry, but he knew he had to hurry. "Where is she?"
"On your jet by now. Luckily for us there was a runway and the sky to fly," Alfred answered.
Bruce nodded. Richard was alive and safe. Buffy was alive and safe. Their baby was alive and would be safe. He knew at that moment that he would go through hell itself for them and he had a feeling that he might be about to do just that.
He clasped Alfred on the shoulder, and then went back downstairs, Alfred right behind him. "Are we ready?" He asked, and everyone nodded. Some, like Faith, more enthusiastic than others. He actually managed to smile in spite of everything. "Then let's get to it."
With the others positioned around the building with infrared binoculars, Willow sat on top of the building, hidden by the (?) bat signal flood light. There was still a large group of people in front of the police station building, along with reporters and the fire department. There had been speculation by the reports on the radio that the National Guard was being called in. They hoped this was all over by the time the military got here.
Willow had figured that the best place for entry was a second story window in the back. Xander and Giles were to keep a look out and make sure no one ventured that way and warn them if they did.
She blocked out the sound of the crowd below and concentrated on her counter spell. It would not last long, only long enough for Bruce and Faith to get in, and then she would have to close it. And if they didn't take care of Fargre'an, there was no way for her to get them out again.
Taking a deep breath, she began the spell
"How will we know when it works?" Bruce asked in a whisper. He and Faith were perched on the fire escape outside the window that Willow was going to open for them. Through the glass he could see nothing but a gray, thick fog.
"When the fog clears around the window," Faith answered back.
To tell the truth, she made him nervous because she was constantly watching him. In the Bat armor this might not of bugged him, since most of his face was hidden, but without it, he felt uncomfortable being scrutinized so. Not only that, but she had this strange grin on her face.
"What?" He asked, unable to take it anymore. "What do you want to know?"
"Do you love her?" Faith asked. That was not what he was expecting.
"Yes," he answered, and it was the truth. He wondered if he conveyed that enough.
Faith was silent for a few seconds and then she nodded. "Okay. I believe you. Just so you know: if you had lied, said you did but didn't, as soon as this was over I would have beat you senseless, and then left. But, since you are telling the truth, then not only will I not beat you up, but I will stick around and help you clean up the mess afterward. There will still be some demons hanging around, Fargre'an's loyal suckers. They will be after you for taking him out."
"Thank you," he said, watching as the window began to clear, and he could see inside the office beyond.
"Don't mention it." Faith said as she raised the window and they slipped inside.
Willow had not been lying for as soon as the window was closed again, the fog returned. It seemed thicker around the windows and walls, but was still very condensed in the open areas. Faith led the way, which Bruce was a little put off by, but she was a lot stronger than he was and reminded him of that several times by shoving her hand into his ribs to keep him behind her.
"I am going to protect you as long as I can whether you like it or not," she whispered to him. "I have fought normal Buffy. I sure as hell do not want to fight What-did-you-let-happen-to-my-man Buffy. Especially when she is Mama Buffy at the same time."
It was the strangest thing he had ever seen, up in the top five for her. Everyone was frozen where they were, as if they were made of wax like in that museum. They were not cold to the touch, but the fog swirling around them was a little nippy. There were people paused (that was a good word for it) talking, in mid step, drinking, eating, writing, getting up from chairs. Almost everything one could think of.
"I hope we don't have to go into the bathrooms," Faith commented. The look on Bruce's face when he figured out what she was hinting at (which only took a few seconds, so points to him) was priceless and she had to hold back full out laughter. This guy fit in just fine…to a certain degree.
"The vault is on the first subfloor," Bruce told her.
Faith nodded, her Slayer senses tingling. Fargre'an was between them and the vault, she could feel it.
"Okay. I am going to get as close to him as I can before I lay the hurt on him. You get as close to the stairs down to that vault as you can, but stay hidden. When I have his attention, boogie down there as fast as you can." He nodded, his eyes focused on the stairs down to the first floor. Faith had to give him that also: the man had nerves of steel.
He didn't mention it to her, but he could sense the demon also, but he doubted it was to the degree she could. Since Alfred had explained to him what he was, it was as if his senses had awakened little by little. He only wished he had known sooner, but he did not blame Alfred for this. After all, his butler had been protecting him since he was born. What he had to do was survive this so he could do the same for his own child. His daughter.
They saw nothing until they got to the bottom of the stairs. And then there he was.
What kind of demon he was exactly Faith could not say because she had never seen anything like it. He stood with his back half to them, and he was wearing a long robe, the color of spilled blood with red etchings on the sleeves and bottom hem. He had no hair, and his skin was a graying white. His eye that could be seen was a large black pool, in the pictures people drew of the aliens that they had claimed to have seen. He had no nose, but rather a diagonal slit about an inch long. His arms were long and thin, ending in hands that were skeletal with sharp talons. The worst part was his mouth, if one could call it that.
Tentacles. If he had a mouth at all, it was under the tentacles. They weren't sure how many tentacles there were actually, but the ones that could be seen writhed around his head, chest and out into the air in front of him. Some were two feet long, while others were a little shorter. They reminded Faith of very large worms, all slimy and gross. They reminded Bruce of a nightmare he had had once while overseas. It had been about being attacked by noodles, yes, noodles, while he was stuck in the prison there. Why he did not know, because all he had had to eat while in the prison had been slop's ugly, older cousin.
Faith motioned for him to go toward the stairs to the subfloor. It was just around the corner, away from the demon, in the back hidden by the stairs. As silent as he moved as Batman, he made his way to the door and opened it. The fog was thick down there also, but he did not hesitate.
Faith took a deep breath and then burst in motion. She was upon the demon before he could even move. Fist raised, full Slayer strength behind it, she aimed for the area right below his ear, if he had one.
But her fist never made it. And before she even knew what was happening, Faith had one of those tentacles wrapped around her neck, squeezing tighter slowly, and she was looking into the flat, black eyes of Fargre'an.
The vault was not hard to find. Bruce was a little more than upset about it really. Not because it wasn't harder to find, but because it wasn't actually a vault. It was a large steel door set into the concrete wall with a simple lock on it. The lock he took care of easily, and when he looked inside he found it was nothing more than an evidence storage room. He sighed; disappointed that it was not in a more secure place. The safe at the manor had been safer, and had probably survived the explosion. Then, at the same time, he was glad that it was so easy to get to. In fact, once he thought about it, he was very glad about that fact.
He found it without too much trouble. It was sealed in a plastic evidence bag, given a fake case number. Fake he knew, because the number just happened to be Gordon's Driver's License number. The bag had been stuffed in a box marked "Batman." Duty won out of curiosity, and he tore the bag open, taking the dagger. It felt much too light in his hands to be able to stop a demon, but he knew that meant nothing.
Out the door and back up the stairs he went. When he got to the first floor, he knelt down and inched his way with his back against the stairs until he could see through the railing.
Faith had the demon preoccupied alright. She was keeping it busy choking the life out of her. He never saw that coming either.
Faith could feel as one of the smaller tentacles caressed her ear, as gentle as a lover, only slimy and disgusting. She kicked her feet to no avail, and she hated to admit it but she was beginning to panic. That panic became full blown when the tentacle poked at the opening in her ear, and she could not with hold a scream as it pushed its way in.
You are not the Slayer I seek, said a voice in her head. It was guttural and airy all at the same time as if it was having trouble breathing and was trying to talk under water. I sense the ambiance of this city. She was here but now she is gone. She is alive, the progeny of a Varishi in her womb. Do you know what that means, Second-Slayer?
Faith could not answer, though she tried to move her mouth to do so.
That means that I will have to sacrifice you. How nice of you to come to me. I was afraid I would have to go looking for you. The tentacle dug deeper into her brain, and now Faith's voice did work, to scream again. All I have to do is wiggle around a little bit in your head. All I have to do is tighten my hold, and he did as he spoke. Faith's vision was beginning to darken. Once I have turned this wretched city into hell on earth, I will find the Slayer Queen. The child she carries – it's sacrifice will spread the hellfire infection all over the world. Imagine the –
Faith was released, the tentacle withdrawing from her ear and the other from around her throat. She fell to the floor, unable to stand, sucking in deep breaths, and coughing. Her throat hurt. Her head hurt. There was blood coming out of her ear.
Rubbing her throat, her breath wheezy, she looked up to see Fargre'an. His head was thrown back, the tentacles waving around like crazy, his arms outstretched, and he was howling, or as close to it as he could get. Then suddenly his body went rigid and he went silent. That was when he exploded, white goo going everywhere. Faith turned her head and when she looked back around; Bruce was standing there, covered in goo, the dagger in his hand.
"That turned out better than I thought." He cocked an eyebrow, a half smile on his face. Faith returned it, giving him a thumb up.
The fog began to lift. They glanced around in alarm. Now that Fargre'an was destroyed, there was nothing to keep his spell working. People were beginning to move, slowly, as if thawing out.
"Come on," Bruce said, helping Faith to her feet and practically carrying her back the way they had came in. The fog had lessened considerable around the window, so it opened easily and they climbed out. He helped her down the fire escape and down an alley where Willow, Giles, and Xander waited.
"You did it!" Willow exclaimed. She took a moment to give a look of disgust at the goo that covered them both, but then hugged them anyway.
Behind them, they heard the crowd start cheering. The police were obviously moving about.
"What do we do with this?" Bruce asked, holding up the dagger.
"Keep it, dude." Xander said, bobbing up and down on his heels. "A memento from having slain the dragon, so-to-speak." Everyone looked at him curiously. "You know, Dark Knight. Knights kill dragons."
Giles beat Willow to hitting Xander in the back of the head. That didn't mean that she didn't get her turn.
