Chapter 52

Broken

The wall nearest the glass is warmest, I guess because of whatever is keeping the glass electrified, and as we all talk I find myself pressed up against it to ward off the chill that is sinking in. I am hungry, and find myself in a strange space where I have been in so much pain of late that it feels absent. A perverse part of me needs to stroke the glass with the tip of my finger, just close enough to get the tak-tak sound and feel my muscles spasm.

Oz is pressed to the wall too, slumped over, his eyes sunken and distant. I curse myself every second we couldn't find him, for every moment I was so absorbed in my issues that I forgot he even existed. How am I The Chosen One? Regardless of what Giles said, could I ever truly take on the role of the hero? I glance around at my cell, and snort at the idea.

"You're one of them?" Oz says. I realise he means my clothes.

"No. We dressed like them to sneak in. Willow and I. To rescue you. Obviously, that went well."

"Do I know you?" He says. I glance back up at the camera that watches me, unsure of if they are recording sound, or what to reveal.

"I went to Sunnydale High." I settle on. "Remember Kendra and Faith?" Oz nods. "I am like them. You know. Like them."

"Oh" he says hesitantly, "so Buffy…"

"Can they hear us?

"I don't know."

"Oz, can you see Willow from where you are?"

"They took her." He says, slowly tilting his head to the side. "As soon as she woke up." I can hear the pain and guilt in his voice.

"Oz. Listen, she… she is a lot tougher than you think. She changed... she's..."

"I know what she is." He says, and though his expression change is subtle, I know Oz well enough to hear the bitterness and guilt. I begin to say that it wasn't his fault, that he shouldn't blame himself for what happened, but the sentence dies on my lips after "Oz…". I realise I have no right to tell him how to feel, or who to blame. I have my own blame to shoulder, and now, my own duty. "Where did they take her?"

"The pit. It's where they experiment on us." He says, drawing in a long breath and tipping his head back to press against the wall, he all but disappears from my view. I see his trembling hand form a tight fist.

"Oz. Listen. I can't explain right now, because they may be listening, but don't give up hope. There are a lot of people who love you out there. And we are not done yet. And… I know it sounds strange, that you can't recognise me… but we are friends. Were. And I ruined it. And I owe you. I owe you a lot, man. And I plan to make it right."

But there is no sound from the cell. I lean back with a deep sigh. As I move, I hear the whirr of the camera as it follows me. I look up and stare right at it.

"So… I notice there is no toilet. Major design flaw if you ask me. Do… I like… allocate a corner or something? Can I get some privacy? Dude?" There is no response, just the red light stabbing out of the darkness like a little unblinking demonic eye. "Well, okay then, Mr. likes to watch. I hope your little soldier frat boys have a mop handy."

I stand, and walk over to the farthest corner from the glass. Squat down, and brace my back against the wall. I have to be quick. I have to get this right, no missing. Oh, wait, context… it's not what you think.

You see, whilst I was talking to Oz, I was working through the keys on the fob, one by one testing them on the handcuffs until I got a little bitty click.

And now, squatting over and talking at the camera as a distraction I snap the widest key off the ring.

I place the metal against my palm to spread the force, then against that I take the rest of the keys and bunch them between my fingers. The longest key is in the middle, braced by the others. Elbows locked in tight.

"Just breathe, Lexi. Focus." I say.

Coiled as tight as I can, I reach down deep into the well inside me. Beg every muscle to connect to whatever it is that is The Slayer. I try to think of nothing, just my breath. And when that doesn't work, I think of Oz's tortured face. And Buffy, cradling Willow in a pool of blood. And my father raising his fist to me… telling me how useless a son I was… and… I… I...

The movement travels through me in slow motion, rage turned into action. I feel the pool of energy ignite inside me and for a moment I am brilliant with it. I smash my body into the glass, focusing all my weight to the single point of the key.

The shock blast hits my heightened nerves a moment later, throwing me like a rag doll back against the wall. The pain is worse than I imagined, but not enough to stop me. I stand, so help me, and am rewarded by the sight of a small crack in the glass, a shimmering spiderweb the size of my hand.

The second strike isn't enough, but the third? The third summons a storm of glass raindrops to go with all the lightning. And the next thing I know I am standing in the corridor, triumphant and bloody from a thousand small cuts, a primal snarl on my lips.

An alarm sounds and the corridor is bathed in red light.

"Finally, I caught a break." I say to myself as I limp over to Oz's cell. But there are no controls, no switches, no key holes. "Or… not." Oz is staring at me in confusion, huddled in a corner. "Sit tight Oz, and be ready, I will find the controls."

"Listen, there is a lot of things trapped here. Horrible things, if you can't open specific cells, just get Willow and get out, okay?"

"Oz.. I…"

"Promise me."

I nod, sobered at the thought. He is right. I remember back when Giles said supernatural activity in sunnydale had been at an all time low, so low that Buffy had been able to concentrate on college. At the time, I considered it a win. But, of course, it had just been The initiative capturing subjects. And right now, I had a years worth of 'monster of the week'trapped in here with me. Even now I can hear the rising din of them crying out, as news of me breaking my cell must be spreading. If I wasn't already maxing out on terrified, this would have done the trick alright.

"I'll be back." I say, but not at all like Arnie. "I will, Oz, I promise."

I leave him and plunge on into the darkened corridors. I have no idea which direction to go, but I stagger on anyway. Sooner or later the Initiative soldiers will find me, and that's fine. Because I swear, I am going to take each and every one of them down.

This whole place has to pay.