A Grey Justice on the Horizon

by Shadow Master

(BtVS/Young Justice/DCAU/Marvel Comics) Ever dress up for Halloween intending to be one thing only to be seen as something else by those that saw you? The Scoobies certainly do because thanks to the chaos spawned by the spell of Ethan Rayne they will become people who are quite different from what they'd intended to be. A difference that will echo throughout the world.

3. Finding One's Way in the World

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the copyrighted material contained herein. They are the rightful property of their respective creators and associated companies. I make no money off of this whatsoever and have no intention of changing this in the future. I write because it's fun and because there are those who enjoy reading my work. Therefore it would be greatly appreciated if you refrained from taking legal action against me since anything you get from me would in no way cover even half your legal fees.

Sunnydale High School Library, The Next Day, Noon, Giles' POV

"GILES! Whip up a locator spell right now!" yelled Buffy as she stormed into the library with both Willow and Cordelia following behind.

"Buffy? Whatever is the matter?" he asked, startled at the force in his Slayer's words. "And please be mindful of those on the other side of the doors. I somehow doubt that 'spell' would go over well with your classmates."

"To hell with my 'classmates!" Buffy exclaimed before slamming what looked to be a letter down on the library table. "We have to find Xander before he gets too far away!"

"'Gets too far away'? What are you talking about?" he asked, unable to understand what his charge was saying.

All she did in response was pointing at the same envelope she'd rather violently put down onto the table, indicating that that was where he'd find his answers as well as the reason for her foul mood. Looking at the others, he waited to see if they perhaps would be a bit more vocal with what was going on but neither Willow nor Cordy spoke a single word. Therefore it was with a sigh that he picked up the envelope and first examined its exterior to see if it would give him his first clue. There was nothing all that special from what he could see; it was a normal envelope but it had Buffy's name on it with handwriting that matched Xander's, so he opened it up and took out the folded piece of paper and opened it up.

Just like the envelope itself it was meant for Buffy but as he read through it he realized what had the three young women so concerned.

Dear Buffy

By the time you read this I'll be outside of Sunnydale on a bus that I picked completely at random, going who knows where. I know you're confused about now but if you keep on reading I'll do my best to explain.

Last night something… happened that made me realize that I couldn't stay in Sunnydale any longer. I can't tell you everything but I can say that I badly hurt someone without even realizing what I'd done until afterwards. I tried to figure out what had happened and I could only come to one conclusion: my containment of Magneto weakens significantly when I'm seriously upset. After the beat down I gave someone last night, I could feel things changing in my mind and I am afraid of how they'll change who I am. Erik might have had his good points but, more than anything, he was a 'the ends justify the means' type of person who was driven to accomplish his goal no matter what it took. I might be willing to go far to help and protect you but I'd never be able to that far because you'd probably wind up looking at me like you do vamps.

The problem is that, with bits of Magneto trickling into my head every time I get into a pinch, I'm not sure if that'll always remain the case.

More than that I'm afraid of what might happen if it turns out I have a power sleeping inside of me just like Willow. I'll leave it to Willow to explain just what sort of powers Magneto had and to what degree they were but suffice it to say that if they ever popped out, I'd likely wind up seriously hurting you, the others and who knows how many other people in Sunnydale. The mutant powers pop out usually whenever someone emotionally freaks out and given the sort of things we usually do fighting the good fight, I'd be a ticking time bomb waiting to go off.

So to keep you and the others safe, I'm leaving Sunnydale for good.

Don't bother trying to track me down to drag me back because I won't, no matter what. Besides, you have your duties as the Slayer to worry about and Willow has classes she can't duck for very long, so it'd be more trouble that it was worth. Just accept the fact that, thanks to that bastard Ethan Rayne, change has come to our lives whether we want it or not. Maybe one day we'll see each other again.

I truly hope that we will.

Sincerely,

Xander 'no middle name' Harris

PS- Don't bother Giles with this as he'd probably just be all Brit about it and clean his glasses until they're fine powder

Ethan Rayne, you will think you have been transported back in time to the Spanish Inquisition before I'm through with you! he thought angrily as he realized that his former friend's spell had just claimed its first victim.

It had been something he had been watching for since he'd learned that there were some lingering elements inside his young charges from their costume personalities. After listening to each of them give brief summaries of who'd they'd been, he'd shuddered at the potential changes the remnants could have on the four young people. Willow had been the first to accept the new elements added to her person but, if he was being honest with himself, it wasn't that much of a surprise. It had long been his suspicion that the curious girl had a poor sense of self-worth and that it was this that compelled her to excel at school. It was likely the one thing she believed she could do something about since making changes to her appearance or her popularity with her fellow students would be less certain than increasing her intellect. Now the former redhead had an appearance that made her sought after by her peers and the memories she'd kept of Emma Frost had increased her self-confidence. However it was not all good since the confidence was beginning to stray close to arrogance and that was not a good thing to have, especially in concert with her potent telepathic powers. Since Halloween she'd employed this special ability a number of times and, while some were justifiable, others had been a clear invasion of privacy. When he'd spoken to her on the matter of the latter, she'd made the claim that the people had been broadcasting their thoughts so she couldn't help hearing them but he was beginning to wonder if that was indeed the case.

While Buffy and Cordelia had been through similar changes, they had been accepted reluctantly due to either necessity or simply an inability to hold back the memories and mannerisms of their fictional personalities. Buffy had become more efficient in her fighting style and had shown impressive skill in her use of modern firearms but she had also shown a tendency to either slip into foreign languages from time to time or at least speak with an accent. Cordelia now almost always spoke with an accent consistent with the southern United States and, unless he was mistaken, she seemed to unconsciously be keeping her distance from people in the physical sense. He very much doubted that it was something she was aware of in the slightest but that didn't change the fact that it was there from his point of view.

In Xander's case, however, the changes had been few and, for the most part, barely noticeable when compared to the others. He'd learned that the young man had been doing everything he could to suppress what he'd gained Halloween night and had been doing a decent enough job at it. However what he knew of this Magneto from the morning after Halloween, he knew that it was impossible for someone so young to be completely unaffected. He'd met people who had survived Hitler's death camps and he had met people who did not care how they accomplished their goals so long as it was achieved in the end. For a person that was composed of both qualities to be bouncing around Xander's head, there was no telling how difficult the past few weeks had been for the young man. He had thought that when the teenager began to show signs of getting the required amount of sleep at night and the nightmares apparently stopped that things had improved.

Tragically it appeared that he was mistaken and now his friends were asking for his aid to find the Harris boy and bring him back so that they could help him.

Thinking on the matter, his initial inclination was indeed to bring the boy home since running from one's problems never solved anything but, as he was about to act on that, he thought of something first.

"Willow, could you perhaps elaborate a bit more on precisely what Magneto's powers were?"

"The official term used in the universe where both Emma and Magneto came from is magnokinesis and it enables him to have near limitless control over all forms of magnetism, allowing him to manipulate virtually any metal. The guy was powerful enough to affect the planet's electromagnetic field and was skilled in using his ability to its fullest," Willow replied, sounding only slightly puzzled at his inquiry. "He could use his powers to create energy barriers, fly, manipulate things at a subatomic level and even fire off blasts of electricity."

"And is it true that a… mutant, I believe is the right term, manifests their powers during adolescence when under great emotional distress?" he asked, wanting to know if Xander's words were indeed accurate.

"Usually. There are some whose powers manifest on their own without any stress so there's no real way to know how or when they'll turn on." A glimmer of understanding appeared in her eyes, "But I can put psi-blocks into his mind to keep it from getting to that point!"

"While I will admit, Willow, that your proficiency with telepathy is impressive, considering how soon you acquired it I am still wary of you trying to make significant changes within a person's mind," he said, trying to convey his position as politely as possible. "I must concede that perhaps Xander made the correct decision in leaving."

"WHAT!?"

"Understand that I am just as saddened by his departure as the rest of you but the reasons he cited in his letter are valid ones. Sunnydale is hardly the most stress free environment and, if this Magneto's power is truly as devastating as you've said, I shudder to think what effect it might have on the Hellmouth were it to explosively manifest itself. I would also remind the three of you that Xander has never been anything but a completely loyal and steadfast friend to you all. I very much doubt that he would leave unless he believed he had no other choice in order to ensure your safety and wellbeing."

"But we could've helped him!" Willow exclaimed, clearly not willing to accept the line of reason he'd laid out. "Couldn't we have cast a spell or something to keep Magneto bottled up for him!?"

"That would be unwise and quite dangerous. Mind magic is one of the most dangerous forms of arcane spell casting in the world," he said firmly, showing his opposition to the use of magic on Xander's mind. "If elements of Magneto's mind have already begun to mingle then separating them from Xander's own mind would be akin to separating salt from sugar when both are in the same bowl."

"In other words, English, it'd be dang tough to do, right?" Cordelia asked with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Quite, and it would take a specialist in that field to even attempt it. If we attempted it and failed, we could very well end up driving Xander insane and I very much doubt that any of you want that." He hoped he was hammering home the potential ramifications of an amateur's attempt at mind magic.

Not one of the young ladies could counter that last statement but it was also clear that they still didn't like the fact that their best male friend had left without speaking with them first. He truly hoped that they would at the very least respect the young man's decision until the start of summer vacation since by then none of them would have any responsibilities that would be neglected by their absence. Also, by then, perhaps Xander will have come to realize that, while not quite as dangerous as the Hellmouth, the world still held plenty of places where the manifestation of his powers could be triggered.

I shall have to begin outlining a wilderness survival plan for him when he calls, he thought as part of his mind already began to bring together the pieces of the plan. If he wishes to prevent Magneto and his powers from harming others, the only option would be to live in the forest far away from civilization and I sincerely doubt the lad has two clues to rub together about how to do that.

Las Vegas, Nevada

Three Days Later, An Hour Before Sunset, Xander's POV

I'm going to need to find a new source of income before the month is out, he thought as he looked at the wad of bills that represented the sum total of his savings. This isn't going to last long even if I stay at roach motels while I'm here.

He'd gotten into town two days ago after hitching a ride with a trucker named Darville and, while he might have managed to get a reasonable place at a reasonable price for the next month, it'd still cost him quite a bit considering what he had to work with. He figured that he might be able to manage one more month if he had to but that'd leave him with less than a quarter of his present cash left. If it left him with half his money left he'd be okay with that since it'd let him get to his next stop and rent a place. At the moment his plan was to stay on the move and choose his destinations completely at random so as to make it more difficult for Willow or the others to find him. He truly wished that Buffy and the others would follow the instructions he'd left in the letters to them but he knew both of his girls well enough to know that the odds were good they'd try to find him despite his wishes. While he wouldn't be able to stop them from locating him magically, he knew that if he could just put enough distance between him and them it'd be too much of a bother for them to pursue him. Mrs. S would never let Buffy leave long enough to miss more than a day or two of classes and Willow was concerned enough about her academic record that being absent for an extended period of time.

He'd probably have to get all the way to the east coast if he wanted to really be out of their reach and that would require more money than he had.

When he'd originally made the decision to do a cross country, he'd begun saving as much money as he could from his weekly expenses so that when he graduated he'd be able to make it from one side of the country to another. Sadly he was about a year and a half shy of his monetary goals so he'd be lucky if he got to Missouri before he was penniless. That meant he needed to come up with a way to make money that wouldn't leave an electronic trail that his friends back in Sunnydale could follow. He knew his best bet was small businesses with only a small staff on hand but, at the same time, he didn't want to get a long term job or anything. He just needed something to fill up his wallet enough so that he could make it to the east coast with no problems. That meant jobs that'd last three weeks at most, meaning probably temporary positions for special events but only big companies did those, meaning he'd probably be asked for a background check. That would only throw up a smoke signal showing where he was so he had to think again and think better.

It was then that he came upon an idea that could very well solve his money problems without too much difficulty and it'd be the only good side effect of his Halloween inheritance. Aside from his powers and his combat abilities, Magneto was also a genius in several areas such as genetics, physics and possessed the knowledge needed to invent several revolutionary devices. If he sat down and delved into that knowledge, he could draw up some blueprints of those devices and then patent them so that he could rake in the money from that. He'd need to make sure that nothing he drew up could be turned into a weapon without some serious work on the other person's side of things but his gut was telling him that that wouldn't be hard.

There was just one problem with this idea: filing a patent on an invention would require giving those people personal details. Those details would then be entered into a computer and, while the old Willow might not have been smart enough to look for him in the patents office computer system, the current Willow just might give it a good look through. That meant if he wanted to elude her for a good while he needed to come up with an alias and have that information inserted into the country's system so that he could patent his designs that way. However coming up with false ID info wasn't exactly law abiding and he was fairly sure he'd need to have it done without anybody official being the wiser.

It'll also probably cost me a small fortune if I want it done right, he thought as he got off the bed he'd been sitting on. I'll also need to find someone who can do it and who knows where they can be found in this town.

Shaking his head, he chose to focus on the more important issue of money since, without it, he wouldn't be able to pay whomever he found to insert the false ID. Odds were that the phrase 'you get what you pay for' would apply with those sorts of people so he'd need significantly more than he had if he wanted a good job done. That meant either working his butt off at some job for the next month or going vamp hunting and making sure that he robbed them before he dusted them. Since the former was less sure then the latter, he started to think on what he'd need if he wanted to safely liberate some valuables from the undead. For one thing he'd need a way to keep himself from being beaten to death since, despite his experience fighting alongside Buffy, he still couldn't take a vamp on one-on-one without taking some significant damage.

So I'd probably need some sort of tranquilizer gun to paralyze them long enough to search them over for money and pawnable goods. He grabbed his money and his wallet, If not that then one of those tazers with the long wires that shoot out of the business end rather than one of the ones that need to be pressed up to the body to work.

He could probably get a tranq gun by itself easily but the drugs he'd need to load into the darts would probably be hard to come by legally. Fortunately he was certain that if he used Erik's know how he might be able to distill what he needed from perfectly legal sources, but if he turned out to be wrong he'd probably have to go the tazer route. Luckily he was in a state where you didn't need a license in order to get or use one, so purchasing one wouldn't be too difficult though the device might need a few modifications to be effective against vamps. The bloodsuckers were corpses so he wasn't sure how long the effects of a tazer would last with them and he needed it to last long enough to grab anything valuable before he staked them. That was why he wanted something a little more reliable like a tranq gun since it'd likely last longer but if a stun gun was all he could get then he'd have to make due.

It's a good thing that I thought to bring a first aid kit with me. I have a feeling I'll be needing it soon.

As he got into the elevator he realized that he'd just jinxed himself.

Damn.

Dark Parking Lot, The Next Night

Well this has turned out to be more boring than I thought it'd be, he thought as he continued to watch the almost empty parking lot from his hiding place. Still, it's a prime place for vamps to grab the unwary. It's near enough to a major foot traffic area that the odds of a handful of people wandering this way are good. It's lit badly enough that there are plenty of shadows to hide in and there's a dumpster nearby to toss the corpse in once they're done. It's just a matter of waiting.

Letting out a sigh, he thought back on what he'd managed to put together with regards to the 'inventions' he'd patent once he got his false ID put into place. So far he'd settled on holographic interfaces and the beginnings of solid holograms that had been used often enough in the X-Men's Danger Room. He was considering various other things Magneto had invented in the area of genetics but the memories of those were hazy and would require considerably more time spent in meditation to clear up.

It was something he'd realized he would have to do if he wanted to move on with his life.

It had been a day after he'd left Sunnydale when he'd been talking to the trucker he'd hitched a ride with and, without even realizing it, started talking in German. He'd been lucky in that the man actually knew how to speak German as well but it highlighted a problem that would only get worse the longer he ignored it. With the box keeping Erik Lensherr's essence separate from his own pretty much in shambles, everything he'd inherited on Halloween night, mentally, at least, was mixing in with the rest of him. It was like someone had dumped chocolate milk mix into his cup of ordinary milk and was stirring it all up. He couldn't fight it since it'd require that he stay on top of things 24/7 in order to keep anything from slipping through. That meant that unless he wanted more slip ups, he'd need to work to incorporate the additional information into his mind bit by bit until he could manage it just like all the stuff that was naturally his.

That meant hours of meditation each day, working from Erik's oldest memories and going forward day by day, year by year, until the latest memory fell into its proper place.

Considering that the guy had easily sixty years or more worth of memories that had been transferred to him, it was going to take a while before he'd be done. Not sixty years, of course, but maybe a little over six months and that was assuming that he didn't get distracted by anything and kept a steady meditation schedule. After that he'd start planning the rest of his life out once he was sure the gang back home had given up on looking for him. He really hadn't thought all that far ahead as far as what he'd be doing after Sunnydale. All he'd been concerned about was getting away from his friends in order to keep them safe from the ghost that was emerging from within him. It'd be bad enough with only the memories, skills and personality traits of Magneto but if somehow he'd also inherited the x-gene that'd give him the Master of Magnetism's powers, it'd be apocalyptically bad. The guy was a high level mutant that was either an Alpha or Omega level and, considering what he'd seen with Willow, it was quite likely that if his powers activated he'd be just as powerful. Seeing as how most newly manifested mutants had next to no control over their abilities, it was a safe bet that people would get hurt if they were around him when it happened.

When it happened…

After a long time thinking about it, he was pretty certain that if he did indeed have the x-gene in him now like Willow, then it was indeed a case of 'when' rather than 'if'. He'd do all he could to avoid situations where it might happen but he wasn't going to lie to himself by thinking he could stop it from happening. No one can predict the future and, despite his best efforts, his heart had more say over his actions than his mind did. If someone was in trouble, he'd help them without question because it wasn't in him to simply walk away when there was something he could do to help. Situations like that were stressful enough as he'd learned fighting alongside Buffy back on the Hellmouth. Then there was the fact that he tended to stumble into more trouble by accident than most people did on purpose.

It was only a matter of time before some situation caused his metaphorical cork to pop, resulting in a new Magneto being born into this world.

He'd considered the rational course of action, to buy a ton of camping equipment and fine someplace remote to live, but he'd decided that such a course of action wouldn't work. For one thing he didn't know the first thing about camping out in the wilderness and he didn't like the odds that he'd be able to read a book about it and get it right the first time out, or the second time, or all the way up to tenth time. Besides, despite the fact that he had a grand total of five friends back in Sunnydale, he still considered himself a people person who liked being around people even if they didn't like him. To go from a busy school to making conversation with Burt the Beaver wasn't something he could do and still remain sane.

That meant the best he could do would be to do his damn best to stay out of stressful situations and, for the ones he couldn't avoid, at least try to make sure they all happened in areas of towns or cities where there were few, if any, civilians nearby. Sure, there'd be property damage but any company, business or owner worth anything would know to make sure everything of value that they own is insured.

Hearing the sounds of approaching, he quickly pulled down the infrared goggles he'd bought from an army surplus store, along with the tranq gun. He'd lucked out that the owner of the place was willing to sell him the controlled drugs that went into the darts without any sort of paperwork or check so long as he was willing to pay three times the asking price for them. It'd been costly but now he had twelve darts filled with enough knockout juice to put a rhino to sleep and that'd be more than enough to send some vamps to lala land. With measured breaths he waited for the owners of the footsteps came into sight and he looked for the confirmation of his prey that he needed. One fact that was universal about vamps was that they were walking corpses and that meant that their bodies were all at room temperature. As he saw a trio of forms enter the parking lot he grinned as he saw that all three were at room temperature, meaning he'd lucked out with a triple payday his first night out. Bringing the tranq gun up, he mentally considered the order he'd have to take them out in since his weapon only had one shot to give before he'd have to reload.

Better start with the biggest of the bunch first and then work my way down, he thought as he took aim at the tallest of the trio. With a little luck I can at least take down two of them before the third figures out where I'm shooting from.

Taking careful aim in order to make sure he hit the guy right in the neck, he took a deep breath and, as he exhaled, he squeezed the trigger letting loose the dart. Lady Luck proved she still favored him when his shot hit its mark with uncanny accuracy and he watched as the vamp reached to something pointy piercing his skin. The corpse was halfway to reaching before losing consciousness but he was only peripherally aware of that. He was already in the process of loading the second dart at the time and, when it was ready, he took aim at the neck of the second largest of the vamps before going two for two. It was as he was in the middle of loading the third shot that the last vampire somehow managed to sniff out his location and, as he'd expected, it charged him. Getting out from behind the two dumpsters he'd been hiding behind, he continued to load the dart but he didn't fire it right away. Even if the drug worked on vamps, it wouldn't do him any good if he missed and, with the bloodsucker's demonic speed, his aim wouldn't be able to keep up.

Have to wait until the last possible moment… he thought as he watched the vamp put his game face on at the ten foot mark.

Just as the vamp reached out with both hands to grab him, he brought up his tranq gun and pressed the barrel under the corpse's jaw, pulling the trigger. The pain from the needle disrupted the bloodsucker's efforts at capturing him and allowed him to sidestep the corpse's advance. The drug did its job seconds later, leaving him riding something of an adrenaline buzz but otherwise unharmed. Taking a quick look about the area to see if any other overbites were about, he moved over to the vamp he'd just taken down and began to search him top to bottom. He emptied the demon's wallet of any cash and grabbed whatever pawnable items he could find before plunging a stake into the demon's heart. As the scream of the demonic spirit faded, he quickly ran over to the other two in order to repeat his pilfering pattern before ending their evil existence's as well. Deciding to move on to 'likely vamp hunting ground number two', he quickly vacated the parking lot, cutting through alleys where he could, before sliding into the normal flow of foot traffic but not before stashing his gear and his gains into his backpack.

Best to hit only three more spots then call it a night, he thought as he walked while keeping tabs on his environment. Don't want to put the vamps in Vegas on the alert that there might be a hunter in town.

That was an important thing because, if the bloodsuckers clued in that someone was hunting them, they might sniff him out before he could put them down and then he'd be in quite the pickle. As it was he might have to consider a backup weapon just in case the other vamps were smarter than the last one he tranq'd. He'd wait a bit, keep liberating the loot, before taking a few weeks break in order to lull the walking corpses into a false sense of safety and security. Then he'd start back up again and hopefully after three or four months of robbing the undead he'd have enough money to pay certain scumbags to create his false ID and get it into the federal system. Once that was done he could patent the ten inventions he'd put on his 'to do' list and then just let the money flow in from there. He didn't need a lot of it, just enough that he'd be able to live the average American lifestyle without too much difficulty.

Give me a roof over my head, a fridge full of food and a cupboard full of Twinkies and I'm a happy camper, he thought with a smile as he daydreamed of his future.

Tripping and falling on his face a moment later reminded him that daydreaming and walking was hazardous to a person's health.

Two and a Half Months Later, A Parking Garage, Late at Night

I hope this guy is as good as that rat Bobby said he was. He looked about the third level of the empty parking garage for the fourth time, Otherwise I'm SO going to kick his ass for making me stand here all night!

It had taken him up until a week ago to gather enough funds to make him confident that he would be able to match whatever price Bobby's mystery man set. He'd lucked out his last night on the prowl by bagging a vamp that had more gold on him than a 70's pimp and was he surprised when he arrived at the pawn shop to find out it was ALL real. He was half expecting to be told that more than half the stuff was cheap, imitation stuff and it'd taken all his willpower not to lose it when the owner of the place quoted him how much he'd pay for the whole lot. Now he had a small pouch full of hundred dollar bill wads that came to a grand total of twenty-five thousand dollars, so he figured that it'd be enough not just for wallet stuffers and paperwork but also some quality hacking into federal databases.

Assuming that this wasn't all some scam to get his money.

If it is a scam, Bobby and I are going to have a little 'chat' and I can promise it isn't going to end well.

"You the guy who wants to slip into a new ID?" asked a female voice from behind him.

Managing to keep himself from jumping at the surprise just barely, he turned to see a thirty-something woman with curly brunette hair wearing an informal women's business suit. She had a smoking cigarette in one hand and a briefcase in the other and definitely didn't look anything like he'd been expecting. When he'd left his room for the meeting, he'd been expecting some slightly disheveled guy who kept to the shadows or some punk rocker girl with way too many piercings. Apparently he'd watched too many movies but, as he saw an impatient look on her face appear, he realized he hadn't answered her question.

"Yes. How much would it cost to get this done?" he asked, deciding to go with the most important question first.

"How much are you willing to spend?" the woman asked without changing her expression on bit.

"I can go as high as twenty-five thousand dollars," he replied, figuring that since he sucked at haggling it'd be best to be honest up front. "If you need more, I'll need more time to get more money."

"Well, that much money will get you most of what I can do but, if I'm going to make this new ID of yours airtight, I'm going to need at least ten grand more," the lady explained before a slightly inquisitive look came over her face. "If you don't mind me asking, why exactly do you want a new ID? You look a little young to be needing one."

"All I can tell you is that I don't want to be found by certain people and one of them is a pretty decent hacker. I do anything that leaves a digital paper trail and she'll find it. The problem is that some of the things I plan on doing in the future will require precisely that so I need a false ID to use instead of my real one. Speaking of which, would it be possible to make this my new ID?"

Taking out twenty pages of paper from his jacket, he handed her what he'd spent most of the day putting together. Magneto wasn't a stranger to the task of creating a new identity for himself when he wanted to dodge the authorities so it was easy for him to take all the questions Erik had been asked by Georg Odekirk and people like him and come up with answers that fit what he was looking for. He had a back history that couldn't be confirmed by speaking to anyone on account of the fact that his 'hometown' had been destroyed with virtually everyone killed in the process. The town was small enough that all the paperwork had been located in the town's city hall, which of course had been burned to the ground, so that took care of the paper trail. As for the rest, he just gave his own stats and a photo of himself in various sizes for things like a fake driver's license and government files.

Watching as the woman went through the papers, she gave nothing away in terms of a reaction and it was only when she finished the last page that she returned her gaze to him. "This is quite thorough. Are you sure you haven't done this before?" she asked him with some suspicion.

"Nope, just read a bunch of spy books and watched a few movies," he replied as honestly as he could. "Plus I figured it be best to give you more than you need instead of less than you required."

"Not a completely bad idea but you should be a little more careful about what you give," the woman said as she opened up her briefcase and dropped the papers he'd given her inside. "Still, it shouldn't be too difficult to utilize the information you've provided. True, giving you an already existing identity that's in the system is easier but for the payment offered we'll do it your way. In the meantime, this is for you."

With those words she took a cell phone out of her briefcase before closing it and handing it to him. It definitely didn't look like one of the pricier models available but he figured it was good enough to do its job.

"We'll call you on it once we've finished crafting your identity and inputting it into the necessary databases," the woman said before obviously reaching for the bag with the money. "Now if you'll turn over the payment."

Does she really think I'm that stupid? he thought before putting the bag behind his back. "Payment will be provided AFTER I've inspected the goods. Not before."

"Smart. Better than some of the fools who have come to me for help," the woman said with a mild look of respect. "Have a good night, Mr. Harris."

This knocked him for a loop since, unless he'd just experienced a few seconds of amnesia, he'd never once told the woman what his last name was.

"Just because you don't know who I am, Alexander, doesn't mean I haven't learned everything I need to know about you," the woman said as she walked off into the shadows of the parking garage, thus vanishing from his sight.

Well, at least this proves that she can access the necessary know how to do what I want, he thought with a shake of his head before he turned to head back to his rented room.

Nevertheless, he made a mental note to be prepared for blackmail when he saw the lady next and have some 'incentive' of his own on hand.

One Week Later, Xander's Rented Room

Well, it's official: Lex Lensherr is now an official citizen of the United States of America. He looked down at the driver's license that had been a part of the document package he'd been handed, Guess I better finish up the plans I have and file them with the nearest patent office.

Grabbing the thickest and largest pad of paper he'd been able to find for sale in the local stores, he began leafing through the various devices he'd chosen for patenting. As far as he could tell there was nothing quite like them on the market today and, unless someone added on a ton of extra hardware after they bought it, none of the devices could be used as weapons. Once they were done and under his new alias, it'd be only a matter of weeks before he likely received his first offer and that would either be to buy the patent outright or pay him a set amount of money in order to use his design. At the moment he was leaning to them paying him to use his design rather than settle for a one-time payment for the whole thing. He'd also have to turn down any offers to work for a company since the only reason he was putting forth these designs in the first place was to get a steady flow of cash going into his alias' bank account. He wasn't looking to make a fortune so he could live a life of luxury. As long as he had enough money to get a decent apartment, to keep the fridge full of food and enough tech toys to keep himself entertained, that'd be enough.

At least until he figured out where he wanted to go with his life.

After Halloween, all he'd been concerned with was helping Buffy while keeping Magneto boxed away in his mind never to mingle with the natural parts of his mind. After he'd found out that no spell could undo the damage that the chaos magic had done, he'd focused on finding new ways to keep Erik's essence away from his mind while also worrying that his powers might pop on. When he'd left Sunnydale, his mission had been to evade all attempts at tracking him while making plans for supporting himself. Now that he had a means of bringing in the money, he suddenly found himself at a loss for what to do next. Sure, it was all well and good to say that he'd spend another few months wandering aimlessly across America until he was confident that the gang back home had given up looking for him but what about AFTER that? What did he want to do with his life then?

It was not an easy question to answer no matter how you looked at it.

As much as he'd like to just get a job and live his life like any other Joe America, he knew that the presence of the x-gene inside of him made that an impossible goal. Major cities were off the table since those places attracted super villains like moths to a flame and just by themselves were high pressure environments. A smaller town would probably be best with things spread out over a large area so that, if his powers did switch on, the damage would be limited.

Man do I HATE the fact that my choices are so damn limited! he thought angrily as he went to work on the first of the designs. And it's all because of that bastard Ethan Rayne!

Before he could get too worked up about the asshole, he took a couple of deep breaths and tried to let the bad feelings flow out of him like air from a balloon. As much as he might have liked to indulge in a nice rant at the moment, he couldn't let his emotions get too revved up and he just knew that if he really went all out expressing what he thought about the Brit, things would not end well. He didn't know just how worked up he'd have to get in order to trigger the manifestation of his mutant powers or if they'd switch on one day regardless of what he did but until he had facts, he'd play it safe.

Not much of a life, being constantly afraid of your inner power coming out to play when you least expect it to.

Still, he wasn't so down in the dumps that he'd even consider something crazy like suicide and he honestly couldn't see himself doing so in the future either. Whether it was because he didn't like taking the cowards way out of his predicament or that Magneto detested the idea of surrendering to his problems, he didn't know. He would just have to take each day as it came and when he found a patch of the USA he liked he'd settle down and do what he could to keep himself busy. Would he make new friends? Probably, a few would be needed otherwise he'd go nuts and start carving up anyone who trespassed on his property like some psycho from a slasher movie. However romance would likely be out of the question since having a girlfriend would have its moments of stress both of the good and of the bad. He'd have to be seriously emotionally repressed to even try it and he doubted that any woman worth dating would be attracted to a guy with about as much emotion as Mr. Spock. He'd have to keep any relationships he had purely platonic and friendship centered. If anyone tried for something more he'd, with deep regret, have to step back or maybe even break it off entirely. They'd think he was a class A jerk but better that then let them get caught at ground zero of an electromagnetic detonation that could be up to a mile wide.

Still, at least I'll get to see America like I wanted, he thought with a slightly forced grin. I just won't be able to enjoy it as much as I'd like.

Finishing the last few lines on the first of his soon to be patented devices, he flipped the page to the next one in line so he could put in the last few bits of info it needed. Sighing at the boredom of it all, he'd be glad when it was all over with and he could do something that was a helluva lot more fun and a lot less snore worthy.

While he might have inherited much of Erik Lensherr's scientific know how, that didn't mean he liked science any more than he did before Halloween.

Outside in a Car Parked Across the Street

Very interesting, she thought as she watched the young man she'd constructed an identity for continue to draw some impressive schematics. Looks like I made the right move going over the twenty-five thousand dollar cap.

Indeed, when she had put her people to work, she had planned on sticking to the agreed upon amount but, on a whim, she'd pulled up all of the information she'd dug up on him prior to their meeting. It was standard practice for her when she was meeting a first time customer and it often saved her the unpleasantness of encountering government agents trying to shut her down. She'd gone over the information one more time as she waited for the first batch of confirmations to come in and wondered yet again why Alexander Harris needed a new identity. There was no criminal record that she could find and she'd been able to tell the second she laid eyes on him that he didn't have any real training, so that ruled out child soldier or assassin. Unless he got some rich man's little girl pregnant, she really couldn't think of anyone Harris would need to hide from to the degree that a new identity would be required. The only thing that stood out in his background was his hometown and, while she'd never visited the town herself, she'd heard it mentioned by every colleague that did business in California.

Their opinion of the little town was the same: stay away unless you have to go there and if you do, make sure to stock up on incendiary rounds and twelve gauge magnum shells for her shotgun.

It had been this that had been prompted her to go beyond what she'd normally do for twenty-five thousand dollars and even call in one of her smaller favors. The teenager now had a new identity that only an experienced federal agent would be suspicious of and that would only happen if the agent specifically looked for something out of place. Hopefully Alexander wouldn't do anything to draw that sort of attention to himself or else all of her hard work would go right down the drain.

I will have to keep an eye out for these devices when they get onto the market, she thought as she shut down the monitor built into the seat ahead of her. They look as though they'd be quite useful.

"Does something interest you, Lady Adeline?" her driver asked, turning his head slightly to look at her over his shoulder.

"Perhaps, Jackson," she replied before she shelved such thoughts for the time being. "To the airport if you would, old friend. We have an appointment in Metropolis in two days and we need to get ready."

"Right away, ma'am," Jackson said, starting the car and pulling into traffic.

Blue Valley, Nebraska

Restaurant, Early Afternoon, Three Weeks Later

Damn this is good apple pie, he thought as she swallowed another bite of the slice in front of him. Only Joyce's tops it and that's saying something.

Thinking about the head of the Summers household, he took a moment to wonder what she was doing at the moment. It was the first week of March, so Buffy was probably just getting back into the school groove after spring break and, since it was the start of the buildup to the end of the school year, some Big Bad was probably getting something special ready for her.

Not that he was worried or anything because, with Willow and Giles helping her out, she'd have no problems at all, especially with all the firepower she'd 'acquired' through means mysterious and probably illegal. Plus, if Cordy's powers ever clicked on, then they'd have an ace up their sleeve that should let them go head to head with any powerhouses they might face. After all, if he recalled correctly, Cordelia had been wearing a costume consistent with the time when Rogue was in possession of Ms. Marvel's powers and that meant near invulnerability, super strength and flight powers. Sure, there was a down side given that Rogue, at that point in her life, had no control over her life force absorbing powers, but he considered that karmic payback for her years of cruel bullying. The memories she got from Halloween would clue her in to wear clothes that covered as much of her body as possible and, according to what felt like the most recent memories of Magneto, she'd eventually get her powers under control.

Eventually.

Despite his reassuring thoughts, though, his heart couldn't help but want to be back with his friends doing what they used to pre-Halloween. For all the troubles he had, for all the moments that pissed him off, they were some of the best moments of his life if only because they made him believe he could live a life better than Tony Harris. Before Buffy came to town, his future seemed to be a doomed copy of his father's or, at best, a nobody who'd have to live a life that was just barely bearable. Afterwards, when he made his choice to take a stand against the darkness, he suddenly found himself in a position to make a difference in a way that was similar to the Justice League. Sure, he didn't have powers and wasn't some kick ass crime fighter like Batman or Green Arrow but he still made a difference and that meant more to him than anything else.

At least he used to but, with the threat of unleashing a second Magneto a very real possibility, he had a feeling he'd either have to give up demon hunting or figure out a way to do it at a distance. Fighting was stressful by itself and, the greater the chance of bodily harm, the higher the stress level went up. Maybe when he got some money in Lex Lensherr's account, he should think about modifying some modern firearms so that they'd work on demons and vampires. Incendiary rounds might work fine on vamps and most demons stayed down if you blew big enough chunks out of them regardless of how good their healing factor might be. There were demons, however, that required specific materials or metals in order to put them down for good and some of those weren't exactly easy to come by, even if you had the money to pay for them.

Maybe once I finish integrating Erik's memories, I can find some techno way around those rare items, he thought as he finished his slice of apple pie. Maybe some sort of precision disintegrator beam rifle or something. Unless the demon has some sort of protective field around its body, it'll definitely be dead.

Heading up to the cash register, he had to look appreciatively at the blonde teenage girl behind the register since, even with the restaurant uniform on, she still looked good. She appeared to be just a little younger than him and, unless he missed his guess, she was still stuck with braces on her teeth but that did little in his opinion to hinder her in the looks department. If it wasn't for the fact that he planned on heading further east, he might just consider settling down in this town but his need to evade his friends back home as well as avoid potentially stressful situations meant he'd have to move on soon.

"That'll be $7.55, sir," she said after she rang up his bill on the register.

Taking out his wallet, he was about to pull out a ten dollar bill and then smoothly, for his own amusement, compliment her on her looks but the sound of the front door to the place being kicked in stopped him.

"FREEZE! This is a robbery!" bellowed a guy wearing your stereotypical robber's mask over his head. "Everyone on the ground or in their seats NOW!"

For a moment he considered his options for taking the guy down, gun or no gun, but three more of his friends came in just as armed and it became obvious that he'd have to think on how to handle this a bit more. Then again, he could just get down on the floor and let these guys rob the place since he didn't have much money in his wallet and nothing they could take to the local pawn shop to sell, so he wouldn't really lose anything important. With any luck they'll be out the door by the time the cops arrive or maybe some superhero would be passing by and swoop in to save the day. It'd been one of the things he'd actually been hoping that he'd get to experience as he travelled across the country but so far it hadn't happened. Knowing him, though, this whole situation would probably turn into a hostage situation and one of those assholes would probably pick HIM or the nice girl at the register as his human shield.

Whatever, he thought as he got down on the floor and assumed the position he'd seen most hostages take on TV during bank robberies. These guys must be amateurs if they're robbing a restaurant. Most of these places only have a couple of thousand on the premises and even if they rob the customers that might at best get them up to ten or fifteen thousand. Not worth the hard time they'll be serving when they're caught.

"Empty the cash register into this bag, princess, and make it snappy!" the first thief said, shoving a black bag into the blonde girl's hands. "And keep your hands away from any buttons or the cops'll get here and find your brains splattered all over the wall!"

Don't do anything stupid! he thought as he watched the teenage girl open up the register and begin filling the bag with money. Just give him the money quick so he and his pals can bail!

"Alright, we got the cash from the registers!" spoke the man before the blonde as he turned around. "Now all of you listen! My pals are going to come around and one by one I want you to drop your wallet and any valuables you might have into their bags. Any funny stuff and we'll take'em from your cold, dead bodies!"

Great! If they ask for the whole wallet I'll lose a lot more than just my cash, he thought as his luck ran true. I might have most of my ID papers back at his motel room but losing the cards will be a serious pain in the ass to replace, especially if replacing them causes someone to look closer at 'Lex Lensherr'.

Fortunately for him their status as amateurs provided him with an opening when all of them turned to look at the left side of the restaurant, leaving the right side, where he was located, unmonitored. Slowly, yet with purpose, he placed his wallet on the floor and opened it up before using his memory to remove all the important cards before placing them in his back pocket. Once he was satisfied that all that was left in the wallet were things that he could get replaced within two days, he closed his wallet back up and breathed a sigh of relief that it fell shut just as the robbers directed their gaze back in his direction. With luck they wouldn't suspect a thing and he'd get out of this situation with minimal losses, trouble and stress.

That, of course, ceased to be an issue when four police squad cars came to a screeching halt outside of the restaurant, the cops training their guns on the entrance.

"This is the Blue Valley police! The restaurant is completely surrounded!" came the voice of a man who presumably was one of the officers outside. "Throw down your weapons and come out with your hands in the air!"

Of course instead of obeying the nice policemen, the crooks grab the civilian nearest them and immediately place said innocent people between themselves and the cops. Sadly the creep who'd ordered the blonde to empty the cash register grabbed the girl using one arm to hold her in position while the other put the barrel of his gun to her head.

"Not gonna happen, pigs!" the crook closest to him yelled in crystal clear defiance. "You take one step towards us and people in here start dying starting with this lovely thing!"

Typical bad guy tactics, he thought, fighting the urge to roll his eyes a bit. When plans go south, grab the nearest human shield and start making the death threats. Can't they come up with something original?

He knew he should have been taking the situation a little more seriously considering all it'd take would be one bullet to send him to the great hereafter but, after vamps and demons, normal human crooks just weren't that intimidating anymore. Still, with the robbery turning into a hostage situation, it meant he'd likely be stuck here awhile unless some superhero arrived to take the goons out quickly.

Just as he thought that a red and gold blur suddenly streaked past his eyes before each of the crooks let out exclamations of surprise as they suddenly found themselves without their guns. The source of the change made itself known a second later when a familiar form appeared next to the now open front entrance tossing all four guns over his shoulder.

"You know, you really shouldn't be pointing those things at people's heads," Kid Flash said, as confident as some reporters claimed he was. "You could hurt someone."

In a way the speedster kind of reminded him Buffy when she was slinging the quips with the vamps and demons back home. The guy obviously believed that no matter what the crooks did, he'd be more than fast enough to stop them before anything bad happened. Considering that the teenager could move so fast no one could see him, that probably wasn't too far from the truth.

Looking back at the crooks, he hoped the quartet would see that their little robbery was over and just give themselves up to the police but, judging from the look in the eyes of the nearest one, there was still some defiance to be had. With an almost savage desperation he wrapped the fingers of his right hand around the register girl's throat and briefly squeezed it in order to provoke the poor teenager into crying out.

"Pop quiz, hotshot! My hand is in prime condition snap her neck like a twig. It'll take about… oh, a half second to do it. Can you cross the distance between us and save her in that amount of time?" the desperate crook said with smile. "CAN YOU?!"

The time for being a spectator is OVER! he thought as he refused to let the asshole have a chance to make good on his threat.

Getting onto his side he pushed off a nearby table and, with his right, struck the back of the crook's knees as hard as he could. As he'd hoped this unanticipated attack caught the crook completely off guard and sent both him and his hostage tumbling to the ground. Getting to his feet as quickly as he could, he was about to dive for the asshole's right arm so he could free the young lady but Kid Flash beat him to it. In the time it took him to get to his feet, the sidekick of Central City's protector successfully managed to free her and mirrored the process with every other hostage before the crook's pals could follow their leader's example. Then came the very brief battle in which the would-be robbers got themselves KOed in record time with very little damage done to the restaurant or the people inside of it.

"Well, it looks like that's all she wrote folks!" Kid Flash said with a showy bow. "Be sure to tip your waitress and have a nice day!"

With that one of the fastest people on the planet vanished only to be replaced a couple of minutes later by police officers, who quickly slapped the handcuffs on the crooks. He knew what would likely happen next: statements, paperwork and a whole lot of talking. He just hoped that his name and statement got lost in the pile to be forgotten by all but those with photographic memories or no life to speak of.

"Hey. Um… I just wanted to say… thank you for saving me," the blonde cashier girl that had been held hostage moment ago with the threat of a broken neck hanging over her head said "If you hadn't kicked the guy…"

"Hey, all I did was provide a distraction so Kid Flash could zoom in an take the creep out," he said, not believing he did anything special. "Still, you're welcome…Courtney."

With that the police took control of things and began splitting everyone up before starting down the usual list of questions.

Fun times!

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

July 13th, 1998

A Local Mall, Mid-Afternoon

Well, it's official! he thought as he slid the piece of paper telling him his current bank account balance into his wallet. I am now officially very well off money-wise.

It had been a couple of months since he'd filed the patents on his designs and now it had all paid off. Communicating with potential buyers and business types by email and, within the last three weeks, by a cell phone he'd purchased, he'd managed to put six digits worth of money into his bank account with more on the way. At this point he very much doubted that he'd have to work for a good couple of years and that'd only be if people stopped using his designs. He had a few ideas for other devices he'd be willing to patent and put on the market but, for the time being, he'd just ride the current flow of money he had and wait on the rest.

Looking about, he tried to think if there was anything else he had to do besides what he'd already done. He'd gotten a few more changes of clothes, professional tools for drawing up blueprints, paid off his cell phone bill and already had a late lunch so there really wasn't anything left for him to do in the mall. He still didn't really feel like he'd found a place to lay down roots in, even though he was fairly sure that he'd managed to throw his friends off his trail at last. The places he'd been to since he'd left Sunnydale hadn't been all bad and there'd been quite a few that he'd really enjoyed visiting, but none really felt like Sunnydale to him. There was no feeling of comfort when he walked down the street or any place that really made him feel content regardless of how many days he stayed. He was planning on giving Philly another week or so but, if his feelings didn't change, he'd move on to someplace else.

Walking past a display of TVs all showing the same news channel he casually glanced at it wondering if they were talking about the Justice League but what he saw instead caused him to stop in his tracks completely.

"Once again our top story today is the confirmed death of known international assassin for hire William Cobb, also known as The Talon. He was found early this morning after an anonymous call to 911 dispatchers reported seeing explosions coming from a high rise construction site," the lady reporter said as she occasionally glanced at the papers in her hands. "Coast City police arrived at the location twenty minutes later but by then the confrontation involving The Talon and his murderer was over. No official statement has been issued regarding the incident but sources inside the police department and City Hall claim there is strong evidence to indicate that a woman known only as the Red Widow was responsible for William Cobb's death.

"This is the fourth killing of a known assassin in the last three months and yet neither the local police nor the FBI who took control of the investigation after the death of the third assassin are any closer to apprehending this mystery woman." A sketch appeared in the upper right hand corner of the screen, "Utilizing the statements from what few people were fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of the woman, federal agents issued this sketch of the Red Widow and ask that anyone with information on this person contact their local police immediately."

The sketch showed someone in a form fitting bodysuit, normal looking boots, gloves that went halfway to the elbow and some sort of mask that covered everything except the area from the bottom of the nose to the tip of the chin. What probably got the name Red Widow slapped on was the fact that the entire outfit was dark red and there was something that looked like a widow's veil hanging over her face. The picture wasn't clear enough for him to make out anything else himself but, considering the similarities between it and a redhead from Magneto's memories, it didn't take him long to come to the logical conclusion.

It was Buffy.

That didn't make any sense to him since he remembered the Slayer telling him over and over again how she refused to kill a human or even harm them all that much. As far as his friend was concerned, humans were off limits unless they made with the mojo or were conspiring with demons and even then that only meant using minimal force on them. Add that to the fact that she was the Slayer and had responsibilities on the Hellmouth and he couldn't fathom why she'd suddenly start hunting assassins.

"While authorities have chosen to view the Red Widow as a criminal, there are people both in America as well as elsewhere who applaud her actions. Many of these people have lost friends and loved ones to the assassins she has killed and consider their deaths to be true justice," the lady reported said as the sketch was removed from the television screen. "With the deaths of Floyd Lawton, aka Deadshot, Arthur King, aka Merlyn, the assassin known as Hook and now William Cobb, aka The Talon, many feel the same but one has to wonder if the woman known as Red Widow is a hero or an assassin taking out the competition. Only time will tell."

Time was one thing he wasn't willing to lose waiting for the newshounds to get to the truth.

Racing to the nearest payphone, he quickly plunked into it as many quarters as he thought would be necessary before dialing up Giles' phone number. Maybe the Watcher could tell him why Buffy was going after humans now and what was being done to put a stop to it. He wouldn't shed any tears for the assassins since they got what they deserved but Buffy wasn't even out of her teens yet and combine that with killing four people he really didn't want to think about the frame of mind that probably put her in.

"Hello?" asked a voice he didn't recognize.

"Um… sorry, I was trying to reach a Rupert Giles. Must've dialed the wrong number," he said, a bit confused at why he'd gotten someone else when he was sure that he'd dialed the right number.

"Actually, dearie, you do have the right phone number. This apartment did belong to a Mr. Giles but when it became vacant I decided to take it. Such a nice location," said the woman that his mind kept slapping a grandmother label on.

"Vacant? When did it become vacant?" he asked, only getting more confused since he couldn't figure out why Giles would move to a new apartment when the old one was fine.

"Oh, about five or six weeks ago, I think. At least that's when I saw the vacancy sign for the first time," Grandma replied, never once losing her sweet tone.

"I don't suppose you happen to know where Rupert Giles went, do you?" he asked, hoping that the gossip lady that lived across from the G-man had been blabbing like usual.

"Oh, yes! It was such a tragedy. Some delinquents snuck into the high school library and stabbed the poor man to death," Grandma replied, sounding genuinely sorry about what had happened. "Oh…OH you must have been a friend of his. I am so sorry for your loss."

He wasn't really listening to her at that point; his mind stuck on 'stabbed' as well as 'to death', but as soon as his brain re-engaged he hung up and dialed Buffy's house. Mrs. S might not be able to tell him the whole story but she might at least give him more info to work with than he already had.

"We're sorry but your call cannot be completed as dialed. This phone number is currently disconnected."

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!? he thought before dialing Willow's house, hoping that she was home and not someplace getting her Frost on.

No answer. Plenty of ringing to show that the number is still active but no one was there or if they were there they just weren't interested in answering.

Argh! I'll see if I can get through to Cordy. Hopefully without speaking with Mr. or Mrs. Chase, he thought before dialing Queen C's number.

"Hello, Chase residence." Came the prim and proper tones of Cordy's butler.

"Hello. I don't know if you remember me but my name's Xander," he said trying to be polite in case it might increase the odds of getting Cordy on the phone. "I was wondering if I could speak with Cordelia. Would that be possible?"

"No, sir, it would not. Miss Chase left for parts unknown soon after her parents were admitted to Sunnydale General Hospital," the butler replied, never losing his professionalism. "She occasionally contacts the house via email but she does not elaborate on where she is or what she is doing. Is there anything else, sir?"

"No… no, that's all. Thanks," he said, stunned as he realized what most likely happened to Cordy.

Her powers must have activated and she somehow put her parents in the hospital.

No surprise she split when that happened.

He just couldn't understand how things had apparently gone so wrong all of a sudden. He wanted to see if he could get a hold of the last couple of months' worth of the Sunnydale Gazette but he knew that all he'd get would be some lame cover story the local cops threw out. He'd never get the truth unless he spoke directly with the gang but he had no idea how to find them or get in touch with them. If G-Man really was dead and both Buffy and Cordy had flown the coop then the only person left would be Willow. He'd try her again later back at the room he'd rented and hopefully someone would be home then so he could find out the truth.

There had to be some good news somewhere…right?

The Edge of Gotham City, New Jersey

Six Weeks Later, Early Morning

"Hey, kid! Wake up!" came an unfamiliar voice piercing through the fog of slumber and dragging him back to the waking world.

Opening his eyes he took a quick look around to remember where he was and how he'd gotten there thankfully prompting his mind to bring up the relevant memories.

He was back on the road after trying for a month to get in touch with someone back in Sunnydale to find out what had happened to all his friends. No matter how often he tried to get through to Willow, she was never home and even the slim hope that her parents might be back from one of their seminars proved useless. Eventually he located the number of the Sunnydale Gazette and, while pretending to be a fellow reporter following up a lead on the Red Widow, he managed to get enough facts to piece together what must have happened. According to the reporter, at least she claimed she was a reporter, everyone he knew back in Sunnydale with the exception of those affected by Halloween like him had been killed on the same day at roughly the same time. Giles, Ms. C, Mrs. S, Willow's parents, Jesse's parents and even a few classmates the Scoobies had helped since Buffy had come to Sunnydale had been killed at roughly the same time. The only death that happened that day that didn't fit the pattern was Mayor Richard Wilkins the Third, who'd been killed in his office at roughly the same time as the others. The lady he'd spoken to implied that there'd been witnesses claiming that a young woman had been seen running from city hall minutes afterwards but no one had taken it seriously.

From his point of view he could only presume that the Mayor had been some kind of Big Bad or had been replaced by a Big Bad without anyone knowing. Buffy must have gone after him but, while she'd done that, someone had killed off everyone she cared about at the same time. It was possible that a second villain had done it but the timing was just too perfect for that to be the case. It was far more likely that the Mayor had somehow known Buffy would come after him and made it so that even if she 'won', she'd still lose quite a bit. That sort of scenario would definitely cause Buffy to go on the warpath and hunt down those assassins, assuming they were the ones who had done the deed.

He'd managed to get some info as well on Mr. and Mrs. Chase before he'd ended the call with the lady from the Sunnydale Gazette and it matched what he could recall from Magneto's memories about what tended to happen to normal people who got drained by Rogue, albeit the more severe cases. That probably meant that Queen C now had two voices in her head now and neither of them too happy about their new accommodations. True, they were just echoes and Cordy now had a lot of their memories but it couldn't be fun for her. He might've been of the opinion that she deserved a little hell for all the misery she put those under her through back in Sunnydale High but, after integrating all of Magneto's essence into himself, his opinion had changed. He could… remember what Rogue's powers put her through and how hard it was for the woman to keep her own mind separate from the echoes that piled up in her mind. Granted, there should only have been four minds in Cordelia's head at the moment but he figured that'd be three too many for the former socialite.

Whatever the case, it's no wonder she bailed on Sunnydale, he thought, recalling where Rogue went after her powers first flipped on. I just hope there isn't a Brotherhood of Evil somethings out there looking to recruit her.

Returning his mind to the present, he recognized the bus he'd gotten on in order to get to his next destination and the guy who'd woken him up was the bus driver. However when he looked out the window, he didn't see was the small town of Hammonton, New Jersey like he'd been expecting but the one place he'd designated the worst possible place for him right from the beginning.

Yet there, staring him in the face, was the sign 'Gotham City Bus Terminal' and he had to wonder how he'd wound up missing his mark by so much.

"If'n yer wonderin' why yer in Gotham, the fact of the matter is I tried wakin' ya up in Hammonton but you just rolled away from me and kept on sleepin'," the bus driver said, deducing what had been going through his head. "Thought 'bout wakin' ya up forcefully but figured if you were sleepin' that soundly, ya probably needed the sleep. I checked with the boys here at the Gotham terminal and managed to get you a ticket from here to Hammonton at half price but it ain't leavin' until this evening, so you might wanna stretch your legs a bit and see some of Gotham."

Looking out at the city that might as well be considered a demilitarized zone with all the crime and super criminals it had, he wondered if it'd be better just to hang out around the bus terminal until he could leave. It'd probably be the best thing to do, all things considered, but at the same time it sounded boring as hell so, with a decision that'd he'd probably regret if survived, he decided to take the driver up on his suggestion. He'd stick to populated areas but away from the places that'd be likely be targeted by the super criminals of the city and make sure to wear shabbier clothes so that he didn't stand out as a target for muggers. With luck he'd be able to stay alive and safe enough that he'd be able to leave without getting into any trouble.

After getting the ticket from the clerk inside of the bus station, he went to the street side of the terminal and looked to see if there were any taxis available but, just his luck, the last one was just merging into traffic. He'd probably have to wait a good hour or so before the next one came into pick up new arrivals but he was willing to be patient. Bus terminals were good pick up spots for cabbies so he knew at least one would show up sooner rather than later.

It was a little over half an hour later that his hopes were rewarded when a yellow taxi pulled up in front of the terminal and let out two young women who looked to be only a handful of years apart. One was blonde with blue eyes and appeared to be a few inches shorter than him but only a year or so younger. The other was a redhead, roughly the same height as him, with green eyes and was probably in college or had recently graduated. In any case, the blonde looked like she was wishing the redhead a good trip before getting back into the taxi and heading back into Gotham. Unless he wanted to ask her if she'd be willing to share the cab, it looked like he was back to waiting for an empty one to pull up to the terminal.

Hearing the sounds of another vehicle approaching, he idly turned towards it out of mild curiosity and saw a van approaching the location. It looked a little beat up but he'd seen worse in his Uncle Rory's used car lot and, as far as he was considered, as long as the solid metal outnumbered the rust and the vehicle worked okay, it was good enough. However it was when he saw the side door to the van begin to slide open while the vehicle was still very much in motion that he got his first hint that something bad was going to happen.

It got upgraded to VERY bad when he saw the business end of a RPG-7 poke its head out and be aimed directly at the two young women still outside the taxi they'd arrived in. On instinct alone he sprinted for the duo, knowing he'd only have seconds at best to get them clear of ground zero and, as he heard the weapon being fired, he decided to go for broke. Diving for the two ladies with legs that had been toned by numerous nights fighting vamps and further strengthened during his trip across the country, he tackled them away from the taxi covering both as best he could with his own body.

Fire, heat and shards of metal filled the air for the first second but all he could register was pain as all three of the mentioned elements tore into the back of his body. Reality returned slowly when the pain started to ebb and he could hear the screeching of tires that a part of his mind told him meant the perps were hauling ass out of the area before the cops showed up. Shakily he managed to push himself up off the two young ladies, with the blonde looking to be in shock while the redhead was cool as a cucumber with eyes looking everywhere for follow up attacks. He tried to get back to his feet and do the gentlemanly thing by helping them up off the ground but a spike of pain as well as a bit of dizziness resulted in him falling onto his butt.

"You two… okay?" he managed to bite out between the spasms of pain.

"Yeah… yeah, I think so," the blonde teenager replied seeming to regain some of her senses. "You?"

"I'm just peachyyyyyy—" was all he was able to get out before darkness raced in from the edges of his vision and the waking world went bye-bye again.

At least he'd be catching up with his sleep this way.

Gotham City General Hospital

Gotham City, New Jersey

The Next Day, Mid-Morning

"Uuuhhhh…" was the first thing out of his mouth when he opened his eyes and, while not very sophisticated, the groan did a good enough job of describing how he felt at the moment.

"Well, look who's awake." The voice of a lady mused and, when he turned his head, he could see that it was a nurse who looked to be checking on his status while jotting notes on a clipboard. "How are you feeling?"

Taking a moment to think on that his first response was that while he could tell he'd been injured much of the pain was numbed but he could feel bandages from his waist to his neck. Obviously he'd taken some serious hits saving those two girls from that RPG but, truth be told, it didn't seem to be any worse than a bad night of patrolling with the gang.

"Like I got stuck in the middle of a gang fight and barely got out in one piece," he replied, figuring that was better than saying fighting vampires.

"You're not too far from the truth. They had to pull quite a bit of taxi cab out of you in surgery and patch up some nasty burns," the nurse commented with a smile that, surprisingly, wasn't faked, "Fortunately none of it has done any permanent harm but you will need to take it easy for a couple of weeks so your body can heal itself properly."

"Wasn't planning on staying in Gotham long but it looks like fate had other ideas," he said, knowing that there'd be no way for him to get out of the hospital without making a scene. "Any word on those two ladies?"

While he didn't know either of them, he'd prefer that his efforts to save them had paid off rather than been proven futile. It'd make his pain worth something rather than nothing for one thing.

"They're fine, hero," the nurse said, finishing the last notes on her clipboard. "A few minor cuts and a light case of shock is all they had between the two of them. You took most of the damage yourself but you're built pretty sturdily, so you came through it all better than most do in this city."

"Glad to hear it," he said with his usual lopsided grin. "It'd be a crime against humanity to let those two die."

"Well aren't you the charmer!" the nurse said with amusement before looking at him with mock seriousness. "And I suppose if I was ever in danger you'd just run to my rescue as well?"

"Of course!" he replied playing along with her. "Pretty nurses like you are what make my hospital stays worthwhile. Well, that and free Jello."

They both had a good chuckle at his words even though he was being completely honest with what he said.

"Well then, you'll be happy to know that you'll be seeing all the pretty nurses you want for the next two weeks at least, plus two more visitors in about an hour if they keep to their usual schedule," the nurse said as she began walking to the door of his room.

"What do you mean 'plus two'?" he asked, worried for a moment that one of his girls from back in SunnyD had somehow found him.

"Both of the young ladies you saved have been coming by once a day to see if you'd waken up," the nurse replied as she opened the door. "I'm betting they want to thank you in person."

With that the nurse left and he was left to think over his options for the future.

He was pretty sure he wouldn't have to worry about getting singled out for his heroic acts, considering that crime in Gotham City was hardly a rare thing. Even on the west coast people had heard about how waist deep in crime and corruption the place was, so he seriously doubted that a single RPG attack would be enough for the various newshounds to come down to speak with him. As far as he was concerned, the most he'd probably have to do would be to fill out another police report, pay off his hospital bills and maybe keep some pain meds close by for the next month or so.

Assuming I survive that long, he thought as he recalled how no building was safe from some of the city's super criminals.

Sure, he knew that the odds of him being in the one hospital some psycho decided to attack WHEN he or she decides to attack it were pretty slim but, then again, he'd always had a knack for beating the odds. Sometimes it all worked out for the better and other times it left him wondering what he'd done in a past life to deserve such an aggravating turn of events. The best he could probably hope for would be that it would be anyone other than the Joker, since that would be horrible for him in more ways than one. For one thing the self-proclaimed clown prince of crime was more likely to blow up the hospital rather than actually enter it and take everyone hostage. Then again there was always the chance the clown would simply gas the whole building with that Smilex stuff but he quickly moved his thoughts away from such things. While he'd made progress with his dislike of clowns, he was fairly certain that an encounter with Arkham Asylum's most notorious resident would put him back at square one.

If Lady Luck chose to smile on him, though, he'd leave the city the second he was physically discharged from the hospital and hopefully never set foot in it again.

It was a little over a half hour later that his door opened again and he was quite glad about it because, as usual, there was nothing interesting on TV. Turning his head, he couldn't help but smile when it turned out to be the two young ladies he saved plus some adults whom he presumed were their parents, or at least their relatives.

"Well, it looks like your knight in shining armor is awake, pumpkin," the man said to the blonde teenage girl of the duo.

"DAAAAAD!" groaned the blonde with embarrassment while the redhead chuckled a bit.

"Ignore them," spoke the woman whom he presumed was the mother as she rolled her eyes at what was probably a regular thing between daughter and father. "We just wanted to thank you for saving Bette and Kate. I'd hate to think of what might've happened if you hadn't saved them."

"I was just in the right place at the right time, ma'am," he said, brushing off what he did as nothing special. "I'm sure if someone else had been in my position, they'd have done the same thing."

"You're being too modest," the father said, emerging from his teasing session. "Besides, as sad as it is to say, not everyone in Gotham has the courage to do the right thing. I take it you're not a local?"

"Nope. Just doing a little cross country road trip and slept through my stop at Hammonton," he replied casually, answering the question without going into too much detail. "I was actually waiting to take a bus back towards Hammonton when it all happened. Guess I'm going to have to wait a while."

"You just got to Gotham and were just going to turn right around and leave?" the young blonde girl asked with a bit of surprise.

"Well… yeah. I was originally planning on visiting Hammonton and, no offense intended, but Gotham City doesn't exactly have the most relaxing reputation," he said, trying to be as inoffensive as possible. "I mean, I'm sure you all like it here well enough but, after what happened at the bus terminal, I'm not sure I'd last more than a day here."

"But there's so much more to Gotham than the crime and the scumbags!" the blonde exclaimed with conviction. "Besides, there are people working to clear out the criminals and make things better! Like Batman and Robin!"

"As you can see our darling Bette is something of a fan of Gotham's costumed heroes," the mother said with an amused smile. "While I think she ignores the ordinary people who're trying to wipe off the grime in Gotham, she's right that it isn't as bad as most out of towners think it is."

Well, I suppose if Sunnydale isn't the sleepy little Californian town most people think it is, then it's possible the opposite might be true about Gotham, he thought to himself as he considered the woman's words. Just because people call the place a wretched hive of scum and villainy doesn't mean that that's the case with Gotham. At least not ALL of Gotham… probably.

"I suppose the old saying 'never judge a book by its cover' is something every out of towner should think about where Gotham is concerned," he said conceding the mother's point. "Maybe I will stick around a while after I get out of the hospital. If nothing else, maybe I'll get to see Batman and Robin do their thing before I go."

"I can show you some of the places they might show up," Bette said, apparently believing herself to be something of an expert on Batman and Robin. "Maybe even show you some of the brighter spots of Gotham…you know…once you're out of the hospital and everything."

He honestly didn't know what to think of what Bette had just told him.

She knew nothing about who he was and where he came from yet she was willing to play tour guide and show him around the city. He'd never really met anyone willing to do something like that and, considering the sort of city they lived in, he would've expected her to be a little more cautious of strangers. On the other hand it was kind of nice to know that even in a place where super criminals and organized crime had a lot of influence there were still decent people around. Nevertheless, it looked to him like Bette had realized that she might have offered to do more than she should've by offering to show him around.

"Well, as long as it's not a bother for you or anything… then… sure!" he said, trying to convey that if it was too much trouble for her to do so then she could feel free to step away.

Bette wisely this time looked to her folks before opening her mouth no doubt to get their approval for what she wished to do.

"As long as it's after school and you don't let your homework slip, then I suppose it's alright," the father said with a grin of approval.

"Then I guess once the docs give the OK I'll get to see Gotham from a local's point of view."