"Well hello there."
The world stood still. it wasn't possible, right? What were the odds...
"... hello there…."
Spike blinked, then blinked again.
"...hello there…"
The words circled in his mind again for the third time, and he felt certainty set within his mind. The man's features may have been obstructed by the rim of the ball cap he wore, yet there was no mistaking it. Spike knew that face; he had seen it before, mere inches from his own...
Red; the color faded, taking with it something which flashed across his vision. Letters; it was letters, gone as always before he could make out what they said. He blinked and his vision cleared. He was outside somewhere, that much he could tell by the ground he saw before him. He dared to take a moment and looked around. Why was he here this time? Was this a simulation, or…?
No. He heard something just behind his ear, a clicking noise. He knew that sound...
Red… the room spinning. Why was it spinning? What was that noise, the one piercing his ears?
Red… laying on the ground, this time hard and metal. Darkness, broken by some invasive glow of green to his left. What happened? Where was he now? He stood and turned towards the light. Bars; it was bars of green, buzzing with electrical current, a whole wall of them. Their glow was so intense that his eyes had trouble seeing anything else beyond them in the darkness.
Something was wrong… something was always wrong. He needed to…
"Good," a voice echoed. He saw a figure stepping out of the darkness, coming to stand on the other side of the bars. A man with spiked hair, the face still obscured by the strange mixture of green and dark. "You're awake…"
Red…
It was coming at him too fast again. Spike felt the familiar pinpoint jolts of pain beginning to invade his head. Too much; it was too much. Why did his mind do this to him? Why now of all times? Now wasn't the time for this! Not when they…
They. That was right; there had been two people at the waterfall. Where was the other one then? Was he here too? Maybe in the crowd...
Red, then staring at a wall. Where was he now? A gymnasium; he could tell by the flooring and the basketball hoop hanging across the room from him. Before him was a crowd of people sitting in chairs, all of them facing him. A quick glance and he realized he was standing on a stage. Why? What sort of scenario warranted this environment? He looked out to find the crowd all staring his way, beginning to laugh…
Stop! He willed in his head. Focus! Spike tried again, staring at the man before him, trying to bring back the memory. That face. The sound of the click. The woods. He needed to remember if he had seen the other one's face...
"Well, hello there," the voice from behind the barrel spoke. He felt the anger within him rise. He had been caught off guard, hadn't been prepared… He should have been ready…
"Stand up. Slowly."
He dropped the item he had been holding. It fell to the ground with a thud. Only once he reached his feet did Spike see there was someone else there as well. Another man, slightly shorter than the first, who was also holding a gun pointed in Spike's direction. Two against one; not the best of odds. Yet he could get out of this. He would get out of this. He just needed to…
… to what?...
Red… then someone's face mere inches from his. Someone was holding onto his shirt, a fist next to his face… daring to threaten him… What was happening? Why was he here?...
Red… a gun, pointed at him…. someone crying, angry voices…. surrounded by figures in black… A city all around him… Pain radiating from his face… They had hit him…. Why had they hit him? He didn't understand.
Red…
Movement caught his eye. Someone was saying something beside him. Right; the security guard. Bree. Adam. Caitlyn. Spike ignored it, swatting away at the hand which reached for his shoulder. None of it mattered. All that mattered was the man. The threat. Spike's eyes narrowed as he clenched his fists.
The man moved , closer to the edge of the crowd. Another realization washed over him. He had been right. They had been followed. The odds of the man just happening to be here at the same time as Spike and the others was too great. But why?
Whatever the reason, he was going to find out.
The man suddenly paused, having been knocked sideways by another larger man within the crowd. He was turned in Spike's direction. Their eyes met.
The pair stared at one another a moment. Based on the small twitch he saw across the man's features Spike knew the man recognized him. Of course he had; it was why he was here. Right? He felt the corner of his mouth turn upwards.
Gotcha.
"Spike!" Again someone - Adam - grabbed his arm, swinging him around slightly which broke Spike's eye contact with his target. "What-"
Idiot! Spike twisted within the hold Adam had on him, turning his head in time to see the man had started to run. Someone else - Bree this time, his mind recognized in the mere second he gave such a thought - started to say something yet Spike ignored it. Whatever she had to say to him didn't matter. Nothing did except one thing.
And it was getting away.
Twisting again, Spike managed to wiggle out from within Adam's grasp. More commotion and words followed. Spike ignored them all, instead taking off in the direction he had seen the man go.
He had his target. Now he just needed to reach it.
The man was fast, Spike had to give him that much. Yet he was faster; he needed to be. He couldn't fail. His pursuit wasn't helped by all the people who got in his way. Spike pushed past them. A few he knocked over, which earned him some angry words. That didn't matter either.
Gotta go… gotta go…. His mind urged. Not moving fast enough….
Not fast enough… Red… the letters… running through the woods, dragging something behind him. All of it dead weight… slowing him down…
Gotta keep going….
Whatever he was dragging, if possible, was getting heavier… much too heavy…. His hands burned as he grabbed hold tighter…
He couldn't let go. Had to keep going... He dug as deep as he could to press himself forward...
The man had reached the main doors. Spike willed himself to go faster. If he reached outside, there was no telling if someone was out there waiting for him. Maybe right outside… The thought had barely started to cross his mind before Spike saw blue sitting near the doorway, again confirming his suspicion. The other one was here too then.
The man turned upon reaching the doors, managing to take a swipe which knocked across Spike's face.
The punch landed right across his cheek sending him sprawling towards the ground. He stumbled backwards, nearly fell… Looked behind himself and found nothing. He was on the edge of a cliff, his back painfully spread across the rock…. Nowhere to go…
No… He couldn't fail, not now… He darted his eyes back to the clearing, searching….
Stunned a moment, Spike lunged forward, just managing to grab hold of the man's shirt. The act sent them both tumbling to the ground outside on the sidewalk. Shouts. The squeal of tires. Spike looked up in time to see the blue car taking off, circling around the corner of the parking lot. Anger rose in his chest. It had gotten away.
But not this one. His attention turned back to the man he had tackled. The man twisted away, managing to find some traction on the pavement. Spike grabbed his shoulders, pinning him further.
This one wasn't going to get away from him.
The man tried again, taking a swing at him. Spike grabbed hold, twisting. The man yelped in pain.
Pain… the sound, a loud metallic ringing, it hurt … red, the color fading in and out as did his vision…. spinning….
Pain… the red, then pain in his face…. blinking lights…. the lab; he was in the lab, and someone had punched him… Adam, most likely, considering he wearing boxing gloves and standing over him…
Pain… red… the city, the guns, the men in black… crying…. the figures coming at him, fast…. too fast… he needed to do something….
"What do you want?" Spike demanded, trying to keep his focus on what was happening in front of him and not on the onslaught of images his mind was giving him. The man said nothing, which earned him a swift punch to the face. "Answer me! Why are you following us?"
The man continued his silence. Fine; they could do this the hard way then. Spike took another swipe, then another, his frustration growing as he did as the man continued his silence. He wanted answers and he was going to get them. Now.
"Where is your partner?" He nearly spat. The man only blinked back at him. "Was he in the car? Where is he going?"
Nothing. His silence was rewarded by another punch. He was going to break. He was going to talk. He needed to talk. It was the only way to get the answers Spike wanted; no, needed. He needed to know. The longer the wait, the longer the other man would have to regroup.
The more of a danger they were all in. That Spike wouldn't - couldn't - allow. He needed to make it go away, to end the threat, the end the…
Red… the world spinning…. his vision continued to fade in and out… he couldn't make it stop… covering his ears… screaming… 'Make it stop!'...
Red… the young man gripping his shirt, face mere inches from his own…. threatening to punch him…. harm him… why…. why why why…..
Red… the guns, the men in black, punching and kicking and pain….
Red…. pain...
Red….
Make it stop….
Just make it…
Make it stop.
This time it wasn't in his memories. It was here, now at this moment. What was happening?
"Spike!" A familiar male voice called. Spike felt a hand grabbing his shoulder. Not acceptable, not when he was so close. Keeping his eyes on the man he swung towards the intruder. He felt his fist contact with something soft, followed by a cry of pain. His arm was released.
Satisfied Spike went to take another swing at his target. Before he could he felt the hand grabbing him again, stronger this time.
"Spike, stop. Now."
It was Davenport. Spike knew without seeing his face. The older man had found they had snuck out of the house then. Spike felt himself being pulled only a moment before he began fighting back. He was so close to his objective. Didn't Davenport understand? Didn't he see? They needed answers, needed to know what the man wanted, where his partner had gone. How to make them go away and leave them all alone.
"Let me go!" Spike pulled again. Davenport's grip was strong, yet he was stronger. He had to be stronger. The man was still there. The threat was still there. He had to…
"No." That stern tone was back in Davenport's voice as he pulled Spike back again. "Spike-"
"Oh god!" Bree nearly shrieked. She had finally caught up. Spike looked over to see her coming out of the lobby area, Adam not far behind.
"Go away!" He shouted at her. They didn't understand. The other man was still out there, they needed to move quickly.
Breaking free from Davenport's grasp, Spike again bent down, taking hold of the man's shirt. The man left out a soft moan of pain.
You're so close, Spike's mind urged. Don't turn back now.
"Where is he?" He snapped, jerking the man forward towards his clinched fist. A warning of what awaited the incorrect answer. The man didn't speak, instead letting out a small pained noise. "Where is your partner!" It was more threat than question. "Answer me!"
The man's eyes widened a moment before he fell back, slumping towards the ground.
Hands grabbed him again. Spike struggled to pull away, yet this time it was Adam. Despite his scrawny frame the older boy seemed without effort to succeed. Davenport swooped in, resting his hand on the man's throat.
"Let me go you big idiot!" He wasn't going to let up, not that easily. Spike continued to thrash within Adam's grasp to no avail. Still he needed to try. He had to…. there was no other option, not when there was a threat… they weren't safe…
"Is he-?" Bree began, her voice cracking.
Davenport's face remained blank as he didn't move, instead keeping his hands where they were, no doubt still checking for a pulse.
Spike sat back, breathing deeply. He hadn't realized it, yet now that he had been stopped his body began registering the shape he was in. His hands stung as did his face. His head was throbbing again as well. He watched the others in silence, taking in their motions and the looks on their faces.
They weren't happy. They weren't even relieved. They were….worried. But, he had done what he was supposed to. He had caught the man. He had done it.
But they weren't happy.
Something flashed across his vision. Spike felt his entire body collapse as if all strength within every part of him was gone.
He blinked, and again he saw it.
Red. Faint, broken, yet still there, along the edge of his vision.
Spike blinked again. The color faded. He could again do nothing but stare at the others dumbfounded.
Didn't they realize? Didn't they care? He had done it. He had saved them. He had been successful. He had kept them safe…
"Is he…" Bree began again, her voice softer than before. Only then did Davenport look upwards.
"Call an ambulance."
