CROSS ROADS
Part 8
The Hunters were on the move. Lenox, Barrington, and Stacy were on their way to the Sunnydale Airport with Buffy Summers accompanying them. A helicopter was there, waiting for them. The Hunters pilots, Keith "Ace" LeBeau and Kevin "Birdman" Vogel were preparing the chopper for flight as they arrived.
Mulder, Scully, and Giles were riding in Scully's rental. Mulder had
suggested to the Hunters that he, Scully, and Giles could provide a
distraction for the terrorists, which could help the Hunters make their move.
Jenny and Cordelia stayed at the Rosenberg home with Fronk, who was pulling up vital information from the bowels of the computer. Jenny was watching the second tape...and she realized that there was something on it that every one else had missed. What became apparent to her was that the terrorist who had made the recording abruptly ended the tape. A series of snow and static commenced, but as Jenny went to stop the tape she pressed fast-forward instead. The tape quickly moved ahead to a scene that the others had missed. This scene had been added in.
In the scene, the Knife was standing behind a table. There were candles lit and spread out. The terrorist was speaking in his own language, and Jenny got the strangest impression that the man was performing some kind of ceremony...or ritual.
"Guys?" Jenny called. "Cordelia! Mr. Fronk! Come and see this!"
Fronk and Cordelia came out into the living room. Fronk was adjusting his head set as he spoke into the microphone. "Testing...testing...May
day...May day..." He blew into the mike.
"Yeow!" Barrington's voice exclaimed. "Crazy Man, what the hell are you doing?"
"Blowing you a kiss, big daddy!" Fronk was looking at the television
screen. The terrorist was holding some kind of ceremonial jar in front of him. "Whoa! Puffer fish on TV!!"
"What?" Barrington asked.
"Puffer fish! Them there slimy critters that live in the sea with Charlie Tuna! They puff themselves out to make themselves bigger but everybody knows it's just fer show!" He squinted at the TV. "Apparently, the Calendar girl found another scene on the tape. It's that Knife guy...and he's puffing out his chest, man! Hey, can Knox do that?"
There was a pause. Barrington could be heard saying something to Lenox. Then Barrington's voice came over Fronk's headset. "Knox says he isn't the Puff-Man, Bill. What are you watching?"
"Sh-yucks, girls!" Fronk exclaimed as he grinned at Jenny and Cordelia.
"Daddy wants to know what we're watching. And he says if it's-a got-a any nudity in it, we're-a gonna get us a spanking fer shore." He said "sure" like "shore".
Cordelia shot him a look. "Hello? Get out much? Pervert!"
Jenny had her eyes glued to the screen. She was watching everything
intently. "Tell him that it looks like the terrorist is performing some kind of ritual. But he's speaking in a different tongue...I don't
understand what he is saying." She watched the Knife place the ceremonial jar onto the center of the table, and he did it reverently. "God, I don't like this. I wish Rupert were here. I'm certain he would know what this is about."
Cordelia looked at Jenny with concern. "Huh? This thing that the terrorist is doing...This is bad?"
Jenny looked at her. "Yes, Cordelia. This is bad."
"But...but it's just a terrorist thing, right? Maybe it's some kind of
thing they do for their religion."
"Cordelia, this has nothing to do with religion. And I'm almost positive that it has nothing to do with terrorists either." She looked at the Knife on the screen. "I think it's something that this terrorist is doing for himself." She glanced at Fronk. "Tell Albert that he needs to tell Buffy what we're seeing. Maybe this will sound familiar to her. She's been with Rupert enough to pick up on a few things."
Fronk relayed the message.
Jenny returned her attention to the screen. The terrorist was pouring
something into the jar from a basin.
Cordelia stared in horror as she literally became pale. "Oh, God...Is
that...That looks like blood!"
Jenny couldn't take her eyes away. "It is," she said hoarsely.
"What...what's he doing with blood? And-and not that I really want to know, but...who's blood is that?" As soon as she said it, there was only one person she could think of to whom the blood belonged. She brought a hand to her mouth. "Oh, no...Willow."
Fronk was relaying what he saw and heard to Barrington, and this time, he didn't crack any witticisms. He had his eyes on the screen as well.
Barrington's voice came to him from the headset. "Bill, Buffy needs to know what he's doing with the blood."
Fronk didn't answer.
"Bill!"
Finally, Fronk responded, "The son-of-a-bitch is drinking it, Bear. He's drinking the blood from the ceremonial jar."
They watched the tape in silence as Julius held the jar to his mouth and drank from it. When he was done, he set the jar down and looked right into the camera lens. He spoke in his tongue.
Then he lapsed into silence. He continued to glare at the camera.
"I'm getting goose bumps," Cordelia whispered. "It's like he's looking right at us."
Jenny nodded in agreement, but she didn't say anything.
"He-he can't really see us, can he?" Cordelia asked, glancing nervously at Jenny.
Suddenly, the terrorist spoke. And he spoke in English this time.
*"Do not be deceived. You believe you are safe? I tell you...you are not safe! You believe you are secure? You are weak!! And you will suffer great and terrible things, for this is only the beginning! Go to your homes and lock your doors. Run as far as you can...and run further still! But the end is near and there is nowhere you can hide. Soon, the dead shall rise up and will destroy the living. Creatures of the night shall heed the Call."* He paused as he raised his hands before him. *"The Sleeper shall waken within. The Heir shall come, leading them all to glorious reckoning! Leading them all to the destruction of the earth!"* He pointed at the camera. *"Think upon that and be dismayed! Your days are numbered!"*
Then the tape ended.
Jenny looked at Fronk who had been repeating what he had heard to
Barrington. "Did you get all that?" he asked Barrington.
"Yeah, I got all that." Barrington paused. "I don't know what it means, but...Is that all?"
Fronk nodded. "No. I managed to get their profiles and most of it we had already guessed on our own. But we do have confirmation. The Speaker is one Abhar Jhamel. The Knife is his right hands man and his sorry ass is named Reuben Julius." He paused for affect. "In case you didn't know, this Julius is evidently a freakin' basket case."
"Yeah...thanks."
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Giles had chosen to ride with Mulder and Scully only because he hadn't
really had a desire to ride in a helicopter. A plane was one thing to be riding in, but he didn't trust choppers. They just weren't to his liking at all. However, with Mulder's erratic driving skill, Giles realized too late the error he had just made.
"Mulder, slow down!" Scully shouted.
"C'mon, Scully!" Mulder grinned at her. He winked at Giles in the rearview mirror, but the Watcher didn't really notice because he was too busy trying not to be sick. "Live a little, girlfriend! Have some fun!"
"I'm not here for fun, Mulder! We're on a case!"
Mulder shrugged. "You're on a case, Scully. I'm on vacation. And on
vacation, you're supposed to have fun."
Giles cleared his throat from the back seat as he tried to get their
attention. "Er, excuse me, Mr. Mulder..."
"Yeah?" Mulder glanced at him in the rearview mirror. "You're not going to hurl, are you?"
Scully looked at him and raised her eyebrows. "'Hurl', Mulder?"
Giles shook his head. "I-I intend to do no such thing...in spite of your d- driving skills...or lack thereof." He let out a sigh. "I would really like to know, however, just what it is you plan to do to distract the terrorists."
Mulder grinned. "That's easy."
He pulled into a parking lot of a convenience store and before anyone could say anything, he was out of the car. He went into the store and was only inside for five minutes or so. He came out carrying a brown paper bag. He got into the car, put the bag in-between himself and Scully, and then he reached inside to pull out a cold can of Bud. Grinning like a madman, he popped the tab and took a swig.
Scully stared at him incredulously. "Mulder! What the hell are you doing?"
"Distracting," he answered. He took another mouth full, tilted his head back and began to gargle the beer in his throat. Then he swallow and grinned once again at Scully. He poured a bit of beer into his hand and handed the can to Scully who took it reluctantly. Slapping his hands together, he rubbed them. Then he splashed the beer about his face, neck, and shirt.
Giles looked at Scully dubiously. "Er...I-I don't think I really approve of Mr. Mulder's plan."
Scully frowned at Mulder. "What are you doing?"
He reached over and before she could stop him, he unbuttoned the top button of her blouse.
"MULDER!!" She slapped at his hands.
"C'mon, Scully! Look a little loose, will you?" He took the beer from her, put more in his hands and then flicked it at her. "We're going to distract the terrorists with a little trip to Lovers Lane, if you know what I mean." He pointed at her. "Do you get wild, Scully? I want to see your wild side. So it would be very convincing if you would undo a few more buttons." He grinned.
"Excuse me..." Giles began, frowning, "but how convincing do you think your Lovers Lane distraction will look with a third person in the back seat? Two is company, after all...Even terrorists must know that."
Mulder turned to look at him. "Well...actually, I have thought of that."
"You-you have?" Giles frowned. "And?"
"And you won't exactly be in the back seat." Mulder paused. "You'll be in the trunk."
Giles stared at him as if he were mad. "I was right...I don't approve of this plan at all."
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"I do NOT like this," Buffy said with a quiver in her voice. "It sounds like...it sounds like Xander will get there ahead of all of us...But he'll only find..." She closed her eyes and turned her head. She couldn't bring herself to say it. Just thinking about it made her sick to her stomach.
Barrington shook his head as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey,
Buffy...We don't really know that it was Willow's blood the terrorist was drinking."
She spun her head around to face him. "How do we know it wasn't?!"
They were in the chopper and the pilots were running a last check before they lifted off from the lot.
"We're not going to know until we get there," Lenox commented as he loaded a clip into an Uzi. "You can't afford to think about it right now, Buffy. It will only distract you once we hit the ground and the bullets begin to fly."
Stacy glanced at Lenox with concern. She knew him well enough to know that he was just as concerned for Willow as they all were. But at that moment, he suddenly seemed insensitive to Buffy. Stacy saw the look of shock on Buffy's face and then she saw the anger.
Buffy glared at Lenox. "I can't afford to think about it?!" she snapped. "Willow's my friend! If anything happens to her, and I mean ANYTHING, I will hunt down every one of those bastards myself and I will kill every one of them!"
"They're not vampires, Buffy," Lenox replied calmly.
Buffy glared at him.
"They don't think like vampires," he continued. "They don't act like
vampires. They're really a lot worst when you think about it. Whether the sun is shining, or the moon is out, they're there. Terrorism is the worst threat to mankind on this planet. Terrorists train their children to wear bombs and send them off to school. They kidnap innocent people, brainwash them to wear bombs, and send them out to go shopping. You can't reason with them, and you can't invite them over for a spot of tea or a cup of joe to sort things out." He regarded Buffy closely. "That's where we come in."
She hesitated, "The Hunters."
He nodded. "Yes. The bottom line is that terrorism is a disease...and we are the cure."
"That's what you do? You hunt terrorists down and you..." she trailed off as she was looking for a word.
"We slay them." Lenox paused. "Not exactly the way you slay vampires, but we get the job done."
She thought about that. "How long have you guys been doing this?"
Barrington shrugged. "About nine years."
Buffy frowned. She wondered what she would be doing in nine years. Would she be the Slayer then...or the Slayee?
Lenox hesitated as he cast a glance in Stacy's direction. "Buffy...I don't know Willow as well as you do. I don't know her as well as my wife knows her. But I do care for her and I will do everything in my power to bring her home." Then he said, "However, even when we do get her back alive and well, I'm still going to kill every one of those bastards. Okay?"
She smiled wryly. "Okay." She watched as Barrington checked his weapons over. "Do I get a gun?"
"Have you fired one before?" Barrington asked.
She shrugged. "Does a crossbow count?"
Barrington handed her a 9mm pistol and showed her how to work it.
"Don't I get a big gun?" she asked.
"No. You'll be fine with this. Besides, you are not really going down
there for combat." Barrington aimed a thumb at Lenox. "You'll stay right behind Knox and keep your head down. He'll lead you into the building where we believe they're holding Willow, and when you get to her, your job is to help her out."
She nodded. "Okay...What about Xander?"
"We'll keep a watch for him," Stacy assured her.
Buffy nodded and she took a deep breath as she felt the chopper lift off. "I've never ridden in one of these things before. They're safe, aren't they?" She laughed nervously. "Of course, they're safe. You use them all the time." She looked around. "Don't you have any really big guns? The kind that fires missiles and rockets?"
Lenox nodded his head. "We do, but we can't use them."
"Why not?"
"We don't want to risk blowing up Willow."
"Oh." Buffy nodded her head. "Right. Oh...I think I'll just shut up now."
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TO BE CONTINUED...
Part 8
The Hunters were on the move. Lenox, Barrington, and Stacy were on their way to the Sunnydale Airport with Buffy Summers accompanying them. A helicopter was there, waiting for them. The Hunters pilots, Keith "Ace" LeBeau and Kevin "Birdman" Vogel were preparing the chopper for flight as they arrived.
Mulder, Scully, and Giles were riding in Scully's rental. Mulder had
suggested to the Hunters that he, Scully, and Giles could provide a
distraction for the terrorists, which could help the Hunters make their move.
Jenny and Cordelia stayed at the Rosenberg home with Fronk, who was pulling up vital information from the bowels of the computer. Jenny was watching the second tape...and she realized that there was something on it that every one else had missed. What became apparent to her was that the terrorist who had made the recording abruptly ended the tape. A series of snow and static commenced, but as Jenny went to stop the tape she pressed fast-forward instead. The tape quickly moved ahead to a scene that the others had missed. This scene had been added in.
In the scene, the Knife was standing behind a table. There were candles lit and spread out. The terrorist was speaking in his own language, and Jenny got the strangest impression that the man was performing some kind of ceremony...or ritual.
"Guys?" Jenny called. "Cordelia! Mr. Fronk! Come and see this!"
Fronk and Cordelia came out into the living room. Fronk was adjusting his head set as he spoke into the microphone. "Testing...testing...May
day...May day..." He blew into the mike.
"Yeow!" Barrington's voice exclaimed. "Crazy Man, what the hell are you doing?"
"Blowing you a kiss, big daddy!" Fronk was looking at the television
screen. The terrorist was holding some kind of ceremonial jar in front of him. "Whoa! Puffer fish on TV!!"
"What?" Barrington asked.
"Puffer fish! Them there slimy critters that live in the sea with Charlie Tuna! They puff themselves out to make themselves bigger but everybody knows it's just fer show!" He squinted at the TV. "Apparently, the Calendar girl found another scene on the tape. It's that Knife guy...and he's puffing out his chest, man! Hey, can Knox do that?"
There was a pause. Barrington could be heard saying something to Lenox. Then Barrington's voice came over Fronk's headset. "Knox says he isn't the Puff-Man, Bill. What are you watching?"
"Sh-yucks, girls!" Fronk exclaimed as he grinned at Jenny and Cordelia.
"Daddy wants to know what we're watching. And he says if it's-a got-a any nudity in it, we're-a gonna get us a spanking fer shore." He said "sure" like "shore".
Cordelia shot him a look. "Hello? Get out much? Pervert!"
Jenny had her eyes glued to the screen. She was watching everything
intently. "Tell him that it looks like the terrorist is performing some kind of ritual. But he's speaking in a different tongue...I don't
understand what he is saying." She watched the Knife place the ceremonial jar onto the center of the table, and he did it reverently. "God, I don't like this. I wish Rupert were here. I'm certain he would know what this is about."
Cordelia looked at Jenny with concern. "Huh? This thing that the terrorist is doing...This is bad?"
Jenny looked at her. "Yes, Cordelia. This is bad."
"But...but it's just a terrorist thing, right? Maybe it's some kind of
thing they do for their religion."
"Cordelia, this has nothing to do with religion. And I'm almost positive that it has nothing to do with terrorists either." She looked at the Knife on the screen. "I think it's something that this terrorist is doing for himself." She glanced at Fronk. "Tell Albert that he needs to tell Buffy what we're seeing. Maybe this will sound familiar to her. She's been with Rupert enough to pick up on a few things."
Fronk relayed the message.
Jenny returned her attention to the screen. The terrorist was pouring
something into the jar from a basin.
Cordelia stared in horror as she literally became pale. "Oh, God...Is
that...That looks like blood!"
Jenny couldn't take her eyes away. "It is," she said hoarsely.
"What...what's he doing with blood? And-and not that I really want to know, but...who's blood is that?" As soon as she said it, there was only one person she could think of to whom the blood belonged. She brought a hand to her mouth. "Oh, no...Willow."
Fronk was relaying what he saw and heard to Barrington, and this time, he didn't crack any witticisms. He had his eyes on the screen as well.
Barrington's voice came to him from the headset. "Bill, Buffy needs to know what he's doing with the blood."
Fronk didn't answer.
"Bill!"
Finally, Fronk responded, "The son-of-a-bitch is drinking it, Bear. He's drinking the blood from the ceremonial jar."
They watched the tape in silence as Julius held the jar to his mouth and drank from it. When he was done, he set the jar down and looked right into the camera lens. He spoke in his tongue.
Then he lapsed into silence. He continued to glare at the camera.
"I'm getting goose bumps," Cordelia whispered. "It's like he's looking right at us."
Jenny nodded in agreement, but she didn't say anything.
"He-he can't really see us, can he?" Cordelia asked, glancing nervously at Jenny.
Suddenly, the terrorist spoke. And he spoke in English this time.
*"Do not be deceived. You believe you are safe? I tell you...you are not safe! You believe you are secure? You are weak!! And you will suffer great and terrible things, for this is only the beginning! Go to your homes and lock your doors. Run as far as you can...and run further still! But the end is near and there is nowhere you can hide. Soon, the dead shall rise up and will destroy the living. Creatures of the night shall heed the Call."* He paused as he raised his hands before him. *"The Sleeper shall waken within. The Heir shall come, leading them all to glorious reckoning! Leading them all to the destruction of the earth!"* He pointed at the camera. *"Think upon that and be dismayed! Your days are numbered!"*
Then the tape ended.
Jenny looked at Fronk who had been repeating what he had heard to
Barrington. "Did you get all that?" he asked Barrington.
"Yeah, I got all that." Barrington paused. "I don't know what it means, but...Is that all?"
Fronk nodded. "No. I managed to get their profiles and most of it we had already guessed on our own. But we do have confirmation. The Speaker is one Abhar Jhamel. The Knife is his right hands man and his sorry ass is named Reuben Julius." He paused for affect. "In case you didn't know, this Julius is evidently a freakin' basket case."
"Yeah...thanks."
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Giles had chosen to ride with Mulder and Scully only because he hadn't
really had a desire to ride in a helicopter. A plane was one thing to be riding in, but he didn't trust choppers. They just weren't to his liking at all. However, with Mulder's erratic driving skill, Giles realized too late the error he had just made.
"Mulder, slow down!" Scully shouted.
"C'mon, Scully!" Mulder grinned at her. He winked at Giles in the rearview mirror, but the Watcher didn't really notice because he was too busy trying not to be sick. "Live a little, girlfriend! Have some fun!"
"I'm not here for fun, Mulder! We're on a case!"
Mulder shrugged. "You're on a case, Scully. I'm on vacation. And on
vacation, you're supposed to have fun."
Giles cleared his throat from the back seat as he tried to get their
attention. "Er, excuse me, Mr. Mulder..."
"Yeah?" Mulder glanced at him in the rearview mirror. "You're not going to hurl, are you?"
Scully looked at him and raised her eyebrows. "'Hurl', Mulder?"
Giles shook his head. "I-I intend to do no such thing...in spite of your d- driving skills...or lack thereof." He let out a sigh. "I would really like to know, however, just what it is you plan to do to distract the terrorists."
Mulder grinned. "That's easy."
He pulled into a parking lot of a convenience store and before anyone could say anything, he was out of the car. He went into the store and was only inside for five minutes or so. He came out carrying a brown paper bag. He got into the car, put the bag in-between himself and Scully, and then he reached inside to pull out a cold can of Bud. Grinning like a madman, he popped the tab and took a swig.
Scully stared at him incredulously. "Mulder! What the hell are you doing?"
"Distracting," he answered. He took another mouth full, tilted his head back and began to gargle the beer in his throat. Then he swallow and grinned once again at Scully. He poured a bit of beer into his hand and handed the can to Scully who took it reluctantly. Slapping his hands together, he rubbed them. Then he splashed the beer about his face, neck, and shirt.
Giles looked at Scully dubiously. "Er...I-I don't think I really approve of Mr. Mulder's plan."
Scully frowned at Mulder. "What are you doing?"
He reached over and before she could stop him, he unbuttoned the top button of her blouse.
"MULDER!!" She slapped at his hands.
"C'mon, Scully! Look a little loose, will you?" He took the beer from her, put more in his hands and then flicked it at her. "We're going to distract the terrorists with a little trip to Lovers Lane, if you know what I mean." He pointed at her. "Do you get wild, Scully? I want to see your wild side. So it would be very convincing if you would undo a few more buttons." He grinned.
"Excuse me..." Giles began, frowning, "but how convincing do you think your Lovers Lane distraction will look with a third person in the back seat? Two is company, after all...Even terrorists must know that."
Mulder turned to look at him. "Well...actually, I have thought of that."
"You-you have?" Giles frowned. "And?"
"And you won't exactly be in the back seat." Mulder paused. "You'll be in the trunk."
Giles stared at him as if he were mad. "I was right...I don't approve of this plan at all."
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"I do NOT like this," Buffy said with a quiver in her voice. "It sounds like...it sounds like Xander will get there ahead of all of us...But he'll only find..." She closed her eyes and turned her head. She couldn't bring herself to say it. Just thinking about it made her sick to her stomach.
Barrington shook his head as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey,
Buffy...We don't really know that it was Willow's blood the terrorist was drinking."
She spun her head around to face him. "How do we know it wasn't?!"
They were in the chopper and the pilots were running a last check before they lifted off from the lot.
"We're not going to know until we get there," Lenox commented as he loaded a clip into an Uzi. "You can't afford to think about it right now, Buffy. It will only distract you once we hit the ground and the bullets begin to fly."
Stacy glanced at Lenox with concern. She knew him well enough to know that he was just as concerned for Willow as they all were. But at that moment, he suddenly seemed insensitive to Buffy. Stacy saw the look of shock on Buffy's face and then she saw the anger.
Buffy glared at Lenox. "I can't afford to think about it?!" she snapped. "Willow's my friend! If anything happens to her, and I mean ANYTHING, I will hunt down every one of those bastards myself and I will kill every one of them!"
"They're not vampires, Buffy," Lenox replied calmly.
Buffy glared at him.
"They don't think like vampires," he continued. "They don't act like
vampires. They're really a lot worst when you think about it. Whether the sun is shining, or the moon is out, they're there. Terrorism is the worst threat to mankind on this planet. Terrorists train their children to wear bombs and send them off to school. They kidnap innocent people, brainwash them to wear bombs, and send them out to go shopping. You can't reason with them, and you can't invite them over for a spot of tea or a cup of joe to sort things out." He regarded Buffy closely. "That's where we come in."
She hesitated, "The Hunters."
He nodded. "Yes. The bottom line is that terrorism is a disease...and we are the cure."
"That's what you do? You hunt terrorists down and you..." she trailed off as she was looking for a word.
"We slay them." Lenox paused. "Not exactly the way you slay vampires, but we get the job done."
She thought about that. "How long have you guys been doing this?"
Barrington shrugged. "About nine years."
Buffy frowned. She wondered what she would be doing in nine years. Would she be the Slayer then...or the Slayee?
Lenox hesitated as he cast a glance in Stacy's direction. "Buffy...I don't know Willow as well as you do. I don't know her as well as my wife knows her. But I do care for her and I will do everything in my power to bring her home." Then he said, "However, even when we do get her back alive and well, I'm still going to kill every one of those bastards. Okay?"
She smiled wryly. "Okay." She watched as Barrington checked his weapons over. "Do I get a gun?"
"Have you fired one before?" Barrington asked.
She shrugged. "Does a crossbow count?"
Barrington handed her a 9mm pistol and showed her how to work it.
"Don't I get a big gun?" she asked.
"No. You'll be fine with this. Besides, you are not really going down
there for combat." Barrington aimed a thumb at Lenox. "You'll stay right behind Knox and keep your head down. He'll lead you into the building where we believe they're holding Willow, and when you get to her, your job is to help her out."
She nodded. "Okay...What about Xander?"
"We'll keep a watch for him," Stacy assured her.
Buffy nodded and she took a deep breath as she felt the chopper lift off. "I've never ridden in one of these things before. They're safe, aren't they?" She laughed nervously. "Of course, they're safe. You use them all the time." She looked around. "Don't you have any really big guns? The kind that fires missiles and rockets?"
Lenox nodded his head. "We do, but we can't use them."
"Why not?"
"We don't want to risk blowing up Willow."
"Oh." Buffy nodded her head. "Right. Oh...I think I'll just shut up now."
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TO BE CONTINUED...