Chapter 10 – Late Wednesday and Thursday, Alternative Reality

"What do you mean, she got picked up by the Initiative?" Spike was livid. The car which was supposed to have picked Buffy up after her trip to Sunnydale had returned without her.

The man who had had the job of driving the van paled visibly under Spike's threatening gaze. He knew all about vampires, and the information that Spike wasn't a threat to the resistance movement suddenly seemed suspect.

"I … I mean, she was waiting at the pick up point. There was a van five or six cars ahead. We saw it pull up and two men got out. Next thing we saw, she was being bundled into the back. We followed, and the van headed for the old Initiative headquarters. It's been quiet there lately. The vigilantes don't have access – well not many of them."

Oz had come to hear the news first hand. He laid a hand on Spike's shoulder to try to calm him, but Spike shrugged it off. He was pacing again, all the good the afternoon's training had done him evaporated as soon as he heard Buffy had been taken.

"I thought she was having her hair dyed or something. She was supposed to have some sort of disguise. How did they know her?"

"Maybe they didn't know her. Maybe someone overheard her conversation with Willow. Or maybe someone in that van knew her well enough to see through the disguise," Oz rationalised.

The moment he said those words, both he and Spike uttered a single word.

"Finn!"

Buffy's first thought was that she was lying somewhere soft. That didn't tally with her recent memories. She'd spent the previous night on the floor of a cave. The next thought was that she couldn't move. Cautiously, she opened her eyes. She was in a small, brightly lit room. Her arms and legs were strapped to the bed. She tried pulling at her restraints but couldn't find any weakness. She tried to remember what had happened. It was difficult at first, but the memory slowly came back. Waiting at the kerbside. Two men. A pain in her arm, then darkness. She heard a whirring sound and a door slid open. "That reminds me of something," Buffy thought to herself. "The Initiative headquarters" she realised, feeling her stomach clench in concern. This wasn't good. Through the now open door, two men entered. The one in the lead was wearing a white coat and he approached, taking her wrist to check her pulse. "She's fine," he pronounced.

"Good, now leave," the second man said. That voice, she would know it anywhere. "Switch off the surveillance in this room when you leave," he added.

Riley. Buffy struggled to remember the details of her other self's history with him. In this reality, she had already been involved with Spike when she met Riley first asked her out, and she had rejected him. The other Spike had thought this was why Riley was so keen to rid Sunnydale of demons. Unsure what to do, she tried being conciliatory.

"Hello, Riley," she said.

"Buffy, I heard you were back in good old Sunnydale. That's why I came back. I recognised you right away. Did you think some dye and a haircut would fool me? So, tell me, where's that evil soulless monster you used to hang about with? Did he dump you, or did you finally get tired of necrophilia? I've got some very special treats in store for him. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with you yet. It really depends on you."

All the time he was speaking, he had been looking her up and down. She felt dirty under his gaze. It reminded her of the way Spike used to look at her, before he decided to fall in love with her. She started to pull at her bonds, but this caused him to smile.

"You won't break them, Buffy. Even with your super-human strength. They were designed to hold all manner of demons. You're tied there until I decide to release you. He sat down on the bed next to her. One hand was on the other side of her and supported his weight as he leaned over her. His other hand ran the length of her body, feeling his way down, as if he was valuing a horse. Buffy was seething. In her reality, she and Riley hadn't parted on good terms, and she'd been sickened when she saw him allowing vampires to feed on him. But what she felt now was almost overpowering. She felt total revulsion and anger. She struggled harder, but got nowhere. The only result was a widening of Riley's smile.

He put his mouth close to her ear, and whispered, "I know a lot more about vampires than I did last time I saw you. Then all I knew was how to kill them. Now I know about how they live. What they do in bed. I'm pretty sure I can do anything your vampire lover can do, and I can definitely do some things he can't. He leered at her, his hand lingering between her legs.

When he pulled back, she told him, "Yeah, I can see you've changed. You used to be human. Now, Spike's more human than you'll ever be."

His answer was a slap to her face which left her stinging, and when she licked her lip, she realised she was bleeding.

"Oh, dear," he said, "I seem to have split your lip. Still, Slayer healing power will soon have you pretty as ever. And I'm sure your Spike has done much worse in your moments of passion. I bet you're even turned on by it."

"There's nothing you could do that'd turn me on," Buffy spat back.

Riley stood up, anger showing in the tenseness of every muscle. "You'll either change your mind, or you'll be very sorry," he said. He left the room, and Buffy felt tears form in her eyes. They weren't caused by the pain from her face or lip – she'd felt much worse. They were tears of her anger. Somehow, Riley obviously thought her other self was with Spike only because of the sexual side of the relationship. She knew that wasn't the case. She'd read her diaries. She really loved the blonde vampire. She had been willing to give up any pretence at a normal life to be with him. And, despite everything this reality had thrown at them, they had been happy.

Back at the resistance headquarters, Spike desperately wanted to hit something. When he had heard about Buffy, all he wanted to do was go and rescue her. He didn't have a plan beyond hitting anything that got in his way. He'd have gone, too, if he had been able to find his way out of the system of caves. Oz sat and watched him while he raged. He said nothing for a long time. When he sensed that Spike's first wave of anger was dissipating slightly, he led the vampire to the cavern where he'd spent the previous night. "Get some sleep, Spike. We'll find a way to get her back. We did it for Jenny. She's strong, she'll be fine."

When he was alone, Spike dissipated his anger further by bellowing at the top of his voice, "Be afraid, Riley Finn. You hurt a single hair on her head, and you're a dead man." To himself he added, "Even if it does make my head explode."

When Oz returned to the meeting room, he was told that Willow had called. Taking a note of her number, he called back.

"Hello," he started. "I know you wanted to speak to Buffy. She can't take the call just now, but if you've got some information, you can tell me."

"Oh," Willow sounded unsure. "I'd really rather talk to Buffy. I mean how do I know you can trust you?"

"That's a good point," Oz conceded. "I'm not sure what I can do to reassure you, but I do know what she asked you to do. You were going to try to find out what you could about demon-related deaths. Whether they were still increasing even though demon numbers are at an all time low."

There was a long silence, then Willow answered, "I suppose. Ok. Listen. Buffy was right. Reports of demon related deaths are on the increase. And I managed to hack into the system used by the vigilante groups. They confirm they're only mopping up stragglers. There's something strange going on."

"Thanks, Willow, that's useful. Any hint why people are dying?"

"No, not really, but, there's something strange. The victims are being kept in the mortuary longer than usual. I looked at historical data, and things have been slow lately. Look, is there anything else I can do? I mean, if you think of anything, you've got my number."

"Yes, we'll call you if something comes up, and if we find out what's happening. Thanks again."

The only person Buffy had seen since Riley left, was a woman who came in and allowed her to relieve herself into a bedpan. After this, she was given a drink of some type with a straw to allow her to drink while lying down. Buffy thought about refusing, but realised that she needed to stay strong in case the opportunity arose to escape. There was a camera on the ceiling, and Buffy knew she could do nothing without being observed. As unobtrusively as she could, Buffy continued to work at the straps that restrained her – not violent movements, just tensing and relaxing her muscles. She hoped it would be enough.

Her attempts to loosen her bonds had been reported. When Finn had listened to the report, he called the base doctor.

"The subject in the special holding cell, she's trying to escape. You know what I told you about her, she's a danger to anyone who had to go in there. What's the normal treatment for demons we need to have contact with?"

"Well," the doctor started, "There is a drug we use. It comes from England, and it affects the way the muscles work. Basic function is retained, but strength is significantly reduced. It would be easier to estimate the dosage if you would tell me what type of demon she is. She looks so human."

"She does, doesn't she?" Riley was smiling into the phone. "You'll just have to estimate. I'd be surprised if you could overdose her. Her strength's quite impressive, and she's got very fast recovery. Just try the same as you'd use for a…. Jelka."

"A Jelka? But they're…" He didn't get the chance to finish.

"Huge, I know. But they're not aggressive, she is. Now, do as I suggest, or I'll get you transferred to whatever hellhole has the next demon crisis. Understand?"

The doctor stuttered his agreement, and went off to do as he had been ordered.

When he had left Buffy, Riley had been angry. He hadn't really expected her to fall into his arms, but he did think she would have gone off the idea of sleeping with her vampire. He knew all about their stamina and staying power, and he understood that could seem good at first, but he really believed she would be more amenable to him than before. Especially now he was pretty much a match for vampires in terms of strength. That 'vitamin' routine set up by the Initiative was really useful. Instead, she had said he was less human than the vampire – the slut. Still, he'd show her, sooner or later. He'd show her what he could do. Maybe even tonight. He could slip into the room, camera switched off – no leave the camera on, but take the tape to look at later – maybe even to show Spike later. Show him how she was with a real human man. Yes, that's what he'd do. He'd just make sure the doctor had followed orders. It would be good to have her all weak and kitteny.

As he planned exactly what he was going to do to her, the phone rang. The operator told him it was from Red Cross – the code name for the benefactor who had allowed him to almost wipe out demons from Sunnydale.

"Good evening, Finn," the voice was slightly nasal.

"Good evening," Riley replied. "Thanks for your recent payment. We're on schedule to complete the eradication of demons in Sunnydale, thanks to your kind donations."

"Are you, are you indeed? Then, perhaps you can tell me why someone has been hacking into computers in this town, obtaining some very sensitive information. The hacker was good, too. Left no trace. I believe the resistance movement is still active, and I want it closed down. And I want it closed down immediately."

The click told Riley that Red Cross had hung up. Reluctantly, Riley put aside his plans for Buffy. He had to find a way into the resistance. For a second he wondered if Buffy might know something, but rejected the thought immediately. The 'Slayer' made a point of not getting involved in these things. She'd have to have changed a lot to be involved with the resistance. She'd have to be a different girl altogether.