Freedom Fighter
Author's Note: Despite what a certain reader of mine thought (*cough*Karla*cough*) , Angel and Geia did NOT sleep together in the last chapter. It's called reading too much into the meanings of the text! This is a long one, just a warning. To give you a hint, the connection that Angel and Geia have is a blood connection, and it is not a relation issue- like they're family. You can figure out what Angel's dream in Chapter 7 meant by going back and reading the second part of Chapter 6, specifically where Geia describes what the Tainted Ones are. I'm hoping you'll at least take a guess. You'll find out at the end of the story that I do many things in my chapters on purpose (like capitalization of certain words, for instance) to create a symbol or significance to the overall story. I would like, once this story is complete, that any of my readers can ask any questions they want, or anything they wish can be cleared up. And the song lyrics are from Linkin Park's song "Forgotten" on their "Hybrid Theory" CD- awesome album, by the way. The other lyrics are from Aerosmith's song "Toys in the Attic"-old song, old band, but still as good as ever. Classic stuff.
And the story continues…
Chapter 8-Evils Unveiled
"Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect."
*Chief Seattle*
**********************************************************************
From the top to the bottom
Bottom to top I stop
At the core I've forgotten
In the middle of my thoughts
Taken far from my safety
The picture is there
The memory won't escape me
But why should I care
There's a place so dark you can't see the end
[Skies cock back] And shock that which can't defend
The rain then sends dripping/An acidic question
Forcefully, the power of suggestion
Then with the eyes tightly shut/Looking through the rust and rot
And dust/A spot of light floods the floor
And pours over the rusted world of pretend
The eyes ease open and it's dark again
In the memory you'll find me
Eyes burning up
The darkness holding me tightly
Until the sun rises up
Moving all around/Screaming of the ups and downs
Pollution manifested in perpetual sound
The wheels go 'round and the sunset creeps past the
Street lamps, chain-link and concrete
A little piece of paper with a picture drawn floats
On down the street until the wind is gone
The memory now is like the picture was then
When the paper's crumpled up it can't be perfect again
Now you got me caught in the act
You bring all the thought back
I'm telling you that
I see it right through you
Dust flew as Angel staked his second vamp. "They're comin' on a little strong, Geia."
The warrior delivered a sound roundhouse kick that sent her vamp into a tall headstone. The wooden stake in her hand found its mark, and more dust littered the cool night air. "Not having fun Angel?"
Angel tossed his third attacker over to Geia so that he could deal with the brute of a vampire that was running at him from all angles. Angel recognized the vampire as being one of the protestor vamps that had been causing so much chaos a few weeks ago. He'd have to let Buffy know. "I'd have more fun when I'm not getting mauled by seven vampires within ten minutes." A left to the jaw, a right hook to the stomach and a roundhouse still didn't deter the grunting demon from charging Angel. He wouldn't have been surprised if the vampire started drooling and stamping his feet on the ground.
Rid of her attacker, Geia jumped the behemoth vampire, who had succeeded in throwing Angel to the ground. The vamp exploded as wood met demon. After helping her partner up, Geia wiped the dust from her clothing. "Really should have worn the leather instead of jeans," she muttered, causing Angel to smile slightly at the humor in her words. Seeing his reaction, Geia grinned. "It's really not polite to stare at people, Angel. Gets you in all kinds of trouble."
Angel joined her in walking out of their fifth cemetery for that night. "Like what?"
"Cold steel against your skin."
Angel halted at her words and at noticing that Geia was lagging behind. He turned to see her staring at a small group of trees just outside the cemetery. "What do you see?"
Her sword flashed in the moonlight as she unsheathed it. "A really nasty, very evil, soon to be very extinct demon." Geia took off at full speed with her vampire accomplice not far behind.
As she entered the group of trees, Geia's acute senses caused her to suddenly stop. Angel came up behind her, confused as to why she had come to a standstill. "Do you feel that Angel?"
His eyes closed and he allowed his vampire instincts and senses to feel out the area around him. What he found was overwhelmingly frightening. "What is it?"
Geia grabbed his hand and ran out of the woods, not stopping until they were a good half-mile down the road, close to the Bronze. She sat down on a nearby bench and Angel joined her. She hadn't said anything since he had asked her what she had felt, and he was scared of her answer, if she answered at all.
Geia looked behind them to make sure nothing had followed, and Angel saw what he thought to be dread in her cold gray eyes. "Geia, you have to tell me. What did you sense was in those woods?"
Her answer would have stopped his heart, had he been alive. "Myron."
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"Oh my God, I'm sooo scared." A noise was heard, a bump in the night, and then a scream.
"Holy...God no, please. Don't let this be real." A cold breeze passed, felt by all, like something trying to reach out and touch the three people. They ran, faster than they thought possible.
A piece of popcorn hit the TV, leaving a small streak of butter on the screen. "Bloody hell, you idiot. Bloody ghosts won't hurt you if you leave them alone."
Dawn tore her eyes away from the TV long enough to see the disgusted look on Spike's face. "I would be scared doing that. Too creepy for me."
Joyce looked over the group of people gathered in her living room, debating over a TV show. "So these places are really haunted?"
Jamal nodded, a smile on his face. "It's so funny to see how scared these people get." He watched as a young girl, whose dare was to spend the entire night in the haunted basement of an asylum, panicked at every noise she heard. "And these people put themselves through this for money?"
A commercial came on broadcasting MTV's "Fear" for the next week. Buffy had never watched the show before, but when Dawn just had to have everyone watch it tonight, she became interested. She had come across ghosts before, but she figured it was different for these people who didn't know what to expect, what ghosts were capable of. She looked around the room and saw Willow, Xander and Anya all asleep. They looked so peaceful, but she knew that such peace wouldn't last.
As the show ended, Jamal began getting restless. His master had gone for quick sweep with Angel, not wanting to put Buffy or any other mortal in danger, and that had been three hours ago. Myron could come at any time, and Geia didn't want to take any unnecessary risks. Jamal hated it when he could not be of assistance to Geia, but he knew that she needed him at the Summers' house to keep an eye on everyone. No one had said anything about the dagonspheres they had received, and Jamal was curious as to why. Dagonspheres were almost never given out to mortals, and rarely given to immortals, and Jamal wondered why he hadn't been bombarded with questions.
Spike watched Jamal get up and begin to pace the length of the living room. The worry on his face was apparent. "Mate, sit down. She and Peaches are just probably tied up with some vampires or other big bad."
Joyce also saw the worry on Jamal's face, and although she only knew that he and Geia were not mortal but were on their side, she began to worry as well. "I'm sure she'll be coming along at any time, Jamal."
Jamal nodded in thanks for her words, then suddenly froze mid-step back to the chair he had been sitting in. Something was very wrong, and he felt Geia's dread permeate through him with an intensity he had never experienced before. He was mentally and emotionally connected to his master, and that connection now allowed him to know what it was that was causing her so much grief.
His voice came out as a whisper. "Myron."
Buffy's ears picked up what Jamal said, and a shot panic hit her like some kind of negative adrenaline. Her eyes met Jamal's, not knowing what "Myron" meant, but she automatically knew it wasn't good. She turned to Spike, hoping he knew. He was already on his feet, shrugging his coat on.
"I'm guessing the big bad's here, eh mate?"
Jamal let out a deep breath and nodded anxiously. He knew that Myron was one of the most dangerous and powerful supernatural beings in the world of Evil, and the thought of facing him was enough to try Jamal's mental stability and strength. Geia had told him that a battle is never just physical, but always emotional and mental as well. Jamal, for all his training and the mentorship that Geia provided, knew he was not ready to even try to go up against Myron. Finding Geia was the best choice. "You have to help me find Geia, Spike. She's out there with Angel and...that thing."
Buffy grabbed Jamal's arm as he and Spike headed out the door. "You aren't going without me. I'm the Slayer, I can handle this thing."
Jamal gently took her hand from his arm, and a sudden peace flooded over her, and then disappeared when he dropped her hand. "No. You can't go out there. And we're not going to fight, we're going to find Geia."
Spike stopped Buffy from responding by leading her over to the couch, making her sit down. "You stay here, pet. No one knows what this thing is." Jamal nodded in appreciation at his cover-up, not wanting to alert Buffy even more than she already was. They headed out the door, and collided with a breathless Geia and Angel.
Geia swallowed hard, trying to gather enough breath to speak. Seeing Jamal and Spike with their coats on, her eyes grew hard as she stared at her apprentice. "Where you going out, Jamal?"
Jamal had heard that tone of voice before, and wished dearly he could disappear. It was like having his long-gone mom scold him. "I felt My- what you were feeling, you know, the Evil, and Spike and I were going to find you."
Geia saw the logic behind Jamal's words and relaxed. She helped Angel up and then scanned the room to make sure everyone was all right. She knew Jamal would want to know exactly what had happened, and she saw the expectance on his face. "Not now, Jamal. I'll explain later." Not seeing Giles amongst the group of mortals and immortals, she panicked. "Where's Giles at?"
Willow, who had just woke up when Geia and Angel came in, shrugged. "He said he'd be over after he did some research on something." Catching the weight of her own words, Willow's eyes grew large. "Geia, should we-" She was cut off by the door slamming as Geia raced out, leaving Jamal to again watch over everyone.
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"Toys, toys, toys...in the attic. Toys, toys, toys...in the attic." Giles couldn't get the song out of his mind, and it was driving him crazy, but so was his fruitless research. Geia had said that he'd be lucky to find anything that mentioned the spell Myron wanted to perform to bring Hell to Earth.
He took the whistling teapot off the stove, knowing he would go back to his books, cup in hand, and just get more frustrated. But what was even worse was that he sensed that Geia knew more than she was letting on, and he couldn't understand why she wouldn't reveal what she knew to him.
Giles settled on the couch and grabbed the nearest book he knew he hadn't looked through yet.
"I do believe there is a section on the highest Black Magiks in Chapter...23," he murmured to himself as he leafed through the enormous book. He squinted, trying to focus on the small text. THUMP! The noise on the roof made Giles drop the book, and his heart nearly stop. A few seconds later, he heard it again, on his roof. The noise increased in volume, and it sounded like there were MORE of whatever it was on his roof. He headed to the door, then silently cursed himself for not grabbing a weapon.
Crossbow in hand, he tracked the noises until they suddenly stopped. The sound of broken glass told him whatever it was was in the house, and it was looking for something or someone.....
An intense, red-hot shot of pain in his head made Giles cringe. Feeling the rough bonds that kept him tied to a chair, he opened his eyes and saw five blurry images. He didn't have to see them clearly to know that they were Zalkana warriors, and he knew exactly what they were looking for.
The nearest warrior, seeing Giles conscious, stomped over and gave him the once-over. The warrior knew his master would kill him if the Watcher was dead. He walked back over to his master and pointed at Giles, indicating he was awake.
The master came over, and in perfect English, asked him where it was. Giles couldn't help but smirk. "You know, I'm afraid I've misplaced it. But if you like, sir, I do have some excellent tea that has just been brewed, and I can get crumpets-" Giles received a hard slap across the face.
"You'll regret your impudence, Watcher. Now where is it?"
Giles shrugged, and the master knew he'd make Rupert tell eventually, so he walked away and ordered his warriors to continue searching the apartment. Giles closed his eyes, thinking his fate was sealed, then remembered the dagonsphere in his pocket. He just didn't know how he was going to break it.
Everyone in the apartment jumped in shock when the front door was kicked in, and a bristling Geia stood, sword drawn and glinting dangerously, in the doorway like some kind of holy yet terrifying image. Her battle- enraged eyes landed on Giles, and he felt her anger, her frustration, and her power, all in one overwhelming combination.
The Zalkana warriors were frozen, except for the leader. With a wild yell, he charged Geia as his soldiers followed. Giles watched in awe as she dismissed each attacker, only to have them charge her again, and meet with cold steel. Five decapitated bodies disintegrated soon after hitting the floor.
Giles felt the blood race back into his arms, painfully restoring his circulation as Geia sliced his bonds. Geia bent down in front of the chair and held his arms, taking away the furious pain with her healing powers. Her eyes met his, and her words were a whisper. "What happened?"
"They came in one of the back windows. They were looking for the medallion."
Geia gently took the medallion from around Giles' neck, examining it with a calculated stare. "My deepest apologies, Rupert. I should have never given this to you. I wasn't aware Myron knew about its existence." She held it at arm's length, watching it twirl and spin hypnotically on its gold chain. "I don't know what he wants it for, but he only sends the Zalkana when he wants something done and done right." She stuffed the medallion into her coat pocket, feeling its weight. She looked back at Giles and noticed the nasty bruise on his right cheek and the bump on his head. "How did you get that?" she asked, motioning to his bruised cheek.
Giles smiled weakly. "I guess the bloody bugger didn't like what I had to say to him." His words got no reaction from Geia but a gentle touch that stopped the pain. He allowed himself to be helped up from the chair, but when Geia put his coat on and began to lead him out the door, he stopped her. "Where are we going?"
"Don't make me pick you up Rupert. I'll carry you all the way to the Slayer's house if I have to." Giles knew better than to argue with her, but he still didn't see the purpose of having everyone at the same place. Geia read his thoughts, and made a decision right then. She wanted them together to let them know what they were getting into, but she also knew that she and Jamal owed one hell of an explanation to all of them. Geia knew from experience that the best way to earn a mortal's trust was to tell them the truth. A simple philosophy, but truth was one of the thin threads all of them were clinging to.
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"And how exactly did this happen?"
The two bell-bottomed, fringed vampires cowered under their master's stare. Marcus, the blonde vampire, decided to be brave and speak up before his master took his head off. "Master, oh great one, we could not stop the man from slaying Dave. He was too powerful, too quick, and very agile."
A loud sigh escaped Myron. "Fine. So he, whoever he is, was better than Dave." His hypnotic green eyes, like a cat's, glowed as he looked at Mary, the other vampire. "What did this man look like, Mary?"
Mary knew she dared not to look at Myron directly. "He was tall, dark- haired....and well built," she rasped, remembering Angel and his style of fighting.
Myron smiled disarmingly, resting his feet on the large oak table. His hand gripped a wineglass, crushing it to shards. "That's wonderful, Mary. You've just described half the men in this town." His minions knew the explosion was coming, and they were right. Myron grabbed Marcus and Mary by the hair, dragging them to their feet. "YOU FIND ME THIS MAN, BRING HIM TO ME, AND MAKE SURE HE'S ALIVE!" He shoved them toward the door, flinging the steel door open. "Don't come back until you have him. Until then, make sure you tell the guards to not disturb me unless it is of extreme importance." He walked across the room and turned the big-screen TV on. "The Yankees are playing, and I want to make sure they beat the Mets." His minions ran out of the house, making sure to not make too much noise. They weren't ready to find their fate at the other end of Myron's powers.
Myronclitus plopped down in his overstuffed armchair and watched Roger Clemens throw the first pitch in Yankee Stadium. But even watching baseball, his favorite thing to do when he wasn't trying to destroy the world or torturing some pathetic life form, could take his mind completely off the present situation. His search for what he needed for his spell was not going like he wanted it to, and now he had some mysterious man, probably some immortal, killing his most expendable minions. This could just not happen.
Myron felt a few strands of his jet black hair fall on his forehead, and he blew it out of his face. His strong, tanned body, clothed in black leather pants and a wifebeater, was lounged in the chair, but Myron still felt cramped. This house, although spacious and quite nice, was just not enough. He was getting cabin fever, and staying inside all the time was frustrating him even more. Maybe he'd go out tomorrow, show his face in public for the first time, and see what Sunnydale had to offer other than numerous graveyards, vampires, demons, and a Hellmouth overflowing with Evil energy. No one knew who he was, and perhaps he'd go out at night, to that club downtown, the Bronze, and see if there were any pretty mortal girls hanging about, lonely and just sitting, watching everyone dance. Girls loved his dark hair and skin, and he knew how to work on their affections. He had to give credit to the mortal race-their women were made well, most of the time. But they were weak, pathetic creatures, and were almost expendable as minions. He had even had a few mortal minions, hypnotized of course, but they did well serving him. Until it came to battle, and then the mortals became shields of flesh he could duck behind if the situation turned out to be against him. It was simply part of his battle plan.
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Jamal eyed the large group of mortals and the two immortals gathered in Buffy's living room, and gave Geia a hesitant look. Geia felt the same way, but in order to gain mortal respect and trust, they had to know the truth. There was no way around that. Angel already had a clue, because of his dreams, and she knew it could no longer be kept a secret.
Buffy expected Geia to address her or Giles, or even the entire group, but Geia's words were at first meant for Angel. "Angel, did you have a dream about me?"
Angel nodded. "I'm assuming it wasn't one of the visions, like the ones that brought me here. You said they would stop." Spike mumbled something about him still having visions, but Geia wanted to address that with him in private.
"Do you remember how much that dream frightened you?" Another nod, but Angel didn't say anything. Geia gave Jamal a "we're-stuck-with-this" look, knowing he didn't agree with her decision, but knowing he had to follow her lead. "Please understand we hid this from all of you for your safety, but I have decided you have earned and deserve to know what we really are. The name 'Tainted Ones' refers to part of what we are, part of what makes us so capable to see and understand Evil." Her face transformed, revealing her true heritage. Jamal followed, and eyes widened and jaws dropped.
Geia's large vampire eyes viewed the group with a bit of pity mixed with a firm stance that they had to understand this. "This is who we really are." Jamal growled behind her, a warning that Buffy, who was reaching for a stake, was poised to attack. Geia's hand extended, releasing a magic, freezing Buffy in her seat. "I apologize, Buffy, but you must hear me out." Her tongue flicked over her fangs, trying to ignore their existence. "Every one of you is now on a course to a fate unknown to any one of us, including myself. And I believe that in order to follow those paths correctly, you must know that this vampire feature Jamal and I possess is merely for show; we are not vampiric in origin, but one of the reasons we were chosen to be Tainted Ones was because we personally or someone in our family, an ancestor, had been bitten by a vampire. Both of our great- grandmothers were made into vampires, and they were given their souls back by God, anchored so that they could mate with a mortal and create a new division in the our race; and this was one of the deciding factors in our own fates. We use this more as a cover-up, to be a spy in the world of vampires." Geia drew out a deep red dagonsphere, and held it out at arm's length. "And now you will all find out your fates."
Author's Note: Despite what a certain reader of mine thought (*cough*Karla*cough*) , Angel and Geia did NOT sleep together in the last chapter. It's called reading too much into the meanings of the text! This is a long one, just a warning. To give you a hint, the connection that Angel and Geia have is a blood connection, and it is not a relation issue- like they're family. You can figure out what Angel's dream in Chapter 7 meant by going back and reading the second part of Chapter 6, specifically where Geia describes what the Tainted Ones are. I'm hoping you'll at least take a guess. You'll find out at the end of the story that I do many things in my chapters on purpose (like capitalization of certain words, for instance) to create a symbol or significance to the overall story. I would like, once this story is complete, that any of my readers can ask any questions they want, or anything they wish can be cleared up. And the song lyrics are from Linkin Park's song "Forgotten" on their "Hybrid Theory" CD- awesome album, by the way. The other lyrics are from Aerosmith's song "Toys in the Attic"-old song, old band, but still as good as ever. Classic stuff.
And the story continues…
Chapter 8-Evils Unveiled
"Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect."
*Chief Seattle*
**********************************************************************
From the top to the bottom
Bottom to top I stop
At the core I've forgotten
In the middle of my thoughts
Taken far from my safety
The picture is there
The memory won't escape me
But why should I care
There's a place so dark you can't see the end
[Skies cock back] And shock that which can't defend
The rain then sends dripping/An acidic question
Forcefully, the power of suggestion
Then with the eyes tightly shut/Looking through the rust and rot
And dust/A spot of light floods the floor
And pours over the rusted world of pretend
The eyes ease open and it's dark again
In the memory you'll find me
Eyes burning up
The darkness holding me tightly
Until the sun rises up
Moving all around/Screaming of the ups and downs
Pollution manifested in perpetual sound
The wheels go 'round and the sunset creeps past the
Street lamps, chain-link and concrete
A little piece of paper with a picture drawn floats
On down the street until the wind is gone
The memory now is like the picture was then
When the paper's crumpled up it can't be perfect again
Now you got me caught in the act
You bring all the thought back
I'm telling you that
I see it right through you
Dust flew as Angel staked his second vamp. "They're comin' on a little strong, Geia."
The warrior delivered a sound roundhouse kick that sent her vamp into a tall headstone. The wooden stake in her hand found its mark, and more dust littered the cool night air. "Not having fun Angel?"
Angel tossed his third attacker over to Geia so that he could deal with the brute of a vampire that was running at him from all angles. Angel recognized the vampire as being one of the protestor vamps that had been causing so much chaos a few weeks ago. He'd have to let Buffy know. "I'd have more fun when I'm not getting mauled by seven vampires within ten minutes." A left to the jaw, a right hook to the stomach and a roundhouse still didn't deter the grunting demon from charging Angel. He wouldn't have been surprised if the vampire started drooling and stamping his feet on the ground.
Rid of her attacker, Geia jumped the behemoth vampire, who had succeeded in throwing Angel to the ground. The vamp exploded as wood met demon. After helping her partner up, Geia wiped the dust from her clothing. "Really should have worn the leather instead of jeans," she muttered, causing Angel to smile slightly at the humor in her words. Seeing his reaction, Geia grinned. "It's really not polite to stare at people, Angel. Gets you in all kinds of trouble."
Angel joined her in walking out of their fifth cemetery for that night. "Like what?"
"Cold steel against your skin."
Angel halted at her words and at noticing that Geia was lagging behind. He turned to see her staring at a small group of trees just outside the cemetery. "What do you see?"
Her sword flashed in the moonlight as she unsheathed it. "A really nasty, very evil, soon to be very extinct demon." Geia took off at full speed with her vampire accomplice not far behind.
As she entered the group of trees, Geia's acute senses caused her to suddenly stop. Angel came up behind her, confused as to why she had come to a standstill. "Do you feel that Angel?"
His eyes closed and he allowed his vampire instincts and senses to feel out the area around him. What he found was overwhelmingly frightening. "What is it?"
Geia grabbed his hand and ran out of the woods, not stopping until they were a good half-mile down the road, close to the Bronze. She sat down on a nearby bench and Angel joined her. She hadn't said anything since he had asked her what she had felt, and he was scared of her answer, if she answered at all.
Geia looked behind them to make sure nothing had followed, and Angel saw what he thought to be dread in her cold gray eyes. "Geia, you have to tell me. What did you sense was in those woods?"
Her answer would have stopped his heart, had he been alive. "Myron."
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"Oh my God, I'm sooo scared." A noise was heard, a bump in the night, and then a scream.
"Holy...God no, please. Don't let this be real." A cold breeze passed, felt by all, like something trying to reach out and touch the three people. They ran, faster than they thought possible.
A piece of popcorn hit the TV, leaving a small streak of butter on the screen. "Bloody hell, you idiot. Bloody ghosts won't hurt you if you leave them alone."
Dawn tore her eyes away from the TV long enough to see the disgusted look on Spike's face. "I would be scared doing that. Too creepy for me."
Joyce looked over the group of people gathered in her living room, debating over a TV show. "So these places are really haunted?"
Jamal nodded, a smile on his face. "It's so funny to see how scared these people get." He watched as a young girl, whose dare was to spend the entire night in the haunted basement of an asylum, panicked at every noise she heard. "And these people put themselves through this for money?"
A commercial came on broadcasting MTV's "Fear" for the next week. Buffy had never watched the show before, but when Dawn just had to have everyone watch it tonight, she became interested. She had come across ghosts before, but she figured it was different for these people who didn't know what to expect, what ghosts were capable of. She looked around the room and saw Willow, Xander and Anya all asleep. They looked so peaceful, but she knew that such peace wouldn't last.
As the show ended, Jamal began getting restless. His master had gone for quick sweep with Angel, not wanting to put Buffy or any other mortal in danger, and that had been three hours ago. Myron could come at any time, and Geia didn't want to take any unnecessary risks. Jamal hated it when he could not be of assistance to Geia, but he knew that she needed him at the Summers' house to keep an eye on everyone. No one had said anything about the dagonspheres they had received, and Jamal was curious as to why. Dagonspheres were almost never given out to mortals, and rarely given to immortals, and Jamal wondered why he hadn't been bombarded with questions.
Spike watched Jamal get up and begin to pace the length of the living room. The worry on his face was apparent. "Mate, sit down. She and Peaches are just probably tied up with some vampires or other big bad."
Joyce also saw the worry on Jamal's face, and although she only knew that he and Geia were not mortal but were on their side, she began to worry as well. "I'm sure she'll be coming along at any time, Jamal."
Jamal nodded in thanks for her words, then suddenly froze mid-step back to the chair he had been sitting in. Something was very wrong, and he felt Geia's dread permeate through him with an intensity he had never experienced before. He was mentally and emotionally connected to his master, and that connection now allowed him to know what it was that was causing her so much grief.
His voice came out as a whisper. "Myron."
Buffy's ears picked up what Jamal said, and a shot panic hit her like some kind of negative adrenaline. Her eyes met Jamal's, not knowing what "Myron" meant, but she automatically knew it wasn't good. She turned to Spike, hoping he knew. He was already on his feet, shrugging his coat on.
"I'm guessing the big bad's here, eh mate?"
Jamal let out a deep breath and nodded anxiously. He knew that Myron was one of the most dangerous and powerful supernatural beings in the world of Evil, and the thought of facing him was enough to try Jamal's mental stability and strength. Geia had told him that a battle is never just physical, but always emotional and mental as well. Jamal, for all his training and the mentorship that Geia provided, knew he was not ready to even try to go up against Myron. Finding Geia was the best choice. "You have to help me find Geia, Spike. She's out there with Angel and...that thing."
Buffy grabbed Jamal's arm as he and Spike headed out the door. "You aren't going without me. I'm the Slayer, I can handle this thing."
Jamal gently took her hand from his arm, and a sudden peace flooded over her, and then disappeared when he dropped her hand. "No. You can't go out there. And we're not going to fight, we're going to find Geia."
Spike stopped Buffy from responding by leading her over to the couch, making her sit down. "You stay here, pet. No one knows what this thing is." Jamal nodded in appreciation at his cover-up, not wanting to alert Buffy even more than she already was. They headed out the door, and collided with a breathless Geia and Angel.
Geia swallowed hard, trying to gather enough breath to speak. Seeing Jamal and Spike with their coats on, her eyes grew hard as she stared at her apprentice. "Where you going out, Jamal?"
Jamal had heard that tone of voice before, and wished dearly he could disappear. It was like having his long-gone mom scold him. "I felt My- what you were feeling, you know, the Evil, and Spike and I were going to find you."
Geia saw the logic behind Jamal's words and relaxed. She helped Angel up and then scanned the room to make sure everyone was all right. She knew Jamal would want to know exactly what had happened, and she saw the expectance on his face. "Not now, Jamal. I'll explain later." Not seeing Giles amongst the group of mortals and immortals, she panicked. "Where's Giles at?"
Willow, who had just woke up when Geia and Angel came in, shrugged. "He said he'd be over after he did some research on something." Catching the weight of her own words, Willow's eyes grew large. "Geia, should we-" She was cut off by the door slamming as Geia raced out, leaving Jamal to again watch over everyone.
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"Toys, toys, toys...in the attic. Toys, toys, toys...in the attic." Giles couldn't get the song out of his mind, and it was driving him crazy, but so was his fruitless research. Geia had said that he'd be lucky to find anything that mentioned the spell Myron wanted to perform to bring Hell to Earth.
He took the whistling teapot off the stove, knowing he would go back to his books, cup in hand, and just get more frustrated. But what was even worse was that he sensed that Geia knew more than she was letting on, and he couldn't understand why she wouldn't reveal what she knew to him.
Giles settled on the couch and grabbed the nearest book he knew he hadn't looked through yet.
"I do believe there is a section on the highest Black Magiks in Chapter...23," he murmured to himself as he leafed through the enormous book. He squinted, trying to focus on the small text. THUMP! The noise on the roof made Giles drop the book, and his heart nearly stop. A few seconds later, he heard it again, on his roof. The noise increased in volume, and it sounded like there were MORE of whatever it was on his roof. He headed to the door, then silently cursed himself for not grabbing a weapon.
Crossbow in hand, he tracked the noises until they suddenly stopped. The sound of broken glass told him whatever it was was in the house, and it was looking for something or someone.....
An intense, red-hot shot of pain in his head made Giles cringe. Feeling the rough bonds that kept him tied to a chair, he opened his eyes and saw five blurry images. He didn't have to see them clearly to know that they were Zalkana warriors, and he knew exactly what they were looking for.
The nearest warrior, seeing Giles conscious, stomped over and gave him the once-over. The warrior knew his master would kill him if the Watcher was dead. He walked back over to his master and pointed at Giles, indicating he was awake.
The master came over, and in perfect English, asked him where it was. Giles couldn't help but smirk. "You know, I'm afraid I've misplaced it. But if you like, sir, I do have some excellent tea that has just been brewed, and I can get crumpets-" Giles received a hard slap across the face.
"You'll regret your impudence, Watcher. Now where is it?"
Giles shrugged, and the master knew he'd make Rupert tell eventually, so he walked away and ordered his warriors to continue searching the apartment. Giles closed his eyes, thinking his fate was sealed, then remembered the dagonsphere in his pocket. He just didn't know how he was going to break it.
Everyone in the apartment jumped in shock when the front door was kicked in, and a bristling Geia stood, sword drawn and glinting dangerously, in the doorway like some kind of holy yet terrifying image. Her battle- enraged eyes landed on Giles, and he felt her anger, her frustration, and her power, all in one overwhelming combination.
The Zalkana warriors were frozen, except for the leader. With a wild yell, he charged Geia as his soldiers followed. Giles watched in awe as she dismissed each attacker, only to have them charge her again, and meet with cold steel. Five decapitated bodies disintegrated soon after hitting the floor.
Giles felt the blood race back into his arms, painfully restoring his circulation as Geia sliced his bonds. Geia bent down in front of the chair and held his arms, taking away the furious pain with her healing powers. Her eyes met his, and her words were a whisper. "What happened?"
"They came in one of the back windows. They were looking for the medallion."
Geia gently took the medallion from around Giles' neck, examining it with a calculated stare. "My deepest apologies, Rupert. I should have never given this to you. I wasn't aware Myron knew about its existence." She held it at arm's length, watching it twirl and spin hypnotically on its gold chain. "I don't know what he wants it for, but he only sends the Zalkana when he wants something done and done right." She stuffed the medallion into her coat pocket, feeling its weight. She looked back at Giles and noticed the nasty bruise on his right cheek and the bump on his head. "How did you get that?" she asked, motioning to his bruised cheek.
Giles smiled weakly. "I guess the bloody bugger didn't like what I had to say to him." His words got no reaction from Geia but a gentle touch that stopped the pain. He allowed himself to be helped up from the chair, but when Geia put his coat on and began to lead him out the door, he stopped her. "Where are we going?"
"Don't make me pick you up Rupert. I'll carry you all the way to the Slayer's house if I have to." Giles knew better than to argue with her, but he still didn't see the purpose of having everyone at the same place. Geia read his thoughts, and made a decision right then. She wanted them together to let them know what they were getting into, but she also knew that she and Jamal owed one hell of an explanation to all of them. Geia knew from experience that the best way to earn a mortal's trust was to tell them the truth. A simple philosophy, but truth was one of the thin threads all of them were clinging to.
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"And how exactly did this happen?"
The two bell-bottomed, fringed vampires cowered under their master's stare. Marcus, the blonde vampire, decided to be brave and speak up before his master took his head off. "Master, oh great one, we could not stop the man from slaying Dave. He was too powerful, too quick, and very agile."
A loud sigh escaped Myron. "Fine. So he, whoever he is, was better than Dave." His hypnotic green eyes, like a cat's, glowed as he looked at Mary, the other vampire. "What did this man look like, Mary?"
Mary knew she dared not to look at Myron directly. "He was tall, dark- haired....and well built," she rasped, remembering Angel and his style of fighting.
Myron smiled disarmingly, resting his feet on the large oak table. His hand gripped a wineglass, crushing it to shards. "That's wonderful, Mary. You've just described half the men in this town." His minions knew the explosion was coming, and they were right. Myron grabbed Marcus and Mary by the hair, dragging them to their feet. "YOU FIND ME THIS MAN, BRING HIM TO ME, AND MAKE SURE HE'S ALIVE!" He shoved them toward the door, flinging the steel door open. "Don't come back until you have him. Until then, make sure you tell the guards to not disturb me unless it is of extreme importance." He walked across the room and turned the big-screen TV on. "The Yankees are playing, and I want to make sure they beat the Mets." His minions ran out of the house, making sure to not make too much noise. They weren't ready to find their fate at the other end of Myron's powers.
Myronclitus plopped down in his overstuffed armchair and watched Roger Clemens throw the first pitch in Yankee Stadium. But even watching baseball, his favorite thing to do when he wasn't trying to destroy the world or torturing some pathetic life form, could take his mind completely off the present situation. His search for what he needed for his spell was not going like he wanted it to, and now he had some mysterious man, probably some immortal, killing his most expendable minions. This could just not happen.
Myron felt a few strands of his jet black hair fall on his forehead, and he blew it out of his face. His strong, tanned body, clothed in black leather pants and a wifebeater, was lounged in the chair, but Myron still felt cramped. This house, although spacious and quite nice, was just not enough. He was getting cabin fever, and staying inside all the time was frustrating him even more. Maybe he'd go out tomorrow, show his face in public for the first time, and see what Sunnydale had to offer other than numerous graveyards, vampires, demons, and a Hellmouth overflowing with Evil energy. No one knew who he was, and perhaps he'd go out at night, to that club downtown, the Bronze, and see if there were any pretty mortal girls hanging about, lonely and just sitting, watching everyone dance. Girls loved his dark hair and skin, and he knew how to work on their affections. He had to give credit to the mortal race-their women were made well, most of the time. But they were weak, pathetic creatures, and were almost expendable as minions. He had even had a few mortal minions, hypnotized of course, but they did well serving him. Until it came to battle, and then the mortals became shields of flesh he could duck behind if the situation turned out to be against him. It was simply part of his battle plan.
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Jamal eyed the large group of mortals and the two immortals gathered in Buffy's living room, and gave Geia a hesitant look. Geia felt the same way, but in order to gain mortal respect and trust, they had to know the truth. There was no way around that. Angel already had a clue, because of his dreams, and she knew it could no longer be kept a secret.
Buffy expected Geia to address her or Giles, or even the entire group, but Geia's words were at first meant for Angel. "Angel, did you have a dream about me?"
Angel nodded. "I'm assuming it wasn't one of the visions, like the ones that brought me here. You said they would stop." Spike mumbled something about him still having visions, but Geia wanted to address that with him in private.
"Do you remember how much that dream frightened you?" Another nod, but Angel didn't say anything. Geia gave Jamal a "we're-stuck-with-this" look, knowing he didn't agree with her decision, but knowing he had to follow her lead. "Please understand we hid this from all of you for your safety, but I have decided you have earned and deserve to know what we really are. The name 'Tainted Ones' refers to part of what we are, part of what makes us so capable to see and understand Evil." Her face transformed, revealing her true heritage. Jamal followed, and eyes widened and jaws dropped.
Geia's large vampire eyes viewed the group with a bit of pity mixed with a firm stance that they had to understand this. "This is who we really are." Jamal growled behind her, a warning that Buffy, who was reaching for a stake, was poised to attack. Geia's hand extended, releasing a magic, freezing Buffy in her seat. "I apologize, Buffy, but you must hear me out." Her tongue flicked over her fangs, trying to ignore their existence. "Every one of you is now on a course to a fate unknown to any one of us, including myself. And I believe that in order to follow those paths correctly, you must know that this vampire feature Jamal and I possess is merely for show; we are not vampiric in origin, but one of the reasons we were chosen to be Tainted Ones was because we personally or someone in our family, an ancestor, had been bitten by a vampire. Both of our great- grandmothers were made into vampires, and they were given their souls back by God, anchored so that they could mate with a mortal and create a new division in the our race; and this was one of the deciding factors in our own fates. We use this more as a cover-up, to be a spy in the world of vampires." Geia drew out a deep red dagonsphere, and held it out at arm's length. "And now you will all find out your fates."