Freedom Fighter
Author's Note: I know, I simply tied up some loose ends in the last chapter and made some new ones....bite me. Just kidding, but I love doing that. Another thing-you'll find that Geia doesn't just have an enemy in Myron...there is someone else who perhaps doesn't have the same agenda as Myron, but still despises Geia, although it hasn't really shown yet. Don't hold your breath for me to tell you, either, lol. Please email me if you have any questions about this story. Peace out.
Chapter 11
"Murderer."
Angel's head snapped around at her words. "What?"
"You're a murderer." Buffy's voice wasn't her own; it was deep and haunting, like something had possessed her. "You killed me." She lunged forward, a stake aimed at his heart.
Giles came out from the hallway in time enough to stop Buffy's attack. He pulled the stake from her hands, but then she dug her nails into Angel's neck, leaving thin, red, angry lines on his ivory skin. With the strength he hadn't used in a long time, Rupert threw his slayer on the couch. He had heard the demonic voice from his bathroom and knew something was wrong. Angel stayed where he was, against the front door with a look of pure shock on his face.
Both men stared at the enraged Slayer who was balled up on the couch, a yellowish glow to her eyes and wild hair that made her look like some other creature. Those eyes were staring right at Angel, right through him, and it hit him. This wasn't Buffy; something had taken control of her body and mind, and whoever is was wasn't a fan of his.
Giles saw Buffy prepare for another attack, her chest heaving rapidly as her breath came out in short gasps. Her hands curled into fists and just as she leapt off the couch, Giles met her with a football-style tackle that pushed her back down. Giles knew that if he didn't contain her, Buffy's possessed body would go after Angel until it killed its host. He pinned her arms down as her head thrashed wildly trying to see Angel.
"Might be a good time to get the tranquilizer gun, Angel. I can't hold her here forever." Angel dashed off and came back with the gun. At his nod, Giles let the possessed girl go and she lunged for Angel, but dropped like a rock when the tranquilizer dart hit her. Angel dropped the gun with disgust, hating that he had to shoot Buffy, even though it wasn't her that was attacking him. That voice....so familiar. He carefully picked up Buffy's still form and placed her on the couch.
Giles saw his look of disdain and felt sorry for him. "She'll be fine, but the tranquilizer will give us a few hours to figure out where this possession came from." He took his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose. "One moment she's fine, and the next she's attacking you." A brief look of panic ran across his face. "You didn't kill anyone, did you?"
Angel's head made a loud thump as it hit the front door. "A long time ago, when I was a soulless demon. You know that, but that voice....I know it from somewhere." His eyes went to the clock on the wall. "Should we call the others to figure this out?"
Giles' hand was already picking the phone up. "I know everyone but Geia is home. She's meeting with the Initiative, and I think she took Jamal with her. She didn't want anyone out at night after she left a bloody mess at Myron's hideout. We should only call her if we absolutely need her." He dialed a very familiar number and waited until the other end picked up. "Yes, Willow? I'm afraid I'm going to need your help...we have to do a anti-possession spell...for who? Well, it's Buffy, she-" Giles pulled the phone away from his ear as the other line went dead. He looked at Angel and smiled blithely. "She'll be here as soon as she can."
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Geia looked at her watch for the umpteenth time. "For being commandos, they sure don't know how to be on time."
Jamal smiled down at her from an old oil barrel. "Are you sure they're even coming?"
Geia grinned back. "You know I don't make idle threats, and I purposely degraded their demon-hunting skills so that they'd come just to right the insult. I just want to see how many are going to come." Her eyes drifted across the alley behind the empty Bronze. If she had wanted a show, she would have arranged the meeting for a night when the club was sure to be full, but then again, Geia liked to avoid publicity. Out of restlessness, she unsheathed her sword and watched as the dim light in the alley reflected on the steel blade. In the reflection she saw a few dark figures approach from behind, and with a warning look to Jamal, she whirled around and took an attack stance.
Riley, Captain Mark Thorn, and fifteen Initiative soldiers crowded into the small alley. Geia relaxed only slightly and Jamal didn't move from his seat. Geia's smile was arrogant as she eyed Riley. "Pleasure to see you again, Agent Finn. Brought more soldier boys to protect you this time?"
Captain Thorn, who, like any good captain, was an impressive sight that demanded respect, threw an angry glare at Geia, who only grinned in response. "I am Captain Mark Thorn, and I suggest we move to where there is more space."
Jamal tested the edge of his battle axe with a finger and looked down at the Captain. "Don't tell me you guys actually want to fight us? We're not into killing people unless we have to. We came to talk to you about your operation and your role in fighting demonic forces."
Thorn pointed behind him to an empty parking lot. "I believe that might do."
This guy didn't even hear Jamal, Geia thought. Just thinks he has control over us too. "Fine. But if you try anything-"
"You don't have anything to worry about. We're here for a discussion, not a battle." Riley smirked then turned and followed Thorn to the parking lot.
Jamal jumped off the barrel and followed his master. "If they're here to talk, why bring the calvary with them? Must think we're completely brainless, bloody bloggers or something."
She looked shocked. "You've been hanging around Spike way too much, Jamal. You're even talking like him, and we only need one Spike." But Jamal knew she found it funny.
The parking lot was surrounded by trees on the west and north sides, and Jamal kept watch there in case Thorn had brought an army with him, or if any baddie jumped out of the trees. He had put his axe in its sling on his back, but his left hand strayed to his side, just in case.
Thorn waited until they had gotten in the parking lot to speak. "We know you and your friend are working with the Slayer to devise a plan to defeat the sorcerer Myron. We want you to know that the Initiative is on your side and that we plan to find Myron and destroy him."
"With what, your fancy toys and laser guns? He'd look at your troops and they'd vaporize or be turned into slaves."
Thorn hadn't expected such a response, and instantly knew that Geia was withholding information that may be useful in the future. "Miss..."
"Name's Geia, General Patton."
Her snide remark got even a few quiet snickers from the soldiers behind him, and Thorn silently fumed at her insolence. "Geia, we are quite confident that our state-of-the-art weapons are very capable of destroying Myron and his establishment. We use the latest-"
"Light-sabers that wouldn't do shit to Myron. You're in over your head, Captain, and your entire army will die if you go against Myron. One look from him can control most humans, if he thinks you'd be useful, and if not, you're smoke and ashes." Jamal saw the anger in Riley's eyes at his words and saw him reach for his gun, but Thorn stopped him with a silent gesture.
Thorn put on a somewhat friendly look. "Well, then, perhaps you can pass some information our way that would help us to prepare for battle. Anything you know would be of use to us."
Jamal started to tell him to go to hell, but Geia put a hand over his mouth. "Captain, our information is...how do you say it? Oh, yes, CLASSIFIED, and not to be known to you or any of your men." Geia saw the startled and very pissed-off look on his face and smiled inwardly. "And just when do you plan on battling Myron? Tomorrow, the next week, the next month? You'll never be ready. He's too powerful."
Riley had more patience than his captain did, but not much, so his voice was restrained and it came through gritted teeth. "And how is it that two mortals know so much about Myron, if he's so powerful and can enslave most humans?" He thought he had the upper hand with this question, but was disappointed when Geia laughed outloud.
"That's simple, Mr. Finn. We're not mortal. That's all you need to know." Jamal saw the soldiers draw their guns and he reached for his axe while Geia unsheathed her sword.
Thorn's face had gone from mock friendliness to pure hatred. "Not mortals, eh? Well, then you probably are a threat to the Slayer and her friends and family, and it is our duty to take out any dangerous creatures who pose a threat to society."
Geia turned on her heel and threw her words back to the Captain. "Then why haven't you boys shot yourselves, because I see no threat other than the dangers you pose to society."
Thorn kept his eyes on the two figures, and with the drop of his hand, the soldiers fired. The guns did nothing to the two immortals. As a last attempt, Riley drew his gun, angled himself to get a better shot, and fired all six rounds in their direction.
The figures still walked away as if nothing was wrong, but two of the rounds had hit Geia, one in the right shoulder blade and the other in her side. Bullets were the only form of weaponry that could damage her, and she had put up a protection shield to prevent the bullets from passing, but she had been a second too late. The first two bullets were the ones that had hit her, and Jamal knew he had to get her to Giles before she passed out. He couldn't remove the bullets by himself, and Giles or Angel or Spike would be the only ones that would have the skill to dig them out. Surgery on a Tainted One was more complicated than any other, but Jamal was glad the bullets had hit areas of more muscle than bone, but it was the bullet in Geia's side that worried him. It would be the harder one to remove. Geia made it halfway to Giles' apartment before she became to weak to walk, and Jamal carried his master the rest of the way, running as fast as he could, her blood all over his clothes and tears in his eyes.
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"Okay, now you have to say these words and the possession should be lifted." Willow handed a book to Angel, who sat down on the floor between her and Spike. Giles filled in the last spot in the circle around Buffy's prone form. Willow had met up with Spike on the way over and told him what had happened. She would need his help also, because it took four people to perform the spell and she didn't want to risk using Xander and Anya. They were at Buffy's house keeping Joyce and Dawn company and waiting by the phone for updates.
"Kana upoe durack ruigh yeso." A blue flame lit the circle Willow had drawn around Buffy with a potion for anti-possession. The flame grew higher and completely engulfed Buffy's form, driving the spirit inside of her out into the open. Angel dropped the book and froze as the spirit's face appeared before him for only a split second. He remembered that he...no, that had been Angelus who had taken great pleasure in killing her, this young girl, so beautiful and fragile. He had killed her in an alley and then taken her inside the English inn he had watched her come out of. Telling the clerk she had gotten sick and he needed to take her to her room, he had put her in the sitting area of the spacious room (it had been one of the most expensive in all of London). Angelus had propped her body up to look like she had fallen asleep while reading the book he placed beside her, then he slipped out the door as he heard footsteps on the staircase. But he had been disappointed-the woman who had gone in the room, her sister probably from their similar looks, didn't scream, moan, or cry out at all. Angelus had never risked to stay around the sight of a kill, and although he had been thoroughly disappointed, this wasn't going to be an exception. But the memory stayed with Angelus, and now haunted Angel.
The flame died, the spirit faded with a scream and a finger pointed in accusation at Angel, and Buffy woke up, confused and very tired. Before anyone had a chance to explain, or to ask Angel if he was alright, the door to the apartment burst open. Tears cut trails down Jamal's face as he stood in the doorway and stared at a limp and bloody Geia in his arms. Blood matted the ends of her long raven hair against her leather jacket, and blood had ran from the two wounds all the way down her body, which was now dripping on the wood floor. Jamal had made sure not to leave a trail of her blood outside, but now it gushed from her festering wounds.
Everyone was shocked, but both Spike and Giles came to their senses fast enough to see how badly she had been injured. Giles ran to get bandages as Spike gently took Geia from Jamal's arms and laid her on the floor. Willow jumped up and led Jamal over to an armchair, where he simply stared at Geia, overcome with grief but no longer crying. Angel had snapped out of his daze and helped Buffy up on the couch, even though she had resisted with what little strength she had left. But she still watched on worriedly as Spike tried to peel Geia's jacket off to get a better look at her wounds.
Giles came back with bandages and other medical equipment, but when he tried to help Spike as he struggled with the jacket, Spike directed him to something else. "Rupert, you're not helping by getting your hands in the way. I need some room to get this bloody jacket off." He looked at a helpless Willow. "See if you can find some spell or potion to stop this bleeding. I don't know how to take care of an angel, but I do know that if these wounds are sealed somehow, she'll bleed an ocean on the floor." He looked at Jamal, who was now getting up out of his chair. "I'll need your help, mate. You know better than anyone here what happened and how to help her." Spike finally got the jacket off and tossed it aside.
Jamal knelt on the floor beside him. "She was shot. Bullets are the only things that can hurt her. She was shot in the right shoulder blade and her right side. She'll be in a paralyzed and unconscious state until the bleeding is stopped." He paused, almost too scared to say the words. "When a Tainted One gets injured like this, they become almost human. She'll get cold if she's not kept under blankets, and she can get dehydrated from loss of blood." He stared at his master for a moment, then whispered, "I've never seen her this vulnerable before."
Angel sat down a few feet away and helped prepare bandages with Giles. "She can't die from bullets, can she?"
Jamal looked up. "No, but they have to be taken out before she'll stop bleeding."
Willow quickly made up a potion of herbs to help with the bleeding and then took Jamal's place beside Spike. "I have to get to the wounds, Spike."
Spike nodded in response. Her black tank top clung to her, soaked with blood, and Spike didn't bother with trying to save the garment. He ripped the shirt down the middle and tossed it aside, not even thinking about the blood that now covered his hands. He remembered that Geia's blood was poisonous to any demon, but....he hadn't even considered that until now. His soul was keeping him in check. He quickly put a blanket over most of her torso to keep her warm while not hindering their access to the wounds. Willow bent down and applied the herbs to the wounds, which were still bleeding profusely. The bullets were in the skin deep, the top layers shredded in a mass of red and purple. Willow finished her job quickly and went to sit down, the sight of the wounds and the severity of them made her sick.
Spike and Giles worked together to apply the bandages to soak up some of the blood before removing the bullets, but as soon as they were put on, the bandages became blood-soaked. They kept changing the bandages until Willow's potion kicked in and the bleeding lessened enough that the bullets could be removed.
Buffy knelt on the floor beside Angel after checking to see that Willow was okay. "I want to help," she said.
Jamal looked at her before glancing at the others. "Fine, but there isn't much any of you can do now. I have to get the bullets out, but I'll need a few people to stick around if I need help. I have to do the surgery myself." He offered no further explanation as to why, and they didn't inquire. Buffy settled on taking Willow into Giles' spare bedroom to get her away from all the blood and keep her company. Everyone else hung around in the living room to offer assistance, but even Angel couldn't look at certain times. It looked so painful, and even though Jamal had assured them that Geia couldn't feel it, Angel swore at times that her still facial features sometimes twisted slightly in painful agony.
Geia woke up an hour later to find several concerned faces watching her. The pain was unbearable, but she gave a false, weak smile to reassure them. She tried to sit up from the couch, but was stopped.
Angel's strong hands gently pushed her back down. "You're not strong enough to get up yet."
Geia looked down and noticed that she was in different clothing. Giles explained to her that Xander had brought clean clothes over from Buffy's house. Geia didn't say anything, but Buffy saw her silent thanks in her eyes. "But those Initiative bastards will find out payback's a bitch- ruining my clothes was not a good idea," she joked. But she silently swore to herself that the Initiative were a dangerous group of mortals who saw Jamal and she as the enemy, and she wouldn't risk another encounter that would leave her or Jamal injured. The wounds would heal quickly--she'd be just fine by tomorrow, but the wounds were going to make her stronger. She felt revenge burning through her veins, and seeking the enemy out was number one on her priority list. Myron was still the biggest threat, but the possibility that he would enslave the Initiative soldiers was a horrendous one. But...perhaps there was a way to prevent such a situation, AND weaken Myron considerably. But it would mean revealing the only information she had left to keep secret. Even Jamal didn't know what ingredients Myron needed to perform his spell, but of the ten, she knew seven, putting two people at risk, one much more important than the other.
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"I have no slaves, my captured Slayer has suddenly disappeared, and I've just gotten a small army of the most IDIOTIC Zalkanas I've ever commanded. HOW THE HELL DO YOU THINK MY DAY HAS BEEN?"
The two vamps huddled in the corner Myron had trapped them in, knowing that their fate could very well be at the wrong end of a pointy wooden stake. "I'm sorry, Master," Marcus muttered in feign hopes of calming Myron down.
Myron picked up a magic paperweight from his coffee table and flung it across the room, hearing it bounce satisfyingly against the empty cavern walls. He looked pointedly at Mary. "You know, if there were slaves in there, it would have bonked a few of them on the head, but....I DON'T HAVE ANY SLAVES TO HIT!" His face relaxed a bit, and he smiled disarmingly. "I don't suppose you two want to be the beginnings of my new pack of slaves."
The vampires nodded furiously, and Myron collapsed on his couch with an exasperated sigh. "What am I going to do? This town reeks of humans and their emotions, and I have a vampire who was killed by some still unknown tall-dark-and-handsome, a gold medallion lost, and now a mysterious girl and a tall black man who call themselves 'Freedom Fighters' and let my slaves loose. And on top of that, this girl, she seems...more than what she appears. She disguises her appearance for some odd reason, and the only she would be able to do that was if she was magic because there was a big difference between the girl I met in the cemetery and the girl that was here. I have the strangest feeling I'm missing a VERY big piece of that puzzle." He glared at the vampires. "Either one of you Einsteins have any ideas?"
"No, Master!" they squeaked in unison. Mary was shaking with fear so badly that her many necklaces and bracelets jangled, annoying Myron. He stood up and grabbed her by the hair, shaking her ferociously.
"Would you stop shaking! Those damn necklaces make so much noise-" His words cut off when he saw a particular necklace that caught his eye. "What is this, Mary?" he purred sweetly.
Mary's eyes were huge with fright. "I found it, Master, after those Freedom Fighters left. I think one of them dropped it."
Myron pulled the medallion off her neck and examined it, a huge smile on his face. "Mary, honey, you did a good thing in picking this up. But it wasn't on one of those warriors. It had been on the Slayer." He hadn't seen it on Buffy when she had been his captive, but his powers now told him it had been on her, that someone had given it to her. The girl with the black hair....it had been hers and then she gave it to the Slayer to protect her. Too bad for her, he thought. But now I can find out what I need for my spell.
Marcus and Mary saw their Master relax, and almost sighed with relief. They had done something right. Myron stomped off to his library, his mind now churning with possibilities. Who was that raven-haired beauty? The two vampires started to follow, but Myron's bellowing yell stopped them.
"MAKE SURE NEITHER ONE OF YOU BOTHER ME UNTIL I COME OUT OF THE LIBRARY, OR I'LL MAKE SURE YOU'RE THE FIRST ONES CHAINED TO THAT CAVERN!
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The next few days passed quickly, the tension building inside everyone. Geia had been quiet the past couple of days, walking around with a worried look on her face. She spent quite a bit of time speaking with Giles, who wore the same worried look she did. Geia did the nightly sweeps with either Jamal, Angel or Spike and fought with an intensified passion, and tonight, the blonde vamp was with her.
Spike bent down and stake a newbie before he even got out of the grave. He turned to see Geia staring off into the distance. "Uh, luv, what's wrong?"
His words shook her out of her daze. "Nothing Spike." She hadn't even noticed that he had stake a vamp. "It's quiet tonight," she said quietly.
Spike's attuned hearing caught her words. "Yeah, too bloody quiet for my liking." He went over and waved a hand in front of her face. She looked at him, startled and confused. "You were out of it," he explained.
Geia ran a hand over her face and sighed. "I'm sorry Spike. I'm just so distracted anymore, with plans for heading Myron off, and then there's the Initiative...."
Spike led her over to a bench. " 'Sfine, Geia. So when do we go out and kick some soldier-boy ass?" He had never liked Riley, and now that he had shot Geia, his vampire instincts told him to track him down and do him in good and proper like a vampire should, but his soul stopped him. Again.
Geia's head turned to him, and she looked closely at him. "How are you feeling, Spike? I mean, with your soul completely restored and all?"
He shrugged. "I'm not exactly used to it, if that's what you mean, but it beats the hell out of not begin able to fight humans anymore with that bloody pain in my head." He saw her smile at his words and leaned closer. "But there's always that little problem of not being able to...well, enjoy myself without going all big and bad again."
"And if Buffy was here, she'd tell you you're a pig, Spike. Which you are."
Spike leaned back, pleased with himself. "So what? I like a little action just like the next fella, but-"
"There's nothing stopping you, Spike, that is, unless you actually like shacking up with whores."
His jaw dropped at the crudeness of her words, and it stayed that way when he figured out what she was talking about. "You mean, that whole bloody 'one moment of happiness' clause doesn't apply to me?"
Geia gave him a funny look. "You didn't know that? I thought I told you that. It's because I restored your soul, as where Angel was given his by gypsies."
Spike gave her a hard look back. "I would have remembered something like THAT, pet." His tone became condescending. "And such words for a holy one! Where did you learn such language?"
She snorted. "I've seen and experience many things, Spike, just like you have, but even you would be surprised by the things I've done. We're sorta given free reign of what we do, as long as we serve our purpose and protect humanity."
Spike pulled a cigarette and lighter out of his jacket and lit up. The smoke hung on the cool air, and he watched it disappear into the dark. "Free reign, eh? Anything you want, short of being Evil?"
She nodded, then reached into his open duster for a cigarette. He lit it for her, then sat back and watched her smoke it. The image struck him as funny, and he began to chuckle. "What's so funny, vampire?" she demanded.
He puffed on the cig and smiled. "You smoking, that's what is so funny, luv. You're really corrupting my image of you."
But Geia didn't hear him. She stood up quickly and unsheathed her sword. She was back to full strength and she felt the power course through her body. Spike saw what she was looking at and took off at a full run across the cemetery.
A small group of Initiative soldiers were trekking through the graveyard, more than likely looking for any bad guys, or for her if they were lucky. Well, tonight's your lucky night, boys, she thought.
But she didn't want to kill them-she wanted to capture them and pump them for information. She wasn't about to kill human who were misguided and led by a son-of-a-bitch tyrant like Thorn.
Spike joined her behind a large tombstone not even a 150 feet from the soldiers. "Eight in total, and lookie who's commanding the troops tonight," he muttered.
"Do me a favor, Spike," she whispered.
"Anything, pet."
She held out a dagonsphere. "Take this and throw it on my signal. It will ensnare them so we can get them back to my house."
Spike took the dagonsphere from her. "Waiting on your signal, pet."
"One more thing, Spike."
"Yeah?"
She leaned forward and kissed him full on the lips. He was too shocked to move at first, but he gave in when her lips demanded more of him. He groaned slightly when the kiss grew in intensity, and he gave in to the sensation. After a minute, she broke away and grinned. "And whatever you do, don't look at the light."
Author's Note: I know, I simply tied up some loose ends in the last chapter and made some new ones....bite me. Just kidding, but I love doing that. Another thing-you'll find that Geia doesn't just have an enemy in Myron...there is someone else who perhaps doesn't have the same agenda as Myron, but still despises Geia, although it hasn't really shown yet. Don't hold your breath for me to tell you, either, lol. Please email me if you have any questions about this story. Peace out.
Chapter 11
"Murderer."
Angel's head snapped around at her words. "What?"
"You're a murderer." Buffy's voice wasn't her own; it was deep and haunting, like something had possessed her. "You killed me." She lunged forward, a stake aimed at his heart.
Giles came out from the hallway in time enough to stop Buffy's attack. He pulled the stake from her hands, but then she dug her nails into Angel's neck, leaving thin, red, angry lines on his ivory skin. With the strength he hadn't used in a long time, Rupert threw his slayer on the couch. He had heard the demonic voice from his bathroom and knew something was wrong. Angel stayed where he was, against the front door with a look of pure shock on his face.
Both men stared at the enraged Slayer who was balled up on the couch, a yellowish glow to her eyes and wild hair that made her look like some other creature. Those eyes were staring right at Angel, right through him, and it hit him. This wasn't Buffy; something had taken control of her body and mind, and whoever is was wasn't a fan of his.
Giles saw Buffy prepare for another attack, her chest heaving rapidly as her breath came out in short gasps. Her hands curled into fists and just as she leapt off the couch, Giles met her with a football-style tackle that pushed her back down. Giles knew that if he didn't contain her, Buffy's possessed body would go after Angel until it killed its host. He pinned her arms down as her head thrashed wildly trying to see Angel.
"Might be a good time to get the tranquilizer gun, Angel. I can't hold her here forever." Angel dashed off and came back with the gun. At his nod, Giles let the possessed girl go and she lunged for Angel, but dropped like a rock when the tranquilizer dart hit her. Angel dropped the gun with disgust, hating that he had to shoot Buffy, even though it wasn't her that was attacking him. That voice....so familiar. He carefully picked up Buffy's still form and placed her on the couch.
Giles saw his look of disdain and felt sorry for him. "She'll be fine, but the tranquilizer will give us a few hours to figure out where this possession came from." He took his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose. "One moment she's fine, and the next she's attacking you." A brief look of panic ran across his face. "You didn't kill anyone, did you?"
Angel's head made a loud thump as it hit the front door. "A long time ago, when I was a soulless demon. You know that, but that voice....I know it from somewhere." His eyes went to the clock on the wall. "Should we call the others to figure this out?"
Giles' hand was already picking the phone up. "I know everyone but Geia is home. She's meeting with the Initiative, and I think she took Jamal with her. She didn't want anyone out at night after she left a bloody mess at Myron's hideout. We should only call her if we absolutely need her." He dialed a very familiar number and waited until the other end picked up. "Yes, Willow? I'm afraid I'm going to need your help...we have to do a anti-possession spell...for who? Well, it's Buffy, she-" Giles pulled the phone away from his ear as the other line went dead. He looked at Angel and smiled blithely. "She'll be here as soon as she can."
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Geia looked at her watch for the umpteenth time. "For being commandos, they sure don't know how to be on time."
Jamal smiled down at her from an old oil barrel. "Are you sure they're even coming?"
Geia grinned back. "You know I don't make idle threats, and I purposely degraded their demon-hunting skills so that they'd come just to right the insult. I just want to see how many are going to come." Her eyes drifted across the alley behind the empty Bronze. If she had wanted a show, she would have arranged the meeting for a night when the club was sure to be full, but then again, Geia liked to avoid publicity. Out of restlessness, she unsheathed her sword and watched as the dim light in the alley reflected on the steel blade. In the reflection she saw a few dark figures approach from behind, and with a warning look to Jamal, she whirled around and took an attack stance.
Riley, Captain Mark Thorn, and fifteen Initiative soldiers crowded into the small alley. Geia relaxed only slightly and Jamal didn't move from his seat. Geia's smile was arrogant as she eyed Riley. "Pleasure to see you again, Agent Finn. Brought more soldier boys to protect you this time?"
Captain Thorn, who, like any good captain, was an impressive sight that demanded respect, threw an angry glare at Geia, who only grinned in response. "I am Captain Mark Thorn, and I suggest we move to where there is more space."
Jamal tested the edge of his battle axe with a finger and looked down at the Captain. "Don't tell me you guys actually want to fight us? We're not into killing people unless we have to. We came to talk to you about your operation and your role in fighting demonic forces."
Thorn pointed behind him to an empty parking lot. "I believe that might do."
This guy didn't even hear Jamal, Geia thought. Just thinks he has control over us too. "Fine. But if you try anything-"
"You don't have anything to worry about. We're here for a discussion, not a battle." Riley smirked then turned and followed Thorn to the parking lot.
Jamal jumped off the barrel and followed his master. "If they're here to talk, why bring the calvary with them? Must think we're completely brainless, bloody bloggers or something."
She looked shocked. "You've been hanging around Spike way too much, Jamal. You're even talking like him, and we only need one Spike." But Jamal knew she found it funny.
The parking lot was surrounded by trees on the west and north sides, and Jamal kept watch there in case Thorn had brought an army with him, or if any baddie jumped out of the trees. He had put his axe in its sling on his back, but his left hand strayed to his side, just in case.
Thorn waited until they had gotten in the parking lot to speak. "We know you and your friend are working with the Slayer to devise a plan to defeat the sorcerer Myron. We want you to know that the Initiative is on your side and that we plan to find Myron and destroy him."
"With what, your fancy toys and laser guns? He'd look at your troops and they'd vaporize or be turned into slaves."
Thorn hadn't expected such a response, and instantly knew that Geia was withholding information that may be useful in the future. "Miss..."
"Name's Geia, General Patton."
Her snide remark got even a few quiet snickers from the soldiers behind him, and Thorn silently fumed at her insolence. "Geia, we are quite confident that our state-of-the-art weapons are very capable of destroying Myron and his establishment. We use the latest-"
"Light-sabers that wouldn't do shit to Myron. You're in over your head, Captain, and your entire army will die if you go against Myron. One look from him can control most humans, if he thinks you'd be useful, and if not, you're smoke and ashes." Jamal saw the anger in Riley's eyes at his words and saw him reach for his gun, but Thorn stopped him with a silent gesture.
Thorn put on a somewhat friendly look. "Well, then, perhaps you can pass some information our way that would help us to prepare for battle. Anything you know would be of use to us."
Jamal started to tell him to go to hell, but Geia put a hand over his mouth. "Captain, our information is...how do you say it? Oh, yes, CLASSIFIED, and not to be known to you or any of your men." Geia saw the startled and very pissed-off look on his face and smiled inwardly. "And just when do you plan on battling Myron? Tomorrow, the next week, the next month? You'll never be ready. He's too powerful."
Riley had more patience than his captain did, but not much, so his voice was restrained and it came through gritted teeth. "And how is it that two mortals know so much about Myron, if he's so powerful and can enslave most humans?" He thought he had the upper hand with this question, but was disappointed when Geia laughed outloud.
"That's simple, Mr. Finn. We're not mortal. That's all you need to know." Jamal saw the soldiers draw their guns and he reached for his axe while Geia unsheathed her sword.
Thorn's face had gone from mock friendliness to pure hatred. "Not mortals, eh? Well, then you probably are a threat to the Slayer and her friends and family, and it is our duty to take out any dangerous creatures who pose a threat to society."
Geia turned on her heel and threw her words back to the Captain. "Then why haven't you boys shot yourselves, because I see no threat other than the dangers you pose to society."
Thorn kept his eyes on the two figures, and with the drop of his hand, the soldiers fired. The guns did nothing to the two immortals. As a last attempt, Riley drew his gun, angled himself to get a better shot, and fired all six rounds in their direction.
The figures still walked away as if nothing was wrong, but two of the rounds had hit Geia, one in the right shoulder blade and the other in her side. Bullets were the only form of weaponry that could damage her, and she had put up a protection shield to prevent the bullets from passing, but she had been a second too late. The first two bullets were the ones that had hit her, and Jamal knew he had to get her to Giles before she passed out. He couldn't remove the bullets by himself, and Giles or Angel or Spike would be the only ones that would have the skill to dig them out. Surgery on a Tainted One was more complicated than any other, but Jamal was glad the bullets had hit areas of more muscle than bone, but it was the bullet in Geia's side that worried him. It would be the harder one to remove. Geia made it halfway to Giles' apartment before she became to weak to walk, and Jamal carried his master the rest of the way, running as fast as he could, her blood all over his clothes and tears in his eyes.
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"Okay, now you have to say these words and the possession should be lifted." Willow handed a book to Angel, who sat down on the floor between her and Spike. Giles filled in the last spot in the circle around Buffy's prone form. Willow had met up with Spike on the way over and told him what had happened. She would need his help also, because it took four people to perform the spell and she didn't want to risk using Xander and Anya. They were at Buffy's house keeping Joyce and Dawn company and waiting by the phone for updates.
"Kana upoe durack ruigh yeso." A blue flame lit the circle Willow had drawn around Buffy with a potion for anti-possession. The flame grew higher and completely engulfed Buffy's form, driving the spirit inside of her out into the open. Angel dropped the book and froze as the spirit's face appeared before him for only a split second. He remembered that he...no, that had been Angelus who had taken great pleasure in killing her, this young girl, so beautiful and fragile. He had killed her in an alley and then taken her inside the English inn he had watched her come out of. Telling the clerk she had gotten sick and he needed to take her to her room, he had put her in the sitting area of the spacious room (it had been one of the most expensive in all of London). Angelus had propped her body up to look like she had fallen asleep while reading the book he placed beside her, then he slipped out the door as he heard footsteps on the staircase. But he had been disappointed-the woman who had gone in the room, her sister probably from their similar looks, didn't scream, moan, or cry out at all. Angelus had never risked to stay around the sight of a kill, and although he had been thoroughly disappointed, this wasn't going to be an exception. But the memory stayed with Angelus, and now haunted Angel.
The flame died, the spirit faded with a scream and a finger pointed in accusation at Angel, and Buffy woke up, confused and very tired. Before anyone had a chance to explain, or to ask Angel if he was alright, the door to the apartment burst open. Tears cut trails down Jamal's face as he stood in the doorway and stared at a limp and bloody Geia in his arms. Blood matted the ends of her long raven hair against her leather jacket, and blood had ran from the two wounds all the way down her body, which was now dripping on the wood floor. Jamal had made sure not to leave a trail of her blood outside, but now it gushed from her festering wounds.
Everyone was shocked, but both Spike and Giles came to their senses fast enough to see how badly she had been injured. Giles ran to get bandages as Spike gently took Geia from Jamal's arms and laid her on the floor. Willow jumped up and led Jamal over to an armchair, where he simply stared at Geia, overcome with grief but no longer crying. Angel had snapped out of his daze and helped Buffy up on the couch, even though she had resisted with what little strength she had left. But she still watched on worriedly as Spike tried to peel Geia's jacket off to get a better look at her wounds.
Giles came back with bandages and other medical equipment, but when he tried to help Spike as he struggled with the jacket, Spike directed him to something else. "Rupert, you're not helping by getting your hands in the way. I need some room to get this bloody jacket off." He looked at a helpless Willow. "See if you can find some spell or potion to stop this bleeding. I don't know how to take care of an angel, but I do know that if these wounds are sealed somehow, she'll bleed an ocean on the floor." He looked at Jamal, who was now getting up out of his chair. "I'll need your help, mate. You know better than anyone here what happened and how to help her." Spike finally got the jacket off and tossed it aside.
Jamal knelt on the floor beside him. "She was shot. Bullets are the only things that can hurt her. She was shot in the right shoulder blade and her right side. She'll be in a paralyzed and unconscious state until the bleeding is stopped." He paused, almost too scared to say the words. "When a Tainted One gets injured like this, they become almost human. She'll get cold if she's not kept under blankets, and she can get dehydrated from loss of blood." He stared at his master for a moment, then whispered, "I've never seen her this vulnerable before."
Angel sat down a few feet away and helped prepare bandages with Giles. "She can't die from bullets, can she?"
Jamal looked up. "No, but they have to be taken out before she'll stop bleeding."
Willow quickly made up a potion of herbs to help with the bleeding and then took Jamal's place beside Spike. "I have to get to the wounds, Spike."
Spike nodded in response. Her black tank top clung to her, soaked with blood, and Spike didn't bother with trying to save the garment. He ripped the shirt down the middle and tossed it aside, not even thinking about the blood that now covered his hands. He remembered that Geia's blood was poisonous to any demon, but....he hadn't even considered that until now. His soul was keeping him in check. He quickly put a blanket over most of her torso to keep her warm while not hindering their access to the wounds. Willow bent down and applied the herbs to the wounds, which were still bleeding profusely. The bullets were in the skin deep, the top layers shredded in a mass of red and purple. Willow finished her job quickly and went to sit down, the sight of the wounds and the severity of them made her sick.
Spike and Giles worked together to apply the bandages to soak up some of the blood before removing the bullets, but as soon as they were put on, the bandages became blood-soaked. They kept changing the bandages until Willow's potion kicked in and the bleeding lessened enough that the bullets could be removed.
Buffy knelt on the floor beside Angel after checking to see that Willow was okay. "I want to help," she said.
Jamal looked at her before glancing at the others. "Fine, but there isn't much any of you can do now. I have to get the bullets out, but I'll need a few people to stick around if I need help. I have to do the surgery myself." He offered no further explanation as to why, and they didn't inquire. Buffy settled on taking Willow into Giles' spare bedroom to get her away from all the blood and keep her company. Everyone else hung around in the living room to offer assistance, but even Angel couldn't look at certain times. It looked so painful, and even though Jamal had assured them that Geia couldn't feel it, Angel swore at times that her still facial features sometimes twisted slightly in painful agony.
Geia woke up an hour later to find several concerned faces watching her. The pain was unbearable, but she gave a false, weak smile to reassure them. She tried to sit up from the couch, but was stopped.
Angel's strong hands gently pushed her back down. "You're not strong enough to get up yet."
Geia looked down and noticed that she was in different clothing. Giles explained to her that Xander had brought clean clothes over from Buffy's house. Geia didn't say anything, but Buffy saw her silent thanks in her eyes. "But those Initiative bastards will find out payback's a bitch- ruining my clothes was not a good idea," she joked. But she silently swore to herself that the Initiative were a dangerous group of mortals who saw Jamal and she as the enemy, and she wouldn't risk another encounter that would leave her or Jamal injured. The wounds would heal quickly--she'd be just fine by tomorrow, but the wounds were going to make her stronger. She felt revenge burning through her veins, and seeking the enemy out was number one on her priority list. Myron was still the biggest threat, but the possibility that he would enslave the Initiative soldiers was a horrendous one. But...perhaps there was a way to prevent such a situation, AND weaken Myron considerably. But it would mean revealing the only information she had left to keep secret. Even Jamal didn't know what ingredients Myron needed to perform his spell, but of the ten, she knew seven, putting two people at risk, one much more important than the other.
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"I have no slaves, my captured Slayer has suddenly disappeared, and I've just gotten a small army of the most IDIOTIC Zalkanas I've ever commanded. HOW THE HELL DO YOU THINK MY DAY HAS BEEN?"
The two vamps huddled in the corner Myron had trapped them in, knowing that their fate could very well be at the wrong end of a pointy wooden stake. "I'm sorry, Master," Marcus muttered in feign hopes of calming Myron down.
Myron picked up a magic paperweight from his coffee table and flung it across the room, hearing it bounce satisfyingly against the empty cavern walls. He looked pointedly at Mary. "You know, if there were slaves in there, it would have bonked a few of them on the head, but....I DON'T HAVE ANY SLAVES TO HIT!" His face relaxed a bit, and he smiled disarmingly. "I don't suppose you two want to be the beginnings of my new pack of slaves."
The vampires nodded furiously, and Myron collapsed on his couch with an exasperated sigh. "What am I going to do? This town reeks of humans and their emotions, and I have a vampire who was killed by some still unknown tall-dark-and-handsome, a gold medallion lost, and now a mysterious girl and a tall black man who call themselves 'Freedom Fighters' and let my slaves loose. And on top of that, this girl, she seems...more than what she appears. She disguises her appearance for some odd reason, and the only she would be able to do that was if she was magic because there was a big difference between the girl I met in the cemetery and the girl that was here. I have the strangest feeling I'm missing a VERY big piece of that puzzle." He glared at the vampires. "Either one of you Einsteins have any ideas?"
"No, Master!" they squeaked in unison. Mary was shaking with fear so badly that her many necklaces and bracelets jangled, annoying Myron. He stood up and grabbed her by the hair, shaking her ferociously.
"Would you stop shaking! Those damn necklaces make so much noise-" His words cut off when he saw a particular necklace that caught his eye. "What is this, Mary?" he purred sweetly.
Mary's eyes were huge with fright. "I found it, Master, after those Freedom Fighters left. I think one of them dropped it."
Myron pulled the medallion off her neck and examined it, a huge smile on his face. "Mary, honey, you did a good thing in picking this up. But it wasn't on one of those warriors. It had been on the Slayer." He hadn't seen it on Buffy when she had been his captive, but his powers now told him it had been on her, that someone had given it to her. The girl with the black hair....it had been hers and then she gave it to the Slayer to protect her. Too bad for her, he thought. But now I can find out what I need for my spell.
Marcus and Mary saw their Master relax, and almost sighed with relief. They had done something right. Myron stomped off to his library, his mind now churning with possibilities. Who was that raven-haired beauty? The two vampires started to follow, but Myron's bellowing yell stopped them.
"MAKE SURE NEITHER ONE OF YOU BOTHER ME UNTIL I COME OUT OF THE LIBRARY, OR I'LL MAKE SURE YOU'RE THE FIRST ONES CHAINED TO THAT CAVERN!
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The next few days passed quickly, the tension building inside everyone. Geia had been quiet the past couple of days, walking around with a worried look on her face. She spent quite a bit of time speaking with Giles, who wore the same worried look she did. Geia did the nightly sweeps with either Jamal, Angel or Spike and fought with an intensified passion, and tonight, the blonde vamp was with her.
Spike bent down and stake a newbie before he even got out of the grave. He turned to see Geia staring off into the distance. "Uh, luv, what's wrong?"
His words shook her out of her daze. "Nothing Spike." She hadn't even noticed that he had stake a vamp. "It's quiet tonight," she said quietly.
Spike's attuned hearing caught her words. "Yeah, too bloody quiet for my liking." He went over and waved a hand in front of her face. She looked at him, startled and confused. "You were out of it," he explained.
Geia ran a hand over her face and sighed. "I'm sorry Spike. I'm just so distracted anymore, with plans for heading Myron off, and then there's the Initiative...."
Spike led her over to a bench. " 'Sfine, Geia. So when do we go out and kick some soldier-boy ass?" He had never liked Riley, and now that he had shot Geia, his vampire instincts told him to track him down and do him in good and proper like a vampire should, but his soul stopped him. Again.
Geia's head turned to him, and she looked closely at him. "How are you feeling, Spike? I mean, with your soul completely restored and all?"
He shrugged. "I'm not exactly used to it, if that's what you mean, but it beats the hell out of not begin able to fight humans anymore with that bloody pain in my head." He saw her smile at his words and leaned closer. "But there's always that little problem of not being able to...well, enjoy myself without going all big and bad again."
"And if Buffy was here, she'd tell you you're a pig, Spike. Which you are."
Spike leaned back, pleased with himself. "So what? I like a little action just like the next fella, but-"
"There's nothing stopping you, Spike, that is, unless you actually like shacking up with whores."
His jaw dropped at the crudeness of her words, and it stayed that way when he figured out what she was talking about. "You mean, that whole bloody 'one moment of happiness' clause doesn't apply to me?"
Geia gave him a funny look. "You didn't know that? I thought I told you that. It's because I restored your soul, as where Angel was given his by gypsies."
Spike gave her a hard look back. "I would have remembered something like THAT, pet." His tone became condescending. "And such words for a holy one! Where did you learn such language?"
She snorted. "I've seen and experience many things, Spike, just like you have, but even you would be surprised by the things I've done. We're sorta given free reign of what we do, as long as we serve our purpose and protect humanity."
Spike pulled a cigarette and lighter out of his jacket and lit up. The smoke hung on the cool air, and he watched it disappear into the dark. "Free reign, eh? Anything you want, short of being Evil?"
She nodded, then reached into his open duster for a cigarette. He lit it for her, then sat back and watched her smoke it. The image struck him as funny, and he began to chuckle. "What's so funny, vampire?" she demanded.
He puffed on the cig and smiled. "You smoking, that's what is so funny, luv. You're really corrupting my image of you."
But Geia didn't hear him. She stood up quickly and unsheathed her sword. She was back to full strength and she felt the power course through her body. Spike saw what she was looking at and took off at a full run across the cemetery.
A small group of Initiative soldiers were trekking through the graveyard, more than likely looking for any bad guys, or for her if they were lucky. Well, tonight's your lucky night, boys, she thought.
But she didn't want to kill them-she wanted to capture them and pump them for information. She wasn't about to kill human who were misguided and led by a son-of-a-bitch tyrant like Thorn.
Spike joined her behind a large tombstone not even a 150 feet from the soldiers. "Eight in total, and lookie who's commanding the troops tonight," he muttered.
"Do me a favor, Spike," she whispered.
"Anything, pet."
She held out a dagonsphere. "Take this and throw it on my signal. It will ensnare them so we can get them back to my house."
Spike took the dagonsphere from her. "Waiting on your signal, pet."
"One more thing, Spike."
"Yeah?"
She leaned forward and kissed him full on the lips. He was too shocked to move at first, but he gave in when her lips demanded more of him. He groaned slightly when the kiss grew in intensity, and he gave in to the sensation. After a minute, she broke away and grinned. "And whatever you do, don't look at the light."