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A Momentary Grace (part 3) |
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Disclaimer: Characters and Premise are borrowed from the show "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer." |
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After Buffy and her friends returned to their classes Giles turned his attention fully to research. As a watcher researching the various monstrosities which Buffy encountered was one of his primary responsibilities. The Slayer needed to know what she was facing, its strengths, its weaknesses, its quirks in those creatures sentient enough to have them, and the habits of those that weren't. As always when Giles started a new investigation he turned first to his books. Musty tombs a large number of which he had personally indexed during the years he had spent preparing for his duties as the Watcher. While there may be only one Chosen in each generation there were always dozens of secondary Watcher. Each one prepared to step into the void should their predecessor fall. Furthermore, no Watcher was ever responsible for more than one Slayer. Giles' position of dual responsibility for both Faith and Buffy was unprecedented. Of course the concurrent existence of two Slayers was in itself, a very new situation. There was an ongoing debate in the Council as to whether or not another Slayer would be called upon Buffy's death. Giles found the whole subject to be profoundly disturbing, what happened would happen, and he saw little point in spending time dwelling on Buffy's death, when that time could be spent better preparing her for the dangers fate had ordained she should face. Still it wasn't a lack of candidates that left Giles with two Slayers, it was Faith's circumstances and personality. The death of her original Watcher had obviously had a deep affect on Faith and that whole debacle with Gendalyn Post had greatly amplified her native distrust of others. Forcing her to adapt to yet another Watcher had seemed inadvisable. Sometimes a Slayer was called before she could be adequately prepared as Buffy had been. Fortunately the dreams and in-born abilities of the Slayer could compensate for a lack of formal training. Becoming a Watcher on the other hand required years of preparatory work to acquire the appropriate background in arcane lore, research techniques, martial arts and weapons training. Training which, in a majority of cases, would never be put to use. Giles had received his assignment due mostly to his credentials, which had allowed him to be placed as the Sunnydale High School librarian. A position which offered him both a superb venue for interaction with the Slayer and ample time for his duties as Watcher. However, there were times when all his preparations seemed for not, and this was one of them. It wasn't that Giles couldn't find information on the Shadwen, quite the opposite. Once he started looking he found it everywhere, a brief reference in one book, an oblique comparison in another. Fragmentary pieces of knowledge scattered throughout his resources. What was worse was the contradictory nature of the information he was slowly amassing. Willow and Oz had both found time to assist him during the afternoon, relieving him of the burden of facing the Dread Machine and the hassles of the internet, both had found results and more results. Oz had paraphrased the situation by saying that the Shadwen "had more looks than the Founders from Deep Space Nine and more uses than the kitchen gadgets advertised on afternoon TV." Of course that assumed that at least some of what was reported about the Shadwen was more than ignorant rantings. Despite the difficulties Giles had pieced together some of the more reputable sources into a fairly coherent, if somewhat vague picture. First the Shadwen was ancient, quiet possibly it had existed during the ages when demons had ruled the Earth. Several sources claimed that it had been used to alter the orbit and axial tilt of the Earth in order to render the planet less hospitable to demons. Which lent credence to the hypothesis that it was the Shadwen which Kelvasus was after. As to its appearance Giles felt it was likely that the descriptions of it as a hollow spike or spire roughly a foot in length were the most accurate. Still he was missing the most vital pieces of information: how the artifact made it's way to Sunnydale, how it might be found and how to destroy it. And with the eclipse only twenty hours away those gaps were simply intolerable. With the failures of Giles sources they became more and more dependent on Angel's information or on cowboy tactics such as Xander had suggested. To Giles' mind either option simply entailed too much risk. ================================================================ Angel walked Sunnydale's night darkened streets to yet another rendezvous with Kelvasus' people. If the other's suppositions were correct time was running short, and tonight was the time for risk taking. He smiled as he approached Cletus and Nev. "Let's go," Angel stated. As before he was blindfolded as soon as he entered the car and was prevented from removing it until he was sequestered with Kelvasus. "I've considered your offer," Angel said preemptively as the blindfold was removed. "And I've decided that I like the terms, provided your arrangements go as planned. I imagine that tomorrow's eclipse plays some part in your plan?" Angel waited until Kelvasus gave an approving nod, then continued, "For the week I offer you my services, and if we succeed I would be ready to negotiate a permanent place in your organization. This trial period offers us both an opportunity to evaluate the other and frees your attention for the matter at hand." Kelvasus smiled thinly, "You needn't concern yourself. Your recruitment is merely an amusement to me, certainly not a distraction form the establishment of my kingdom. Also your assistance is unneeded. However, the offer is appreciated. Please feel free to tour our operation, my only requirement is that you stay for the finale. You where quite perceptive when you tied my plans to Sunnydale's eclipse. During a full solar eclipse vampires may safely walk abroad during the day, but such are rare and short-lived phenomenon, it is even rarer that such an eclipse should occur over an area with an occult power source like the Hellmouth." "You intend to use the latent power of the Hellmouth to prevent the eclipse from ending," Angel said. "Excellent, excellent," Kelvasus remarked. "How?" Angel asked. "An object of considerable power cam into my possession several centuries ago, learning to use it properly took decades of study, then I had to wait for the appropriate conditions. Once upon a time powerful sorcerers could realign the stars using the Shadwen to focus their abilities, now to simply shift this planet's moon into a new orbit is impossible without the raw power of the Hellmouth to fuel it." Angel, lost in thought ignored Kelvasus' monologue, he had to get to Buffy, Kelvasus had the Shadwen, he hadn't been looking for it, he'd been looking for the Hellmouth. Buffy had to be told. "Even with the Hellmouth I can't actually shift the moon, instead I had to wait for this eclipse to occur," Kelvasus continued. "Tomorrow my patience will be rewarded, as all the necessary elements fall into place." Kelvasus gestured serenely to the door. "You wished to see more of my organization?" "Yes," Angel replied. As they left the barren room Cletus and Nev fell in along side them. Kelvasus' people had set up headquarters in Sunnydale's Automotive Salvage Yard. The room Angel had met with Kelvasus in was part of a dilapidated shack that had probably provided shelter for the yard's night watchman. Angel wondered distantly what had happened to the individual. By moonlight the yard was an other worldly place. Mountains of rusted out vehicles towered on all aides. Both moon light and street lights glittered off mirrors and patches of rust free chrome. By far, the most disturbing thing about the salvage yard were the shear numbers of vampires in residence. As Kelvasus led Angel through his compound, Angel estimated that at least fifty vampires were there. That made Kelvasus' coven the largest he had ever encountered. They were further set apart from other vampires in Angel's experience by their attitudes. Most covens were little more than a pack of squabbling animals held together by their collective fear of their so called leader. Kelvasus' people were more like an army; disciplined orderly and united in their sense of purpose. Kelvasus' selective recruiting techniques seemed to have been a successful tool. "I've noticed one difficulty with your plan," Angel commented. "Oh?" "Well, it's all good and well to blot out the sun, but setting up a kingdom? Maybe darkness was all you needed against the Romans back in the Bronze age, but against today's armies?" Angel questioned. Kelvasus laughed, "You overestimate humankind. With their faith in science they would never look to magic as the source of their dilemma. The moon's altered behavior will baffle them, but they won't link it to us." "Still the US government won't look kindly on the creation of an independent kingdom run by vampires within its boarders." "No," Kelvasus agreed. "But first they won't believe in vampires and second they won't do anything about it, look at Montana, if you don't believe me. Finally the moon's new orbit will throw the globe into chaos. The tides will change, people will panic, it's even possible that the movement of the earth's teutonic plates will be effected, creating massive earthquakes and new volcanic activity. The government will have much more to worry about than the emergence of a new separatist group in what will quickly become the most unpopulated segment of the country." Angel simply stared, he had never even considered the possibility that Kelvasus' plans might have secondary effects. Now it seemed more urgent than ever that he reach Buffy, but with Cletus and Nev standing guard the chances of his making a successful escape were slim. "We'll be relocating to the High School shortly before dawn," Kelvasus said. "There we will await the coming eclipse." Angel felt a surge of hope, surely he could manage to find a way to leave a message Buffy would find there. Even though tomorrow was the weekend Buffy, Giles and the others were certain to convene in the library so soon before the expected disaster. ================================================================ Sunrise found Buffy at a pay phone several blocks from Angel's mansion. "He wasn't there," she said words tumbling over each other. "No message, no sign, nothing. Giles I know something's gone wrong." "It's going to be all right, " Giles assured her. "Last night I had Willow compile a list of possible sites for Kelvasus' day time shelters. With the help of your friends we should be able to investigate all of them before the eclipse." "Good," Buffy said. "Have everyone meet at my place, we'll break into team and decide who covers shat there." ================================================================ Angel waited in the school's boiler room with over a dozen of Kelvasus' followers, including Nev and Cletus, his ever present guards. It had been a very close thing, slipping that note under the door of Giles' office while they'd examined the book cage and exclaimed over Giles' more exotic reading material. Angel smiled to himself, thinking of the surprise that Buffy and Giles would surely have waiting for Kelvasus. Possibly she'd already gotten his note and even now they were searching the school. Taking out the various groups of vampires hidden about it. Cordelia and Xander certainly knew about every dark private spot on campus. Angel had been worried when he'd seen the numbers Kelvasus had amassed, but if Buffy hurried, attacking before the eclipse, their numbers wouldn't matter. Each group could be wiped out separately while the sun held them prisoners in their respective hiding places. Meanwhile all he had to do was relax and wait for her to reach the boiler room. ================================================================ "I want to help," Joyce Summers said, sitting down beside her daughter, as Buffy and her friends made their plans for dealing with this latest threat. Giles looked at her, clearly startled. "Mom no," Buffy said. "Don't tell me it's too dangerous and I'd only distract you," Joyce warned. "I can help, like Xander, Willow, Oz or Cordelia can help. Just tell me what needs to be done." "She's right," Giles said quietly. "Today, it's essential that we find Kelvasus' lair before the eclipse. One more pair of eyes might make the difference." Buffy nodded her agreement, but still looked uncomfortable. "Very well," Giles began. "Willow compiled a list of probable locations for the vampire's sanctuary." Willow passed out several computer print-outs, "I broke them down into places we've known vampires to live it, like the factory and the cemetery; other abandoned buildings around town and rental places that are somewhat isolated and have either been leased in the last month or so, or are empty," she said. "Excellent Willow," Giles remarked. "We need to break into teams to cover ground as quickly as possible. If a team finds any vampiric activity they are to contact Buffy, then wait for her assistance. Cordelia, did you remember to bring your cell phone?" Cordelia looked up from inspecting her nail polish, an obvious ploy for studiously ignoring Xander's presence. "Of course, I wouldn't do anything to increase the time I have to spend with these losers," she said, finally looking at Xander and Willow. "Why do you bother asking G-man?" Xander returned. "Cordy's never without it, it would be like Wolverine without his claws. She might miss some malicious gossip, or the chance to spread some herself." "Giles said it was an emergency or I wouldn't of come," Cordelia snapped. "Spending time with you makes my stomach turn." "Enough," Giles interceded. "Thank you for coming Cordelia. You'll be coordinating everyone's activities through the cellular phone. I want you and Buffy to comprise of one team. After checking each location the other teams will check in with you and give you their next location. If anyone fails to check in a reasonable time you and Buffy are to assume that they encountered difficulties and proceed to assist them. The two of you can check the sites of known vampiric activity as well." "I want someone in each group to have a vehicle so that time isn't wasted in travel. Oz, Willow you'll be the second team, please check the open rentals. Check for buildings with basements or boarded up windows." "Check," Oz replied. "Joyce, you and Xander will form the third team, take the new rentals. If anyone answers the door during the day it's most likely safe." Xander nodded. "I'll check the abandoned buildings myself. Everyone please be careful. If anything goes wrong get back outside immediately." "Let's roll," Buffy said. ================================================================ "Okay, here's how we're going to do this," Xander said seriously. "I'm doing a survey for school on what people's favorite candy is. You wait in the car while I knock on the door. If they drag me in or anything, you call Buffy." Joyce looked very concerned, but didn't argue. She didn't like letting Xander take all the risks, but if anything went wrong the greatest assistance she could provide would be to get word to Buffy. "What if no one answers?" she asked. Xander grinned, "Then we get creative." ================================================================= "Okay fang face," Buffy shouted. "Where's Kelvasus?" The vampire hissed threateningly at her from the darkest corner of the crypt. Cordelia sat on a headstone just outside the door, fussing with her wind mussed hair. Inside the crypt Buffy sighed and started into the shadows after the vamp, stake held at ready. As soon as she was away from the sun filled entrance the vampire attacked. Buffy blocked a punch aimed at her head and responded with a kick to the solar plexus. The vampire was slammed back against the wall of the crypt. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the coffin this morning," Buffy remarked. Snarling the vampire lunged at her again, this time Buffy grabbed his jacket, simultaneously dropping to her back and using their momentum to throw the vampire over her head, through the door and into the sunny cemetery. In seconds Buffy was up and after the vampire. Already the vamp was starting to smoke and desperate to get back into his nice safe crypt. But Buffy stood between him and the shadows, stake in hand. "Where's Kelvasus?" she demanded. "Let me in," the vampire screamed, his warped face rapidly blackening. "Kelvasus first," Buffy replied. "I know nothing of your Kelvasus," the vampire insisted. "Your problem," Buffy said. The vampire, body now aflame ran at her and tried to shoulder his way back into the crypt. Buffy kicked him again forcing him back into the sunlight. He tripped over a headstone and fell at Cordelia's feet. Before he could even rise the vampire exploded into a cloud of ash. "Ugh," Cordelia grimaced fanning at the ash drifting into her clothing and hair. "I don't think he was with Kelvasus," Buffy reported. "Every time I'm around you my clothes get absolutely ruined," Cordelia protested. "Vampire dust and all that other demon guck. is just so gross, I know it'll never wash out." "You'd be surprised," Buffy replied. "As long as they don't actually tear anything my stuff usually comes out okay." "You would think that," Cordy sniffed. ================================================================ After the first couple houses Oz and Willow had their routine down pat. First check for the obvious signs Giles had mentioned, then checking for signs that the house had been broken into recently. If it had been, they would also break in, make a quick check of the closets, then call Cordy at the nearest pay phone. The current target was a one bedroom cottage on the outskirts of town. Peering through the windows Willow reported, "The front room's okay." "The shades are closed in the bed room," Oz said. "Plus one of the windows was broken out and then boarded up." Willow sighed, "This isn't the fun part. I like the helping and of course vampires blocking out the sun would be worse than a few broken windows. Still..." Oz hefted a palm sized rock. "It's breaking and entering, not something your typical, utterly beguiling, future valedictorian spends her Saturdays doing." "Ooh, beguiling, I like that," Willow said, then winced at the sound of shattering glass. A second later an alarm went off. Oz and Willow looked at one another. "Ought oh," Willow said. "Ought oh," Oz agreed. "We'd better hurry." Willow nodded, reached through the window and opened the door. She and Oz hurried through the front room. They paused at the door to the bedroom. Still standing in the sunny front room, Oz pushed open the door then leaned in and flipped the light switch. The room was empty and few seconds more and they'd checked the bathroom and closet as well. "Done," Willow exclaimed slamming the pantry door. She and Oz ran back to his van. They'd just turned the corner when a police siren sounded, approaching the house behind them. "Split second timing," Oz said. ================================================================ Any minute now, Angel thought. Buffy would be here in just a few seconds. The eclipse would be full in less than an hour, where was she? Someone had to have gone to the library. They must have gotten his note. ================================================================ "For all you eclipse watchers out there we're officially one fourth of the way to a full eclipse." Giles' radio blared. Giles parked on a side street behind the warehouse. This was the second to last location on his list and Cordelia had told him that the others were also rapidly approaching the ends of their lists, also without finding Kelvasus. Not only where they running short of places to check, they were running out of time. Once the eclipse was full Kelvasus would most likely make his move, if they hadn't found him by then... Giles shuttered at the thought. Giles prowled around the warehouse looking for both signs of occupation and a way in. The building had been boarded up for years, but Giles had noticed suspiciously new looking boards in several of the windows. Mindful of noise, Giles carefully prided the boards from one window. After taking out a small cross he climbed through the window into the dusty warehouse. Empty crates were piled at random around the huge building, turning it into a dimly lit maze full of mysterious creakings and deep concealing shadows. Holding the cross before him and wishing he'd thought to bring a torch, or a flashlight as Americans called it, Giles began exploring the maze. He peered cautiously into each shadow as he worked his way outward from the unboarded window. Allowing a vampire to remain undiscovered between himself and the only exit he knew was unlocked could be disastrous. Giles slowly worked his way deeper into the warehouse. Behind him the side of one of the crates shuttered. ================================================================ Willow removed the welding mask. "Half-way to the full eclipse," she reported. "About fifteen minutes left," Oz estimated. "And one house to go." "Where?" Willow asked. "About five minutes away," Oz said, "Near the military base." ================================================================ "No answer," Xander reported. "Not much time left either. I think I could get to an open window on the second story if I climb that tree over there." "No," Joyce said, "I have a better idea." Joyce walked over to the pay phone at the corner. "Hello, I need to speak with the police," she said, "This is Joyce Summers, I was driving past 1446 NW Crane Street, I saw someone climbing into a basement window. I knocked on the door to warn the residents, but no one answered." She paused, "Yes, thank you." Then hung up the phone. To Xander she said, "The police are coming out to check the house. It's about time the adults of this town gave Buffy a little help." "Mrs. Summers, that was truly devious," Xander said. "I'm impressed, I didn't think adults had it in them." "Why Xander, thank you," Joyce replied. ================================================================ The vampires in the school's boiler room were moving about restlessly. The eclipse would be full in just a few minutes, but it wouldn't last long. Angel could sense the approaching darkness, it was effecting him much more strongly than nightfall ever could. Full eclipses were a powerful event for creatures of darkness. Angel could feel its pull on the demonic entity within him. Where was Buffy he wondered. Could she have set a trap in the school... Either that or she'd never gotten the message. ================================================================ "Well at least we don't have to break into this one," Oz said, looking at the shattered sliding door. "No alarms," Willow added, "A definite plus." Oz pulled a stake out of his jacket pocket. "This might be an inhabited one," he said. Willow nodded retrieving a cross and a squirt gun filled with holy water from Oz's van. "I bet a Star of David would work as well as a cross," she commented. Oz grinned, "Yeah, but would it make as good of a stake in a pinch?" Willow returned his smile, "Also finding out might be a little too exciting. I like proven methods of vampire protection." "Ready?" Oz asked, walking to one side of the broken door. "Ready," Willow replied taking a position on the other side of the opening. They stepped into the shadows of the house. Willow stayed slightly behind Oz, covering him with the squirt gun. "Closet," Oz commented, Willow shifted to the side so she'd be able to see into the closet. Oz gripped the door handle, glanced back at Willow, then abruptly pulled the door open. "Empty," Oz said. "Next closet," Willow said. They worked their way through the pantry, bathroom and the broom closet in short order. Willow opened the door to the bedroom, "Um, Oz," she said. "This is a bad sign." "What?" Oz asked joining her. Willow pointed to the scorched patch on the bedroom floor. "Oh. Okay... So what now, should we call Buffy?" "Yes... No. Buffy's got to find Kelvasus quick, and he's organized. He wouldn't break into some apartment after sunrise then have to roll around on the floor to smother the flames," Willow stammered. "So this is just your run of the mill vamp?" Oz asked. "I think," Willow replied. ================================================================ Xander and Joyce watched from the car as the police searched the house. As the last trace of the sun slid behind the moon a police officer approached the car. "Well ma'am we didn't find anyone, it's possible the prowler got spooked when you approached the house." The officer said. "Still, I'd like you to come down to the station so we can get a description of the suspect." "Oh, um... I didn't really get a good look," Joyce said. "Yeah," Xander seconded, "Just a guy in jeans crawling around in the bushes." "That's right," Joyce added, "We didn't see his face, or ever his head." She laughed nervously, "Just a person where they shouldn't have been." "All right," the officer sighed. "Thank you for your help. I'll have the officers on patrol keep an especially careful eye on the area, unfortunately there's not much else we can do in these situations." "Of course," Joyce replied. "Thank you for your trouble." She started the car as the officer stepped back. "Wow, we didn't even get in trouble," Xander exclaimed a block later. "You are something else Mrs. S." "I only asked them to do their job," Joyce replied. "They wouldn't have believed me if I asked them to check for vampires, but they're happy to look for a prowler." "They might believe you but would they do anything?" Xander asked. "There's a phone, you make the call." "Cordelia's still *that* angry with you?" Joyce asked. "The only way she'd even glance my way would be if looks could kill," Xander confided. "Well, quite frankly, I can see why she's upset Xander. What I can't understand is how the two of you got together in the first place. You have so little in common." "It's a short story, but it doesn't explain much, so why don't we just call in and not talk about it," Xander suggested. Joyce smiled, then walked over to the pay phone and dialed Cordelia's cell phone for the two dozenth time that morning. "Cordy, 1446 NW Crane Street was okay. We're checking the house on Warton Drive next. How are the others doing." "No one's found anything and the eclipse is full. But Giles is overdue, he was checking the old Camber and Son's warehouse down by the docks. Buffy and I are going to check on him now." In the background Joyce heard Buffy wail, "Cordy! the road!" "Bye," Joyce said quickly, not wanting to further distract Cordelia while she was driving. ================================================================ A number of vampires circled cautiously around Giles. "I recognize you," A large, heavily tattooed vampire said. "You're the Watcher." Giles withdrew a stake from his jacket, warding the vampires off with his cross. "Exactly, I taught the Slayer everything she knows." A female vampire with shockingly red hair laughed, "That may be true, but you are not the Slayer." "True," a slender boy with dark curly hair hanging over his glowing yellow eyes. "You're only the Watcher, only a human, despite you knowledge." "No Slayer to hide behind," the first vampire stated, "You're all alone, Watcher." "All alone," the red head repeated. "Folly," The first vampire said, "To invade our resting place alone." Giles slowly backed up until his back touched one of the crates, "The Slayer knows where I am," he warned. "She'll be here soon." "We should kill you quickly then," the boy said. ================================================================ |
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