New York City, June 12, 1934 AD:
"Faith! I'm going to kill you!" Buffy yelled at the slayer as they ran down the back alley as fast as their legs would carry them. Behind them was a hoard of vampires. Buffy had lost count when several more vampires had joined the original mass that they had been hunting.
"What?" Faith asked in genuine curiosity. "How the hell was I supposed to know that they would have a backup plan like this?"
"It's Giovanni Faith!" Buffy answered shortly, saving most of her breath for running. "He's the new master vampire and believe it or not, he's actually smart! I've heard his rep. He used to be some Italian immigrant that got into the gangster biz! Now he's a vampire. Put two and two together why don't you!!"
The two Immortal vampire slayers spent the rest of their run in silence, until that is they came to the end of the alley, which seemed to be placed between three buildings. One on the right, one on the left, and another smack dab at the end of the road that went up another three stories with no side exits or doors to break open.
"Great! Just great!" Buffy shouted. She figured they had another thirty seconds, tops, before the vampires rounded the corner.
"How many stakes you got?" Buffy asked her student, taking out her sword from her overcoat while removing the cumbersome item. She checked her own stakes and realized that she only had three, one in her belt, and the two in her boots.
Faith grimaced in embarrassment as she answered, "Only two. My backup and this one."
Buffy nodded and handed the one from her belt. "Make it count," she ordered, indicating the throw Faith would have to take with the stake. She nodded then looked further embarrassed as she pointed something else out to her teacher. "I-uh, I forgot my sword."
Buffy nodded, concentrating on the opening of the alley. "I know," she said tersely.
Faith looked at her in shock. "But why did-" Faith was interrupted however by a sudden buzzing sensation coursing through her body and focusing on her head. She had time enough to curse, "Shit!" before the fifteen or thirty vampires came pouring around the corner.
The ones in the lead, about five of them because that was as many that could fit shoulder to shoulder in the alley, were already in their "game faces" and growling in anticipation of being the firsts at the kills. If the two Slayers had anything to say about it however, those kills would be played the other way around. The vampires rushed after a brief pause around the corner of the path, and Buffy and Faith tensed, ready for the fight.
Less than a second after they came into view, Buffy and Faith threw with stunning accuracy and superhuman strength their stakes, dusting three vamps in the first seconds of the fight. Faith was about to throw her last stake, when Buffy indicated that she should keep it for the up close fight that was still to come. Faith nodded and fell back a little to give Buffy swinging room and to hopefully draw the vampires into two groups, evening the odds just a little bit.
Buffy had time to throw the stake from her left shoe at the front most vampire and toss Faith the one from her right shoe so the Immortal slayer would have two weapons instead of the one. Faith nodded once again her thanks and stood ready. The five seconds it took the remaining vampires to run down the alleyway was more than enough time for the two Slayers prepare a plan to defeat them and wonder what was taking the vampires so long to get to them.
Then the carnage began. Buffy stepped forward at the last moment and started the fight by impaling one vampire through the throat, keeping it down for the moment. She followed up by staking the next vampire, and then the next, and then she somehow lost her stake and started swinging with all of her three thousand years of experience. The vampires soon learned that she was not the one to focus on.
Faith was a different matter. Whatever vampires got past Buffy, she would take care of. The first few she just outright staked at the first opening. After a bit though, and seeing that Buffy was getting a more than decent workout from her slaying, she might as well and try for the same. Besides, it's not like there were any innocents around to get hurt and Faith trusted Buffy not to let anything truly terrible happen to her if things went sour. Not that she was planning on them to.
Faith started kicking and knocking whatever vamps made it past Buffy with relative ease, and then occupied herself with seeing how many kicks or hits it would take to keep them on the ground when they got back up. She managed to keep the record fewer than three kicks to the abdomen for each vampire. Finally she got bored with that and staked two who were rushing her at the same time and then a third and a fourth, one right after the other.
In the next moment though, Faith saw something that made her blood run as cold as that of her enemies. A vampire that she had let get past her teacher was slowly stalking up on the blond slayer with the sword. A rage that Faith hadn't felt in the years since she'd left her former home filled her soul as she ran faster than was humanly possible and staked the treacherous vampire before it even knew that it was dead.
Yet just because the object of rage was gone did not mean that the resulting adrenaline was. Faith leaped over her teacher in a dazzling display of acrobatics and she nailed three vampires on her landing, which was dust in the next seconds. After that, it was a massacre in a way that the vampires hadn't planned on it being with the two Immortal slayers in the midst of them all, not a one of them stood a chance. It was all over less than two minutes after the vampires had come before the two women. Only one vampire remained, and its purpose was twofold in Buffy's plan. Information, and to deliver a message. Unfortunately, the Immortal they had both felt before the fight had started decided in that moment to round the corner and confront the mob chasing two innocent young women in his eyes from afar.
John Carter came running around the corner as he had heard the sounds of a fight taking place. While most Immortals scoffed at the idea, John knew that vampires were real, because he had been fighting them since he had been killed by one of them years ago. He recognized that at least two of the mob following the women were vampires, and if they were then chances were good the rest of them were too. Yet when he felt the presence of another Immortal, he became suddenly rather cautious, drawing his sword and ready for either a fight or witnessing a Quickening.
Instead he found the two young women, one holding a sword, interrogating one of the men that had chased them. He looked around the alley, expecting to see blood, body parts, bodies…but all he saw was dust on the ground. Looking closer at the withheld man, he realized that it too was a vampire, from its yellow eyes and rigid forehead. And vampires turned to dust when killed.
Sensing, for the moment that his purpose of being the knight in shining armor for these two was moot at this point, John lowered his sword and patiently waited for the women to make the first move. He then noticed that they were staring at him, and he realized they were waiting for the same thing from him. So he decided to make it a neutral one.
"Um, hello," he hesitantly began. "My name's John Carter. I, uh, don't really want to fight, I just saw this…uh, these…cretins chasing you two into this alley and I was wondering…if you would need to be…uh, defended," he finished lamely.
The two women just stared at him for several moments more and then turned their attention back to the vampire they had on the ground. The shorter blond though appeared to be the teacher, as she was the only other one holding a sword, in John's opinion.
Buffy dragged the defeated vampire to his feet and slammed him against the wall with enough force to crack it. "All right Bob, is it alright if I call you Bob?" Buffy asked in a teasing tone.
The vampire in its Game face just glared back and said proudly, "My name is Phillip, Slayer."
Buffy toothily grinned and handed her sword to Faith, knowing that the hapless Immortal that had come upon them was no threat of a duel. She then drove her fist with enough force to punch through the wall, possibly even through the vampire, into the vamps gut. It's eyes bulged, and had it been capable of breathing it would have been wheezing and coughing from the pain.
"No, I'm Ms. Slayer, your Mr. Vampire, understand?" Buffy teased as though she were talking to a retard. "Now, if I want to call you Bob, Bob, I'll call you Bob, and if I want to call you dick shit, I'll call you dick shit. Now, do we have an understanding?"
The vampire in too much pain to talk only nodded its head.
"Good," Buffy commented, showing her teeth again. "Now, here's what I want to know. Where's Giovanni, where's the nest, and how many families and cadres are in the city? If you say you don't know, I will call you a liar and turn you over to my pupil for punishment before I really pound into you. So, first Giovanni, then the nest, then the number of vampires."
Buffy waited patiently as the vampire struggled with its answer. "Uh-uhm, well…G-gi-Giovanni is-is-is uh, he's at the Plaza Street hotel. In the sewers beneath them. Going all the way down to beneath the subway system. He's uh, he's got guards posted at all outside entrances and like uh, like some kind of patrol that goes everywhere looking for anybody that's not supposed to be there. Switches'em after every night I think. I swear that's where all the vampires I know are kept, where they stay and stuff. I-I don't know how many are in the city…mm-may-mmm-maybe a-uh, a th-thousand or so?"
Buffy rolled her eyes and translated the undead creature's stuttering for the other two Immortals. "G's under Baldwin Hotel, he has two roving patrols and three guards each at the two entrances, the basement of the hotel and the sewer entrance. As for "thousands of vampires"? Try like three hundred, tops. And that's counting the single victims that aren't adopted into a family or cadre. You're one of Giovanni's?" Buffy asked the vampire.
He hastily nodded his head, his eyes filled with terror at the Slayer that seemed to already know everything she wanted him to tell her. When she smirked at him, in a way he truly did not like, he felt like dying all over again and staying that way if only he didn't ever have to run into this Slayer again.
"Tell you what I'm gonna do Bob," Buffy said after several minutes of tense silence. "I'm going to let you go. Ah, ah, ah. It comes with a price tag attached. You go straight, straight, to Giovanni, and you tell him the Slayer is in town and is hunting him. You do not stop for a quick "bite," you do not warn other vampires, you do not make excuses to get out of it. The moment you leave this alley, you run, no you fly to Giovanni and you tell him what has happened and that I am hunting him. And Bob, if you do decide to snack on somebody before delivering my message, I will torture you so bad that you will scream for five minutes without pause, before dusting you. Do you understand me vampire?"
The vampire fearfully nodded its head. "I can't hear you?" she mocked. Scowling, but losing it the next second as his terror took hold once more, the vampire responded, "I understand…Slayer."
"Atta boy, go get'em!" Buffy teased as she grabbed the vampire by the scruff of the neck and tossing him over John's head where it landed in a heap at the mouth of the corner alley. Instantly the vampire was up and running faster than any human could naturally travel.
"Interesting slaying method," John commented, watching the vampire run off. When he turned back to the two women, the blond was holding her sword at his throat, while he had his still at his side.
"So, John Carter, what's your business here?" the blond asked. She studied him as he squirmed under her gaze and her sword. He was a good head taller than her, maybe 5'9", and he looked to her middle-aged, possibly thirty or thirty-five when he died the first time. He had sharply cut yellow-blond hair, and piercing blue eyes that would make normal women swoon and gasp from the heat in their loins produced by the fine specimen of masculinity. 'He's cute,' she sent to Faith. She only received agreeing and lusting emotions as response.
Keeping an easy grin, despite feeling to the contrary, John just easily shrugged his shoulders and looked the slayer in the eyes and answered, "Being a good Samaritan. I saw you two were being chased by a gang of hoodlums. I didn't know you were Slayers, and I was too far away to sense you being Immortals. Yet as I said, I have no interest in fighting. I only wanted to help."
The women, both of them, studied him intently for several minutes before coming to a decision, seeming at the exact same moment. The blond lowered her sword, and the brunette came closer so he could see her better.
"Beth Slayton. This is my pupil, Fiona Slayton," the teacher greeted him, holding out her hand.
He smiled as he gently took it and shook it. The brunette, Fiona, handed Beth her overcoat, which she put on and then placed her sword inside of. "A pleasure to meet you Ms. Slayton. It is Ms. is it not?" John put on a handsome smile, wondering.
Beth smiled and shook her head and turned to Fiona, just looking at her for the briefest of seconds, probably giving her some 'Slayer' look knowing women, he mused. She then turned back to him and smiled gently, but not as sweetly as he might have liked. "Sorry, I-I just got out of a pretty bad relationship. But on the plus, my student here is fully available. She'd even like to see your hotel room this night."
Fiona hit her teacher on the arm at the ending comment, which only caused the blond to start giggling. John smiled sweetly and turned to the tomboyishly dressed Fiona. "Why Miss Fiona, I would be honored and privileged to be your escort for the evening, even if it only is to go and slay a cadre of vampires."
The two Immortal Slayers stopped dead and gave him a cold glare that made him wonder if he had said anything wrong. "What did you just say?" Beth asked him in a distant voice.
Thinking it was because of the escort thing, or maybe even the Miss, John tried to correct his mistake. "I-uh, I apologize. I was under the impression that you were "setting me up" so to speak with your student. I most humbly apologize if I offended either of you in any way."
Beth shook her head. "No, about the vampires. You…you believe they exist? You…how? Why?"
John, somewhat surprised at their response to his question, answered honestly. "Well, you were just over there interrogating a vampire, and told him to take a message to his vampire king. I also assumed that all of the dust on the ground are the remains of the rest of the gang of vampires that I saw chasing you in here. And having seen you and heard what you found out about the lair of the vampires, I naturally assumed you would want to attack it tonight, so that they would not have much time to move their location or leave the city. Was I…wrong in assuming this?"
Shocked, Beth shook herself trying to compose her thoughts. "Uh, no. I mean, you're right. I…it's just that all the other Immortals we've…I've ever met in passing never believed in vampires and demons before meeting me. I mean to say that they didn't believe at all, though some were more easily convinced than others, but most never seemed to…know, before I met them. How do you know about vampires and…" Beth's gaze became thoughtful and then suddenly accusatory, "…slayers." She had realized that he had called them Slayers already, they had just missed it.
John nodded and sighed as he proceeded to tell his story. "Well, I suppose I should start from the beginning, but before I do, you think it might be possible to continue this from a more…hospitable location?"
The two slayers grinned and led him back to their hotel, which ironically was the Baldwin Hotel on Plaza Street; the very hotel Giovanni was stationed under. When they came to the hotel, and the two women explained that that was where they were staying, John just laughed out loud and shook his head at the wry amusement of it.
Once they were up in the ladies' hotel room, John stood while the two took seats to listen to him as he explained his history.
"First of all, my real name, or that is to say the name I was raised with and died with, is John Smith. I was a captain of one of her Majesty's Royal "Investment" ships. I came over to the America's in the early 1600's and was the mayor of Jamestown for a spell." John waited for the usual exclamations of shock or surprise when he told somebody who he really was. Most thought he had died in London in 1631. Actually, he had just written off several biographies of the things he had done, and while he admittedly exaggerated in a few cases and definitely left some parts out of them, they had sold enough to get him started and get him passage back over here to America where anyone who knew him was dead and he could literally start fresh.
Fiona had a look of confusion on her face, obviously having no idea what that information meant and wondering why he wasn't continuing with the story. Beth however, merely looked intrigued.
"Your John Smith? The man that was pirate, slave, captain, leader, and beggar in his life? The man that made the pact with Powhatan's tribe because of his daughter Pocahontas?" Beth asked.
Smiling at their indulgence, John merely nodded before continuing. "The same. While I was undoubtedly just as much an adventurer as any Immortal when I was but mortal, I'd like to think that I've kept up my reputation over the years. I first died here in the Americas actually. Virginia. I doubt either of you would have heard the story, but supposedly, while I was out hunting, I came upon a plot of quicksand. The story goes on to say that the Indian Princess, Pocahontas, who by the way was as much a princess if not more than what they say she was, came by and saved my life. Well, actually…"
"You drowned, then you revived and came to the surface where she saw you and she pulled you out, thinking that you must have just fallen in," Beth finished for him.
Glaring, John withheld his grin and merely nodded the affirmative. "I thought she actually had saved my life. I didn't find out until much later, stopping some robbers, that I was any different. We had a lot of trouble there in Jamestown, particularly with the greedier numbers of the inhabitants. He stabbed me in the gut, and I woke up an hour later, a bloody mess, but otherwise completely healthy."
"They said you were taken back to England because you had injuries that couldn't be treated anywhere else. Then Pocahontas followed you and became involved with a…John Rolfe?" Beth asked.
John nodded. "Actually, I was on an adventure of sorts, mapping the New England waters. I ran into some…unfriendly chaps and was forced to go home broke. I wrote and sold my autobiographies to get enough money to come back to the Americas. I sailed the week after the princess died of smallpox."
All three Immortals were silent as they felt the pain of lost friends. Faith her Watcher, John a long lost friend, and Buffy…so many.
John finished up his story quickly after that, wanting to get to the "fun" part of the evening, when they would all get to slay some hell beasts. "Well, moving on, I came back here, started fresh and became rather successful in the trade business, especially with the natives, as I more or less understood their standpoint on most issues. I hopped back and forth between the Americas, England, India and China. I tried to stay out of the Revolution, as they're calling it here, and just arrived in New York several months ago. I run a rather impressive shipping company down by the docks."
Seeing the end of his story, Beth nodded and stood. "Pleasure to meet you John. I'm the first Vampire Slayer, and Fiona here, Faith in her last life, is the first ever Immortal Slayer. Now would you mind telling me how you found out about vampires, not to mention Vampire Slayers?"
Seeing the glare she gave him, John tried to be as honest as possible with the hope that he would still have his head by the time he finished. "I was killed by a vampire about thirty or so years ago in China. I tried to fight him, but it was no use. He muttered some nonsense, but I do remember him calling himself, Spike. That's all I remember about it and then I was killed. I woke up the next day and heard how a young girl was killed the same way I was in a temple not to far from where I was. When I investigated further, I came across an Englishman who was grieving along with the girl's family. This was pretty unusual for the times, so I got him drunk one night and asked him about it. He told me everything. Vampire Slayers, vampires in general, and then he explained what he was, a Watcher. He spoke of the Watcher's Council, and how they controlled the Slayers' lives. I only let him live because he was truly grieving as much as that girl's family was."
"I've tried to find out all I can about this Watcher's Council, but I haven't found much. I suppose they're based in England, but everybody's lock-jawed over there, so I thought of trying my luck over here."
"Why do you want to know about the Watcher's Council?" Beth asked. "Yeah, and why would you wanna whack that girl's Watcher anyways?" Fiona added.
John grimaced. "Because of what he told me that bloody Council does. They take innocent, young girls and strip them of their families, their lives, hell sometimes even their souls. Turn them into killing machines overnight. It's a travesty as bad, if not worse than some of the things they do in the more "barbaric" countries of the world. Hell, even slaves in Arabia are treated better than those girls."
"I want to destroy the Council, if that's what you're asking. Then I'm going to kill each and every Watcher that I come across, just to make sure that those girls are never used like that again."
Beth and Fiona were silent as they internally discussed what John had just told them. 'Well, what do you think Faith?' Buffy mentally asked.
Faith was silent, just staring quietly at John, for a minute before answering in the same fashion. 'I'm not sure. I mean, everything and my Slayer sense says to trust this guy. But he's got a lot of rage against the Council, and while I never much liked their orders, and you say they're just this side of being evil, all I have to judge them with is Linda, my Watcher. And this guy just said he'd kill any and every Watcher he comes across. B, I loved Linda, and not all Watchers are gonna be bad. Linda was more than willing to defy this Council to save me. She took me to you.'
Buffy thought it over and then turned back to John and gave him an encouraging look. "Ok, I believe you John. And I'm more than willing to let you help us clear out the vampires tonight. We'll head downstairs and then into the sewers from there in about an hour. If you need sleep, get it now. I've got to go and prepare some more weapons. And Fi," turning to Faith, "I want you rested, not relaxed. Understand?"
Hiding a coy smile, Fiona nodded and then just scooted back and lay down on the bed in her street clothes. John hid his own smile, as he understood what Beth was implying. Nodding his agreement to the Teacher, he moved over to the other bed and lay down. He was asleep almost immediately and would wake up in less than thirty minutes, used to having to get sleep when and how he could.
Buffy meanwhile went into the adjoined bathroom of the suite and removed a bag full of swords, axes, and above all, wooden stakes. They were going to war, and they had an ally. The Immortal Slayer smiled darkly as she began making plans for the evening.
TBC…
Disclaimer: I am aware that not necessarily all historical alliterations made here are entirely factual, yet I have strived to make it as close to the truth as possible and still allow it to work with the story. Please understand that this is a work of fiction, not a recreation or even a notation of true genuine historical facts. This is mostly if not entirely, made up. Thank you for reading and please continue to enjoy. I love hearing what you think of my stories, so please make an entry in the Review.