AN: Sheesh! You guys are getting fiesty! Repeat after me: We're not going to kill MB. MB can't write anything if she's dead. Okay, here's chapter nine. Chapter ten will be up very soon, and I think there will be a sequel. Warnings for lotsa violence and bad words.
"We're not gonna sneak up on anybody with this kinda crowd," Buffy said, sharp eyes scanning the graveyard. While the mutants were surefooted and quiet, and Willow and Tara likewise experienced in nightly patrols, they were still currently up to six people, with another three on the way.
"Personally I'll take the superior firepower to the element of surprise," Willow replied, glancing at Buffy and Scott.
"They'll be expecting us, whoever they are," Scott said. He reached out to Jean with his thoughts.
Jean, we're in the cemetery, he thought.
We're almost there. Quicksilver's on his way.
Quicksilv- Scott wasn't able to finish his thought as the speed demon himself came to a halt beside them.
"Um, hi Piet-" Scott began. Quicksilver just glared at him.
"Oh shut up. You lost my girlfriend."
Buffy rolled her eyes, reached into Willow's backpack and handed him a wooden stake. Pietro took it and smiled grimly.
"Finally, someone proactive. Now where the hell is this Dewey Crypt?"
"We're looking at it," Willow said, gesturing to the concrete masoleum before them.
"Are so you're waiting for what exactly?" Pietro exploded.
"We were waiting for Jean and Evan, Maximoff, they've got a lot of firepower between them!" Scott snapped. Pietro rolled his eyes.
"The hell with that. You got an extra stake, red?" he said to Willow. The older girl nodded and handed him one.
"You're not going in there alone, idiot, they'll like, kill you!" Kitty pleaded, but Pietro just smiled.
"They'd have to catch me first, Pryde."
He was gone in a blur, the iron door of the crypt swinging behind him.
"Fuck," Scott growled. Buffy sighed.
"Come on. Tell your psychic friend that they're just gonna have to catch up with us." She trudged inside, and Scott couldn't help but notice that she almost seemed bored with the situation.
Pietro whooshed down the stairs with no regard for what might be in front of him, deeper into the earth where the dead Deweys crumbled slowly to dust, where someone had taken his girlfriend. He came to a halt at the bottom of the stairs as he heard voices:
"Look, I helped you organize that little raiding party, and I'm not a shallow man, but I'd really appreciate it if you gave me my fucking check so I could get out of here before the slayer shows up to kill you."
"Over a century old and a complete lack of vision. What I'm offering you is ten times better, idiot."
"And I am graciously declining."
"You're being incredibly stupid."
"You don't have my money, do you?"
"That's beside the point."
"Fan-bloody-fucking-tastic. Can you have it anytime soon?"
"Frankly, by the time I'm done with this experiment, I seriously doubt I'll be inclined to honor old debts."
There was a crash as something hit a wall.
"Oh don't be so childish. There's absolutely no reason for you not to participate in my experiment. It could even solve your nasty little chip problem. After all, you wouldn't need to attack anyone, just touch them."
"I happen to like attacking people, you git."
"Neanderthal," the other voice replied. The first sighed irritably.
"Fine, I'll try your fucking joy juice, Hector. Where is it?"
Tempted though he was to go in with stakes blazing, Pietro realized he still didn't know where Rogue was, and the last thing he wanted to do was get her killed. He glanced around the doorframe too quickly to be seen. Two people, vampires presumably, one looked like he was only about fourteen years old, brown hair and less formidable looking than Todd. The other appeared more substantial, with bleached hair and a leather coat.
"It isn't ready yet, idiot. The compound is still taking effect."
"How long do I have to wait?"
"I decapitate the little hick bitch at midnight."
Ice crashed down Pietro's veins. The two vampires were standing on either side of a stone coffin, past which was a door. If he went around them, he'd be spotted. He crept back up the stairs to get some momentum behind him.
Spike was seriously contemplating just killing Hector, letting the girl go, and going home to get drunk, since this evening wasn't going to do anything for his financial solvency no matter how well it went. This contemplation was disrupted by a gale force wind which knocked both vampires off their feet. Spike's head collided with the wall; he growled and rubbed the back of his head.
"Little drafty isn't it, mate?" he muttered. Hector had sprung to his feet, his face distorted as his inner demon emerged.
"Something's wrong," he snarled, charging down the hallway. Spike sighed, put his own game face on, and followed.
Pietro, meanwhile, was at an impasse, and getting angrier by the second. Iron door, large iron girder holding it shut, locked in place. He put his ear to the door and heard nothing, but was more than willing to bet that Rogue was behind it. He turned around just in time to dodge the edge of a shovel aimed at his head. The younger vampire snarled, his deformed face twisting into a grin.
"Quick little bastard, aren't you?" he hissed. Pietro ducked another blow, moving so quickly that it appeared the shovel had just gone straight through him, and grinned back.
"The quickest," he replied, and shot from sight. Spike looked up the hallway where Pietro had run and glanced back at Hector.
"And here I thought 'speed demon' was just a figure of speech."
Hector snarled with rage and checked the iron door.
"That wasn't a demon, you peroxide moron, that was a fucking mutant! Which means there's more on the way, out to ruin my experiment!"
Pietro bolted back up the stairs, stopping as soon as he saw red glowing flashes.
"SUMMERS!" he shouted. "What the hell is taking so long?"
"We're a little busy!" Buffy shouted back.
"The rest of the bad guys showed up!" Scott added.
"I think I found Rogue!" Pietro shouted. "I need Wagner or Pryde to get her out!"
"Gimme a sec!" Kitty shouted back.
Upstairs, the melee continued. Scott's optic blasts were only about as effective as physical force, causing no burns, which was unfortunate; Kitty was successful in phasing through walls whenever anyone was about to strike her, then staking them while they tried to free themselves. Buffy was doing the most damage, with Willow and Tara hanging back by the door and keeping an eye out for Jean, Evan and Xander.
"Scott, look out!" Kitty screamed as a vampire prepared to slam him over the head with a large chunk of concrete. Scott turned to retaliate only to see his assailant fall backwards, clutching a bone spike through his throat.
"Remind me to brag about my aim later," Evan said, charging into the fray with Jean close behind.
"Kitty, go!" Scott shouted. "Jean, block the stairs!"
Kitty ran through several vampires that tried to get in her way and hit the stairs running, her pursuers facing a formidable telekinetic wall. The vampires outnumbered, the slayer and mutants began picking them off one by one.
Kitty ran downstairs, nearly colliding with Pietro, who caught her by the shoulders.
"There's two vamps down there. You're gonna need to phase through a stone coffin and an iron door to get to Rogue, concentrate on that, I'll keep them busy."
"What do I do when I get there?" Kitty said. Pietro looked ill.
"Hope that we've killed everyone who needs killing before they can get the door unlocked. Go."
AN- I know, I know, but where the hell could I stop this chapter and have it not be a cliffhanger? Next chapter up soon, thanks verily to all those who've been reviewing/reading.