**Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I have been busy and just
not in the mood to write anything. There is a portion of vaguely described
torture so if you don't like that, I apologize. Anyways, thanks for the
feedback. Enjoy!!!**
Chapter 9 ---
"MacLeod. Let me radio the others. Thanks Joe."
MacLeod looked at Xander and motioned for the radio. Xander tossed it to him and glanced around nervously. They hadn't seen a vamp yet which was unusual when there was a new big bad in town. It seemed that the undead always flocked to do the bidding of the newest big bad.
"Methos or Willow, do you copy? Buffy, Richie, do you copy?" queried MacLeod into the radio.
"We're here," were the replies.
"There's been word from Marcus. Meet back at the shop," he ordered.
---
Joe waited for the rest of the group to find a place to sit before beginning.
"This guy Marcus called about 45 minutes ago. He is sending a courier to drop off a video tape of instructions for us to follow and he should be here any minute. I just hope it's not too cliché." Joe said.
---
Amanda had finished sawing through the ropes that bound her hands. Grinning, she felt for the ropes around her ankles and began to feel for the ends.
"Whoever did the tying, was not very good," she thought.
She found the ends and began untying. Unfortunately for her, the door swung open, blinding Amanda as she looked up from reflex. The silhouetted shape in the door walked in. The shape took on features as her eyes adjusted to the light. It was Marcus.
"Well, well, well. My guest has been busy hasn't she?" smiled Marcus evilly.
The formerly Roman Immortal then pulled out a pistol and shot Amanda through the stomach. Gasping for breath and coughing up blood, Amanda looked up blankly. Marcus then threw a badly beaten Dawn on top of Amanda who groaned as Dawn pressed into her wound. Dawn looked down in shock and confusion at the blood on her hands and Amanda died.
Marcus signaled to the vampire with the video camera who then focused it on the Immortal.
---
"MacLeod, Slayer! Go to the warehouse on Baker Drive and bring as many people as you'd like. I want a fight and my army wants fresh food! If you want your friends back alive you will have to go through an army first." With that, the tape went black but kept running. The screams of Dawn, then Amanda started and then went on for 5 more seconds before the tape finally went to static. Giles reached out and switched it off.
Joe looked up and Duncan was pacing. Buffy got up from her chair and then kicked it into a wall. She looked up with her hands on her hips.
"Well, it looks like we waited too long. Dawn has been hurt and so has Amanda. I for one am going to kick some serious ass!" stated Buffy.
"Agreed, but we need an advantage" replied Methos.
Xander got up and paced the room before turning to Giles. "G-Man, I've got an idea. You get a priest and Richie, we are going out for a minute."
Richie looked up surprised at the commanding tone of the younger man's voice, but didn't argue.
Buffy started to speak, but Xander cut her off saying, "We'll be back in about 30 minutes. Trust me. We'll get there in time."
---
--Across Town--
Xander opened the gate to the construction site and pointed to one of the vehicles.
"You take that one, I'll grab this one. Follow me out and we'll go fill up," Xander said.
Richie just nodded and caught the keys tossed to him.
They hopped behind their respective wheels, started up and headed out the gate.
---
--Warehouse--
Marcus was seated in his chair on the catwalk high up on the far wall of the warehouse staring at the activity below him. The legions below him were circled in groups talking and lounging. The humans that were being used as cattle were being passed around from vampire to vampire. They were never quite drained all the way so they could be fed off of again. These humans were fed well and slept as well as could be hoped for. Most of them had long since lost the will to do anything but sleep. Some were still fighters and constantly looked for a way to escape, but escape with that many vampires around, was nearly impossible. A few had tried and now they were among the ranks of the army.
Marcus pondered this army of his and thought back to a time long ago. Being older than all of the vampires below him made control simple. Fighting each of them until they were beaten into submission, Marcus became their foster master. He saw to it that they had plenty to eat and they saw to it that he had the greatest advantage when it came to Immortals or otherwise. After two thousand years, his leader's heart had not lost its need to command superior forces. Unfortunately, his heart was also now twisted and cruel.
--The countryside outside of Rome, 1 AD --
The second in command of the Roman guards always aspired to be a general. His dreams of glory and honor from the emperor were ever present in his mind. Marcus loved sunsets. From the guard towers the view was spectacular but the former farmer loved watching the sunset over a rolling field of wheat. It was this peace and calm that drew him from the city this day. It was also to be a turning point in his life, unbeknownst to him.
With the sun now behind the hills, Marcus sighed and turned to walk back to the city. Turning on his heel, he stopped short as he saw the man who was standing behind him motionless. The man was completely bald and had red eyes with a nose that looked like a pig's snout. Marcus' heart pounded with fear at the demon that stood before him. Marcus noticed the fangs and reached for the sword at his side but found that he was drawn to the man and did not wish to harm him.
"You will make an excellent snack my young legionnaire," the vampire said.
"I'm not a legionnaire, but.." Marcus trailed off while walking slowly towards the monster. "What are you?" Marcus asked.
"I am the Master if you must know. I am the walking Undead. A vampire, my young Roman. The last thing you'll ever see."
The Master smiled and grabbed Marcus by the neck. Pulling Marcus towards him and turning him around, the Master twisted his neck to the side and inhaled deeply. Marcus gasped as the teeth of the Master tore into his neck. Feeling the life drain out of him as quickly as his blood was being drained from him, Marcus grabbed weakly at the hand that held him. Finally, with no more blood left in his body, Marcus collapsed dead at the Master's feet. The vampire just smiled and went looking for his next meal of the night.
---
The next morning Marcus awoke to the sunlight in his eyes with a gasp of breath and a pain in his chest. He breathed heavily shaking his head to clear the cobwebs there. Sitting up he winced at the strong sun in his face and shaded his eyes looking around.
"What the hell happened? Why am I out here?" he thought. All of a sudden he began to remember the sunset, the monster, dying. Getting to his feet Marcus glanced at his surroundings wildly looking for an enemy. Seeing nothing, he got up and brushed himself off. Walking back towards the city he began to think and wonder.
Upon arriving back at the outskirts of Rome, Marcus had a sensation in his head. Looking around, he saw a familiar demonic visage. Taking off across the streets at a sprint to the shadowed alley, Marcus was determined to get some answers. Coming to a halt before the Master, he drew his sword and placed it at the Master's throat.
The Master looked at him and said, "You do not burn? This is a surprising turn of events. What are you that looks human but does not die like one?"
"What do you mean, 'die like one'?" demanded Marcus.
"You my good Roman were dead when I last left you. You are obviously not one of my kind as you did not burn in the sunlight," replied the Master. "So what are you? You tasted human to me last night," he continued.
With sudden inspiration, the Master disarmed Marcus and took a swipe at him with his own sword. Crying out in shock at the wound in his stomach, he kneeled over in pain. With a grunt, the Master kicked him over and stuck a grotesque finger in Marcus' blood and tasted it. Spitting it out, the Master growled.
"It burns," said the vampire in almost wonder. In intense curiosity he watched as Marcus died and blue sparks flew over the closing wound. A few minutes later Marcus opened his eyes and gaped in shock. Gagging for breath, he spit out the blood that had built up in the back of his throat. Groaning, he rolled over and got up and remembered. The vampire was still there.
"Well," the Master started. "It appears that you cannot die. Since your blood is horrible, I think it is time we part ways."
With that, the Master turned and walked off into the darkness of the alley. Marcus just stared and wondered about what happened.
--- Present time ---
Marcus thought about that day and how it changed his life. First he lost his life, and then he learned about vampires. Not long after that he learned about the Game and other Immortals. His teacher didn't last very long after that. Marcus was a better student than his teacher had thought and he paid for it with his Quickening. Marcus had moved on into Northern Europe and Britain for a few hundred years and barely escaped a more than a few places with his life. Tragically for him, one place in Britain, he lost his life temporarily. The wicker cage was never a thing of beauty and the Druids that operated it were not the most caring of people. Marcus burned to death more than once in that cage before finally taking his revenge on that village. He snuck in one night and killed all the dogs and watchmen before tying up the men and women. Burning the village to the ground after raping the women while making the men watch was only the first part. He had tortured the male children and marked the girls across their chests with his blade. Letting them go near a nearby village, he went back to the former village and hung all of the men by their feet until they died. The Druids had their hands and feet cut off before dragging them to the forest for the wolves. Marcus stayed to watch the slaughter and to hear the cries of his torturers. He was satisfied.
Leaving Britain with a Roman hating war band on his heels, Marcus fled to the area which would be known as Spain. Hiding out there for a few centuries Marcus re-emerged in the Arab worlds. Not finding what he wanted there, he moved north into Constantinople. Finally he found there a nest of vampires that was suitable for his desires. Defeating and then training the vampires to be dependent on him was no easy task. Their discipline was almost non-existent. Finally after two years of fighting them for control Marcus led them into battle. The Slayer then appeared and nearly wiped out his newly formed fighting squad of vampires. Marcus finally took her out with some clever maneuvering and an ambush. The vampires had a new respect for Marcus and from then on, his life as a leader of the undead became far easier.
700 years after his army's first battle Marcus had found the secret to Roman success. Keep your military fed and well supplied and they will do wonders for you. Marcus finally found how to keep his army supplied with humans as cattle. A sick way to do things if you thought about it but Marcus never did. In the last two centuries Marcus had found out about the Watchers. Feeding them false information about the number and strength of his army was the main reason no one had ever assaulted them. Only this time the information was correct. His army did consist of 5000 vampires but two-thirds were less than a decade old and not much more powerful than a new vampire.
"Still, a trained army to fight is far harder than a few small nests" Marcus mused. Standing up he clapped his hands and the room got quiet as the vampires turned to face him.
"Double the guard, the Slayer will be coming soon!" he commanded and went to find his favorite female vampire for some relaxation.
** Again, sorry it took so long but I hope it was worth it. The next chapter is hopefully going to be pretty violent as most pitched battles really are. It'll be fun to write. Feedback please! **
Chapter 9 ---
"MacLeod. Let me radio the others. Thanks Joe."
MacLeod looked at Xander and motioned for the radio. Xander tossed it to him and glanced around nervously. They hadn't seen a vamp yet which was unusual when there was a new big bad in town. It seemed that the undead always flocked to do the bidding of the newest big bad.
"Methos or Willow, do you copy? Buffy, Richie, do you copy?" queried MacLeod into the radio.
"We're here," were the replies.
"There's been word from Marcus. Meet back at the shop," he ordered.
---
Joe waited for the rest of the group to find a place to sit before beginning.
"This guy Marcus called about 45 minutes ago. He is sending a courier to drop off a video tape of instructions for us to follow and he should be here any minute. I just hope it's not too cliché." Joe said.
---
Amanda had finished sawing through the ropes that bound her hands. Grinning, she felt for the ropes around her ankles and began to feel for the ends.
"Whoever did the tying, was not very good," she thought.
She found the ends and began untying. Unfortunately for her, the door swung open, blinding Amanda as she looked up from reflex. The silhouetted shape in the door walked in. The shape took on features as her eyes adjusted to the light. It was Marcus.
"Well, well, well. My guest has been busy hasn't she?" smiled Marcus evilly.
The formerly Roman Immortal then pulled out a pistol and shot Amanda through the stomach. Gasping for breath and coughing up blood, Amanda looked up blankly. Marcus then threw a badly beaten Dawn on top of Amanda who groaned as Dawn pressed into her wound. Dawn looked down in shock and confusion at the blood on her hands and Amanda died.
Marcus signaled to the vampire with the video camera who then focused it on the Immortal.
---
"MacLeod, Slayer! Go to the warehouse on Baker Drive and bring as many people as you'd like. I want a fight and my army wants fresh food! If you want your friends back alive you will have to go through an army first." With that, the tape went black but kept running. The screams of Dawn, then Amanda started and then went on for 5 more seconds before the tape finally went to static. Giles reached out and switched it off.
Joe looked up and Duncan was pacing. Buffy got up from her chair and then kicked it into a wall. She looked up with her hands on her hips.
"Well, it looks like we waited too long. Dawn has been hurt and so has Amanda. I for one am going to kick some serious ass!" stated Buffy.
"Agreed, but we need an advantage" replied Methos.
Xander got up and paced the room before turning to Giles. "G-Man, I've got an idea. You get a priest and Richie, we are going out for a minute."
Richie looked up surprised at the commanding tone of the younger man's voice, but didn't argue.
Buffy started to speak, but Xander cut her off saying, "We'll be back in about 30 minutes. Trust me. We'll get there in time."
---
--Across Town--
Xander opened the gate to the construction site and pointed to one of the vehicles.
"You take that one, I'll grab this one. Follow me out and we'll go fill up," Xander said.
Richie just nodded and caught the keys tossed to him.
They hopped behind their respective wheels, started up and headed out the gate.
---
--Warehouse--
Marcus was seated in his chair on the catwalk high up on the far wall of the warehouse staring at the activity below him. The legions below him were circled in groups talking and lounging. The humans that were being used as cattle were being passed around from vampire to vampire. They were never quite drained all the way so they could be fed off of again. These humans were fed well and slept as well as could be hoped for. Most of them had long since lost the will to do anything but sleep. Some were still fighters and constantly looked for a way to escape, but escape with that many vampires around, was nearly impossible. A few had tried and now they were among the ranks of the army.
Marcus pondered this army of his and thought back to a time long ago. Being older than all of the vampires below him made control simple. Fighting each of them until they were beaten into submission, Marcus became their foster master. He saw to it that they had plenty to eat and they saw to it that he had the greatest advantage when it came to Immortals or otherwise. After two thousand years, his leader's heart had not lost its need to command superior forces. Unfortunately, his heart was also now twisted and cruel.
--The countryside outside of Rome, 1 AD --
The second in command of the Roman guards always aspired to be a general. His dreams of glory and honor from the emperor were ever present in his mind. Marcus loved sunsets. From the guard towers the view was spectacular but the former farmer loved watching the sunset over a rolling field of wheat. It was this peace and calm that drew him from the city this day. It was also to be a turning point in his life, unbeknownst to him.
With the sun now behind the hills, Marcus sighed and turned to walk back to the city. Turning on his heel, he stopped short as he saw the man who was standing behind him motionless. The man was completely bald and had red eyes with a nose that looked like a pig's snout. Marcus' heart pounded with fear at the demon that stood before him. Marcus noticed the fangs and reached for the sword at his side but found that he was drawn to the man and did not wish to harm him.
"You will make an excellent snack my young legionnaire," the vampire said.
"I'm not a legionnaire, but.." Marcus trailed off while walking slowly towards the monster. "What are you?" Marcus asked.
"I am the Master if you must know. I am the walking Undead. A vampire, my young Roman. The last thing you'll ever see."
The Master smiled and grabbed Marcus by the neck. Pulling Marcus towards him and turning him around, the Master twisted his neck to the side and inhaled deeply. Marcus gasped as the teeth of the Master tore into his neck. Feeling the life drain out of him as quickly as his blood was being drained from him, Marcus grabbed weakly at the hand that held him. Finally, with no more blood left in his body, Marcus collapsed dead at the Master's feet. The vampire just smiled and went looking for his next meal of the night.
---
The next morning Marcus awoke to the sunlight in his eyes with a gasp of breath and a pain in his chest. He breathed heavily shaking his head to clear the cobwebs there. Sitting up he winced at the strong sun in his face and shaded his eyes looking around.
"What the hell happened? Why am I out here?" he thought. All of a sudden he began to remember the sunset, the monster, dying. Getting to his feet Marcus glanced at his surroundings wildly looking for an enemy. Seeing nothing, he got up and brushed himself off. Walking back towards the city he began to think and wonder.
Upon arriving back at the outskirts of Rome, Marcus had a sensation in his head. Looking around, he saw a familiar demonic visage. Taking off across the streets at a sprint to the shadowed alley, Marcus was determined to get some answers. Coming to a halt before the Master, he drew his sword and placed it at the Master's throat.
The Master looked at him and said, "You do not burn? This is a surprising turn of events. What are you that looks human but does not die like one?"
"What do you mean, 'die like one'?" demanded Marcus.
"You my good Roman were dead when I last left you. You are obviously not one of my kind as you did not burn in the sunlight," replied the Master. "So what are you? You tasted human to me last night," he continued.
With sudden inspiration, the Master disarmed Marcus and took a swipe at him with his own sword. Crying out in shock at the wound in his stomach, he kneeled over in pain. With a grunt, the Master kicked him over and stuck a grotesque finger in Marcus' blood and tasted it. Spitting it out, the Master growled.
"It burns," said the vampire in almost wonder. In intense curiosity he watched as Marcus died and blue sparks flew over the closing wound. A few minutes later Marcus opened his eyes and gaped in shock. Gagging for breath, he spit out the blood that had built up in the back of his throat. Groaning, he rolled over and got up and remembered. The vampire was still there.
"Well," the Master started. "It appears that you cannot die. Since your blood is horrible, I think it is time we part ways."
With that, the Master turned and walked off into the darkness of the alley. Marcus just stared and wondered about what happened.
--- Present time ---
Marcus thought about that day and how it changed his life. First he lost his life, and then he learned about vampires. Not long after that he learned about the Game and other Immortals. His teacher didn't last very long after that. Marcus was a better student than his teacher had thought and he paid for it with his Quickening. Marcus had moved on into Northern Europe and Britain for a few hundred years and barely escaped a more than a few places with his life. Tragically for him, one place in Britain, he lost his life temporarily. The wicker cage was never a thing of beauty and the Druids that operated it were not the most caring of people. Marcus burned to death more than once in that cage before finally taking his revenge on that village. He snuck in one night and killed all the dogs and watchmen before tying up the men and women. Burning the village to the ground after raping the women while making the men watch was only the first part. He had tortured the male children and marked the girls across their chests with his blade. Letting them go near a nearby village, he went back to the former village and hung all of the men by their feet until they died. The Druids had their hands and feet cut off before dragging them to the forest for the wolves. Marcus stayed to watch the slaughter and to hear the cries of his torturers. He was satisfied.
Leaving Britain with a Roman hating war band on his heels, Marcus fled to the area which would be known as Spain. Hiding out there for a few centuries Marcus re-emerged in the Arab worlds. Not finding what he wanted there, he moved north into Constantinople. Finally he found there a nest of vampires that was suitable for his desires. Defeating and then training the vampires to be dependent on him was no easy task. Their discipline was almost non-existent. Finally after two years of fighting them for control Marcus led them into battle. The Slayer then appeared and nearly wiped out his newly formed fighting squad of vampires. Marcus finally took her out with some clever maneuvering and an ambush. The vampires had a new respect for Marcus and from then on, his life as a leader of the undead became far easier.
700 years after his army's first battle Marcus had found the secret to Roman success. Keep your military fed and well supplied and they will do wonders for you. Marcus finally found how to keep his army supplied with humans as cattle. A sick way to do things if you thought about it but Marcus never did. In the last two centuries Marcus had found out about the Watchers. Feeding them false information about the number and strength of his army was the main reason no one had ever assaulted them. Only this time the information was correct. His army did consist of 5000 vampires but two-thirds were less than a decade old and not much more powerful than a new vampire.
"Still, a trained army to fight is far harder than a few small nests" Marcus mused. Standing up he clapped his hands and the room got quiet as the vampires turned to face him.
"Double the guard, the Slayer will be coming soon!" he commanded and went to find his favorite female vampire for some relaxation.
** Again, sorry it took so long but I hope it was worth it. The next chapter is hopefully going to be pretty violent as most pitched battles really are. It'll be fun to write. Feedback please! **