Part 8: Angel
#
Buffy slept for another few hours and then told us everything she remembers. I listened to her tale and had to keep myself from clenching my fists in rage.
If Riley Finn survived the explosion in that underground lab he better be miles away from here by now. If I ever get my hands on him ...
"This doesn't make sense," Giles murmurs under his breath.
"What?" I ask him, throwing a glance upstairs, where Buffy has fallen asleep again.
"What, what she told us," he says. "For one thing she told us that she remembers being on fire."
I could hear the pain in her voice. So much pain. I had to keep myself from closing her in my arms again, doing whatever it takes to make the pain go away.
"So?" Willow asks.
"If she was on fire, she, she should be burned. Not even Slayer healing could heal burns like those she described in the space of a day. She should be burned all over."
I almost growl at him, but I know he doesn't mean it like that. He is as relieved as I am that she is back and unhurt. I turn my head to look at Faith, who hasn't moved from her seat in the corner of the living room since she and Xander returned with Buffy.
"Another thing," Giles continues, "is the fact that she got out at all. This, this entire installation is one huge hole in the ground now. As far as we can tell no one got out alive, yet she isn't even scratched."
"You make that sound like a bad thing," Willow complains. "We should be glad she isn't hurt, not ..."
"Willow, it's all right," I try to calm her. "We have to find out what happened and I have to admit, Buffy's recollection might not be the most reliable source of information we have right now."
"Did you and Spike find anything?" Giles asks me.
I shake my head. Spike led me through the sewers toward the place he remembers coming out through. We spent hours looking for a way in, but a lot of the tunnels have collapsed, some have even melted.
"It was a mess down there, that's for sure," Spike says. "Army boys blew themselves up real good."
He doesn't sound too sad about it.
"Well, then I guess no one is left to take that chip out of your head again," Xander remarks. I have to admit, I'm kind of glad not to be the target of his animosity for once. Spike fumes, but says nothing.
"Any more on this Finn character?" I ask Willow, who has been working the computer almost nonstop since Buffy turned up again.
"Nothing helpful. According to his files at university he is from Iowa, corn-fed farm boy through and through. No mention of military service or anything."
"It might not even be his real name," Giles says. "Just some kind of cover identity."
"Our only hope to find out more is to find some way to get inside the installation." I look at the others. "After nightfall we can try and find a way in from above. If the explosion left anything intact, that is."
Spike stays quiet. He will come along, I know, both because he hopes to find something that will help him with the chip and because he knows I will stake him the moment he steps out of line. Neutered like he is he can't even defend himself, so he will obey. For the moment.
I look at Faith again. Xander told us what happened when Buffy attacked her. Buffy doesn't seem to remember that at all. Anyway, Faith could have used the opportunity to kill Buffy. She didn't, so I guess we can trust her. For the moment.
"Sunset is in two hours," Giles says, rising from the couch. "We should maybe rest a bit until then."
Willow and Xander leave, promising to be back in two hours. Spike squats down in front of the TV and turns on some show. Faith just remains sitting in the corner, her eyes never wavering from the door to the bedroom upstairs, where Buffy is resting.
I join Giles in the kitchen, where he has some blood prepared.
"I am worried, Angel," Giles says quietly. "About Buffy. Did she seem ... confused to you?"
"You mean the fact that she seemed to be talking to someone else beside of us?"
Giles nods. "She complained about someone whispering to her. She is also talking in her sleep, a conversation with someone. Now, I hope that it is just the stress from almost dying in that explosion, but ..."
"But we have no way of knowing what those military people did to her, I agree. We need to keep a constant eye on her."
Giles nods again, sipping from his tea cup.
"I am glad you are here, Angel," he says after a minute of silence. "Ever since you left Buffy has been ... different."
"Different?"
"Not on the outside, no. But I'm afraid Buffy is not a very good actress. I fear she is just pretending to be happy. Inside she is still hurting."
I sigh. "It was painful for both of us, but there was no alternative. We can't have a future together, Giles, you know that."
"I do, yes. I just fear that Buffy is not dealing well with that. She is getting ... reckless. Telling a virtual stranger about her being the Slayer is just a small part of it. I'm worried."
"Are you worried that she might be going ..."
I don't say the word, but Giles knows what I mean. I wait for him to dispute me, but he doesn't.
"We'll just have to keep a close eye on her," Giles says, sipping his tea again.
I gulp down the warmed blood and try to quench the stark worry spreading in my stomach.
#
It's five minutes to sunset and everyone is ready to go looking for answers. I just pray we can find some. As I expected Faith got up and joined us without another word. She barely reacted earlier, when I thanked her for bringing Buffy back. It's like she is trying to disappear, trying to avoid everyone's gaze, until she feels she has managed to make some amends.
I know the feeling.
We are about to go out when Buffy comes down the stairs.
"I'm coming with you," she announces to everyone. She is already dressed and looks almost healthy. Too healthy.
"Buffy, we ...," Giles begins.
"You're going into that underground lab," she says, not a question. "I'm coming with you."
I walk toward her. "Buffy, are you sure you are up to this?"
"I need to know what happened to me, Angel," she says with a pleading look on her face. "They did something to me, I know it. I need to know what is going on inside me. Why I keep hearing ... I just need to know."
I share a worried glance with Giles, but finally nod. Suddenly Buffy looks past me at Faith.
"Hi, B," Faith says after a moment of icy silence.
"Hello, Faith," Buffy answers, her voice very neutral.
"She helped us," Xander remarks. "Sort of."
Buffy cocks her head to one side, as if listening to something. Then she looks back at Faith.
"I attacked you," she whispers, as if only just now remembering. "And you ..."
"Sorry about that." Faith looks down, her voice very small. "I ... I thought it was best for you to ..."
"I understand," Buffy cuts her off. "I guess I wasn't quite myself then. Thank you."
I am not sure what Buffy is thinking right now. Her face has turned into a mask where, but seconds earlier, I could read the desperation inside of her like words on the page of a book. There is a lot of unresolved anger between the two Slayers. Faith seems eager to make up for what she did. I don't know whether Buffy is ready to give her a chance. Especially now.
"Let's go, people," she says, looking determined.
I nod, giving Giles a silent promise not to take my eyes off her. We load up with weapons, though I doubt we will need them. I don't think there is anything left alive down there. There might not be anything left period.
I just hope we find some answers.
"Just shut up," Buffy mumbles to herself and I feel uneasy.
TO BE CONTINUED
#
Buffy slept for another few hours and then told us everything she remembers. I listened to her tale and had to keep myself from clenching my fists in rage.
If Riley Finn survived the explosion in that underground lab he better be miles away from here by now. If I ever get my hands on him ...
"This doesn't make sense," Giles murmurs under his breath.
"What?" I ask him, throwing a glance upstairs, where Buffy has fallen asleep again.
"What, what she told us," he says. "For one thing she told us that she remembers being on fire."
I could hear the pain in her voice. So much pain. I had to keep myself from closing her in my arms again, doing whatever it takes to make the pain go away.
"So?" Willow asks.
"If she was on fire, she, she should be burned. Not even Slayer healing could heal burns like those she described in the space of a day. She should be burned all over."
I almost growl at him, but I know he doesn't mean it like that. He is as relieved as I am that she is back and unhurt. I turn my head to look at Faith, who hasn't moved from her seat in the corner of the living room since she and Xander returned with Buffy.
"Another thing," Giles continues, "is the fact that she got out at all. This, this entire installation is one huge hole in the ground now. As far as we can tell no one got out alive, yet she isn't even scratched."
"You make that sound like a bad thing," Willow complains. "We should be glad she isn't hurt, not ..."
"Willow, it's all right," I try to calm her. "We have to find out what happened and I have to admit, Buffy's recollection might not be the most reliable source of information we have right now."
"Did you and Spike find anything?" Giles asks me.
I shake my head. Spike led me through the sewers toward the place he remembers coming out through. We spent hours looking for a way in, but a lot of the tunnels have collapsed, some have even melted.
"It was a mess down there, that's for sure," Spike says. "Army boys blew themselves up real good."
He doesn't sound too sad about it.
"Well, then I guess no one is left to take that chip out of your head again," Xander remarks. I have to admit, I'm kind of glad not to be the target of his animosity for once. Spike fumes, but says nothing.
"Any more on this Finn character?" I ask Willow, who has been working the computer almost nonstop since Buffy turned up again.
"Nothing helpful. According to his files at university he is from Iowa, corn-fed farm boy through and through. No mention of military service or anything."
"It might not even be his real name," Giles says. "Just some kind of cover identity."
"Our only hope to find out more is to find some way to get inside the installation." I look at the others. "After nightfall we can try and find a way in from above. If the explosion left anything intact, that is."
Spike stays quiet. He will come along, I know, both because he hopes to find something that will help him with the chip and because he knows I will stake him the moment he steps out of line. Neutered like he is he can't even defend himself, so he will obey. For the moment.
I look at Faith again. Xander told us what happened when Buffy attacked her. Buffy doesn't seem to remember that at all. Anyway, Faith could have used the opportunity to kill Buffy. She didn't, so I guess we can trust her. For the moment.
"Sunset is in two hours," Giles says, rising from the couch. "We should maybe rest a bit until then."
Willow and Xander leave, promising to be back in two hours. Spike squats down in front of the TV and turns on some show. Faith just remains sitting in the corner, her eyes never wavering from the door to the bedroom upstairs, where Buffy is resting.
I join Giles in the kitchen, where he has some blood prepared.
"I am worried, Angel," Giles says quietly. "About Buffy. Did she seem ... confused to you?"
"You mean the fact that she seemed to be talking to someone else beside of us?"
Giles nods. "She complained about someone whispering to her. She is also talking in her sleep, a conversation with someone. Now, I hope that it is just the stress from almost dying in that explosion, but ..."
"But we have no way of knowing what those military people did to her, I agree. We need to keep a constant eye on her."
Giles nods again, sipping from his tea cup.
"I am glad you are here, Angel," he says after a minute of silence. "Ever since you left Buffy has been ... different."
"Different?"
"Not on the outside, no. But I'm afraid Buffy is not a very good actress. I fear she is just pretending to be happy. Inside she is still hurting."
I sigh. "It was painful for both of us, but there was no alternative. We can't have a future together, Giles, you know that."
"I do, yes. I just fear that Buffy is not dealing well with that. She is getting ... reckless. Telling a virtual stranger about her being the Slayer is just a small part of it. I'm worried."
"Are you worried that she might be going ..."
I don't say the word, but Giles knows what I mean. I wait for him to dispute me, but he doesn't.
"We'll just have to keep a close eye on her," Giles says, sipping his tea again.
I gulp down the warmed blood and try to quench the stark worry spreading in my stomach.
#
It's five minutes to sunset and everyone is ready to go looking for answers. I just pray we can find some. As I expected Faith got up and joined us without another word. She barely reacted earlier, when I thanked her for bringing Buffy back. It's like she is trying to disappear, trying to avoid everyone's gaze, until she feels she has managed to make some amends.
I know the feeling.
We are about to go out when Buffy comes down the stairs.
"I'm coming with you," she announces to everyone. She is already dressed and looks almost healthy. Too healthy.
"Buffy, we ...," Giles begins.
"You're going into that underground lab," she says, not a question. "I'm coming with you."
I walk toward her. "Buffy, are you sure you are up to this?"
"I need to know what happened to me, Angel," she says with a pleading look on her face. "They did something to me, I know it. I need to know what is going on inside me. Why I keep hearing ... I just need to know."
I share a worried glance with Giles, but finally nod. Suddenly Buffy looks past me at Faith.
"Hi, B," Faith says after a moment of icy silence.
"Hello, Faith," Buffy answers, her voice very neutral.
"She helped us," Xander remarks. "Sort of."
Buffy cocks her head to one side, as if listening to something. Then she looks back at Faith.
"I attacked you," she whispers, as if only just now remembering. "And you ..."
"Sorry about that." Faith looks down, her voice very small. "I ... I thought it was best for you to ..."
"I understand," Buffy cuts her off. "I guess I wasn't quite myself then. Thank you."
I am not sure what Buffy is thinking right now. Her face has turned into a mask where, but seconds earlier, I could read the desperation inside of her like words on the page of a book. There is a lot of unresolved anger between the two Slayers. Faith seems eager to make up for what she did. I don't know whether Buffy is ready to give her a chance. Especially now.
"Let's go, people," she says, looking determined.
I nod, giving Giles a silent promise not to take my eyes off her. We load up with weapons, though I doubt we will need them. I don't think there is anything left alive down there. There might not be anything left period.
I just hope we find some answers.
"Just shut up," Buffy mumbles to herself and I feel uneasy.
TO BE CONTINUED