Disclaimer: I don't own any BTVS, Highlander, Angel, Charmed, X-Files, or

Tomorrow People  characters, only

the story and original content. Don't sue. All I have worth taking is a HUGE cookbook

and a new keyboard anyway

Distribution: well....ask, assuming anyone wants it

Spoilers: General for the TV shows mentioned above

                          Masks of Humanity

"Hey! Wilson!"
Faith snapped awake.  She glared at the guard standing just outside her

cell. "Maier? What the hell?"

"Warden wants to see you. Now."
"What for? It's three in the damn morning!"

"I don't know and I don't give a shit. Up."
Grumbling, Faith came to the door. She didn't protest as the guard

opened the door and cuffed her,  then led her to the warden's office.

Maier, unlike most of the guards, was pretty cool. He'd never tried to

get into her pants, and he was a "straight ace", not taking bribes

or mistreating prisoners. He treated them all equally. Professional.
An honest professional.

There were two other men in the office with Warden Garrett.

Faith tensed  as one of them grinned at her.  "Maier," she said in a

low, urgent voice, barely above a whisper.
Her tone caught his  immediate attention. "What's wrong?" he asked

sharply.

"Uncuff me. Now."

"What--"
"If you don't, that suit is going to kill us both." The man who'd grinned

was walking toward them, as was the other. The warden just sat on his

desk, watching, a .45 in his hand...and a cross on a chain around his neck.

"Sir, what's going on?" Maier stepped in front of Faith, his hand on the

butt of his own gun.
"Get out of their way, Maier. She's not our problem anymore."

"Maier--!"
He glanced at the men, in time to see one of them sprout fangs and rush

at  Faith.

Maier's gun was out almost too quickly for Faith to see it. He fired twice.

The first vampire's chest suddenly had a large, blood-gushing hole just

below the sternum. The second bullet was for his partner. The shot

shattered his kneecap. He fell, shrieking in rage and pain.
The Warden was on his feet. He gripped his pistol with both hands, aiming

straight at Maier.

Snap!!

The chain holding Faith's cuffs broke. She dove for the guard, knocking him to

the side. A bullet whizzed past them.
Maier whirled, and fired a third time. The Warden's head exploded into a

morass of bright red fluid and bone fragments mixed with gray matter.


Absolute silence.


Maier turned to Faith and unlocked her cuffs. "Are you hurt?" he asked.

"No. But-- those two aren't....even the one with the sucking chest wound

won't die. Not just from being shot."
"What are they? Not humans, I take it." At her expression, he laughed. "I've

been working at this place for a long time, girl. What are they, vampires?"
"Uh huh."
"You a demon hunter, is that it? Wondered how you got so good at fighting--"
"Slayer." Faith nodded. He deserved the truth. She looked around. "Hold on--"
Picking up a wooden folding chair, she smashed it against a wall. It broke quite

nicely into several sharp pieces.

She drove one into the lead vamp's chest, and hastily yanked it out again. He

exploded into dust. She staked the second vampire with little more effort.

"You can't stay here." Maier voiced what she was already thinking.

Faith glanced at him. "I know. I've been expecting someone to try this for

months, hell, over a year now. I don't know why they're only doing it now,

but something must've changed, outside. Something bad, I need to get with

the rest of the crew I...used to work with. They may need help big time. " She

remembered the dreams she'd been having all week, and shuddered. "From beneath

you, it devours," she whispered.

"Sorry?"

"Nothing. Look, I don't want to get you in trouble, but I have to leave. Right now."

"Understood. I can shut the security cameras off from here, temporarily, and wipe

the tapes. No one should miss you until breakfast, give you a few hours' head start."

"What about...."
Maier smiled unpleasantly. "No one will ever find him either."
An odd look--hungry?-- crossed his face. Faith decided not to ask too many questions.

She wasn't at all sure she wanted the answers.

"Take his gun, and the cross," Maier suggested. He removed them from the Warden's

body.

"Thanks," Faith said, accepting them It was no time to be squeamish. She wiped the

cross off on her T-shirt.
"Wait here and I'll grab you some clothes from one of the woman guards' lockers.
You won't get far dressed in prison orange."
He left. Faith dropped the cross necklace over her head.

Maier returned swiftly with the clothes; jeans, sneakers, a T-shirt and jacket.
She changed, and tucked the gun into the waistband of her pants. "Thanks," she said

one last time.

"Watch your back," was all he said.

The Slayer didn't look back as she answered "Always do," and disappeared into the

chilly shadows.