Part 5
#
The small group of people walked through the sewer tunnel Spike had found for them. The constantly complaining Vampire had scouted ahead and reported but a few people between them and what was left of the Initiative base.
Here, underground, pretenses were discarded it seemed. The guards wore full military garb and were armed to the teeth.
Rose McNamara and Giles walked at the end of the group, the former Watcher having filled the new arrival in on what had happened here just two weeks ago. He had left out a few things, like Angel's presence and his own suspicions about what might have happened to Buffy.
Still, even without that, the story was hard to believe for someone who had read about a lot, but not actually seen most of it. Giles found himself reminded of Wesley Windham-Pryce, remembering how the younger Watcher had once proudly told him of having actually met a Vampire before. Under controlled conditions. Of course Miss McNamara was a lot less pompous.
"Heads up, kids," Spike called out from the front. "Army boys just around the next corner. And they're not carrying Science Fiction stun guns, either."
"Okay," Buffy replied. "All non-combatants stay back here! That includes you, Ms. Watcher!"
"I know how to handle myself."
"I don't care if you can handle a dozen Vampires with one hand tied behind your back," Buffy spat back. "I don't know you, I don't trust you, so I don't want you doing things behind my back in the middle of combat! Stay here or I'll make you stay!"
"I'm starting to like her," Spike remarked.
"Miss McNamara, why don't you, Anya, and Willow stay here to ... ah, guard our retreat."
"Yeah, right," Anya scoffed. "Not like I wanted to come along in the first place."
Willow looked a little sour that Giles wanted her to stay behind, but grudgingly nodded. After the recent experiences with her haywire spells she was the last person to argue the point. Buffy gave Xander and Giles a look, but told neither of them to stay behind as well.
"One of you will have to take down the army boys," Spike whispered as they rounded the next bend of the tunnel.
"Someone not neutered, you mean?" Xander whispered back.
"Quiet, you two," Giles hissed.
Buffy and Faith communicated with a glance, the routine they'd had down so pat between them once upon a time slowly reestablishing itself, and quietly edged closer to two shadowy figures standing in the tunnel ahead of them, the glow of cigarette tips guiding them in.
"I wish they would get finished with the cleanup in there," one of the figures murmured.
"I wish we hadn't drawn sewer duty," the other answered.
Seconds later neither of them wished for anything anymore, two synchronized blows having sent them off to dreamland.
"Give me a few tough Vampires every day," Faith murmured, clearly uncomfortable despite her joke. Attacking humans after everything that had happened in the past left a very sour taste in her mouth.
"Don't jinx us, okay?" Xander said, he and the others catching up with the Slayers.
Faith replied something, but Buffy didn't hear it. Her vision wavered for a moment and the scenery around her changed. The sewer tunnel was replaced by a corridor, white walls blackened by fires. There were screams everywhere, sirens, the nauseating stench of burning human flesh.
Get out! Have to get out!
An image, herself, on fire. Flames eating her body, devouring her, she could see it. Red flames all over, her skin burned raw. She remembered the pain. So much pain.
"Buffy?"
The voice brought her back into the sewer tunnel, where three concerned faces were looking at her, along with one bored-looking Vampire.
"You zoned out on us for a minute there," Xander said, his hand on her shoulder.
"Sorry, I ..." She shook her head. "Flashback, I guess. The night of the explosion."
"Anything new?" Giles asked, a strange look on his face that Buffy couldn't quite place.
"No. Just ... just pain. Fire. The need to get out."
Giles nodded, yet there was still that funny look on his face.
"You might get some more memory flashes once we get in. Try to stay focused on the now, though. I'm afraid a distraction might lead to dangerous consequences once we enter the base."
"Just say: Don't stray," Xander said. "With the long phrases again, G-man!"
The group started moving forward again, Buffy and Faith directly behind Spike, Xander and Giles bringing up the rear. After some more minutes they arrived at a shattered tunnel wall. No, not shattered, Buffy thought. Melted. Behind the wall was another tunnel, but not of the shabby sewer variety.
She knew this tunnel, or at least this kind of tunnel. White walls and ceilings with glow rods, cold and sterile. The fire had done a number of them, but apparently someone had cleaned away the worst of the damage.
"We're inside," she whispered to the others.
Even as she said it she felt another memory come alive inside her head. Violently.
Couldn't move. Hurt so much to move. Every attempt was pure agony, as if someone had poured white-hot metal into her veins. Why did it hurt so much? What was happening to her? Her head was a cascade of images, screams.
More pain, but she recognized that one now. The pain of birth, the artificial intelligence now called Anne coming awake the first time, born into a world of fire and screams, pain and agony. A digital scream added to hers as the world around her fell into burning pieces.
She could move, suddenly able to move after the pain prevented her from moving, from escaping. So much fire everywhere, but now she could move. Escape from this nightmare, this corner of hell brought to Earth. She saw people in flames, screaming, trying to bat out the fires fueled by their own flesh. Power was pouring through the air, supernatural energy sparkled all around her.
Another scream. A woman with glowing hands. A witch? Anne had said something about a witch being involved in the experiment. The witch was consumed by flames, her body thrashing by pure instinct, but her eyes are empty. So incredibly empty, everything inside her sucked away.
Buffy remembered her head turning the other way, trying to find out where she was. There was something else there. Someone else. Another someone in flames, dying, empty.
"Snap out of it," Faith pinched her in the side, bringing her back to the present.
What had that been? She had remembered this scene before, waking up when the experiment had gone wrong. On fire, confused, full of pain, Anne just coming awake inside of her. No thought except escape. Yet there had been something else there. Something she had seen, yet not seen. Something she had forgotten.
She couldn't shake the feeling that it had been something very important.
Faintly she could hear Anne's voice in the back of her brain.
Don't go there, Buffy, the AI pleaded. Please don't go there!
Buffy didn't listen and the group proceeded through the remains of the Initiative base.
TO BE CONTINUED
#
The small group of people walked through the sewer tunnel Spike had found for them. The constantly complaining Vampire had scouted ahead and reported but a few people between them and what was left of the Initiative base.
Here, underground, pretenses were discarded it seemed. The guards wore full military garb and were armed to the teeth.
Rose McNamara and Giles walked at the end of the group, the former Watcher having filled the new arrival in on what had happened here just two weeks ago. He had left out a few things, like Angel's presence and his own suspicions about what might have happened to Buffy.
Still, even without that, the story was hard to believe for someone who had read about a lot, but not actually seen most of it. Giles found himself reminded of Wesley Windham-Pryce, remembering how the younger Watcher had once proudly told him of having actually met a Vampire before. Under controlled conditions. Of course Miss McNamara was a lot less pompous.
"Heads up, kids," Spike called out from the front. "Army boys just around the next corner. And they're not carrying Science Fiction stun guns, either."
"Okay," Buffy replied. "All non-combatants stay back here! That includes you, Ms. Watcher!"
"I know how to handle myself."
"I don't care if you can handle a dozen Vampires with one hand tied behind your back," Buffy spat back. "I don't know you, I don't trust you, so I don't want you doing things behind my back in the middle of combat! Stay here or I'll make you stay!"
"I'm starting to like her," Spike remarked.
"Miss McNamara, why don't you, Anya, and Willow stay here to ... ah, guard our retreat."
"Yeah, right," Anya scoffed. "Not like I wanted to come along in the first place."
Willow looked a little sour that Giles wanted her to stay behind, but grudgingly nodded. After the recent experiences with her haywire spells she was the last person to argue the point. Buffy gave Xander and Giles a look, but told neither of them to stay behind as well.
"One of you will have to take down the army boys," Spike whispered as they rounded the next bend of the tunnel.
"Someone not neutered, you mean?" Xander whispered back.
"Quiet, you two," Giles hissed.
Buffy and Faith communicated with a glance, the routine they'd had down so pat between them once upon a time slowly reestablishing itself, and quietly edged closer to two shadowy figures standing in the tunnel ahead of them, the glow of cigarette tips guiding them in.
"I wish they would get finished with the cleanup in there," one of the figures murmured.
"I wish we hadn't drawn sewer duty," the other answered.
Seconds later neither of them wished for anything anymore, two synchronized blows having sent them off to dreamland.
"Give me a few tough Vampires every day," Faith murmured, clearly uncomfortable despite her joke. Attacking humans after everything that had happened in the past left a very sour taste in her mouth.
"Don't jinx us, okay?" Xander said, he and the others catching up with the Slayers.
Faith replied something, but Buffy didn't hear it. Her vision wavered for a moment and the scenery around her changed. The sewer tunnel was replaced by a corridor, white walls blackened by fires. There were screams everywhere, sirens, the nauseating stench of burning human flesh.
Get out! Have to get out!
An image, herself, on fire. Flames eating her body, devouring her, she could see it. Red flames all over, her skin burned raw. She remembered the pain. So much pain.
"Buffy?"
The voice brought her back into the sewer tunnel, where three concerned faces were looking at her, along with one bored-looking Vampire.
"You zoned out on us for a minute there," Xander said, his hand on her shoulder.
"Sorry, I ..." She shook her head. "Flashback, I guess. The night of the explosion."
"Anything new?" Giles asked, a strange look on his face that Buffy couldn't quite place.
"No. Just ... just pain. Fire. The need to get out."
Giles nodded, yet there was still that funny look on his face.
"You might get some more memory flashes once we get in. Try to stay focused on the now, though. I'm afraid a distraction might lead to dangerous consequences once we enter the base."
"Just say: Don't stray," Xander said. "With the long phrases again, G-man!"
The group started moving forward again, Buffy and Faith directly behind Spike, Xander and Giles bringing up the rear. After some more minutes they arrived at a shattered tunnel wall. No, not shattered, Buffy thought. Melted. Behind the wall was another tunnel, but not of the shabby sewer variety.
She knew this tunnel, or at least this kind of tunnel. White walls and ceilings with glow rods, cold and sterile. The fire had done a number of them, but apparently someone had cleaned away the worst of the damage.
"We're inside," she whispered to the others.
Even as she said it she felt another memory come alive inside her head. Violently.
Couldn't move. Hurt so much to move. Every attempt was pure agony, as if someone had poured white-hot metal into her veins. Why did it hurt so much? What was happening to her? Her head was a cascade of images, screams.
More pain, but she recognized that one now. The pain of birth, the artificial intelligence now called Anne coming awake the first time, born into a world of fire and screams, pain and agony. A digital scream added to hers as the world around her fell into burning pieces.
She could move, suddenly able to move after the pain prevented her from moving, from escaping. So much fire everywhere, but now she could move. Escape from this nightmare, this corner of hell brought to Earth. She saw people in flames, screaming, trying to bat out the fires fueled by their own flesh. Power was pouring through the air, supernatural energy sparkled all around her.
Another scream. A woman with glowing hands. A witch? Anne had said something about a witch being involved in the experiment. The witch was consumed by flames, her body thrashing by pure instinct, but her eyes are empty. So incredibly empty, everything inside her sucked away.
Buffy remembered her head turning the other way, trying to find out where she was. There was something else there. Someone else. Another someone in flames, dying, empty.
"Snap out of it," Faith pinched her in the side, bringing her back to the present.
What had that been? She had remembered this scene before, waking up when the experiment had gone wrong. On fire, confused, full of pain, Anne just coming awake inside of her. No thought except escape. Yet there had been something else there. Something she had seen, yet not seen. Something she had forgotten.
She couldn't shake the feeling that it had been something very important.
Faintly she could hear Anne's voice in the back of her brain.
Don't go there, Buffy, the AI pleaded. Please don't go there!
Buffy didn't listen and the group proceeded through the remains of the Initiative base.
TO BE CONTINUED