Episode Three: Sasquatch
Written by Blitzgal
Disclaimer: The Buffy universe belongs to Joss Wheon, Mutant Enemy, and UPN. However, the original character in this piece of AU fiction belong to me. Do not reproduce in any way. Check out the Undaunted website at
Guest Starring David Boreanaz as Charles Mathers
When she reached the fallen tree, Lark was shocked to see one of the creatures holding vigil over the body of the dead animal they'd discovered earlier. She realized it was the one she'd chased through the jungle before being stopped by the twins. She'd started to notice slight differences in the size and shape of each of the animals, and the pattern of growth and coloring of fur covering their bodies. They were not so indistinguishable from one another.
The creature glanced up at her in surprise as she approached. Lark circled him to check on Tom, not taking her eyes away from him. He didn't make a move as she knelt beside her friend.
"Tom," Lark urged, gently patting his cheek. His dark lashes fluttered against his cheeks, but he did not awaken. Frowning, Lark gave him a slap with her open palm.
"Wha-?" Tom sputtered, rising up. Lark held him down by his shoulders.
"Just wait a second," Lark told him. "You took quite a hit. How do you feel?"
"Something slammed into me," Tom muttered. "You mean I was knocked out again?"
Recalling that Harkon had thrown him against a wall on the ship, Lark winced on his behalf and nodded.
"I've known you for less than two months and I already need a CAT scan," he muttered.
"Okay, I think you're fine," Lark said. "Can you stand?"
Nodding, Tom lurched forward and clumsily rose to his feet. He spotted their visitor an instant later and nearly toppled backwards in surprise. Lark steadied him and hurried to explain, "He's here for the body. If we leave him be, he won't attack us again."
"Again?" Tom sputtered. "You mean that's the thing that clocked me? And you didn't—you know, do your thing?"
"Tom," Lark said, putting a hand on his arm. "C'mon, we need to get out of here."
"Tom," the creature parroted, standing. He was shorted than the other two but easily topped six feet. He moved closer, and Lark stepped between the two males before they started something.
The creature reached past Lark with one long arm and poked Tom in the chest. "Tom," he repeated.
"What the hell?" Tom asked, his voice rising hysterically. Lark presumed he was getting ready to bolt.
"No, it's okay," Lark said. "It's what they do—they mimic what they see. I don't think they even understand…"
Just then the creature spoke again, unleashing a long string of syllables that made little sense. It was the same language the other two had used.
"What?" Lark asked.
He repeated the same phrase once more, then waited expectantly. When they did not respond, he murmured in confusion, "Tom?"
"It's his name," Tom realized.
"I can't say that," Lark responded. "All I caught was the first part. Sever?" she asked the creature.
It only seemed to confuse him further, so she stepped toward him and said, "I'm Lark."
At her abrupt movement, Sever reeled back fearfully. Gazing suspiciously over one shoulder, he stumbled over to the nearby body. He made a few small gestures over the corpse, sent another wary glance toward the humans, then retreated out of sight into the jungle.
"What did you do?" Tom asked.
"They think we're like the others," Lark explained. "Like the ones who killed their friend."
"Vampires," Tom spat.
"I obviously confused them when I didn't attack, and they're curious about us. But they still don't trust us."
The strange, rattling chirping sounds echoed around them once more, giving Tom a start. "What's that?" he asked.
"Something we haven't seen yet," Lark responded. "We better haul ass back to the settlement."
As she reached down to grab her pack, she heard the crackle of her radio broadcasting Val's voice. "Lark, do you read me?"
Quickly slipping the clip over her ear, Lark spoke into the communicator, "What's up, Val?"
"Where have you been?" the woman demanded. "I've been trying to raise you for the past twenty minutes. You weren't even wearing your com device, were you? I can't believe—"
Irritated, Lark cut her off, "All right, Val, I get it. We've had a little excitement out here. We found evidence of an intelligent species on the planet."
"That's great," Val blurted. "I knew it was only a matter of time before we gathered enough information to—no, just wait," she interrupted herself. "You and Tom headed north this morning, right?"
"Yeah, we're about two miles out," Lark responded.
"We need you to check on the ecological team," Val said. Her voice sounded strained.
"What's going on, Val?" Lark asked.
"We lost radio contact about a half hour ago, and we're not sure why," Val explained. "But there were a few transmissions before that point…" she drifted off. "We're not sure what we heard, but we think there may be some trouble."
"Where are they?" Lark demanded.
Tom glanced at her. Unable to hear Val's side of the conversation through Lark's earpiece, he frowned in confusion at Lark's words. "What happened?" he asked.
Lark shook her head at him. "Lyssa's group is in danger," she replied. "What was that, Val?"
"They were supposed to explore the twenty-sixth quadrant on your provisional map," Val said.
"Screw the map, Val, give me some details here," Lark snapped.
"They weren't going to travel more than three miles out. They should be northeast of the settlement."
"All right, I've got a mile at least. I'm sending Tom back to you and heading out on my own," Lark said before removing the device from her ear.
"What?" Tom asked. "I'm on my own?"
"You'll be fine," she assured him. "Just take my pack. You've got a cross here, and some holy water. Father Murphy blessed it himself just last week."
"Okay, that will help if I run into Harkon, but what about those things out there?" Tom asked.
"Tom," Lark said. "The others are on their own, and they have no idea what they're up against. Just keep your head down and hurry back toward the settlement."
She tossed the pack toward him. "I'm leaving the radio with you. Let Val know your progress and save her a coronary, will you?"
"Hey, Lark," he called after her. When she turned to face him, he said, "Take care of yourself, okay?"
Shaking her head, Lark had to grin. "I'm not the one to worry about," she responded.
"Harkon!" Ramirez shouted before bursting into the house.
He turned away in embarrassment at the sight that greeted him. Harkon eased away from Jade, his pale flesh gleaming in the semi-darkness. He had the grace to reach for his pants from the floor and begin to clothe himself. Jade on the other hand merely rolled her eyes and leaned back to rest her hands on the table she was seated upon. She crossed her legs in the briefest display of modesty.
Zipping up, Harkon regarded him intently. "Now, what is so important that you felt the need to interrupt our afternoon calisthenics?"
Ramirez felt himself blush and was amazed he was still capable of such a response. "Something big is happening," he stammered, glancing at Jade. She was still perched on the edge of the large table, stark naked. Her expression was part irritation, part boredom, but not at all friendly.
Following his gaze, Harkon frowned at Jade's show of defiance. "Get dressed," he snapped.
Turning his back on her, he missed the wounded expression Jade sent his way. Harkon returned his attention to Ramirez, gazing at him quizzically. "Something big?" he asked, intrigued.
"There seems to be a small scale battle going on in the valley just northeast of here," Ramirez explained.
"The humans have discovered our furry friends?" Harkon guessed.
Ramirez shook his head. "These creatures," he said, waving at the house around him, "and something new. We didn't see these on our reconnaissance. But they're intelligent."
"Are they?" Harkon asked.
"They carry weapons," Ramirez noted.
Harkon smiled. "This I have to see," he mused.
Jade appeared at his side, freshly dressed in a pale blouse and dark trousers. She glowered at Ramirez, jealous that he'd been the one to bring the news to Harkon. But she spent so much leisure time with their leader she could hardly expect to be the one who gleaned important information from the outside.
"It's still daylight," she observed.
"The canopy extends to the battle location," Ramirez assured her.
"Well, then," Harkon said, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "We're just wasting time here, aren't we?"
Lark had paused to catch her breath when she spotted the flicker of flames in the distance to her right. She was accustomed to running and didn't normally tire very easily, but it had been a stressful day thus far so it was no wonder her body was starting to show its fatigue.
After sighting the fire, she heard the faint cries of a woman shouting angrily. Lark grinned wryly. "Why do I get the feeling that's you, Lyssa?" she murmured.
Hefting her axe, Lark started toward the scuffle carefully, unsure of what she would find. The first thing she saw was a tall, dark haired man bashing his fist into a large creature's head. She realized instantly that these were the animals that had caused the hairy creatures to turn tail and run. Nearby, Lyssa thrust a burning torch into the side of another reptilian animal as it approached to attack her. It squealed in pain and fell back several steps, but kept a cautious watch over the blonde woman for the slightest hint of vulnerability.
Lark rushed toward the creature, swinging her axe in an arc above her head. With a loud cry, she slammed the flat edge against its head in an effort to drive it back. Unlike the first creatures, these seemed to be malevolent, but it was safer to judge the danger they posed before she went for decapitation.
The creature reeled back in surprise. Twisting toward her, it opened its mouth to hiss at her before thrusting its head forward to snap at her. Unprepared, she was just a bit too slow moving out of the way, and it managed to catch her by the arm with the razor sharp claws lining its gnarled hand. Lark called out in surprise and pain. Jerking away from the creature, she backed toward Lyssa and the protective light of the torch.
"Well you're not going to listen to reason," she muttered at the thing as she glanced down to see the damage to her arm. Four welts slashed through the meat of her bicep, bleeding freely. "You ruined my shirt!"
Darting forward, Lark dispensed with the kid gloves and used her axe to its full advantage. The first creature seemed unaware of the weapon she wielded, for it leapt toward her. Lark crouched slightly to kick it out of the air and swung the axe immediately after. The sharpened blade sunk into its neck, slicing muscle and bone to imbed itself in its spine. The creature's reptilian scream made the others pause in amazement.
Jerking the blade from the animal before it even landed on the soft earth below, Lark turned to face the rest of its comrades. "Lyssa," she commanded, "Torch."
The blonde woman didn't question but merely tossed the burning stick her way. Catching it neatly in her left hand, Lark rushed after a second creature, who immediately cowered away from the flames. She was almost disappointed when the remaining three animals took one look at their fallen companion and darted away. One moment the jungle writhed with their swift, subtle movements, and in the next they were gone.
"What the hell were those things?" she cried, turning toward Lyssa.
"A race that's kept itself well hidden until now," the man interjected, stepping closer to her.
Lark took a step back, irritated that she had to look up to meet his eyes. Glancing at Lyssa, she asked, "You hurt?"
The blonde woman had a nasty cut on her forehead, but otherwise appeared to be fine. She shook her head wearily. "We're both fine," she said.
Refusing to take another look at the taller man, Lark nodded grimly and started walking back in the direction she'd come. "We better head toward the settlement before any more of them decide to make an appearance," she said.
"Did you see any of the others?" Lyssa asked, her voice urgent.
Lark frowned faintly, surprised the woman even thought to ask about the rest of her party. "Yeah, they were at the other end of the valley, waiting for you and another girl. Jessica, right?"
Lyssa nodded. "She found her way back, then?"
"She's with them now," Lark said. "I sent them off; we can find our way just fine."
"Let's get moving, then," the dark-haired man suggested.
Lark's brow furrowed. He was certainly rather capable, she thought. For some reason it rubbed her the wrong way. Shifting her shoulders slightly as her arm throbbed, Lark fell into step behind the two of them as they started walking toward the head of the valley and the settlement beyond.
"Ow!" Lyssa yelped when Val pressed down on her forehead to dab at her cut.
"Oh, stop it," Val chastised. "All this whimpering after you were so brave today?"
Lark glanced over at them from across the room, where Dr. Bartlett was busy stitching up the gash on her arm. She laughed at the sour look on Lyssa's face. "Yeah, Baines," she joked. "Where'd your twin go? I liked her much better."
"Ha," Lyssa retorted. "It wasn't like me to go back like that, was it?" she reflected.
Lark shrugged, earning a warning glance from the doctor. He shook his head in exasperation when she paid him no mind and leaned forward to drive her next point home. "You know what, Baines?" she asked. "People have to back each other up when it's needed. It's what we do."
"For the good," Lyssa murmured. Louder, she added, "That's exactly what Charles said."
"Charles," Lark responded, furrowing her brow. "He's something, huh? How he just jumped in like that, fighting and everything?"
"Well, he's security," Lyssa explained. "And I think he was a cop on Earth."
"How do you figure?"
Lyssa shrugged. "I don't know. I just got that sense. Like he's more aware of what's going on than other people. It's probably why he volunteered for that detail."
"How did you know he volunteered?" Val asked, surprised.
"He told me," Lyssa responded.
"Yeah, well, I don't like that guy," Lark mumbled. "There's just something off about him."
"I don't know," Lyssa said. "He's kind of cute."
She leaned forward out of her chair to toss off the blanket Val had wrapped around her shoulders. It was getting hot in the doctor's quarters. Noticing the gray shirt she was wearing, Lark's mouth dropped open in shock.
"Hey, those are my clothes," she roared.
Sheepish, Lyssa glanced down at herself. "Oh yeah," she recalled. "I owe you a jacket."
Harkon sighed as he looked over the corpses littering the jungle floor. "We missed it," he muttered in irritation. "You took too long gathering the others."
Ramirez glanced down contritely even though they both knew that no one could have predicted when the battle would be complete. "These reptiles are new," he offered.
"Yes," Harkon murmured. "Ugly beasties, aren't they?"
He prodded one of them with his boot. There were far more of the hairy beasts fallen here than the others, which meant the scaly brutes were much stronger. Perhaps there'd be some use for them, if he managed to wrap his brain around just how to control them.
As he mused over the dead creature, Ramirez started shouting. The vampire stood right beside him, and his voice thundered through Harkon's ears like a tremendous bell.
"That's enough of that," he snarled, cuffing the vampire across the face.
"Harkon," Jade interjected. "It's that moron Ivey."
Turning to face her, Harkon's gaze fell on a young man crouched over the body of one of the reptilian beasts. An instant later he realized that the beast wasn't dead at all, merely dying. Ivey, starving and unable to control his bloodlust with the scent dancing around them, had given in to his urges and bitten the thing.
"Well, that saves me the trouble of testing him," Harkon breezed. He casually watched as the young vampire filled his belly. The weakened creature was unable to put up much of a fight by that point, and Ivey drank it to the point of death.
The others stared at him raptly as he released the creature and rose to his feet. They waited for him to burst into flames, or fall on the ground dead, or otherwise reject the blood he'd just ingested. They waited in vain. As the minutes passed it became clear that not only was the blood safe to drink, it was rather revitalizing. A flush of color stained the young vampire's cheeks, and he seemed to flesh out before their very eyes.
Ivey grinned, his fangs flashing in the gloom. His white face was stark in the darkness, stained a deep black as blood liberally oozed between his lips and down his chin to spatter against his shirt.
Gazing at his minion in amazement, Harkon slowly reached up and gestured two fingers toward his own face. "You've got a little something right there."