The Angel's Knight #7 - It Takes a Slayer to Know a Slayer

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Los Angeles, October 14, 2017

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A few small towns in Canada have been raided by what seems to be a Wendigo. Heather Douglas, our regional chief up there, has deployed a squad to hunt it down, but might need a little supernatural muscle to make it work. I make a small notation on my computer to have either Faith or Angel ready to fly up there.

Our Paris office has discovered a new potential Slayer and is currently filling the parents of the girl in on things. Pierre Trudeau, the Watcher selected for her, hopes to start her training within the month.

Oz has called in from Colorado. His pack is still reluctant about leaving their seclusion in order to aid us in our struggle, but it appears that some of the younger wolves in the community are eager and willing. He estimates that the elders will give their okay within the next week.

Riley has sent an email from Washington. Our government liaison has agreed to supply us with the new phosphoric ammunition that has proven quite affective against vampires and another few species of demons in return for our providing security against supernatural threats for the president and the congress. He stayed well within our bribe budget.

Construction on the new shelters in Paris, Berlin, and Rome is progressing on schedule.

Angel has left a note that he will be away for a few days (note: Faith might have to deal with the Wendigo then) for a conference with the New England Coven. Apparently some of their seers have information that, together with everything Cordelia is seeing, might help us predict whatever catastrophe will head our way next.

Another twenty pages of recordings from Cordelia's room have been logged into our network. Fred says she'll have it transcribed soon and will try to fit it into the growing puzzle we are assembling.

Xander has checked in, his final message before passing across the Sunnydale perimeter. If he doesn't check in again within 48 hours I will have to send a squad in after him.

Rupert has left rather suddenly last night, not telling anyone where he is headed. Left a note that he can be reached on his mobile if a crisis should arise.

I lean back in my chair, rubbing my fingers across my tired eyes. It's hard to imagine that there was a time when I feared the cause would go along without me. I have to smile, remembering my days as a 'rouge demon hunter'. Things have certainly changed since then, haven't they? For the better, I'd say, except maybe for the masses of paperwork I have to deal with every day.

Yawning, I look at the clock. Only ten in the morning and on a Saturday at that. I got six hours of sleep last night, which is actually not that bad. Of course Faith is still happily snoring the day away, but I can hardly blame her for that. It was a rough night yesterday; quite a few vampires were out on the street. It seems that ever since Sunnydale was destroyed most of the demons that used to make their home there have moved to Los Angeles. Even with Gunn and his people patrolling all over the town there is always a lot of work left for the Slayer.

I try and go out along with her as often as my other duties allow. No matter that she is the longest-lived Slayer in history and quite capable of taking on just about everything she is liable to meet out there, I still can't help but worry. I guess that is the lot of a Watcher. Especially one that has been given a second chance to guide a Slayer he has failed once before.

"Wesley?"

I look up and see Tara at the door to my office. A steaming cup of coffee is in her hands and she looks as if she did not get too much sleep last night.

"Good morning, Tara. Is something the matter?"

She comes in and sits down across from me, stifling a yawn.

"I've been awake since four in the morning, that's all. Gunn called last night and I've been researching a little mystery he has on his hands."

"A mystery?"

"Yes. Apparently he met a girl last night. A girl that fought and killed a vampire with nothing but a wooden spoon for a weapon."

Our eyes meet and I can imagine how worried Gunn must have been at that particular moment. I would be, too, if I hadn't seen Faith alive and snoring but a few minutes ago.

"Gunn says she knows nothing about vampires, was completely shocked when it crumbled into dust. Apparently she went completely on instinct."

I nod, puzzled. It could be Gunn has found another potential Slayer, yet I find that somewhat unlikely. Potential Slayers, while usually displaying an above-average skill when it comes to combat and handling weapons, usually don't have the instincts, not to mention the strength, for battling vampires until the moment they are actually called.

"Is he bringing her here?"

"Yes, he should be arriving momentarily. I just wanted to bring you up to date."

"Did your research last night yield any results?"

She shakes her head, tiredly sipping on her coffee. "No, I fear I neglected my sleep for nothing. There is too little to go on. She could be anything from a half-breed to someone magically enhanced. The most obvious solution would have been her being the Slayer, of course, but that's hardly possible."

I nod again. There was but one time in history when two Slayers existed and that time ended with Buffy's death. Ever since that dark day Faith has been the only Slayer and unless I'm far less observant than I think I am she has not happened to be clinically dead at any time in the last few years.

"A mystery indeed," I muse. "We should probably wake Faith for when this girl gets here. I've found that the instincts of a Slayer are usually far more proficient in figuring out the threat potential of a newly encountered entity than anything else."

"So you want her to take a look at the girl and kick her ass if necessary," Tara summarizes, causing me to smile. She has certainly changed from the shy girl I first met when she moved here from Sunnydale all these years ago. Last year I actually saw her manage to make Faith blush and stutter (a potential sign of the apocalypse if there ever was one) by offering (jokingly, I think) to help my Slayer take care of her being, as she puts it, hungry and horny after patrol.

"So to speak," I agree with her summary.

"You do realize Faith will be in a foul mood to begin with if we wake her this early in the morning."

"A situation not to be avoided, I fear. Not to ridicule our own prowess in the demon-fighting area, but if we find ourselves facing a stranger with supernatural strength I'd rather have someone equally equipped standing ready on our side."

Tara laughs and drains the last of her coffee.

"I'll go wake her then. If all else fails I will teleport myself out of harm's way."

I manage to get another few bits of paperwork done before I hear Gunn announcing his presence in the lobby. Leaving my desk behind I walk out to take a look at his little mystery, finding myself quite curious about this girl myself. Even with our organization as large and well-equipped as it is these days, we are always short on people who can actually go hand-to-hand with creatures that can bend steel bars with ease.

The girl walking beside Gunn certainly does not look like she might be one of those people. One of the first things one has to learn in our line of work is, of course, that looks usually are deceiving.

Maybe five foot six or seven, long black hair, pale and looking rather uncertain about her current circumstances. Hardly surprising, I guess. She can't be older than eighteen judging by her looks, probably younger. Her baggy clothing prevents me from assessing her level of physical fitness, but I doubt that any normal girl of that size could jam a wooden spoon into a vampire's chest.

"English, hi," Gunn greets me. "Diana, this is Wesley Windham-Pryce. Wesley, this is Diana Knight."

The girl hesitates a moment before she shakes my offered hand, her entire posture screaming weariness. I wonder whether that is solely caused by the strange turn her life has taken. If Tara was correct this girl knew how to fight vampires even though she never knew they existed. Maybe she can sense that she is in a vampire's home?

"Good morning, Diana. Did you sleep well?"

"I guess," she mumbles, looking around the lobby.

"Why don't we go into my office and have a talk? Gunn here tells me you had quite the exciting night."

She hesitates again, but Gunn gives her an encouraging smile and we walk back inside. He pulls up a chair for her and we all sit down, Diana's eyes still looking every which way.

"Would you like something to drink?" I ask her.

"No, I ...," she begins, finally looking at me directly. "Gunn said you ... you might be able to help me figure out what ... what I did. How I did it. I mean ..."

"I understand. And I certainly hope that I can help you. How about we start with you telling me exactly what happened last night."

It takes her a while, but eventually she tells us everything. How she woke up in the hospital with no memory of her life. How she found Anne's shelter without any conscious effort. How she was drawn out into the alley by the sounds of fighting and found herself slaying a vampire by sheer instinct.

When she finishes she looks at me expectantly. I wish I could give her an easy answer. It seems this girl has quite the ordeal behind her and I doubt it will get easier for her anytime soon.

"Diana," I begin, "there are a couple of people I want you to meet. People who might be able to offer some explanations regarding your situation."

She looks at me quizzically, but before I can explain further the door to my office flies open and one of the people I was just speaking about stalks in. Rumpled hair, eyes still bleary from sleep, a steaming cup of coffee clutched in one hand, Faith looks at me with a less than pleased look in her eyes.

"Okay, Wes! I hope you have a good reason to drag me out of bed this early in the morning. What's the bad?"

I open my mouth to explain, but suddenly Faith's head snaps around and she is looking at Diana, who is looking back at here in turn. There are almost identical looks of confusion on both their faces. The coffee cup drops from Faith's hands and shatters on the floor.

"Faith?" Gunn asks. "What is it?"

Tara has come into the office behind Faith and is now also staring at the two of them, eyes wide. I know that Tara has a strong talent for seeing things human eyes don't normally see. Auras, hidden things, cloaked objects, you name it, she can see it. What is she seeing right now? What are Faith and this girl seeing in each other?

"Wicked," Faith whispers, still staring at Diana.

"Tara?" I inquire softly in the witch's direction, feeling non-too sure about snapping a Slayer and another supernaturally strong person out of their stupor.

"They're humming." Tara turns to look at me. "It's like ... like two energy fields operating on the exact same wavelength. Their auras are so incredibly in synch, I ... I've never seen anything like that before."

No, but I think I have. Or at least I have read about something like this before. Back in the days of the Council, the time when I was first appointed as Faith's Watcher, I had a seer sent to Sunnydale for research purposes. His sole purpose was to take a long and thorough look at the impossibility we were facing at that time. He looked at the two Slayers, Buffy and Faith, and we hoped he could tell us what having two Chosen Ones at the same time might mean.

He used almost the exact same words as Tara just did.

"She's a Slayer," Faith finally says, snapping out of the trance. "Wes, how is that possible? She's a Slayer!"

"Are ... are you certain, Faith?"

"Fuck, of course I'm certain! There's no way I could ever forget a feeling like that! She's a Slayer or I never staked a vampire before."

"What's a Slayer?" Diana asks, looking even more confused than before.

I sigh and give her a short explanation. One girl in all the world, meant to destroy vampires and demons. It's been a long time since it has been necessary to explain this to anyone. I certainly never thought I would be the one to unveil it to a new Slayer.

When I'm finished Diana just stares at me, her eyes begging me to say I'm kidding. I wish I could, child. I wish I could.

"Okay, something is really strange here, right?" Gunn inquires. "Last time I checked Faith wasn't dead."

"Still master of the obvious, eh?" Faith sneers at him. Lord, I wish those two would finally get over each other. The way they keep sniping at each other ever since their break-up, well, let's just say it's worse than Cordelia and I ever were back in those days when Angel threatened to stake himself unless we stopped the name-calling and hair-pulling.

"Mr. Pryce," Diana looks up at me. "What ... what happens now? I mean ... what happens to me if I'm really ... God, I can't believe this is happening to me. I wish I could just wake up."

"This isn't a dream, kid," Faith tells her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Believe me, this is as real as it gets."

Yes, it certainly is. The question remains, though. What happens now?

TO BE CONTINUED