Sorry for the delay in updating. Real life and writers block got in
the way. I hope the next chapter won't take so long.
Enjoy and don't forget to review. Ideas and suggestions are welcome. Thanks to all those who have reviewed so far.
~~ * ~~
They rode mostly in silence until they reached the spot the screechers had been the night before. They parked the truck and the five of them picked up the trail the screechers left and started following it. It wasn't hard at first. The entire group moving had torn up the ground and left a trail any tenderfoot could follow.
The tracks came to a stop in a box canyon. The group could see no way out, but there was no sign of the screechers.
"O.K. everyone. Spread out." Burt said. "Look for any sign that they may have gone underground."
Everyone started looking around. Angel and Burt took the logical approach and choose one set of prints and tried to follow them. Buffy and Faith started scanning possible locations for access to the underground. Tyler was the guard. He had his gun out and loaded in case any screechers staged a surprise attack.
They seemed to be getting nowhere. With so many tracks Burt and Angel had trouble trying to follow just one set. Buffy and Faith had checked every bush and tree but found no underground entrance.
"Well, this is getting us nowhere." Tyler said. "It's like they just flew off." Tyler turned horrified eyes to Burt. "Could they have changed, Burt?"
"No." Burt answered. "There are no pods. They leave pods behind when they morph."
"Well, that's a relief." Tyler said as he mopped his brow and leaned against a very large rock.
"What the hell?" Tyler yelped as the rock began to move. He jumped up and saw a small slit at the bottom of the rock. Everyone rushed over to him as he began to push on the rock. The rock moved easily.
"Well, I'll be damned." Burt said. "An underground tunnel." Burt knocked on the rock and it sounded hollow. "And a rock that isn't a rock." He said.
Everyone just looked down into the dark hole that was hidden by the fake rock.
Burt grinned triumphantly. He was constantly being teased about his theories on the government and the secret things they do. He now had proof.
"Burt you're paranoid. They say." Burt began sarcastically. "Burt not everything is a cover up. They say. Well then explain this to me. There is no record of the government doing any kind of research or building in this area."
"Maybe this is part of the lab." Tyler suggested. "Ya know, the one you proved existed when that mix master stuff got out."
"Possible." Burt conceded. "But the lab is closer to the old mine. This is really too far away to be an air vent."
"Maybe it's an escape tunnel." Angel volunteered. "I know I never like to be in a place that offers only one way out."
Burt grinned at Angel. "A man after my own heart." Burt said, still smiling. "You could be right. It's about big enough for a man with a small amount of equipment. That's it."
"So, what's the plan?" Faith asked. "I don't like the idea of wondering around down there and running straight into a screechers. There's no room to maneuver."
"I'll go in and scout the area. Maybe it opens up farther down."
"What if it doesn't?" Buffy asked.
"If it doesn't I'll take one more with me and the rest of you can follow me above ground. When we find the screechers we'll let you know."
"Fine." Buffy said. "We'll give you twenty minutes, then we're coming in after you."
Burt prepared to descend into the hole. He had a miner's hardhat with an electric light that gave off almost no heat. He had two pistols tucked into his belt, as his rifles would be awkward to maneuver. He double checked his radio and dropped into the hole.
Buffy checked her watch and started the countdown. She looked over at Angel who was kneeling looking down into the hole.
"I should have gone." Angel said. "I don't need a light."
"Burt would never have gone for it. He thinks if he doesn't do it, it isn't done right." Buffy replied.
Tyler was standing guard a little way from the hole, still surveying the area for screechers. Faith walked over to him after seeing Buffy and Angel having a conversation.
'Well' Faith thought. 'At least they aren't fighting. That's a good sign'
"Tyler, right?" Faith asked as she walked up to him.
"Yeah, Tyler Reed." He replied.
"So, what brought you to the land of the weird?" Faith asked, just to be talking. She too was surveying the area, not trusting this guy to warn her of danger.
"It's never boring." Tyler replied.
"I'll bet." Faith responded dryly. "So, what do you guys do for fun around here?"
"My tour is fun." Tyler joked.
"No, I mean not graboid related."
"We hang out at Jody's store or go into Bixby. Not a lot to do around here."
Tyler turned toward Buffy and Angel trying to pretend he was watching the area. Faith wasn't fooled. She had seen the way Tyler watched Buffy.
"You'll never get her, ya know." Faith said.
Tyler turned his head sharply back to look at Faith. "What are you talking about?" he asked.
Faith nodded toward Buffy. "B. You'll never get her. She's spoken for."
"She's not married." Tyler replied stiffly. "I don't see a ring. I'd say she's fair game."
"Whatever." Faith replied shrugging her shoulders.
"So." Tyler began. "What's your story?"
"Me?" Faith grinned. "You really don't want to hear my story."
"Sure I do." Tyler insisted.
Faith decided there was such a thing as shock value. This could be fun.
"Well, I was called as slayer and went to a little town called Sunnydale. Met B. Killed some vamps. Then I accidentally killed a human. Turned evil. Tried to kill Angel. Buffy stabbed me in the stomach. Was in a coma for eight months. Woke up. Ran to LA. Was hired to kill Angel. Couldn't do it. Turned myself in for murdering that man. Spent two years in prison. Busted out to stop an apocalypse. Trying to earn my redemption."
Faith looked over at Tyler who was pale as a vampire and his mouth hung open. Faith grinned. Tyler was so stunned he couldn't speak. He looked like a fish trying to breath as his jaw worked up and down but no sound came out.
"So," Faith continued. "That's my story. Any more questions?" Faith grinned as she saw Tyler's face.
Tyler didn't even acknowledge the question. His mind was too busy trying to find a way to react to her words. He had plenty of questions; his mouth just wouldn't say them.
Before he could find words, Burt popped his head through the hole.
~~ * ~~
"What did you find out about vampires?" Nancy asked Jody, who sat at her computer.
"Quite a lot." Jody replied, looking at the screen. "There are a lot of websites and several chat rooms dedicated to vampires. I found one that seems pretty genuine. It corresponds with the information Buffy and Angel gave us."
"Did you find out anything we didn't know?" Rosalita asked.
"Well," Jody began. "Seems like a vampire is a demon. The soul of the person leaves the body when they die and demon takes up residence in the body. It contains all the memories and some of the personality traits of the person, but is technically a demon."
"So that's what Faith meant when she said Angel had his soul." Nancy said.
The three women took turns looking at the monitors, keeping an eye out for screechers. They needed something to keep their minds off what was going on. Vampires made the perfect distraction.
"Does that mean Angel isn't a demon?" Rosalita asked.
"I don't think so." Jody said. "The demon is what keeps the body functioning. Without it, the body turns to dust."
"So, his soul controls the demon?" Nancy speculated.
"According to this website, there are two known vampires with souls. The site doesn't name them and only mentions them briefly. It mostly contains information on how to recognize and kill vampires."
"So, how do you recognize them?" Nancy asked. "Angel looks perfectly normal."
"A lot of the movies are accurate." Jody continued. "They don't have a reflection, can't be in sunlight, and don't have body heat or a pulse. Oh, here's something interesting. This says their faces change before they feed. It's got drawings." The three women gathered around the computer and looked at the drawings.
"Eww." Rosalita said. "That's disgusting."
Jody and Nancy totally agreed.
~~ * ~~
"Alright!" Burt yelled when his head cleared the surface. "Pack up. The tunnel only runs a few hundred feet before opening up. You can stand up."
Everyone gathered their packs and one by one they descended into the ground.
They reached the underground cavern and stood up.
"We'll have to split up." Burt said. "There are two passages."
It was decided Angel would go with Burt and Faith, Buffy, and Tyler would take the other tunnel. The group split up and went down their perspective tunnels.
Burt and Angel walked in silence for a while. Both were anxious about what they might find. Angel noticed Burt kept stealing glances at him. Angel couldn't blame Burt for not trusting him.
"Look." Angel began. "I know this a little strange for you."
Burt gave him a confused look.
"I mean the whole vampire thing." Angel continued.
"Yes," Burt agreed. "But I live in Perfection. I've learned to believe in the unbelievable. I've traveled all around the world fighting graboids and screechers. I've heard stories and seen some things no one would believe. Every place I go has stories about vampires. They were most abundant in Mexico and Europe."
"I just want you to know that I'm not evil. I'm on your side."
"Well, that remains to be seen. I'm willing to have a little faith in you because of Buffy. She's an asset to Perfection."
"She's special." Angel agreed.
"So, tell me." Burt began, his curiosity getting the better of him. "How does a vampire meet a teenage girl and start to date them?"
Angel was trying to find the words. Buffy hadn't told them about being a slayer and Angel wasn't going to betray her. "I told you, she's special. The first time I saw her I was hooked. I'd talk to her at the Bronze, the local hangout, every now and then and over time, things progressed." Angel finally said. It was the truth, no lies.
Burt noticed his hesitation but didn't comment. He started to say something else when Angel put a hand on his shoulder. Burt turned to look at him and saw him put his finger to his lips.
Angel saw something farther up the tunnel. Burt's light didn't reach it, but Angel's vampire sight did. Soundlessly they walked forward. They came to a large cavern. Both of them stopped.
"Well, I'll be damned." Burt said.
~~ * ~~
Buffy, Faith, and Tyler walked down the dark tunnel. Tyler really hadn't wanted to be in the same group with Faith. He couldn't decide if she was pulling his leg or not. If she wasn't, he had lots of questions.
"Faith." Tyler spoke into the darkness, not turning to look. "What you told me, right before we came down here. Were you serious?"
Faith grinned even though no one could see her. Men were so easy sometimes. "Yep, every word." Was her only response.
That threw Tyler for a moment. He had really thought she was pulling his leg.
Buffy voice came through the darkness. "What did you tell him, Faith?" She asked, her voice a little angry.
"Nothing much, B. He wanted to know my story. So, I gave him the abridged version."
"What's a slayer?" Tyler asked.
"You told him you were a slayer!" Buffy said incredulously.
"Well, yeah. I'm not ashamed of it. It's my calling. I tried to run from it, but it didn't work. It's what I am. It's part of who I am." Faith explained calmly.
"Faith." Buffy continued. "It's not supposed to be common knowledge."
"Come on, B. There are no vamps around here. These people deal with the unusual all the time."
Tyler interrupted. "Can one of you please explain to me what a slayer is?"
"B, go ahead. You're better at this part than I am."
Buffy took a deep breath and started to recite the lines. "Into every generation a slayer is born. One girl in all the world with the strength and skill to fight vampires and demons."
"So it's your job to kill vampires and demons?" Tyler was astonished.
"That pretty much sums it up, except we don't get paid." Faith said.
"What about the part about strength and skill?" Tyler asked.
Buffy answered this. "Well, vampires and demons are much stronger than a human. Humans, in general, can't fight vamps or demons because they are so much stronger. A slayer is as strong as a vamp and we have a natural ability with weapons. For the most part, any weapons a slayer picks up, she can use."
They had been walking and talking but now Tyler stopped and faced the girls. "O.K." Tyler began. "Both of you have used the word we." He looked hard at Buffy. "Are you a slayer, too? And if you are, how? Because you just said there's only one in every generation."
~~ * ~~
Jody was still sitting at her computer researching vampires. She was fascinated. Rosalita was not so interested. Since she was a little girl she had heard stories about the vampires that walked in the night. She hadn't believed them. Now she did, and it scared her.
"This sight is so cool." Jody said. "It is like an encyclopedia of vampires and demons. There's even a reference guide. Describe a demon and it tells you what it could be and how to kill it."
"Jody," Nancy began. "Don't you think you've learned enough? I mean, it's not like we have any vampires or demons here, well except for Angel."
"You never know what's going to show up here. I just want to be prepared." Jody argued.
All three women jumped when the phone rang. Rosalita answered it. "Hotel Perfection."
" 'Ello. I need to speak to Faith, please." Said a deep male voice with a sexy, British accent.
"Sorry, she's not here. Can I take a message?"
"What about Angel or Buffy?"
"No, they're not here either."
"I do have the right number?" The voice asked.
"Yes, this is Buffy's hotel."
"When they get back, tell them Spike called."
Rosalita was about to tell the man she would tell them when they got back, when she heard a voice in the background.
"Oh, my God." She began. "Is that Lorne?" she asked Spike.
"What? Oh, yeah. He's here."
"Can I talk to him?"
"Sure hang on?" Spike laid the phone down and Rosalita heard him yell at Lorne in the background. "Lorne, there's some duck on the phone wants to talk to you."
Lorne and Rosalita had a long chat. She filled him in on what was going on in Perfection and he told her a bit about what went on at Angel Investigations. They both hung up with a lot more information than they started with.
~~ * ~~
Burt and Angel took in the sight before them. Their eyes moved around to every corner of the room.
"Burt, call Buffy. She needs to see this." Angel said.
"Why?" Burt asked.
"Just trust me. She's going to want to see this."
Burt picked up his radio. "Buffy, come in."
Down the second tunnel, Buffy's radio crackled. She had never been so glad for an interruption in her life. She didn't know how she was going to answer Tyler's question. She spoke into here radio. "This is Buffy. Go ahead Burt."
"I need you head back this way. There's something here Angel thinks you should see."
"What is it?" Buffy asked.
Angel took the radio from Burt. "Buffy, just get here. You need to see this."
"Angel, what is it?" Buffy asked, starting to get worried.
"Initiative."
Buffy looked at Faith and took off back down the tunnel.
Tyler looked at Faith, confusion obvious on his face. Faith could feel the questions coming.
"I'll explain later." Faith said before Tyler asked the question. "Right now, we need to catch up with Buffy."
They both took off back down the tunnel. Faith slowed down a little so Tyler could keep up.
Enjoy and don't forget to review. Ideas and suggestions are welcome. Thanks to all those who have reviewed so far.
~~ * ~~
They rode mostly in silence until they reached the spot the screechers had been the night before. They parked the truck and the five of them picked up the trail the screechers left and started following it. It wasn't hard at first. The entire group moving had torn up the ground and left a trail any tenderfoot could follow.
The tracks came to a stop in a box canyon. The group could see no way out, but there was no sign of the screechers.
"O.K. everyone. Spread out." Burt said. "Look for any sign that they may have gone underground."
Everyone started looking around. Angel and Burt took the logical approach and choose one set of prints and tried to follow them. Buffy and Faith started scanning possible locations for access to the underground. Tyler was the guard. He had his gun out and loaded in case any screechers staged a surprise attack.
They seemed to be getting nowhere. With so many tracks Burt and Angel had trouble trying to follow just one set. Buffy and Faith had checked every bush and tree but found no underground entrance.
"Well, this is getting us nowhere." Tyler said. "It's like they just flew off." Tyler turned horrified eyes to Burt. "Could they have changed, Burt?"
"No." Burt answered. "There are no pods. They leave pods behind when they morph."
"Well, that's a relief." Tyler said as he mopped his brow and leaned against a very large rock.
"What the hell?" Tyler yelped as the rock began to move. He jumped up and saw a small slit at the bottom of the rock. Everyone rushed over to him as he began to push on the rock. The rock moved easily.
"Well, I'll be damned." Burt said. "An underground tunnel." Burt knocked on the rock and it sounded hollow. "And a rock that isn't a rock." He said.
Everyone just looked down into the dark hole that was hidden by the fake rock.
Burt grinned triumphantly. He was constantly being teased about his theories on the government and the secret things they do. He now had proof.
"Burt you're paranoid. They say." Burt began sarcastically. "Burt not everything is a cover up. They say. Well then explain this to me. There is no record of the government doing any kind of research or building in this area."
"Maybe this is part of the lab." Tyler suggested. "Ya know, the one you proved existed when that mix master stuff got out."
"Possible." Burt conceded. "But the lab is closer to the old mine. This is really too far away to be an air vent."
"Maybe it's an escape tunnel." Angel volunteered. "I know I never like to be in a place that offers only one way out."
Burt grinned at Angel. "A man after my own heart." Burt said, still smiling. "You could be right. It's about big enough for a man with a small amount of equipment. That's it."
"So, what's the plan?" Faith asked. "I don't like the idea of wondering around down there and running straight into a screechers. There's no room to maneuver."
"I'll go in and scout the area. Maybe it opens up farther down."
"What if it doesn't?" Buffy asked.
"If it doesn't I'll take one more with me and the rest of you can follow me above ground. When we find the screechers we'll let you know."
"Fine." Buffy said. "We'll give you twenty minutes, then we're coming in after you."
Burt prepared to descend into the hole. He had a miner's hardhat with an electric light that gave off almost no heat. He had two pistols tucked into his belt, as his rifles would be awkward to maneuver. He double checked his radio and dropped into the hole.
Buffy checked her watch and started the countdown. She looked over at Angel who was kneeling looking down into the hole.
"I should have gone." Angel said. "I don't need a light."
"Burt would never have gone for it. He thinks if he doesn't do it, it isn't done right." Buffy replied.
Tyler was standing guard a little way from the hole, still surveying the area for screechers. Faith walked over to him after seeing Buffy and Angel having a conversation.
'Well' Faith thought. 'At least they aren't fighting. That's a good sign'
"Tyler, right?" Faith asked as she walked up to him.
"Yeah, Tyler Reed." He replied.
"So, what brought you to the land of the weird?" Faith asked, just to be talking. She too was surveying the area, not trusting this guy to warn her of danger.
"It's never boring." Tyler replied.
"I'll bet." Faith responded dryly. "So, what do you guys do for fun around here?"
"My tour is fun." Tyler joked.
"No, I mean not graboid related."
"We hang out at Jody's store or go into Bixby. Not a lot to do around here."
Tyler turned toward Buffy and Angel trying to pretend he was watching the area. Faith wasn't fooled. She had seen the way Tyler watched Buffy.
"You'll never get her, ya know." Faith said.
Tyler turned his head sharply back to look at Faith. "What are you talking about?" he asked.
Faith nodded toward Buffy. "B. You'll never get her. She's spoken for."
"She's not married." Tyler replied stiffly. "I don't see a ring. I'd say she's fair game."
"Whatever." Faith replied shrugging her shoulders.
"So." Tyler began. "What's your story?"
"Me?" Faith grinned. "You really don't want to hear my story."
"Sure I do." Tyler insisted.
Faith decided there was such a thing as shock value. This could be fun.
"Well, I was called as slayer and went to a little town called Sunnydale. Met B. Killed some vamps. Then I accidentally killed a human. Turned evil. Tried to kill Angel. Buffy stabbed me in the stomach. Was in a coma for eight months. Woke up. Ran to LA. Was hired to kill Angel. Couldn't do it. Turned myself in for murdering that man. Spent two years in prison. Busted out to stop an apocalypse. Trying to earn my redemption."
Faith looked over at Tyler who was pale as a vampire and his mouth hung open. Faith grinned. Tyler was so stunned he couldn't speak. He looked like a fish trying to breath as his jaw worked up and down but no sound came out.
"So," Faith continued. "That's my story. Any more questions?" Faith grinned as she saw Tyler's face.
Tyler didn't even acknowledge the question. His mind was too busy trying to find a way to react to her words. He had plenty of questions; his mouth just wouldn't say them.
Before he could find words, Burt popped his head through the hole.
~~ * ~~
"What did you find out about vampires?" Nancy asked Jody, who sat at her computer.
"Quite a lot." Jody replied, looking at the screen. "There are a lot of websites and several chat rooms dedicated to vampires. I found one that seems pretty genuine. It corresponds with the information Buffy and Angel gave us."
"Did you find out anything we didn't know?" Rosalita asked.
"Well," Jody began. "Seems like a vampire is a demon. The soul of the person leaves the body when they die and demon takes up residence in the body. It contains all the memories and some of the personality traits of the person, but is technically a demon."
"So that's what Faith meant when she said Angel had his soul." Nancy said.
The three women took turns looking at the monitors, keeping an eye out for screechers. They needed something to keep their minds off what was going on. Vampires made the perfect distraction.
"Does that mean Angel isn't a demon?" Rosalita asked.
"I don't think so." Jody said. "The demon is what keeps the body functioning. Without it, the body turns to dust."
"So, his soul controls the demon?" Nancy speculated.
"According to this website, there are two known vampires with souls. The site doesn't name them and only mentions them briefly. It mostly contains information on how to recognize and kill vampires."
"So, how do you recognize them?" Nancy asked. "Angel looks perfectly normal."
"A lot of the movies are accurate." Jody continued. "They don't have a reflection, can't be in sunlight, and don't have body heat or a pulse. Oh, here's something interesting. This says their faces change before they feed. It's got drawings." The three women gathered around the computer and looked at the drawings.
"Eww." Rosalita said. "That's disgusting."
Jody and Nancy totally agreed.
~~ * ~~
"Alright!" Burt yelled when his head cleared the surface. "Pack up. The tunnel only runs a few hundred feet before opening up. You can stand up."
Everyone gathered their packs and one by one they descended into the ground.
They reached the underground cavern and stood up.
"We'll have to split up." Burt said. "There are two passages."
It was decided Angel would go with Burt and Faith, Buffy, and Tyler would take the other tunnel. The group split up and went down their perspective tunnels.
Burt and Angel walked in silence for a while. Both were anxious about what they might find. Angel noticed Burt kept stealing glances at him. Angel couldn't blame Burt for not trusting him.
"Look." Angel began. "I know this a little strange for you."
Burt gave him a confused look.
"I mean the whole vampire thing." Angel continued.
"Yes," Burt agreed. "But I live in Perfection. I've learned to believe in the unbelievable. I've traveled all around the world fighting graboids and screechers. I've heard stories and seen some things no one would believe. Every place I go has stories about vampires. They were most abundant in Mexico and Europe."
"I just want you to know that I'm not evil. I'm on your side."
"Well, that remains to be seen. I'm willing to have a little faith in you because of Buffy. She's an asset to Perfection."
"She's special." Angel agreed.
"So, tell me." Burt began, his curiosity getting the better of him. "How does a vampire meet a teenage girl and start to date them?"
Angel was trying to find the words. Buffy hadn't told them about being a slayer and Angel wasn't going to betray her. "I told you, she's special. The first time I saw her I was hooked. I'd talk to her at the Bronze, the local hangout, every now and then and over time, things progressed." Angel finally said. It was the truth, no lies.
Burt noticed his hesitation but didn't comment. He started to say something else when Angel put a hand on his shoulder. Burt turned to look at him and saw him put his finger to his lips.
Angel saw something farther up the tunnel. Burt's light didn't reach it, but Angel's vampire sight did. Soundlessly they walked forward. They came to a large cavern. Both of them stopped.
"Well, I'll be damned." Burt said.
~~ * ~~
Buffy, Faith, and Tyler walked down the dark tunnel. Tyler really hadn't wanted to be in the same group with Faith. He couldn't decide if she was pulling his leg or not. If she wasn't, he had lots of questions.
"Faith." Tyler spoke into the darkness, not turning to look. "What you told me, right before we came down here. Were you serious?"
Faith grinned even though no one could see her. Men were so easy sometimes. "Yep, every word." Was her only response.
That threw Tyler for a moment. He had really thought she was pulling his leg.
Buffy voice came through the darkness. "What did you tell him, Faith?" She asked, her voice a little angry.
"Nothing much, B. He wanted to know my story. So, I gave him the abridged version."
"What's a slayer?" Tyler asked.
"You told him you were a slayer!" Buffy said incredulously.
"Well, yeah. I'm not ashamed of it. It's my calling. I tried to run from it, but it didn't work. It's what I am. It's part of who I am." Faith explained calmly.
"Faith." Buffy continued. "It's not supposed to be common knowledge."
"Come on, B. There are no vamps around here. These people deal with the unusual all the time."
Tyler interrupted. "Can one of you please explain to me what a slayer is?"
"B, go ahead. You're better at this part than I am."
Buffy took a deep breath and started to recite the lines. "Into every generation a slayer is born. One girl in all the world with the strength and skill to fight vampires and demons."
"So it's your job to kill vampires and demons?" Tyler was astonished.
"That pretty much sums it up, except we don't get paid." Faith said.
"What about the part about strength and skill?" Tyler asked.
Buffy answered this. "Well, vampires and demons are much stronger than a human. Humans, in general, can't fight vamps or demons because they are so much stronger. A slayer is as strong as a vamp and we have a natural ability with weapons. For the most part, any weapons a slayer picks up, she can use."
They had been walking and talking but now Tyler stopped and faced the girls. "O.K." Tyler began. "Both of you have used the word we." He looked hard at Buffy. "Are you a slayer, too? And if you are, how? Because you just said there's only one in every generation."
~~ * ~~
Jody was still sitting at her computer researching vampires. She was fascinated. Rosalita was not so interested. Since she was a little girl she had heard stories about the vampires that walked in the night. She hadn't believed them. Now she did, and it scared her.
"This sight is so cool." Jody said. "It is like an encyclopedia of vampires and demons. There's even a reference guide. Describe a demon and it tells you what it could be and how to kill it."
"Jody," Nancy began. "Don't you think you've learned enough? I mean, it's not like we have any vampires or demons here, well except for Angel."
"You never know what's going to show up here. I just want to be prepared." Jody argued.
All three women jumped when the phone rang. Rosalita answered it. "Hotel Perfection."
" 'Ello. I need to speak to Faith, please." Said a deep male voice with a sexy, British accent.
"Sorry, she's not here. Can I take a message?"
"What about Angel or Buffy?"
"No, they're not here either."
"I do have the right number?" The voice asked.
"Yes, this is Buffy's hotel."
"When they get back, tell them Spike called."
Rosalita was about to tell the man she would tell them when they got back, when she heard a voice in the background.
"Oh, my God." She began. "Is that Lorne?" she asked Spike.
"What? Oh, yeah. He's here."
"Can I talk to him?"
"Sure hang on?" Spike laid the phone down and Rosalita heard him yell at Lorne in the background. "Lorne, there's some duck on the phone wants to talk to you."
Lorne and Rosalita had a long chat. She filled him in on what was going on in Perfection and he told her a bit about what went on at Angel Investigations. They both hung up with a lot more information than they started with.
~~ * ~~
Burt and Angel took in the sight before them. Their eyes moved around to every corner of the room.
"Burt, call Buffy. She needs to see this." Angel said.
"Why?" Burt asked.
"Just trust me. She's going to want to see this."
Burt picked up his radio. "Buffy, come in."
Down the second tunnel, Buffy's radio crackled. She had never been so glad for an interruption in her life. She didn't know how she was going to answer Tyler's question. She spoke into here radio. "This is Buffy. Go ahead Burt."
"I need you head back this way. There's something here Angel thinks you should see."
"What is it?" Buffy asked.
Angel took the radio from Burt. "Buffy, just get here. You need to see this."
"Angel, what is it?" Buffy asked, starting to get worried.
"Initiative."
Buffy looked at Faith and took off back down the tunnel.
Tyler looked at Faith, confusion obvious on his face. Faith could feel the questions coming.
"I'll explain later." Faith said before Tyler asked the question. "Right now, we need to catch up with Buffy."
They both took off back down the tunnel. Faith slowed down a little so Tyler could keep up.