Several bolts of black lightning rocked Gaira. He didn't know what was happening. One moment he was ready to feed. The next, his food was somehow injuring him. This wasn't right. This didn't happen. This wasn't possible. And that really, REALLY pissed Gaira off.
Willow was likewise pissed off. Pissed off at herself for ever denying the power that was in her. It was hers. It was her. Buffy and the others were just jealous of her. They didn't want her to be so much more powerful than them because it would make them feel inferior. The weaklings. They ARE inferior.
"Wait, no. What am I thinking? Those are my friends.", Willow thought. Her ebon eyes then widened and she barely avoided Gaira's fist, "Damn them! Thinking about those losers almost made me die!"
"SHIRRRRRAOW!", Gaira roared in challenge to the speck hovering in the air before him.
"Get bent hairball.", Willow said through gritted teeth. She reached out with her mind and levitated the overturned bus a block away. With all of her might she threw the bus and hit Gaira in the back of the head. Gaira staggered but did not fall. Again and again his flailing limbs struck out for Willow, but again and again she wafted just out of reach. Gaira roared in outrage.
"Kind of sucks that you're so big and slow doesn't it?", Willow said as she fired more black lightning, "Kind of sucks that I'm also a lot smarter than you too isn't hairball? Cause I know where the gas mains are in the city. They're right underneath of you, and all it takes is a little push from me and…poof."
The ground below Gaira exploded in a fireball. Gaira roared in pain and anger as the fire traveled up his legs. He actually fell to one knee. Willow wasn't about to give up. She reached out with her mind again and bombarded the Gargantua with anything she could lift. Rubble. Street signs. Telephone poles. Cars. They all became bullets. After all, Willow was the big gun.
"Oh my God!", Kennedy exclaimed as she and the others ran from any stray debris that flew their way.
"Yeah. Will's gone all Dark Phoenix again.", Xander answered
"This is what she was afraid of losing control of?", Kennedy asked
"Not quite. Her hair hasn't even gone black yet.", Buffy explained
"Question.", Spike said, "How long can Red go like this? I mean she's still only human."
Buffy stopped and looked back at her friend. Lightning, the natural variety from the storm, flashed and she saw Willow hitting Gaira with everything but the kitchen sink (upon further examination after the battle, it was concluded Willow had in fact hit Gaira with a kitchen sink). She was doing good, but Gaira wasn't even slowing down. Willow was. It was like the previous year when she had used elaborate spells in killing Warren and hunting Jonathan and Andrew. She had grown weak after a while and had to recharge by sucking the warlock Rack of all of his energies. Including his life.
"Not long. She's flagging.", Buffy stated.
"Buff, we gotta save her. She's my best friend.", Xander pleaded.
"You go running back in there and you'll get killed, whelp.", Spike added
"Shut up Spike! Buffy please. We have to do something.", Xander again pleaded
"Spike's right. You can't go in there Xander. I will. Spike you get Xander and Kennedy back to the house. I'll save her when she runs out of power. I swear.", Buffy promised. And that was good enough for Xander.
Willow was weakening fast. She was barely avoiding Gaira's blows and her own attacks lacked their previous strength. Unconsciously, she began lowering to the ground and Gaira just watched, confused by the fight going out of her. Willow hit the ground with a thud and Gaira still watched. Then he chuckled and realized her strength had faded. He raised his foot and began to bring it down. Willow looked up with eyes going back to their original color and too dazed to do anything. Gaira's foot hit the pavement with all the grace of a pile driver and broke through down into the sewers. Gaira roared in triumph over his defeated enemy.
"You okay Will?", Buffy asked lying on top of her friend in the alley next to Gaira.
"Buffy? This is just like that dream I had.", Willow said as she looked up at Buffy.
"Never tell me.", Buffy smirked, "Got you out of the way at the last minute. Hopefully he won't notice us."
That's when the earth shook.
Ten seconds earlier.
"Bloody hell! Look!", Spike said pointing to the sky
"Up in the sky?", Xander asked
Kennedy winced to try and get a better look at what was hurling through the sky at awesome speeds, "Is it a bird? Or a plane? Oh my God, it's Superman!!!!"
Xander shrugged, "Naw. Just Wonder Man."
Back in the present, Simon Williams, aka Wonder Man stood atop the downed Gaira.
"Word of advice. I wouldn't get back up if I were you.", Wonder Man smirked.
Gaira was by now rightfully sick of getting attacked by food. He swatted Wonder Man and sent him flying through one of the buildings on Main Street. Gaira stood and was immediately nailed in the face by the returning Wonder Man.
"You know Big Green, that actually hurt. Problem is I've gone at it with the Hulk before. You're not going to win this one.", Wonder Man quipped as he punched the Gargantua again and again. Gaira angrily fired back with blows of his own. The two titans hammered one another. Gaira out of anger, Wonder Man out wanting to keep Sunnydale, California from being erased from the map.
"Not that I'm dissing the fact that we got help here, but those two are going to destroy Sunnydale if that main event goes on for any length of time.", Buffy said helping Willow down the street.
"I think I figured out a way to stop it, Buffy.", Willow groaned.
"You're in no position for anymore Bippity, Boppity, Boo tonight Will.", Buffy replied.
"N-no. I really can. I just need help.", Willow said to Buffy, wearing her resolve face. Buffy learned long ago that there was no breaking that resolve face.
"What do you need?", Buffy asked
"Strength. I need you to share it with me.", Willow replied.
"Well you're going to have to settle for all of our strength.", Xander said running up with Spike and Kennedy.
"I thought I told you to get out of here.", Buffy said in frustration
"Well we thought we'd come back and do the heroic thing and help you.", Xander said proudly.
"Actually kid genius here said he wanted Wonder Man's autograph.", Spike remarked snidely.
"I violently dislike you.", Xander said to Spike.
"What do we do Willow?", Kennedy asked her lover.
"Join hands and I'll do the rest.", Willow explained crouching down.
"That's it? Seems too simple.", Kennedy questioned.
"In times like this, you don't really question things, you just do them.", Xander replied.
"Boy. Andrew's sure going to be pissed he didn't get to control this thing.", Buffy said joining hands with the others.
"Shh.", Willow reprimanded, "Oh Mother Earth hear me. I come before you beseeching your aid. Oh Gaia, Mother to Titan, Giant, and Beast, take this creature, and turn it from Greatest to Least!"
At that moment, Wonder Man summoned all of his strength and swung at Gaira. Needless to say, he was greatly confused when he connected with air. Gaira was also confused. Mere moments ago, things had been so much smaller. Now he was surrounded by a gigantically frightening world. He screeched in terror when a huge giant came running at him.
"Ole, ole, ole, ole, ole, ole, ole, ole, ole!", Spike sang as he punted the former giant down Main Street. Gaira hit with a thud and passed promptly out.
"Wow. Nice kick.", Xander admitted.
"Well I like Manchester United.", Spike said with a huge grin plastered on his face.
Willow walked over to Gaira and picked him up in her hand. He was barely six inches tall.
"So what do we do with him Buffy?", Willow asked, feeling some remorse for the engine of destruction.
"Well, Dawnie's been bugging me for a pet, so I think we slap him in an aquarium and start feeding him crickets.", Buffy smirked
"And on that note I'm going to get Wonder Man's autograph.", Xander snickered.
The rain continued to beat down on Sunnydale for the rest of the night. Rescue teams and repair crews were on hand nearly immediately. They worked long and hard to help anyone in need. They didn't notice a crow flying high overhead however. The bird's wings beat as it flew towards its destination. It began to descend and cawed as it landed on a tombstone. It's beak then began pecking on the stone. Lightning flashed and thunder rang, as a hand clawed its way out of the cold, damp ground. It groped wildly at the air, searching for the ground to pull itself up further. It needed escape. The lightning flashed again and had there been a person there they could have read the name.
Tara MaClay
1981-2002
