Chapter 21 - A New Avenue?

Using my newly-acquired skills, I can feel the waves of fear emanating from the creature on the mat. Struggling to maintain a civil tone, I manage to persuade the others to leave us alone, judging that it'll feel much less vulnerable without being the main attraction at a circus.

When they've gone, I carry on speaking quietly to it, trying to get it to relax, and at last I sense it's doing just that. Moving slowly, I sit opposite it on the floor, allowing it to get used to my new position before speaking again.

"I'm Buffy. We found you being attacked by some vampires and brought you here. I tried to clean up your injuries, but .."

"I thank you," it replies. "I am not too badly hurt. I think they planned to subdue me and take me somewhere else. From what I can gather, they thought I was responsible for irritating their master, and they expected a reward for delivering me to him."

Ok, that makes some sense. I suppose. I take a deep breath, not really knowing how to proceed.

"Look, I'm not going to hurt you, you know that, right?"

"I believe you," it replies, softly.

"It might help me to understand who was trying to capture you if I knew more about you. Then, maybe I could make sure it won't happen again."

There's a long silence then, and it's taking all the patience I've got not to just get up and show it the door. I don't have time for this, not now when I should be looking for Spike.

"It's a long story, and I'm not sure about why they wanted me. I've got an idea, but .."

"Ok, I can deal with that. Just tell me what you know, or suspect about what happened."

"My name is Rebecca, and I'm not from your world."

She pauses, obviously gauging my reaction before continuing. She seems relieved that I didn't laugh her first statement out of court.

"Ok. My people have long been able to move between worlds, but we normally leave those inhabited by intelligent life alone. Long ago, before your kind came to be, we visited this world, and if the stories are true, one of our kind tried to destroy the it."

She pauses, looking carefully at me, and I nod to tell her that I've understood so far. I notice that I'm now calling her 'she' - just because of the name.

"I don't know too much about the stories, at least, not the detail. The overview is common knowledge on my world. Someone .. important to me is a scholar of history, and he has studied the old legends with great care. He believed that something momentous was going to happen here, and I think he came to witness it. He did so .. illegally. He stole a device which allowed him to travel here. The theft has been discovered, but they don't, as yet, know that he stole it. I hoped that by letting him know about the discovery, I could help him evade capture on his return."

"But, if he came illegally, didn't you?"

"Well, yes, I did. But, .. you're right. But, I didn't have to steal anything. I was able to borrow a device from my father. It's just, Jacob's not very .. practical. He didn't tell me what he was planning, he just disappeared. I worked out what had happened, and though he could use some help."

"Jacob's the one you're following."

She nods, and I can feel her fear for him. In many ways, it mirrors my own feelings for Spike.

"Are there any other creatures like you on this world?" I ask.

"Apart from Jacob and me, there shouldn't be."

"So, it could be Jacob who irritated that master vamp," I suggest.

"I suppose so," she agrees. "But, I can't see how. He's not going to try to do anything to irritate anyone. It's just not his way."

"So, how did they catch you?"

"I'd just arrived. Literally landed at their feet. Unlucky, I suppose. The co-ordinates I chose were exactly the ones used by Jacob."

Oh boy. So, Jacob landed in the middle of a cemetery, probably in the dark. Anything could've happened to him.

"So, do you think you could cope with meeting the others now?" I ask.

She swallows, in a very human gesture, and agrees. I help her to her feet, and she follows me into the shop.

She repeats her story, only this time, with Giles in on the questioning, it becomes obvious that she's more involved with us than I'd thought. She's one of the people whose race was responsible for the Key, and the Orb of Fire. Unfortunately, she doesn't have details, only a sketchy understanding of the basics.

"So, how were you planning on finding Jacob now you're here?" Giles asks. He's exasperated that she had so much information available to her, yet she can't help.

"I hoped it wouldn't be difficult. Of course, if he's used the device to hide, it will take a while."

"Wait a minute," I butt in. "How could he use your world travelling device to hide?"

"Well," she explains. "You can travel from world to world with it, but you can also create worlds within worlds. He could literally have made another world to hide in. It was what I planned to do, except I didn't get the chance."

"Is there any way to find out if he's hiding like that?" Giles asks.

"There should be. My device should be able to find other worlds within this one. And, assuming that you don't have that ability yet yourselves, any that do exist, should point to Jacob."

"And you say that some vampires thought you were responsible for something that upset their master?" Giles wants clarification.

"That's what they said, before they knocked me out," she agrees.

"Who could have upset some vampires? Apart from the Slayer, of course?"

He's looking at us, waiting for us to make the same leap he's already completed.

"The Initiative," I answer.

Suddenly our new friend doesn't seem so friendly. If Jacob's involved with the Initiative .. but that doesn't make sense. Jacob's not human. There's no way the Initiative would have anything to do with him .. unless ..

"Buffy, do you think the Initiative would be willing to work with Jacob?" Giles' question is close to my own thoughts.

"Only if he had something they could use," I answer.

"Like a device for travelling between worlds, or creating new ones," he completes the thought.

There's silence, and I can see that Rebecca has lost the thread of the conversation.

"Suddenly a trail that ended in the middle of nowhere makes sense."

Giles nods at me.

"Rebecca, I think that Jacob's device has been used to take someone I care about," I tell her.

I explain what we know about Spike's disappearance. She agrees that it's a possibility.

"So, can you track Jacob?"

The fear returns, and it hits me like a wave.

"But, if he's involved with the disappearance of your friend, you'll hurt him." Her manner has changed completely. Previously she'd been open and willing to help.

"Rebecca," I reply, "if Jacob has been helping the Initiative, it could only be because he doesn't understand what they're doing. They are a group of humans, employed by our Government, whose job it is to wipe out all non-human intelligent life on the planet. If they've taken help from Jacob, it can only be to further their own ends. And, I'm sure, once he's provided them with whatever help he can, they'll have no qualms about killing him."

That silences her. The panic that we might hurt Jacob has gone, but the more general fear for him starts to increase.

"If .. if I agree to track Jacob, will you promise that you won't hurt him?"

"I promise I won't do anything I don't have to. I don't want to hurt him, because I can't see how he can be anything other than a pawn to the Initiative."

For the first time, I become aware of a small device strapped to her wrist. I'd dismissed it as a piece of very plain jewellery, but now it looks different. She concentrates on it, and presses some buttons, then shakes her head.

"The method of tracking is complicated. I'm tired, and feeling rather ill after being attacked. Maybe I could try after some sleep?"

In truth, she seems very tired. I hadn't noticed it before, but she's wilting before my eyes. Despite my impatience, I agree. She's not the only one running on empty.

"You can stay with me tonight," I offer.

She seems grateful, but Giles looks worried.

"Is that wise?" he asks.

"As wise as anything else," I offer.

Xander seems about to object too, but one look at me, and he offers to drive us home instead. I agree gratefully.

When we get to Spike's, I quickly prepare a bed for my guest, before falling onto my bed. Spike's bed. For the first time in ages, I fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.