Chapter 17
Infiltration
San Francisco – May 22nd
The next evening, Buffy and Xander contemplated the congressman's office. It was in downtown San Francisco, on one edge of an office district. Two blocks over the neighborhood declined sharply. Two blocks in the other direction the rent began to climb sharply. But the congressman located himself on the fence between them. A political statement, I'm sure, Xander had observed.
The building itself was an old brick thing, converted from a small factory. The first floor sported the campaign headquarters. Congress's two year terms meant that the candidate had to begin campaigning for reelection the day after being elected. It was a constant process. The second and third floors held offices for the staffers and operations here in California. There would be more staffers in Washington, D.C. to be sure, but the Congressman preferred to do as much from his home district as possible. The top floor held the offices of himself and his personal aide.
Buffy had already ID'd the aide as a demon. She and Xander had come in earlier in the day, presumably to volunteer to help out the campaign. They quickly changed their minds and asked to see the congressman about their petition. They knew full well that the congressman wasn't in, but made quite the show of it when they received the news. In an effort to calm them down, they were shown to the second floor offices. With a few more threats and histrionics, they made their way to the fourth floor where they met with the aide, a man / demon named Ray.
Buffy reacted immediately when she saw him, her breath drawing and fists clenching. But then Xander had glanced over and asked, "What?!" Taking a moment to think about it, she realized that Xander was seeing a human. It was by virtue of the amulet that she could see the demon's true form.
"He's a demon," she whispered back.
"True," replied Xander. "But we're legitimate constituents here on legitimate business in broad daylight, so I think we might be safe." Buffy nodded in agreement. "All the same …" Xander continued in hushed tones, and then surreptitiously slipped a wooden stake to her as way of completing the sentence.
The meeting, as it turned out, was quite cordial. In fact, Ray proved to be both congenial and witty. The problem they made up (which really wasn't a stretch, by any means) was the death rate in Sunnydale. "Something must be done," Buffy stated emphatically. "You can't imagine what it's like. Everyone wonders if they'll be next. We're way off the charts with the rest of the state." Once she got started, Buffy was able to tap into a genuine passion for the topic.
"We think there needs to be a congressional investigation into why Sunnydale is such a dangerous place," Xander supplied.
Ray became uncomfortable at that point. He shifted in his seat, and then got up and stared out the window for a second. He sat back down and stared at them for a long moment. Finally, he said, "The congressman shares your concern in this matter. I'll be happy to see what he can do about this problem."
"But you're not going to do anything about it," Xander supplied. "Why am I not surprised by this?"
"No, no, no," Ray held up his hand. "Look, the congressman really does share your interests in this matter. It's just … complicated."
"Make it simple for me," Buffy said flatly.
Ray held her gaze for a long moment. Finally he got up and closed the door to the conference room. Then he sat back down and looked at each of them. "What I'm going to tell you isn't public knowledge … yet," he said. "I'm only telling you this so you can understand and give the congressman some time."
He took another deep breath, and then plunged into the topic. "There's already been a congressional investigation done about Sunnydale. The results of which are classified. What I can tell you is that the Department of Defense oversight committee conducted it, and even congressman Greene has had trouble getting access to the findings. What we do know is that as a result of that, there was a military project started, an initiative by the DoD, and it …. Well, it ended badly." The aide looked between them.
"You're saying that the initiative ended badly," Buffy asked. The demon blanched at her use of the phrase 'the initiative.'
Ray nodded in response. "Yes, you could say that. Are you familiar with the initiative?"
"Only that you just mentioned it … just now," Xander supplied quickly, before Buffy could answer. This was dangerous ground they were treading on.
"Well, of course," said Ray, regaining his composure. "You must understand, that until that project has been debriefed and we find out what went wrong, there'll be no more congressional action. However," he held up his hand to emphasize the point, "Congressman Greene is determined to not let this be buried in red tape. He is pushing for full public disclosure. And once that happens, I think we'll be able to see more done for Sunnydale."
The meeting ended with them each receiving "Vote Greene" buttons and hearty handshakes from the aide. They went away puzzled. Buffy tried to sleep later that day, but her mind whirled with questions. Why would the jornikof demon want public disclosure of the Initiative? That would simply expose the existence of demons in the world, and put its own existence in jeopardy. What did it hope to gain? Such a plan might also expose Buffy as the Slayer. If that was the case, why would he be trying to kill her now? Her untimely death, just before the exposure of her existence, was bound to bring a lot of questions. It just didn't make sense.
So now she and Xander were getting ready to break into the office to try to get answers – to try to find something to make it make sense. They crossed the street carefully, keeping to the shadows. Buffy easily leapt up onto the first landing of the fire escape, and pushed the stairs down so that Xander could ascend. They climbed the fire escape to the roof, and crossed it to a skylight. They looked down inside each one, checking out the rooms below. Two were conference rooms; the third was Ray's office.
To their surprise and consternation, Ray was working late. And to make matters worse, his office was the route to get to the Congressman's office. They considered the options carefully.
"What we need is a diversion," Xander supplied knowingly.
"Really?" Buffy asked.
"Well, that's what they always say in the movies," Xander shrugged with a lopsided grin. "That and, 'let's get outta here.' Of course, it might be a little early for that."
Buffy nodded and walked back to the conference room Skylight. She gripped the edge and tugged. Most people would simply throw out their back, but the Slayer tore the metal of the locking mechanism and lifted the window open. Xander, taking his cue, quickly tied off a rope and dropped it into the room. Carefully and quietly, Xander and Buffy descended.
They checked the hallway, and found it to be empty. Quickly, Buffy formulated a plan. Xander was right, they needed a diversion. Buffy crept along to the end of the hall, positioning herself in a shadow by the door to Ray's office. Once there, she signaled Xander.
Xander picked up the metal garbage can from the conference room, and crossed the hall to stairwell. Taking a breath, he tossed the can high into the air and out into the stairwell. While it was still in the air, he darted back to the conference room.
When the garbage can landed, it made a horrific noise. The acoustics of the stairwell seemed to echo the noise a hundred fold. Again and again, the banging of metal on concrete echoed as the can bounded from step to step.
Ray shot out of the office at the noise, looking disheveled. A moment was all Buffy needed to slip into his office behind him. She carefully crossed over to the door to the congressman's office and tried the handle. It was locked, but that was of little consequence. With her considerable strength, she twisted the handle and snapped it open. She slipped into the congressman's office and closed the door.
Buffy wasn't sure what she was looking for, but she thought she might know when she found it. Something like, say, a giant shrine to a number of demon gods replete with blood sacrifices was hard to miss. She only thought of that because it was exactly what she had found in the office of Sunnydale's mayor some years ago. She looked first in the cabinets around the office. One held files, another a small refrigerator featuring nothing more disturbing than diet soda. Next she checked the desk drawers, but found nothing recriminating there. She did discover what brands of toothpaste and deodorant the congressman used, but she didn't think that was indicative of anything in particular.
What she did find, though, was even more disturbing than any alter or sacrifice she might have expected to see. She found photographs – framed, arranged, and elegantly displayed on the shelves around the room. They were snapshots of various kinds of events – weddings, birthday parties, and even a christening. The congressman appeared in all of them, and Ray with him in many of them. They featured a host of other demons and humans in them as well.
Demons and humans. All looking quite normal, even joyous.
One featured Ray and a blonde woman at their wedding reception. Another, Ray with his offspring, she supposed you could call it a child, playing catch with Congressman Greene. Every one of them was full of smiles.
Buffy's insides churned at the thought of such massive deception. These poor people, she thought. What if they knew what it was they were living with? Buffy stared at the wedding photo for a long time. She wondered what the woman saw, when she looked at him. What face must he put on to her – to all of them? Slowly, she took off the amulet. She took several breaths to steady herself, her eyes closed. When she opened them, she could scarcely believe her eyes. The photo was unchanged.
Setting the amulet aside, she moved from photo to photo, looking at each one. In every one of them, the demons were undisguised. And the humans around them had the same joyous smiles on their faces. Buffy could scarcely believe what she was seeing. Somewhere inside her, her entire world view was shifting.
She set the photo she was currently looking at – the one of Ray and his son – with such force that the frame splintered. She looked suddenly at the door, expecting Ray to come bursting through. But the door remained closed, and Buffy took that as a warning. "Get a hold of yourself, Summers," she said quietly.
She went back to the filing cabinet and began searching through the folders. She began with 'S', hoping to find something under 'Summers'. What she found, instead, was the file titled 'Slayer.' She picked it up, trembling. She opened it to the first page – "Beware the Ring of Arinoth," it said. The enemy knew about the amulet. What else did he know?
At that moment, the lights flicked on and Buffy spun around, combat ready. However, it was only Xander standing in the doorway. "Xander, what are you doing here?" she asked. Xander just smiled good-naturedly, and then stumbled into the room. Behind him stood Ray, and behind him two police officers.
Ray walked in slowly. Without the Amulet, Buffy saw him simply as a human. In his hand he held the trashcan Xander had thrown down the stairs. In the light, she could see it was clearly marked, 'Conference Room 2.' Oops, she thought.
The two officers flowed around Ray and approached Buffy, one with his hand on his gun, the other taking out his cuffs. Buffy cold see that Xander was already handcuffed. This wasn't going well.
"Looks like she was going through the files, Mr. Thompson," one officer said.
That's when Ray saw the file she had and blanched. "Give me that," he hissed.
"Sorry, Mr. Thompson," the officer said. "We're going to have to tag this as evidence." With a quick grab he took the file from Buffy's hands and pulled out his cuffs. "Assume the position, kid," he ordered.
Buffy was calculating the odds, eyeing the gun, and trying to come up with a plan when Ray changed. Right before everyone's eyes, his human disguise fell apart as his emotions overcame him. "Noooo," he yelled and moved in. With one hand he grabbed the file folder, and with the other hit the officer in the chest sending him back into the wall. The second officer drew his gun, but Buffy saw her chance and backhanded him. Her Slayer strength knocked him cold and across the room.
Ray was already on the move and Buffy made to follow. She stopped a moment to snap the chain between Xander's cuffs, and then they were off and running after the demon. They descended down three flights of stairs and out a side door into the alley. Ray was running for his life. Though he was no track star, he knew where he was going, and was weaving through the alleys with expertise.
Xander and Buffy came around one corner into a blind alley, effectively cornering him. But he wasn't there! They looked around desperately, moving down the alley slowly. The Slayer had begun to breathe heavily with the exertion of the chase; Xander was nearly collapsed. Somewhere in this alley, Ray must be hiding. But where? She thought anxiously. It was that mix of desperation, exhaustion, and disorientation that allowed them to be taken by surprise.
A movement to her left spun the Slayer around, but the next moment everything went black. It took her a moment, but she realized quickly enough that a burlap bag had been thrown over her and she was being trussed up. She fought against them fiercely, connecting at least twice with solid blows despite the confined space she had to move in. But they were strong and quick – demonically so. She was about to win her freedom when a menacing voice shouted through the fabric.
"We've got your friend. If you want him to live, quit your struggling."
Buffy had little choice. She sagged in acquiescence. A moment later, she was picked up and hauled off.
