After two weeks of vacations, sick leave and computer
viruses... here's where I ended up. The next two chapters will be spread out through next
week. I can't keep making promises because my deadlines keep disappearing.
Once again, a change in POV's. Giles really isn't worthy, because he's not where the
action is. So.
15 POV's: Willow, Buffy.
Chapter 15
Maneuvers
* * * * *
I could feel the butterflies of anticipation and knew it was nothing compared to what Buffy and Giles must be feeling right now. Buffy was about to do what she'd only done when Faith was around - break the law. And Giles, who was even more legal than her, was about to watch his Slayer commit the crime.
The back door burst open as Spike sauntered out, an ugly look across his face as he immediately lit up. Anya followed close behind him, her voice sharply loud as she rebuked him for wasting away their lives with his smoke.
Xander followed her out, his mouth fluttering a nervous smile. Tara opened a side door and we both exited the vehicle, meeting Buffy and Giles, who had gathered in the dim light from the headlights.
We all shared a tense moment of staring at the formidable complex before us, daunting and forbidden.
I took a deep breath. Next to me, Tara seized my hand and we stepped tentatively forward. "It's time," I heard my voice say, confident and strong even though my stomach felt as though it were full of lead.
The others stepped back and the van fell into darkness as we walked to the gates. Next to me, Tara dug into her bag. After the ingredients had been placed out, we began our encantation and waited for the barrier to be placed.
Tara fell silent and turned to me as my chants became pleas, begging for passage to the realm where the magic we needed was. Finally, I could feel the power surging through me as a great red light struck the gates in front of us.
There was a small pop, a fizzle and someone cried "Oh!". Turning, I threw my body over Tara's as the red light rushed us. I could hear the gasps of surprise behind me as the others fell.
When it was over, I opened my eyes and glanced up. The security system had been disengaged. The cameras hung limply and the sign-in monitor was just a blurry screen with little hampsters dancing.
Next to me, Tara stirred and sat up. "That was really something," she choked out. I could tell by the way she looked at me that it was more than just something. It was something big.
A loud noise shook me from my stupor. The gates had just pulled open, inviting us beyond the entrance toward the prison.
"Willow?" Buffy asked, her voice shaking beside me. "Are you ready?"
I turned to her and nodded. Buffy gestured to Anya and Spike and tracked forward, her eyes on the target.
"Once we get close enough, can you do a locator spell?"
I nodded this time as the four of us stood by the gate. Behind me, Giles, Tara and Xander stood, looking uncomfortable.
Just inside the gates, Buffy touched my arm. "Now."
I chanted a single word and little blurry lights began to form around us. After circling us a moment, they strung together and pointed the way toward the first tower, a large, broad area where maximum security prisoners resided.
We got to the main entrance where a nine-digit code was needed for clearance. Buffy, whose experience in the Initiative would prove handy, swiped her old government issue security card through and typed her own nine-digit code.
The computer stopped. I whispered two quick words and the heavy steel door slid aside.
"This is it," Buffy said, stepping inside, followed by Anya, who practically ran indoors, not able to see enough, and Spike, who timidly eyed the entrance next to me. I gave a small shooing noise and he tumbled inside, nearly knocking Anya over, who was inspecting the metal walls.
"I guess this is where I say goodbye?" I asked in a tiny voice. I was afraid I would have to go inside.
Buffy nodded and reached out, touching a large red rectangle on a small panel near the door. The heavy door slid shut.
"Good luck," I muttered before stepping away. Once a safe distance from the door, I turned and glanced back up. I enchanted my last spell, one that would drive all of the guards away from Buffy.
I only hoped it would work, because they didn't have a lot of time.
"We're in," Anya replied, her voice slightly surprised, as though she had been expecting more resistance.
"We should move," Spike said, his voice edgy. He kept glancing at the white walls and shuddering. I suspected he was recalling his experience within the Initiative.
Wow. Had that really been two years ago?
A tug on my arm pulled me from my reverie. Spike had taken my arm and had pulled me away from the camera while Anya jumped up and snapped the small tripod it sat on. "No security. No mess-ups."
I nodded as the three of us moved along the corridor into the maximum security area. From where we were walking, I could see the hordes of guards, weapons raised, running from the area, crying out about two prisoners having a duel.
"That's supposed to be the two of you," I hissed, pushing Spike toward the guards. He gulped, his eyes bulging slightly.
Anya stood next to him, looking equally frightened. "Buffy..."
"Just go!" I cried out, watching as they slowly took off. After I raised my voice "hurry!" again, they took off at a run. I turned back and tried to focus my mind.
Get Faith out. Save Faith's life. And then kick her...
A loud noise behind me made me gasp and run behind a wall, trying to catch my breath, which was hard since my lungs were lodged in my throat. Another score of guards stormed by and a loud scream came from the corridors in front of me.
With a small sigh, I took off to the main corridor offices outside the maximum security ward. Slipping into the office, I saw on a large poster a grid of squares, each with names scrawled in, along with dash marks which most certainly meant their violent occurences. Something jumped inside my stomach when I saw that Faith was in one of the uppermost rooms and that she had no hashes.
Having all the information I needed, I ran to the heavy metal door and slid my enchanted card through. The door opened with a loud snap and using all the force I could muster, forced it open. I walked along the corridors, listening to the heavy breathing of patrons in their cells.
I had to move quietly, so I wouldn't disrupt the eerie calm flow that emanated from the cold ward.
If I were trapped here, I would want to die. The heavy concrete walls seemed to trap all feelings of hate, distrust and heaviness within.
Within a few moments, I had found the steps and had taken them to the upper levels. After reaching the fourth floor, I used my card to open the door and stepped out.
It was even colder up here. There were whispers, murmurs coming from a nearby cell. It seemed as though a woman was crying, the voice ragged and babyish.
There was a harsh voice mumbling in the cell across from hers as I walked by. It was a ragged-looking gentleman, swearing under his breath.
After I passed the first series of cells, I glanced up. At the end of the first corridor was another cell. I walked quickly toward it until the figure inside became clearer to me and I froze.
Faith.
She was sound asleep on her cot, dressed in black drab, her hair scattered roughly over the lumpy cot.
I could feel the fear in my toes.
I was about to break the law.
But Faith had once told me I was above the law.
Wasn't I?
I took another step forward when a loud scream sounded at my left. I turned and saw a large-built woman screaming about a traitor. "Traitor! She's come to take her away! Traitor! Help! Help!"
I knew I had to hurry. Even with Anya and Spike carrying a beautiful spectacle downstairs, the guards might hear her screaming and know it was a coup.
I reached Faith's cell and shook the bars hard, rattling them. Faith groaned and stirred on her cot. "Come on, Faith!" I hissed, shaking the bars harder. "Get up."
"Who the hell do you think you are?"
I turned slowly away from Faith's cell, my hands shooting into the air, my eyes wide. A single matron stood there, gun pointed at me, an evil glint in his eyes.
"I'm the one breaking out your maximum security patron," I replied in a cheerful voice, trying to keep my shaking hands from trembling.
His eyes narrowed and he withdrew his gun a little, sizing me up. "What the hell..."
Before he could finish speaking, I lashed out at him. I kicked the weapon from his hand, delivered a quick uppercut to his chin and then leapt him to the ground and rose, watching as he lay there, groaning.
Faith was awake now, but was mumbling in confusion. The entire corridor was awake now, many crying out variances of the matron's words.
I ran forward and grasped Faith's bars. "Faith!"
She spun around, and for the first time in a year, I saw her face. "B."
"We're getting you out of here, Faith. Come on! Double slayer strength."
She didn't waste a second. We managed to pry a few of her bars apart, just wide enough for her to slip through. As soon as she was out, she grasped my arm to pull herself up and once again, I saw her face to face.
"What's going on?" she finally managed to choke out.
"Later," I replied, hearing cries down a secondary corridor. I grasped her hand and ran over the matron toward the staircase. As we turned toward the door, I swiped my card. As it registered, a large red light above our heads started flashing and a loud buzzing noise rang out.
"Oh, damn," I muttered.
Next to me, Faith trembled.
"Move!" I cried out, pulling her arm as we ran down four stories of stairs. Ahead, we could hear the sounds of guards throwing open the doors in confusion to the alarm.
We reached the ground floor and ran down the corridor. I was desperate to find the place where we'd broken in.
"Buffy," Faith moaned behind me.
I glanced up and followed her gaze. There were several officers, guns drawn, in front of us. And they were closing in behind.
"We're trapped," Faith said.
"We're slayers, Faith, we can fight our way out of this." My voice held a taunt.
She glanced at me and for the first time ever, I could see the horror in her eyes. The horror of being trapped nineteen months in a silent hell. "We have to get out of here." She paused. "I won't hurt anyone."
We stood back to back, our fists up. Faith trembled into me, but I forced my mind to stay focused. If I was knocked out, Faith and I would surely both be in jail, and the Council would discover our plans.
And Earth was doomed.
Everything I ever stood for rested on this moment. I could see my life flash before my eyes. My parents, Dawn, the divorce, Angel, Riley, my friends, Giles...
I closed my eyes and lifted my fists. Opening them, I saw red.
Literally.
The guards in front of us cried out as they were swallowed in red.
Behind us, the guards grunted and groaned as the sounds of kicking and punching verberated through the thick walls.
And then everything fell silent.
Buffy saw me first and her fists dropped. As well as her jaw. I could read the relief in her eyes. "Willow!"
She moved aside and I saw a second figure emerge. Faith. Her hair hung like ropes around her face, and her eyes were gaunt and haunted.
"Come on, you two," I said, gesturing wildly to both. "We're out of time."
"No, we're just very, very late," Spike replied sarcastically, brushing aside Faith and walking past me. It had been he who had taken the rear guards.
"Let's move."
The walk to the van took only a short time. Faith walked between Buffy and I. Her arms were crossed, her face was troubled, her gaze steady on the ground.
Tara was standing at the gates, her hands out, extending toward the prison, a strange green glow in her eyes, as though she were trying to hold the shield over it.
The moment the gate clicked shut behind us, Tara lowered her arms and we all hurried away. Even Faith ran between us.
The van was parked a half mile away. Standing outside of it were Giles, Xander and Anya, who was sporting a nasty-looking black eye. When Spike slowed down, I realized he had been running with a limp and that his clothes were partially ripped. The edge of Anya's coat had been singed. Whatever they had fought over must've been good. It would have been entertaining to watch them fight it out.
All thoughts of watching Spike and Anya fight flew out of my head when I saw Faith.
She was leaning on Buffy, looking like she'd overcome war, or an event as significant.
Finally, once she had regained the capacity to speak, she looked Buffy in the eye and asked in a steady voice. "What the hell was that?"