Chapter 5 Sunnydale Crater-Night


(Buffy and Xander, drive up to the site of the school. There is an assembly of military trucks inside a barbed wire fence. An earthmover is excavating the Hellmouth. They walk up to the guard at the gate.)

Buffy: Hi! Mind telling us what you think you're doing?

Guard: Miss, this is none of your business. Please leave the area.

Buffy: Uh, actually kinda is my business, because two of my friends died to close this thing. Now get me whoever's in charge here.

Guard: Miss, you're trespassing. If you don't go now I'm going to have to have you removed.

Buffy: Actually, isn't the military base on the other side of the fence? 'Cause normally when you put a fence somewhere you put it around the thing you don't want anyone trespassing on. Also you put up signs saying stuff like no trespassing. You almost get the idea you're trying not to attract attention to yourselves. (Raises her voice)

Okay, general, or whoever you are, we're gonna play a game. It's like "Chicken". Basically, I'm gonna stand out here shouting embarrassing classified information, and either I run out of info or you agree to talk to me, whichever comes first. Okay? Let's get started. The Initiative.

(Silence)

Buffy: That's not enough? Okay, Professor Maggy Walsh. Project three fourteen. Adam. Still nothing huh? Okay, Professor Maggy Walsh created the cyberdemonoid Adam, who killed her and esca-

(A man runs out of one of the vans. He looks flustered.)

General Parker: Young lady I don't know where you got those names, but you are spreading false information among my troops. (He whispers to Buffy)  I'll talk to you. Eight hundred hours, by the docks. Now pretend to be crazy.

Buffy: We know what you're doing here! Aliens! Aliens came to earth here and allied themselves with demons, and you're working with them because it's a conspiracy. You can't keep us silent! The truth isn't out there, it's right here! Stop the alien abductions! Whoo, look at the time. I'd better be getting back to my UFO watch, but I'll be back.

(They walk away)

Xander: Well that wasn't incredibly humiliating. Couldn't we have done it my way?

Buffy: He's agreed to talk to us. It worked.

Xander: Yeah, but also involved impersonating freaky conspiracy theorists. Much more dignified to pretend to be army people.

Buffy: It doesn't matter as long as we can find out what they're doing and make them stop.

Underground Cavern-Night

(Resume.)

Cult Leader: You're not exactly who we were expecting you know. Are you a prophet of the First?

Spike: Sod off. Where am I?

Cult Leader: In a Temple of the First Evil. We had sort of hoped that a Tarok-Han  would be unleashed, and would ravage the earth.

Spike: Sorry mate. Not really feelin' up for any ravaging.

Cult Leader: You came out of a portal to the Hellmouth.

Spike: Well, I was by way of bein' the last thing in there when it went. Guess it had to choose someone.

Cult Leader: You are not a servant of the First. You have taken its place, denying us the glorious slaughter. You blasphemer! Kill the human!

Spike: Human? I'm not- bloody Hell! Heartbeat.

(The cult leader lunges at him. He knocks him down, then stamps his foot onto his throat. The rest stare at him, and he realizes how badly he's outnumbered. He grabs a stone altar and throws it at them, then leaps after it. It lands on the floor and shatters, spraying stone chips across the room, and while they shield their eyes he runs out of the cave into the night.)

Warlock's Home-Night

 There is a knock at the door, and the warlock opens it to find Drusilla.

Warlock: What do you want, vampire?

Drusilla: Nasty man. I need your spark.

Warlock: You have a job for me?

Drusilla: Someone released from a prison inside.

Warlock: Come in.

(Drusilla walks over the threshold, dragging Brian by the wrist. He has regained consciousness)

Warlock: Oh. It's you again.

Brian: I don't know you.

Warlock: (Laughs) Well of course you don't. I wouldn't have done a very good job if you recognized me. Are you CERTAIN you want me to let this one free? He is strong, and mad as well.

Drusilla: Peas in a pod. Daddy made us well.

Warlock: I will need something,

Drusilla: Moonbeams and rainbows?

Warlock: Something of his old life. Do you know where to find such an object?

Drusilla: I know.

Warlock: You may leave the subject here.

Drusilla: No. I don't trust the tower of silver high in the sky. He comes with me.

Warlock: It is your choice. I have no intention of contacting them about any of this however.

Drusilla: Can I borrow chains?

Warlock: Certainly.

Hyperion Hotel-Night

Lorne: Hicce verbis consensus rescissus est. Right. Angelus free 'till some idiot invites him in.

(They hear a knock. Fred grabs a gun and goes to the door.)

Lorne: Anyone else getting worried that our normal method of answering the door is to stick guns in someone's face?

Wesley: Paranoia is the better part of caution.

(Fred opens the door. A man is standing there)

Man: Help! Please, there's something behind me. I have to come in. It's a monster!(Fred looks out.)

Fred: I don't see anyth- (The man grabs her head and pulls her through the doorway, morphing to vamp face. She shoots him and his body jerks, but he doesn't let go.)

Vampire: Invite her in or you die. Not enough to make a proper meal, but you'll do for an appetiser. No-one has to get hurt. Unfortunately.

Fred: No. You're not invited.

Vampire: I was hoping you'd say that.

Lorne: Doors open. Come inside! (Wesley glares at him angrily, and Lorne glares back, shocked) What were you going to do?

Drusilla walks into the Hyperion.)

Drusilla: Fear, all around. It's intoxicating. (She walks up the stairs as the others stare)

Lorne: What's she doing?

(Drusilla walks back down holding a small object in her hand. She smiles at them and walks out the door, then turns)

Drusilla: Let her go.

Vampire: But mistress…

Drusilla: She's not your family. She's mine. (He releases her and they walk into the night)

Fred: Who was that?

Oz: Drusilla.

Wesley: Oh no.

Fred: What?

Wesley: Drusilla. A vampire Angelus sired. Powerful, psychic, and insane.

Lorne: That was just bizarre.

Fred: Yeah I didn't even know we HAD a Gameboy.

Wesley: Perhaps it wasn't really.

Lorne: Sure, an ancient powerful magical object disguised as a small hand-held toy.

Wesley: All right, unlikely. But I've read about Drusilla. She is mad, but she doesn't act without reason. She must be planning something. We'll need to find her, I say we search demon bars for news of her whereabouts, and her reason for being here. With that maybe we can predict her location, and-

Oz: I could track her.

Wesley: Or we could do that. Get weapons.