Rainbow Over Sunnydale Chapter 25
By Joseph
Black
Disclaimer: Red Storm and Tom Clancy own Rainbow and Characters. Joss Whedon
owns Buffy and Characters. Anyone else belongs to me. I make no profit of the
following except to have a little fun.
Spoilers: Buffy to present. Rainbow to Bear and the Dragon.
Authors note 1: I am adjusting the Buffy time line slightly; this fic starts
right after 'Never Leave Me'.
Authors Note 2: If you see * then the speaker is speaking a foreign language. If you see {*} then it is the persons thoughts.
Authors Note 3: I have some good news, some bad news, and some more good news. The first good news is that I have graduated from my diploma course as of Sept. 30. The bad news (Well not really) is that I am going back for my Associates Degree so I'll be in classes for a while yet. The further good news is that as part of the course I must take 3 classes of college English so I am think that will help with my grammar and spelling.
Notes to Reviewers:
LMiC2001: Thankfully I have never stayed in rooms that bad, but I have heard them described. (Returns shudder.) Glad you liked the Arnie, Jack, Andrea conversation. Muse is not problem, schedule is.
John: Thank you. I'll update as often as I am able.
Catlimere: Thank you for the review. Glad you like the twists and turns the plot is taking. In a lot of ways it's as much fun to come up with the red herrings and seeing where they take people as the main plot points. (Please note I am not saying that the 'good' senator is a red herring.)
Argo66: Thanks I'm glad you like my stuff. Novel, that has a nice ring to it. Unfortunately as I explained above I am still going to school and working full time. Once my nights are my own again it should pick up, but till then I think that it will stay about the same. I hope I answered your other questions in emails, if not please feel free to drop me a note with any other questions.
Dorothy: All will be explained about the 'Turik-Khan' below. The way they did Giles in the last season bugged me, granted he had a lot more pressure on him than before as he WAS the Watchers Council at that point, but I think he blew it right up to the end. I am also having fun with the Jack/Buffy meeting.
Ack: Thank you for your compliments. Here you go on the next chapter
Thanks to all that reviewed.
Constructive criticisms always welcomed. Flames cheerfully
ignored.
Buffy and Trifurcates moved simultaneously, both rushing forward. When they met it was in a series of punches and kicks that were too fast to follow. After the initial flurry both took a step back and regarded the other. Trifurcates said nothing, just smiled. Buffy was shocked. The vampire was faster than Angel and stronger than Luke. He had blocked everything that she had thrown, and she hadn't even got close to landing anything that counted, and the only way she would be able to get a head shot is if she did a leaping kick and with its speed she doubted that was a good idea.
Trifurcates lunged forward again and they traded another series of blows with Buffy backing up to get some maneuvering room. He was starting to land blows too while her stuff was still being blocked. Thankfully Slayers were impact resistant or she would have been down quickly with the force the vampire was putting behind his blows. He was just using his fists too, none of the kicks and other stuff that vamps usually did. After a blow that opened a cut over her right eye Buffy realized that the vampire was using all European stuff, no Asian martial arts at all, with that realization she switched to some of the Eastern martial arts, she immediately connected with a kick to the vamps knee that knocked his right leg out from under him. As he went down on his other knee she launched a spinning kick that connected with his jaw, his head snapped around and she drew a stake that she had in the waistband of her jeans and plowed it into the center of his chest.
She watched with horror as it hit something and shattered. Trifurcates brought his head back around and smiled at her shock. His hand shot out and grabbed her by the throat. He stood up and brought her with him, tightening the hold on her throat and cutting off her air supply. "Nunc tempus mori," it hissed in her face, its breath putrid.
Buffy's vision was going dark around the edges, with her feet off the ground she couldn't get any leverage, but since he was kind enough to hang her in the right general area she brought her sneaker clad foot up between Trifurcates legs with as much strength as she could muster. The force of the blow lifted Trifurcates six inches off the floor, his eyes crossed as the shock hit his brain and he let loose of Buffy as he went down on his knees with his hands between his legs rocking and whimpering. Buffy taking advantage of the situation jumped onto his shoulders and used the vampire as a springboard to reach the lip of the hole. If she had a sword or something she might have tried for a decapitation, but till she figured out why he seemed to be stake proof she was going to obey Slayer rule #1.
Buffy managed to hook onto a root that was partially exposed and screamed, "Giles!"
She had just managed to start pulling herself up when a clawed hand grabbed her by the ankle and started pulling her back into the hole. Buffy got her other hand around the root and started to pull her and the vampire up out of the hole. "You really need to go on a diet," she hissed through clenched teeth as she finally managed to pull the hand that had a hold of her ankle out into the sunlight. It immediately started to smoke and small flames appeared around the fingers. The vampire screamed and let go of her ankle, falling back into the protecting darkness. Buffy crawled several more feet away from the hole and collapsed. She lay there on her back getting her wind back.
Giles hearing her scream was coming running from the direction of the road. He got to her and sighed in relief when he saw she was just catching her breath. He winced when he saw the nature of the beating she had taken. She had a cut over one eye that was bleeding, numerous bruises on other parts of her face, and a handprint was starting to darken on her throat. He went down on one knee and got a hand around her back and helped her sit up.
"I'm not crippled," She said irritably, getting the rest of the way back to her feet herself.
"I never thought you were," Giles said gently. "What did you run into down there?"
"It was a vampire, but big, strong, and faster than any I fought before," Buffy told him as they started walking back to the car. "Plus it called me an Incisor! It said its' name was Tulip-Cactus."
"Did it have any other distinguishing features?" Giles asked rolling the two names over in his mind; he was well use to how Buffy butchered words.
"It was big," she repeated, "Close to seven feet, it wore black leather, it had some kind of metal collar around its' neck and the stake I tried to stab it with shattered against its' chest like it was wearing armor or something."
Giles stopped and went pale. Buffy saw this and looked up concerned, "What? I hate it when you get that look on your face."
"Buffy, was the name it called itself Trifurcates?" Giles asked quietly.
"That's it!" Buffy confirmed excitedly. "You know him?"
"It's the first," Giles said wearily, slumping slightly.
"Wait!" Buffy said with puzzlement, indicating her face, "The First can't hit people," she argued.
Giles looked up at her from the mental argument he was having with himself and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean The First Evil, I meant the first vampire."
"Why wasn't I told that the first vampire was still running around?" Buffy wanted to know.
"Because he hasn't been running around since around 4 A.D.," Giles told her. "The then Slayer pinned him to an East facing wall with a boar spear and waited for the sunrise. I'm afraid we now know what The First wanted Spike for."
Sunnydale FBI Office
451 Front Street
Sunnydale California
26Oct2002
1515 hrs
Sue Conner looked up and said, "General, could you hand me Row 35, photo's 21, 22, and 23?"
Clark looked up with interest from where he was studying the underground around the tree lot, "What have you got?
"Take a look at this," Sue indicated; waving at the area around the high school as Clark went to the appropriate folder and fished the requested photos out of it. "It looks like this passage is heading almost straight at the tree lot, I was hoping we'd get lucky."
Clark brought the photos over and the two of them placed them end-to-end. Clark whistled, "Ain't that pretty."
Sue nodded, "That's almost a straight shot to tree lot. Looks like we won't have to do a frontal assault after all."
"I always liked the back door myself." Clark agreed.
"We're heading out now," a voice at his elbow, said.
Clark turned and saw the black haired American potential standing there, "Pardon?"
"We need to pick toothpaste and stuff up, plus we need some more clothes, we just have what we are wearing right now." Kennedy explained.
"Shouldn't you wait for Giles to get back?" Clark asked.
"He said we could go," Kennedy told him, "You know, when you and him were discussing The Hellmouth?"
Clark could barely remember that, Kennedy had come up and asked about getting toothpaste, tooth brushes, and deodorant while the Watcher had been explaining that it wouldn't be enough simply too seize the high school by Eminent Domain and then turn it into a large concrete block. The physical blockage wouldn't stop someone from opening The Hellmouth, and what was on the other side would not be overly inconvenienced by a couple of yards of reinforced concrete. Clark wondered if Giles even heard the question when he nodded his consent.
"Why don't you wait for Giles and Buffy to get back?" He asked Kennedy. "I'm sure he would be more than happy to let you get your stuff. Plus Buffy looks like someone who likes to shop."
"Because when they get back you all are going to be set up in the conference room discussing tonight's raid and by the time you are done with that you'll be leaving. If we do this now then we won't have to worry."
"All right I see your point, but right now I don't have anyone to send with you, there are things after the three of you, I'd hate to see you get killed." Clark said reasonably.
"We'll be careful, keep to public area's, stay out of dark alleys, and promise not to talk to strangers," Kennedy told Clark, her voice sounding something like a five-year olds.
Clark sighed, here was a young lady who was used to getting her own way.
"I'll take them," Sue Connor said.
"We don't need a babysitter," Kennedy said coldly.
"Good," Sue replied. "You couldn't afford what I charge to baby-sit. You'll find my fees for body guarding are quite reasonable though."
Turning to Clark she continued, "There is a CVS about five blocks from here. It has a second hand shop right around the corner."
"Second Hand?" Kennedy muttered, aghast.
Sue heard though and turned to the younger girl, "You three are on the run and in hiding." Sue looked the obviously expensive clothing that Kennedy was wearing and continued, "You want to look the least like yourself as you can. We can't do anything about Annabelle's or Molly's accents but not wearing brand new expensive clothing is a way for you to blend in a little better. I would also suggest that one of you die you hair blond in case the bad guys have people out looking for you."
Clark nodded grateful to the FBI agent, "That's the deal girls, take or leave it."
Kennedy looked the General over and said, "Or what, you'll lock us in a cell?"
"We don't have a cell in this building," Frayne Murphy told the potential, "You would have to settle on being handcuffed to a desk."
Kennedy looked the adults over crossly; she was about to say something when Molly cleared her throat behind her. Kennedy glanced her way and Molly nodded her head. "Okay we'll take it. But when we get sometime, I want to get some decent stuff."
"Okay just let me get my bag and we'll leave." Sue said, heading for her office.
Sunnydale General Hospital
1340 Ross St.
Sunnydale CA
26Oct2002
1525 hrs
Dr. Russell Davis led Dr. Sandra Sanchez into his office. Russell was the head of the night shift at the hospital, and the person who had interviewed and hired her. He went over to a cabinet and opened it up. "You drink Irish Whiskey, right?" He asked her, she nodded wearily.
The ride into the hospital had thankfully been uneventful. The adrenalin that she and the Bri had been running on had started to wear off, and Bri had been asleep in her arms before they had reached the Sunnydale city limits. Sandra herself was too keyed up to sleep. She needed to talk to someone about what she had seen, but didn't want to come off like some kind of a kook.
Once they were at the hospital the staff was friendly and professional at first. When they found out that she was going to be joining the staff the next night professional became family. The kids were checked over quickly and it was determined except for some dehydration they were okay. The two were giving a semi-private room and were asleep without drugs two minutes after their heads hit the pillows. Sandra was getting ready for a night in a chair in the room when Dr. Davis showed up and offered her a chance to talk in his office.
She noticed that Dr. Davis had pushed aside the bottle of Jameson's that he had offered her a drink from after the interview and pulled out a bottle of 10 year-old Bushmills. He took a water glass and poured four fingers of the amber liquid into it. He handed her the drink and poured himself a much more modest one and went and sat behind his desk.
The first drink she took was deep, draining about half the glass. She enjoyed the oaky taste as the liquid went over her tongue and down her throat and into her stomach where it started a pleasant, warm glow.
Dr. Davis let her take a couple more sips then asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"
Sandra looked up at her boss. She had liked him from the moment she met him, but could she trust him with this?
"You don't have to worry about sounding crazy," Davis said. "Working the night shift I have seen more than my share of weirdness."
"This would push the limit I think," Sandra told him.
"After twelve years in Sunnydale I doubt it," He assured her.
Sandra found that she needed to talk so she started with the fire and Lloyd Crispen running into the camp and went through the events till she got here. After she was done she waited for Dr. Davis to leave and get the mental health professionals. Instead he asked, "The blonde, was her name Buffy Summers?"
"How did you know?" Sandra asked. She had refrained from naming her, since Buffy seemed to want her privacy.
"Let me show you something," Davis, said getting up. He went over to a filing cabinet and unlocked and opened a drawer in the bottom of the cabinet. He pulled a patient file out and took several x-rays out of it. He stuck them up on the light board and turned it on, "Tell me what you think."
Sandra put her glass down on the Doctor's desk and looked the x-rays over. "Fairly typical greenstick fracture of the ulna, a couple of days old from the look of it." Looking at the next x-ray she went on, "This is the same arm, about six to eight weeks later, the last is about four to six months I would say."
Dr. Davis smiled, "The first picture was taken about forty-five minutes after the event, the second twelve hours after the first, the last about forty-eight hours after the second, right before Ms. Summers was do to be released."
Sandra Sanchez was shocked; "She healed a broken bone in seventy-two hours?"
Dr. Davis nodded, "Nor is that the only unusual thing about her. Her mother came down with a brain tumor two years ago; she died of complications from the surgery. Buffy donated some blood for the operation and not all of it was used. I managed to get a unit and have some blood work done, here take a look."
Sandra looked the numbers over, it wasn't her specialty but she had a working knowledge of what to look for. "Look at those adrenal and endorphin levels!" She looked at Davis, is she phobic about needles?"
"She's phobic about hospitals yes, when she was in with the broken arm we had a nasty version of the flu going around and she had caught it. She had a 103-degree temperature
and it was all we could do to keep her in bed. But I new this before she gave blood so I convinced her to let us hook her up to a heart monitor to make sure that she was alright, look at this," he said handing over the read out.
Sandra looked at it and blinked, "Are you sure this is the right sheet? I've seen people who are unconscious that have had higher readings."
"I stood there when they did it, it's the right sheet alright."
"Is this common to this area?" Sandra asked.
"I know of only one other case were something like this happened." He replied fishing out another file and handing it to Dr. Sanchez. "Start at the beginning and let me know what you think."
Obediently Sandra sat down and started reading the file that was labeled "Faith Wilkens."
About ten minutes later she looked up and said, "Just looking at the file the Doctor who did the originally treatment did a beautiful job, but with the brain damage it was wasted effort, she's got to be in a vegative state."
"She woke up six months later, attacked an orderly and escaped from the hospital. She was wanted for questioning in several deaths. I found out later that she ran to LA were she turned herself in and confessed to the crimes; I found out when the penitentiary that she's in requested her medical records. I kept a copy," he said indicating the file.
Sandra frowned, "The knife wound was bad, but a person could recover from it. I can't see that happening with the brain." Seeing that there was a brain scan she got up and put it up on the light board. As she suspected it indicated massive damage to Faith's brain, truthfully she was surprised that Faith lived to get to the hospital; she could clearly see where a portion of her skull had penetrated the brain itself.
"Here take a look at this one," Dr. Davis said, putting a second brain scan up on the board.
Sandra looked and couldn't believe that it was the same skull. While there still was some damage evident the fast majority of it had healed. "How long after the first was this one taken?"
"About four months, I had another scheduled for the week after she escaped."
"Brain's don't regenerate." Sandra said, stating a medical fact.
"Her's did, and I can't think of anything else to call what Ms. Summers arm did." Davis said practically.
"Do you have any theory as to why?" Sandra asked, going over to the desk and taking another sip of the whiskey.
"Not directly, I had a nephew that graduated with her from high school. I asked him about her, he wasn't overly forthcoming, but told me that their class voted her 'The Class Protector." I think that she does that for the town too. So when she comes in, we patch her or her friends up and don't ask questions. We hope that one day they will trust us enough to take us into their confidence, but till that happens we will just have to pretend that we don't notice anything."
Dr. Sandra Sanchez went back to the desk and finished her whiskey and shook her head, "I'm not put together that way, Buffy and the others saved me and mine today, I owe her, so whether she wants it or not she's going to get some help."