Rainbow Over Sunnydale Chapter 29
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 just after "Never Leave Me", moving things back about a month.
Authors note 2: I can't seem to get Fanfic to except my special formatting. So anytime you see this '* anything inside is in a foreign language. And if you see this [*] it's some ones thoughts.
Thanks to all that reviewed. Constructive criticisms always welcomed. Flames cheerfully ignored.
Highway 35
Outside San Bernardino
26Oct2002
2035 hrs
Willow Rosenberg sat in the front seat of Pat O'Day's car. Andrew was in the back seat handcuffed and seat belted in. The first fifteen minutes of the ride had been spent in silence. Then Andrew had gotten bored and suggested a driving game. Pat had immediately asked Willow if she would mind answering some questions on magic. Willow not wanting to have to listen to Andrew for the next hour-and-a half said, "Sure. "
Pat asked some basic questions on magic for the next ten minutes or so then said, "I'm working a case in San Francisco were so far all of the victims have been either part of the New Age culture, or were self proclaimed witches."
"This would be the Witch Finder?" When Pat nodded she went on, "Are any of them real witches? I know from experience that most of the women that are involved in Wicca would probably faint if they ran into a real witch. There were twelve of us in a Wicca course I took at UCSD and only two of us were really witches," Willow said, her voice slowing down and becoming quieter as she finished.
Pat noticed and asked, "Are you alright?"
Willow was quiet for a second and said, "Tara was the other witch in the group. It was how we met. She was killed last May."
"I'm sorry," Pat said simply. Going on, "I don't know if any were real witches. How much of a difference would it make?"
"Depends on why he is killing them. If he is just killing witches nothing, if he is sacrificing them then it becomes significant. The papers all say that the women are being killed the same way, though they really haven't said how it's being done. It suggests that he is following a ritual. I would have to do some research to find out if there are any ceremonies that require multiple witches to be sacrificed one at a time."
"What if the perp is performing some kind of ceremony? What then?" Pat asked, even though he figured that he already knew the answer.
"It would probably be bad if he finished. I can probably figure out how bad with a little research, also figure out how many more he needs."
"How much will you have to wade through?"
"I have most of the common stuff on my laptop. It shouldn't take too long to go through if it's there. How is he killing them? That could narrow the search a lot."
"Suffocation is the actual cause of death. We aren't sure how he is doing it. That information is classified. We kept it out of the press to help filter the nuts," Pat told her.
Willow nodded that she understood. "Suffocation is one of the traditional ways to kill a witch, either by hanging, or pressing." Willow informed him.
Pat nodded. "We found that out early, It's defiantly not hanging, there are no ligatures marks around the necks of the victims. There also isn't any of the bruising that you would expect to find from…"
Pat stopped because a line of holes suddenly appeared in the hood of his car and two spider-web like cracks appeared in the windshield. Pat threw the car sideways trying to get out of the line of fire when a bullet found the right front tire causing the car to skid. Pat managed to direct the skid so that the rear of the car hit a group of rocks on the opposite side of the road from where the shots were coming from. The car came to a stop at an angle leaving a gap between the rocks and the car. "Get the door open," he yelled at Willow as she was fumbling with her seatbelt.
She got the belt undone and managed to get the door open and tumble out with Pat right behind her. Pat opened the back door and undoing Andrew he dragged him screaming from the car. Bullets were still peppering the car and bouncing of the rocks but the gunmen couldn't get a bead on the trio huddled behind the rocks.
"Hey O'Day!" a voice called. "I told you that I would catch up with you when you put my brother away!"
"Soma," Pat spat.
"Friend of yours?" Willow asked.
Pat grimaced, "Soma and his brother ran a combination Coyote and drug smuggling operation. They would use illegal aliens as mules to carry drugs into the country. They weren't too careful about keeping the illegals alive either. They killed something like thirty of them in a three-month period. I caught Henri' and put him up about two years ago. It seems that some of their victims had some relatives in the prison with him and he had an accident in the showers about six months ago. I heard that Soma blamed me. I would love to know how he set this up."
"Let me see if I can get us out of here," Willow said. She concentrated and began to prep a spell when she felt something hovering in the background and paled. "I think The First told them."
"Why do you say that?" Pat asked looking around to see if there was a path out of here that was hidden from the hillside that Soma and his men were at.
"Because I can feel it out there," Willow said simply. "I can't cast while it's out there. It would use the magic as a conduit into me and that would be…bad."
Pat's frown deepened, not that he ever really put much trust in magic, but it would have been convenient. "Okay, we'll use the dark and slip backward. We're only a couple of miles from Sunnydale and we should be able to work back that way."
Suddenly a soft glow began emanating from everything around them. It lit the hillside almost as bright as day. Peeking through a couple rocks Pat could see Soma and six other guys about sixty yards away behind their own set of rocks. There was one figure that stood out though, mostly because he was standing out in the open without a care in the world. It was a mid size stocky guy with dark hair and a Hawaiian shirt. He seemed to be egging Soma and his crew on. Reaching a decision Pat un-cuffed Andrew. "Look Wells, I don't have time to baby-sit you so this is how it is going to be. If you try to run I won't stop you now, but I will run you down no matter how long it takes. If you stick I'll testify at your trial that you did and suggest as much leniency as can be shown. It's your choice." Andrew nodded that he understood.
Pat looking around spotted a group of boulders about forty feet away that seemed to have a path leading down and away from Soma. "Okay, I'm going to lay down some covering fire, I want you two to head for those boulders over there and stay low. I'll come over then and we'll try to work our way out of this lighted area. If I don't make it split-up and run."
Willow looked like she about to protest but a look from Pat and she nodded. "Go!" Pat yelled as he started shooting up hill.
Willow and Andrew took off running with Andrew pulling slightly ahead. The thugs up on the hill started shooting, first at Pat, but then switched targets to the two runners. "Hey Willow!" A voice called from up on the hillside. "Did Tara squeal when she took that bullet?"
Willow pulled up short when she heard this and started scanning the hillside. Andrew skidded to a stop and turning around he grabbed Willow by the waist and threw her behind the rocks, he was just leaping to follow when he grunted and slammed down on top of Willow who grunted from the dead weight into her stomach.
Pat cursed and took careful aim at the speaker, the guy in the loud shirt, and squeezed off his last three shots. He was shocked when his target didn't even acknowledge the bullets, but the guy behind him pitched over backwards. His target glanced back at Sunnydale suddenly and with a frown on his face disappeared in a flash of light. Pat ducked back behind his rock and changed clips, wondering what that was about.
Over behind the other rock Willow rolled Andrew off of her and gasped when she saw the red stain spreading across his abdomen. Andrew looked up at Willow and said, "I'm sorry that Tara got killed," then slumped. Willow looked down and blinked away tears. She shouldn't be grieving for him; after all she had tried to kill him herself just last year. The only thing was she was so sick of little men who thought that power came from the barrel of a gun. "They want power? I'll show them power," she said, as her hair and eyes went black.
814 Front Street
Sunnydale CA
26Oct2002
2115 hours
"I'll pass on his request Andrea. No, she is out with a team. They're doing a recon of the some tunnels under the city and trying to rescue one of Buffy's people. I'll get the information back to you as soon as I can." John Clark said into his cell-phone. "Security precautions? Distance and firepower are about the only thing you can do. I think you might be overreacting. I doubt that if she accepts that there will be a problem. Okay, Okay, I know it's your job. I'll see what I can do from my end," listening some more.
"You missed Pat by about a half-hour, he is heading to LA with a prisoner. He should be getting in there in about ninety minutes. You too Andrea, have a good night. Thanks. Goodbye," Clark shut off the phone.
Stanley who had been standing next to him asked, "Andrea is antsy about something?"
Clark nodded, "Jack is spending tomorrow night in San Bernardino and he wants to have a face-to-face with Buffy and any of her people she wishes to bring."
Stanley smiled, "I can see were she might have cause to be nervous. If I was body guarding someone I think the only one of Buffy's group who I would let within attack range of my principle would be Buffy's sister."
"I wouldn't under estimate the kid Alistair, I hear that Buffy has been working with her, plus living with this stuff since she was 13, that probably means that she is more than capable of taking care of herself."
Stanley was agreeable, "Okay then, none of them, at least not without suitable restraints."
"It useally doesn't do the diplomatic process all that well if you show your trust for the other side by chaining their ambassador to a chair or a table," Clark smiled.
"I'm the bodyguard, not the ambassador," Stanley replied.
Clark was chuckling when he saw Giles and Kennedy coming down the stairs. The looks of concern on their faces immediately put Clark on alert. "Annabelle is missing," Giles began as soon as he reached them.
Kennedy continued, "She said she had to go the bathroom again and left. That was twenty minutes ago. We checked the bathrooms and she wasn't there, but a window is open."
"Crap!" Clark said. Looking up at the catwalks he keyed his radio and asked, "We have a girl missing. Anybody see anything?" All three of the guards reported seeing nothing.
"I don't think anything grabbed her," Kennedy said, "She went out to the bathroom earlier and came back looking real spooked. She said it was nothing, but I think she might have ran."
"It would be possible if she worked her way down the side of the building John," Alistair mused. "There are several dead spots out there that we'll need to cover with camera's."
Riley Finn, Frayne Murphy and Sue Conners came over when they saw the group. Clark explained the situation, then said, "Okay, Frayne you're with me. Riley you and Sue Conners are a team. We fan out and cover the local streets. She couldn't have gotten too far, hopefully we can find her before something else does."
"I'm going too," Giles said.
"I would appreciate it if you would stay here and advise Colonel Stanley in case he needs any information, or this is just a diversion to spread our forces out a little." Clark replied. Both men looked at each other closely. It was clear that both of them would be happier if Giles left with the search parties, but they both nodded their consent. "Great, lets grab some weapons and get."
Clark was sorry that all of the shotguns went with the assault teams. He chose instead an MP10SD. Riley and Frayne also chose the suppressed sub-machine gun while Sue picked an MPK out of the armory. They piled out of factory and jumped into two SUVs that had moon- roofs and headed out.
About two blocks away Annabelle was already considering what she had done to be a huge mistake. Where was she going to go? She had no ID and little money. Plus there was the small matter of The First wanting her dead. She had all but decided to go back and face the music when a hand reached out of a dark alleyway and pulled her in. She screamed.
Clark was on the opposite end of the alley when he heard the scream. He bailed out of the vehicle and tore into the alleyway. About forty feet away a huge figure had a wildly struggling Annabelle suspended by her neck with her feet two feet off of the ground and was leering at her as she wildly kicked her legs trying for a purchase.
"Put her down gently," Clark said, using his best command voice.
The thing glanced his way and he got a look at the glowing eyes and fangs and decided this might be the thing that had beat-up Buffy. Contemptuously it tossed Annabelle to land at Giles feet. Then said something in Latin that did Clark little good, as he had long forgotten what little Latin he had picked up in school. The vampire obviously annoyed that Clark didn't understand him made shooing motions with his hands and pantomimed with his fingers running motions.
Clark began backing toward his end of the alley, dragging Annabelle with him, "[Okay]," Clark thought to himself, "[He wants a little exercise before dinner]." Clark could hear Murphy coming down the street and said, "Okay if you want a run, I think you need a little handicap." Clark flicked the burst control of the SMG to full auto and sprayed Trifurcates in the legs, making sure he got both of them. Trifurcates screamed and pitched over backwards his body blocking a headshot. Clark decided that when you fill and inside straight it was time to walk away from the table, or in this case run. He grabbed Annabelle, who was still recovering from her landing, by the scruff of her sweater and all but through her into the backseat of the SUV when Murphy had pulled even with the alleyway and he piled in right on top of her. Murphy not having to be told peeled out into the street as fast as the SUV would go.
Sunnydale
High School
Sunnydale CA
26OCT2002
2020hrs
Without the satellite imagery it would have been difficult to find the entrance to the caves in the high school basement. With them it was a piece of cake. It was located in a room that was used to store stuff that had been salvaged from the old high school. It was behind a filing cabinet that had on it 'Standardized Testing: 1974-1975'. The release mechanism was in the latch of the third drawer of the cabinet and caused the door into the tunnels to swing inward.
WO Benton and Covington stuck their heads into doorway and looked around. Seeing nothing they ducked back into the room. Covington, looking at the others said, "Okay, lets get the low light gear on and enter as we discussed. Benton and Summers will lead off, Kenshin your in next with your bow, then Keefe and Buf. Sgt. Summers I want you to have your MPK out, Sgt. Johnson you have your soaker out. If we run into Bringers soak one down to see if the water affects them, if it does then give them all a nice bath, if not switch over to your gun. Mr. Harris and I will bring up the rear.
The men reached into their carry-alls that they were carrying and pulled out weapons and their night-vision goggles. They also pulled out some chem.-light sticks and broke them. In normal light it looked like nothing had happened. In reality the chemicals in the sticks produced only a small amount of light. By themselves they would have not provided any illumination. With the night vision goggles though it would allow them to see over forty feet in the tunnels, it was not an ideal solution but Pete didn't want to trust thermal vision tech with vampires being room temperature he was afraid that if one was standing still they might not pick it out of background clutter until it was too late.
Pete was actually surprised with how naked he felt without a lot of the detection gear they normally used. He thought to himself that once they got back to Hereford they were going to be doing a lot more training without the new gear.
As they started off down the tunnel either Benton or Summers would move carefully about twenty feet ahead of the group. The group would then move up to his position then the other one would leap frog ahead. The caves Pete saw where a combination of natural caverns and sewer lines with little rhyme or reason between the switches. Every so often a side passage would branch off of the main tunnel. So far they hadn't found anything that wasn't on the maps that had been made by the satellite, but Pete wasn't going to put total trust in them.
Xander Harris moved alongside the British Major holding his battle-axe. Covington had originally been slightly amused at the sight of the archaic weapon and privately wondered how long he would last in combat swinging the heavy piece of iron and wood. But the easy way he carried it bespoke of a lot of experience with it.
As they passed one of the side passages Xander leaned over and whispered into Covington's ear, "Down that way is the Master's Chamber. It's the center of The Hellmouth."
"I thought that gold thing you showed us on the way in was that." Pete said back. "Hold up a minute," he ordered the rest of the men.
"This whole area is The Hellmouth," Xander explained. "The seal thing is just part of it."
Covington nodded. They would need to map all of this out tomorrow to get some idea of how big a problem they actually had. "All right lets move on."
They moved slowly and carefully for the next forty minutes till Benton sent back the message that he saw light ahead. "Bringers don't need torches," Xander said quietly.
"We are about four chambers from the entrance at the tree lot. Is there any chance that there are things down here that wouldn't attack on sight?"
"Not all demons are instantly hostile, so yeah." Xander quietly replied.
"Why don't you head up and take a look and see if these are those," Covington ordered.
Xander nodded and moved to the head of the unit. He cautiously took one peek around the corner then made his way back to Covington. "There are five vampires in there. I don't think they are on watch or anything, they seem to be just talking with each other."
"Okay, Unger, Johnson, switch over to your super soakers, then we'll go in."
Everyone made sure that the safeties of their weapons were off. Kenshin drew an arrow out of his quiver. A stop at Gerry's had allowed him to get some wooden shafted arrows, they were broad heads though so he wouldn't be recovering any of them. Either they would disappear with the vampire when it turned to dust, or he would not have the time to recover it from any other type of body. He had talked to Gerry about getting some target heads and Gerry had promised that he would get a gross. Keefe and Johnson had their super-soakers up and nodded, Xander simply shifted his axe off of his shoulder and gripped it with both hands. The squad moved up till they were just around the corner from the lighted room and pulled their goggles off of their faces and watched their commander. Covington held up one hand with three fingers raised, he lowered the first, then the second, with the lowering of the last he called, "Now!"
Benton and Summers rolled around the corner with their shotguns raised and shot two of the vampires in the head. The .70 cal. slug messily decapitated both of the vampires before either realized they were under attack. Both men moved into the room ratcheting another round into their guns.
Kenshin was the next in. He calmly drew back on the bowstring and when the center vampire, a pretty brunette woman got up out of the chair she had been sitting in he shot her in the chest with an arrow. She just had time to look down in shock as she turned to dust and was gone.
Keefe and Buford were right behind Kenshin and wasted no time in hosing down the remaining two vampires who were rushing the interlopers to their home. Both stopped and started screaming as the water sprayed over their faces and upper bodies.
Xander followed the two soaker-armed troopers in and moved off to the side to asses the situation. He started moving toward one of the remaining vamps and pulling a stake out of a pocket in his jeans he calmly staked it. His ears still ringing from the blasts of the first two shotguns he winced when Maj. Covington dispatched the last one.
Covington called, "Showtime!" into his radio before he followed his men and Xander into the room. He saw Xander staking one of the only remaining vampires so he simply shot the other one in the face and watched it collapse into dust. He was just starting to look around at the mess that the vampires were living in when Bringers started flooding into the room from one beyond.
He got his shotgun up and shot one, and then another at close range before the remaining ones closed to hand-to-hand distance. He got busy after that.
Kenshin saw the Bringers coming and didn't even try to reload his bow. Instead he dropped it and pulled his sword. The first Bringer that reached him he impaled with a thrust. The Bringers eyes went wide in shock when the steel pierced his stomach. Kenshin pulled the sword out and kicked the Bringer in the knee to get him out of the way. He moved into the tide of bodies that were pouring into the room his sword gathering a grim harvest.
The
Tree Lot
1245 Main Street.
Sunnydale CA
26OCT2002
2110 hrs
Buffy, Ding, and the two other Rainbow troopers was been standing by back from the hole as to not alert any watchers below. The plan had been simple. When Group two engaged what ever was in the caverns under the tree lot and had them concentrating in their direction, Team One would then do a quick entrance and take the defenders from the rear and hopefully route them.
When Covington had sent 'Showtime' over his radio it was the signal that they had encountered resistance. The four people ran to the hole that Buffy had made. Ding, Tragutti, and Evgeny quickly pounded stakes into the ground that already had ropes attached. Buffy, crossbow ready simply jumped into the hole and then covered the entranceway. One at a time first Ding then Tragutti, finally Evgeny followed her in repelling down with the ropes. Once they were all down Buffy head toward through the entranceway and into the torch lit cavern beyond. The first thing she saw was a familiar and welcome blond head chained to the far wall. Then she noticed the fifteen Bringers that had been crowding forward to get into the room beyond. As one they turned their scarred visages toward the four invaders