Xander and Faith exchanged a quick look.
Faith drew her knife as Xander looked at the door and read his job description again. "Paleontologist, huh?"
The professor turned around, and answered, "Yes." At Xander's questioning look he continued. "We research animals and . . ."
With the professor turned away from her, she wacked him over the head with the blunt end of her knife, and he went down instantly.
"Really sorry, about that," Faith commented with a neutral face. "But we don't have much choice." She produced some rope from her jacket, and started tying the man up, as Xander skimmed through the man's papers.
"We can't have him around talking of this, Faith," Xander said to her.
"No prob, Xan, I'll know what to do," she said grinning as she showed him a gag.
Xander shook his head and walked around the apartment casually, checking the place out. His attention first rose to an old paper, titled 'the legend of Ollokai'. He scanned the paper quickly, but realized that it didn't contain the info he needed and only memorized the name.
The first few piles weren't much, until Xander found a small stack of sheets lying next to the man's computer. There were corrections on it with red ink, so Xander thought at first that it was work from his students, but when he saw that corrections contained arrows, and whole sentences, he realized the professor had been rewriting his own paper. Xander read the title, 'New dinosaur found: ...' Xander didn't bother with the scientific name that stood behind it, but he did read the subtitle, 'The super snake from the south west'. Instantly Xander flashed back to his dream, the giant snake rising up from the sand, and its maw opening to engulf him. He shifted through a few of the papers, neatly arranged by page number, until he found a picture of the carcass, and beneath it a size schematic, the snake, t-rex, an elephant, and a man. The snake's head was about the same size as the man, and it's body as high as an elephant. "Oh, shit, it's huge," Xander said out loud.
"What?" Faith asked, looking up from her work. Xander turned around with the paper in hand, which counted about fifteen sheets. He saw Faith finishing up, tying the professor with a gag.
Xander handed over the sheets with the title and with the size schematic, and said, "I think we just found what the Mayor is turning into. Notice the schematic." Xander in the mean time shifted through a few more sheets.
"Fuck me," Faith said, seeing the schematic.
"Not now, Faith, can't you think of anything else?" Xander said, mock sternly, earning him a surprised look, and then a wicked grin. Then Xander read out loud, "'Encased in volcanic rock.'" His mind was already spinning to find a way to defeat the Mayor. Faith watched a smile creep upon Xander's face. "If a big load of fire is what killed this one, a big load of fire is what we'll use to destroy the next."
Faith grinned back, and then looked down at the professor. "So what do we do with him? Can't let him run around. Mayor will know I didn't kill him, and he'll just have him killed by someone else."
"We have to lock him away somewhere in the mean time, preferably some place he can't be heard, so we can remove his gag, and he can drink, if possible without the use of his hands. Got any ideas?" Xander said, trying to think of a place.
"Leave it to me, I know just the place," Faith said with a smile.
*****
At a small apartment a dark-haired girl knocked on the door. The door opened and a brunette stood at the entrance. She looked tired and close to a burn out. She looked even more somber and grim and rolled her red-rimmed eyes when she saw who had knocked.
"Faith, you're the last person I had expected here. What do you want?" Cordelia snapped.
Faith grinned. "Sounds familiar. Can I come in?"
"For what?" Cordelia growled.
"Some talk."
Cordelia frowned and looked at the grinning face of Faith. "Come in. But no more than five minutes."
"Don't need more."
Faith stepped into the sober apartment. It was Spartanly furnished.
"Nice decorations," Faith quipped. "You did it yourself? Or did you hire one of those expensive . . ."
"Very funny, Faith!" Cordelia snapped. "I guess Xander told you everything?" Cordelia said with disdain.
That got Faith pissed. "He did, but only *after* I interrogated him when I thought he had bought that for *me*." Faith pointed at the dress that hung gently across the back of a chair. "*Then* I insulted him for helping an ungrateful bitch like you!" Faith said calmly, with a lot of self control.
This surprised Cordelia, not only because she again thought less of Xander, but also the way Faith protected Xander. Something she always lacked. Faith stayed silent to let Cordelia think it over. She looked back at Faith and couldn't stand her silence anymore.
"Who else knows?"
"Nobody . . . I promised Xander not to tell anyone else. It's not my concern . . . Now tell me, how does it feel to be one of the poor?" Faith quipped.
The former cheerleader dignified herself by not answering this question of Faith.
Faith continued, serious this time. "You're not the nicest person to have as a girlfriend. You always insulted him when you two were dating, and you walked around him with an air of superiority. Now I know that he likes to go for the impossible women." Faith chuckled. "Somehow he's attracted to strong women, like us or B." She became serious again. "I know you still love him, as do I! You dig his bravery, hmm? You like heroes, don't you?"
Cordelia kept silent and Faith continued. "I know, C. I heard you two talking this morning. I saw that twinkle in your eyes when you realized that he will stay, even when he thinks he's gonna die. The way he risked his life for me . . . almost makes you wish that you were the one going mad, huh?" she needled and then sighed. "To be honest, I think that he deserves you more then me, I'm too unreliable and too messed up." She looked Cordelia straight in the eyes. "It's simple, C, I'll give you a choice. You can have him back, but if you refuse or he doesn't want you, then I'll step in and take my chances. I'll give you until graduation is over." Cordelia nodded.
Faith walked to the door and turned her head to face Cordelia one last time. "And don't forget, I don't mind the competition and I won't make it easy for you. Make sure he'll notice you!" With that she opened the door and stepped out as a grin flashed on her face.
Faith drew her knife as Xander looked at the door and read his job description again. "Paleontologist, huh?"
The professor turned around, and answered, "Yes." At Xander's questioning look he continued. "We research animals and . . ."
With the professor turned away from her, she wacked him over the head with the blunt end of her knife, and he went down instantly.
"Really sorry, about that," Faith commented with a neutral face. "But we don't have much choice." She produced some rope from her jacket, and started tying the man up, as Xander skimmed through the man's papers.
"We can't have him around talking of this, Faith," Xander said to her.
"No prob, Xan, I'll know what to do," she said grinning as she showed him a gag.
Xander shook his head and walked around the apartment casually, checking the place out. His attention first rose to an old paper, titled 'the legend of Ollokai'. He scanned the paper quickly, but realized that it didn't contain the info he needed and only memorized the name.
The first few piles weren't much, until Xander found a small stack of sheets lying next to the man's computer. There were corrections on it with red ink, so Xander thought at first that it was work from his students, but when he saw that corrections contained arrows, and whole sentences, he realized the professor had been rewriting his own paper. Xander read the title, 'New dinosaur found: ...' Xander didn't bother with the scientific name that stood behind it, but he did read the subtitle, 'The super snake from the south west'. Instantly Xander flashed back to his dream, the giant snake rising up from the sand, and its maw opening to engulf him. He shifted through a few of the papers, neatly arranged by page number, until he found a picture of the carcass, and beneath it a size schematic, the snake, t-rex, an elephant, and a man. The snake's head was about the same size as the man, and it's body as high as an elephant. "Oh, shit, it's huge," Xander said out loud.
"What?" Faith asked, looking up from her work. Xander turned around with the paper in hand, which counted about fifteen sheets. He saw Faith finishing up, tying the professor with a gag.
Xander handed over the sheets with the title and with the size schematic, and said, "I think we just found what the Mayor is turning into. Notice the schematic." Xander in the mean time shifted through a few more sheets.
"Fuck me," Faith said, seeing the schematic.
"Not now, Faith, can't you think of anything else?" Xander said, mock sternly, earning him a surprised look, and then a wicked grin. Then Xander read out loud, "'Encased in volcanic rock.'" His mind was already spinning to find a way to defeat the Mayor. Faith watched a smile creep upon Xander's face. "If a big load of fire is what killed this one, a big load of fire is what we'll use to destroy the next."
Faith grinned back, and then looked down at the professor. "So what do we do with him? Can't let him run around. Mayor will know I didn't kill him, and he'll just have him killed by someone else."
"We have to lock him away somewhere in the mean time, preferably some place he can't be heard, so we can remove his gag, and he can drink, if possible without the use of his hands. Got any ideas?" Xander said, trying to think of a place.
"Leave it to me, I know just the place," Faith said with a smile.
*****
At a small apartment a dark-haired girl knocked on the door. The door opened and a brunette stood at the entrance. She looked tired and close to a burn out. She looked even more somber and grim and rolled her red-rimmed eyes when she saw who had knocked.
"Faith, you're the last person I had expected here. What do you want?" Cordelia snapped.
Faith grinned. "Sounds familiar. Can I come in?"
"For what?" Cordelia growled.
"Some talk."
Cordelia frowned and looked at the grinning face of Faith. "Come in. But no more than five minutes."
"Don't need more."
Faith stepped into the sober apartment. It was Spartanly furnished.
"Nice decorations," Faith quipped. "You did it yourself? Or did you hire one of those expensive . . ."
"Very funny, Faith!" Cordelia snapped. "I guess Xander told you everything?" Cordelia said with disdain.
That got Faith pissed. "He did, but only *after* I interrogated him when I thought he had bought that for *me*." Faith pointed at the dress that hung gently across the back of a chair. "*Then* I insulted him for helping an ungrateful bitch like you!" Faith said calmly, with a lot of self control.
This surprised Cordelia, not only because she again thought less of Xander, but also the way Faith protected Xander. Something she always lacked. Faith stayed silent to let Cordelia think it over. She looked back at Faith and couldn't stand her silence anymore.
"Who else knows?"
"Nobody . . . I promised Xander not to tell anyone else. It's not my concern . . . Now tell me, how does it feel to be one of the poor?" Faith quipped.
The former cheerleader dignified herself by not answering this question of Faith.
Faith continued, serious this time. "You're not the nicest person to have as a girlfriend. You always insulted him when you two were dating, and you walked around him with an air of superiority. Now I know that he likes to go for the impossible women." Faith chuckled. "Somehow he's attracted to strong women, like us or B." She became serious again. "I know you still love him, as do I! You dig his bravery, hmm? You like heroes, don't you?"
Cordelia kept silent and Faith continued. "I know, C. I heard you two talking this morning. I saw that twinkle in your eyes when you realized that he will stay, even when he thinks he's gonna die. The way he risked his life for me . . . almost makes you wish that you were the one going mad, huh?" she needled and then sighed. "To be honest, I think that he deserves you more then me, I'm too unreliable and too messed up." She looked Cordelia straight in the eyes. "It's simple, C, I'll give you a choice. You can have him back, but if you refuse or he doesn't want you, then I'll step in and take my chances. I'll give you until graduation is over." Cordelia nodded.
Faith walked to the door and turned her head to face Cordelia one last time. "And don't forget, I don't mind the competition and I won't make it easy for you. Make sure he'll notice you!" With that she opened the door and stepped out as a grin flashed on her face.