CHAPTER FORTY-NINE: GRADUATION
Friday, 15th May 1999For a month and a half, the Scoobies worked around the clock trying to think of ways to destroy the Mayor. They monitored Richard Wilkins' actions, trying to work out a way to stop the Ascension from even happening at all. At one stage, they'd discovered an important factor to the Mayor's ritual, the Box of Gavrok, and they'd managed to get their hands on the box. When the plan had gone sour and Willow had been captured, they'd given the box up to ensure Willow's safety, and were thus back at square one.
With the research that Buffy had pilfered off the now dusty Trick, they'd discovered the breed of demon that they believed the Mayor was to become. The demon was a snake-like creature that would be at least seventy feet long, and incredibly hard to kill.
It was only in the last few days before Graduation that a plan was even formulated. And even then, the plan was as risky as they came. They'd discovered that the Ascension would take place in the middle of the afternoon, but the Graduation Ceremony that Wilkins was going to use as a feeding ground would be held indoors in the gymnasium meant that Angel could still be part of the plan.
Xander's question of where to find a mountain of lava had been weighing heavily on Buffy's mind, and it was only after an innocent comment in one of Draco's letters to Buffy that the Slayer even came up with what she planned to do. 'It's too bad you never learned any spells to make things explode…it would have come in handy.' No, Buffy had never learnt spells. But that didn't mean that muggles were unable to destroy things just as well as wizards.
Giles wasn't entirely happy to hear what Buffy had in mind. Destroying the school was an insane idea, but at that point in time it was all they had.
"How did you gonna convince Snyder to hold the assembly in the gym?" Xander asked.
Giles smirked a little. Buffy grinned at her Watcher and Xander's eyes widened as he saw the exchange.
"Ripper comes out to play," Xander commented, nodding approvingly. "Alright G-man."
Giles glared at the boy who immediately backed down. In actual fact, Giles had done very little. He just happened to be very good friends with the man who published the weather forecast. He'd bribed the man into predicting thunderstorms for Graduation Day, and Principal Snyder had had no other choice but to move it indoors. And, even though the day had turned out to be perfectly sunny, the gymnasium was already set up, and it was too late to move everything outside.
"The main problem is going to be ensuring that the students get out of the gymnasium in time," Giles said, getting the group back on track.
Buffy looked to the Scoobies. "That's where you guys will come in," she explained. "I need all of you guys at the exits, making sure that everyone gets out and that no one else can get in."
Willow perked up slightly. "I can do a de-invite spell on the gym," she announced happily. "We'd hafta give Angel an invitation in, but it would mean that no other vampires could come in."
"That's pretty brill, Will," Xander complimented her.
"So, what's our 'Plan B'?" Oz asked.
The room went silent. Buffy sighed and looked away. She knew that if they failed in destroying the gym and taking the Mayor out in one fell swoop, they would be doomed. They had one shot to do this, and Buffy didn't want to think about what would happen if they missed their window of opportunity.
"There isn't one," Buffy admitted quietly.
"You'll need to start getting the students out of the gym as soon as the Mayor begins the transformation," Giles said quickly, covering up their lack of back-up plan. He wasn't any happier about the lack of anther plan than the others, but there wasn't much else they could really do to defeat the Mayor.
"We don't want anyone in that gym when he finishes ascending," Buffy said.
"Except you, you mean," Cordelia said.
Buffy breathed in deeply. She was nervous and scared as hell, but that was the plan. Distract the Mayor for as long as possible while the students and parents got the hell out of the gym. When that was done, Buffy would flee as quickly as possible and Giles would be the one to press the plunger on the numerous explosive devices that they'd set up around the gym, attaching them to the floors, the walls and the ceiling. They needed to blast the hell out of the gym to ensure that the Mayor would be killed completely.
"Except me," Buffy agreed. The Slayer looked around the room at her friends, thanking the Higher Powers that she'd been blessed with so many loyal people who were willing to stand by her through absolutely everything.
The Scoobies fell silent again, each of them thinking about the many ways this plan could go horribly wrong. Surprisingly it was Oz who spoke up first.
"Will and I should go and start those spells for the gym."
Willow nodded and the young couple left the library, heading towards the gym. They had only four hours before the Graduation Ceremony began.
"What can Cordy and I do?" Xander asked.
"Scout out the exits," Buffy instructed. "Make sure there's nothing blocking them. Put a supply of weapons near where you'll be standing so that you won't run out, and make sure you find a shady exit for Angel."
Xander nodded, refraining from making any comments about Angel's sunlight allergy. He and Cordy left, clutching at each other's hands nervously.
Angel and Giles looked at Buffy who was looking over the blueprints of the gym, staring at the markers of where they'd set up the explosives.
"It'll be okay Buffy," Angel assured her.
Buffy sighed and nodded. "I hope you're right. Cos it's not just our lives on the line here. It's all of Sunnydale. Hell, all the world really. And, as much as I wish we had a more…feasible plan…well, we don't."
Giles placed a fatherly hand on Buffy's shoulder. "You did the right thing. Exchanging the Box for Willow," Giles explained.
Buffy breathed in deeply and nodded. She just wished they'd had a chance to destroy the Box of Gavrok, but Willow's life had been their first priority. Buffy had to admit that she was still a little worried that they'd made a mistake, but she knew that she wouldn't risk her best friend's life for anything. Whatever happened now happened, and that was all there was to it. All they could do now was hope that everything turned out alright.
"Let's just pray that this goes to plan."
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Okay, this chapter is damn short, and…well, I feel generous. I'll give you the final chapter as well.