Title: The Wrong Side of the Line - Chapter 2
Author: Rylee Jane
See Chapter 1 for disclaimers, ratings, etc.
Thanks again to SpoikesPet and Shaw_thang
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Spike awoke to a loud, persistent banging on his door. "What?" he snapped, getting up and yanking the door open.
"Sir, a human ambassador is here to see you. A Buffy Summers."
He sighed, nodding. "Show her to my office."
The soldier saluted and headed off down the hall at a run. Spike went to his closet and pulled the file box out from its hiding space in the corner. Her file was still on top, the only one in the box that was still active. The rest of the ambassadors had long ago been killed or had surrendered themselves to the order. Only this girl held out.
He grabbed the papers and tucked them under his arm, shoving the box back into the cupboard.
He walked into his office and gave the girl a less-than-pleasant nod. "Miss Summers. Can't say it's a pleasure to see you."
"No, I don't suppose you can. That's fine since I'd rather not be here either."
"Then why are you?"
She had been leaning casually against the wall, studying her fingernails. Now, she looked at him, her hazel eyes cold. "I want to make a trade."
"Do you?"
"Would I have come for any other reason?"
He leaned back in his chair and smirked at her. "Thought maybe you'd decided to give up the fight and turn yourself in."
She laughed, rolling her eyes. "You wish. I'd sooner die."
"That can be arranged."
She tilted her chin up defiantly. "Ready to try it?"
He sighed. "Just tell me why you're here. I'm a busy vampire."
"OK, fine. I want food. I've got people starving at my camp and I need food for them."
"You know, if you just turn yourselves in, you could have all the food you ever needed."
"Not a chance."
"It'd be a lot easier on you. Look, I know you have your pride, but it's going to get you killed. I can't protect you out there. One of my guys with a chip on his shoulder could take you all out in a heartbeat. Come here and I can guarantee your safety."
"Over my dead body. Now are we gonna' trade or what?"
He shrugged. "What are you going to give me?"
"The gem of Amara."
He sat up, a look of shock flashing briefly on his face. "So you're the one who has it?"
"That's right. And I'll give it to you, for a month's worth of food."
"A month? For how many people?"
"Can't tell you that, now can I? You let me get it and take it out of here."
"That's not going to happen." He shook his head. "A month's worth for the gem?"
"Take it or leave it. Next time, it'll be two month's worth."
"You got a list of what you need?"
She patted her pocket. "Right here."
"And the gem?"
She laughed. "What do you think I am, stupid? It's in a safe place. We get the food, you get the ring."
"Give me the list."
She handed it to him and he picked up the phone, placing a call to the kitchen. "Captain Barker, please. Captain, I have an order to place and I need it all packed up and ready to go within the hour. Put it on a refrigerated truck and have it in the dock. I expect this to stay between us, Captain, is that understood? That's correct. Here's what I need."
When he'd finished reading off the list and threatened the lives of anyone who told about this, he hung up and turned back to Buffy. "It's going to be a bit. Why don't you come and have some breakfast with me?"
She shrugged. "I could use a bite to eat. I'll have the gem back here tomorrow."
He shook his head, standing. "Keep it. If it fell into the wrong hands around here, it could cause some serious trouble. Besides, you may need it as a bargaining chip later. Could save your life."
She looked stunned. "You mean you trust me with it?"
"For now, yes. I may live to regret it, but what choice do I really have?"
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An hour and a half later, Spike led Buffy into the kitchen area. "Captain Barker."
The Captain stepped out from behind a large palette of food and saluted. "General. We're almost finished, sir. Would you like to double check the order?"
Spike gritted his teeth. "Captain, I told you we would need it in an hour. It's been almost two. Why are you not finished yet?"
"Sir, we had to have some of the supplies brought from another outpost. I had them brought over as quickly as possible. They just arrived a few minutes ago and we're in the process of moving them into the truck now."
Spike nodded, then turned to Buffy. "Let's do a quick inventory and help them finish loading."
She snatched the list out of his hands and moved to the back of the refrigerator. The Captain was still standing there, obviously waiting for further orders, and Spike shot him a look. "I assume that you've told no one why we're doing this or where it's going."
"Of course not, sir. It's classified. Just like you said."
"Good man. Finish getting this stuff loaded so we can get it out of here as quickly as possible."
Captain Barker saluted again and hurried off to get the last bit onto the truck. Spike went to see how Buffy was doing.
She was standing behind a large palette, counting boxes of cereal. "You know," she said as he came around to stand next to her. "You have all this food just sitting here, and there are people out there starving. That would be bad enough on its own, but when you add in the fact that vampires don't even eat food, it just seems downright selfish."
He laughed. "Well, we have to have something to feed the workers, don't we? And you and yours can have all you want. All you have to do is turn yourselves in."
She rolled her eyes, and went back to counting.
"Is it all here?"
She nodded. "Most of it. We're going to have to keep the truck for a while, though. Our refrigeration units were lost in an attack."
"That's fine. When was this attack?"
She sighed. "Two months ago."
"Vampires?"
"Turlok Demons. A whole swarm of them. They just came to get our food, and I would have given them some but we didn't have any to give." She propped one hand on her hip and looked at him coolly. "It's getting bad out there, Spike. We have to do something."
"What do you expect us to do? I've given orders for my troops to leave any and all humans alone, as long as you all do the same for us. I can't force any other troops to do the same, but at least you've got that."
"What the hell good does that do us? We're dying off in droves, Spike! We lost four from our camp in the last week. And it's not just the humans. The demon populations are dwindling away to nothing. Do you really want a world with nothing but vampires?"
"It's the way it's always been, Buffy. You have to know that. You're the newcomers. People are afraid of anything that's different."
"That doesn't mean different is wrong. That's what we've been trying to prove for years upon years, and you all won't listen."
"I've listened. I know that you aren't all savages anymore, that you deserve a chance at life, but I've done all I can do. The rest is up to you."
She sighed. "We've tried. I don't know what more we can do."
Spike shook his head. "Just lay low for a while, give things a chance to calm down. And get to the rebels and tell them to lay off. They're the ones that are giving you all a bad name."
She laughed, and he frowned at her. "Spike, you're talking to one of the so-called rebels. There are no militant groups out there. There never were."
"That's not true. Outpost 18 was attacked three weeks ago. You can't tell me that it wasn't an attempt at overthrow."
She smiled but it was forced. "So that's what they've told you? Let me tell you the truth. One of our camps was raided in the middle of the night. They--- your side--- took all the children and herded them back to that outpost. The humans only attacked to get the kids back. They were baited, Spike. They were drawn to the outpost and killed."
Spike's mind reeled. He didn't know what to think of that. He was inclined to believe the official reports, of course, because they were from his people. But Buffy had never lied to him. If he had to give her one thing, it was a fair amount of trust. "Is that so?"
She nodded. "'Fraid so."
"What happened to the kids?"
"Dead. Of course."
Spike swallowed hard. "I didn't know---."
"Well, now you do. Something has to be done, Spike."
She turned to finish the inventory and Spike reached out and caught her arm. "What, uh--- how's Dawnie?"
"She's fine. She lost her boyfriend last month."
"I'm sorry to hear that. What happened to him?"
"The virus got him."
"I thought the virus had been eradicated."
She laughed harshly. "Stop believing everything you hear. It was as good as wiped out until your government reintroduced it. It's their idea of population control."
"I should have known," Spike muttered. He'd made it a point to stay out of the loop on most of what the government was doing, just because he knew he was too soft-hearted to deal with most of it. Still, there were some things that he really should have paid attention to. Especially when it concerned genocide.
"Yeah, well, like you said, there's only so much you can do," Buffy snipped, going back to her counting.
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Chapter 3 is coming soon! Now that you've read, go review! Please? I'm not above begging, but I really don't want to...
Author: Rylee Jane
See Chapter 1 for disclaimers, ratings, etc.
Thanks again to SpoikesPet and Shaw_thang
********************************************************************************
Spike awoke to a loud, persistent banging on his door. "What?" he snapped, getting up and yanking the door open.
"Sir, a human ambassador is here to see you. A Buffy Summers."
He sighed, nodding. "Show her to my office."
The soldier saluted and headed off down the hall at a run. Spike went to his closet and pulled the file box out from its hiding space in the corner. Her file was still on top, the only one in the box that was still active. The rest of the ambassadors had long ago been killed or had surrendered themselves to the order. Only this girl held out.
He grabbed the papers and tucked them under his arm, shoving the box back into the cupboard.
He walked into his office and gave the girl a less-than-pleasant nod. "Miss Summers. Can't say it's a pleasure to see you."
"No, I don't suppose you can. That's fine since I'd rather not be here either."
"Then why are you?"
She had been leaning casually against the wall, studying her fingernails. Now, she looked at him, her hazel eyes cold. "I want to make a trade."
"Do you?"
"Would I have come for any other reason?"
He leaned back in his chair and smirked at her. "Thought maybe you'd decided to give up the fight and turn yourself in."
She laughed, rolling her eyes. "You wish. I'd sooner die."
"That can be arranged."
She tilted her chin up defiantly. "Ready to try it?"
He sighed. "Just tell me why you're here. I'm a busy vampire."
"OK, fine. I want food. I've got people starving at my camp and I need food for them."
"You know, if you just turn yourselves in, you could have all the food you ever needed."
"Not a chance."
"It'd be a lot easier on you. Look, I know you have your pride, but it's going to get you killed. I can't protect you out there. One of my guys with a chip on his shoulder could take you all out in a heartbeat. Come here and I can guarantee your safety."
"Over my dead body. Now are we gonna' trade or what?"
He shrugged. "What are you going to give me?"
"The gem of Amara."
He sat up, a look of shock flashing briefly on his face. "So you're the one who has it?"
"That's right. And I'll give it to you, for a month's worth of food."
"A month? For how many people?"
"Can't tell you that, now can I? You let me get it and take it out of here."
"That's not going to happen." He shook his head. "A month's worth for the gem?"
"Take it or leave it. Next time, it'll be two month's worth."
"You got a list of what you need?"
She patted her pocket. "Right here."
"And the gem?"
She laughed. "What do you think I am, stupid? It's in a safe place. We get the food, you get the ring."
"Give me the list."
She handed it to him and he picked up the phone, placing a call to the kitchen. "Captain Barker, please. Captain, I have an order to place and I need it all packed up and ready to go within the hour. Put it on a refrigerated truck and have it in the dock. I expect this to stay between us, Captain, is that understood? That's correct. Here's what I need."
When he'd finished reading off the list and threatened the lives of anyone who told about this, he hung up and turned back to Buffy. "It's going to be a bit. Why don't you come and have some breakfast with me?"
She shrugged. "I could use a bite to eat. I'll have the gem back here tomorrow."
He shook his head, standing. "Keep it. If it fell into the wrong hands around here, it could cause some serious trouble. Besides, you may need it as a bargaining chip later. Could save your life."
She looked stunned. "You mean you trust me with it?"
"For now, yes. I may live to regret it, but what choice do I really have?"
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An hour and a half later, Spike led Buffy into the kitchen area. "Captain Barker."
The Captain stepped out from behind a large palette of food and saluted. "General. We're almost finished, sir. Would you like to double check the order?"
Spike gritted his teeth. "Captain, I told you we would need it in an hour. It's been almost two. Why are you not finished yet?"
"Sir, we had to have some of the supplies brought from another outpost. I had them brought over as quickly as possible. They just arrived a few minutes ago and we're in the process of moving them into the truck now."
Spike nodded, then turned to Buffy. "Let's do a quick inventory and help them finish loading."
She snatched the list out of his hands and moved to the back of the refrigerator. The Captain was still standing there, obviously waiting for further orders, and Spike shot him a look. "I assume that you've told no one why we're doing this or where it's going."
"Of course not, sir. It's classified. Just like you said."
"Good man. Finish getting this stuff loaded so we can get it out of here as quickly as possible."
Captain Barker saluted again and hurried off to get the last bit onto the truck. Spike went to see how Buffy was doing.
She was standing behind a large palette, counting boxes of cereal. "You know," she said as he came around to stand next to her. "You have all this food just sitting here, and there are people out there starving. That would be bad enough on its own, but when you add in the fact that vampires don't even eat food, it just seems downright selfish."
He laughed. "Well, we have to have something to feed the workers, don't we? And you and yours can have all you want. All you have to do is turn yourselves in."
She rolled her eyes, and went back to counting.
"Is it all here?"
She nodded. "Most of it. We're going to have to keep the truck for a while, though. Our refrigeration units were lost in an attack."
"That's fine. When was this attack?"
She sighed. "Two months ago."
"Vampires?"
"Turlok Demons. A whole swarm of them. They just came to get our food, and I would have given them some but we didn't have any to give." She propped one hand on her hip and looked at him coolly. "It's getting bad out there, Spike. We have to do something."
"What do you expect us to do? I've given orders for my troops to leave any and all humans alone, as long as you all do the same for us. I can't force any other troops to do the same, but at least you've got that."
"What the hell good does that do us? We're dying off in droves, Spike! We lost four from our camp in the last week. And it's not just the humans. The demon populations are dwindling away to nothing. Do you really want a world with nothing but vampires?"
"It's the way it's always been, Buffy. You have to know that. You're the newcomers. People are afraid of anything that's different."
"That doesn't mean different is wrong. That's what we've been trying to prove for years upon years, and you all won't listen."
"I've listened. I know that you aren't all savages anymore, that you deserve a chance at life, but I've done all I can do. The rest is up to you."
She sighed. "We've tried. I don't know what more we can do."
Spike shook his head. "Just lay low for a while, give things a chance to calm down. And get to the rebels and tell them to lay off. They're the ones that are giving you all a bad name."
She laughed, and he frowned at her. "Spike, you're talking to one of the so-called rebels. There are no militant groups out there. There never were."
"That's not true. Outpost 18 was attacked three weeks ago. You can't tell me that it wasn't an attempt at overthrow."
She smiled but it was forced. "So that's what they've told you? Let me tell you the truth. One of our camps was raided in the middle of the night. They--- your side--- took all the children and herded them back to that outpost. The humans only attacked to get the kids back. They were baited, Spike. They were drawn to the outpost and killed."
Spike's mind reeled. He didn't know what to think of that. He was inclined to believe the official reports, of course, because they were from his people. But Buffy had never lied to him. If he had to give her one thing, it was a fair amount of trust. "Is that so?"
She nodded. "'Fraid so."
"What happened to the kids?"
"Dead. Of course."
Spike swallowed hard. "I didn't know---."
"Well, now you do. Something has to be done, Spike."
She turned to finish the inventory and Spike reached out and caught her arm. "What, uh--- how's Dawnie?"
"She's fine. She lost her boyfriend last month."
"I'm sorry to hear that. What happened to him?"
"The virus got him."
"I thought the virus had been eradicated."
She laughed harshly. "Stop believing everything you hear. It was as good as wiped out until your government reintroduced it. It's their idea of population control."
"I should have known," Spike muttered. He'd made it a point to stay out of the loop on most of what the government was doing, just because he knew he was too soft-hearted to deal with most of it. Still, there were some things that he really should have paid attention to. Especially when it concerned genocide.
"Yeah, well, like you said, there's only so much you can do," Buffy snipped, going back to her counting.
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Chapter 3 is coming soon! Now that you've read, go review! Please? I'm not above begging, but I really don't want to...